Chapter 39: The Battle of the Guardians

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The three guardians dashed at the white demon. Michael would swing his spear and blast him with light rays and orbs:

"Begone, demon!"

Tsukishiro moved as fast as the wind and the light, and flexibly avoided the attacks, or deflected them with his blazing sword. However, not only Michael was up against him now - Samael, his twin brother, would blast Tsukishiro with deathly rays and orbs on his part. He even tried to reach the white demon, steal his blood, and torment him with his torturing techniques. His attacks too were parried by Tsukishiro, who began to use his shawl as well, apart from his sword or powers. The end of the shawl still had Johanne wrapped in itself, but the tops of it had now wrapped around Tsukishiro's own chest and protected him from damage.

"Strange..." Samael grinned at Yuehong, "You said he cannot take damage, yet he's desperately trying to protect his chest. I wonder what's up?"

"You're right..." Yuehong furrowed his brow. He swung his fans and directed a destructive light ray at Tsukishiro, right at his chest. "That's weird..."

"I'd say rather, he's protecting that left part where the shawl is missing," Michael noted while swinging his spear and actively sending the piercing rays towards the opponent. "You see?"

Indeed, Tsukishiro tried his hardest to protect his left chest from all of the attacks. He even used the sword with his right hand in order to always deflect the hits from the left side.

"I wonder why that is..." Yuehong was perplexed. "But anyway, this gives us a significant advantage. Let's continue attacking from the left. When he's distracted enough, Lutecia and Isah will get Johanne."

"Yeah, let's go for it!"

Thus, the three guardians began to attack Tsukishiro from the left side, doubling the powers of their attacks. It became harder for the white demon to dodge, but he persisted. 

"I am the force of Perfection, you are all beneath me!" 

He snarled and, finally, came on the offensive. He swung his sword at all three guardians. The blade emitted strange, otherworldly white light, which blinded all three warriors for a second. Yet, even this mere second was enough for Tsukishiro to turn the tables around - he cut all of them, making them shrill and fall to their knees. 

The three guardians were not going to give up so easily, though. Samael, who found Tsukishiro close to him, swung his scythe right at his left chest and managed to mark a tiny cut. A horrible grin covered his face:

"I've got you now, Lord of Perfection!"

With a diabolic laugh that was so like him, Samael licked the tip of his scythe stained with Tsukishiro's white blood. He then struck the scythe right into his own left chest. Michael and Yuehong smiled, for they were familiar with Samael's technique and knew what his action would bring. 

What they anticipated indeed happened - Tsukishiro roared in anguish and coughed white blood. He crouched down to the floor. White blood began to trickle off his left chest. 

"Not so 'perfect' now, are we, white demon?" 

Samael cackled like the only true demon presenting in the area, as he watched his prey suffer. Lutecia and Isah, on their part, caught the moment and, when Tsukishiro's grip upon Johanne loosened (for he had received heavy damage), grabbed her and snatched her away. 

"Hong-hong, I've got her!"

"Good!" Yuehong brightened up, "We're coming_"

They heard a horrendous roar from behind. They all froze and looked back, to see Tsukishiro morph into something gigantic beyond human's imagination: a monster white as the full moon, with a long body of a snake, antlers of a deer, horns of an ox, whiskers of a cat, head and scales of a lizard, claws and fangs of a tiger, scintillating yellow eyes of a phoenix, ears of a fox, two pairs of wings - those of a bat and of a bird, and long fluffy purple fur as if a horse's mane covering his entire spine. A large part of such purple fur emerged out of his right chest, so long that it almost resembled another tail. On the left chest, however, there was a large burn scar, as if there too, one time, had been such purple fur, now long gone. 

Once the friends eyed this creature, they all grew terrified - it was a dragon!

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Once the friends eyed this creature, they all grew terrified - it was a dragon!

"Long Yuebai?!" Lutecia gasped in fright so that even her nose began twitching.

"You're not going anywhere!" Yuebai, the lord of all dragons and the supreme guardian of Perfection, roared in his celestial voice. "Give Johanne back!"

"No chance!" Lutecia, even though so frightened, prepared to fight. She'd protect her little niece at all costs!

"Lulu, run away with Isah!" Yuehong yelled, "We'll handle him!"

"Huh? But_"

"Do as he says! We're fine!" Samael too shouted.

"Yeah. Isah, take her and Johanne away!" Michael didn't fall behind.

Isah nodded at his father and changed back into a dove. Lutecia exchanged worried glances with Yuehong:

"Are you sure?"

"Go. Trust me."

Yuehong gave her a soft smile. Tears gathered in Lutecia's eyes. She heaved a sigh and nodded. She followed Isah with the unconscious Johanne in her hands and escaped through a portal. 

"No!"

Tsukishiro roared and hurried after them, but the three guardians blocked his way. 

"Now then, where do you think you're going?" Yuehong sneered. "You won't lay a finger on any of our family!"

"That goes without saying!" Michael clutched his spear.

"And since you've begun to show off your true colours," Samael smirked, "let us demonstrate ours!"

The three warriors glowed bright and changed into their Ultimate forms - the true physical forms they were known for: Golden Lotus Nine-tailed Fox, the white-haired blue-eyed angel of light and creation, and the horned devil.

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