Like with a lot of normal wild animals, there were a lot of predator-prey relationships among the Taikon Beasts that usually ended in the prey fleeing or a one-sided battle leading to the prey's demise.
Kent produced a barrier of sand from his fingertips which served as protection for the others which was highly needed since they were facing a Ravewasp. None of the soldiers could take on the Beast apart from the Vice-Captains who had already deduced it to be at the peak High Orange level.
The Ravewasp reassembled into two shorter beings. "It's coming." Ally turned as the loops around their waists attained a black shine until they both detached and began spinning rapidly, targeting her. Putting her hands together, she formed a shield out of her forearms but the saw-like loops continued to push her back towards a wall. She placed a leg on the wall, generating and sending a tremor upwards, prompting the formation of a powerful fist that smashed through the saws from above.
"Whoa!"
"That was incredible!"
"Go, Vice-Captain!!!"
The Researchers and Soldiers alike cheered her own but that turned out to be a grave mistake. The Ravewasp assembled into a single being before widening it's eyes, releasing red laser beams.
Kent disrupted the barrier and instead generated a large sand cyclone that deflected the lasers, sending them back to the Beast. The Beast scattered itself to avoid it's own shot but Ally used her hammer, bashing it back at the Creature that was on the verge of reassembling.
Unlike other beasts, the Ravewasp was a humanoid, making it more inteligent and putting it on a higher threat level than other beasts on the same level. It was smart enough to know that it's own attack was capable of harming it. So even though it was classified under High Orange, the added IQ placed it conveniently at the Low Blue level.
Meanwhile, Sky remained frozen in his tracks with no obvious changes. 'Obvious' being the key word as no one realized that his forearms began to grow fur. Blue fur.
The Beast swerved to the left, evading the lasers but yet again, Kent redirected it. To the soldiers and Researchers, it seemed like a game of tennis with Kent and Ally as the players and the lasers as the ball.
"HAH!!" Ally bashed it hard and fast enough that it got a direct hit on the Ravewasp's shoulder, weakening it for a second. Immediately, she ran with her trusty hammer, jumping high in the air before plunging towards her adversary.
But the Humanoid Insect's hands morphed, becoming tiny numerous flying bees and swarmed towards her in a deadly buzz. Still confident in her skill, she swung her weapon but the bees bent around it, crashing into her stomach and sending her flying tens of feet into the air until she slammed into a wall.
She would have fallen too but her partner acted first, forming a sand bed that softened her landing. She wasn't getting up anytime soon, the Researchers knew because the Ravewasp had used the ability, Sting, on her. It made the victims lose all feeling in their limbs until they became unconscious.
Everyone wondered what was to happen next until the Vice-Captain spoke. "Young ~Dill, put up a force ~field." Dill, more accurately Dillan was a member of Squad Salvia who wielded the Zen Power of Force.
"Uh, yes, Sir!" He stuck his hand out, putting up a forcefield surrounding his fellow soldiers and Researchers, leaving Kent out of it. The Vice himself placed a barrier of sand to reinforce the field.
The Ravewasp turned to him. Kent threw his shield at the Beast but like with most attacks it faced, it scattered and reassembled elsewhere. But it was as if the Vice predicted this as the shield changed course and thudded against the Taikon Beast's head.
Green blood dripped down the Beast's head but it wasn't giving any breathing time as it's entire body minus the head was now encased in moulded sand. Kent sprang forward with both shield and spear in hand.
He thrusted the spear and on instinct, the Ravewasp split it's head into bugs but Kent was never aiming for the head. Instead, he thrusted through both the body and sent out sand tentafles that split into minute particles that actually inflicted damage upon the split-up bugs.
Kent's entire body flipped backwards as the loop around it's waist spinned around it, breaking the body out of the sand. It's body dispersed and reconfigured in the air.
"It can fly too?! It should be illegal to have this many powers," Ace remarked, gobsmacked from the sidelines.
Again, the Ravewasp shot it's eye beams but the Vice Captain spun his spear at an almost supersonic speed, deflecting the eye beams towards the walls, floors, all over the place.
The Beast tried it's best to dodge and maneuver away from it's own attacks but eventually, it was hit in the chest, drawing out even more blood.
"He hit it again!" The Researcher's cheer was drowned out by a horrible screeching sound.
"AGH!!" They covered their ears and gritted their teeth in agony. Even Kent was off-put by the wrenching ringing.
The Ravewasp didn't even look like it possessed a mouth, yet it was producing such a torturous sound. It's eyes glowed brighter energetically until it releazed an even larger eye beam. Kent's strategy failed this time as the spear wasn't strong enough to deflect it and he was scorched, being hit straight in the chest.
He remained fine despite the assault mostly due to his chestplate but he remained uncomfortably still.
"Oh, shit!" Annie and Ace jumped over the protective barrier once Nalia had informed them that the Vice Captain had been victimized by the Ravewasp's Venom ability, an advanced version of the Sting. Unlike it's counterpart, it didn't cause numbness but instead froze the victim's movements completely for a specified amount of time.
Annie lunged her whip with all the strength she had and it latched onto the Beast's leg who was still recovering from shooting the advanced ability. The Magician pulled it downwards with incredible force and halfway to the ground, a large ball of energy, the biggest Ace could produced slammed it against the wall, destroying the structure.
It stood up quickly but was met with a punch from one of the other soldiers from Squad Salvia, then another and another. Identical duplicates of the same soldier who reinforced his arm with his Power attacked the Beast, preventing it from getting on it's feet.
'I can at least help this way.' Nalia thought.
The duplicates moved away from the Ravewasp for a second because something was coming. Katie touched the ground, releasing vines that immobilized the weak Beast, seemingly sealing it's fate for what was to come.
"Boom." Florian emitted a concentrated energy beam he had been building up during his allies' assaults, targeting and hitting the Beast's chest where he knew it was still weak from Kent's attack.
But this time, after the assault, the Ravewasp dispersed. "Ew, what is that?" A weird pheromone was being released into the cave, prompting them to cover their noses. All except one person.
Sky was already on the breaking point and had finally given into his instincts. "Out of my way!" He shoved the female Zen Wielder aside, jumping over the protective forcefield and from a distance, Annie and Ace could notice his deranged eyes and how he was foaming slightly at the mouth.