November 20, 2056

1:27 A.M.

Vicerole, Underground Settlement

Zoe Wine

It's dark.

Where am I?

Consciousness slowly seeps back into Zoe's senses, and with that comes a dull ache pulsating behind her temples. With a groan, she lifts her hand to her face, only to feel a warm liquid streaming down her face. Panic surges through her as she jolts up and desperately claws at her eyes, attempting to free her eyesight.

"Divine Heal! Divine Heal! Divine Heal!"

It's no use, the slash directed towards her was Enhanced with Divinity that would prevent any remedy casts. She remembers the searing pain that came with it before being catapulted through the windows of the shop. The moment replays itself repeatedly in her head. The distant sounds of metal clashing soon pull Zoe out of her thoughts as her ears perk up to the echoing sounds.

Her heart quickens at the realization that the battle still rages on and at the possibility that her friends are being slaughtered the longer she ponders. Blind or not, she is still a Flag Bearer, and she has an oath to protect those around her.

Sweeping blindly around her, her hands eventually come across a countertop which she uses to pull herself up. Using it as support, she guides herself to the front entrance and trips into the street outside where she tries to get a bearing on the location of the fight. This proves to be more difficult than anticipated, however. Gunfire, explosions, and the screams of people all combine into a cacophony of sounds that overwhelm her already delicate ears.

Honing her senses, she drowns out the excess noise and calms her breathing down until only the rhythmic beat of her heart remains to occupy the silence. After a few moments, she finally finds what she's looking for and begins to stumble towards its source. The residue is faint, but it's all Zoe needs to confirm that this is the right direction she's heading.

"You insolent beast!"

A voice makes her stop in her tracks as she looks up in its direction. And there, like a lone flame dancing in the night, Zoe spots the glowing white figure of the UnHoly User. Even in the shroud of darkness, a Divinity User's aura can still be detected, especially if said User is constantly radiating in potent Divinity. This effectively allows one to create an image of the individual without the use of any other senses.

"You are a cancer that has no right to utter his name!"

Approaching closer, she notices a new aura appear directly beneath the armored warrior, only this one is dim and on the brink of being extinguished.

Another Shard!

"Hey!"

Her voice makes him turn towards her. Even without her sight, she can still practically feel the weight of their gaze. The warrior's presence alone is enough to send shivers down the average shard, yet Zoe is undeterred. If fear lurks within her, it is swiftly being overtaken by the unyielding rage that resides deep within, a force that ceaselessly consumes any hint of apprehension.

"So, you're a fan of cheap shots huh..."

Adrenaline surges through her veins, and the Divinity within begins to manifest at her fingertips. No point in holding back anymore. Either the Divinity will kill her, or the warrior will. One thing is certain, though; she'll kill him before that time ever comes.

"Well guess what you Divine Right piece of shit... I can still see you!"

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"Divine Lasso!"

Looking onwards towards the Shard, the Tempest huffs at the sight before them. They effortlessly catch the glowing lasso with their forearm and manage a sly smile at the weak attempt of an attack.

"Bastardina. I don't have time to play these games-"

Suddenly, the Tempest's arm is yanked with astonishing force and velocity, dragging their body through a succession of walls before hurling them into a neighboring building. Smoke pours into the street once more as the foundation gives way and collapses on top of the Tempest.

Zoe prepares another cast at the aura, but the arrival of new Divinity makes her stop and turn to their direction.

"Zoe!"

"Cruz?"

Zoe manages to keep herself composed and steady as Cruz and his squad come up behind her.

"Cruz listen to me. We were ambushed by an UnHoly User. Take whatever survivors there are and get as far away from here as possible! I'll keep them distracted."

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"UnHoly User?" Cruz barely has time to take in the new information as the Tempest bursts through debris ahead of him. The raw Divinity pouring out of them is now almost double from before. It's enough to make the other shards gag.

"Looks like I pissed them off," Zoe laughs.

"Zoe, you don't have to do this!" Cruz shouts, "If we run, we can-"

"If you run, you and everyone else can make it," she cuts him off, "This is necessary in order for the Companies to survive."

Cruz goes to plead with her once more but when Zoe looks back to face him, he catches sight of her injury.

"Don't worry about me." she smiles, "I'm pretty strong y'know?"

Tightening his fists, Cruz orders his men to gather the remaining survivors as he looks on to Zoe one last time. It's his duty to protect the shards he commands, especially the young ones, yet he is completely powerless in this situation.

"...Forgive me, Zoe," he mutters before heading off with the others.

With everyone out of the way, the two Divinity Users face each other once again with a charged tension that crackles in the air. Drawing her blade, Zoe readies herself as the Tempest shoots forward and delivers a devasting blow that pushes her across the gravel. Gripping the hilt harder, she matches their energy and propels at high speed towards them where the two release a fury of slashes.

The cavern reverberates with the sound of their duel, sparks flying with each blow as the air surrounding the two becomes thick and distorted.

"Divine Blast!"

Backing away, the Tempest deflects the Enhancement with a barrier, but the smoke caused by it allows Zoe to thrust through the barrier and catch him by surprise. He parries it at the last second as the two continue to clash, taking their fight through various parts of the town.

Busting through another wall, Zoe stumbles over the items scattered across the room as the attacks become more relentless. The inanimate objects are proving troublesome; one wrong step and it's over. She needs to find an open area. Before the Tempest can catch on to this, Zoe creates an opening with a parry and casts another Enhancement.

"Divine Drive!"

Divinity ripples through the Tempest's blade as he's pushed outside where the battle rages back to life. Time seems to slow as they continue their deadly dance, each unwavering as their stray strikes slice through the surrounding buildings with ease.

Some time passes before Zoe breaks away and raises her hand to cast.

"Divine Envelop!" A cocoon-like barrier forms around the Tempest as Zoe casts again, "Extension: Skewer!"

Golden spikes soon manifest outside the sphere before being propelled through the barrier and directly at the Tempest. It's quiet for a moment as Zoe tries to steady her ragged gasps. It's short however as the barrier is punctured through with the Tempest stepping out with only minimal scratches on his armor.

"UnHoly Arts: Replica."

Avoiding the first strike, Zoe attempts to block the second strike only to see an identical figure appear seemingly out of nowhere next to the Tempest. It copies his previous move which Zoe only barely manages to dodge again as the first figure reengages. Their blades connect as the second figure strikes down with the same force, only purposefully delayed.

It doesn't take long for her to figure out that he's replicating his moves with a short delay behind each one. Casting an Enhancement of swiftness evens the odds momentarily, but she can feel the fatigue creeping in the more time passes. She has to end this.

"O, banners of Divinity, in your presence I hope to find strength. Let your Divine presence guide me so I may overcome this evil!"

"UnHoly Slash!" The Tempest's words cut through the air as he sends a volley of silver rays toward Zoe. "Extension: Several!" The already replicated rays now burst into multiple manifestations as Zoe continues to cast all the while cutting through each attack.

"Grace me with your essence! Empower me with your nourishment! Delegate me as one of your finest Flag Bearers!"

Ignoring the blinding light being produced by Zoe's flag, the Tempest rushes forward in a last attempt to stop the cast. Sheathing their blade, they begin to cast an Enhancement of their own just as Zoe utters her next words.

"Divine Arts: Thunderclap Blade!"

"UnHoly Arts: Verdetto Flash!"

For a moment, time seems to stretch to eternity as the two of them stand motionless, their gazes locked onto each other. Then in an instant, the rupturing sound of metal clashing echoes through the air.

Coming to a halt, Zoe stops amidst the destruction as her Divinity begins to dwindle. The cacophony of sounds from before has all but subsided, leaving only the silence to entertain her ears. Dropping the blade in her hand, she reaches up for her banner only to find the shaft snapped in two.

Moving her hand lower, however, she comes across a deep gash across her chest. Streaking her hand over it, she feels the warm sensation of blood endlessly flowing through her fingers.

"I was right in assuming you were the strongest amongst your litter, " The warrior's voice catches her off guard as a hand grasps hold of her throat, pulling her up, "But had I known how much of a nuisance you would have become, I would've sliced off your legs to save me the trouble. Although, I'm guessing I won't be getting anything out of you, will I?"

"G-Go to -hell!" Zoe curses in between breaths which only causes them to tighten their grip.

"Such brazen insolence. Even in the eyes of death. No matter, consider this mercy. Die well Shard."

With a final squeeze, a snap occurs as Zoe's body goes limp, her expression becoming hollow as the last bit of life drains from her. With a scornful look behind their mask, the warrior tosses the body away just as a squad of soldiers emerge from behind them.

"Disciple Caterina," she turns to the sergeant, "Are you alright?"

"Just fine. Have you dealt with the renegades and remaining shards?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid our forces were unable to stop the group of outsiders from escaping through a hidden passageway. Moreover, it has been deliberately collapsed."

The news comes as a surprise to the Sixth Disciple of the Tempest, but nevertheless, she remains untroubled.

"It is of no concern; the critters will pursue. In the meantime, gather the men and have the stalkers mutilate the bodies."

With a nod, the soldiers disperse as Caterina takes a moment to examine the damage to her armor. Overall, the armor withstood every punishment except for two instances. The first was an indentation on her forearm where she blocked that mad dog's attack with the second belonging to the flag bearer who successfully landed a slash across her mask with their final move.

That sheer fact two mere shards were able to cause harm to her makes her contemplate the true strength of her new foes along with herself. With a furrowed brow, she looks around at the carnage around her and makes herself forget the implication that she isn't capable of fulfilling the Tempest's desires. With a deep breath, she straightens her cloak and wipes the blood from her blade before turning and treading over the fallen shards.