Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

He ran straight towards their location while the remaining bladed limbs cut the grass apart. Soon enough, Shen Varuna was in his sight, running away before stumbling and falling onto the ground. 

She turned around with fearful eyes as she saw the blood- covered demon chase after her. 

"Ahh!" 

The little girl shrieked as the demon attacked, the remaining four limbs of his drove forward. Each one looking to impale her hand and feet. Suddenly Ming Ye appeared and attacked those outstretched limbs, cutting off the bladed portion of each one. 

Then she turned and charged straight at him with her Boltwind Nails, striking him in the stomach and bringing him down to his knees.

The Zhizhu Demon could not find the strength to stand anymore as his body had become numb. But he was able to look up, getting a good look at who killed him and his men. 

"So it is a human! Ahahahaha, it really is a human, wandering these wretched lands."

He laughed loudly with a bloody smile as bluish blood trickled out. 

"You must be going to the human territories, where that damn tower is. Well, I'd have to say that it will be too late for you", he said. 

"What? What do you mean? What will happen to the Southern Tower?"

Ming Yue looked at him, putting her sword right by his neck. 

"Tell me", she threatened. 

However, the dying demon could only laugh and smile. 

"Just this one child is worthless, when the Tide King's plan comes to fruition, the tower will fall!"

As soon as he shouted it out, he ran his neck across the blade, killing himself. 

"It will fall?" she thought, "So another major battle will come, won't it? I should hurry, perhaps there is some trap."

MIng Yue then looked to Shen Varuna, grasping her hand and lifting her up to stand. 

"It looks like we'll have to go faster now", she said, "Hold on tight."

A blade of wind formed from underneath their feet, lifting them up just a few inches from the ground. The little demon girl looked down in amazement as this strange sword appeared beneath her feet. Hei Yue and Xiao Yin also got on, hiding within Ming Yue's clothes.

As the sword floated up, it rose several feet until it was above the grass and shot off, moving several times quicker than the fastest horse.  She didn't want to do this, flying and anything like that would bring quite a bit of attention. However, it seemed that time was of the essence as she was not wrong. 

As for their destination, the Southern Tower was preparing for their mining trip. Both Commander Yu Zhen and Zi Jing were there, overlooking the operation. After all, Southern Tower and Guardians Keep were quite close to each other, only a day's walk between them. Together, they supported each other in fighting for the Cerulean Serpent's Lake. 

And the Southern Tower stood only meters away from the lakeshore where a dock had been built. Within the dock were various ships, heavily armored and carrying an array of weapons. One of which was currently being loaded up, men and women carried diving equipment and other tools onto it as the crew worked on their preparations. 

The two commanders watched over it all. 

"What do you think about this, Commander Yu Zhen?" 

Zi Jing looked at her. He was quite a young man, only in his late twenties and very scholarly in appearance. His face was clean- shaven, showing off a pronounced jawline, a thin nose and somewhat sharp eyes. He had the resemblance of a fox, quiet and good at hiding their thoughts. 

"Mm, considering the location, it is going to be even more dangerous but if we even have mild success. The amount of Deepwater Steel and any other ores will be double the past hauls", Yu Zhen replied. 

Dressed in her light leather armor, she carried her massive saber on her back, wrapped in cloth as usual. She was certainly older and more mature but her body was taut with muscle. Her ocean-colored hair was tied back into a ponytail as the commander of the Southern Tower looked at him. 

"You do not have to worry, Commander Zi Jing, you will have materials for your creations", she said.

"Our stock is running low and there is much to research and create. The metals and minerals found in this lake are of superb quality and incredible origin, to not use them is a waste, don't you think?"

Yu Zhen shrugged. 

"My forces are here to extract the materials. What to make of them is up to you, it is not my expertise."

he replied with a frank tone, not caring too much for other matters. 

"I know, I know, but be aware, the demons most likely know about this operation. They will try to stop it and sink the ship", Zi Jing warned. 

"I know, commander. This is not the first time we've done this."

As they spoke to each other, the preparations were done and a crew of over a hundred entered the ship. All of them had an affinity for the Water Dao, allowing them an easier time mining underwater. Once boarded, the ship was no longer tied to the dock and the engines activated, humming with power. 

This ship along with the others was quite similar to each other, heavily armored at the hull with a metal frame. It was much larger than the others, sporting three sails and fans underwater, propelling them forward. 

As the ship sailed off, Commander Yu Zhen turned back and started walking back to the Southern Tower. 

"Where are you going, commander?" asked Zi Jing. 

"To rest, the operation is three days long. I don't suppose you want me to just stand there and wait for three days."

She didn't stop walking and continued further, answering his question 

Zi Jing watched her go before looking back at the lake, watching the ship leave his view. 

"I should check the ships, make sure that they are properly cared for."

He made himself busy, heading for the dock. 

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Tide King, Hai Zhu, as well as the shackled demons stood by the lakeshore, boarding several small ships. On these ships were crates filled with some unknown items and apart from these chained demons, several soldiers boarded as well, carrying their weapons and dressed in armor. 

It was strange, for their main attack force to be unarmed and chained together. Were they going to be freed to attack later?

As the ships set out one by one, Hai Zhu looked at each one with his bulging black eyes. He wore his personal armor as well as his nine- pronged trident. 

"The mining ship from the humans should've set off by now, it is the biggest one they've planned so it is an opportune time to attack. Once we get there, they will have begun, we attack then. Open those boxes and shoot the contents inside straight at the ship. Is that clear?" he said. 

The various demons looked at each other before one of them asked. 

"What is inside?" 

Hai Zhu was silent for just a moment before answering. 

"Preparations for the next step."

He then walked away and moved below deck where there were a dozen more of these boxes. Opening one of them, he moved his hand in and took out what seemed to be a spiked ball, resembling the wooden replicas in his quarters. 

They were pitch black and created from a mixture of metals. There were no carvings or letters on it, making it all the more mysterious as to what these things did. 

Hai Zhu inspected the one in his hands, turning it around before putting it back. He then held his trident out, filling it with his power and making it tremble and hum. 

Then every crate reacted, producing clicking sounds from within. 

He smiled before stopping, seeing that most if not all of them worked. 

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