Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Break!"

The two brothers shouted out loud, pushing themselves even further. Cracks spread throughout their weapons as they pierced the field of lightning, stabbing into the Elephander's body. 

Crying out loud, the beast's body pulsed with gold lightning, turning the weapons to dust just as the Fifth Sister arrived. 

"Bite!"

She grinned as the two blades of the scythe opened wide, putting one of the tusks within and cutting it off. Pain flashed through its body as Fu Zi continued to dismember it limb by limb. 

Its eyes were red with rage as it trumpeted in anger. Its trunk moved quickly, wrapping around her as its remaining tusk began to glow. 

"Is it trying to take me with it?"

She realized its intention and did what was least expected. Opening her mouth wide, her teeth transformed into sharp fangs as she bit down on the trunk and ripped its flesh off, bite by bite. Her fangs tore the trunk right off, freeing her just as the Elephander burst out with power. 

Her body was blown back by the blast, slamming right into the tree trunks. However, Fu Zi got up like nothing happened, then she looked down. 

"Ah, I really hoped it wouldn't have come to this."

Her body was bent in an abnormal way, like she should not be able to walk or move at all. Her spine seemed to have snapped in half and her limbs twisted in numerous ways. But she acted as if this was normal. 

Rather, she seemed more annoyed than anything. 

"Ah, a waste, a waste."

With a single thought, her body trembled and cracked, returning to their orginal place as the bones reaaanged itself. At the same time, her appearance changed as well. 

The Gold Tusk Elephander before her dropped to the ground in a heavy thud, having sustained too many injuries and lost too much blood. Death would come for it soon. As for the two brothers, they ran up to Fu Zi, bringing her scythe back with them. 

"Fifth Senior Sister!" they called her out but paused just a few meters away. 

Their faces were filled with confusion. 

"Fifth... Senior Sister?"

Chen Qiu's eyes simply widened as did his brothers as they were not expecting this in the slightest. Fu Zi's appearance had changed drastically from what she originally looked like or perhaps, this was her original appearance all along. 

Her cute and small stature was replaced by an old woman, whose back was bent over and hair was falling out. She was disturbing to look at, boils on her skin, not to mention yellow nails that were like talons. 

She looked at the two brothers, revealing a pair of dull, sunken eyes and fang-like teeth. And her voice, weak and weary but shrill like a crow's caw. Nothing about her was soothing as she resembled something closer to a witch than anything. 

"Oh why thank you, my little juniors. Thank you for helping me retireve my scythe!"

She still spoke in that same playful tone but now it seemed more creepy than cute. Grabbing her scythe, Fu Zi looked at it before smiling to her two juniors. 

They looked at her, astounded by this sudden reveal. 

"Fifth Senior Sister, is that really you?"

Chen Liu asked as he stepped forward but she ignored him, only staring at her scythe. Chen Qiu stopped him from moving any further. His eyes seemed to flash as he made his own revelation. 

"This was why Second Senior Brother called her "Old Hag". She's actually older than him!" he thought. 

They looked at her, unsure what to do or even say. 

"Haah, I suppose I should've been watching my skin better. It's quite hard to maintain my youth."

She sighed, shaking her head in a tired way. 

"Then, is there a way to help you, Fifth Senior Sister?" they asked. 

Fu Zi was silent, the grip on her scythe tightened as the skull's eyes burst out with life. Unlike her frail appearance, she was quick, far too quick for the two brothers to act as she swung her scythe. The fangs of the two blades grew even more jagged as it bit into Chen Qiu.

With her talon- like nails, she struck out, pulled Chen Liu in from the back of his neck. 

"Time for a meal!"

Her mouth opened wide as she bit into Chen Liu's neck, ripping the flesh off. 

"No, brother!"

Chen Qiu screamed all the rage and sorrow as he watched his brother get devoured by her.

And then the dots connected. 

"You... you were the beast! The one killing all of those soldiers."

This realization gave rise to the horror in his very core. The wounds on his brother were similar to the victims More than that, she confirmed it herself. Looking back at Chen Qiu, her appearance slowly returned to a youthful one, giving a naive and innocent smile. 

"Like I said, I was too busy looking after my youth to care."

She dropped Chen Liu's corpse and held up the other brother by the blades of her scythe. Red veins glowed upon it as the fangs absorbed Chen Qiu's life force.

"Truly, the best meal of them all."

Fu Zi stabbed her hand into Chen Liu's chest, ripping out his entrails and eating it. Chen Qiu could do nothing but watch as he had the strength sucked out of him. In his last moments, he could only speak a few words. 

"Why? Fifth Senior Sister? Why?" he asked. 

As his body shrunk to skin and bones, she answered him. 

"I would have prefered not to but I haven't had a good meal in so long. Keeping up this form takes quite a bit to maintain."

By the time Fu Zi finished talking, Chen Qiu was dead and her fanged scythe, cut him in half. The skull returned to having blank expression. 

"Hmm, let's go get that tusk and return to the others. As for these two, I suppose we can just say they died trying to protect me."

Giggling at that thought, she walked up to the dying Gold Tusk Elephant, which was barely breathing. But its stare was still full of life, glaring at her as she came. Fu Zi stared back, her eyes carrying a playful look. 

"Hee hee, what? Still want to fight? You're just a few breaths from death, you know."

Spinning her scythe, she stabbed straight into the beast's neck, cutting it open and letting the blood spray out. The light from its eyes vanished as it died. After extracting the unbroken tusk from the Elephander, she left the scene as someone watched her from a distance away. 

Fu Zi turned around, looking at her surroundings before continuing her way. 

"Must be my imagination. It's quite quiet, is Second Brother done now?"

She muttered quietly before leaping away. Moments past before a figure looked out, checking the vicinity before walking out into the open. This mysterious figure looked at the two bodies before checking the Elephander. 

"Poor thing... I can't save it."

They seem dejected, unable to prevent the beast's death. Looking towards the direction of Fu Zi, there was a look of determination on their face as they chased after her. 

"I can't let her do something like this and leave so easily. Her accomplices must be there!"

Stealthily, this person followed Fu Zi towards where Ming Yue was. As for Xiao Yin, the Star Owl was long gone, returning as soon as the Elephander had been defeated. 

Ming Yue's eyes opened as soon as she sensed Xiao Yin's return. 

"They're coming."

She grabbed her sword and prepared herself, hiding among the trees. Both of her pets were by her side, ready to support her. 

"I'm not fully recovered, about sixty to seventy percent there. This is going to be difficult."

Unfortunately, there was not enough time for her to fully recuperate.. Fu Zi had already arrived.