The following day: Sima, Don and Sethu carried out their goal and that was to gain control over the Supreme land. The Mantis and demon spider was accompany them as the rode on the spider's back, while the Mantis flew above them. It didn't take them that long to get to the western forest, where they met giant bird scouts three flying above them and two humanoid Sky folks on the ground blocking their way through. The scouts demanded to know what they wanted on their territory since they were Supreme Kuwai, it wasn't normal for them to accidentally disturb others on thier territory.
Sima introduced himself along with Don and Sethu, Sethu requested they be taken to the Sky folks chief. Which was declined by the scouts, claiming they didn't know anything about them and considering that Sethu and the others had no royal guards of the Supreme Kuwai and were escorted by giant beasts was suspicious enough. One of the scouts questioned them as to how they could trust them, all they could be after is the Chief's head. Sima leaped of the Demon Spider's back, with showing off his MAZE. Unable to control the situation the scouts got ready to fight Sima, However they were interrupted by a female figure who insisted that the scouts they let Sima and the others through. It is then revealed that the girl was the Chief's daughter and her name was Nomphiwo, a tall girl starting at 9'7 ft. Orange hair with gowns matching her royalty standard. Nomphiwo allowed Sima and the others to into the western forest, just behind the scouts who were actually guards protecting the barrier which covered a large tree as it was shown soon after Sima and the others entered.
Amazed Sima couldn't stop admiring the giant tree reaching the heavens, the clouds covered the whole top and all they could see was just the stem of of tree along with starter branches. Around the branches were houses which were built using the leaves of the tree as their base for the floor, the leaves were so massive they could support multiple skyscrapers. Their means of transportation were even more intriguing, enormous birds which the sky folks raised themselves and supposedly the whole tree of the sky folks was a city. The smell of the freshness of the forest and the beauty of nature giving it a nice feeling of being one with nature.
Amazed, Sima couldn't stop admiring the beauty of the city before him, such that he wished to take a tour soon after Nomphiwo had introduced them to her father. Nomphiwo agreed, however she mentioned something serious that her father wanted Sima and the others to help with. Sima agreed to help them no matter what the problem was since he wanted to form a relationship with them, which could support and benefit both people in the future.
With a whistle a huge bird came down diving with a driver directing it to land next Nomphiwo and the others, they got on the bird riding it to the top of the tree. The flow of the wind was as amazing as it was when riding the Giant Mantis, Sima claimed. Though the Mantis showed sings of jealousy it continued flying next to the bird.
The Demon Spider used the tree branches to swing to the top. The beasts raced to get there, but the thickness of the clouds separated them, interfering with their sense of direction. As they scattered, each taking its own route upward, they burst through the clouds and revealed the land above.
The sight was breathtaking. Large buildings stood on the clouds themselves, built to rest atop them as if it were solid ground. But while the scene was beautiful, the wind was strong and the air was freezing — too cold for a normal Kuwai to walk without warmer clothes.
Sima and the others immediately felt the cold and started shaking. Nomphiwo took off her robe and used it to cover them as they continued advancing upward. She apologized for the sudden change in weather and promised to have warm food made for them.
The temperature had dropped to -50°C, yet there was no ice. Sima and the others were slowly adapting to the freezing cold. The beasts had no problem with the temperature except for the Demon Spider. Sima immediately asked them to stop when he felt the pain the spider was in. He told the spider to return below the clouds, but it refused. Much like the Kuwai, the beasts were slowly adapting. The spider wouldn't feel the cold once it adjusted.
Nomphiwo asked if they would mind making a quick stop so they could try one of their local dishes. Sima agreed instantly, and she led them on a detour to a restaurant. The restaurant was built inside the tree stump which was bizarre considering the fact that the tree didnt show any signs of wasting away. The landing zone was help with stairs which people could easily climb down from as they got off the bird. In the restaurant There, they were served samp with soup, potatoes, and a choice of spicy or non-spicy. Sima and Don chose the spicy meal, while Nomphiwo and Sethu chose the non-spicy option. Right before they set in a round wooden table perfectly crafted with beautiful feathered like patterns.
The samp proved to be delicious. Sima and Don even asked for seconds, tears of joy running down their cheeks. Sima claimed he'd come back just for the food.
Once they finished, Nomphiwo continued escorting them to the top — where the Chief was located.
The Sky City of the Bird Folk was divided into three sections:
*South/Lower Point*: Where normal Bird Folk lived. It was like a township, only with buildings resting on clouds.
*Middle Point - Main Central*: Home to those who couldn't fight and needed protection.
*Top Point - The Royal Land*: Where the Chief and his Royal Knights who guarded the Sky City lived.
The top was heavily guarded, which struck Sima as unusual. He began asking why the Top was so heavily protected.
Nomphiwo's expression turned serious before she explained. There was a being who wanted to end the Chief's life. He lived in the city and was once one of the Royal Guards, possessing extraordinary MAZE. Nomphiwo elaborated that he was obsessed with power. He had betrayed all of the Sky Folk by turning against them, attempting to overthrow the Chief and take over the city.
However, the guard and the Chief succeeded in defeating him, and the Chief banished him. But the figure had recently been spotted with many partners and was looking to return for revenge.
Sima was still curious and questioned why they didn't just kill the guy if he was that much of a threat. Nomphiwo told him the Chief couldn't simply kill someone. A Chief must lead his city by showing mercy, not fear.
Sima countered that mercy could lead to more disaster. A traitor would return and bring more pain to the people the Chief loved and claimed to protect.
That sparked a tense back-and-forth. Sima and Nomphiwo couldn't understand each other. Nomphiwo didn't grasp Sima's intention — he wanted her to think about what _she_ would do when the time came.
Eventually, Sima apologized and clarified: he only wanted to know what Nomphiwo would do if her father were killed.
Caught off guard and not knowing what to say, Nomphiwo only blushed, embarrassed, thinking Sima had seen through her.
The crew finally reached the Chief's house and was escorted by the leader of the Royal Guards to meet him. Nomphiwo excused herself to another room to fix her appearance.
The Chief saw Sima's power the moment he walked in. He could see the resemblance of a Supreme Kuwai within him.
Chief Louw began the conversation by addressing him as _King Sima_, saying it was a pleasure to be in his presence.
Sima quickly corrected him. "I'm not a king."
The Chief raised an eyebrow. "You're not him? Not a bearer of the prayer?"
"I am," Sima said. "But I'm a second son. I have no claim to the throne. So you can't call me King."
Chief Louw chuckled and offered them a seat as he introduced himself. "I am Louw, Chief of Sky City."
Sima introduced himself, followed by his friends Don and Sethu. He then went to the window to introduce his beast companions, who had been left outside — they were too large for the Chief's house.
Chief Louw admired the beasts. "This is my first time seeing beasts follow a Kuwai. In all the years of the earth, it's only happened twice."
Don frowned as he sat down. "Who was the first? And why hasn't it happened again until now?"
Chief Louw leaned back against his table before explaining. "The first was Mettue. And like Mettue, you don't have ordinary MAZE output, Sima. You two emit the same type of MAZE. That's just my assumption, of course — you're the only person the beasts have followed since him."
Sethu interrupted with an apology. "I thought the beasts followed us because Sima beat them in battle."
Chief Louw smirked. "That's no great feat. Many could defeat them. But for someone as inexperienced as you, Sima… that _is_ a feat." His eyes narrowed. "You have King's Aura. That's what the beasts follow. It's what I felt when you passed through the barrier."
Don tilted his head. "Are you saying Sima's MAZE pressure can be felt all the way from the barrier?"
"It can," Chief Louw admitted. "And you're gaining experience at an incredible rate."
*[Expanded Sima ↔ Chief Louw alliance conversation]*
That's when Chief Louw shifted, his tone growing grave. "Now, about the trouble my daughter mentioned. Helping us will do more than settle a debt, Sima. It will earn you influence in Sky City. Influence breeds followers, and followers sharpen MAZE. The more who stand behind you, the heavier your pressure becomes to those who would defy you."
Sima stepped forward, fists clenched. "Then I'll help. But on one condition — we enter a diplomatic pact. Supreme Kuwai and Sky City. We aid each other in times of need. We trade goods, knowledge, protection. An alliance, not a favor."
Chief Louw's eyes widened, then he let out a deep, approving laugh. "No selfish request? No demand for gold or weapons? You think like a true king, second son or not." He stood and extended his hand. "If you help us with the Vulture, Sky City will honor that pact. Your enemies become ours. Our skies become your shield."
Sima gripped his hand. "Deal. But I need to know everything about this Vulture. Powers, followers, weaknesses. If I'm fighting for your city, I'm not walking in blind."
Chief Louw's smile faded. He nodded once, solemn. "Then listen well. Because the Vulture doesn't fight alone, and his MAGERUE broke one of my best guards in two."
They all repeated the name, confused: "Vulture?"
Chief Louw chuckled. "Let me elaborate."
At that moment, Nomphiwo entered the room.
"The Vulture is the outlaw who wants me dead," Chief Louw said. "That's the name we gave him before we banished him from Sky City. His crimes were atrocious. He didn't just plot to kill me — he wanted to seize the realm and crown himself king, with everyone beneath his wing."
Rage flashed across Sima's face. "I'll kill him with my bare hands."
Chief Louw applauded the spirit but raised a hand. "He has many followers, and his MAGERUE is troublesome. Fighting him without knowledge is suicide."
Sima didn't back down. "Then tell me. I need to prepare for the battle to come."
Chief Louw relented and detailed the Vulture's MAGERUE, as well as the abilities of his followers. Each one was a problem in their own right. With their agreem.
We cut to another side of the Supreme Kuwai realm, in what seem to be a deadly battle between two individuals. The landscape had huge cradles which were created during the battle, the smoke covered most of the landscape and within that the Vulture was standing atop of a creature after beating it in a battle.
The Vulture happens to recruit this beast which he had beaten in a battle, the beast had an odd looking features on it's face showed by the wrinkled pattern. Like an elderly woman with long white standing 11'2 ft tall and a long club with five hook-like fingers. The beast kneeled before the Vulture swearing it's undying loyalty, the Vulture told the beast to follow him as they teleported to an unknown location. Where a number of beasts were located, the MAZE pressure was so intense the beasts showed signs of destruction they were going to do. These were the followers Vulture needed to go back to the Sky city and take it back.
5 days passed: Sima and the others were still enjoying peace of the sky city and it seemed as if The Vulture story was just a roose(fake), Sima and the rest had the privilege of being able to taste almost all the tasty meals sky city had to offer. They had seen almost all of sky city's best places and Sima was amazed by all, specially the food which were the thing he liked about the city. Though he was still in shock about the clouds, the seemed soft and comfortable however they were as hard as the ground it's self.
Sima and the others had fully adapted to the climate changes of the sky city, and they had the best moment of their lives. Having to learn to ride the taxi birds and learning the daily life activities of the sky folks, to learning more about MAZE pressure. Sima and Nomphiwo were having a routine during the evening were they would test their MAZE pressure as each other under the supervision of Nomphiwo's teacher, this allowed Sima to grow over the past five days and had grain more experience than Nomphiwo which made her a little jealous. But she got over it because her father had told her that Sima was a Lizna, meaning gaining experience was easy for him as long as he was using his MAZE.
During one of Sima and Nomphiwo's training, Sima had an upper hand being able to push her MAZE pressure so close to her that she was underpressure. But that would change with the barrier protecting the sky city Bing shuttered as two giant spheres of MAZE about 500 meters in diameter came charging straight for the tree trunk after smashing through the barrier. This shocked everyone and off course Sima had sensed the build up of MAZE, which made him to lose focus and Nomphiwo had pinned him down. However that victory was short and the two spheres rushed the tree as great speed.
On the outside of the barrier of the city, The Vulture and his hord of beasts flew awaiting for the impact to enter the city.
The two spheres accelerated toward the tree. However, they were met by the Giant Mantis and Demon Spider. The two beasts charged their own MAZE spheres separately, ready to fire at the spheres approaching the tree. They both fired, but the incoming spheres were moving too fast. The beasts didn't get enough time to charge enough energy.
This caused the beasts' spheres to be destroyed, and the two spheres fired by Vulture continued toward the tree. That's when Chief Louw appeared. Using his own sphere, he timed the impact so perfectly that he managed to cancel the other two. But the collision happened close to the city buildings, and the explosion wiped out half of the eastern district. The shockwave blew everything away, including Chief Louw.
Only Sima and Nomphiwo were left. Sima had protected Nomphiwo—and himself—using RUI HAND. The impact was so severe that it shook the central district, damaging some buildings while destroying others.
Sima faced the direction where Vulture was and told Nomphiwo to go check on the people's wellbeing. Nomphiwo pleaded with Sima not to fight Vulture, especially alone, because he would die. Sima smirked and told her that her father was going to help him.
Nomphiwo left as Chief Louw descended slowly. He called out to Sima and told him the day had come for them both to die. Sima chuckled, saying he'd grown fond of Chief Louw's jokes. But he promised him they weren't going to die today.
Vulture appeared before them, the battlefield now clearly drawn. The buildings were cleared out, and the rubble was laid out clean enough for a battlefield.
Vulture commanded his beasts to go south and north to destroy the area. Chief Louw told him he wasn't about to stand there and let that happen. Vulture told Chief Louw to try and stop him. Vulture claimed he'd been waiting for years to kill Chief Louw, and this was the perfect time to do it.
Sima smirked, telling Vulture to try and kill the chief. Sima swore he'd end Vulture. This amused Vulture, and he burst out laughing.
*The Northern Point*
One of Vulture's beasts, which wielded a club with fire-tipped, finger-like spikes, had arrived with its army of about 100 beasts. Without warning, it got serious and started killing the royal guards. The beast used its club to fire RAW MAZE like it was throwing baseballs. Those who got hit were immediately incinerated into nothingness. MAZE proved to be deadly when used as a weapon.
Sethu appeared, using her teleportation. She took each guard away one at a time, every time the beast launched an attack. Sethu would appear just before impact and teleport away with a guard. This infuriated the beast, and it sent its entire army to attack at once.
This left Sethu at a disadvantage because now the beasts were attacking in large numbers while their leader continued hurling MAZE around, which ended up setting the district ablaze. It became a smoky scene with flames turning the clear white clouds into orange fire. The smell of burning flesh turned the whole scene into a nightmare. The scene was horrific.
Sethu shouted, telling the beasts to stop, but the beast only showed joy at what it was doing, smiling while the guards' screams pierced the ears of those nearby. Sethu got furious and started using her MAZE to coat her fists in order to protect herself from the MAZE being thrown.
Since the MAZE covering her fists was constantly being fed by Sethu, the collision when she struck the beast's MAZE wasn't destructive. The beast's MAZE just evaporated. But that didn't stop the beast from sending all its goons to attack her.
Southern Point*
These beasts showed no sign of intelligence. They just destroyed everything for the fun of it. As soon as they descended, they rained down MAZE spheres. They weren't comparable to the big ones, but they were still strong enough to level a city block or two, which meant the city wasn't safe.
Don quickly emerged from below, using MAZE Mimic to summon a humanoid giant—only its upper body. Though it was just the upper body, it was so massive that it dwarfed the skyscrapers. Yes, this took a huge amount of output from Don, but he wasn't about to let the city be destroyed by the beasts.
Don manipulated the humanoid to raise its hands, generating a thick layer of MAZE that took the frontal attack of the beasts. The beasts landed in the southern district and charged at Don, who seemed to be the only one putting up resistance.
The beasts were bipedal with long tails they used to change direction even at top speed. On their huge backs were black spikes that served as chargers to intake MAZE rapidly. They had long, powerful back legs like a kangaroo, but with longer front arms. Their eyes were green, like all beasts.
Don deactivated the humanoid and then summoned an axe made of MAZE. It seemed normal at first, until he swung it. By channeling MAZE into his hands, he made it grow in size, taking up a massive amount of space when he attacked. Multiple beasts were crushed under the weight of Don's axe. Some managed to avoid it by using buildings to climb or hiding inside them to avoid being squashed.
The beasts showed no signs of stopping as they continued advancing toward Don. He changed his weapons to a shield and an axe. These weapons were normal-sized this time, meaning he could spam swings without burning too much MAZE.
He collided with the beasts, using the shield to block their attacks while dissecting their limbs and torsos. However, their numbers proved to be trouble for Don alone. This showed when he was overpowered by the sheer number of beasts coming at him. They swarmed him and pinned him to the ground.
Don used his MAZE Mimic to take the form of a container, shielding himself from their attacks. Now Don was in trouble—once he reached his maximum output, he'd be eaten alive.
*Central District*
Vulture made a statement about his beasts being too much for the people they were fighting, saying they were about to be eaten alive. He mentioned that the Kangarooja beasts attacking the southern district had already pinned the kid they were fighting, and up north, the Elder Beasts…
*Northern District*
The whole place was being bombarded by the beasts. Sethu was on her last breath after spamming her teleportation MAGERUE to save the guards. Even though the beasts weren't capable of speech, their expressions showed their intentions. They were planning to do devious things to Sethu, which was why they made sure not to kill her.
Under these circumstances, the hybrids—Sethu and Don—realized that using their Supreme Kuwai powers was the only way to beat the beasts, since they had failed with their own powers.
The North and South districts suddenly burst with MAZE. The pressure exposed the technique Vulture had used to create multiple beasts, as his feathers started reverting to their original form. They were canceled by the MAZE pressure emitted by Sethu and Don, revealing that Vulture had used his feathers to make copies of the beasts.
Now there were fewer: about 50 Elder Beasts and 90 Kangarooja beasts.
Sethu appeared within the smoke, blown back by her rampaging MAZE as it sent out shockwaves. Her right side was covered in black skin, even right of her face with blue eyes, and her aura showed the sheer amount of MAZE pouring out of her.
The beasts continued attacking with their MAZE, throwing it at Sethu. But in her hybrid form, Sethu's output had increased, and she was now at her peak. She deflected the MAZE attacks she couldn't evade and dodged the ones she could.
Seeing that she was avoiding their MAZE, the beasts started using their clubs to attack Sethu directly. They swarmed her, hoping to overwhelm her with sheer numbers.
But Hybrid Sethu proved to be too much for the Elder Beasts. Using her teleportation, she teleported from one Elder Beast to another, using others as shields to tank attacks from the rest. Doing so limited the amount of MAZE she used for offense.
The Elder Beasts spammed their MAZE again, throwing it wildly, hoping to hit something. But Sethu's teleportation caused them to hit each other with their own MAZE.
The battle seemed to have reached its peak, with Sethu gaining the upper hand. She charged a MAZE sphere in her hand, while the last remaining Elder Beast charged a MAZE sphere on its club.
Now the stare-down started. The first one to move was more likely to land a clean hit and end the battle. They both stopped charging their MAZE spheres, standing 50 feet apart. They paused for a second, both breathing heavily after spamming their attacks. Now they were ready to end this.
The wind picked up a small leaf and carried it onto the battlefield, into their line of sight. The Elder Beast and Sethu watched the leaf as it drifted to the ground. The moment it touched down, it was lifted again—the acceleration of both Sethu and the Elder Beast created enough force to blow the leaf back up.
Sethu and the Elder Beast reached each other, their MAZE spheres aimed. They both struck out at the same time. But right before impact, Sethu teleported behind the Elder Beast, causing it to miss while she landed hers on its back.
The Elder Beast's scream pierced the air as Sethu drove the MAZE sphere deep into its back, killing it completely. The blast after impact blew Sethu away as the Elder Beast was incinerated by the MAZE sphere into nothingness.
Sethu landed, trying to regain her balance to see if she'd succeeded in killing the beast. The blast was so destructive it created a large smoke screen that took a while to clear. When it finally did, all Sethu could see was the Elder Beast's club.
The aftermath wasn't as bad as it could've been, but Sethu was the reason most of the guards were safe.
Southern Point – Don's Fight*
On the other side, Don tore off his bandages, revealing the dark body markings that covered his lower face—starting below his blue eyes and down. His MAZE manifested as the humanoid, which appeared not because he summoned it, but because it _was_ his hybrid form. This time, the humanoid wasn't for defense.
The humanoid had a sword in its left hand and used its right hand to shield Don. Now the humanoid used its sword to slash the Kangarooja beasts down to a manageable size, since they were overwhelming in numbers.
Don was in the middle of the city, meaning he couldn't just swing the sword and cut down the beasts. The humanoid was big enough to dwarf the skyscrapers—one swing from it could level the city. So Don had to do something he hated: plan and calculate. Not that he was bad at it, but because he hated having to come up with strategies for battles.
Now that he was in a tight spot, he had to come up with a plan to beat the Kangarooja beasts while they rushed him. The Kangarooja beasts started spamming their MAZE spheres because of that one big attack from the humanoid.
The humanoid could block multiple hits from a normal MAZE sphere. However, the Kangarooja beasts weren't normal. They upped the level of their MAZE, firing huge MAZE spheres at Don, trying to weaken him.
Don was really in trouble. He had to come up with a plan or get blown up once the humanoid wore out. Surrounded and in trouble, Don shifted his tactics from defense to attack.
Using the humanoid's crossbows, the crossbows appeared on the humanoid's four arms as he aimed them at the Kangarooja beasts. Luckily, reloading the crossbows didn't require manual reloading—all Don needed was his MAZE.
While the Kangarooja beasts stormed Don with MAZE spheres from their mouths, Don fired back with 20-foot-long arrows. Don made sure to swing the humanoid's arm first before shooting the crossbows. Because the Kangarooja beasts were on top of buildings, he did this to reduce damage to infrastructure.
Don pretended to grab the beasts while shooting with the other crossbows. Though this worked for him, Don was in trouble because maintaining the humanoid was already taking a toll on him. He also had to use his MAZE Mimic to create MAZE arrows and fire at moving targets, which he sometimes missed.
This was a battle of who would outlast who. The Kangarooja beasts started moving away from Don once they saw that his arrows were evadable at a specific range. Now Don had to come up with another idea to bring the Kangarooja beasts back.
That idea turned out to be Don losing control of his humanoid as it started to break apart. The beasts started getting close again. Now there were only a few left, and Don had reached his output—his body would give out if he tried using another humanoid.
The few remaining Kangarooja swarmed Don, who was on his knee. The Kangarooja beasts had their claws ready to dig deep into Don's flesh. While Don was tired and on his knee, he didn't show any signs of retaliation, so the Kangarooja beasts believed he was out of the fight.
Even though they thought Don was finished, he was still planning. He was secretly charging up marble-sized MAZE spheres in large quantities. They were small enough to be hidden from the Kangarooja beasts so they wouldn't see them.
As they approached, Don had fully charged the marble-sized MAZE spheres. They were unstable since they were too small for the amount of MAZE they were fed.
Right at the moment they finally reached his range, Don quickly got up, unleashing them like shotgun pellets. The tiny marble-sized MAZE spheres scattered at great speed, exploding on contact. Every Kangarooja beast was caught off guard and incinerated without being able to dodge, their blood bathing Don.
Don got up, commenting on how the Kangarooja beasts had adapted to his fighting style and proved to be problematic for his ranged attacks. He was mad that even with his hybrid form, he still needed to plan to defeat the beasts. He glanced up, hoping Sima and the rest were okay.
The battle was even more destructive than Sethu's, only because the Kangarooja were less intelligent than the Elder Beasts. Though with the humanoid, Don tried to minimize the mess as much as he could.
While the battles raged in the Northern and Southern districts, Sima and Chief Louw were stuck listening to The Vulture monologue about his plans. After beating them, he'd seize control of the West. He claimed his plans were absolute and that if only Chief Louw would listen to him, things would be easier.
Sima kept shutting him up, telling The Vulture he would not succeed. Sima claimed _he_ would be the one to stop The Vulture and his army of beasts, though he did confirm he'd need the alliance to do it. Sima announced to The Vulture that his friends, along with him, would work together to use their powers to stop him.
Those comments really annoyed The Vulture. He stomped the hard concrete, claiming that Sima was nothing compared to him and there was nothing Sima and the others could do to stop him. Even if Sima and his "weak friends" had the help of the so-called great Chief of the Sky City, it wouldn't matter.
Sima's words seemed to have angered The Vulture, shown by his MAZE pressure creating a semicircular green dome which expanded towards Sima and Chief Louw. Chief Louw attempted to counter with his own MAZE pressure. However, Sima's MAZE had already created a smaller red dome. Sima's dome wasn't big in size but was strong enough to hold its own against someone as strong as The Vulture.
The battle of MAZE between the two individuals was more terrifying than expected. Living plants and surroundings were destroyed due to the colliding MAZE and the shockwaves they released. The green and red MAZE collision finally came to an end with them canceling one another out. This came as a surprise to both Chief Louw and The Vulture, as they both complimented the ROYAL MAZE and its tenacity to not bow to any type of MAZE.
Sima took a battle stance, asking Chief Louw to cover his back while he went on the offense. Louw agreed, shaping both his arms for battle. The Vulture praised Sima and his luck to be born of royalty, for if he wasn't, he'd be dead right now. The Vulture assured Sima that he would kill him since his MAZE seemed to have failed.
Sima let out *DOMAIN CONTROL* in order to gain an upper hand when he got close to The Vulture. He then allowed his sensors to sharpen so they would let Sima's body move out of danger before he could think about it. Sima had readied his offense. However, before he could charge forward, The Vulture blitzed Sima, appearing before him with a kick. The Vulture's leg was longer than Sima was tall — about the same length as the distance from his foot to his thigh.
Before Sima knew it, his arms were crossed before his face, blocking the full power of The Vulture's kick. He kicked Sima so hard that a crater was created. Sima quickly leaped back, shaking his arms due to the pain, amazed.
The Vulture told Sima he wasn't expecting him to block the kick and live. Sima held his words back because his body was in shock from his arms. Chief Louw moved close to Sima, telling him to never block a kick like that, for he would lose his limbs and become useless.
Sima told the chief not to worry, that he was doing well. He showed it by following up, using *RUI ARM* to propel himself toward The Vulture with a knee aimed straight at his nose. Even though The Vulture was caught off guard, he still reacted, not knowing that Sima had used his RUI ARM for boosting his speed. The Vulture was stunned that Sima could move at such speed, seeing that he failed to avoid his move earlier.
The Vulture was overpowered, leading to him avoiding the knee by bending back fully. Since Sima had his *DOMAIN CONTROL* on, he had prepared a second attack as soon as he landed. While The Vulture thought Sima was done with his attack, Sima wasted no time. He immediately launched himself the moment he made contact with the ground.
With a swift kick, he struck The Vulture, who had to block yet another kick from Sima. Sima was relentless because right after that block, he launched a punch and another upward kick. This happened simultaneously while Sima was still in mid-air.
This pissed The Vulture off even more as he used his *EXCHANGE MAGERUE*, leading Sima to change positions with The Vulture. Now Vulture was the one in Sima's position and had taken Sima's stance using the upward kick. Even though Sima was told about the *EXCHANGE MAGERUE*, it was still a shocking moment to see it firsthand as it was used on him.
Even though the distance between Sima and The Vulture was small, the *EXCHANGE MAGERUE* ensured it perfectly exchanged the distance between them in order for The Vulture's attack to be successful. Meaning Sima had to be in mid-air for the kick to land on his chin.
Sima's sensors were unable to counter the MAGERUE, for they were not familiar with it. Meaning Sima had to experience the MAGERUE being used on him 2 more times. So he connected with Chief Louw, telling him not to use his MAGERUE yet and to allow him to take two more hits.
Since blocking the attack would lead to more pain or possibly broken arms, Sima had to tilt his body backwards, leading to him dodging the kick by an inch. The Vulture applauded, admitting that Sima was quite fast since he wasn't expecting Sima to actually dodge the MAGERUE without taking the hit.
Sima backed up to Chief Louw, telling him the plan using telepathy, so they came to an agreement. The Vulture seemed rather disturbed that the Chief didn't use his MAGERUE to reverse the attack. He questioned himself as to why and what they were planning.
With a whistle, a third MAZE sphere, the same size as the other two, came rushing toward them again. This shocked Sima and Chief Louw because soon after the whistle, The Vulture quickly accelerated toward them. Now they both had no idea what was going on and were busy calculating what they needed to do.
Sima quickly looked back, remembering the Giant Mantis and Demon Spider behind them. Sima commanded them to fire their own attacks back at the MAZE sphere to cancel it once more, they both sk. Their charging up of their own MAZE spheres separately caused the wind to be pulled into two singular points like a black hole. Even though it wasn't the wind, dust and surrounding rubble flew towards those two points, crushing anything they made contact with.
Now it was time to deal with The Vulture. Sima and Chief Louw rushed The Vulture. As they collided with him, Sima used the disadvantage of being short by using his legs while Chief Louw threw countless punches at Vulture. Though this was no problem for Vulture as he was holding his own.
Sima was not used to the *EXCHANGE MAGERUE*, meaning Chief Louw couldn't fight at full power and that put him at a disadvantage. But he still used his MAZE fire attacks at The Vulture. However, The Vulture would use *EXCHANGE MAGERUE* to change positions with him or Sima to take the front of the attack while he dealt with the other person.
That didn't last. For the third time, Sima had finally adapted to the *EXCHANGE MAGERUE* as he countered with a jab at The Vulture. This shocked him as he had just exchanged with Chief Louw to stand next to Sima, only to get surprised with a punch he wasn't expecting.
This enraged The Vulture. He turned with the punch's momentum and then followed up with a MAZE attack to Sima's gut while cursing Sima for countering his MAGERUE. The *RUI ARM* reached out a finger to block the MAZE attack, leaving Sima to be sent flying into nearby rubble.
Chief Louw got worried calling out to Sima. even though he saw Sima adapting to The Vulture's MAGERUE and managing to counter it. It was still a feat to admire. Chief Louw commented as he called out to The Vulture for a one-on-one battle.
They were both set to fight the moment the beasts' MAZE spheres collided. With the beasts' two MAZE spheres ready to fire, they charged up and fired at the one sphere approaching the Central District. The collision of the three spheres caused another wave of destruction to the western side of the city, even at their great sizes the Mantis and Demon Spider we enveloped by the dust along with the city.
With the explosion sending out a huge shockwave around the Central District, that was the sign they needed. The Vulture and Chief Louw's stare-down finally ended. The two disappeared on sight. Their speed was incredible as they collided and exchanged high-level hand-to-hand combat.
Vulture commented that it wasn't their first time fighting like that, and the last time they did, Vulture lost the battle. The two paused for a moment. The Vulture claimed that this would not end like last time, as he would be the victor of this battle and would end up controlling the Sky City. Chief Louw left only one comment: that over his dead body would The Vulture rule over the Western Forest.
The two picked up where they left off. Now they were not just using hand-to-hand combat skills — they were incorporating their MAGERUE. The battle had changed as they seemed to be moving at sonic speeds, with *EXCHANGE MAGERUE* and *REVERSE MAGERUE* continuously being used to change each other back and forth, rubble flew around as they chanced each other down. Walls which were used to protect the sky folks from cold and sun were seen used as attacking weapons.The battle seemed to be leveled.
The whole city was their battleground now. No one could actually land a hit because no one would let up. Plus, with their *HIGH MAXIMUM OUTPUT*, they could use their MAGERUE longer before they could run out. They continued zig-zagging around the Central District, but none stopped.
*: Inner Conversation*
In the dark, Sima hears his name being called over and over. As he opens his eyes, he sees himself again.
Sima asks, "Was I unconscious, or what happened?"
The RUI appears before him and says he wasn't unconscious — he was still awake. These were just a couple of seconds they had.
Sima looks at his stomach, where he was struck by the Vulture, and sees no damage. He begins to question how that's possible, since he was attacked with MAZE.
The RUI explains that he had protected him before the MAZE sphere could make contact, and that's how Sima didn't take any damage from it. Instead, Sima suffered injuries from the kick and the impact he made when he came into contact with the ground.
Sima immediately feels his arms and back aching, and grunts, "That hurt."
The RUI tells Sima to use the power of the RUI arms in order to protect himself against MAZE attacks.
Sima rejects the offer. He insists that the RUI shouldn't help him, since he needs to gain more experience.
The moment gets intense for a second as the RUI retaliates, telling Sima, "I would not do such a thing. You are valuable."
Sima tells the RUI to stand down and watch him grow. "This is my last command."
The RUI is astounded, with disbelief written all over its face. The RUI pleads, begging Sima to reconsider, but Sima stands on business.
He tells the RUI that he needs to grow stronger without the RUI helping him.
The RUI's emotions show as its eyes frown, but eventually it agrees and says, "The power of the RUI will never stop protecting you. Even if you don't want it to. It's my power, after all. Control it."
The RUI tells Sima that his Supreme Kuwai skin on his right side can be used to deflect MAZE, however it's not guaranteed.
Sima smiles, showing happiness, and tells the RUI to rest up. Sima walks into the dark, waving at the RUI.
The RUI's neck is shown as it starts to disappear.
Sima says, "I trust you, so I expect you to do the same as well."
Battlefield*
Back at the battlefield, Chief Louw and the Vulture were at it. Their MAZE was mixed with hand-to-hand combat. Kicks and punches were thrown, evaded, and blocked.
The tension broke when Chief Louw landed a punch on the Vulture's guarded face, right on the side of the Vulture's arm. That broke the stalemate.
The two distanced themselves from each other. Their MAZE exploded from their bodies, with MAZE pressure pushing against each other. But that stopped when Sima got up.
His Royal MAZE pushed against both of them, showing the King's pressure.
Both were stunned, in disbelief, as Sima was standing next to them even though he was holding his left torso. His ribs in the back were cracked, and his arms were still healing from the kick.
The tension rose as the Vulture grew even more shocked. He shouted, "How was that even possible? I felt contact. I felt resistance when I used my MAZE on you."
With a grim smirk, Sima questioned, "What did you think your MAZE would do to me?"
That infuriated the Vulture even more, causing him to lose his mind. He shouted, "What, you think my MAZE is inferior?" A smile from Sima was all the Vulture needed to lose it.
As he screamed in anger, "You will pay," he began to transform. His lips turned into a beak, his head started to enlarge. Feathers grew from his whole body, and his beautiful feathered coat was ripped to shreds as he began growing at an incredible rate. Wings grew from his back, and the three-toed feet of the bird he had grew even larger.
The Vulture turned into a 50 ft tall bird with a wingspan of 165 ft.
The whole Western Central City had the sun covered by the shadow of the Vulture. As the name suggests, the Vulture became the Living Vulture — big.
Sima was astounded as he gazed up at the giant beast covering the whole sky.
One flap of the Vulture bird's wings cleared all the rubble made during the battle. Sima and Chief Louw were blown to a tree stump. The gust of wind made the whole city feel like it was in a hurricane. Sima flew uncontrollably until Chief Louw caught him.
He began questioning how Sima was alive after taking a MAZE sphere to the stomach. Sima told him it was a secret he planned to show later, if they didn't find a way to beat the enormous Vulture bird above them.
Sima commented, "It feels like I'm standing next to an aeroplane."
Confused, Chief Louw asked what he meant by "aeroplane."
Sima told him, "It's a machine they use in the world to fly."
Chief Louw commented on how Kuwai were extraordinary when it came to planning.
They were interrupted by the Vulture, whose voice was so loud it could be heard across the entire Central District. As he screeched, they covered their ears because the sound was too much.
Chief Louw told Sima to stand back and heal. "I'll deal with the big aeroplane," he said jokingly, leaving Sima giggling.
The Vulture spoke again, asking whether Sima would survive the next attack.
The next thing they saw was a massive MAZE sphere, 50 meters in size, aimed at them.
Sima told Chief Louw, "We can't survive the attack aimed at us."
But Chief Louw told Sima not to worry, as he began preparing his own MAZE sphere and asked Sima to do the same.
Chief Louw then called out for Nomphiwo, who immediately dropped next to them, causing a cloud of smoke. Without a single word, Nomphiwo braced both her arms and charged her own MAZE sphere, and so did Sima.
Now, three MAZE spheres from three different people were aimed to cancel out the Vulture bird's MAZE sphere.
Beast Battlefield
On another battlefield, a loud _SKREEECH!!!_ tears through the air as Sima's two beasts engage in battle against the Throat Goat beast and the Spike Tail beast.
*BOOM. CRACK. THUMP.*
A kaiju battle takes place. No words. Just straight intimidation and violence.
#### *Round 1: GIANT MANTIS vs SPIKE TAIL BEAST*
_VWOOSH. VWOOSH. VWOOSH._
The Mantis takes on the Spike Tail beast, using its bladed arms to send slashes like mad wind tearing up the sky. _SHIIING— SHIIING— SHIIING!_
The sound is so loud it feels like a giant blade passing by your ears.
The Spike Tail beast is a four-legged creature with a long, spiked tail. It's agile — so fast it dodges multiple slashes like they're nothing — then it spams MAZE breath. _GRAAAHHH— FWOOOOM!_
Forced up, the Mantis flaps into the air to dodge them. _FWAP. FWAP._
Both beasts fire their last shot.
*MANTIS: MAZE SPHERE* _BZZZT— KABOOM!_
*SPIKE TAIL: MAZE BREATH* _GRAAAHHH— BOOOOM!_
The attacks cancel each other out in a shockwave. _KRA-KOOOM!_ Then they rush each other. _THUD. THUD. THUD._
The flapping of the Mantis' wings creates a vortex. _WHOOSHHH—_
It lifts the Spike Tail beast off the ground, rendering it unable to dodge the next strike.
_SHIIING— KRAK!_
The Mantis slashes in an X formation. _X-SLASH!_
The Spike Tail beast is split in two. _RIP— SPLAT._
*Victory: GIANT MANTIS* _STOMP. STOMP._
It proves it was stronger.
#### *Round 2: DEMON SPIDER vs THROAT GOAT BEAST*
_THUD. CRACK. THUD._
The Throat Goat beast stands 7'11 ft tall. Human form, but with a mouth for a neck. Giant teeth. A long tongue. _DRIP… SLURP._
The Demon Spider towers above it, using its legs to stomp the Throat Goat. _BOOM. BOOM. BOOM._
The ground shakes. Even the hardened clouds rumble. _RUMBLE…_
That doesn't trouble the Throat Goat. It has human-level intelligence. That's a problem for the Demon Spider.
So the Spider gets strategic. _TCHK. TCHK._
It shoots webs everywhere. _PSSSHHT—_ Mixed with sticky threads so the Throat Goat has nowhere to run. _STICK. SNAP._
It follows up with acid. _HISSSSSS._
The Throat Goat's tongue has a venom tip. _DRIP…_
Its plan: wait for the Demon Spider to tire out, then inflict the venom. _SLITHER…_
But it's too late. _SNAP!_
The Throat Goat gets stuck in one of the Demon Spider's webs. _STRUGGLE. STRUGGLE. RIP._
No hesitation.
*DEMON SPIDER: MAZE SPHERE* _CHARGE… BZZZT— KABOOOM!!!_
The Throat Goat is blasted into nothingness. _VAPORIZED._
#### *Aftermath Beat*
_STOMP. STOMP._
The Mantis walks up to the Demon Spider and stomps its feet, mocking the Spider's fighting style. _TAK. TAK. TAK._
The Demon Spider looks embarrassed, covering its head with a leg. _…_
The Mantis tilts its head and mimics human laughter. _HEH… HEH HEH HEH!_
Back at the battle in the Central District:
Sima, Nomphiwo, and Chief Louw were ready with their MAZE.
_WOOOOOSH—_
The wind screamed as a warning to the citizens. Nomphiwo had evacuated them to the edge of the Eastern Central District.
*"Stay far from the city. It's dangerous."*
Their MAZE spheres were too small compared to Vulture's.
Even so, they loaded them up to stand against the Vulture's MAZE sphere.
*VULTURE: MAZE RELEASE* _GRAAAHHH— FWOOOOM!_
*SIMA + NOMPHIWO + CHIEF LOUW: MAZE RELEASE* _BZZZT— KABOOOM!!!_
The _BOOM!_ was so powerful it made the hardened clouds shake, along with the entire Central District. _RUMBLE… CRACK…_
Tremors were felt from the South and North Districts.
Sethu and Don stood up. _"...Is the battle still happening?"_
The blast of wind was so strong it blew away the hardened clouds. The explosion's effect was so great it would've caught Sima and the others.
Sima hesitated to use the RUI ARMS to cover Chief Louw and Nomphiwo.
But he made a decision. He stood tall and raised his right hand.
Chief Louw questioned if Sima was experienced enough to use a MAZE barrier.
To be sure, he raised his own hand. Nomphiwo did the same.
*MAZE BARRIER* _SHHHH— KLIK!_
A shield formed and protected them from the heat explosion that would've vaporized them. _HISSSSSS._
Sima tilted his head. _"...How are you doing that?"_
Chief Louw: _"Let your MAZE know your intentions, and it will obey."_
Impressive. Sima instantly created a MAZE barrier.
Chief Louw: _"...You have a lot of potential."_
Nomphiwo: _"It took me a full day to master the MAZE barrier… and you did it in one glance."_ _She praised Sima._
Chief Louw admired him. Then he dropped a joke that caught them both off guard.
*Chief Louw:* _"Nomphiwo should marry Sima."_
*SIMA + NOMPHIWO:* _"WHAT?!"_ _Eyes popping._
Chief Louw laughed it off. _"Your marriage would tie our two species together."_
Sima smiled and agreed. _"I'd marry her daughter… if she agrees."_
Nomphiwo's eyes went white. Her face turned red. _"Father, don't joke about things like that!"_
Sima stood on. _"I'd marry you… if you weren't older than me."_
He mentioned his age: _"I'm 16."_
That shocked them. Nomphiwo was 14.
The comedy was cut short.
_SKREEEEEEECH!!!_
Vulture released another sound attack. But it was ineffective inside the MAZE barrier. _DING…_
Sima: _"I don't have a counter to the giant bird taking over the sky. Every flap causes wind."_
Chief Louw: _"Raise the barrier the moment we get out of it."_
Sima: _"...Are we really going to fight the giant bird like this?"_
Only smirks were left on their faces.
_CRACK. POP. FWOOOSH!_
They began to transform into two giant birds.
Chief Louw became a giant gold-and-black hawk.
Nomphiwo became a beautiful, fluffy white owl with black patterns around her eyes.
Sima disappeared from sight.
_FWAP. FWAP. FWAP._
Three kaiju beasts were flapping their wings around him.
Sima's eyes went googly. All he could think about was riding them. _"Jumbo would love this too."_
Nomphiwo: _"Sima! Ride me while we fight Vulture!"_
Sima leaped onto Nomphiwo's back. _"YOOO— THIS RIDE IS AWESOME!"_ _SCREEAM!_
All three birds let out a _SKREEECH!_ before charging at top speed. _FWOOOSH—_
Chief Louw used his thoughts to speak to Sima: _"Connect all three of us so we can strategize."_
Chief Louw to Nomphiwo: _"Attack from a distance. Don't get too close."_
Sima: _"Agreed… It feels like three aeroplanes on the battlefield."_ _He giggled._
Chief Louw charged. Vulture met him.
_CLANG— SKRCH!_
Their claws clashed and locked. They spun at full speed, broke apart, and did it again. _SPIN. CRASH. SPIN._
Sima: _"...How are we actually supposed to attack in a fight like this?"_
Chief Louw finally swung Vulture into Sima's line of fire.
Nomphiwo charged a MAZE sphere. _BZZZT—_ _FIRE!_ _FWOOOM!_
Vulture dodged it, even in his blind spot. Sima was shocked.
Sima: _"...I understand the tactic now."_
*DOMAIN CONTROL* _EXPAND…_
Nomphiwo circled upward toward the North District.
Vulture and Chief Louw kept battling, waiting for the throw.
But this time, Vulture threw Chief Louw toward them. _WHOOOSH!_
Nomphiwo collided with Chief Louw. _CRASH!_
Sima was knocked off Nomphiwo and fell 200 feet. _AAAAH—_
Nomphiwo and Chief Louw struggled to regain control so they could dive and catch him.
Vulture went for Nomphiwo with his claws. _SWIPE!_
Sima needed no help.
*DOMAIN CONTROL: 500 METER DIAMETER* _PULSE…_
He could feel everything.
Vulture was almost on Nomphiwo.
Sima charged a MAZE sphere while falling. _BZZZT—_
It was hard to aim, so he used momentum. He swung his arm and curved the sphere. _CURVE— FWOOOSH!_
*MAZE SPHERE* _ACCELERATE— ZING!_
It passed Chief Louw and grazed Vulture's wing. _SHING!_
But it was too late.
Vulture sank his claws into Nomphiwo's chest. _RIP—_
A wound opened.
_SKREEEEECH!!!_
Both birds screamed through the wind.
Sima was still falling. Chief Louw dove after him.
_"If he falls, it's his demise!"_
Vulture retracted his claws, thinking it was over.
But Nomphiwo wasn't done.
She doubled down and grabbed Vulture's other wing with her claws. _SNK— RIIIIP!_
She tore off flesh.
Vulture was now wingless. _FLAP… FLAP… NOTHING._
They all fell. _FWOOOSH—_
Chief Louw caught Sima and turned to grab Nomphiwo, who was reverting to her human form.
The turn was too far.
Sima stepped in.
*RUI ARMS* _SHUNK—_
Two arms burst from his back like wings. _FWOOOSH!_
He accelerated faster than Chief Louw and caught Nomphiwo in no time. _SNATCH!_
They landed safely. _THUMP._
Vulture crash-landed. _BOOOOOM!_
Dust covered everything within 800 meters. _HAAZE…_
Chief Louw landed beside them and reverted.
_"Are you okay?"_
Sima grunted, embarrassed. His arms still ached. _"…"_
He showed Chief Louw Nomphiwo's wound on her chest.
Chief Louw: _"Don't worry."_
He pulled Nomphiwo's flesh together. _STITCH…_
She screamed in pain. _"AAAAH!!!"_
Her scream was soul-crushing to Sima. He looked away.
Vulture got up, bruised and bleeding.
_"...The timing you had… and her tenacity to refuse to stay down."_
Nomphiwo finally steadied her breathing.
Chief Louw: _"Sima. It's time to end it."_
*FINAL FORM: HYBRID MODE* _CRACK— FWOOOSH!_
Wings grew from his back. He stayed human, but a beak-like collar appeared on his neck.
Vulture: _"You've been a nuisance."_
He transformed too.
The battle had reached its climax.
*Time to go all out.*
Sima looked at Chief Louw, questioning what the form was. Chief Louw informed Sima that it was their race's last form.
When he turned, Sima saw Vulture in his own hybrid form. On Vulture's neck, a thick collar had appeared instead of a beak. His wings were folded, unlike Chief Louw's, which were wide open. Since Vulture's wings were still healing, he didn't want to use them or expose them to the enemy.
Without a word, Chief Louw appeared before Vulture and attempted a gut check, which Vulture blocked. A jab followed from Chief Louw, along with a right and left combo of punches, but all of them were parried by Vulture as he retaliated with his own.
The next thing they knew, their exchange of blows created shockwaves that dug even deeper into the hardened clouds. This was the start of the real battle, because right after those punches, they started using their MAGERUE again, switching positions. This time, the speed was even faster than it was during their base forms.
This proved to be problematic for Sima, who was having trouble seeing them. But with his high-level sensors, he could sense them and feel every connection they made while they zoomed around the arena.
Vulture would attempt to counter Chief Louw's attacks with EXCHANGE MAGERUE, but Louw would retaliate with REVERSE MAGERUE, sending him back to square one.
This was a problem, and Chief Louw had finally understood Vulture's new fighting style and pattern. By parrying both arms and grabbing Vulture's arms, Chief Louw used his wings to cut Vulture in two, leading to him falling as he was cut right through the midsection.
Fatigued, Chief Louw stared at Vulture's body as he apologized to him, calling him "brother."
*Flashback:*
Vulture and Chief Louw were once best friends—rivals who both wanted the Chief's position. They competed for it and were both promising soldiers at the time.
But during the selection ceremony for the new Chief, Louw was chosen because Vulture wasn't there on time. He was busy helping the people from the Southern District. When he arrived that evening, he found that Chief Louw had already been selected.
When he questioned it, they told him they didn't want someone who spent his time dealing with the Southern District. Vulture never understood them. He left.
One day, Chief Louw called him and told him he would change the rules of the Sky Folk and make new ones. Vulture respected Chief Louw and held onto his words.
But three days later, he found out that Chief Louw had killed the children from the orphanage where Vulture was raised and had worked hard to build. That's when Vulture turned against Louw and the rest of the Sky Folk, and started wars against them.
Back in the present: Chief Louw walked away from Vulture's body as he tried to check if his daughter was okay.
Sima, with a smile on his face, turned and looked at Nomphiwo, who was still lying there, eyes open. Before Sima could move to tell Nomphiwo that Chief Louw had defeated Vulture, the sound of flesh being pierced echoed out.
When Sima turned, he saw Chief Louw with a large feather sticking out of his stomach. It was Vulture. It was later revealed that Vulture had hidden himself as one of the clone feathers while healing from the landing he made. He was hiding and healing, waiting for Chief Louw to lower his guard and attack him while he was looking away.
Vulture perched on Chief Louw's shoulder and told Sima he was next. Though he was stabbed, Chief Louw opened his wings and blew Vulture away.
Vulture commented that Chief Louw was useless, and that Sima would be next. Sima lost it. His eyes turned scarlet as he shouted, "I will kill Vulture, even if it's the last thing I do!"
Sima accelerated toward Vulture, who immediately fired a MAZE Sphere at Sima's face. But Sima used his right hand to block the MAZE Sphere. That shocked Vulture, who then questioned who Sima was.
But Sima told Vulture that it was irrelevant. His intentions were clear as his MAZE rampaged in front of Vulture. Chief Louw told Sima, "I'll watch your back."
At that moment, the two beasts returned—the Mantis and Demon Spider—screeching to Sima's Royal MAZE. Right then and there, Sethu teleported next to Sima, while Don flew in using MAZE Mimic to mimic a bird. Now the whole squad was back and ready to fight.
However, Sima told them to charge their MAZE Spheres as powerfully as they could. Vulture told Sima he'd never hit him, because he was too fast for them to land a hit with MAZE Spheres.
No smile. No emotion. Just a dense atmosphere.
Sima let out a sigh as two ginormous spheres appeared from his back while the two beasts charged their MAZE Spheres. Sima used the RUI ARMS to grab the two enormous MAZE Spheres behind him from the beasts, and with a single look, Sethu knew what to do.
Don used MAZE Mimic to create a fighter jet and accelerated toward Vulture. Right before Vulture could react, Sethu appeared behind him and took him away.
Sima commented that this would be his last attack as he leaned forward, using one more RUI ARM to propel himself forward. Vulture appeared at a distance from the city. As he turned, he saw Sethu vanishing behind him.
The next thing he heard was a speeding Sima with two MAZE Spheres on his back. All Vulture could do was shout Sima's name as Sima attacked with the beasts' MAZE Spheres directly into Vulture's face.
The RUI ARMS immediately retracted as Sethu reappeared with Chief Louw, who had a third MAZE Sphere to add on. Sethu grabbed Sima and teleported them out of there.
The explosion could be seen from the city as it towered toward the Northern District's ground clouds. Sima fell to one knee, telling everyone, "If Vulture survives this attack, we're cooked."
The blast's shockwaves reached the city before the light of the explosion settled. A few seconds passed as Sima asked Sethu to teleport them to the explosion site.
When they arrived, Vulture was still alive—badly wounded and unable to move. The beasts got ready to finish him, but Chief Louw told them to stop.
He got on his knees, apologizing to the children, and informed Vulture that it wasn't him who burned the plan made by the elders. Chief Louw told Vulture he meant to keep his promise, but they were killed before he could do as he promised.
Vulture shut Chief Louw up, telling him he didn't want to hear anything from him. Chief Louw lowered his head in shame and guilt.
At that moment, Chief Sam and his guards appeared to apprehend Vulture. They placed the RAINBOW SEAL on him so they could send him to the prison realm where they kept Fuse.
Sima repeated the word "Fuse," and Chief Sam told him it was a bad guy who would destroy anything if he were to escape. They took Vulture and left with him.
*Northern Forest:*
Underwater, on a mirror-like surface, the water illustrated everything that had occurred in the Western Forest. The entire battle was being watched as the man sitting on a royal chamber commented, "I can't wait to meet the new king of the world."
He turned and looked at his daughter, guessing whether she'd marry Sima. But the daughter turned and blushed, telling her father, "Don't sell me out."
The Queen too commented, asking why she was refusing the marriage, which would help them form an alliance with the king of the world.
The young female told the King and Queen she wouldn't force Sima to marry her. "He has to choose me," she said.
The King told her to wait. "Sima is coming to our kingdom next."
*Western Forest:*
A couple of days had passed, and Sima and the others were healed and ready to go out, enjoy delicious meals, and fly with the birds.
They stood at the edge of a leaf, staring at the sea, which was too far to reach. But since they were way up high, they could see it.
Sima made a statement: "We've grown. Let's see what the sea has in store for us."
He turned to see if anyone understood the joke, but they just stared at him, leaving him embarrassed.