Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"What is this?" she thought.

This was definitely an experience unlike any other.

Ming Yue found herself in a grassy plain. There were no trees as far as the eye could see and the night sky was clear. The moon was unusually bright and the stars sparkled like precious jewels. She admired the sight, it was calm and pleasant. A cool breeze brushed her face. It all felt so relaxing, as if she had care in the world.

Yet with this ethereal place, there was one thing that was amiss. One thing that shook her awake from this fantastical feeling.

It was in the air, the scent of blood.

She looked around and wandered the plains, trying to pinpoint where exactly this bloody stench came from.

It would take mere seconds to find the cause. Several steps through the plains and she noticed two figures facing each other, surrounded by small hills.

It was different from Lei Jiang's or Xuan Yin's experience. There was no mythical monster, no army, nothing grand and epic.

Just two figures looking into each other, still and relaxed.

She got closer and closer before being able to see who exactly these two figures were. As she got closer, a sense of shock and horror came about as she noticed what was around them.

Corpses, those hills were corpses, dead bodies that numbered in the thousands. Each one was dyed red in their own blood as well as others.

"What could've happened here?" she thought to herself.

She stared at the two figures. One was the woman that the statue resembles, graceful and refined. This woman had tied the bottom of her hair with a small ribbon. She wore a simple white hanfu*, tied with a light purple sash. Four short swords floated behind her, each one was identical to each other. The only difference was the etched on the sword guard: the dragon, the tiger, the phoenix, and the tortoise adorned the blades. There was a slight hum coming from them, quiet yet melodious.

The other figure was also a woman but carried a different feeling to her. She was free, unrestrained. She had an expression of pride and confidence, there was no fear to be found. Her hair was let down completely, resting on her shoulders. Unlike her counterpart, she did not wear anything like those robes. Rather she was fully dressed in armor, a mix of thick plate and chainmail covered her body. Her shoulder pieces were in the shape of a lion's head and much of her armor were in layered patterns.* It was dyed in black and red. There was no cloak or mantle. Her helmet was by her side, decorated with black wings and two crimson tails.

She wielded a black spear, the metal spear head was ornate. The sides of the head extended into two tail blades with jagged edges. The pole itself had something akin to a scene engraved on it. If Ming Yue looked closely, she would've seen a great dragon wrapping around it, rushing towards the sky.

As Ming Yue continued to observe.

The armored woman spoke first.

"It had been a long time since I've seen you, sister."

"Yes, it has", the other replied.

"Sister?" Ming Yue thought, "They are sisters?"

She stopped thinking about it and continued to watch.

"When was the last time we spent time together?" the armored woman asked.

"I don't quite remember. It has been close to a hundred years since we last saw each other, probably much longer since we've spoken like this."

The both of them were relaxed, possibly going down memory lane, their time as close sisters, as family. A look of reminiscence as they missed those days, when times were simple.

This moment of silence was then interrupted by the woman in white robes.

"You know, one of us will die tonight."

"Indeed, one of us..."

"Do you still remember what happened back then?"

"Of course, you abandoned me."

The armored woman's words made her sister tense up, a slight hint of anger in her eyes.

"Abandoned? No, I refused to join you."

"And look where that left us. Me, Lord General of the Xia Empire and you, the leader of some puny sect. You should have taken my hand when you had the chance. You could've basked in glory by my side."

"And what? Massacre millions? You follow the orders of some empire like a dog, killing anything and everything on their behalf. You think this was what I wanted? To become a mindless killing machine? You aren't some lord general but a mere puppet! Just because I've gotten in their way, they've sent you to get rid of me. I never took that hand because of what I saw in you, craving for blood and battle. Look around us, all of this blood and carnage. I watched you smile happily as you cut down all that was in your way."

The white robed woman spoke with distaste for her sister, who looked back with disappointment.

"After all, we had been through as children, you still cling to your beliefs. Power is everything! Without, how do you think we survived all those years? We had no one but ourselves and we fought to live one more day-"

"Enough. I've heard enough of your nonsense. When I refused to join you, I stopped regarding you as my sister. Come, we will end this, Lord General Yong Zi You."

The armored woman closed her mouth, there was rage within her and she let it loose.

"Fine then, Sect Leader Yong Zi Zai, after I kill you, I'm going to trample on your San Guang Sect."

They faced off against each other. As Ming Yue watched from the side, she couldn't help but notice their auras. It was like an raging storm going against a calm sea.

Yong Zi You's spear pointed straight towards, Yong Zi Zai while her four swords pointed back. Without saying another word, the fight began.

One move, two moves, four, ten, fifty, one hundred, both figures fought in an amazing pace. Seconds passed before another hundred moves was exchanged. It was almost too quick for Ming Yue's eyes to follow.

The sounds of clashing weapons broke the calm atmosphere of the plains. Zi You's spear moved about, twirling and thrusting in the air parrying the four swords of Zi Zai, who stayed back, controlling the swords with the motions of her hands.

After five hundred moves, the fight had stayed a standstill. Both had yet to sustain an injury.

Suddenly the four swords retreated and Zi Zai grabbed the first one that returned. Her blade flickered about, launching a wave of dragons. Formed from the light of the moon, it was snow white and otherworldly, charging towards Zi You.

Clouds churned in the skies as Zi You accumulated her power. With one powerful thrust, lightning flashed as an army flew down from the clouds. Hundreds of knights and their horses galloped, their bodies made from pure electricity.

They engaged in battle, figures of lightning crashed into the light dragons.

But neither was finished. Zi Zai let go of the first blade and grabbed the second. Thrusting forth, a fiery bird emerged, with four giant wings, it screeched out with defiance and flew forth. With the third, a white tiger formed from the stars charged ahead. With the forth, a giant tortoise, black as the night, roared and followed the other beasts.

Zi You followed up her thunderous army with several other techniques. She spun her spear around, wind began to blow before an enormous tornado formed before her. It moved forward, intercepting the crimson bird. Then it started to rain and a great figure began to shape. It was a giant warrior! Formed from the storms, it grabbed the tornado and carried it like a spear. Its armor and body was made of clouds and water. It had four arms, each one holding a different weapon, a spear of wind, a shield made from clouds, and two sabers of lightning.

Thus these phenomenons fought with each other. A great warrior battling against these fearsome beats. In the midst of all this, the two sisters fought with out slowing down.

Ming Yue saw all of this with her own eyes. What kind of powerhouses were they? To create such scenes!

All of their attacks seemed so simple yet it carried an unfathomable amount of ideas and concepts. A simple thrust can create an army, a small slash can summon beasts, what kind of level did she need to be to achieve this?

It was fundamentally different from her own techniques. If she had to explain the difference, it could be summed up in one word: substance!

The meaning, the idea, the concept, she lacked all of those. Her own techniques were simply ways of using her energy, something that many have described as crude and brutish.

She merely used her energy without understanding it. Thus, there is no substance in her technique.

This battle showed how much room she had to grow and it only boosted her determination.

She focused back on the battle, trying to absorb as much as she could. In those few seconds of enlightenment, the battle had grown out of proportion. There was devastation everywhere. The giant warrior was severely injured, having lost two of its arms and much of its armor was broken. The beasts were in a similar state, most of the dragons were dead, the tiger's fangs were broken, the shell of the tortoise had cracks and some of the crimson bird's wings had snapped.

But they continued to fight with an unending ferocity. The beasts clawed and bit and charged while the warrior smashed down with his tornado spear and fended of the beasts with his last lightning sword.

The two sisters fought in the same fashion. Their weapons were on the verge of breaking yet they carried on, fighting to the end.

In the middle of it all, Zi You's spear broke!

It snapped in front of her eyes, filled with shock. Zi Zai took the opportunity and her four swords shot forth, skewering her sister's body.

Zi You stared at her, trembling as she fell to her knees. The giant warrior disappeared followed by Zi Zai's four beasts.

"It seems... that you are victorious. Your... Four Nights Technique has defeated me. How far...the both of us have come is truly amazing."

Zi You struggled to say another word as Zi Zai looked on, then she turned away.

"Your Thunderous God technique has been renowned throughout the world. After seeing it in person, it deserves the fame, farewell."

"Hahaha..."

Finishing her statement, Zi Zai left.

Zi You had died laughing but it was not one of content but of madness. Then in a matter of seconds, her body had exploded.

She had detonated her own core as a last ditch attempt to kill her own sister!