Mongik smiled as yet another fairy fell into his hands. This really had been too easy. The fairy guardian, and the top leadership, were already fully occupied. That meant that all he had to do was run around picking at the young ones without protection.
Several days of recon had informed him of the power structure of the fairies. The most powerful one was the guardian, obviously. There also seemed to be quite a few fairies that could hold their own.
Unlike before, his team was wearing a suit of armor around them, protecting them from the penetrating fists of the fairies. From Dianah, Mongik had learned that the fairies could absorb a golem's core. Mongik was not taking any risk.
With his team fully exposed, it was time to show the master what he was capable of. He had been in many missions before, and his team had always emerged victorious. This was mostly because of their unbeatable nature. That had been put to the test, and they had failed.
This meant that, this fight was even more exhilarating that taking down a human kingdom. There was a real risk of death, and some had already died.
Mongik had arranged for his most skilled fighters to engage the seniors among the fairies. They were not supposed to kill or capture them. Rather, they just needed to tie them down, keep them occupied.
Mongik himself was leading another group responsible for capturing the weaker fairies. Already, he had gotten six fairies, and he could still catch some more. He made sure to keep a watchful eye in the sky for the guardian. The moment he got any hint of his arrival; they would all disperse. This had been the plan.
Unlike Kigen, Mongik knew of the fairies that were returning from their excursion. The master had already sent word through the mind link, setting the stage for their attack. Once the guardian was off, they would grab as many fairies as they could.
However, something seemed to have gone wrong. The guardian was not drawn away for as long as they'd hoped. Rather, the moment the first fairy was caught, the guardian seemed to have somehow detected this was happening. Instantly, he abandoned the birds and flew home.
Mongik cursed slightly. Stupid fairy was not supposed to be this perceptive. However, now that he had caught some fairies, time to run off, he thought.
Thinking fast, he quickly made his way through the forest. He was flanked by several of his golems as they bobbed and weaved through the trees. Only a small group ran off, leaving behind the bulk of the force to hold back the fairies and prevent them from following.
Nina saw all this happening. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake off the pursuit of these two golems surrounding her. They were wielding tall slender swords, looking something like rapier swords. Slender they were, but they could whiz through the air at top speeds. If she was careless, she would be easily torn in half. Moreover, she had to look out for the juniors behind her.
Tande was also in a desperate situation. Unlike Nina, he was not that agile in the air. Luckily, his opponent was using a club, and he found that he could take a hit of that thing as long as he braced himself; and also had some momentum on him.
Therefore, their battle progressed to a trade of blows. Both sides were powerful, and they could take a hit. Tande's power fists were also no joke. While he was small in stature, he still packed quite the punch. His every hit sent shockwaves through the club, dealing damage to the golem opponent.
Foli was battling two axe men, or in this case, axe golems. He was the one that took after Kigen the most, having a little bit of everything. Unfortunately for him, he was not a master of any, while Kigen was a master of all. That did not mean he could not hold his own.
With his rod, also made of rock and wood element, Foli would expertly strike at the axes as they came down on him, deflecting and sending them into the enemy's trajectory. Of all present, he had done the most to keep off, not just his opponents, but also much of the invading force, from taking the fairies. However, his efforts had still proven inadequate, and several of his kin had been caught already.
Several juniors were supporting their seniors in the fight. The ones that had been taken were the outliers, the weaker ones, and the newly born. They lacked the ability to fight or dodge, or perhaps Mongik was just that fast and cunning.
By the time Kigen arrived on scene, it was total chaos. He saw his fellow fairies desperately fighting, and even some were already badly hurt. In horror, he witnessed as one sword wielding golem almost slice a fairy in half. Luckily, the fairy had moved just in time. Though they were now lacking an arm and part of their torso.
However, he still looked away. There were seniors to protect them, his concern was elsewhere. He could still hear them, the fairies crying in the forest. They had been captured, and the assailants were running off. He would not let them.
Shooting like a bullet, Kigen sped off in pursuit. By now, his agility and speed in the air was beyond top notch, and in mere moments, he was within range of the golems, and fairies. He couldn't see them, but he knew they were there.
Looking back, Mongik realized the guardian was upon them. "Faster than I expected," he remarked as he signaled the others.
One golem looked extremely muscular and was holding a huge club the size of a small tree. He turned around and swung his massive club at the fairy that was in hot pursuit.
Seeing this attack, Kigen didn't even dodge. He was at full speed, his momentum, and the power of his body, was at an all-time high. He molded his fist to harden like rocks, and he continued on.
Boom!
The huge club exploded into splinters, but Kigen was not done. He had not even slowed down. Faster and faster, he went. He tore through the golem's armor, breaking through the sturdy body, and out through the back. If it had been human, that would have been a killing blow.
Kigen did not slow down, he continued on, unbothered that his opponent was still alive. More golems tried attacking, but just like the first one, he either shook off the attack, or tore through whatever obstacle they set before him. He did not bother with these golems, for he understood their purpose. They were trying to slow him down, and he was not going to let them.
Come on! Mongik desperately pleaded as he drew closer to the river, his target. Just a few more steps, he thought. He could feel rather than see that his army was not enough to slow down the guardian.
He was already past the trees, practically at the riverbank. That's when he saw it, the guardian. Three of his top lieutenants quite literally exploded as the fairy burst through them to get to him. If golems could sweat, he would be sweating buckets right now.
Luckily, he had achieved his goal. Lunging forward, he dove into the river. Kigen was right behind him, desperately trying to get at the golem before it left. He could feel the fairies were on this thing, and if it escaped, he wouldn't be able to get them back.
Mongik hated diving in rivers. If he had a choice he wouldn't have done this, especially in such a fast-flowing river. His muddy self would be torn apart by the currents in no time. However, this plan was desperate, and he had to make his move.
Once in the river, Dianah was waiting. Rather than a powerful current, Mongik found a still pond in the middle of a fast river. With no time to lose, he quickly disformed and transformed into a hollow sphere. Inside it, he placed the seven fairies he'd captured. This was the entire plan, use his own body as the cage.
Kigen was hot on his heels. The moment Mongik had dove in, so had Kigen. Unfortunately, rather than a still pond to greet him, Kigen was suddenly enveloped by a rock-hard block of ice.
Dianah smiled. All along, Kigen had been bullying her, causing her to feel extremely wary of the fairy. Now, they were in her domain. In water, she was a goddess, and she would let him feel her wrath. In that moment, she thought how wonderful it would be to capture the guardian, what a prize he would be!