Bearer of the Red Lotus

18 Turning the tides

"You damn humans." Illathar growled and let out a frosty breath. He stomped on the ground with each leg and cracked his horrifying fists.

Maven got up off the ground and grabbed his moonlight sword with one hand. The illusion of the sword dissipated a bit from the last frost beam but it was still sturdy.

Maven looked over at Han Yi and couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"You damn liar was this your plan?" Maven couldn't help but growl. Han Yi smiled with schadenfreude and stood up stabilizing himself.

"Heh, does it matter? At least you will suffer because of it." Han Yi words hissed out like poison to Maven's ears.

Maven tightly gripped his sword and pointed it towards Illathar and with a low and cold voice, he said: "No one will stop my affairs today."

"Ji Shu, tend to the scroll!" Maven roared and closed his eyes. Ye Yuyan nodded and jumped for the scroll, Han Yi followed running for the scroll as well.

Maven's body suddenly exploded into thousands of shadow copies. Every copy diffused into a different direction running at Illathar. The cold auras around Illathar condensed onto his claws and he slashed the skies sending put two blue claws.

The claws slammed into the ground leaving paw prints and cutting apart hundreds of clones. The surviving clones bled through getting to Illathar feet.

"Awrrr!" Illathar roared and stomped the ground multiple times. The cold auras around him acted as a buffer freezing all the incoming clones and he stamped the other ones into the ground.

A few of the remaining clones dashed through and with moonlight swords stabbed into Illathar. A few of the cold auras became icicles and slashed down like a meteor shower onto the few clones left.

"Arghh!" The clones roared as they were skewered by the icicles becoming nothing more than moonlight.

Illathar looked around unable to find any corpses among the dissipating clones. Then suddenly all his hair stood up and he suddenly turned behind him.

There was Maven floating in the sky and around him was a swirling vortex of moonlight. The energy seemed like it was on the precipice of condensing into physical form.

Illathar's eyes glowed white and he roared again. He stepped forward once again rumbling the ground and suddenly he tumbled forward at Maven. Maven kept his focus as Illathar charged toward him and his moonlight sword started to shine.

"Too late you damned beast." Maven gloated as the vortex condensed down and more light gathered.

Various dots of light from the sky gathered along the sword. The energy elongated the sword making it reach for the skies!

"Illusory Sword Totem: Moonlight Crescent." Maven said slowly as intense sword forces passed all along his body in response.

"Break for me!" Maven roared as he slashed down with his massive moonlight sword.

Illathar continued charging as the frost auras around him pressed against his body. He ducked down and the cold auras against his body formed a frosty dome on his back.

The moonlight sword came slashing down at that moment and the world was completely alight with moonlight. The frosty dome around Illathar cracked in half, drifting snow into the air. The glittering light and falling snow made one think of the first winter's snowfall.

The moonlight sword's momentum disappeared as it dissipated back into light spots. Along Illathar's back was a superficial slash that bled blue blood.

"Weak." Illathar intoned as he got back up one vertebra at a time. Maven's body drifted back to the ground as the moonlight energies dissipated. He looked up realizing the sheer size of Illathar and dreading him at the same time.

Maven's head went downcast and suddenly blood dripped from the side of his lip. His eyes turned into a deep blood red filled with malice and around him was the aura of a sharp sword.

This was the final technique of a swordsman, Sword Burning! They would absorb sword forces haphazardly without regard for the consequences and cut away at their sword foundation. This technique could ruin one's chances of forming sword intent!

"Like I said no one will stop my affairs." He said with a low growl that seemed to cut the air. All around him drifting sword forces turned into swords that blasted out.

Maven jumped forward and started trading blows with Illathar. His unending sword strikes slashed apart Illathar neverending frosty front guards.

"Ji Shu! I can free you but you need to help me." Han Yi said as his attention turned away from the fight between Maven and Illathar.

Ye Yuyan stood unfazed in front of Han Yi, in his left hand he held a furled black scroll. With a dull and blank expression, he said: "D....Do...it!"

Han Yi nodded his head but then suddenly jumped back from the ground emerged a divine mist with seared faces. His attention turned to behind Han Yi where a black dressed beauty stood holding a black grimoire.

"You dare to betray master." She said with a pouting expression and emphasized 'master.'

"This damn woman has been completely controlled..." Han Yi said with a disgruntled tone before he could even land on the ground the divine clouds trailed toward him. His body flashed with electricity again blasting away the remaining mist.

"Your lightning is so much weaker!" Nesilia said laughing as her divine clouds reformed again. Her divine clouds weren't meant for attacking so even though Han Yi was weakened it couldn't really hurt him.

"Ji Shu, take this strike!" Han Yi roared and dashed forward dodging the incoming clouds. In Han Yi palm condensed lightning forces, his knuckles cracked as he formed a punch.

Nesilia raised her left hand clenched her palm into a fist. The clouds seethed for a moment before exploding into a rain of needles. The needles went every direction and a few stabbed into Han Yi's back.

"Argh." Han Yi grunted and felt his body sway but he still kept his balance and momentum. In an instant, he was before a dull Ye Yuyan, with a supercharged fist he punched Ye Yuyan abdomen sending him flying.

Ye Yuyan slammed into the valley with a dull smashing noise. His body fidgeted for a bit as electricity struggled inside of his body. Ye Yuyan started to cough unceasingly as the electricity streamed in his body.

He suddenly choked out a white mist and then a moment after he started gushing out white mist. This was a special ability of Lightning it was known for forcing out foreign energies due to its domineering nature. Clarity flashed in Ye Yuyan's eyes as he stood up and spit out a bit of blood.

"My apologies your highness, let me make us even." Ye Yuyan said thankfully and unfurled his black scroll. From the scroll shot out a 9 colored lightning bolt that went towards Han Yi.

A bloodshot Maven looked over and roared out to Han Yi: "NO!" Maven shot out hundreds of frantic sword beams pushing Illathar away and with a moment of respite he rushed towards Han Yi.

Maven slashed forward with a white sword beam that slashed apart the ground as it hurdled towards Han Yi.

Han Yi's eyes flashed with a 9 colored lightning and suddenly streams of light plated his right arm. He raised it towards the incoming sword beam and the sword beam became disorderly and disappeared.

Maven couldn't help but look at Han Yi dumbfounded. Han Yi's body flashed with 9 colors and unlike his previous lightning, it wasn't so tyrannical. This lightning seemed serene as it repaired all of Han Yi's injuries.

Han Yi's expression turned cold as he cracked his knuckles and inspected the immense power coming from his body. The power was unlike anything he had ever felt.

"Well, he should be here soon." Han Yi said sinisterly

"Who?!? Who's coming..." Maven said dreadfully with still bloodshot eyes, yet before he could finish his sentence from behind Han Yi a portal suddenly opened up. From the portal shot out a black claw with a tint of blue it swiped at the portal making it larger.

From it emerged a black beast with a ring around its nose and red eyes. The beast looked stunningly similar to Illathar, and atop the beast was a muscular shirtless man with a greatsword on his back. Coiled around his body were black chains that dug into the head of the beast.

"Yunshi!?!" Maven said as his eyes opened wide like saucers. The bloody light in his eyes was starting to fade as his will to fight dissipated.

Around Han Yi, the gentle light of the 9 colored lightning circulated making him look like an immortal. He took slow steps towards Maven as if he was going on a stroll in his garden.

Maven collapsed onto his knees and looked up at Han Yi who stood in front him with a flat expression.

"Your little rebellion has failed." Han Yi coldly intoned

"Yunshi kill that beast." Han Yi said as he reached out and grabbed Maven's throat. Han Yi gripped down trying to squash Maven's throat when suddenly a black chain flew from Yunshi and wrapped around Han Yi's hand.

Han Yi looked over at Yunshi and roared out: "What the hell are you doing?"

The 9 colored lightning matched Han Yi and the originally gentle nature became violent as it fluctuated. Instead of Yunshi speaking it was the beast that spoke!

"Your little possession failed." The beast growled as more chains shot out from the ground. The other Illathar started to laugh as well.

"We had long known of your goals with Gulan." Illathar said as he walked next to the black beast.

Han Yi's dodged back and with his lightning, he destroyed the chain around his hand. His eyes turned serious as he realized how perilous his situation had become.