Solar Blood Masters

BOOM!

"Royal Guard!"

Ripples formed then a translucent, globular shield materialized around Thienika. Six monstrous figures, a mix of bird-creatures and a hulking ape, were caught mid-attack. They froze, and their bodies were suspended in a state of stasis. Those jaws agape and claws extended became a frozen tableau of terror.

"I'll take it from here, Grandma! Little Lu, get ready!"

Raphael stepped forward and crushed a discarded scorpion stinger beneath his hooves. The other creatures who sensed his power and bloodlust, instinctively backed away.

"Hmm, smart." He cracked his knuckles. He then extended his right palm towards Lu Jade, "Hop in!"

Lu Jade, ever eager to assist his Big Brother, slithered onto the massive palm.

"Limiter… OFF!"

In a heartbeat, his emerald form expanded.

He coiled, weaving a protective barrier of 'Phantom Willow Grass' around himself as his tail thickened.

Raphael grabbed the tail. It felt cool and strangely comforting, as if a thousand ancient secrets resided within its scales.

Then, with a grin that had those surrounding creatures unsettled, Raphael began to spin.

"Time for a show!"

He whirled!

Faster and faster!

Now a magnificent emerald whip, Lu Jade's elongated body lashed out in a spiral with terrifying force. It shattered those frozen forms with sickening crunches. He then plowed through the unsuspecting crowd with an untamed brutality, leaving behind a trail of shattered limbs, cracked skulls, and cries of agony.

The air itself seemed to distort as if a thousand screaming winds had been unleashed!

It was a magnificent display of brute force and controlled chaos that had the surrounding creatures scattering in terror.

"RUN! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"That bull is insane!"

"And what is that thing in his hand?!"

"A snake? A Saint Ruler snake whip?!"

Their bewildered cries faded into panicked screams as the jade-green whip, studded with razor-sharp leaves, caught a few unlucky contenders.

"WHOA! Not my tail!"

"Black Shield!"

"Swift Escape!"

Some erected barriers, others tried to vanish, but it was futile. Their defenses were as fragile as eggshells in the face of this chaotic dance of bull and serpent.

"Hahaha! This is FUN!" Raphael laughed, relishing in the sheer power he wielded.

Then with a final, earth-shattering spin, the whirlwind ended.

Raphael tossed Lu Jade back onto his horns, "Good work, Little Lu. You're a pretty decent whip!"

"Sssthank you, Big Brother." Lu Jade blushed and coiled himself tightly while panting from the exertion.

Suddenly, an oval object rolled from the dissipating smoke. It bumped into Raphael's hooves.

"Hmm?" He glanced down at his feet.

"A Kepfu Egg?" he spoke with a hint of confusion. "Did it emerge from the chaos?"

"Who CARES? Pick it up, BIG BROTHER! NOW!"

"RIGHT!"

He carefully scooped up the egg. It was warm and beating with energy. A single white digit, '1', appeared on his black flag above.

And immediately, Raphael became a target!

From all directions, envious eyes gazed upon him, and greed for that very point he'd so easily acquired now echoed in their roars and hisses as they converged.

"That bull… he has found an egg!"

"DESTROY HIM! Steal the egg!"

"KILL THE BULL!"

A pack of monstrous beasts came charging with their feet pounded the crimson sand, causing tremors that extended toward his very core. A dreadful stampede!

He watched with narrowed eyes as their shadowy forms grew larger and closer!

He noticed the black flags above them.

"WAIT! You FOOLS! We're on the same TEAM! Black Wind!"

He tried reasoning with them. "Didn't you listen to the rules? We're supposed to HELP each other! There are plenty of eggs, those instructions were clear!"

Raphael shook his head in disbelief. It seemed greed had already clouded their judgment, and those whispers of peace and unity… well, they'd vanished in an instant.

"KILL!"

"We'll SHARE the points… AFTER he's DEAD!"

A massive rhino, leading the charge, lowered its horns. It was almost upon him.

"Damn… These idiots!" Raphael didn't want to waste his Solar Essence on his own teammates, "Fine, have it YOUR way."

He turned, and with Lu Jade still clinging to his horn for dear life, he galloped away.

"Big Brother! They're gaining!"

Raphael glanced back. His pursuers were getting closer. He couldn't shake them. They were relentless.

"I have to do something!"

Sensing his predicament, Lu Jade coiled tighter. "Leave them to ME, Big Brother! I'll hold them OFF!"

His emerald scales glowed.

And just as he was about to unleash his 'Phantom Willow Grass Entrapment' technique…

"MASTER!" A faint voice echoed in Raphael's mind. "We've found a treasure trove! You must come quickly! It's an oasis with thousands of Kepfu nests!"

Raphael grinned. "Really?"

"Yes! Master. Hurry!"

He turned his massive head and saw Lu Jade readying himself for battle. "Little Lu, change of plans. We're leaving, NOW!"

He then directed his Solar Essence towards the ground below.

"Black Pool!"

A vortex of pure darkness materialized. Its gaping maw extended outward.

"Hop in!"

They both jumped into its depths with Thienika following suit. It closed up behind them.

The pursuing beasts who were blinded by greed, charged towards the spot where the Black Pool had vanished!

They were ready to devour Raphael's essence, steal his points, and claim those treasures within his shadow realm!

…

Until…

"What the…?!"

"Where did the bull GO?!"

"The ground…! It's nothing but… SAND?!"

They crashed into the earth and had their faces buried in the soft sand. Their momentum carried them forward, sending plumes of dust swirling.

"Haaaa, those idiots!" From behind, a crow laughed at them for eating dirt.

A rhino with its horn bent at an awkward angle, emerged from the sand.

"That damn bull!" It was enraged but quickly recovered.

The crow landed and said, "Don't be discouraged! That bull only snag one egg. There are THOUSANDS of Kepfu eggs hidden across this desert, remember? Let us find them. Those bonus points will be ours!"

…

A Shadow Bat resembling a black droplet plummeted from the sky. It landed with a soft thud upon the crimson sand before exploding in a burst of inky shadows.

WHOOSH!

From the heart of the expanding 'Black Pool', Raphael's form materialized with a slight stagger. He shook his head, those sensations of warping through the shadowy realm always had his guts churning, no matter how many times he'd used it.

"Hmm…"

He was inside a canyon. Towering cliffs, crafted from red sandstone, surrounded him. The scent of sand and a metallic tang prickled his nostrils. A light breeze carried the whisper of forgotten battles, it was a desolate yet strangely alluring space.

"Where are we, Big Brother?" Lu Jade uncoiled from his perch and surveyed their surroundings. He'd already grown accustomed to this routine of teleporting through his brother's strange, and somewhat terrifying abilities.

Before Raphael could even reply, a flicker of excitement had his companion's tail twitching.

"Look! Kepfu Eggs!"

Lu Jade pointed with his snout toward a shadowed corner of the canyon. Four large, oval objects nestled within a glistening black goo. Each egg pulsated with a faint, inner light.

"A nest… It must be a nest!" Lu Jade hissed excitedly. He quickly slithered over, followed by Thienika, whose ancient gaze observed the surroundings with a cautious intensity. Raphael trailed behind them.

"Hmm… peculiar. What's this black stuff?" Raphael leaned down and cautiously nudged one of the eggs with a finger. It felt warm and sticky.

"It smells… metallic. A bit like…" he sniffed the air, "…like… licorice?" He couldn't place the aroma.

He tried to pry the egg free from the viscous goo, but it clung stubbornly.

"Don't touch it! Raphael be careful. That goo, It feels alive." Thienika's words carried a warning.

But her advice was a second too late.

RUMBLE!

The earth shuddered violently. A massive tremor had the canyon walls groaning as if in pain. Dust and pebbles rained down upon them, as Raphael stumbled back while clutching a single egg.

"I got ONE!" He laughed excitedly. But his jubilation was cut short as he felt the ground splitting beneath his hooves.

"What's happening?"

And from the heart of the fissure, a monstrous worm creature emerged with dreadful purple eyes. It was colossal, easily twice as large as Raphael, with a segmented exoskeleton of black, and countless legs that chittered as they dug into the earth, pulling its massive form upward. Its mouth was a terrifying spectacle of a thousand teeth that could swallow the world!

Raphael glanced upwards. "No flag." He noted. "This one isn't a contestant."

"It's the MOTHER! A mature KEPFU!" Lu Jade hissed fearfully.

The Kepfu rose to its full height. Its massive form towered over them. It surveyed them with chilling, purple eyes that seemed to bore into their very souls.

"HISS!" The creature let out a deafening screech that shook the canyon walls, causing more tremors.

And then it attacked.

A thick, black substance erupted from its jaws. It arced forward while spreading out like a massive web.

"CONDENSED BLOOD BARRIER!"

Raphael instinctively activated his blood magic!

BOOM!

A translucent, blue sphere of potent energy enveloped him and his companions.

The Kepfu's black goo splattered against the barrier. It sizzled, then began to spread, growing rapidly like a living organism.

Within seconds, the barrier was encased in a thick layer of black goo.

"It's… absorbing the barrier's essence!" Thienika's warning was met with a dreadful cracking sound.

CRACK! CRACK! BOOM!

The barrier shattered, and the black goo dripped down, reaching towards Raphael with those pulsating shadows and a dreadful hunger.

Thienika reacted with the swiftness of a seasoned warrior!

"Regal Counter!"

WHAM!

She slammed her staff downwards.

BOOM!

The force of her attack wasn't simply a defensive block. An invisible shockwave had the air around them warping!

And then, the black goo was flung back.

"HISS!"

It splattered the Kepfu's face! The creature shrieked in outrage and stumbled back. It blindly tried to wipe the goo from its eyes with its claws but the goo wouldn't budge! It clung to her like a second skin, obscuring her vision.

"NOW!"

Lu Jade seized the opportunity.

"Phantom Willow Grass – Entrapment!"

His tail lashed out. It was a blur of emerald green as those grass shot towards the Kepfu.

"HISSSSSS! GET… OFF…!"

The roots wrapped themselves around the Kepfu, binding its limbs. The creature thrashed and bucked, but Lu Jade's 'Phantom Willow Grass' held firm.

At the same time, Raphael was channeling his Blood Essence.

BOOM!

A dazzling blue sword with two blades materialized in a burst of crimson light!

"Sapphire Blood Sword!"

Then he infused the sword with golden energy. It glowed with a brilliance that rivaled the sun. he held it firmly with his right hand. Then whispered.

"Sapphire Spring Melody!"

Raphael charged forward.

WHOOSH!

His speed was breathtaking!

He moved like a blur, leaving behind a trail of golden and blue sparks.

The Kepfu finally managed to break free from Lu Jade's grasp.

It whipped around with its opened maw, ready to minced Raphael to shreds with its spiraling teeth blades.

But it was too late.

Raphael stood behind it. A triumphant grin spread across his face as his Blood Sword melted away, returning back into his being, for this wasn't a sword art technique.

"This… is…"

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Hundreds of brilliant blue slashes resembling miniature dragons that were swimming in an ocean of blood appeared from thin air. They circled the Kepfu in a blinding blur!

And then silence.

Its massive form, now sliced into dozens of perfect spiral pieces, slowly began to collapse. It resembled a fallen tower. Blood gushed forth, coating the sands in a glistening crimson hue as those horrifying purple eyes, wide with disbelief, stared up at the sky.

THUD!

The Kepfu's head hit the ground.

"Damn… Big Brother… Your new technique… it issss truly ssopmething. Those… spiral cuts were done so perfectly. How?" Lu Jade was speechless. He'd never witnessed anything so beautiful, yet terrifying!

Raphael couldn't help but blush. "Ahahaha, thanks, Little Lu. It's… well… it's all thanks to QI Fenwei. She helped refine it. We've been practicing."

"You're still AMAZING, Big Brother." Lu Jade insisted. He then turned to Thienika. "Right, Grandma?"

Thienika smiled. "Indeed, young Raphael. Your power, it is remarkable."

From the Kepfu's lifeless form, a pulsating, orange Solar Consciousness materialized.

Lu Jade slithered over with his tongue flicking excitedly, "Big Brother… can I eat this?"

Raphael shook his head. "Not this one, Little Lu. Grandma Thienika…?" He gently pushed the soul towards her.

"This will help you!"

Thienika gracefully absorbed the Solar Consciousness. "Thank you, Raphael. This potent essence, it warms my ancient roots."

Lu Jade, though slightly disappointed, understood.

He quickly gathered the four Kepfu Eggs that lay scattered near the black goo.

"This is all? But… Didn't those shadows mention a treasure trove?"

"Yes, Master. This was just a small nest we discovered while searching. But we've located a true treasure trove, Master! Follow me!"

A bat flew down. It was one of the scouts. It chirped excitedly, "It's just around this bend, Master."

"Let's go."

They followed the bat's lead.