Chapter 0157- Skalenfor

The Tower stood in dominance over the landscape, its blood covered mass was the color of a severed heart, pale purple and rotten. Ibuwere shuddered, "This is Skalenfor, the Enforcer's harbor. There is a portal inside on the upper levels, I've seen it. So this is where we were headed? Its somewhat strange and unguarded, Something must be wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Hudson asked a question but the reply was an arrow tearing into his leg. "AH!" he yelled out. It was unexpected for him to have been shot so far from the Tower, his outcry gave their position up and more arrows and some magical blasts were coming through the air. Nearly invisible because of the night sky, they were a threat to everyone.

Wu Hai and the Espers who were able threw up shields to protect their advance. They needed to enter the Tower, they couldn't see any windows, only tiny arrowslits lined its ribbed pole. It was a fortress. "The Enforcer. That's domineering, Okay. Lets go get Xue."

Wu Hai stopped in mid air three quarters of the way up the tower. "MU, YU! You're UP!"

Each of them gathered their best men, the nine of them were using their metal manipulation and wedging open a hole. When the first breach was starting to open, the guards inside didn't hesitate. Firebombs and blasts of energy came from inside. No one was going to give up their station, all of the guards stayed, spearing at the intruders while under fire. Beating them back was difficult, the rain of attacks from outside the tower never stopped coming.

Several Lich appeared on the sides of the Tower, instead of three as before, now, 21 stood across its perimeter, all aiming downward. Moving to one side, they combined their attacks and a hell like scenario started to play out.

The Emperor turned his power up to the maximum, channeling a large shield to divert the incoming attacks, he had Ibuwere charge into the hole and clear a foothold. "GET THE FUCK INSIDE!" Ibuwere yelled from the tower's interior. He was being hit repeatedly by the Arrows, they peppered his wings leaving him a bloody sight. The Arrows were keeping the wounds open.

Moed leapt inside and helped block the corridor, ending the crossfire. Ibuwere was able to defend himself from the frontal assault, more of the Esper's started to pile in. The Cheng Brothers were the last to come inside, they sealed the hatch and forced the enemies outside to seek different routes to pursue them.

"They know we're here, move quickly." Wu Hai and Kuzunoha were in agreement, it was likely that Xue was at the top of the Tower. That's just how Villains worked. Kicking in a door, they found a staircase leading to the next level. Armed guards and undead appeared from cavities hidden in the walls, floors and ceiling.

Onmyoji did their best to seal what came up as they were passing by, but the Emperor's Light Elemental Form and his White Disc weapon were making short work of the majority of opponents in their way. Zhan and Khan Ni squeezed through the aftermath, they were limited by their size inside of the Tower.

When they finally reached an open room, things changed. Zhan and Khan Ni took the lead, Zhan's breath crystallized many of the lower servants inside. They simply weren't a match for the Ice.

The combat teams were able to clear the first set of stairs and then secured the floor around the doorway. They moved quickly and engaged found new opponents, there were vampires, lower caste, likely a minions that surrounded them at every turn. They swarmed like ants, crawling across the walls. Their teeth were not enough to sink into the Espers Flesh so easily but their claws were incredibly powerful.

Guzhe noticed the attack styles had changed, they were mostly using hand to hand. He had the stealth corp blindside targets that were already engaged. Using the trade method of destroying the head was not always the way to kill them, there was a core inside each of their bodies. Destroying the head would only stop them from moving around, they would regenerate. Only after the Core was taken or destroyed would they fall as corpses.

There was a problem with corpses being left out, the Enemy could use them as soldiers. Once the cores were removed, the dead would begin to reanimate if they were not removed from the battlefield. Fire worked, but a storage ring made instant gratification an thing. Collecting Corpses as they battled their way through corridors, the Zao forces found another set of stairs. Khan Ni had produced a number of weapons that were emitting the healing gas, it worked both ways when vampires and undead were concerned.

The Zao forces were recovering as they followed the pair.

'Not much further.' Zhan could feel his heart pounding. He increased his speed.

The reached a large room, the entire assault team could fit inside. Zhan and Khan Ni looked up.

"AVOID IT!" they both yelled out, charged their breath attacks and shot straight up into the ceiling.

Boulders and blocks fell, sand and rubble followed. A blood colored ooze started to seep from the hole. They didn't stop their breath attacks, instead they doubled down and pushed further into the next few floors. It veered to the left on the next floor, redirected by their next opponent.

As rubble rained down with the blood, the debris was collected to keep it from piling up. The Stealth Corp was particularly good at catching things as they fell. The Blood began to pool. It swirled rose a few feet and caught a small devil on its top, bracing his fall.

-{"%!@#@&*"} It made a strange curse word, the ground shook, more blood spilled from below began to gather and rush toward them. It flowed into the Devil.

"He's gathering power, Set up a purification formation." The Onmyoji worked together, they threw out their scrolls. The ground kept shaking as the puddles of muck ran up and toward a singular gathering point. The Blood Devil grinned.

"Brace yourselves" The Emperor saw what was happening from the side, he flickered and raised a shield, it helped some.

-{"%*&!%_&()<"} The Blood Devil spoke again, the curse changed. It turned to a mineral and took shape. Dozens of spikes flowed in the air. They fired toward the Zao forces.

Barret took the brunt of the force, caught in the downing motion of the curse. Wu Hai clicked his tongue and watched the Onmyoji chanting in the background. They hadn't broken their concentration.

Mike beat the spikes away that flew toward a few of the new espers, they sighed in relief then jumped into action. Mike started to inspect one of the fallen spikes, it was hardened. He struck it with his hammer, there was no dent. Mike stored it away and had the other forces start collecting the spikes.

-{"%!@"} The Devil noticed the loss of his weapon and charged it again, blood started to trickle from the battlefield. Corpses were full of them. The ball was smaller, less pronounced. The Demon chittered and then an Axe formed. It was thin, vapor thin. He flew toward the Onmyoji as more of the lower vampires started to creep down the walls.

They were still busy with the formation, a golden light burst out from the formation, tracing the lines of the spellwork as it activated. brilliant patterns of essence lines flowed throughout the space inside the barrier, it sprang up like light turning on in a dusty room. The Blood Devil howled, a great white tentacle flew from the formation.

"Kuzunoha, when did this happen?" Wu Hai was stunned as he watched.

The tentacle grabbed at the Devil and started to drag it away and into the light. The closer it came, the more distorted its figure became. It swelled, blistered and burst.

A Core floated above the formation, it slowly changed its colors, rotating from the color the muck, polishing itself into a crimson bead. It pulsed like it was alive. The formation was coming to an end. The Vampires had surrounded them again, Wu Hai grabbed the Core and stared at it in confusing ways.

"I want this, I don't know why.. but I want it." He put it away and looked at the incoming swarm.

"INCOMING." Another figure dropped down, it immediately swiped at the Onmyoji, sending them flying into the wall. Most of them had collapsed under the strike, they laid motionless.

Zhan and Khan Ni sent out the spikes again then flew upward. To combine their attacks at the new target. It was a Netherbeast with a slave collar on its neck.

The Netherbeast shot out tendrils of its own and batted away the spikes in its path. Charging directly at Ho and the people at the side of the room, it had made the battle more complicated in an instant.

Ho used a palm technique and sent debris in its face, he flickered out of the path of its strike and hit it with lightning. It roared in pain and slashed again. Zhan and Khan Ni both bit into its neck near the collar. Their poison sank into the wound and the Netherbeast started to convulse. It cried in pain. Its attacks didn't stop, it became more wild in its attacks, slashing at everyone nearby.

With a final shudder it collapsed under its own weight and started to rot at a visible pace.

"UP!, GO." Khan Ni flew at the lead, Zhan followed her, sealing the hallways that led down.

There were only a few more floors until they reached the top. Blasting through the ceiling had saved them considerable effort.

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