Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Ming Yue then pointed at it for everyone to see. 

"Look, it's in the stomach! The core is in the stomach!" she repeated. 

As the others looked, they noticed the glow as well. 

There were just six of them left, going against the True idol. 

The demon armies watched from afar just as the human ones watched from the fortress. The battle would determine the result of the war and possibly the fate of these two continents. 

"We just have to strike at the stomach, destroy the core and that thing is gone", said Du Xiu. 

"And we can finally go home, enjoy some good wine and a comfy bed."

Nie Xia chuckled as he brought his fists together. It was a sign to them all! A sign that this battle was nearing its end. 

Feeling the ignited spirits in them all, the True Idol leaned forward with its cleavers out. It growled at them menacingly as the massive hole in its chest began to heal, filling up with energy. 

"Restrain it again! Ming Yue will land the blow!"

Everyone listened and no one rejected it. She might have been weaker but with the sword, she had dealt out the worst injuries. But repeating this was was easier said than done, now that the True Idol knew what they were trying to do. 

And so it took the initiative, charging towards the closest one which was another one of the messengers. 

"Shit!" 

They cursed out, backing off while trying to slow it down. Using a bow, they plucked at the string, shooting out arrows made of their own energy. The other chased after, sending out their own attacks but the True Idol ignored them all. 

The four cleavers all moved at once, dispersing the arrows and striking at the messenger. The poor individual couldn't hang on for much longer before crying out, suffering gashes on their back. And they fell down to the ground. 

With Ming Yue, there were only six left but the True Idol wasn't finished yet. It spun around and raised all four arms up before swinging down. The clouds thundered as four pillars of lightning shot down from the skies. Each cleaver released a powerful wind, enough to carve through mountains. 

All of it aimed at its pursuers and it was too late for any of them to dodge it. 

"Defend together!"

Moving closer to each other, they formed a shield but that wasn't enough as they were all blown back. Despite working together, it wasn't enough and the shield broke. 

Beating its four wings, the True Idol soared after them, putting its cleavers forward and aiming to cut through them all. 

"You- DON"T GET SO ARROGANT!"

Nie Xia pushed forward, winding his arm back as he faced the enemy. He narrowly avoided the cleavers but couldn't avoid the last one but he didn't care. Gritting his teeth, he let the cleaver bite into his chest as his arm swung out, a solid smash into the True idol's cheek, knocking it out of the sky and they all fell to the ground. 

Ash and dust flew up in a great cloud only to be cut and dispersed by the True Idol. 

There was a visible bruise on the cheek that was struck but the one who had done it was down. The bare-fisted commander laid on the ground with blood seeping out of the gash on his chest. He coughed a few times, trying to get up but couldn't. 

If you were to look closer at the wound, it was more than just a giant cut. Sparks of black and white lightning caused havoc within. Not only did the wound get worse but his meridians and internal organs were also suffering immensely. 

This was from a single attack, one direct hit from the cleavers and Nie Xia could not fight any longer. 

"Ah damn, of course, that wasn't going to be enough."

He muttered to himself while looking at the True Idol, watching it hold the cleavers in a menacing way. It looked straight at him, looking to finish the job. 

"Go back to the fortress! Recuperate there!"

A voice echoed out as Du Xiu and Camp Commander Bi charged forward, swinging their weapons out. One with their halberd and the other with the battle standard but both were still more than willing to fight on. 

Di Yu and Ming Yue followed suit. 

There were just four left. 

Seeing them come, the True Idol suddenly struck the ground, forcing it to rupture beneath their feet before flying up. Beating its wings, the monster flew forward, swinging its cleavers about. There was barely any time to react to all of this but they had to, if not, they'd be dead. 

And so they backed off. 

"We have to restrain it somehow!" shouted the Camp Commander. 

"But how?" Du Xiu asked. 

That was the big question, there were only four of them now so it had become much harder. But then Di Yu suddenly spoke up, grabbing their attention. 

"Buy me some time! I should be able to stop it for just a moment!" 

He suddenly retreated and sat cross-legged, muttering to himself quietly. Power began to build up within the messenger. 

"You didn't exactly give us a choice!"

Du Xiu gave a quick glance before looking to the other two. 

"Guess we have to stall it for a bit. Circle around it and make sure you don't get hit and you don't let it get close!" 

Just like that, the three of them began to attack from afar. From the Storm Lances to giant boulders and fiery spears, they kept it at bay as best as they could. And the True Idol tried its best to chase the three of them but it wasn't quick enough. 

While it had that destructive power, its speed and defense truly suffered. Even if the wounds were minor, it could still feel pain. 

"Keep at it! It shouldn't be long now!" Du Xiu shouted, amping up his attacks.

The others followed him, trying their damnedest to win this fight. Each passing minute felt like an eternity to them all. 

How much longer did they have to continue this?

As much punishment as the True Idol was receiving, it didn't seem to tire in the least. Finally, Di Yu's eyes opened up with a strong azure glow. 

"I'm ready! Get out of the way!" he shouted. 

They retreated just as the Messenger put both hands together, shooting a blue beam out of his palms.* 

"Chains of the Damned!"

The blue beam shot out, covering the distance in mere seconds as it began to split into hundreds if not thousands of chains. Each one of them wrapped around the True Idol, chaining it to the ground. It struggled to break free, ripping off a few just for it to be replaced.

The Camp Commander and Nie Xia both acted quickly, forcing the True Idol into the ground. 

"Ming Yue!" 

They both shouted as she flew in, landing on top of the True Idol and stabbing the stomach without any hesitation. And the True Idol roared out, screaming in pain as its body was stripped away, revealing a being of energy just like Ling Hun. 

Its roars turned to distorted screeches as the cleavers turned into energy, returning to its body. 

And the chains that Di Yu created slowly dissipated as its energy grew rampant, freeing itself. The messenger was long gone, dropping to the floor within the fortress, unable to even move a muscle. Bursting out of the chains, it released a shockwave of energy and swung its arms out, knocking Du Xiu and Camp Commander Bi far away. 

Ming Yue jumped back, staring at the True Idol as it floated up. Its energy constantly shot into the skies. But most noticeable was its stomach where the core was, partially destroyed. 

"What are we going to do? We can't stop it like this!" said Xue Yue. 

They looked at each other as lightning shot down wildly.  they weren't pillars like before but truly lightning, zig-zagging around before striking the land.. What's more, it seemed to be happening throughout the entire continent, perhaps the entire world even.