Solar Blood Masters (135)

Chapter 135 - Oceanic Taste

Lu Ruby grinned triumphantly as she folded the ‘LFL Catcher’ and secured the mischievous Liu Fuuyi within its painted confines.

"Gotcha!" she hissed while her tail swished with delight.

Above her, Hellphet landed with a heavy thud. He was clutching his own ‘LFL Catcher’ that housed a captured Liu Fuuyi.

“Haaa… Huff! Huff! These Liu Fuuyi are FAST! And those lightning strikes?! It’s like dodging a thousand angry wasps!” He was breathing hard. He had burnt marks in few places, and a trail of smoke rose from his back.

"If Splinter Roc was HELPING us, we could have captured ALL the required Liu Fuuyi by now." He grumbled, "We'd be back at the platform relaxing."

“Hmph, we can't rely on that peacock. All HE cares about is his sword and those ridiculous Lightning Dao techniques. He’s probably off somewhere, getting himself fried to a crisp, the idiot." Lu Ruby shook her head. Then, with a business-like demeanor that contrasted her prior boasting, she suggested, “Let’s return to the platform and secure these Liu Fuuyi."

And with a nod of agreement, they set off. Their flight was a careful mixture of dodging and weaving around the relentless barrage of lightning bolts that seemed to crackle with an amused malice at their efforts.

But their journey… was not without its perils.

Two figures, blue as the deepest ocean, materialized before them and blocked their path. They were fish-like creatures with blue scales, and their eyes, large and white with no pupils, stared at Lu Ruby and Hellphet intensely. They radiated potent Solar Essences.

Lu Ruby and Hellphet exchanged a wary glance.

“You…!” One of the fish creatures pointed a claw at Lu Ruby. “You killed our sister! You heartless SNAKE! Prepare to PAY!”

Lu Ruby feigned ignorance.

“What are you talking about? I have NO idea what you’re referring to.” She glanced at Hellphet, “Do you know these fish, Hellphet?”

“No, Princess. Never seen them before.” He shrugged.

Their nonchalant reactions only fueled the fish creatures’ fury.

“Do not PLAY dumb with us, SNAKE! We SAW you! You lashed your TAIL and sent our sister STRAIGHT into a lightning bolt! She was vaporized! And now… we will have our REVENGE!”

“Oh? Hmmm… I seem to recall swatting a couple of flies earlier. Was one of them… blue?” She rested her tail tip against her chin thoughtfully.

“Flies, you SAY?! Our sister was a magnificent ANGELFISH! 5th Layer Calamity! And you… you DARE to call her a FLY?!"

“Perhaps your memories are clouded with grief.” She gave them a pitying look. “Now, if you’ll excuse us. We have important MATTERS to attend to.”

She tried to slither past them. But the fish creatures refused to budge.

“Not so FAST, snake! We’re NOT finished with you!” One of them extended its fins, blocking her path, and said, “Hand over those Sagewood Scripts! They rightfully belong to us now!”

Lu Ruby couldn’t hold back her smirk, “So THAT’S your true intention, hmm? You don’t truly care about your dead sister! You just want to STEAL our hard-earned Liu Fuuyi! Pathetic!”

“Give them to us! Or we’ll take them by FORCE!”

"Hmph. Try it, Fish-Face!” Lu Ruby's eyes narrowed dangerously.

A battle ensued.

Lu Ruby lashed her tail with a speed that had the fish creatures dodging for their lives.

Hellphet roared and summoned a wall of flames before them, “Taste fire, you slimy bastards!”

“Water Shield!”

The fish creatures countered with a shield of water. It met the flames, creating a sizzling steam that momentarily obscured their vision.

“Where are they?!”

BOOM!

A lightning bolt struck near them, shattering the ground and sending debris flying. They scattered, each desperately trying to evade both the lightning barrage and their opponents' attacks.

Lu Ruby's scales pulsed red with fury as she unleashed a barrage of fire blasts from her mouth. "DIE!"

The fish creatures retaliated with torrents of water, each jet as sharp as a sword. They sliced at Lu Ruby’s delicate neck, “Your head will be a trophy!”

And Hellphet, with his massive fists, slammed into one of the fish creatures, sending it flying into a nearby pillar. The impact had those stones groaning as if in pain.

WHOOSH!

Lu Ruby summoned her ‘Red Chariot’. It materialized beside her radiating a potent heat. She then launched it as a faint towards one of those fish creatures.

“Red Chariot - Grazing Mogul!”

The fish creature dodged with ease. It landed on a cloud, then laughed mockingly, "Your chariot is too SLOW to hit us!”

But Lu Ruby simply smiled.

"Who said I was aiming for YOU?"

The fish creatures’ eyes widened as they saw the 'Red Chariot’ hurtling away. And within its intricate framework…

“No… It… can’t be…!”

“She… She placed the ‘LFL Catchers’ inside?!”

“It’s too late to realize that, Fish-Face!” Lu Ruby taunted them.

They turned and gave chase.

“You DARE turn your back on ME?!"

WHOOSH! CRACK!

Lu Ruby and Hellphet struck. They unleashed their attacks simultaneously.

Hellphet’s fiery breath engulfed one fish creature, sending it crashing into a lightning bolt that vaporized it instantly.

And Lu Ruby’s tail, with its razor-sharp tip, slammed into the other, knocking it off course and into the path of another monstrous lightning bolt that was as thick as a tree trunk!

“ARGH!”

The fish creatures’ screams were short-lived. Their forms disintegrated into a mist of blood and scales.

Only their Solar Consciousness remained. They floated; pale-blue orbs pulsating with the ocean’s energy.

“Hmmm…” Lu Ruby quickly snatched the souls and handed one to Hellphet.

"For your troubles.”

He accepted it gratefully. "Delicious! Those oceanic tastes… truly invigorating."

But their moment of satisfaction was short-lived.

BOOM! BOOM!

A series of lightning strikes bombarded the area. They were forced to scatter.

“Those damn bolts!” Lu Ruby hissed as she flew towards her platform.

…

THUD!

The 'Red Chariot' arrived on the platform with a soft thud.

Lord Lingshi who was near the edge of the platform, nodded in acknowledgement as he watched the chariot's doors swing open, "Ah, excellent work Princess."

Two ‘LFL Catchers’ rested inside.

Using his ‘mental hands’, Lingshi gently extracted the captured Liu Fuuyi spirits from the painted tubes and placed them into their respective crystal tubes, which were now four in total.

“One more and we’re done!” he commented with a smile.

Shortly, Lu Ruby and Hellphet materialized beside him. They radiated exhaustion and triumph.

“Master Lingshi! We need more ‘LFL Catchers’! Just ONE more Liu Fuuyi and we’ll be victorious!” Hellphet spoke excitedly.

“Indeed. Our team will be the FIRST to finish this stage, all thanks to YOUR ingenuity and creativity, Master Lingshi, and my SKILLFULNESS in carrying out your orders!” She puffed out her chest with pride, but there was also a hint of relief in her voice. Those lightning bolts were a truly terrifying experience.

"Here you go." Lord Lingshi withdrew two more 'LFL Catchers' from his canvas. "These should suffice."

He then handed them over, one to Lu Ruby and the other to Hellphet, his gaze lingered upon the princess before inquiring, "Where is Splinter Roc? Has he also captured a Liu Fuuyi?"

Lu Ruby scoffed and rolled her eyes dramatically. “That peacock? He's off practicing his ‘Lightning Dao’, Master Lingshi.”

"Lightning Dao?" Lingshi’s brow furrowed.

Lu Ruby continued, "Honestly, we're better off without him. He's been nothing but dead weight so far. For all his supposed strength, he's been more of a hindrance than a help."

She glanced at Hellphet, seeking his agreement, "Right, Hellphet?"

Hellphet, however, hesitated. He'd known Splinter Roc for thousands of years. "Well, Princess… It is true that Splinter Roc is a bit… obsessed with his swordsmanship, however, he’s a reliable companion. When it counts. He always rises to the challenge. And those lightning techniques… I'm certain he can master them. He is a peacock after all, those bolts..."

“Enough with the excuses, Hellphet!” Lu Ruby cut him off. She wasn’t interested in defending the peacock, especially when victory was so close.

“Let’s go! We don’t have time to waste on pointless arguments." She gestured impatiently towards the swirling storm clouds beyond their platform. "Those Liu Fuuyi aren't going to catch themselves!"

And with that, she dashed off with Hellphet trailing behind her. They vanished into the chaotic sky, leaving Lingshi alone with his thoughts.

He watched them go as a thoughtful expression settled on his ancient face. "These youngsters… Their ambitions burn bright, and their pride is palpable." He shook his head while smiling.

He then returned his attention to his 'World Canvas', those beautiful strokes were depicting the chaos and the beauty of 'Lightning Veil' with a stoic calm.

…

Lu Ruby and Hellphet were flying through a stone shrine. They sought shelter from a particularly nasty cluster of lightning strikes.

"We’re lucky to have found this shrine. Those bolts are getting thicker.” Hellphet was sweating droplets of worry..

“Relax, Hellphet. We have Lingshi’s ‘LFL Catchers’. It’s just a matter of time.”

Lu Ruby scanned the shrine. It was a massive structure with intricate carvings of ancient beasts. A few other contenders were huddled near the base of a pillar. They looked exhausted.

“Look at those fools. They haven’t even managed to capture a single Liu Fuuyi. They’re so pathetic!” Lu Ruby scoffed as she slithered past them with a condescending glance.

"Should we attack them, Princess? We could wait and then steal their Liu Fuuyi…" Hellphet whispered.

"No." She shook her head. "We don’t need to. Besides, if we attack them, we’ll only attract attention from other teams. And we don’t want to become a target.”

“You’re right, Princess.”

They continued onward, until Lu Ruby spotted something, a faint glimmer in the distance.

"There! A Liu Fuuyi! Quickly, Hellphet!”

They rushed forward with their eyes fixed on the elusive spirit.

Lu Ruby extended her ‘LFL Catcher’ towards the creature that was eager to entrap.

Hellphet also positioned his script.

They were about to snag the Liu Fuuyi…

…when their scripts vanished!

“What the…?” Lu Ruby shrieked. “My ‘LFL Catcher’! It’s… It’s GONE!”

Hellphet understood what this meant. “Lord Lingshi is in trouble!”

“What are you talking about?”

“That old turtle’s power is imbued within these very scripts. It was his essence! Something must have happened to him.”

She couldn’t fathom how this was even possible. "Who could be powerful enough to challenge Lord Lingshi?”

“GASTAROID!”

They both said in unison, for who else, in that moment, possessed such power and would dare to anger a creature as ancient and as powerful as Lingshi.

“We have to return to the platform! Now!”