Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Take cover! Protect yourselves!"

"Watch for the skies! The two Hel- Fire Dragons are loose!"

"Is there no way to stop them?!"

"They're working with the human! How is that possible?!"

"Our numbers are dwindling! Where is the rest of our men?!"

From above, the Matron and her child flew about freely, breathing flames from their heads. No demon could go against them whether on the ground or in the air, even those the flew were no match. The demons cried out to each other, trying to regroup and defend themselves. 

"Damn it! What about the cannons? The ballistae that we had? Where are they?"

"They're all destroyed! We tried to set them up but something keeps attacking them!"

Aside from the bodies were piles of rubble from the aforementioned cannons and ballistae, each and every one of them ruined by Ming Yue. With her around, the two dragons could rampage as much as they wished. 

Blazing fires and powerful gales forced the remnant demons to panic and chaos ensued in their ranks. 

"Burn! Burn! All of you deserve death for capturing my kin!"

The Matron's voice roared out as all three heads looked to the skies and breath out flames. Her show of power brought fear into demon's hearts. 

Down below, Du Xiu and Kong Zhi fought each other fiercely. The shockwave that came from their blows was enough to cause the ground beneath them to crack. The warhammer against the halberd axe clashing against each other, created resounding clangs resembling the sound of a gong. 

Kong Zhi fought with both strength and speed, wielding his warhammer like it was a stick. Each hit was enough to crush a man and Du Xiu knew it. Even now, his body could not quite endure the strength of each strike. But what this commander lacked in strength, he made up in speed and technique. 

His body was still within that pillar of flame and with each second, it grew hotter and hotter. His weapon glowed brighter and brighter, he was growing stronger. 

"It is your loss, Kong Zhi. This revolution of yours is over."

Du Xiu's voice was loud but still maintained that calmness. However, Kong Zhi smiled at those words. 

"My loss? It is not over yet, it is still undecided!"

The Vajra Demon raised his warhamer over his head and behind his back, holding it with all six of his hands. It took a second but he swung out with a strike strong enough to smash a mountain. 

The Commander quickly sidestepped as the warhammer fell upon the ground. He put his foot on it, keeping the warhammer stuck as he thrusted his halberd axe forward. 

"Hou Yi's Arrow"

The blade of his weapon glowed white from the intense heat as his thrust was swift, aiming to pierce Kong Zhi in the heart. Like an arrow, it flew straight and true. 

The demon let go of his warhammer and grabbed the halberd axe with all six arms, trying to stop the strike. 

"Urgh! Aghhh!"

He gritted his teeth and screamed out as his hands burned away from grabbing the halberd so tightly. But he did not let go, instead, he tried to bend it, to break the blade of it. 

"Hmph, stop struggling. You act proudly but you were no match for me then, and you are not one right now."

With Kong Zhi still grabbing onto the halberd axe, Du Xiu pushed forward and shoved him to the ground. 

They struggled as the flames of the commander began to sear the demon's flesh. As much pain as he was in, Kong Zhi had to focus on pushing the halberd axe away. It inched closer and closer to his heart before he finally diverted the strike to the side, hitting the ground instead. 

"What?"

With his halberd axe stuck in the ground, the commander did not have enough time to pull it out before suffering a strike from Kong Zhi, knocking him back.

But Du Xiu shook it off quickly and recovered, charging straight at the unarmed demon. Unlike the Matron, he has had a wealth of experience in taking hits. After all, this was a soldier at the cusp of the Heaven Realm and cultivated two paths. 

It could be said that he was the only one to have accomplished so much. 

"This is the end, demon!" he shouted out while hacking down, flames burst out from his swing. 

Kong Zhi leapt away avoiding the strike as he ran towards the commander, grabbing him by the head and driving it into the ground. There was so much force that Du Xiu's head was stuck but he wasn't going to go down easily. 

"Agh!"

Kong Zhi winced from the pain as touching Du Xiu's flaming body came with a searing pain and this human wasn't done yet. With his other arm, he grabbed the hand that gripped tightly to his face, keeping the demon where he was. The halberd axe swung out from the side and chopped down swiftly, biting into the demon's back and burning the wound. 

The pain he felt was immense, like a poison that sought to melt his flesh. 

Kong Zhi pulled away quickly before running to grab his warhammer. 

Du Xiu's body was still on the ground but slowly, he began to rise as if he didn't feel a thing. There were perhaps a few bruises here and there, some small cuts but that was it. But his face said it all, downcast eyes and a frown was his expression. 

"I am disappointed in you. In our first battle, you retreated and promised to bring me down the next time we fought. But just like before, you back away from me. This so- called power of yours, what is the point of it if the result hasn't changed."

Kong Zhi glared at him, the burns and injuries on his body slowly vanished, replaced by new skin and flesh. But he was seething with anger, frustration that perhaps Du Xiu's words were correct. 

"This is the power of my ancestors! You think that the result has yet to change?! You dare to insult the power of the Vajra Demon?! You don't understand what it was like living in this hell! Where each day you fight some rotten scrap of food! There is nothing here for you to depend upon! Whether it is the land, the skies, or your own comrades, none of these things will give aid or mercy! And yet, you humans lived in such lush lands and comfort!"

His words echoed out, flying into the ears of everyone. 

Each line he spoke caused his men to feel that same anger, hatred for such unfairness. All of them had gone through those very experiences, where one could do nothing but depend on themselves. It was unfair, why was it that they had to suffer like this? Why was it that the humans did not suffer as they did?

"You think that my Vajra Bloodline is a disappointment? You may feel disappointed for me but rage fills my very being when I see humans like you!"

He then roared out loud as his magenta- colored eyes glowed and turned pure white. The power in his body exploded as he drew out more of his bloodline. His body began to change as the six arms were no longer that gray or even flesh. In fact, they vanished, leaving behind six stumps where all the energy he put out condensed into ethereal arms. They were white and featured tribalistic designs, exquisite patterns that which resembled the constellations of stars. 

The warhammer he carried fell to the ground as he took on this new form. 

Breathing out heavily, Kong Zhi stared at the commander with his white eyes to which the latter returned with an equally intense glare. 

"Come then, let me see if you are going to disappoint me once more."