The tentacle moved with a relentless, crushing brutality, tearing through the crystalline structures of the cave as if they were nothing more than glass. Every swing sent chunks of crystal flying, shattering into glimring dust. Rakshasa unlucky enough to be caught in its path were obliterated, their bodies mangled and sared into the mud and gri that coated the monstrous appendage. Each movent left gouges in the earth, and the cavern floor shook under the force of its approach.
It barreled forward, streaked with mud, gri, and remnants of crushed stone, heading directly for the Jade Dragon at the forefront of our group.
The Jade Dragon, a seasoned warrior and a master of Qi arts, t it without hesitation. In one swift motion, he summoned a colossal dragon aura from the tip of his spear. The spectral dragon, glimring with jade light, surged forward with a fearso roar, coiling as it flew to strike the tentacle. But the mont the dragon's energy made contact, the aura disintegrated, shattering like brittle glass.
The shards of jade essence didn't rely dissipate—they fragnted into particles and vaporized, leaving no trace.
Not missing a beat, the Jade Dragon turned on his heel, his expression calm and calculating, and retreated toward us. "Qi aversion!" he shouted as he flew back, his voice carrying over the roaring chaos.
I hadn't doubted for a second. If the First Borns were impervious to Qi, this creature—their progenitor—would be just as impenetrable. Any Qi-based attack would only dissolve on contact.
"Back away!" I called to the group, flinging several poison canisters toward the oncoming appendage. Each one detonated, releasing a thick, acrid cloud of corrosive poison. But the mist barely slowed the tentacle; my poisons, too, were based on Qi, and they were as ineffective as the Jade Dragon's strike. But as I'd planned, the blasts struck the base of the towering crystals nearby, causing them to collapse in front of the tentacle, blocking its advance—if only for a mont.
Seizing the opportunity, the Blue Sun darted forward, gripping her massive war hamr with both hands. She let out a battle cry and swung the hamr in a powerful arc. As she swung, the hamr expanded, its head growing so large that it carved craters into the ground and ceiling. She brought it down on the tentacle with bone-shattering force, the impact sending shockwaves through the cave and rattling the ground beneath us. The tentacle was swatted aside, but not deeply damaged; the sheer mass of the appendage absorbed much of the blow.
"Too close of a space—we need to drag it out," Blue Sun said, breathing heavily as she regained her stance.
She was right. In the narrow confines of the cave, we couldn't utilize our full power. We needed to bring it to an open area if we stood any chance of dealing a decisive blow.
"Plan's changed," I said, scanning the cavern for a way out. "The palace infiltration's a bust—focus on getting it topside. Move!"
Master Rain was already preparing a formation, his fingers flashing as he traced symbols into the air. "I can bind it, like I did the Primordial Serpent God!" he shouted, his focus unwavering.
But I placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him mid-gesture. "Qi will do nothing against this thing," I said firmly. "Any formations would be useless."
He nodded reluctantly, his hands falling to his sides.
"What about Laws?" Zhang Tian suggested, his gaze fixed on the still-recovering tentacle. His mastery over Law and Domain control had been recognized by the Suns themselves.
"Sa effect," I said, eyeing the writhing mass of the tentacle. "No matter the strength, it won't penetrate. Let's head for the surface."
As we turned to leave, ng Hao flew alongside , his expression thoughtful. "There's sothing that doesn't add up," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos around us.
"What do you an?" I asked, throwing another canister behind us. It detonated, collapsing more of the cave walls in an attempt to slow the monstrous appendage.
He glanced back at the creature, his brow furrowed. "If this thing is impervious to Qi—can't be held, contained, or hard by it—then how is it still trapped here? The planetary formation surrounding this place is made of Qi. It should have broken through long ago."
He was right. The realization hit with a sickening clarity. The entire planetary barrier was Qi-based, ant to contain the rakshasa. So why hadn't this creature simply shattered it?
"Illusion," the Fire King spoke up, his voice sharp as the thought connected.
"Yes," I agreed, piecing it together. "If the planetary barrier is a massive illusion, it could trap them, regardless of their immunity to Qi. Even the First Borns outside would be stuck, unable to escape sothing they perceive as real."
The Fire King nodded, his expression dark. "A barrier of perception, rather than force."
Tao Yang, her eyes blazing with fury, drew close to us. "So, you're saying there's no way to kill this thing?" Her voice trembled with barely restrained rage. This creature had ravaged her world, slaughtered her people, and led to the enslavent of the survivors. Her anger was fierce, raw—a deep-rooted need for vengeance.
"We're here to find a way," I replied, my tone steady. "But we're not throwing our lives away without understanding what we're up against."
The tentacle continued to advance, screeching as it battered its way toward us, each crash and slam growing louder. It was relentless.
"Let's move," I called as we reached the open shaft. I began to ascend, leading the group out of the cavernous depths, the others following close behind.
The creature pursued, slamming against the walls as it rose, sending tremors through the stone. Several tis, it nearly overtook us, its relentless pace daunting. I tossed more explosive canisters at the cavern walls, and each blast collapsed parts of the stone around us, buying us precious seconds as the tunnel walls caved in, slowing the creature's ascent.
As we broke through to the surface, the first tentacle burst out from the opening, crashing against the ground in a cloud of dust and stone. It tore through the earth, demolishing an entire nearby mountain as it reared up. A second tentacle followed, heaving itself out with terrifying force. The ground shook violently under their weight, massive fissures forming as the monstrous appendages lood over us.
"It's trying to co out," Law muttered, his voice barely audible as he took a flying step back, eyes wide.
"We can see that," I replied, as the group instinctively spread out to avoid being caught by the towering monstrosities.
The two tentacles rose higher, twisting and writhing in the air. Even at a distance, their sheer size was overwhelming—each one towering over the landscape, dwarfing mountains.
"Oi, oi, oi," Law stamred, his voice laced with disbelief as he took in their enormity. "Isn't this a bit too damn big? How the hell are we supposed to deal with this without Qi?"
I exhaled sharply. "I don't know. We could run, of course. It's slow, and it wouldn't be able to keep up if we went airborne. But if we flee now, coming here would've been pointless."
We stood our ground, watching as the tentacles continued to unfurl. The creature's resilience and Qi-immunity presented a formidable challenge, but this was the Queen—defeating it would an breaking the back of the rakshasa. And we hadn't co this far to simply turn back.
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