"Don't forget about me!"
Lunara readied her defenses and activated her frost body. Her natural defenses were among the best of all gods, arguably making her a better tank than Grixor thanks to her stronger vitality and superior health. While Grixor specialized in physical defenses, Lunara was a master of general defense with a health reserve that could rival Halmut's. At lv. 99, even without a dragon bloodline, her bloodline strengthened by her nine-headed vitality was just as powerful as a four-time evolved beast, she believed. Now was her time to prove it.
Tanking Lunara's electrified, steam beath attack, Lunara clashed with Alcahain first. She wanted to remove the weakest foe first.
But Alcahain proved tricky as he nimbly evaded a few of Lunara's icy breath attacks and closed the distance between them. His strongest punch was thrown into one of her unguarded necks. A loud crack was heard as that neck was snapped and the head began to droop. With a jab of sharpened lightning and earth energy, Alcahain turned his follow-up fist of the on-two combo into a beheading blade.
Successful, Alcahain was proud to have decapitated one of Lunara's proud heads.
"WAIT!"
Kylon's warning came too late. Alcahain had fallen for Lunara's ploy. As the severed head fell, three more encircled Alcahain. Though Alcahain was nimble, he failed to fully evade all of Lunara's point-blank icy breath attacks.
Alacahain escaped the trap but one of his legs was completely coated in ice, already turning pale before the Brawler God smashed the ice apart. He felt it was a fair exchange, at least until he looked back at Lunara. "Really… That easily?"
Before their eyes, Lunara's head was already regrowing and in mint condition, unlike Alcahain's numb, frostbitten leg.
"Would you mind retreating, Alcahain?" Lunara calmly asked. "You're no longer fast enough to fight against those at a higher level, so would you please step out? You're honorable enough for me to ask but only once."
Sighing, Alcahain shook his leg and tried to get accustomed to the numbness. "Sorry… but I'm not like that."
"Then next time I strike to kill, not cripple."
Having used her first trick, Lunara shifted to her hybrid form while hurling a rain of icy spears onto the lv. 93 Brawler God. But Kylon's steam explosion gave Alcahain cover and the chance to heal with a potion.
"Unlike you, I heal naturally. Potions only prolong my win, so why bother?"
"You're not getting out of this fight, Luna, no matter how much you want to!" Kylon stepped into action as her mind suddenly disregarded her old emotions.
Lunara turned defensive as Kylon took the lead with Alcahain either acting as a decoy or stealing free hits while Lunara focused on Kylon. Their speed was Lunara's greatest weakness, making it hard for Lunara to take them both out at the same time.
'Switch.'
'What?!' Kylon was astounded by Rynheart's message. 'Are you okay--'
'Now.'
Suddenly, while Lunara countered Kylon's steam explosions with her icy breath attacks, Alcahain attacked Lunara's underbelly. However, his punch was stopped short and his flexed arm immediately drooped downward.
"You--"
As if he hadn't skipped a beat, Rynheart stole Alcahain's life and points before teleporting back to Tyres. It only took one strike to catch Alcahain off-guard and kill the Brawler God.
'Don't kill her…'
'I--'
'Or she'll lose the child…' Rynheart finished, stopping Lunara's reply. 'Just stall here until I finish them or they flee.'
'Alright…' Lunara agreed as Rynheart assumed full control of the situation.
Torian remained slightly defensive, not daring to allow the swordsman with ungodly speed to find an opening. He also began to wonder how on earth the man had become so strong so fast. With that in mind, Torian forcefully grabbed Tyres by the neck and rushed toward Lunara. When the swordsman reappeared in defense of the hydra, Torian only rushed to Kylon's side.
"We're backing off. Do you dare follow?" Torian stated, getting Tyres to frown but not argue.
"No… be on your way…" replied the helmed swordsman.
Just like that, the encounter was forcefully ended and Torian led his team away.
'Thank you, Rynheart…' Lunara sighed, glancing at her disembodied head.
'How many times can you regenerate?'
'... Nine times a day, once for each head.'
Nodding, Rynheart stepped forward and extracted some blood from the lifeless head. 'Do you mind?'
'No… I trust you.'
'Keep going… I'll follow them.'
'But--'
Rynheart added, 'I'm following Jack's plan, so don't worry. Keep going.' Turning invisible, Rynheart disappeared and silently dashed after the fleeing legendary gods.
Lunara stored her lost head, sighed, and reported, 'We're fine. Alcahain has been removed but the others got away. Rynheart's following them now.'
'Good, then keep going,' Jack replied. 'Moranti, how--'
'Can I get some help here?!'
'Are you--'
'Lunara, hop through the rift!'
Suddenly, a rift opened for the Water Goddess and she didn't question it. Lunara leaped through and found herself running beside Moranti from a group of six people.
'Well--'
"Now we should be fine!" shouted Moranti, turning around and hurling a scathing, flaming spatial slash toward their pursuers. However, that attack began to dwindle away and dissipate before ever reaching its target. But unlike Lunara, Moranti wasn't surprised. "Try it again!"
Moranti unleashed spatial slash after spatial slash, keeping the leader of the group occupied. "Lunara, don't just stand there!"
The goddess, still in her hybrid form, sent out a pulse of glacial energy to freeze anything and anyone that dared step up to them. The roxite floor froze over and three of their six pursuers were momentarily immobilized. Two were slowed as well but the leader also dissipated the frost wave as it neared him.
"You're with Jack, right?" Woltin laughed, holding his staff without a worry in the world. "We were right to fear you, too bad you split up."
"And what about your brother?" questioned Moranti, showing no fear.
Smiling, Woltin replied, "We're going separate ways so traveling together would only slow us both. Will you give up your points or not?"
"Nah, not until I'm done testing your strength!" Moranti gave a roaring laugh, entering his full dragon form.