The grass of war was cracked, burned and reduced to nothing. A hellish battle had already begun and would soon reach the end given what would come next. Three women who led the defensive charge now stood in front of their foe on the opposite side, a man clad in black with vicious eyes and a cold glare. The clash between them would likely decide which side would win.
The two succubi of royalty readied themselves for what would come next. They had already known that their opponent would not be the standard kind. If they were to recklessly charge in without thinking, it would only lead to an instant severance of their lives.
In complete contrast, the goddess to the right of the two was nervous. Not only due to the situation at hand, given that their opponent was once a close friend of hers, but something greater. The man’s full potential was unknown to her. She was aware that he was strong, she was aware that his matōki could provide a barrier against some attacks with just the aura alone, but she was unsure of how far his power could expand. His strength, speed, skill, all was unknown to her. He was once a pacifist, after all. The weapons of one would likely be unknown to all but themselves.
The spurs of his boots clinked with every frightening step he took.
As he approached, the azure woman with blood red hair, Devi Bloodfire, attempted to release her matōki ability from being used. However, before she could try, a hand with long black fingernails grabbed onto her arm from the side. Devi turned her eyes to meet a pair of the same color from a woman in snow-like colors, Shiro Fuloreen.
Shiro: [Don’t.]
Devi: [Shiro?]
A worried look covered her eyes.
Shiro: [I don’t know what he’s capable of… However, I know for a fact that we’ll need some level of skill to beat him. I’ve known that for a long time now.]
Devi moved her eyes back to Nero and looked towards the large greatsword that sat in his right hand.
Devi: [I must ask then, if you know some of his capabilities, what effect will that sword provide?]
Shiro: [... I don’t know.]
Again, Devi turned to face Shiro, who continued to look at the sword herself. Shiro's quiet voice trembled as she spoke.
Devi: [Pardon?]
Shiro: [He had a disc once. It was something Kō made for him, around the same time as my sword was made. The disc could spawn a bunch of scythes across it, like a buzzsaw frisbee. But that’s not the disc. The only thing that resembles it… is the hilt.]
Pointing towards the hilt, all three of them focused on the oddly shaped hilt. It was the same as any other, but a circle of metallic angel wings was formed from the bottom and connected to the top.
Tequi: [So basically, we’re just gonna have to perform some risky tests while we fight.]
Devi: [It is unfortunate, but it cannot be helped. Prepare yourselves for the worst, you two.]
Shiro and Tequi: [Right!]
The man drew closer. The three grew silent.
Devi remained determined. Tequi was slightly irritated given that the information on their opponent was unknown, but was ultimately prepared. Shiro could not help but sweat. She tried to swallow the saliva that collected in her mouth with every five seconds that passed.
After numerous steps of the echoing boots, the man was now only ten steps away from them.
Not a word was exchanged as he arrived.
They only exchanged glares with him.
He turned his eyes to Tequi, a great disdain was visible from within them.
He then moved his focus to Devi, the hatred from before was now filled with bloodlust.
As he looked at the two, Shiro tried to find the words to speak to him with.
It had only been a short time since the two spoke, yet it felt like an eternity to her.
The last time she had seen him was the birthday party that Yoro had set up.
She left their castle with a warm sense of joy in her heart, and the two of them had their happiness displayed on both of their faces.
But now, he stood here. The nightmare she had only heard about took form. It was real and it was now standing before her.
There were several things she wanted to say, several things she wanted to ask. Some of which did not belong in this war.
How was Vari after I left? Did she talk about me? What happened to Yoro? What happened to Vari? Is she safe? What’s gotten into you? Why have you decided that the world needs to be cleansed? Snap out of it, Nero! You’re not being your usual self! This isn’t like you at all! Varius’ safety should be the priority right now, not this innocent village! Please stop, Nero!
Before she could even find the words to say, Nero met her eyes. His sharp pupils softened in appearance as he looked towards her. What then followed was a break in the silence that had existed for nearly a minute.
Nero: [Shiro, would you care to join me? I believe the two of us are quite similar. We have seen eye to eye on many matters since long ago, after all.]
The two beside her moved their eyes to face her. A feeling comparable to two different daggers sliding against her throat was now presented to her. She did not want to join Nero in his plan, but should she choose to do so, it would likely mean declaring war on those very same two.
Shiro’s mouth opened, but not a word escaped. Instead, a few small sounds were released before she spoke.
Shiro: [Ne… Nero… You shouldn’t be doing any of this! This isn’t like you at all!]
The softness of his eyes started to slowly fade.
Shiro: [You’re better than this… and I know that! You wouldn’t hurt a single person before! But now, you’re trying to kill innocent people?!]
Nero’s eyes were then closed. A deep breath was taken as he opened his mouth again.
Nero: [If you continue to chain your mind to such black and white views of people, it shall be the very reason you will fall, Shiro. It’s unfortunate that we could not see eye to eye on this matter, but I will continue with my path nonetheless.]
Devi: [If you will allow me to interject…]
Nero’s eyes opened with a far more slim appearance than ever before. As he looked towards Devi, his seething voice prevented her from speaking any further.
Nero: [I have no need to speak to a miserable cur such as you. The only aspect you shall provide is a display of my complete and total victory, with your dismembered head serving as the trophy to it.]
Devi: [I understand where your anger is coming from–]
Nero: [If you truly understood, my wife would be alive at this moment. Let it be known that the blood of those who have died is on your hands.]
Before Devi could try to speak for a third time, Tequi placed herself into the conversation.
Tequi: [It might be a bit pointless to ask, but do you think you could come along quietly? We don’t want anyone else getting hurt and the sooner we can wrap things up the better.]
An annoyed gaze was sent her way by Nero.
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Nero: [As I would expect of someone who has done little other than compete for a useless throne. If you want to fulfill your role as a useless rodent, you could rot away in an alley where you belong.]
Tequi’s cheeks were puffed out in a child-like anger.
Tequi: [Hm! He sure is rude!]
For a few more seconds, the air was filled with silence. The one to break it this time being–
Shiro: [Nero…]
The dark gray eyes moved back to the goddess in white.
Shiro: [I need to know… please… Is Varius safe?]
A response was not given. Instead, he provided the same shut of his eyes and deep breath that he had done before. His eyes returned to a neutral position as they opened.
Nero: [I believe my forces desire an end to this war. I shall graciously provide it to them with the deaths of each and every one of you.]
Devi opened her mouth.
Devi: [If you could please li–]
The time for speaking had ended. Before her statement could finish, Nero shot towards her and focused a slash at her neck. Providing a quick spin to her feet, Devi spun out of the way to prevent Nero from attaining the trophy he desired.
After the first slash however, it did not end. Nero gave chase and forced Devi into a position in which she could do nothing but dodge. Vicious, calculated attacks were sent at her from perfect angles. Her legs, her eyes, her throat, her chest, all had been targeted as he chased her down. It was clear that he wanted to fatally wound her as quickly as he could, but what would follow after that would likely be slow and painful torture.
With a raise of his sword in the air, Nero prepared to strike down at Devi. Devi’s sword was raised to defend against it, but something had put her off. At the sight of her guard, Nero had suddenly sped his attack up. Unsure of what would come next, Devi moved her sword down and shifted in position to avoid the attack. Once again, she was forced into a tactic where she could only dodge.
From behind Nero came ten pink rays of light that moved in towards his position. Without even looking at them, Nero dodged each of the arrows that were intended to pierce through his body. The arrows were then redirected back to him, only for him to avoid them once again. This time however, he provided a strike to five of them as they passed him. An annoyed click of the tongue was given by Tequi who was then forced to prepare another five arrows with her hand and teeth. Her other hand was occupied with the remaining arrows that chased him.
Tequi: [Tch! Dis is way harger than I thought!]
Shiro: [Tete! Watch your shots for me! I’m going in!]
Tequi: [Huh? Oh, yeah! Got it!]
A white blur dashed by Tequi and was headed towards Nero. It took a moment for her to decipher what was said and by who, but after figuring it out, Tequi remained cautious with her shots.
Appearing behind Nero was Shiro with Tempest gripped firmly in her hands. With her immense speed, Shiro attempted to challenge Nero with strikes of her own. However, with each slash that approached, Nero effortlessly dodged them just like he had dodged the arrows from before. Not a single hit of Tempest landed against him. Neither of the spiked sides of the rough sword connected against their target.
After several useless attacks, Shiro attempted to slash at his chest, only to be met with nothing. Nero, who was now behind her, slapped her back and caused her to trip onto the ground. The tip of his sword was then raised and readied to pierce her chest before she could even turn to face him.
Before the sword could hit her, Tequi’s arrows drew close once again causing Nero to shift his focus onto them. Shiro quickly leapt off the ground and moved over to Devi, who was planning what to do next as swiftly as she could.
Devi: [Shiro, are you alright?]
Shiro: [Yeah… I’m fine. It was a little bit scary there, but overall I’m okay. The only bad part is that I still can’t land a hit on him.]
Devi: [I believe that is the problem we are all struggling with. If we were to defeat him, we would likely need to catch him off guard.]
Shiro: [Catch him off guard… He saw your ability earlier, right? He also probably saw Tequi’s while she was fighting. I can say for certain that he’s seen mine before. Wait… That’s it!]
Shiro’s pained expression was morphed into an energetic one as an idea sprouted in her head.
Devi: [What is?]
Shiro: [There’s something I have that he doesn’t know about! I hate to ask, but can you keep him occupied, Vivi?]
A confident smile stretched out across Devi’s face.
Devi: [Of course. I’ll buy you as much time as you need.]
Shiro charged in a different direction from the battle at hand while Devi moved towards Nero. Seeing her approaching, Nero continued his offensive onslaught which forced her to flip backwards as she avoided the attacks and attempted to unleash some of her own.
Joining in with Devi, Tequi shifted the positions of each of her arrows, causing awkward delays between them in order to throw Nero off. While it did not change the results of her attacks, the combination between her and Devi allowed for not a single bit of his focus to shift onto Shiro.
A sharp sound comparable to the wind being ripped was approaching. With a heavy kick to Devi’s sword and another two arrows destroyed by his blade, Nero turned to Shiro who was only a few inches away from him.
In an instant, she disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
Shiro was now alone in a world of darkened clouds and white smoke. Around her were several things she had stored, but none of these things were her focus at the moment.
Shiro quickly circled around to the other side of where Nero’s position had been and prepared a slash to his side. As her sword moved close, she reappeared back in the real world.
… Only for her attack to be blocked by Nero’s own sword. His focus now locked onto her from over his shoulder.
A look of complete shock washed over each face of the three women.
Shiro: [W-What?!]
With a heavy slap against the ground from her wings, Shiro jumped back with a terrified confusion filling her heart.
Shiro: [There’s… There’s no way that didn’t work… That was a fluke! It has to be!]
Again, Shiro entered the world only she had the right to enter.
She recalled Nero’s exact position and moved to his side. Tempest was placed above her head as she thrusted her sword down at him.
She made herself known again within the world. But the same result had already arrived. Nero moved his eyes up towards her and blocked the oncoming attack.
Shiro refused to believe what was happening could even be real. Before allowing the despair to settle in, she disappeared for a third time and attempted a flurry-like rush from every angle. An attack that she had not performed since her battle against Daroma the Dark ten years prior.
She could only run from her fear for so long, as when she undid the effects of her innate ability, she watched as each of her attacks were blocked. The final one that was stopped was placed at Shiro’s current position, where Nero held Tempest steady with his own blade.
Nero: [An attack I have already seen is not a wise one to use, Shiro.]
With a heavy push, Nero forced her arms into the air leaving her body open for a counter. As he prepared an attack, a large cube of fire engulfed the space around him. The size of the cube ever so slightly avoided Shiro herself. She had then felt a hand grab her arm and help her stand, the hand belonging to that of Devi Bloodfire, who moved her back to where Tequi was.
Shiro: [I’m sorry for the trouble I caused… I don’t know why but my Illusion World isn’t working…]
Devi: [Your Illusion World?]
Shiro: [It’s my innate ability. I can enter a world of my own but I can’t really sense or see anything in the real world. While my possessions might move with me, it doesn’t change the positions of things in the real world so I have to be careful before and after I use it.]
Devi: [I see. Well, our current situation is a less than ideal one. We’re being cornered much faster than expected and our matōki abilities are already known.]
The fire that danced around Devi’s figure started to rise into a much greater flame.
Devi: [In that case, I believe it is time that we move things forward and enter our next stage in the plan.]
Tequi: [Not yet, Devi.]
The immense flame started to shrink after receiving Tequi’s call.
Devi: [Tequi, it would be best to use something strong in order to weaken him. We’ve yet to provide a single ounce of damage to him, so I believe moving into our advancements might be the correct choice.]
Tequi: [What would be best is if you started getting serious like Shiro and I are! Stop with all the dodging while you’re deciphering what he’ll do next and just provide some basic attacks!]
A sudden snap was displayed from Tequi, who unleashed her verbal fury at the former ruler beside her. The change in her attitude caused a great shock to Shiro, as she was used to a much more kind and energetic Tequi rather than a frustrated one.
Shiro: [Tequi…]
Devi: [... That is the current problem in our situation, Tequi.]
The two beside Devi widened their eyes with shock as they looked at her.
Tequi: [W-What?!]
Shiro: [What do you mean by that, Devi?]
Devi: [This entire time, I did not underestimate his strength in the slightest. I did not attempt to gauge what he was capable of. I merely fought him as an opponent of a notable expertise as I have done on occasion in the past. But no matter where I struck from, no matter how much power I applied to the attacks or the speed I put behind them, not a single one was able to break through. There’s something else however…]
Suddenly, the cube of flames was destroyed by a single slash. Nero continued his slow march towards them. Remnants of the cube lit up his path and caused the edges of his body to be illuminated in a terrifying light.
Devi: [I’m unsure of what that sword is capable of, the same as you two are. However, I could tell from the single moment in which I tried to block it, there’s something incredibly dangerous about the blade. My cube is further proof of this, as it should not have broken as easily as it did.]
Tequi bit down on her lip which led Devi to meet her eyes.
Tequi: [I hate to make things worse, but he wasn’t doing a single thing until now. All he did was stretch his body a bit along with cracking each individual finger and his neck. After that, he used a single slash to break the cube. This whole time… he was just toying with us!]
Shiro: [You could tell he was doing that much, Tequi?!]
Tequi: [My ability to sense is way stronger than a lot of other people. It’s not just a presence, but actions and the like are things I can also see. It’s like having X ray vision. Regardless of my sensing, we’re growing tight on options at the moment.]
Shiro gripped tightly at the hilt of Tempest.
There had to be something, anything she could use. He was already aware of Tempest and its capabilities. He was now aware of Shiro’s Illusion World. Her matōki would likely provide little to no effect, given how poorly Yoro’s had worked against him when the two were enemies.
Shiro struggled to find an answer within her mind while watching Nero slowly approach them.
Though she gnashed her teeth together and closed her eyes in frustrated pain, something emerged from within the depths of her mind.
Yoro. Nero.
The two of them once taught her an important lesson.
Yoro had taught her how to use her matōki effectively, while Nero showed her where her talent may lie.
She had used that very logic to defeat a mighty foe at the time…
… and now, it would come into play to defeat another.
Shiro: [Vivi! Tete! Would it be possible for you two to stall him again?]
Tequi: [Your move isn’t gonna work again if it didn’t work three times over, Shiro!]
Shiro: [It’s not my Illusion World! I promise! This is something new! Well, kinda new–That’s besides the point! It’s something he hasn’t seen yet! It’ll hurt him, one hundred percent, but I need time to charge it!]
Tequi hesitated to respond. She was unsure whether Shiro’s words were true or not and given their situation, it was risky to try. But not a single word left her lips, due to the fact that without warning, Nero had suddenly picked up his pace and lunged towards Shiro. Devi then moved in front of Shiro and turned her head over her shoulder.
Devi: [I will trust you with this plan, Shiro! Focus on your attack and we will stall him!]
Upon hearing Devi’s affirmation, Shiro presented a kind smile and nodded her head.
Shiro: [Right! I’ll leave him to you two!]
In perfect synchronization, Devi released a wave of vicious flames from her sword at Nero. These flames were then reduced to nothing as he slashed through them with his sword and aimed for her head once again, with a flip of Devi’s body being given in response. All the while, Shiro flew high into the air with her wings and placed one open hand below herself while placing another above her head.
Tequi retaliated against Nero’s attack with a flurry of more arrows which caused him to flip a few steps back as he avoided them. Moving past Tequi, Devi placed her sword close to her head as she spoke to her mauve haired ally.
Devi: [Tequi. Do you recall the times in which we teamed up to take down a much greater foe?]
Tequi: [It wasn’t very often that we did so. I can only recall two occasions where that happened.]
Devi: [Well then, I suppose for him, we’ll have to make it a third.]
The nervous Tequi continue to sweat over the danger they were placed into. However, it did not stop the return of something within her. The return of her happy, energetic self.
A wide smile was placed onto her face as she walked towards Devi and placed her back against Devi’s shoulder. Her bow now pointed directly at Nero with more arrows at the ready.
Teqi: [I guess it really is just like old times! We’ll just have to make the most of it then!]
Devi: [Indeed, we will.]
Lowering her sword, Devi now pointed it towards Nero with both hands thrusted forward. In response, Nero’s arms fell slack only to then raise the singular arm that held his blade, which he pointed at the two.
The scales of life and death were now being swayed from side to side.
12 minutes until the clock strikes 5:30 PM.
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