The Chronicles of Arnora: The Curse of the Blood Moon

Chapter Fourteen: The Second General

Owin: "Just because I'm out of mana doesn't mean I'm out of the fight!" He raised his sword honing his senses expecting another attack. "So tell me what kind of monstrosity did Isis turn you into?" Yasano giggled disappearing again and suddenly reappeared moments later in front of Owin.

Yasano: "You think I'm a monster? That's not a very nice thing to say to a lady, but if you must know you'll have to fight me for it!" She then swung her sword from the right and Owin blocked it again. "Haha it seems your sword skills have nothing to do with your power over the light, that means this will definitely be a great battle indeed." Yasano then started to swing her blade frantically at Owin, but he blocked every strike she sent at him.

Owin: "So is this the secret sword style of the sun people I've heard so much about? I must admit it's not really all that impressive."

Yasano: "No this is just the start of it! Taiyo Sword Style, Technique Six, One Thousand Burning Slashes!" Just then Yasano's katana had caught fire while burning brightly and glowing red hot. Each slash came at Owin faster and faster, he was barely able to keep up with her attacks. Just one false move could mean his inevitable end.
 
Owin: "Don't you ever give up?!" He was starting to get tired and Yasano took quick notice of it, grinning as she swung her blade even faster. He had only one chance if he was to survive this onslaught and only a split second to do so, but in order for it to work he had to leave his guard down to focus. He stopped blocking, allowing an attack through, when it had hit him it let off a blinding flash of light. Yasano then tried to pull her blade back, but it wouldn't budge. When the light cleared what she saw surprised her, Owin had a hold of her blade and now stood in front of her covered in what appeared to be dragon scales. "I didn't want to use this form because it takes awhile to recharge, but you left me with no other choice. Slayer Art, Secret Form, Salamander Scale Armor!"

Yasano: "What is this? How are you able to take on such a powerful form like that when you're all out of mana?!"

Owin: "Don't you know? Us Slayers are full of surprises. If you must know this has nothing to do with magic, this is a mutation. Each Slayer possesses a secret form such as this and each one is different, I just so happen to be blessed with the powers of the legendary salamander."

Yasano: "Hypocrite! You call me a monster, you killed all these hybrids and you talk of Isis and the Emperor conducting illegal experiments. Yet you yourself are a hybrid, are you not?!"

Owin: "No, unlike you who was experimented on by Isis through the use of dark magic, I like all Slayers was born with this power." Owin then let go of Yasano's katana. "Now stop going easy on me and show me a real fight!" Yasano had grown angry, though she didn't show it because of the kitsune mask she wore. Jumping backwards she readied herself before lunging forward at Owin.

Yasano: "Taiyo Sword Style, Technique One, Rising Sun Slash!" Yasano's katana had once again caught fire starting to glow bright and hot while slashing at Owin from the ground up. The attack was the fastest one in Yasano's arsenal, the blade was moving at such speed surely he wouldn't be able to see it coming she thought. That was until he deflected it with ease.
 
Owin: "Is that the best you've got? Surely you can do better than that. I'm starting to doubt your ability as a warrior Yasano, these weak attacks would bring dishonor upon your family back in your homeland. I think that's why you had to leave isn't it? Because you brought dishonor to your family and they cast you out, am I correct?." Yasano grew even angrier, frantically slashing at Owin once more, but every attack of hers was blocked as if they were nothing.

Yasano: "You know nothing about why I had to leave my home!" The attacks were coming at Owin even faster now but still he blocked every single strike that Yasano had to throw at him. "I will do the world a favor when I kill you Slayer and Isis will reward me greatly for bringing her your head!" Her frantic attacks were starting to get sloppy leaving many openings for a counter attack and Owin wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. He then swung his sword right at her head, the blade smashing into her kitsune mask, shattering it. Yasano then jumped back trying her best to hide her face, but Owin had seen it and knew exactly what she was and why she wore the mask. "Don't you dare look at me!"

Owin: "So that's why you wear the mask. Those symbols carved into your skin, Isis turned you into a jiangshi and from the look of things you've been one for quite awhile." Owin had now felt sorry for the girl. "Yasano I'm so sorry for what she has done to you, no one should have to go through such a thing." She then looked over to him and began to laugh.

Yasano: "Hahahahahahaha, you think that Isis did this to me? I told you that you had no idea why I had to leave my homeland of the Taiyo Empire, I died a very long time ago you see. My body was desecrated by a necromancer and I was brought back to life as a jiangshi. I left because when I went back to see my family they were horrified by what I became. I was hunted down by men who my family had hired to kill me. I only recently made my way to Arnora a few years ago where Isis had found me, she took me in and made me stronger and I became one of Zhagos's four generals!" She raised her katana as a black dust started to come out of her skin which started to grow pitch black. "You aren't the only one with a so-called secret form Slayer, I bet you never fought a jiangshi with the abilities of a masani before!"

Owin: "So you're part masani? That's what makes you a hybrid and not only that you have an immunity to fire and sunlight, killing you is going to be quite a challenge." Owin smiled, raising his sword yet again. "I guess you'll give me a real fight after all!" He leaped forward swinging his sword at Yasano who swung hers back. The attacks were moving so fast and hitting together so loud and hard the sounds of clanging metal could be heard ringing all throughout the battlefield.

Yasano: "Why aren't you slowing down! You've been breathing in the black spores I released earlier yet you seem unaffected!" Owin laughed.

Owin: "You aren't the only one with an immunity, the power of the Salamander Scale Armor burns away any curse, so your mist is useless against me!" He then jumped a few feet back away from Yasano. "Since you're part masani I'm guessing this must be your shadow form, sure you have all the strengths but I wonder if you also have the weaknesses as well? Once a masani casts its shadow it's bound to the place it stands, but I'm assuming you didn't know that otherwise you'd never have used this ability." Yasano then tried to charge forward at Owin but she was suddenly pulled back to the same place. She thought for a moment and then started to laugh maniacally.

Yasano: "Hahahahahahahahah! If I'm bound to my shadow then I'll just have to destroy it then!" Yasano's body then started to glow red hot, she was concentrating all the mana she had left in her body to release her ultimate attack in a last ditch effort to free herself and kill Owin simultaneously. "Taiyo Sword Style, Final Technique, Supernova!" The built up energy she had within her had suddenly exploded sending shockwaves of power in every direction. It came off of her so fast Owin didn't even have the time to try and run. He was hit with the full force of the blast knocking him out and causing him to fly backwards right into the nexus. When he awoke a few hours later he had found himself in a familiar place, The Zhagos Institute, as he got up he saw Aqua running over to him.

Aqua: "Owin! Thank the Gods you're awake! You've been out cold for hours now." He struggled to sit up but was in a lot of pain, after all he had taken the full force of Yasano's strongest attack.

Owin: "Aqua, how did I get here?" He then tried to stand, but she pushed him back down.

Aqua: "Owin please you need to rest so you can heal, as to how you got here Ryo had found you near the same spot the nexus left us out at. We concluded that you would most likely exit the Elysium Tower in the same place so he kept a close eye on it." Since Aqua wouldn't let him move Owin looked around the institute, he saw his companions along with professor Sigmus working on things as if they were getting ready for a battle.

Owin: "It seems that I missed a lot while I was still in the tower, exactly how long has it been since I was in there?" Aqua sighed, then she helped Owin to his feet and walked him over to a nearby window.

Aqua: "See for yourself." She pulled back the curtains and an eerie red light shined through. It had been the thing that Owin had feared the most these past few days, the blood moon was now rising.