Chapter 0193 - Battle in the Skies

Hana dove to the ground and fled into the trees. 'Its hard to believe that these trees are still surviving despite the lightning having been here for so long.' Her reasoning was clear enough and so she took cover beneath them. Dissait was injured, the white light, the Vacuum void effect of the Lightning, had struck across his arm and electricity burned his arm and blood vessels. He was mostly limp across the Basket Drake. Falling from Caoimhe's back after landing, he struggled and made his way into the trees.

Hana sent Caoimhe away very quickly, the Basket Drake was wet and a literal ball of tinder.

Hana was surprised at the feeling she got from the Lightning in the sky, after the strike that hit Dissait, no more of the lightning had strayed toward them. 'Was it a fluke?' Shaking her head, she looked to the Large stone pillar that the Birds were dancing around. Although it hung in the sky, the pillar didn't move or sway from its position. It was well anchored to its spot. Lightning continually struck the pillar, absorbed by it.

"What a strange thing to find." Dissait had injuries and slid down the tree trunk to a seated position. "After the fall of the Vampire Queen Maria, the Zao Expedition Forces found this place. I didn't get a good look at it, our scouts had the entire armada go around. The creatures nearby are a cut above the ones near Zao City, most of them have a stunning effect and outside prey easily falls victim." He hissed from pain and went through the contents of his storage ring to pull a potion out. After drinking it, he felt much better and changed his shirt. The Scar along his bicep disappeared and the wound was no longer.

"Show me." Hana's eyes seemed intent on fighting, she was brimming with energy and after the lightning pillar, she was ready to see what the area had to offer for training. The pillar was too far away to scan with the Xuan Device. With her Eagle Eyes technique, she could see formations on its exterior.

Hana spent the next few minutes cutting branches from the tree with a fine crystal sword. Each limb was about the thickness of a barrel and weighted a great deal. "I have to remember about this." Hana spoke to herself and had Dissait promise not to interfere unless necessary.

He slipped into the shadows and followed behind, occasionally he chose to scout ahead for good measure. Having already warned her of the dangers and allowing her to have seen them up close, he was sure that she wouldn't make a series of terrible choices.

Half an hour later.

There was a small clearing in the woods and the storm continually brewed overhead. A pack of Raiju were fighting a Astradon. It reared back, exposing its belly but as the pack of Raiju came forward, its foot stamped three of them into paste.

'That's a horrible way to go.' Hana was watching from a distance, she needed to gauge the strength of the creatures in the area.

Two more Raiju were circling around to find a good attack vantage.

Hana wondered if it was smart to play the Oriel, 'Wild Red Heart' began to circulate while she was on approach.

She let herself feel the surroundings and connected subconsciously to her bloodline, beating her heart faster, embracing its change. A stray spark flew at her eyes, it startled her and she lost focus. A powerful blast hit nearby, one of the Raiju missed the Astradon. Hana's rage gathered, her broken focus was enough to ignite the blood within her, expelling energy at a rapid rate.

Her pores dripped with a dark red aura and the Raiju caught wind of it. They lost their concentration and the Astradon used the opportunity to gore one, leaving just the leader alive. Hana pointed and formed a bow in her hands, her eyes were trained on the Lightning Beast. She aimed directly at the final Raiju and a dozen crystal shards turned the Raiju into a pincushion.

The Astradon continued to step on the corpses, turning them to mush. It didn't even pay attention to Hana who was still approaching, her body was on overdrive and her senses were gone. Moving on instinct, she flashed and appeared next to the Astradon's head.

She kicked at its head and it skid across the ground. When it came to a stop, she flew directly next to its face. Hana smirked and threw out a formation that covered the ground around them, like it had been peeled away by a giant. The soil clung together in large strands and wrapped itself around the pair. Hana directed the flow of the Earth Bloom Formation into a closed flower structure.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she looked over at the Astradon, it was pinned in the secondary formation.

Hana didn't seem like she was to be argued with and the Astradon seemed to understand the barked order. "SUBMIT OR DIE," She held out the Crystal Sword from before and beamed.

The Astradon lowered its body to the ground and stared at the being in front of it. Hana seemed fearless in its eyes and then it cocked its head, confused.

"Are you intelligent?" Hana tried talking to it, the mood had suddenly changed. The Astradon cocked its head the other way. 'Guess not.' Hana stroked her scalp and pulled out a piece of Immortal Bait. 'Hehe, lets see if this turns out better. At least this one doesn't seem like its able to kill me.' Feeding the small bit of meat to the Astradon, Hana wondered what would happen. 'That fish went berserk, is the nature of Fish forever on the hunt for food?'

Twenty minutes went by and Hana was still in the Earthen Flower with the Astradon. To be sure that it wouldn't move, Hana had restrained it further and was inspecting its hide for changes. When she placed her hand on its stomach, she could feel its breathing was irregular. Not long after she had fed the Astradon the piece of meat, it had fallen asleep. 'Its alive, that's a good sign..'

The snoring and somewhat ethereal beast was resting like a well fed baby. It pleased Hana that she wasn't in the rain but she wanted to fight and the storm looked like it was permanent. Leaving the Astradon in the Earthen Flower was the best she could do, Hana had no idea when it would wake up. She put a hat on to keep the rain out of her face and walked out into the storm.

There were birds flying, the rain couldn't keep them away. As if drawn to the energy and cyclone above, there were many species of Electrical Beasts. Hana saw Drakes occasionally feasting on lesser creatures, drawing the power from one another in a great line. An electric ladder of Drakes flew through a flock of sparking sparrows, they ate them as they fell. 'Vicious but efficient.' She admired their craftiness and thought of a similar idea.

Hana snuck into the trees and found a quiet place to sit underneath a Kamoiya tree. There were plenty of resources nearby, Hana gathered some tall grasses and mixed them with oils. Then, she brought out several dry materials. Popstone was Shiyan's version of Magnesium, a bit heavier than Dolemite but it did the same work.

As she mixed the grey material into the oils, there was a strong odor and it was extremely sticky. Weaving the mixture along a large net took a bit of time. When she was done with her adjustments, she place the large net in storage and flew into the air, high above the storm clouds.

She dodged a lightning bolt on her ascension by luck alone and made the cloud line for her approach. Looking down, there were very few birds above the canopy and Hana could barely make out the Pillar below when the cloud only because the funnel was positioned directly above it.

Flying toward the Object or altar, she spotted a clear trajectory and threw the net toward one of the flocks that was circling the pillar. Explosive tags sizzled in the rain and Hana watched an explosion of feathers. Three birds were hit by the net, while it fell, the explosive tags detonated and the net became a trap of fire.

The bodies of the birds fell to the ground and were caught in a Kamoiya Tree below the pillar's edge. Hana saw more of the Stormers headed her way, as they came around the pillar and took notice of the flying woman in front of them, the Stormers gave out a large shriek and the rain compounded. Marble sized water bullets from before had turned into a rain of sharp hail.

'Ice Attacks!?' "HA!" Hana roared in return and flames burst from her body, enshrouding her. She dodged an Ice claw attack but a wing clipped her body and a shock traveled through her, transmitted by the Water.

Hana began to fall, stunned.

She recovered before falling to the ground and narrowly missed colliding with a tree. More birds were headed her way. Stormers and Thunder Doves, Spark Sparrows and Bright Fliers filled the sky, a murder of birds flew toward Hana. A Storm Crow blew past her face and tried to claw at her eyes, Hana's heart beat faster and Wild Red Heart was circulating. There was clarity in her eyes, the lightning strike before had given her a near death experience and it wasn't taken lightly. Just before the Stormers arrived, Hana had thrown out a barrier formation.

The birds slammed into it like bugs on a windshield and it began to crack. Crazily and with what looked like a blood thirst all their own, the birds were heaving themselves to their deaths to attack the intruder. The Kamikaze bombardment was grotesque in of itself and when they were unable to break through its defenses entirely with the first wave, yet another arrived.

Hana flew backward and saw an incoming fireball. It caught her off guard, she prepared herself to defend against it but noticed that it was not headed for her. Instead, an explosion happened in front of her. It was followed by a parade of fireballs that seemed to originate in the Trees below. 'Dissait!' Hope returned to her eyes quickly and a large caw drew the attentions of everything and everyone present. A Huge Brolga, Metallic and giving off a tremendous amount of lightning was landing atop the Pillar.

Its shrieking caw caused the hair on Hana's body to stand on end. She stuffed some soft material into her ears and rummaged through her storage ring, she didn't dare take her eyes off the new arrival. If it was one thing Hana understood it was creatures, she didn't know whether her abilities would be able to defeat such a beast.

It shrieked again, though muffled, Hana was still able to discern the cries of the Giant Metal Bird. Lightning struck it periodically, just like the Pillar. It cried out again, only this time it was a different tone, more like a call to another.

Then, the storm above separated and a figure lowered himself. "I am Storm, I am Thunder." He boasted, crossed his arms and stared at the two intruders. Pointing to Hana, he yelled, "Kill that bitch. This world, all of its people will bow before my might!"

'This guy is a little much.' Hana smirked inside and threw many objects out, scattering them.

The Brolga broke the silence after the command was issued. Flying toward Hana, it opened its jaw and a charge was building. Particles of electricity gathered in its open mouth. When it was close, it pulled back, releasing lightning bolts and the charged attack.

It was a rain of energy beams, Hana slipped out of their range and watched the forest below, the very ground which the forest had been sitting atop, shifted and broke apart. After three flaps of its wings, the beam stopped and it looked at the damage to reacquire its target.

A fireball exploded nearby and more of the lightning birds had died. Another wave of birds arrived, lesser birds but all with their own innate abilities. A small rainbow of color rushed toward Dissait and he dipped into the shadows. When he reappeared, he stuck a talisman to the Kamoiya trees. From tree to tree he kept slipping in and out of the shadows.

The birds were rapidly searching the area and after a few moments, one of the talismans was activated and a frost trap was sprung. A Dense thick fog that slowly drew the temperature away began to form.

Another trap activated.

Then, another.

Soon more than half the forest below was covered in a very thick layer of the permeation. Birds began to freeze midair and fall, shattering on the forest floor. The grass, everything, including the Kamoiya trees themselves had been frozen. They would wither and die when thawed.

A deep cry could be heard, "YOU BASTARD!"

Lightning started to collect in the storm clouds above. The being on the Pillar pointed toward the sky and then at Dissait's position.

'Shit.' Dissait flickered away at his fastest speed.

When the boasting figure was about to fire at Dissait, a Crystalline blade was approaching his throat.

'Humanoid?' Hana twisted her wrist and tried to cut at the beings throat while he moved. 'No. That's not it.' Hana withdrew and pointed at the Brolga's corpse in the forest below, it was frozen just like the rest of it. "I'm your opponent." She hefted the sword over her shoulder and tapped it against the back of her head. "You know, you sort of remind me of something but I can't put my finger on it."

She stepped sideways, narrowly dodging a beam of lightning that descended from above. "I have been given this new life, transmigrated to another world. I control the very forces of nature, you, could not possibly understand my destiny. Not long after I arrived, I even found my ultimate seat of power!" He slammed his hand down onto the top of the pillar. "Oh great pillar, hear my words, grant me your Power." He spit blood onto the formation and it powered up.

"HAHA! HA HAHAHA" Hana almost fell over laughing, a twinge appeared in the side of the being's face. "Chuunibyou!" The word escaped her mouth and the being shuddered. Hana kept laughing and began to point. 'PFFFFT!' Spittle came out as she expelled her laughter and it only served to enrage the man atop the Pillar.

The Formation had long since activated, Hana pointed at him and spoke in syllables, it had worked in some of the graphic novels in the library of Tower City. "You are Lightning, You are Thunder, you are this, you are that. Give me a break! You were rescued by the Emperor, like all the Others. I'm surprised that no one has discovered your actions, no one in the Sect would dare allow such a crime to be committed by those we've given power to." Hana spit her own blood after biting down on her cheek a bit.

When the blood hit the Pillar, a strange thing happened. The lines for controlling the formation shifted in her favor and the activation sequence's final step was directly in front of her.

"I've heard all I want to hear before your death. That fool actually gave away such a great power, it will be the death of him too! You'll see, I am chosen by the Gods!" He yelled again and a strong burst of water element mixed with fire and lightning blew toward Hana.

In Truth, the attack wasn't half bad, Hana let the attack approach, it made a noise as it rushed along. She put a new blood shield between them and then stomped on the formation activation switch. The Formation began to light up in all directions and Hana stepped off the pillar's platform edge.

A Beam of light channeled down from the sky, covering the man in a thick pillar of light.

"See, the Gods have given me the power, given me the strength to defeat you. I am the true ruler of this world. Ha. ah. Haha..ah. Ahhh. Ahhhhhh." His laughter turned to screaming, having misunderstood the formation entirely, he presumed it was a focal point for power to be absorbed by him.

Hana stood at the side, watching. "This is an Incineration Formation. Fool." Hana flew back and watched the formation complete its work. Soon, nothing, not even atoms remained of the opponent.

When the Pillar of light dissipated, the Pillar itself drew closer to the ground as if it had lost some of its power. Hana regained her thoughts. 'Dissait!?' Calling out, she searched the ground below and only when she saw his figure did she relax.

The Storm still brewed overhead, Hana looked to the storm clouds and the rain the continually fell. 'What a fantastic treasure.' She salivated. Inspecting it, Hana noticed a hole that went through the center of the pillar's cylinder. To her, from a distance, it looked like a giant Mallet. 'It can't be that Easy.' Hana inspected the hole closer and noticed several grooves like it had been prepared rather than generated by an Esper. 'Its natural materials. Interesting.'

Hana went down to the ground and cleaved a long branch from one of the Kamoiya Trees. When she shoved it into the hole, a strange thing happened. As it entered the hole, the pillar itself began to shrink. The branch, which had now become a sort of handle, bore its weight and began to fall.

Hana grabbed the Lightning Pillar Hammer.

It was too heavy and began to drag her down. Hana stored it into her ring and in an instant, the weather disappeared. The rain that was falling, fell, and a slight rainbow began to form from the jetwash.

"So it really was the Pillar." Dissait was still watching from below, there were a few creatures that had been caught in his traps. As he put them into cages, he wondered if Hana would have an interest in them.

Hana landed beside him and saw the devastation. More than two hundred birds were trapped in Ice and other various traps along the way. "What are those?" Hana's hand was reaching toward the cage when Dissait stopped her.

"Those are Three-Step Hummingbirds. Like a snake, they are poisonous. I caught four of these little bastards. They're quick." Dissait covered the cage, then smiled. "Don't worry about it too much, I think you can put a blood contract on them. Since they are small, they would normally go unnoticed. There is a guy in the Stealth Corp that had one as a contracted pet, we didn't know where he had gotten it but this seems like the place he could have acquired it."

He passed the handle to the cage over. "Here ya go."

After it was out of his hands, he began collecting the frozen and trapped corpses. The Biggest prize was the Brolga but like the Pillar, it was a Treasure that rightfully belonged to Hana.

Hana peeked under the cover of the small cage and then thanked Dissait. "Thank you. We should go check on that Astradon. I need a break, that was a lot harder than I thought it would be but it was all for the best. I got a free treasure and that pretentious freak is gone." Hana would show no remorse for killing a bastard, she spat and looked around. "I think it was this way."