10 || The Twin Sphere Body Arts

Now that her Twin Sphere threads have formed, she can revolve them alongside her aural energies. Solar and physical energy went clockwise while lunar and psychic energy went counter-clockwise. With little understanding of both eclipse and spirituality, Tara attempts to divide her spiritual energy between the other four. Tara felt a stirring within her navel hub as her spiritual energy swirled at a faster rate to keep from being overdrawn.

Eventually, her time limit catches up with her. It's thanks to the Twin Sphere energy within her that Tara is able to make more ground than she had expected. When Shuyren comes to collect Tara, the older woman is surprised as Tara asks for a pair of daggers.

It was no secret to her grandmother that Tara felt uncomfortable with the cardinal weapons but to purposely seek out something viewed as merely secondary and supplementary?

As Tara stands among the teens and adults a half an hour later, besides her height and age, something else caused her to stand out. In two holsters were a pair of mismatched daggers from Hesif's collection. Not a weapon often made in pairs, Tara has to make do with what she has available.

What catches most of the thousand numbered group was the woman beside this child. Though she only looks in her mid-thirties, the aura expels from her was commanding and of complete authority.

Those that were part of the Hufang hadn't met or seen their Matriarch but had heard stories of her power and skill. The few stronger members who recognize her take a knee and the others all follow suit.

"Rise. It is by Fate's will and Chance's demand that I, Hufang Shuyren, the Matriarch of the Hufang family, have arrived in your time of need. I will do my best to assist you so long as you abide by my orders." Her voice rings out as if her voice is carried out to the other side of the gate as well.

"Mystics find a warrior to mark. Any beast your partner encounters, focus your arrows there." Mystics were known for their archery and ranged skills. This is because they had heightened senses on par with an aurator.

Being able to expand their range thanks to minor telepathy and telekinesis as well as imbuing psychic energy to increase their power and accuracy of their arrows made them destructive forces. They quickly pair off with no time to consider level compatibility.

When the mystics on the southern side went to spread the plans to the other side, it turns out Shuyren had relayed a psychic message earlier. What kind of person has such a range to cross the entire city with ease?

"Warriors, I do apologize but you will have to be the first on the battlefield. The Aural Beasts first appearing should be the weakest. If things turn dire then I will send out our Skin Igniting aurators. Until that moment may Heaven's faith guide you and Hell's courage empower you." Shuyren said to all of them.

The combined cheers of the thousand soldiers were deafening, only met by the distant cries of the arriving aural beasts.

[Aural Beast Raid Has Begun. Heart Guardian + Mind Protector Events In Play.]

Several hundred warriors flicker onto the clearing, pulling out various weapons and readying different weapon skills. The remaining aurators felt a deep sense of respect towards these singulars.

While the aurators carry an attitude of superiority even among their singular coworkers and allies, seeing these folk go to battle, it fills them with a fighting spirit. Only Jangi ignores the singulars as the threat finally arrives. Instead his gaze locks onto Tara with her back to him as she stands beside Shuyren.

Foxes, wolverines, ferrets, and raccoons the size of regular wolves storm from the wooded area and out into the opening. A wave of shades of red and blue, for Riversword is known for its Water Aural Beasts as well as Fire! Their size is an indication that this wave of animals has reached at least midtier Skin Igniting Novice!

The two sides are equal in number. However, with the combined might of the warriors and mystics, the first wave is cleared away with little difficulty.

Following that is piercing roars and yips. Among the second wave of the former aural beasts are Kindle Wolves and Vapor Jackals, and most frightening are the high tier Blood Directing River Apes riding on the back of a Giant Coal Moose!

Fire red wolves and ice white jackals weave in between the warriors, blade ends and arrow tips catching air. Charcoal gray apes scratch and punch from atop their mounts that were like unstoppable moving fortresses. One of the apes goes for a fifteen-year-old warrior girl. She stumbles onto her backside as this combination of forces charges towards her. She closes her eyes with death upon her.

Looking after hearing the sound of skin being broken but no pain to her, she finds the small form of the child who had been with the Hufang Matriarch over her!

Tara's body had moved the second she had seen the Coal Apes. Something had been pulling her to the battlefield the moment the warriors touched down. She focuses on this feeling and realizes that the ancient physical energy had begun to stir.

Tara, ignoring everything telling her to wait for Shuyren's signal, flashes in front of this warrior teenager with a burst of amber light. Blinding the ape and moose upon arrival, Tara punches out and strikes the leg of the moose before it can trample on the girl behind her.

The ancient physical energy urges what she had reviewed earlier to the front of her mind. The first information she had gotten ahold of this time were the Twin Sphere Body Arts. These moves didn't have specific names but rather different applications. A blow with the harsh strength of the sun and a strike with calm grace of the moon.

Her fist was not only coated in her white aural energy but also solar energy. When it connects with the moose's leg, the appendage is broken by a powerful and exploding force. The beast falls forward as its rider shrieks in surprise.

As if the ancient physical energy was guiding her, Tara swiftly chops the air with her other hand and the ape's head rolls off mid-scream. Before Tara helps the young warrior girl up, she strikes out a palm covered in turquoise and white light, causing a crescent wave to cut at a wolf's head. The young warrior girl is in awe before she blinks and gets back into the fray.

Shuyren confidently gave the order for the Skin Igniting aurators to mobilize immediately after Tara had left her side. They, however, were still in place at the sight of this short display from a ten-year-old. Any of them could fight this ape and moose combo with their hands, surely, but to do it so quickly and cleanly one had to be a prodigy. They only broke their stupor as their commanding officers gave the order to move.

Jangi is shocked most of all as he lingers behind with the other Blood Directing aurators. Even he couldn't accomplish such a feat! He watches Tara begin to raze through the enemy with her body alone. His disbelief fades into a fit of simmering anger at being shown up before he had even begun! Jangi can only wait for Shuyren's word before he can even attempt to steal back the spotlight.

Tara's comprehension of the Twin Sphere energies and the knowledge she had accumulated so far was rapidly growing. She strolls in bursts of light from enemy to enemy and strikes them down with the aid of those around her. Sometimes Tara would stay in one place to fend off particularly troublesome beasts. Tara's distraction allows many warriors to either take a healing potion they had on them or retreat to regroup.

While the second wave is being whittled down, two final roars make themselves known. Every singular within this area feels their blood run cold as two monsters come barrelling forward. The ground shakes with each step of the third and final wave. This last stampede has Blood Directing Aural Beasts within it but was headed off by a massive Spark Lion and Bubble Tiger!

Shuyren with her sharper senses is first to notice something different about the two leaders. They have long abandoned Blood Directing and are actually low tier Novice Vein Plating! Fighting one of the beasts, Shuyren can easily do but facing both of them would be difficult alone. Then a familiar presence comes off the Spark Lion which makes dread enter Shuyren's spine.

It's then she takes in the color of their fur as they come closer: the Spark Lion is crimson and amber while the Bubble Tiger has a mixed coat of cyan and turquoise!

Tara immediately senses the Twin Sphere energy that the two behemoths give off. She can tell that both beasts have found areas abundant in Twin Sphere energy and soaked their bodies with them.

'Baba, I think I can take the lion if you go after the tiger?' Tara sends to Shuyren, her inner voice not entirely confident but willing to attempt. Tara takes the mix-matched daggers into her hands with the blades facing outwards. 'After we're done I'd like a lion claw and a tiger fang please!'

Before Shuyren can reply, she watches in complete horror as Tara shoots towards the evolved Spark Lion. Shuyren's aura spikes as it comes out in waves, those near her needing to take a step back. What had happened to send their calm leader into a frenzy?

"All forces! Wipe them all out and then converge on those two beasts in the south! For every head taken a gold will be given! Warriors don't forget your mystics will know the truth and aurators I know your counts! Whoever kills one of those monsters can either move to the upper branch or marry in! You will also be let in on a closely guarded secret! Now move!" Shuyren barks, using Sunny Dance instead of her flicker step.

When she lands in front of the Bubble Tiger, dazzling light blinding every being around her. The weaker Aural Beasts caught in the wave of solar aural energy Shuyren blasts out are turned to ash!

The singulars and aurators take a moment to process before bellowing shouts split the air! They already had more than enough reasons to fight for their home but now they had a promise: money, a new family rank, and the secret of the Matriarch? Who wouldn't want that!

Jangi is especially excited as he joins the battlefield. He would kill as many as he could and wait till those two beasts were heavily wounded. Thus he could build his wealth and then reap the rewards of others! He kills two beasts easily with a smile on his face for his cleverness. That changes when his eyes find Tara heading straight for the amber Spark Lion with her daggers glowing!

In her three hours of meditation beside body arts, Tara was able to get a glimpse of what weapons worked well with the Twin Sphere technique. Daggers came to her first and because she was focusing on both energies, having two of them maximized her skills. From her Weapon Arts training, Tara understands that one's weapon wasn't just a conduit for aura but an extension of the body. The Twin Sphere energy was no different!

Tara throws her daggers at the Spark Lion. The one with solar energy twirls like a drill as the one with lunar spins sideways like a saw. They clash into the Spark Lion's thick aura, pushing through to nick the leg. Mimicking a mystic's telekinesis, Tara yanks her arms back with the daggers flying back to her hands with her lunar mind energy.