Swish…

Kahless observed the remnants of his Earth Dragon Plants evaporating into thin air, his initial rage was replaced by a chilling smirk that quickly morphed into hysterical laughter. "Ha...hahaha! Magnificent! Simply magnificent! I've never witnessed such raw power before." He wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter resounded through the ruined chamber.

Seconds later, his amusement subsided as swiftly as it had emerged, replaced by a steely glint of unfathomable resolve. He stared intently at Sorah as he tried to decipher the source of the elder's power. The glyphs, the bursts of energy, the sheer force behind his attacks... it was unlike anything he'd ever encountered.

‘Could it be a unique ability of his Vayrukumer?’ Kahless pondered, stroking the dragon head of his Eden Ryuu gauntlet. ‘Or perhaps... a result of rare Kana Flow assimilation?’ He wasn't sure, but either way, he knew one thing for certain: he would crush this old man and claim that power for himself.

"Good, very good old man," Kahless words resonated with a newfound respect tinged with malice. "You've warranted the beating wrath of my Titan Avatar."

Whoosh!

With a surge of his will, Kahless began expelling immense Aether Steam from his body. Emerald-white energy were swirling around him like a tempestuous storm. The chamber trembled as the ground beneath his feet cracked and buckled, responding to the raw power emanating from him. He was about to unleash his Titan Avatar, a force of nature that would level this ancient temple and bury Sorah and his companions beneath tons of rock and earth.

High above, the Rice Guru witnessed the terrifying display of power with growing alarm. "Master Sorah, we must leave now!" he shrieked with urgency. "That madman is about to summon his Titan Avatar! We stand no chance against such a force!"

“Speak for yourself, old straw.” Sorah shot back at the Rice Guru. “I doubt this pathetic Vice-Marshal Commander’s Titan is as strong as Varzik. I was able to knock that megalithic Titan down a notch, so certainly I can lay waste to this muscle-bound Sand Devil.”

“Have you gone mad!” Rice Guru couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Since when were you so battle thirsty? Have you forgotten the reason we came here?”

“Huh?” hearing this, Sorah seem to have snapped back to reality. “That’s right… the students. Daichi and the others… I must rescue them.” Sorah glanced down at the shimmering glyphs radiating from his staff. ‘This Vayrukumer… could it or perhaps the Sage Curse be influencing my thirst for combat?’ As he thought about this, he tried his best to resist that uncomfortable influence and get back on track.

“Kyuuuu!” Breeze Plume, sensing the imminent danger, acted instinctively. It swooped down, gently scooping up Sorah with its silken threads, and then soared upwards towards a crack in the temple ceiling.

"You old bastard!" Kahless roared, seeing his prey attempting to escape. "Where do you think you're going? Stand and fight!"

He cursed under his breath, momentarily halting his summoning ritual as he turned and sprinted towards the nearest exit while staring at the escaping figures. As he burst out of the temple and into the open air, he looked skyward locking on to Sorah and his companions who were now a distant speck against the twilight sky.

“I’ll crush you like a bug!” Kahless yelled as he continued his pursuit across the mountain ridge, leaping over crumbling walls and dodging fallen debris with surprising agility for his size. He burst out onto a cliffside overlooking a vast expanse of forested valleys as he tracked Sorah's movements.

“Vice-Marshal Commander!”

“Sir!”

Kahless's sudden emergence startled his remaining soldiers who were huddled together with pale faces.

"You fools!" Kahless barked, shoving Rhamus and Kratos aside. "Don't just stand around! Can't you see that the enemy are getting away?"

Without waiting for a response, he rushed to the edge of the cliff, staring at Sorah who was dangling precariously from a silken thread woven by Breeze Plume high above the forested valley.

"Blast them to smithereens, Eden Ryuu!" Kahless hollered, aiming his gauntlet skyward.

The dragon head at the tip of his Vayrukumer pulsed with emerald-white energy, then spat out a miniature Kana Beast Bomb - a concentrated sphere of explosive Aether Steam. The projectile shot upwards with incredible speed, leaving a trail of dust and debris in its wake.

Whoosh!

"Sorah, incoming!" the Rice Guru yelled upon hearing the loud hum approaching. He trembled with fear as he clung tightly to Breeze Plume's back.

"I'm dangling here," Sorah yelled back, sounding frustrated. "Do something and stop being so useless!"

"Oh, I'm useless, am I?" the Rice Guru grumbled, twitching his leafy appendages in annoyance. Despite his irritation, he knew he had to act fast.

“Lend me your steam butterfly.” He pressed one hand against Breeze Plume's back, drawing upon the butterfly's reserves of Aether Steam, while his other hand was aimed at the incoming Kana Beast Bomb. He focused his intent, channelling the borrowed energy into a powerful defensive spell.

"Boqumu #25 - Glassism!" he shouted across the mountainside.

Moments later, a shimmering barrier of transparent energy materialized behind them just as the Kana Beast Bomb struck with a deafening explosion.

Boom!

The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and the barrier cracked and splintered under the force of the blast.

"Kyaaa!" The Rice Guru shrieked as the force of the explosion sent Breeze Plume spiralling out of control. Sorah, still dangling from the silken thread, felt his stomach lurch as they plummeted towards the forest below.

"We're going down!" he yelled, bracing himself for impact.

“Kyuu! Kyuuu!” Breeze Plume, despite its injured wings, fought valiantly to regain control, but the damage from the Kana Beast Bomb and the force of the fall were too much. They crashed through the canopy of trees, branches snapping and leaves swirling around them as they plummeted towards the forest floor.

Thud!

They landed with a bone-jarring impact, Sorah's body slammed against the soft earth. He groaned, feeling the pain radiating through his limbs. Breeze Plume lay nearby, its wings crumpled and its body trembling.

"Are you alright, Master Sorah?" the Rice Guru asked. He had managed to cushion his fall with a pile of conjured rice and leaves, but he was still shaken.

"I... I think so," Sorah replied, struggling to sit up. He checked himself for injuries, relieved to find nothing broken. He then turned to Breeze Plume. His heart jolted as he saw the extent of its injuries. Gradually, due to the excessive pain, Breeze Plume regressed back into Woodworm.

"My poor friend," Sorah ambled over and whispered as he gently stroked the worm’s head. "I'm so sorry."

“Kyu…” Woodworm chirped weakly, its large eyes filled with pain.

"We need to find shelter and tend to your wounds. And then, we must continue our journey."

He glanced up at the cliffs where Kahless and his soldiers stood watching their descent. Sorah knew they wouldn't give up so easily. He had to get himself and his companions to safety before they were discovered.

…

“That was a magnificent shot, sir!” Kratos exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he reflected on how precise Kahless’ Kana Beast Bomb was. “Direct hit!”

"Silence!" Kahless barked with a face contorted with frustration. He had come so close to eliminating Sorah, but the old man and his companions had managed to escape.

"Gather the rest of the troops," he ordered, turning towards Rhamus. "We're going after them. And this time, there will be no escape."

"Yes, sir, Vice-Marshal Commander!" Rhamus replied, hurrying off to relay the orders.

Kahless watched as his subordinates scrambled to prepare for the pursuit. He clenched his fists, trying to subside his anger that was burning like a furnace. He would not rest until Sorah and his companions were captured or dead. The old man's power, the secrets he possessed, they would be his. And he would use them to crush his enemies and rise to the top of the Dune Empire.

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