Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 16.4: The March of the Yami

The Yami continued its assault but the Bougyou-Kabe was unyielding. Angry wails reached our ears, as the Yami's frustration mounted. The Shakryss were having difficulty entering our perimeter. The Yami was holding back the rest of its foot soldiers. We were being tested, our defenses were being analyzed.

Eventually however, the attack took its toll on Tengoku-ji. Parts of the outer wall began to crumble at the abuse. It was the same for us. As the high-pitched wailing continued, assailing our ears, and our minds, we began to wear down. Strange things came in our heads, whispers that made us doubt ourselves and our very intentions. A few of the novices succumbed to the psychological attack and threw themselves off the walls to their doom.

"Hold fast!" The frantic cries came around us. Streya and her regiment of healers moved swiftly to tend to the fallen.

On the next wall over from mine, I saw Searra observing the onslaught intently, her left hand on her hip, her right fist opening and clenching as she watched. A tell-tale sign. She was formulating a strategy. She was analyzing the Yami ranks, looking for weaknesses, anything that could be exploited to our benefit. Suddenly, Searra ran along the prismatic layer, and jumped, moving outward, leaving her post, toward the front of the Bougyou-Kabe where the conflict was greatest, leaping from wall-to-wall, a regiment of priestesses following close behind. She was attempting reconnaissance, I had initially thought. She reached the outer wall of the Bougyou Kabe where most of the heavy fighting occurred, the very walls shaking from the force of the attack, even as they repelled it.

As the black wave crashed upon the walls, increasing in momentum, a few of the Yami forces were able to get past the Bougyou-Kabe into the Shuuzen Kabe, the second layer, the shadows scaling the height of the cliffs with great speed, and then proceeding past the defensive layer. It was this that Searra had noticed and moved to prevent before Setsuko's regiment of defenders became overwhelmed. I saw a white flash of light as Searra activated a giant seal of protection. It bathed the temple in light, surrounding it in a defensive shield. We heard the shadows wailing in frustration, their progress thwarted.

We heaved collective sighs of relief and cheers went up as everyone realized what Searra had done.

But it was short-lived. No sooner had the barrier been erected that we heard an especially distressing sound – the flapping of hundreds of wings in the air. We had not thought that the Yami had the ability to take to the air. In past wars, Tengoku-ji's superiority had largely rested on the fact that the Yami's forces were on the ground and sea.

The sky was filled with dark shadows, faint at first, but gradually growing, as we looked on in horror. They appeared like mist, or like wispy bats, flying versions of the Shakryss. They flew effortlessly over much of the five-layer defense, staying just beyond the reach of Nyana's archers. My heart sank as I realized we were powerless against this new threat. The only thing standing in between the Yami and us was Searra's shield.

The bats came crashing into the light shield, many sustaining significant damage from the light, getting obliterated. However, quite a few made it past. As they crossed the barrier, Nyana's regiment let loose with a volley of their own, the light flashing in the air. Only light could harm them. The physical weaponry a few tried, went right through. As they got closer, the bats solidified, their ephemeral forms taking shape, their wings becoming sharp edges. They dove into us, cutting off limbs, decapitating a few. We incurred several casualties.

Just when we thought the flying Shakryss were getting the upper hand, the Kougeki Kabe launched a new attack pattern. Seals activated, shooting up into the sky, sending arcs of light into the air, tearing into the flying shadows. The Kaiten-Kabe, which had been dormant until now, activated wind seals on its own, unleashing a devastating wave of wind energy upon our assailants. Our predecessors had, in fact foreseen an attack from the air and had devised countermeasures.

The aerial assault continued in earnest despite the countermeasures. The flying shadows' numbers were too great.

Searra rejoined me on the Kaiten-Kabe's wall along with the force that had accompanied her before. She turned to me. "Vannah, lend us your power. Destroy these creatures."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I could feel the world around me quiet down. I forced myself to focus. Chaos reigned in the world around me, the flapping of thousands of wings, the crashing of the waves, the screams of my dying sisters, the wails of the Yami.

My heartbeat slowed and I felt an incredible sense of well-being. There was a glow in my mind's eye. Tiny at first, then building intensity, growing ever brighter. I was intoxicated by the familiar rush of energy.

I opened my eyes to a familiar sight. The sky was lit with seals. I had activated several seals at once, some of them even dormant seals that had been sealed up into the walls by the Niji no Miko long ago. The flying forces of the Yami were in the sky no longer, obliterated by the power of my seals.

Many of our sisters collapsed to the ground – exhausted, but thrilled to be alive. I noticed their labored breathing. Even a few of the elites, although they were seasoned veterans, were beginning to tire. It would be difficult to continue to fight in this manner for long.

"They are retreating for now." Oozen-Oo nodded at me. "We have passed their first onslaught, thanks in large part to your powers."

We stopped to assist Streya's priestesses in tending to the wounded. The outer wall of the Bougyou-Kabe was damaged in several places. There were cracks in the foundation. A slight glow appeared all around it as the Shuuzen-Kabe and its regenerative seals went to work renewing and repairing the structure.

I heard muffled cries, sniffling in the darkness. In the hours of the Slumber, faced with the seemingly never-ending forces of the Yami, many were losing hope, and the battle had just begun.