The Guardian Bird

"...It's about time for you to enter the battle, Suria... you're done for, Simalaun...," Pala­demes chuckled weakly, his energy depleted.

Simalaun turned towards the source of the attack, his gaze falling upon Suria, a figure shrouded in a powerful shadow.

Behind Suria, Jentayu, a guardian bird of colossal proportions, loomed over the battlefield. Triple Simalaun's monstrous form, the creature was a testament to raw power. Its plumage was the color of burnished gold.

Delicate, almost ethereal armor, crafted from unknown metals, adorned its shoulders, waist, knees, and chest. An iron helm, intricately wrought, concealed its face, leaving only a narrow slit for its piercing eyes. A waist cloth, embroidered with a mesmerizing pattern of diamonds, swayed gently in the draft.

Jentayu swooped low, offering Palademes a glowing orb of emerald light. The orb pulsed with an inner radiance, promising healing.

Suria, witnessing the devastation caused by Simalaun, glared at the creature with a burning intensity.

"Is...she...the bird princess?...No, it can't be!!" Simalaun shivered.

"Jentayu! Illuminate the darkness!" Suria commanded.

Jentayu unleashed a burst of iridescent light from his wings. The beam, a blinding torrent of color, struck Simalaun directly.

Suria leaped, unleashing a burst of light arrow attacks.

The blinded Simalaun, relying on his senses, focused his energy, reacting instinctively, and deflected the attack with a dark breath. Suria evaded the counterattack and landed gracefully, forming a growing sphere of light in her hand.

"It's time to end this, Jentayu," Suria declared, releasing the luminous sphere towards Simalaun.

The dark creature attempted to disperse the light with a blast of darkness, but the relentless sphere continued its trajectory. Regaining his sight, Simalaun narrowly dodged the incoming attack.

"Ha! Is that all a bird princess can do?!" Simalaun taunted, facing Suria, who advanced with another glowing sphere. He then sensed a surge of great power from behind.

"No, this is what I can do!" Suria replied, her shakti light intensifying. Her form shimmered, her movements accelerating.

Positioned behind Simalaun, Jentayu held the light sphere that had passed him, infusing it with an even greater surge of shakti.

"NO! This can't be happening!" Simalaun exclaimed, overwhelmed by the rapid assault.

"Double Light Cage Explosion!!" The spheres converged, trapping Simalaun within a blinding cage of light. A series of explosions erupted within the cage, reducing Simalaun's transformed body to its original, mortal form.

The defeated creature fell to the ground, unable to resist.

Suria approached the fallen Simalaun and instructed Jentayu to transport him to the Gari prison.

A celestial vortex then formed, signaling Jentayu's departure. The guardian bird, carrying the fallen Simalaun, vanished into the vortex, which then closed.

Suria and Palademes lay on the ground, gazing at the remnants of the destroyed tower.

"Let's hope the others are doing well, Palademes," Suria murmured.

The battle in East Avalon had concluded with their victory over Simalaun.

Purnama watched as Jentayu disappeared, a clear indication of Suria's triumph.

"You see that old hag? Simalaun is defeated, and you are next," Purnama declared, gathering energy in his hands. He unleashed a powerful King's Fist, shattering the ground and sending rocks flying towards Kelembai.

Kelembai, however, effortlessly deflected the debris with a powerful gust of wind.

Seizing the moment, Purnama advanced, launching another King's Fist.

Anticipating the attack, Kelembai vanished, reappearing above Purnama to strike him down with her staff.

A flurry of icy particles swirled around Kelembai, freezing him in a crystal of ice.

"Purnama, the Kelembai army has been defeated. The knights are escorting the humans to safety and are en route to assist Suria as you commanded," Zirko announced, having swiftly dealt with the remaining forces.

"Good, now it's our turn to get this wretch down."

Despite being encased in ice, Kelembai's eyes flickered, a sign of his impending escape. The ice began to crack and melt under the intense heat radiating from within. 

Zirko unleashed a barrage of ice crystals, each a shard of frozen fury, aimed at Kelembai. Kelembai, having miraculously escaped his icy prison, had summoned a magnificent green six-legged wolf. Mounted on the creature's back, Kelembai navigated the blizzard of ice with uncanny grace, the werewolf dodging each attack with effortless agility.

Purnama closed in on Kelembai, aiming to deliver a powerful King's Punch.

Kelembai leaped from the wolf, then morphed into the form of a young boy, hopping toward Purnama with playful ease. In one powerful leap, it transformed again—this time into a fierce gorilla that landed with such force that it sank nearly half of its massive body into the ground.

"What?!" Purnama gasped, stunned by the sudden shift.

Kelembai's gorilla form let out a roar, flinging debris at Purnama with every movement. Purnama darted from rooftop to rooftop, skillfully punching through the flying rubble as he closed in on his foe while Zirko dealt with the green wolf.

At the heart of Avalon, Gema, his senses on high alert. Following the trail of shattered stones, he stumbled upon a sight that chilled him to the bone. In the center of a desolate clearing, a massive black sphere pulsed with an eerie, malevolent energy.

It hummed with a dark aura that seemed to drain the life from the very air, pulling nearby rocks and boulders inexorably toward its malevolent core.

Two crushed suits of armor lay scattered around the sphere, grim testaments to the ferocity of the attack.

Nearby, Lancelot, his armor dented, was struggling, barely holding his sword. Gema rushed to Lancelot's aid.

"Sir... Sir Gema... the golem... it's growing bigger," Lancelot gasped.

Gema hurled a lightning-infused stone at the sphere, but the dark aura repelled it. From his experience battling Darkseeds, he knew their transformations within these spheres rendered them invulnerable.

The intensifying transformation provided a fleeting opportunity to plan and retreat.

Rescuing Lancelot, Gema wasted no time and returned to Arthur's side to lend his aid. He guided them both away from the pulsating sphere, seeking a safer distance before the full force of its power could be unleashed.

"Are thou forsaking us, Gema? I feel the darkness gathering! Where are Kay and Percival, knave?" Arthur's voice, though strained, held a regal command.

Gema shook his head, a silent acknowledgment of the dire situation. Without a word, he hoisted Arthur onto his shoulder and turned to flee.

"Nay, we shall not retreat! Set me down; I shall face Bota myself! Set me down, thou celestial cur!" Arthur struggled, his voice filled with righteous fury.

A flash of lightning crackled beneath Gema's feet as he leaped high into the air, disappearing beyond the city walls.

"Coward!" Arthur roared, his voice echoing through the desolate landscape.