First Wall,
Captain of the Watch,
“Shields up! Back off! Back off!” The Captain ran sprinting to assist, “Sergeant get those men back… Takers Pit!”
A Sergeants head went flying, his body collapsing onto its knees.
“Razors!”
The Captain bellowed, raising his flaming sword at the Beast cat, calling for archers.
Where spears were bent and broken and shields hammered and battered aside, the tide spilled over incrementally.
For every foothold the Beasts secured on the Wall, a Wind Dancer plied their Discipline. Baiting and whipping the enemy into a frenzy as they channeled currents of Chi just beyond their reach.
The larger targeted Beasts, victims of a chaotic nature went berserk for the taste of human Chi leaping at the Wind Dancers who danced on their poles. Into the Shoguns Arena they tumbled in a controlled fashion, where far more powerful Sacred Artists eagerly waited for the challenge.
Where baited Chi failed, Razors answered and where Razors were insufficient, Captains and Duellists entered the fray. Mostly it was left to an angry Sergeant and his men to hold the breaches as they came, battering Beasts over the edge and into the spikes below.
Disaster struck every time an Azuma came sailing over the wall. They prowled up and down looking for weak spots amongst the Seeded, having realised all they need do to pass through the barriers, was relinquish their hold over their Beast cores. Once through, they were free to Cultivate again.
It was not for a lack of training, nor did the Watch run low on Razors. But with numbers as overwhelming as they were today and the first in a lifetime amount of reptile Beast cats amongst them, men were bound to fall. They would fall as surely as the wall was about to.
“All remaining Archers get across now!” The Captain cried out waving his sword about.
"Spears and Shields only!”
He stabbed a Kappa through the face and cleaved through its ally, booting them off the wall as he pushed through the breach in a whirlwind of death. Spears lined up behind him as men rushed to fill the gap, but only when a jar of pitch was thrown over, did the Azuma stop and pay attention as he flicked fire between his fingers.
The Beast cat pounced again, right into the throng of wavering spearmen and entirely in the opposite direction the Captain had taunted.
Cursing he flicked the burning ember of Chi over the wall and charged the Beast. If the Beasts Captain chose to slaughter lesser men, rather than face him, then he would have to do both. The ghost fire would do the rest as it danced over every inch of spilt pitch.
With the crash of armour, veterans cursed as they pushed back against the giant cat using its sheer weight to batter them down. Ripping through a shield, an unfortunate was pulled forward off balance. Massive canines bit right through his core and it shook him about like a rag doll, his neck snapping as his body went limp.
A dense cloud of Chi burst apart, hovering for a heartbeat, and then was instantly absorbed by the Azuma. The heat rolled off the giant cat as it shuddered, skin rippling like a thousand fingers beneath were poking it.
“Get Back! Razors! Razors now!”
In the midst of its mutation, it lashed out with increased speed and power, a single swipe it clearing the wall of five Watch. The first three dead before they knew it, their armour tearing like rice paper. The two others cried out as their shield arms shattered from the blow, tumbling into the Arena below.
The Captain cursed, realising the Cats intention as it thrashed about in its mutation, wrecking a ballista and its crew.
The wretched Beasts are after the ballistae.
Daring not to get closer he picked up a dead man's spear and heaved it with an enhanced throw straight into the writhing bulb of flesh that spawned on its neck.
The sickly purple hue of stretched skin ceased immediately, instead forming knotted and lumpy green as the new head was dead before it could cry out. A broken spear through its brain, halting its sudden growth.
The Azuma flipped around, roaring in anger as its mutation moved through its limbs. The largest and middlemost claws splitting in two. Three became four as its paw size doubled.
Mutation complete, its rippling flesh halted as it stopped amidst the carnage.
Snorting foul streams of vapour from its nostrils it pawed the ground testingly, its eyes flashing purple at the sight of the Captain readying his sword. Snarling suddenly, it brought its barbed tail down to bear. shooting a lance of fire from each of its three barbs.
Left, right and straight for him the living lances of flame cut down in a V towards him.
Forgive me, brother.
Praying apologies for the desecration of a headless corpse, he dived right and held up the morbid shield. He could destroy a ball of Chi flame, but lances were something else entirely.
The Azuma charged forward after its flames bit deep into the corpse, releasing a sickly sweet scent of cooked flesh. The Captain held the corpse forward with one hand, revolted at the familiarity of the smell.
Another swipe with its monstrous claws and the flaming body exploded against the wall in a shower of gore. With the threat dealt with, the Beast cat immediately looked up for the next ballista. Its need to obey its Kaiju, overwhelming all desire.
But the threat was not gone.
As the giant cat readied to leap, a living corpse jumped back to its feet, sword blazing.
With a cry the Captain rammed his blade deep into the belly of the Beast, spilling its guts as he cut through with all his might and enhanced speed. He dived out to the side as the Azuma collapsed thrashing. A single hind kick sending him smashing bodily into the wall.
Dazed and seeing spots, the Beast was down but not dead as it roared and lashed out at any who came near to end it. He saw his blade beneath its hind legs, but those had gone blessedly still as more of its intestines had spilled out.
Blearily he got to his feet, his men yelling at him to step away as they stabbed at it with their spears. It must not have noticed the clack of bone on wood as he reloaded and put a razor bolt behind its ears.
Angry at the effort and pain, he looked up to the second wall after retrieving his sword.
“Where are my Razors dammit?”
Hearing the release of multiple crossbows in synchronised twangs, he looked for the source and cursed. Charging back down the way he had come, another giant cat had begun to wreak havoc on the next ballista.
Suddenly a laughing boom shook the wall and the pained Beasts' cries of terror washed over him, rejuvenating his heart and spirit as he looked out into the masses.
The Salamanders Diaymo was coming and all the Beasts were fleeing before him, parting like a river.
The Captain's wide grin faltered.
Wait. Why’s he coming this way?
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Second Wall,
The Shogunate,
The Shogun watched in silence as Bo and Cai went about gleefully hunting glory, he had long given up praising their antics. The two of them had forgotten the way of the Path and instead reveled in the power and pleasure afforded to men of their rank.
Spurring each other on to new heights of madness, seeking only to grate on his nerves. He was sure of it, but he always knew he could count on their loyalty. In the end, that was all that mattered.
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Things were looking bleak out there and he watched in dismay when the call for all remaining archers to retreat was given. His true Captain preparing an orderly retreat from the first wall.
Not good.
He did not begrudge the Sacred Artist his decision, knowing the man would hold for as long as he could. The Salamander watched as he raced about delivering swift death, a fellow Disciple of the flame. His efforts though admirable, were still not enough.
Everything the Watch had and it was not near enough against those wretched Beast cats.
They were an army unto their own and he dared not send out anyone else out against them besides Bo and Cai, to steady the Wave. He had seen how Kido had nearly died.
Where is that man?
The Shogun cursed, audibly this time as another Azuma crashed down upon the first wall.
“Hansu, center left breach on the wall, plug it and hold it.”
His fourth Preafect nodded and left immediately. Leaving only two left to help face the Kaiju’s charge.
Not good.
They were being steadily overwhelmed, worse For every ten Azuma baited into the Arena, one would resist and throw itself against his ballistae crews. There was no doubt about it, they were actively seeking out his ballistae crews.
How they knew where to target the most costly he did not know. They were Beasts, simple-minded and driven by hunger. But this was just so much more.
Watching Azuma form up in haphazard rows at the rear, fire projectiles of Chi flame into the Runic defenses, ignore the Wind Dancers, and target ballistae as well as two flanking packs of greater Beasts. He could no longer refute his suspicions. Whatever this Kaiju was, it was one that had attacked Qaelang before and lived to try again.
He would have to give up the first wall immanently, and the Takers kissed Kaiju was still a no show. Well maybe not entirely true, he scowled at the last remaining pocket of mist across the river. He could feel the immense power within, but even that felt muted somehow.
Men rushed to remove and swap out delicately carved Beast cores before they could empty. Where they were too slow, the cores burst apart like shattered glass as the shields decayed entirely
Takers kissed bastards. Do they know how expensive those cores are?
Without notice, he felt the powerful concentric ring blast of a Kyu belt going off. Before he could even shake his head, he felt a second one activate at the opposite end of the wave, near the Tetrick forest.
Even now, those two fools must compete for kills.
It would take days for a Kyu belt to recharge and he just knew the both of them had done it kicks.
He stilled his anger suddenly, looking again. The last of the mists was on the move again and it was headed to Bo.
Finally.
The Salamander finally entered the fray.
Leaping into the Arena section, he knelt, slamming his hands onto the hard ground before him. With his Preafects at his sides, he poured almost everything he had into his Technique. His senses spiked as the flow of Chi grew to catastrophic levels.
He felt the ground shake, not here, but in the distance. Where Bo was.
Damn fool.
He was laughing as he ran.
He was so pumped up with Chi, that the Salamander could sense his spirit in the midst of the battle.
Looking up to where he felt the Kaiju’s approach, he locked eyes with his veteran Captain on the first wall. The man's frown changed to sudden alarm as the ground between the two began to boil. Catching on quickly the Captain turned and looked out at the approaching Bo once more.
“Retreat! Full ORDERLY retreat NOW! Move it!”
The Salamander smiled refocusing on his task, as lifelines above wobbled taunt with the rush of bodies running above. Not all of the wall would retreat, only the Captain's portion between the demarcated banners.
Duelists and higher ranked Cultivators in the Arena moved quickly to cover the retreat of the Captain's men, what was left of them. Even the Wind Dancers leapt down for quick kills before leaping back up atop their poles. Pursuers were brought low swiftly with his Preafects only stepping in when any got too close.
The Wave itself rippled as a whole. The Kaiju’s control over it shifting as it came on. Its full control was thrown over the Azuma, as two packs charged for the adjacent and still occupied portions of the wall. The remaining ran back to the approaching mists escorting its approach.
No doubt the packs were after the same thing as they had done here with the Ballistae crews. He would have to do something about that in the future, they had all been wiped out here under his best Captain. First, he had to make sure this Kaiju did not survive this day.
Catapults were fired from the second, but this time, men and women of the Watch cried out in fear as the Kaijus's monstrous face was revealed for the first time. The Slalmanderhe focused entirely on powering his technique. Crushing two cores over the boiling pool as he exhausted their Ki.
The giant exo-skeleton crowned Kaiju, bore the typical shark features amalgamated with a feline body. It must have hunted Azuma in the dozens for such an obvious mutation. The Beast cats that towered over man and pony, only reached the Kaiju’s to its knees as they ran beside it.
With a gleeful shout, Bo came sailing over the wall. Kungbu’ withering in flames as they fell from the sky behind him.
Roaring, the Kaiju reared back from the flaming corpses, shaking the walls. The effect was far greater on its own, as the Beast wave fled before its path. Its massive tail swashing through the horde as it pawed the ground and charged.
Crowned Head low, it would ram through both walls and keep going. The Shogun had seen this attempted countless times before. Records telling of prior successes on the Beasts' part. He had been waiting for just such an outcome.
Time slowed as it did for all powerful Cultivators who moved with a quicker empowered focus. The molten pool was as packed with Chi and Ki as he was ever going to get it.
Now you die.
He whispered his essence over the pool.
The ground shook and the wall exploded with a jarring impact, his Preafects buckling as they held back the explosion and shrapnel before their lord and Master.
The Salamander whipped his head up at the Beast lord of death and smiled.
Come and die… “BEFORE THE PILLARS OF HEAVEN!”
The pool of molten earth burst into the sky, towering over both walls as a pillar of the living larva.
Mouth, face, head, neck, chest and belly. The Kaiju charged after Bo, through the wall and into larva so hot, that it cut like a knife.
The Kaiju screamed a terrible cry, dropping his Preafects to their knees as they maintained the barriers. men and women along the wall collapsed from its howl and the Beast cats poured in through the gap in a frenzy.
The giant Beast Master fell over sideways as it bounced and hopped trying to avoid the worst of it and slammed hard into the second wall. Thrashing about in panic even as it cooked.
Suddenly Cai was beside him, twin blades whirling as he brought death to crazed Azuma. His Preafects dropped the barrier as time came rushing back to him in a wave, both moved to steady his balance after Channeling such a tremendous amount of living power.
The Watch was righteous with shouts and fighting. Up, down and all around men and Beast screamed and bled. The unfortunates crushed and swatted aside with a behemoth tail and paws that could pop one like a grape. The Kaiju scrambled to rise.
Bo landed right beside him, holding out a Master spear from the Salamander's own collection as a body went sailing above them.
“Not dead yet Tsea! Here, brought you something.”
The Shogun raised an eyebrow as he snatched the spear, shrugging off his Preafects steadying hands.
“Well, let's get to it then.”
Bo’s smile split his face in half and the Salamander felt the old joy of standing beside a comrade again.
“Did you see my Multi-kill?” He asked turning to stab an Azuma through its paw as it swiped at them.
He turned back to see a very unimpressed Shogun staring at him, the smile dying before it lived,
“What? What I do…”
His words were cut off as a giant paw cleaved through the ground and swatted him aside. Both Kaiju and Salamander locking eyes as Bo went sailing down the length of Arena.
It roared threateningly, shoving through the breach once more and fleeing.
The Salamander gave chase immediately.
Bo would be fine if a little bruised but nothing he did not deserve. The Kaiju, however, had the blood of hundreds on its hands. It would not live another day.
The beast lumbered on, dragging itself through the carnage it had wrought. If it got to the river he would have no chance of slowing it down. The Beast's amphibious traits were all too obvious.
The Salamander threw caution to the wind as he threw his spear, Chi charged and burning, straight through the Kaiju's hind leg. Azuma swarmed protectively around it in its escape, his Preafects and most powerful Sacred Artists were hard-pressed to bring it down.
Filled to the brim with five different potions, his strength, speed, Cultivation, recovery, and some other potion the High School Masters had insisted upon, might have affected his judgment in that moment.
Leaping directly in front of the Kaiju, he emptied his core, filling himself with Chi. Critically injured, the Kaiju could not resist the pull of old habits and reached down to swallow him whole.
Stupid Beast.
Leaping straight into the Beasts mouth, the Salamander placed his feet wide apart on its teeth, driving his blade straight through the tip of the Kaiju’s tongue. Instantly it pulled before sliding forward once more with far more pressure this time. An instant was all he needed as he activated his Kyu Belt.
Instead of a roar of anguish at being stabbed through the tongue, the Kaiju coughed. A wholely unnatural cough, filled with Beast Chi that burned at the touch.
The Salamanders concentrated ring of destructive Chi was immediately absorbed into the unknown Technique, shifting and warping. In a heartbeat the technique formed around him as a ball of liquid lightning, holding him fast.
Shocked, he could feel the Kaiju's smugness resonating in his mind.
The Kaiju slowly reached into its mouth and delicately with a claw, tapped the ball gently. It plucked the technique out its mouth and flicked him to the ground below, still stuck inside, spinning around like an ant in a water drop.
By the time he came still the Kaiju towered over him, looking down directly onto him as it powered a familiar lightning technique again. Whilst the Imoogi had erratic control over its lighting, the Kaiju pooled its like deep waters. A hundred times more destructive.
As the light began to blind, he saw his men going frantic. Cai, punching, and kicking trying to reach him, instead of using his blades properly. Powered shouts, inferior techniques, and even a grenade did nothing to reach him.
All just dull sounds to one beneath the waters, he heard them scream his name like distorted whispers.
The devastating lance of liquid lightning poured from its mouth, blasting the helpless Shogun. Desperately he channeled everything he had into strengthening this bizarre orb of entrapment, but he felt it waning rapidly as his fire-tempered skin began to burn painfully.
The sound and light forced him to cover his face and ears. Lasting seconds but an eternity too, the light failed and he heard the pained roar of his foe once more. All he could make out was the shadow of the Kaiju rearing back in pain.
"Takers Pit… who was that!?"
"I thought all the Ballistae crews were dead."
“There’s still someone up there!”
A second Emperor's bolt fired. Blasting through the back of the Kaiju’s neck as it turned and fled. It fell mightily but not dead. Clawing and dragging itself towards the river.
A dozen Beast cats broke off, howling towards the wall.
“Stop those cats!” The Shogun roared, his flaming sword finally piercing through the shimmering bubble of liquid lightning, washing off him like slime.
Furious, he stalked towards the mortally wounded Kaiju. But even before he reached it his Preafects stopped him, pointing to the danger.
"Shi-baal," he growled almost spitting.
A sparkling yellow flare of the Night Watch order, shot into the air at a poor angle. It was coming from the Third gate, within the city proper.
"Cai!" He called, getting the man's attention. "Go handle that"
"I just got here. Are you really going to send me back before we take its head?"
The Salamander responded by firing his mother of pearl dual-loaded Master crossbow at the obnoxious Diaymo. The razor glowing so brightly red, it streaked a fiery tail, blasting Cai's blade right out of his hand. His eye's going wide.
It had been a shot to kill.
"Alright, I'm going! I'm going!" He yelled holding his hands up.
Only when Cai was far enough away did the Shogun turn to the Kaiju once more. His men had brought it low already and he saw its grip slipping entirely as some of the Azuma broke free for the river themselves.
“I’m going to mount your ugly head on my gates!”
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