{Month: Sunflare}
{Date: 1/7}
{Time: Late Afternoon}
Leo and Tansuke rushed around the north square at high speeds, blistering winds and surges of lightning crashing around the buildings. Their battle was intense, both fists clashing and releasing pulses of cold energy around the area.
Tansuke dodged Leo's slash, thrusting one of his tails forward and tagging Leo on his shoulder's pressure point, weakening his grip upon Selenoath. Seeing the opening, Tansuke began rushing Leo with rapid strikes, blowing him away with a concussive blow to his chest.
Leo groaned heavily, his heart skipping a few beats as he crashed into a wall, leaving an indent of his figure behind. He fell onto one knee, the rubble crumbling onto his flickering Dragon Cloak. He panted softly as he stood up slowly onto his feet, his will still as strong as his inner might.
"Heh, you also managed to survive my Konkon Fury. The newer generation is surely more durable than I remember. Though, I expect nothing less from the Prince of Lunia," Tansuke said, watching as Leo recollected himself with a cool grin.
Leo rolled his shoulder in small circles, inhaling softly and exhaling slowly. He looked up at the sky, noticing the blizzard was starting to clear, a few rays of sunlight peering through the clouds. 'The blizzard is ending...we will be fighting on neutral grounds again...'
Leo met Tansuke's gaze once more, twirling his halberd then shifted it into his katana, Celestial Edge, his aura gradually shifting into a moonlight hue. "With the weather now changing, my strategy must change as well...I heavily underestimated your speed. Even with Selenoath's Cloak, I can barely match you."
"So you're shifting your weapon and weakening Selenoath's Prowess for a little boost of speed? I like the way you think, you were taught by the right folks," Tansuke praised, letting out a hearty laugh before growing more serious. "However, your advantage is soon ending, so what's the plan?"
Leo lowered his stance, a grin stretching upon his lips. "The plan? My sister always taught me, the best plan when you have none is to go all out! Going all out with Selenoath will certainly kill me, so I'll go all out with my father's teachings!"
"Great! Show me, Young Prince! Show me your might!" Tansuke challenged, getting into his stance as well.
Izumi continued watching from the top of the ice pillar, clutching her bow at her chest with a mix of contemplation and concern. She knew Leo was losing this battle, but didn't want to risk getting in his way, her mind in discourse over what to do.
Leo inched forward to strike first, but quickly evaded a large bolt of lightning, grunting softly as the bolt pierced is wing. Tansuke was taken off guard as well, watching as Izayoi's Miko, Fujika arrived on the scene.
"Not so fast, Prince Leo! Our plans have already been set in motion! Sylvannia is ours, Queen Yomi has already made it!" Fujika declared, standing in front of Tansuke with her arms spread out wide.
"Lady Fujika, why aren't you with Izayoi?" Tansuke asked, his eyebrow raised with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"Because I beat her!" I called out, walking toward the battle with the blade of my sword dragging along the ground.
Leo's and Izumi's glanced at me with a boost of morale and happiness. They looked around for Victoria and Mira, noticing Victoria standing atop of a building and Mira flying above on her pegasus.
"Queen Stella..." Tansuke said in a mix of awe and intrigue, his gaze meeting mine directly.
As we stared at one another, his body shivered slightly, noticing my eyes were filled with pure ambition, vengeance, and conquest. My sheer aura caused him to step back, a sight that surprised both Fujika and Ugachi.
"There are no more Mikos for you to call on, Victoria, Mira, and I dealt with them..." I began, pointing my Star Vesper Argentum at Fujika and Tansuke, walking forward and standing beside Leo. "Stalling won't work anymore...I know Yomi is here and I will find her...and eliminate her."
"Tch...Without Izayoi and with Celica and Aname dealing with Jin, we don't have enough power to deal with the Lunia Army all here in one place," Fujika said, looking around with a cautious gaze, her eyes scanning for an escape route.
"All Wadataka Ninjas, Execute the plan! Affinity Shutdown, use the Nature Seal on the entirety of the square!" I commanded, raising my sword in the air.
The Seal Ninja began swarming around the north square, each of them unleashing their Sealing Ninpo and a large glyph in the shape of an Elemental Tree formed on the ground. Everyone in the square grunted softly as their Energy Points were sealed, the Foxes Cloaks vanishing in a blink of an eye.
Ugachi looked around his body, his eyes widening as he realized they walked into a counter trap. "Everyone—"
Before he could warn everyone about what was going on, Victoria blitzed Ugachi with a blinding slash that moved faster than his perception. He groaned as his body crashed through a wall of a building, his body sliding along the floor before tapping against the front desk.
Tansuke stayed cautious after witnessing Victoria's raw speed, his gaze shifting between me and Victoria, his instincts warning him about only us. 'Nature Seal...A Seal that blocks the Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth Affinities. Luckily, this technique is only here and not the rest of Fountaine..'
'Her Advisor beat Ugachi in one blow, so facing them head on without Queen Yomi is a guaranteed loss. With my aura blocked, I can't do anything but rely on my base durability,' Tansuke analyzed as he looked around for an escape route, his mind calculating each possibility with glaring clarity.
Izumi looked at herself for a moment, noticing her aura was also blocked due to the Nature Seal, wondering why my tactic affected her as well. She glanced down at me, noticing I still had access to my aura. 'What is this..? Affinity Shutdown just cut off my aura as well...'
"This is it, you're all finished!" I declared, rushing forward to deal critical damage to Fujika and Tansuke, my blade shining in sync to my blazing will.
As my sword crashed down toward them, a graceful figure appeared in front of them and parried my attack, knocking me off balance momentarily. I grounded myself once more, blocking the retaliating slashes from a swift woman, the two of us ending in a blade lock.
"Tch, it's you, Queen Yomi," I scoffed, pushing her back and leaping backwards to create space.
"Hmph! Queen Stella, you defeated my brother in battle and took him into your dying kingdom. Whatever conquest you're on will fail with me on the field!" Yomi challenged, pointing her katana at me with fierce storm energy rushing around her body.
I chuckled lightly at her insult to my kingdom, dark energy crackling around my body before ominously surrounding my body. "Dying Kingdom? And yet, my kingdom has been the backbone of the Cynthian Region for centuries. Without my Kingdom, our border falls."
"We seem to be doing fine without you, so how about you take your ragtag army and return home! This region is mine to conquer!" Yomi bellowed, dashing toward me at high speeds.
I let out a dark laugh, stomping my foot down and shifting my weapons for Nyx and Nox before sprinting toward Yomi. "There's not enough room for two broken conquerors here, and I will not be the one to fall!"
Yomi and I clashed blades, the force of our attacks seemingly repelling one another before charging back in with repeated clashing. We pushed each other away with me being the first to recover, aiming my matchlock pistol at Yomi then smirked.
I began firing magic bullets at Yomi, each bullet a different affinity to deal different ailments, but Yomi swiftly evaded the bullets and leaped in the air. She performed rapid hand seals, inhaling deeply and blowing out a massive fireball toward me.
Leo rushed forward to my aid, letting out a battle cry as he sliced downward, his blade slicing the fireball in two before propelling himself toward Yomi with a flap of his cloak's wings. "I won't allow you to stop Big Sis's conquest!"
Yomi surrounded herself with wind energy, granting herself the ability to fly for a short amount of time, zipping through the air to avoid Leo's slices and jabs with his blade. "Young fool, you don't have the prowess to stop me!"
Yomi parried Leo's slash then countered with a spinning kick to his stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. Leo grunted heavily as he crashed onto the ground, but quickly flew back into the air to pursue Yomi.
Yomi and Leo clashed and soared in the air, Yomi gaining the upperhand due to their gap in speed and reaction. Leo flew backwards to avoid Yomi's critical blow, one of his wings slowly turning into energy particles due to his exhaustion.
Yomi scoffed at Leo, taking advantage of his exhaustion and began soaring toward him at high speeds with her blade ready to strike him down. "Now you fall!"
Leo smirked at Yomi, deactivating his cloak and forcing his body to drop to the ground to avoid Yomi's slash. From above, Mira swooped down and caught Leo's hand, taking him to Izumi who was still atop the ice pillar.
Izumi quickly took out one of her Talismans and placed it gently on Leo's back, healing him and restoring his stamina. "I'm sorry...I wish I could do more..."
Leo closed his eyes as the soothing aura cloaked his body, a warm smile forming on his lips as he shook his head. "No, you're doing great so far, Izumi..~ All we can do for now..."
Leo opened his eyes, glancing down at my dominant presence, his eyes flashing with determination and assurance. "Is bank on Big Sis on taking down Queen Yomi..."
Yomi scoffed at Leo after his retreat to Izumi, her gaze shifting back down to me. She began to descend to the ground, meeting my gaze with hardened eyes. "Hmph...your little brother seemed to be stalling, but for what? What could you be stalling for?"
"Me? Stalling? Pfft...you dumb fool, I have nothing to stall for! After all, I was already on my way here to claim Sylvannia for myself and my army. You got in the way, but I must thank you for that," I said, holding my arms out with a dark smirk, cursed marks slowly forming from my Royal Crest.
"Now, I can show my real influence by getting the entire Sylvannia Kingdom against North Wadataka! But that would be too easy...I would much rather strike you down myself!" I challenged with authority, Spatial Energy flowing around my body.
Yomi noticed my aura warping and shifting in an unusual manner, tilting her head slightly to try to understand it. 'What is that energy..? It looks like Darkness Energy, but... more... distorted..'
"If you're wondering...This is what Mastery in Darkness looks like! Behold, Spatial Energy!" I laughed, readying myself to face off against Yomi once more.
"Destroy Yomi..."
"No! Don't kill her!"
I grunted heavily as a second, more innocent voice sounded in my head, causing me to become slightly disoriented. I shook my head to recollect myself, my heart beating against my chest. 'That voice...my...old...voice...'
Yomi immediately took advantage of my disoriented state, rushing forward at high speeds, her body a blur as she went for a Stealth Strike aimed at my neck. I narrowed my eyes to look at Yomi, holding my hand out and released a repulsive force of energy around my body.
Yomi grunted as she tried to resist the force of energy, but the force of my attack was too strong for her to withstand, the raw energy output shoving her away. She boosted forward once again, her body flickering and appearing behind me for another Stealth Strike.
"Behind you!"
'Shut up! I know where she is!' I argued with the innocent voice mentally, quickly holding my blade behind me to block Yomi's second Stealth Strike attempt.
I quickly pivoted around with a roundhouse kick, the tip of my boots striking against Yomi's head and leaving her in a slight daze. With a powerful bellow, I slashed down with vicious intent with my katana, but Yomi managed to swiftly evade my strike in time, my blade crashing onto the ground.
The two of us rushed toward each other, blades, bullets, and kunais dancing around the square while we were in heated battle. Both armies, Fox Ninja and Lunia Soldiers alike, watched our Queenly Battle with pure anticipation, both drummers beating their drums for morale support.
"Is that all you can do?! Is this the extent of your Spatial Energy you speak so highly about?!" Yomi taunted from above, coming down with a powerful slash.
I dodged her attack, but misstepped, allowing her to quickly transition into a powerful slash upon my midsection, knocking me away with great forces of wind energy. My body crashed against the Ice Pillar, causing it to crumble down and knock Izumi and Leo off balance.
Izumi let out a panicked scream as she tumbled off from the serious heights, reaching her hand up toward Leo for help. Leo wasted no time jumping off the peak of the pillar for Izumi, the two of them crashing down at high speeds.
"They won't survive that fall!" Fujika yelled out, gasping in shock as the two began plummeting to their impending doom.
Tansuke grunted as he could do nothing but watch, knowing he wouldn't be fast enough to save Leo and Izumi without his Fox Cloak. His eyes watched them near the ground, his heart skipping a beat.
Leo caught Izumi's hand and pulled her into a tight embrace and turned around with his back facing the ground, prepared to take the full impact for Izumi. Suddenly, he felt his momentum stop, his eyes slightly open as he noticed he and Izumi were floating above the ground.
Izumi opened her eyes as well, noticing their fall was caught by Spatial Energy, her gaze slowly shifting toward me with a mix of surprise and gratitude. "Your Highness..."
I pushed myself off the ice pillar, my heart thumping hard against my chest as the near death of my younger brother and his retainer began feeding me with...wrath. I looked at Yomi with a blank gaze, my eyes glowing ominously with a darker resolve.
"She nearly caused you to kill your own brother and his maiden...What will you do about it? Listen to that weakling who dares to stop your conquest..?"
Bushido's whispers echoed in my head, a pulse of darkness emitting from my chest, my curse markings along my arm humming and pulsing with energy. Only one word played in my mind as I stared at Yomi; "Kill.."
Yomi began to feel her skin crawling, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. She could feel the air growing colder despite the clouds clearing and allowing the sun to cast a radiant glow upon the lands. 'I can't...feel anything from her. What happened to you Stella...you are not the same person I knew in the past...'
Without a word, I stepped forward with a dark purpose, my body blinking toward Yomi within an instant, catching her off guard within the same instance. I closed the space between us before she could react, my sword crashing down toward her body with vengeance.
Yomi quickly used her Substitution Ninpo, her body shifting into flower petals and reappearing in the air. Her instincts began warning her about me, her once steady hand beginning to tremble from my presence.
I looked up at Yomi slowly, holding my hand up at her and began to pull her toward me using attraction, an invisible force dragging her toward me forcefully. I caught her by her neck then slammed her to the ground, gritting my teeth as I began adding extra force behind my slam.
Yomi groaned loudly in pain, choking lightly as the forceful hold on her throat began draining her of her air quickly. She grit my wrist tightly, looking up at me with a defiant gaze.
I kneeled down beside Yomi, holding her down in place and stared into her eyes with dominance. "Had you knocked me out from that attack, and I woke up to find my brother dead...I would have killed you on the spot..."
"The only thing saving your life...is the inner light that remains in me. A light that conveniently decided to speak...and beg me to spare your life. With that said...if you are serious about conquering Cynthia...I'd advise you to prepare more.." I threatened, releasing her neck and rising to my feet.
Yomi gasped lightly as her air path was unblocked, coughing lightly and rubbing her neck while sitting up slowly. "You will not stand in my way. My problem is against my brother, not you..! Stay out of my way!"
I pointed my sword at her face, the blade gradually becoming incased in dark energy. "You're in my way...You are coming after my thrones, my purpose. Jin is now a part of my army, so your problem with him becomes my problem as well."
"You are interfering with my conquest and I will not hesitate to kill you...just as Jin did to your pathetic family," I spat with a cold, yet calm tone.
My words struck Yomi like a thousand daggers against her body, the memory of Jin slaying the Kagosaki Clan replaying in her mind. She grit her teeth and stood up, taking out a smoke bomb from her satchel and throwing it down to the ground.
I swiped my arm to clear the smoke around me, looking around to see the North Wadataka army had retreated, leaving behind the Lunia Army. The citizens of Fountaine began cheering for us, singing their praises for us saving them.
I grit my teeth at their gratitude, stomping my foot down and releasing a pulse of energy that silenced everyone. "You are all pathetic. You couldn't protect your own Kingdom from simple wild animals! The greatest Magic Users in Cynthia my ass!"
"Even with the blizzard my Advisor set up that should've given you all unparalleled power, you all still failed! Where is your Queen? This incompetence will no longer be allowed in MY Region!" I yelled, my voice echoing out to every elf in the square.
"That's enough, Queen Stella," A feminine voice called out in the distance, catching my attention.
I turned to face the woman in the distance, my gaze becoming sharper as we locked eyes. Victoria looked at the woman as well, her body tensing with anger the more she stared at her.
"Natsume Reine...the woman who defeated my Advisor two years ago. Fitting you show yourself now after I saved all of your asses!" I yelled, my mind still clouded with Bushido's influence.
Natsume closed her eyes at my outburst, letting out a soft sigh. "I didn't come here to fight you. I'd lose that battle as you are now, but I will lead you to North Sylvannia...since you wish to meet Queen Sophia so badly."
"Good...enough wasting my time. Lead me there this instance," I scoffed, whistling loudly and calling my steed toward me.
Natsume nodded, glancing down at Ronin with slight concern. Ronin nodded at Natsume, reassuring her before running ahead to lead my army to Northern Sylvannia at last. We all followed behind the swift otter, my army letting out victory rallies as we stormed ahead.