The Prince sat down upon the throne on his flagship and poured over the statistics with a heavy heart. His advisor reassured him, "The deaths have leveled out since the broadcast. Whatever her original intent, the presentation has had the desired results. Around 53 million deaths but it is trending down. We should be in the rebel faction phase of the process." The Prince still sat upon his throne, thankful that this was one of the lower death tolls but still dwelling on what to do moving forward.
Lady Unicorn entered the chamber, The Prince's expression impossible to tell from beneath the helmet. She laughed and tossed her hair, confident and in charge. While his intervention was not expected, she knew all too well how this royal family behaved. Psychos full of bloodlust. People who truly appreciated her work. She went to speak but he thundered over her, "Do not presume upon the throne. You dragged civilians out into the desert against the suggestion of the Cosmic Patrol officers that contacted me personally. Do you understand the shame that has brought to me?" She recoiled at the accusation, but sensing the danger in pushing back with both the Prince and his advisor here, she remained silent, "I am not my father. Regardless, your display did lead to a drop in death rate and accelerated the pacification. I ask you only one thing. If you must indulge your hunger, you are only to slay open rebellion or champions who challenge you. If you must make examples, you will send those requests to my advisor. I'm sure you are familiar with the Phoenix Emperor?" She looked the scarlet and gold armored figure up and down, unable to get a read on him either. These two were nowhere near as open in their intentions as the Emperor himself had been. And yet the mystery almost made them more interesting. To win them over and ingratiate them to her way of thinking would be a lovely challenge before she drove in the knife.
As if seeing this, the Phoenix Emperor spoke firmly, "While I hold no love for your needless theatricality, it is perfect for a situation like this. Your flair for the dramatic will maintain our intended loss of life below traditional levels. Not to mention your antics entertain Emperor Visto in the meantime. That is useful as many of the more unorthodox commanders have either proven unstable or have perished due to their own foolishness. Maintain your conduct within these rules and your sanity on this world and you may find yourself elevated to higher positions within the nation." Oh, that was cute, he wanted to play tough and professional. She almost wanted to push his buttons, to crack open that shell and find the vulnerable and insecure man he probably was underneath. Still, she understood and curtsied gracefully to the two. He nodded and stated to the Prince, "I believe that is the last of our matters for this world. Anything I'm forgetting, Pandina?"
Lady Unicorn turned in surprise as a rather stern and commanding female voice came from the shadows, "Are we certain that there are no larger threats to the peace here?" She peered into the shadows and eventually a set of yellow eyes began to shine brightly, "Do I amuse you?"
Lady Unicorn shook her head, stammering, "N-no... I just haven't seen you before..."
The Prince nodded, "She is a recent talent scouted by the Phoenix Emperor. She is his direct subordinate and will operate as your liaison if he himself is unavailable." Sufficiently informed and intimidated, Lady Unicorn nodded in understanding, bowing before making her departure. As she vanished in purple flames, the Prince sighed, "Whatever threats we may have missed should be within her talents to manage. We don't have the time to pluck every weed. If any threat grows too tall we will eliminate it when it makes itself known." The two officers bowed in respect to the Prince's judgement and excused themselves from the room. The Prince sighed, etching a mark on his bracer for each of the brave champions he had to lay low on this world.
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Lady Unicorn returned to the village just before daybreak, no officers and no minions in tow. She needed to create a rival worthy of her time and she couldn't have their silly little rules get in the way. As long as no one was alive to prove it was her, that would be enough. Slaughter each of the villagers in a glorious blaze that would paint the sunrise red with ash. That Nina girl had the fire in her eyes. The darkness she could poke and prod until it became a brand on her soul. A mark of ownership by her and her alone. An arch enemy worthy of her grand performance. As she tried to enter one of the homes, she heard footsteps on the roof. She couldn't contain her curiosity, so she teleported to the roof only to see nothing. Hearing someone running from the house, she went over to look but again saw no one. And then she heard something from behind her that gave her chills and made her smile.
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"Even in the darkest of nights the sun will rise! In this world's darkest hour arrives a warrior, a woman defined by hope and shaped by ideals!"
Lady Unicorn turned to face the voice only for no one to be there. It was daylight, even faintly. How was this woman so hard to track? She heard the voice behind her again.
"Bearing the spirit of the scorpion, reborn from the spirit of the fallen!"
Before she could turn again, she felt her wrists grabbed from behind and pulled back. A heavy kick to her spine knocked the wind out of her before she was rolled backwards and thrown. When she had recovered the woman was gone once more. Her voice seemed to echo around Lady Unicorn who was quickly realizing how much control of the situation she had lost.
"I am the coming dawn that will cast away the shadows of your despair! The light on the horizon for those lost in shadows!"
Lady Unicorn started towards the edge of the roof, hoping to get a better idea of where her foe was only to see an improbable flip from beneath the edge of an awning leading to a dropkick to her face. Leaping off of her face and landing on the opposing roof was a woman in an orange outfit that seemed to shimmer and shift as she moved. Her white gloves and boots were decorated with gold trim, and Lady Unicorn briefly saw what looked like a scorpion embroidered in gold on her back. Her visor was pitch black and her helmet shone the finest gold. The hero posed with her arms crossed, not unlike the masked man she had fought before.
"Behold! Hope's Chosen Warrior! Zora, Warrior of the Dawn!"
Confused and angered from the kick to the face, she readied the rings of flames, just as she had for that man. As she did, the woman flipped backwards off the building, much to Lady Unicorn's confusion. Was she running? That was odd. Still, it gave Lady Unicorn a moment to reflect. Maybe this one could-
She didn't have time to finish the thought because before she realized it, the woman had returned to her roof, doing a handstand on Lady Unicorn's head, using her horn as the handle. Dropping behind the villainess without releasing the horn, Zora threaded her legs through Lady Unicorns and with a quick split forced the villainess to her knees and prevented her from freeing her legs from the lock. While she was still processing this, Lady Unicorn felt multiple punches to her lower back with Zora's only free hand. After a few moments that felt like an agonizing eternity, Zora released her hold. She pointed to the villain and stated firmly, "That was for El Magnifico. I am telling you now, wherever you act against the people of this world, I will rise to face you. If you value your life, you will flee from the coming dawn."
Realizing she was being spared and thankful that no one was around to watch this, Lady Unicorn vanished in purple flames. When she was safe, she thought about it and realized that this was her own doing. She wanted an arch enemy and she had made one. She didn't know how that woman got so powerful, but next time she fought her it would be at a proper stage with a proper audience. No ambushes. No surprises. Still, she found herself smiling. Finally someone worthy of her time, even if they were a little more intense than she had wanted.
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Anisa began to test the mat, a series of flips and handstands to make sure it was secure. She landed on the turnbuckles and bounced on them a few times to make sure they were secure. The mask on her face helped her maintain her focus. She needed to stop wasting time. Needed to stop letting her past get in the way. Block it out. Don't hesitate. This isn't the face of a violent monster. Nor is it the face of a coward. It isn't the face of revenge or the face of a murderer. She was the beacon of hope. Just like him. Just like her childhood heroes. For as long as she wears it, that's all anyone needs to know.
His wife was watching the news in the other room. A propaganda campaign disguised as an obituary for the man they believe El Magnifico to be. Telling the story of a man from the nation of Vino. A local mafia boss who was known for his brutal punishment for traitors. He may not have been influential, but he was well respected. A man who killed his own son when he tried to turn in their operations. A man who vanished afterwards without a word. A man they claimed wore the mask to hide from the law. As his wife grieved in the other room, Anisa knew the truth. He was a haunted man wishing to be reborn, but unable to abandon his past. A man not unlike herself, and a man whose spirit she would carry on, just as she carries the wraith of the scorpion that ruined her life.