Solar Blood Masters

Deep within a cavern hidden amidst the jagged stone pillars, Raphael sat in a meditative posture. His massive golden form was enclosed within an Electric Scale Prison.

"Huff! Huff!"

He took a deep breath and swallowed a handful of glowing pills he'd withdrew from his Buddhist Pill Gourd earlier, they tasted like rotten eggs and mud, but their restorative properties were undeniable. His exhausted muscles throbbed with gratitude as his depleted Solar Essence slowly returned.

"Damn those shadow bastards!" He muttered with a hint of annoyance, for although he hadn't personally engaged in many confrontations since entering the icy realm, his essence reserves had taken a significant hit. This exhaustion wasn't from dodging projectiles, nor clashing against monstrous claws and fangs, no, rather it was those who loyally served him that were slowly, but surely draining him.

His magnificent wings were the source of his exhaustion.

Each shadow bat he conjured, be it soldier, assassin, or commander required his Solar Essence to exist! This truth had him pondering. 'If this trial last for three days, then what happens when I run out of energy? I might be ambushed and that would be truly disastrous!'

He'd seen firsthand what those Calamities did to those lesser than them!

He shuddered then glanced at his golden hooves, they looked so powerful, capable of shattering mountains if he unleashed their true power, but for now, that would have to wait.

"Gotta prioritize those points!"

After an hour of diligently absorbing pills and medicine, his golden glow slowly returned.

Raphael's eyes flickered open.

And he sensed something amiss.

His left and right wings were twitching uncontrollably! "Hmmm, that sensation! My wings… they're tingling, intensely! This can only mean… Kong and Melissa! Those two are clashing with powerful adversaries."

Then, as his curiosity peaked, he thought, 'Maybe a peek at their battles wouldn't be too much of a distraction… right?

"Black Pool!"

A swirling vortex of inky black energy materialized with a familiar pop, it extended, connecting him to the place his subordinates were embroiled in.

Within the darkness, he saw images of chaos.

…

First, a massive snowy mountain shrouded in clouds. And beneath the clouds, a desperate battle was ongoing. One he couldn't ignore.

"Kong! That damn worm…"

CRASH! BOOM!

He watched in horror as Bat General Kong was flung through the air! He crashed into the mountainside with a devastating impact that shattered both snow and stone!

The tremor had even Raphael shifting uncomfortably. Such force!

"This creature is…" He had no time to even ask his Sagewood Script for clarification, as a more terrifying scene took shape before his wide open, bloodshot gaze!

"Damn you worm! YOUR tail is too powerful!" Kong was trapped within the rocks, his armor cracked. His wings struggled to unfurl, they wouldn't move. And the blood oozing from his snout, was freezing the instant it splattered onto the icy rocks around him.

This wasn't simply a flesh wound. That strike had broken a few bones.

"I can't…" He was doomed, he thought. "Those teeth! So close… she is going to… to eat…me!" But then, as that massive Wormpede's shadow encompassing him, his essence resonated.

BOOM!

Kong was enveloped in an aura of yellow lightning! And with those bolts crackling furiously, his primal will to fight was ignited.

"RAAIIII SHEEENN! LOOOONG!"

He'd hoped to activate the dragon and repel that monstrous maw that was mere centimeters from devouring him but those efforts, those hopes were too late.

GULP!

With a terrifying gulp, Kong was swallowed whole! His cries became muffled within the depths of her stomach.

But Sssseraphhhhhhhina didn't savor her victory. She paused, her colossal body that resembled a nightmare began to tremble, her form was constricting and expanding like a beating heart in pain.

"What the…" Her abdomen began expanding. The ruby scales across her exoskeleton began to separate and with them came a realization that chilled her core more so than those frozen plains.

"A buzzing sound. Inside my belly? What is…"

And from those very jaws of hers, from within her very throat…

CRACK! CRACK! BOOM!

Lightning erupted!

"This energy… It couldn't… be!"

"RAIIIIII SHEEEEENNN LOOOONG! RISE!"

WHOOSH!

A colossal golden dragon of pure destructive power came blasting forth, tearing its way through her intestines and scales with its sharp claws as it bathed its surrounding in a fiery golden shower of lightning.

"That's Kong's dragon!" the bat army was amazed.

The lightning dragon didn't simply emerge, it began wrapping itself around that terrifying, massive body! Coiling, squeezing, its ancient jaw then bit with the crushing strength of a thousand falling boulders onto Sssseraphhhhhhhina's head.

"My eyesss!"

Sssseraphhhhhhhina writhed frantically, trying to break free, but her monstrous body was no match for Rai Shen Long, its ferocity was amplified by Raphael's Solar Essence.

BOOM!

With a final, terrifying twist, it slammed her onto the ground. It then stood upon her crushed form with pride radiating as it savored her whimpers.

And from the shadows within, from the heart of that mangled flesh.

Bat General Kong materialized in a burst of blood and guts!

"Tsk, You taste terrible, worm." He then glanced down at his stained bronze armor. "And that smell… How am I going to get this off?!"

"GENERAL KONG!"

One of the shadow bats he'd left behind flew to his side and landed gently.

"Report."

"We have claimed the life of that…lizard. Kozu is no more!" it buzzed triumphantly.

"Excellent work, shadow brethren. Master will surely reward your efforts."

"Really!"

"Master is truly generous!" A chorus of excited screeches and flapping wings had Kong smirking. His Master would be pleased. They had proven their worth.

He stood victorious with his spear stained with blood. And upon his head, a magnificent 16 points glowed as a signal of dominance.

…

"Why is she fighting alone? Does she despise the other bats so much?"

Back in the safety of his hidden cave, Raphael observed the scene unfolding within the Black Pool.

His trusted commander, Melissa was locked in a deadly dance with a formidable opponent. The fight was confusing.

"I gave her two hundred Shadow Bats but… they're not there? Not a single one… Why?"

Shao Jin's battle instincts urged him to intervene, after all those points they gathered, if she lost then all his efforts would be for nothing. However, another urge to let the play unfold was also appealing. He wanted to assess his Commander's capabilities now that she was fully transformed.

And he wanted answers!

The Black Pool flickered, offering a better view.

…

Melissa's lithe form danced across the snow, dodging a flurry of attacks. It was a desperate, frantic struggle for survival. Each attack from Lady Kōhī, that damn ladybug had its own special melody.

She could hear its anger resonating in each blade strike.

"Die, snake! I'll squash you like a bug!"

Melissa hated being labeled a snake! And this humiliation fueled her anger! She wanted to rip that bug's wings off and shove them into its mouth. But this battle demanded patience and cunning.

She'd underestimated her opponent's speed.

Kōhī, with her six legs moving faster than the eye could track and her ruby shell glowing, buzzed past Melissa like a hummingbird on a sugar rush. And with each attack, the wings upon her shell release potent toxic particles, a mixture of ash and something else.

"Hmmm… she must have evolved. Truly a formidable opponent!" She was a 6th layer Calamity. That much was clear, and to make her situation even more terrifying. That glowing energy above Kōhī… it was 12 Merit points!

"Perhaps my shadow army would have… no! Master ordered a covert operation!" Melissa couldn't use them, not yet. This was bad, very, very bad.

WHOOSH!

A final deadly arc came slashing! This blow was aimed to end their encounter, to claim her tail as a trophy, such malice those ruby eyes showcase.

"Yield!"

"Tsk!"

Reacting instinctively, Melissa parried the blow with her Sun Cycle.

CLANG! BOOM!

Sparks showered. She was flung backwards with a bone-jarring impact into an icy wall.

The impact left a massive crack in the wall! It also rattled Melissa's skull, but her tail coiled!

Melissa was back on her tail before Kōhī even had the chance to close the distance, or gloat over her impending victory. This tenacity was unsettling.

Lady Kōhī landed gracefully, she flicked the blood from her rapier then walked with slow, deliberate steps towards her injured opponent who was wiping a trail of blood from her lips as she straightened, looking unfazed,

"Hmph! Pathetic! You're not even worth of MY full strength, snake! This battle is a mere game for me!" she scoffed as her gaze fell upon the points hovering above Melissa's head, such a delicious snack!

"Just like those fragile crickets YOU crushed earlier. I'll make you SUFFER true humiliation! A lesson you won't soon forget!" Her voice had an edge that she hoped would trigger fear within Melissa, but it didn't. Not one bit.

Seeing that arrogance, that pride fueled her own anger, Melissa thought, 'This ladybug! She has a death wish indeed. But now is not the time to indulge in idle chit-chat."

She slithered upward, meeting her opponent's gaze.

"Tsk! I gave you a chance to REPENT, snake! But now… I'll end you! You dare challenge a warrior of MY lineage!?"

Kōhī erupted with power, her crimson shell glowing a brighter red as potent black and red energy coursed through her. She raised her rapier skyward.

"PIERCE!"

The delicate blade grew rapidly, extending, as if reaching to the very heavens above as those ancient runes across its surface came to life with the intensity of a sun's gaze. She then thrust that now impossibly long weapon toward her target with an anger and speed that could shatter mountains in two, but Melissa wasn't standing there waiting to be skewered! She wasn't that kind of girl! No!

"Hmm…" With a flick of her wrist, she activated the 'Sun Cycle's' transformation ability.

BOOM!

A burst of light engulfed her and a magnificent pink armor materialized around her body with sharp edges. But its intricate designs, that brilliance…, they died a quick death as her enemies' weapon came crashing down upon her.

"SHIELD!"

Her 'Sun Cycle' didn't simply act as a blunt weapon or a defense, no! It was a tool of unimaginable power that had saved her from obliteration time and again.

CRACK! WHOOSH! BOOM!

The 'Sun Cycle' expanded, forming a shield! It tried to deflect that impossibly long, radiant rapier! But the attack's speed was truly on another level.

The rapier's tip pierced the shield, shattering the core instantly and continued through, aimed directly for Melissa's heart with a terrifying accuracy!

Melissa watched, petrified, but in that brief moment of impending doom, she wasn't thinking about dying.

No…

Her gaze settled on her opponent's smug smile.

"What a delicious taste!" she thought to herself. "Fear! Anger! Greed! And above all that, the bitter sting of pride… truly… you ARE powerful!"

"SHIELD! Now!"

Her armor buzzed! Then those panels protecting her midsection bulged inwards as if repelled by those very potent energies surging toward it with her Solar Essences flaring in desperation.

BOOM! CRACKLE!

The rapier impaled the armor, but its deadly momentum was slowed just inches from her belly button!

The explosion, however, still sent her reeling backwards.

"Damn… I… underestimate…" She coughed blood. She could feel her insides trembling, as her bones creaked!

"Is this how I end?"

But even as these thoughts of defeat whispered to her heart and tail. Something clicked.

Her attacker was too close!

"Now!"

Kōhī's ruby red eyes glowed as she watched her attack sink into that snake's flesh. She thrust her rapier until they were at breathing distance. "You are finished, snake! Those arrogant, cruel words of yours earlier? It was a delight to squash them! Any last words before I mop the floor with your brains?"

In response, Melissa smirked and shouted, "Open… Your…MOUTH!"

"WHAT?!"

Reflexively, as if she'd been commanded by her very essence, Kōhī's mandibles parted, "Huh…? Why…"

"That's all I needed. Now…" Melissa whispered triumphantly before unleashing her true trump card with those lips of hers stretching into a vicious grin that could make even a bloodthirsty god tremble before the inevitable.

"Goodbye, Lady Bug."

Her attack was swift and ruthless. She spat out a black orb directly into the ladybug's open maw.

"Huh… Wha…?!" The lady bug's antennae twitched as her taste receptors were assaulted by something that didn't taste sweet nor sour, It felt bland, metallic and… it wouldn't dissolve!

Her grip faltered from her rapier and she stumbled backwards.

"Bitch what… have you… fed me?!!!"

Kōhī's panicked resounded as she desperately try to pry her mandibles apart, but those sensations she thought were choking, it had a life of its own!

She then attempt to use a purging technique to eject this foreign object from her being, however…

"No! WHY won't it come out!"

Melissa didn't wait. She watched with fascination as her opponent staggered around. Such a magnificent display of fear. She then reached forward, ignoring the agonizing pain of having her armor pierced, grabbed the handle of the rapier that now felt as if it were hers to command and…

YANK!

The crimson blade slide from her bleeding, ruptured flesh.

She ignored the pain as the blood trickled. The vision of a greater reward for her patience overshadowed her body's pleas for reprieve.

"Fuhuhu… You are STRONG! You are MIGHTY, LADYBUG! However, those powerful legs and your potent energy… they cannot stop you from acting like an IMBECILE! You are driven by rage! And such raw emotions, it blinds you, making you predictable and vulnerable.

This is your lesson! Enjoy it!"

Her words and that dripping blood she licked had Kōhī even more anxious. She wanted answers, not riddles and pronouncements from a snake whose belly should be splattering on the ground, or perhaps… her tongue should have been decorating those icy grounds!

"What… do you… MEAN?! TELL ME, BITCH!"

"Simple, you're about to be obliterated."

Then, she noticed her throat was itching and swelling.

"NOOOO! You… You bitch… What have you done! No… No! NOOOOOO!"

Her questions were answered in the most horrifying way as…

"Hisssss!"

"HISSSS!"

"Hisss!"

From within her swollen body, hundreds upon hundreds of those wretched Shadow Bats came streaming out like a torrent!

They were pouring out of her eyes, ears, nostrils! Her mandibles couldn't even snap shut!

"Remember those Temple Crickets? Now you join them in oblivion." Melissa laughed cruelly as she watched her rival's final dance play out.

"This… is… KARMA! No! I won't… ARGHHHHHHH!"

Her scream echoed then those bloodthirsty, starving shadow bastards, consumed the lady bug.

She vanished.

The silence that followed was truly unsettling.

Those who'd watched this spectacle from the big screens wondered, 'Who rules those icy realms now?'

Melissa casually wiped the blood from her chin. "Those annoying bugs… Always so predictable. What treasure did you leave behind… hmm? A fine haul indeed. Such a magnificent rapier…" she'd picked it up then a grin spread across her face.

"Aren't I impressive?" Melissa praised her own cunning and intelligence.

Her triumphant words reached another entity. At the entrance of his secret cave, hidden deep within the mountain of frozen pillars, a certain Golden Bull Thork was watching and smiling.

He now had 71 Merit Points.