Xenia struggled against the yellow energy encircling her high in the air. She yelled in frustration as the energy of the yellow orb overpowered her contorting her body as it compressed her further and further. After utilizing a large amount of ki to deflect the void sphere attack, she was at a meaningful disadvantage against Jacek’s full-powered attack.
She looked down on the battlefield to see a smug Karasu and a focused Jacek. Then, she noticed Jacek slam his hand down towards the ground. The yellow orb of ki then launched itself towards the ground at high speed. Impact with the ground was imminent and Xenia braced herself. She was otherwise helpless.
As the orb made impact it exploded with a radiant burst of pure ki that bathed the battlefield for as far as the eye could see. Soldiers watching from the siege line shielded their eyes from the explosion of blinding light, and the broadcast cameras showed a pure white haze as they were unable to resolve the burst of light in the moments following the explosion.
As the light faded, a huge crater could be seen. The impact had blown Karasu and Jacek both to separate sides of the battlefield. Jacek surveyed the grounds for Xenia but didn’t see her at first glance.
He continued to quickly survey the crater and surrounding grounds until finally he saw a detached lower leg avulsed at the knee. He walked over to it and kicked it over observing it further as he noted remnants of Xenia’s black leather boots fused to the underlying skin from the extreme heat of the blast.
He then heard a moan of distress and looked 50 yards in the distance to see a dismembered upper body with only a head and single arm attached to it. The corpse-like figure was attempting to crawl but failing miserably.
Although the sight was humorous, Jacek took it very seriously. He looked to Karasu and yelled at the top of his lungs, “NOW!!!”
He then raced over to the dismembered and charred upper body, all that remained of Xenia, and he slid to the ground and put her neck in a chokehold with his right arm and broke her only remaining arm as he forced it into a hold behind her back.
He grit his teeth as he held her with all of his might to ensure nothing could prevent what was planned to happen next.
Xenia coughed up blood and tried to open her one remaining eye as she said, “Holding me from behind? Do you plan to die along with me?”
Jacek gave no response as he focused all of his strength on pinning her in the most vulnerable position.
She tried to smile but failed. She then said, “You do. Don’t you? How romantic of you Jacek.”
Jacek remained silent still as he readied himself for potential death and observed Karasu gathering his energy for a final series of death blows to Xenia’s already weakened body. The plan was to hold her down and vanquish her heart and brain before further disintegrating her entire body.
According to the Allied forces collective knowledge, a BloodStar could be killed by completely eliminating both the heart and the brain simultaneously. They also planned to destroy the remainder of her body just in case.
Xenia spoke once more, “It won’t work. Your plan. It won’t work. Because you have forgotten one thing.”
Jacek grit his teeth, “Shut up Xenia! The time for talking has passed. Now is time for action!”
Xenia closed her eye and gave a distorted smile as she appeared to slip into a state of meditation that went unnoticed by Jacek. She then muttered softly to herself, “If you can both use ki from outside sources to boost your power. Then. So. Can. I.”
Jacek ignored her ramblings until he began to hear cries of death and the curdling of blood in the distance. The sounds of death began to grow as the lysing and rending of flesh followed by the bone chilling sound of rushing blood grew louder and louder.
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As the dust settled, Jacek saw a rapidly moving and sinister presence in the distance though he failed to make out what it was completely. He had a bad feeling and yelled, “Karasu! Let’s move!! Hurry!”
At that very moment, as if on cue, Karasu flew high into the air above Jacek and Xenia as Jacek held her face up and wide-open for Karasu to strike her heart and brain from what little remained of her severely damaged body.
Karasu continued to ascend into the air as he raised his clan’s sacred sword above his head and yelled with a loud battle cry. As he began to descend from the peak of his jump yelling with all of his might as he held his sword ready to impale Xenia’s heart, a stream of snake-like crimson-red blood burst through his abdomen halting his momentum dead in his tracks.
He floated in the air skewered on the flowing snake which changed directions as it looped around and burst forth into his chest. The stream of blood then burst forth through his mouth holding Karasu skewered in the air through his abdomen, chest, and mouth.
After this brutal display of bloodbending, a volley of smaller blood spears began to rain from behind Karasu. With their plan completely dismantled, Jacek threw Xenia’s body asunder and rolled out of harm’s way as he had no doubt the blood spears were intended for him next.
Xenia’s body rolled along the ground, and she grunted as her shoulders and face beared the brunt of rolling into jagged rocks and dirt. She landed on her back and looked up at Karasu smiling.
Meanwhile, Jacek shielded himself with his ki as spears of blood rained down on his ki shield. For the duration of the bloodbending attack, he decided to stay put rather than risk certain death. While the blood spears weren’t incredibly powerful individually, the thousands of them together were lethal.
As Jacek shielded himself, Xenia bloodbent Karasu lower to the ground. He was still alive albeit barely as she bloodbent him horizontal to the ground directly above her. She then lowered him atop her as she began to kiss him.
The snake-like stream of blood flowed out of his abdomen, through his chest, out of his mouth, and into Xenia’s mouth as they kissed. The stream of blood transferred ki and healed Xenia as she made out with the nearly lifeless Karasu while his body was tortured by her attack.
Her legs, arm, eye, and more began to rejuvenate as she kissed Karasu moaning as the blood brought her life through his mouth and onto her lips. In what seemed like only seconds later, Xenia’s skin was glowing, her hair flowing, and her body perfectly restored.
She then bloodbent Karasu to the side ensuring he had just enough energy to stay alive but not enough to join the fight again.
Fully rejuvenated, Xenia stood with a now flawless body covered by her tattered black, shiny outfit with several holes in her cape. Her boots were missing as she stood barefoot, and one arm was gloved while the other was free.
As the dust settled from the commotion, Jacek could see in the distance what he had heard previously. Far from where he stood, at the siege line, was a rampaging torrent of blood flowing in a clockwise direction.
Xenia noticed his gaze and couldn’t help herself, “Do you see it? Your army is now my army.” She then tightened the circumference of her blood vortex as it splashed over the citadel encircling them with a diameter of 50 yards. As the diameter of the blood vortex decreased, its height increased creating a tall vortex of rotating blood which roared as it spun around where Jacek and Xenia stood.
Jacek was speechless, not at the overwhelming might of the power encircling him. Not at the failed tandem attack by him and Karasu. Not at the dire outlook as he faced a recovered Xenia one-on-one. But at the utter devastation and death Xenia had committed on his army. The blood of tens of thousands of his soldiers rotated in a storm around him. All of them dead.
Xenia laughed, “It’s only fair Jacek. You and Karasu gathered extra ki from Erika’s ki stones. And I gathered extra ki from your soldiers.”
Jacek powered up instantly calling on huge amounts of ki he still maintained in reserve from both Erika’s ki stone and ki from using Perfect Warrior throughout the battle so far.
Xenia smiled at him, “Intent on correcting your folly? You should have sent those soldiers far from here when this battle started.”
Jacek’s power continued to rise as his ki rose high into the air forming a flame-like extension around and above him. Xenia continued to taunt him, “Or are you intent on rushing to your next folly so soon?”
Jacek finally looked up at her and smiled back himself, “You didn’t think this fight was over did you?”
Xenia rolled her eyes and laughed at him, “Oh I really do. Shall I prove it to you?”
Jacek pounded his fist into his hand and replied, “You are welcome to try.”
“Mmm Jacek I’d be happy to.” She put her finger up to her lips and tapped it back and forth feigning to be in thought as she said, “Would my sword through your abdomen be proof enough?”
The two warriors held eye-contact with one another. Jacek with a menacing and deadly gaze. Xenia with a playful and arrogant gaze. She then said, “Conquering a man is always so much more rewarding than one who simply bows down to me.”