FicWad

Lightning Deity's Cruel Choke



(During the events of "The Fall of..." previous chapter)



"You can't keep an eye on me and fend off the Yuyan Archers at the same time," Mei argued with Baro who is next to her, and Raina who is acting as a shield for both of them.

The Yuyan forces had begun their assault half an hour ago. They made quick work of the palace's outer defenses, incapacitating the guards and servants with ease. Their invasion had gone unnoticed for far too long, and had penetrated deep into the castle before their presence was made aware.

It was due to the Shogun's prudence that his body was not pierced by several shafts of arrows by now. Only last month he had renovated the inner quarters with new and improved traps and siege defenses. He had also stationed more imperial guards and Lightning Count closer to the family's chambers. Ironically, this was originally intended as a measure against Azula, to subdue her at a moment's notice rather than a fortification method.

The Yuyan encountered much trouble from either avoiding, or setting off the traps. Though the traps bought Baro's group precious amounts of time, the Archers relentlessly advanced. They were the Phoenix King's elite forces after all. Eventually, they overcame the obstacles in their way with only few casualties, and entered Baro's private temple.

The building served as the Shogun's personal training ground and meditation spot. It boasted four story high ceilings, large diametered pillars, and a dark red marble floor. On each pillar, hung four torches that brightly lit the courtyard wide indoors.

Baro's group, consisting of Mei, Raina, and a mix of Imperial Soldiers and Lightning Count, had created a make shift barricade against the Yuyan Archers. Word had gone out about the assassination attempt and reinforcements were on their way. The Shogun's company was currently stalling for time until they arrived.

The Yuyan forces were slowly closing in and gaining ground. Their arrows pierced through the small gaps in the defenses with deadly accuracy. Baro's group's small numbers were dwindling ever so surely. If the current situation continued, the assassination would most likely succeed. They needed to turn the tide.

"Let me assist you. I understand you don't trust me, but if this goes on any longer, I'll be the least of your problems."(Mei)

Mei pleads again to Baro and Raina. They were beginning to lean towards the idea. The Shogun and the Leader of the Lightning Count had been participating very little in the actual battle, which was a great detriment to their force's fighting potential. Busy with keeping Mei in check, they had left the defenses mostly to their subordinates, only issuing orders at times.

An arrow had made it through the barricade and stuck an Imperial Soldier beside them in the throat. The death had finalized Baro's and Raina's decision.

"Fine, assist us!"(Raina)

"How accurate are your projectiles?"(Baro)

"... I can't take them all out from here if that's what you're asking."(Mei)

"You misunderstand me. Look, those torches," Baro says as he points to the flames that hung from the pillars. "Could you take out even the farthest ones?"

Mei scrunched her eyes to the furthermost torches, near the edges of the temple.

"Yes," she answered confidently.

Baro and Raina stared at the Shogun who smoked his cigarette and twirled it in his hands. It looked absurd to do such a thing in the middle of battle, but they could see the gears turning in his head.

"Alright. I have a plan."(Baro)

After the strategy was explained to the soldiers, they abruptly ceased all their attacks. Faced with the sudden silence, the Yuyan Archers transitioned their relentless attack to cautious observance. Slowly they advanced, creeping behind pillar to pillar.

When they were within a certain distance, Mei began firing her projectiles at them. As a testament to her skill, some of the flying daggers struck true to their foes and Yuyan Archers fell. Most of them had either taken cover, or dodged the airborne weapons with ease. Then an uncomfortableness dawned on them.

All light had disappeared inside the temple. Mei's true targets were the torches.

Faced with pitch black darkness, the two opposing forces were at a standstill. The stall tactic had worked splendidly in that it bought the defending group more time for reinforcements to arrive. But they were most definitely not out of danger yet. In fact, the Yuyan forces felt that their opponents had just brought doom upon themselves.

Part of the elite Archer's training regiment, included honing their sight to its fullest potential. Naturally, that included developing the ability to see exceptionally well at night and in extreme darkness. After allowing their eyes to adjust to the lack of light, they would be able to continue their assault, as if they were in broad day.

Several tense moments passed, and the Yuyan were ready to make their move. As they signaled each other and made a step to advance, something unexpected happened.

Lightning shot brightly in all directions. The sudden illumination had completely disoriented the Archers. The effect had increased multiple folds in effectiveness, precisely /because /of the Yuyan's exceptional sight. Their greatest asset had swiftly been turned into their greatest weakness. Although the radiance had passed and died down, great spots obscured their vision.

The tables had turned in an instant. Mei and Raina's veteran experience and skill readily took advantage of the situation. In the momentary flash, they clearly saw the locations of their foes and committed it to memory.

Out of the barricade they both jumped, and into the enemy's numbers they both dove, like hawks on prey. In the darkness, the sharp whistling of Mei's projectiles could be heard. Flesh tearing and bones cracking was made disturbingly audible as Raina's melee attacks obliterated her enemy's bodies.

Gaining back most of his balance, the leader of the Yuyan lit five of his arrows, notched all of them at once, and shot them into the pillars and walls around. The zone around the barricade was lit and clearly visible. He gave the signal for an all-out attack. It was a last ditch effort at completing the assassination, and unfortunately for the Shogun, it still possessed the elements of completely succeeding.

Mei immediately threw projectiles that took out the fire arrows and again, plunged the temple into darkness. Baro's group repeated their strategy and bent lightning in an attempt to blind the Archers. Unfortunately, this time the Yuyan kept their eyes closed. They also possessed the training to accurately memorize their opponent's positions and combined with their heightened senses, still presented a formidable threat to the Shogun's life.

The Archers showered the defenses with arrows shot with demoralizing precision. As the soldiers fell, and defeat closing in within afew moments, Raina readied to use her trump card.

She bent lightning all over her body. It coursed through her veins and traveled up and down her spine. The Leader of Lightning Count felt pure power surge into every part of her being. Muscles tensed painfully, tightly like the string on a bow. For a moment, Raina pictured the Yuyan's locations. The tension in her flesh was let loose and she blasted towards her targets with inhumane speed. Streaks of lightning and the blurred afterimage of her ghostly white hair, trailed behind her.

In an instant, she had closed on an enemy and drove her hand through his heart. Not wasting even the slightest moment, she repeated the motion and flew towards the next enemy, and then the next, and the next. As stop and go as it was, to the human sight, it seemed like a single crooked lightning bolt had speared through them all in a blink of an eye.

The technique was aptly called Lightning Deity. It was the strongest electric based attack ever developed. Raina was its sole inheritor and creator.

Normally, when a person receives an electric shock and the body flies across the room, it is actually due to the muscle's reaction to the lightning stimulant, rather than the impact of the lightning itself. This gave rise to the idea that the human body was capable of much more than originally assumed. There have been many cases where people have exhibited strength or ability that far surpassed their limits, in dire circumstances.

It is then theorized that the brain unconsciously limits how much power the muscles exhibit. If used at its full potential, it would not be surprising for the muscle to violently rip out of its own skin.

Based on this science, Raina developed a Lightning Bending technique that tapped into her body's unused potential. After years of cultivating the method, she was able to attain a physicality that far surpassed any human's performance, for a limited period of time. Her strength and speed for those moments, could only be described as deity like.

Raina's time was running out, as she fell on her last enemy; the Leader of the Yuyan. The Archer had almost made it near Baro when he was violently grabbed by the back of his neck. He struggled for breath, thinking he was going to suffocate to death. That would have been a much more merciful end.

Raina's lightning fueled strength dug her fingers deep into his neck as she held him aloft with a single outstretched hand. To her, the Yuyan possessed the weight of a ragdoll. The vice grip crushed bone, flesh, and the man's windpipe. Lightning sparked from Raina's eyes as she jolted the enemy's body with electricity to deliver the final blow. The Archer no longer struggled and went limp. The Lightning Deity tossed the sizzling body aside like it was nothing at all.

Her attack time had finished and she took a kneeling position behind the barricade to recuperate her strength.

The remaining Yuyan soldier's actions stagnated. Without their leader, it was difficult to coordinate an attack. Their remaining numbers, were small and morale had fallen to pits.

Mei continued her attack amongst all of them and the defenders kept up the barricade's defenses. Eventually, the long awaited reinforcements arrived and the Yuyan were completely eliminated, electing to go down fighting than being captured.

The fight had ended and Baro's group had come out on top.

After the battle, Mei assisted a limping Raina to a medical stretcher.

"That was quite something..." Mei commented on the Lightning Deity Technique.

"Sigh An unfortunate drawback is that my muscles have been torn to shreds. I won't be able to move around in good form for a week...If you're aiming to kill the Shogun, you probably won't get a better chance than now."(Raina)

Mei flinched.

Damn... it was momentary, but Raina had measured my response.

"I knew it. You are plotting something. Still, after all that, I don't think you're one to recklessly kill him. I doubt you have the ability to do it anyway..."(Raina)

Mei didn't respond.

"You have my gratitude though. We would not have pulled through without you."(Raina)

Raina closed her eyes to communicate she had finished speaking, and began to rest.

Mei looked towards Baro's direction. Her initial assessment of him had changed. He was a more formidable opponent than she had originally anticipated. To come up with that plan, to make use of Mei's accuracy, to turn the Yuyan's strength against themselves, all in a short amount of time and in the middle of a heated battle...

He's not just some diplomat or paper pusher. Though Ididn't see him fight much himself, he has a strong mentality for battle. Not even a drop of sweat or a nervous look the whole time. Combined with his flexibility and intelligence for tactics... Hmph. Kuzo made him sound stupid and incapable, but he's anything but.

Without his strategy, their defeat would have been completely assured.

Mei reevaluated her tactics and thought back to Raina's warning.

"I doubt you have the ability to do it anyway."

No, I do not. But when the time comes, and it will come, the one to end him won't be me...

Mei glanced at Baro for a final time.

The Shogun's clothes were in tatters but he was calmly issuing out orders and directing his men with ease. A lit cigarette twirling playfully in his hand.