Dimensional Descent

"Not good." Karolus' pupils constricted.

He had thought that they would charge together, but Joel and Arnold had actually gone ahead on their own. But that wasn't even the main problem.

Even if the two managed to come out unscathed the battlefield had completely changed with the billowing steam. Let alone the fact they would need to protect themselves from the boiling steam, but their vision would also be obstructed, making it more difficult to coordinate their movements.

Within the Third Dimension, hot steam from freshly boiled water could already cause severe burns. Fire hot enough to boil Fifth Dimensional waters were even more exaggerated. It was like Joel and Arnold were under a perpetual deadly assault from all sides.

"Dammit. Stay here." Karolus made a decision, about to dash forward.

"Don't go."

Franco and Gil stopped Karolus. The two were practically mortal enemies usually, however at the moment, they had a tacit understanding. Joel had told them to help Karolus and the other Moon people, but there was a clear hidden meaning behind his words which was quite simple…

Don't let them mess anything up.

At that moment, two shadows suddenly surged out from the fog. No, it wasn't that they had surged out of it, the steam had grown far too tall and covered a space far too wide for that. Instead, they had dispersed the steam around them, their Force billowing like a raging torrent.

Arnold took the helm, Universal Force the likes of which made the very ocean surface itself tremble for several kilometers rising out from him.

Images of a trembling asteroid belt rotating about a golden moon hung high above his head, illuminating the endless fog in his image.

His large palms shook, the energy around them growing in size to the point it dwarfed the head of the whale beneath his. His expression went from indifferent to ferocious. It was the kind of look that had always been hidden beneath his football helmet on the field but was now displayed prominently for all to see.

It struck fear in their hearts. It made blood run cold. It made the wind itself turn still, hanging in the air as though purposely waiting for Arnold's next action just so that it could escape.

BANG!

Right then, the palm descended, deforming the head of the blue whale into the form of a hand and five fingers. The sound alone was loud that it drowned out the thunderous booms of the clouds above and the devastation was so potent that the left and right whales were sent sprawling just by the ocean waves alone.

However, Arnold himself wasn't satisfied with his strike. He could tell that the whale's skull hadn't given way beneath his power. In fact, though its head had deformed, much of that was just its thick skin and fat being displaced irregularly.

That said, Arnold's strike wasn't useless. It stopped the fire bristle whale from being able to send out another strike immediately. Not only had it been sent several hundred meters into the water below, but whale's had brains as well. It most definitely wasn't immune to being disoriented and concussed. That left just enough time for Joel to prepare his own strike.

Like clockwork, Joel appeared by Arnold's side, both of them riding atop the massive wave the latter's attack had caused.

Joel's dark skin danced with light as he concentrated strength within his halberd. Space trembled and cracked as his forearm flexed, keeping a tight control.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and smiled in Arnold's direction.

"Just like old times, huh buddy?"

Arnold expression, having returned to an eerie calm. But, his words came out smoothly.

"I pin them down."

Joel's smile turned to a grin. "And I'll take their heads."

It was at exactly that moment that the fire bristle whale rebounded out of the ocean, the waters surging forward to quickly fill in the empty space.

Joel's halberd descended in a devastating arc, aiming for the thinnest and most vulnerable location within the injury Arnold had caused it. As far as Joel was concerned… This whale was nothing more than tenderized meat.

SHUUUU!

A blinding light of blade qi drew and line through the sky, piercing through the whale's skin and through its skull. An ear tearing roar shook the skies filled with a mournful plea, but it was already too late.

Gasping for breath, Joel fell back to the ocean's surface as the wave they stood upon faltered. He was completely spent. Even before this attack, he had already been running on nearly empty but now it was far worse. His lungs felt like he was breathing in the very steam fog that had threatened to char him to ash just moments earlier.

Arnold caught Joel by the arm, helping him to stabilize himself as they retreated.

As the coarse and foul blood of the fire bristle whale began to pool in the dark waters, the two young men suddenly found themselves having their auras locked onto by two extraordinarily enraged whales.

What they hadn't been aware originally was that these three whales were actually brothers. And, unlike many beasts of the Third Dimension, these Fifth Dimension beasts actually had concepts of kinship and comradery.

Arnold's own Force reserves had long since run on empty, he could only use what Universal Force had had left to fuel himself. But, he was quickly running out the Focus he needed to sustain it.

As for Joel, he was only able to remain upright with Arnold's support. It was clear that taking out a single whale had already been their upper limit. The two could only run with everything they had left, rushing to get away from the two enormous whales that were out to seek revenge.

However… neither had an ounce of panic on their faces. As for why, that much was obvious. They had six other brothers.

In the distance, Allan gave Raj a final command as his magnetic ability began to take action, his Force surging in large, rolling waves. Even as he worked, his gaze was locked onto the two in the distance.

Around Allan and Raj, Drake continuously fired at the large droplets of water falling the skies, bursting the mucous membranes and rendering their lethality useless.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

Under Allan and Raj's prowess, a crude rail gun rose up from ocean's surface, its menacing tip aiming for the whale closest to the running pair.