Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 17.1: The Fate of Talthys

It was not long before the Yami resumed its attack. We barely had time to rest, much less mourn the passing of our sisters who had given their lives in defense of the temple. We were exhausted, but our hearts and minds were worn even more ragged. The air grew colder, the chill seeping into our cloaks, penetrating our armor onto our very skin as the wind lashed out savagely at us.

The next attack came from an unexpected place. From our western boundary, we saw the movement of hundreds of shadows. They scaled the cliffs of Hikari with ease. Savage, humanoid beings with a formidable physique; they demonstrated great physical prowess as they climbed, grabbing onto rock, their massive upper bodies propelling them higher. A pair of horns jutted out from heads covered with long, black, matted hair. They wore nothing but a loincloth around their privates, giving them a brutish, almost primitive appearance. Their dark skin tone made them harder to see, and were it not for red eyes that glowed in the darkness, it would have been difficult to follow their movements.

Searra stood beside me once more as we looked out at this new threat. "These are Oni," Searra whispered as we observed the creatures' advance.

"Aye," I said, looking out at them with worry. "They must have docked a second fleet on the shores northeast of the peninsula and gone in by land."

The Kougeki-Kabe launched an attack in response, hitting several of the Oni as they climbed up the cliffs. But several still made it past the rain of light. Red eyes glowed in the darkness, all arrayed before us. The Oni spread out in several directions as they climbed, surrounding the cliffs in an attempt to disperse the temple's defenses, hoping to get past them.

Searra's light shield already showed signs of weakening. It would not withstand a renewed barrage for very long. Nyana's offensive priestesses ran around the circular walls, moving to face west, supported at their side by defensive priestesses that kept a light barrier erected around them. They unleashed offensive seals, lending their force to the Kougeki-Kabe's long distance attacks, hoping to slow down the Oni advance and contain it. It worked, for the brutes' advance was slowed down considerably.

Just then, we heard the flapping of hundreds of wings in the darkness. On the distant horizon, we beheld something far worse than flying Shakryss. Winged, humanoid creatures, with red faces and long noses, they eroded Searra's light shield and effortlessly flew over the five layer defense, staying just beyond the point where offensive seals could touch them. The Sanryoukyou-Kabe, the prismatic wall, shifted in nature once again to respond to the threat, shooting beams of light high into the sky, managing to take a few down before they could land. Once they were past the five-layer defense, they descended upon the temple, running around on all fours as they hit the ground and proceeded to attack. These were Tengu, finest of the Yami forces. The Darkness meant to end the battle swiftly by sending their best fighters, to minimize casualties on their side.

Searra and I sprung to respond, our respective battalions behind us, as we raced to defend the temple itself. The assault was as vicious as it was swift. The Tengu dove in, their razor talons cutting into our line. Our sisters began bleeding from sharp cuts, or worse, severed limbs. Each time the Tengu dove from the sky into us, more priestesses would get cut down, our white cloaks torn and blood-stained, the walls of the temple awash with the blood of our sisters. The speed combined with their aerial superiority, made the Tengu fearsome opponents, and their numbers made them difficult to contain. The demons made their way into the temple, damaging walls, tearing the wood in several places.

A few of our sisters made the supreme sacrifice from the Kaiten-Kabe, slashing their throats and taking their lives to unleash the forbidden seal of the divine wind, the Kamikaze. As the blood drained from them, seeping into their cloaks, the very air around them moved, rapidly gaining momentum as it turned into a swirling frenzy. Whirling blades of air flew into the sky, cutting into the Tengu in their path and turning the dog-like creatures into a bloody pile on the temple grounds. We lost many of our sisters to this, but still more demons came to replace the ones that had fallen.

Searra unleashed Earth Seals, a defensive precaution against an opponent in the skies. Sharp pillars of solid rock shot out from the ground, curving around as they reached the top of the temple, forming a protective barrier around the temple and us. One by one, Tengu crashed hard against the pillars of rock, a few unfortunate ones getting impaled as the rocks shot up from the ground.

I complemented Searra's work with Summon Seals, calling up Earth Golems to augment our forces. The golems were warriors of stone, coming up from the ground as their bodies took form. They turned out to be a perfect counter to the Tengu. As the winged demons came through the barrier of rock, they crashed into the stone creatures, their sharp fangs and talons useless against solid rock. The golems swung their massive arms and brushed the Tengu aside like rag dolls. But still the Tengu kept pouring in. They rained down around us for several minutes, a constant barrage of deadly talons from the air. Though we were safe for the moment inside our protective barrier, I knew we would not hold for long. The Tengu's sheer numbers would overcome the golems eventually. A few of them were already crumbling from the sheer ferocity of the Tengu assault.

I was still thinking of an alternative defense when beams of light shot in the air, as Nyana and her group of archers sprung to our defense, their light arrows flying fast and furious into the dark sky and the seemingly endless stream of descending Tengu attackers. It was the first time I saw Nyana's fighting ability up close. Her hands took a seal, pulled it back in the same motion an archer would take in drawing a bow, and then let loose. The seal turned into multiple arrows of light as it was released, the arrows homing in on the darkness in the same way the tracking seals would.

It was then that I noticed with horror that a few of the Oni had reached us. The Tengu had changed tactics and were teaming up two-to-one to lift the physically large Oni, carrying them up in the air. The heavy hitters of the Yami moved swiftly on us as they hit the ground. The rock shield Searra had erected was now useless before the brute force that had set upon it. The stone crumbled and we had to disperse. A few of our unfortunate sisters were smashed into the ground, turning into unrecognizable husks of dead flesh before the sheer brutality of the Oni onslaught.

"Searra, support me..." I motioned to her. "I need our sisters protected for this next one."

Searra nodded. She closed her eyes and unleashed her Seals. The rocks that guarded us turned into giant hands. They reached out, enveloped our sisters completely, the fingers forming a protective barrier around them.

I began whispering. "Talanos Altares O-Mizu Hayaku..."

A pillar of water shot up behind us, gathering in strength, a massive maelstrom forming in the air. Atop the pillar, a head resembling a dragon's screeched, light glowing within it, the water glistening in the darkness. The water dripped down on us, creating a rain of light above our heads. The water dragon screeched again and dove swiftly into the temple and its walls. Everyone was engulfed in a giant wave. The water crashed into everyone, sweeping away both Tengu and Oni alike, the roaring waters carrying them swiftly past openings in the five layer walls, toward the edge, off the cliffs, into the angry waters of the Sea of Kaito below. The protective stone hands kept us from being washed away. Our sisters remained, drenched but safe. They looked around – bewildered but thankful to be alive.