A man rushed into the grand hall carrying a box and placed it near an underworld hound. It growled at him, and he started as if he’d thought it was a gargoyle, only to be surprised by a living creature. Even then, he didn’t lose his composure but bowed his way past William and the knights. “It’s a gift from Akisane to the Duke.”
The Dream Sword hummed in Masahide’s hand, yet it was just a magical extension of Kichi, Ema, and himself. When it moved, it did so with a heat and reality warping; it was like the hall was a wet painting, and it smeared the colors.
The man seemed to notice the sword, and as if that were the final thing to tip him over the edge, he ran through the doors, and his footfalls retreated.
Before the trio could attack, Hisa ran forward in her giant wind-body, raised a fist, and swung.
Ice crystals formed around William’s feet. They lifted him into the air and encapsulated him so that he stood on par with Hisa. He caught her fist and jerked to the side, sending her somersaulting into the wall. Cracks spiderwebbed the black marble.
Hisa planted her feet on the wall and shot herself like an arrow. The arms swirled into sharp spikes, and she impacted with an air blast.
Kichi bent low against the gust to avoid being tossed like a leaf from a tree.
William battered Hisa down until her wind-body dissipated. Her tiny arms tried to push herself up, but they shook. Then, in a burst, her wind creation flashed back into existence, and she flew towards him.
William looked down and swatted. Hisa hit the floor and coughed blood, and an ice leg punted her across the room, where her hand squeaked against the tile to stop herself. She didn’t try to get up, but Gon, who stood far from the fight, ran to her.
William’s ice form melted and created a pool around the high seat. “Strong and knowledgable, but it wasn’t enough.”
Yoshiie brandished his sword. “With the proper technique, a pure sword can defeat magic.” The steel in his hand danced with more competence and speed than any steel had in the hands of anyone.
Kichi had no idea that’s what she’d been facing when she’d dueled. Against Yoshiie, she wouldn’t last a sliver of a second without the amulate. He cut through the first few spells, balls of energy, and his sword turned red with heat. Ordinary steel would have melted, but he fought on and approached his target.
But two lines grew from William's hand and merged into a staff. The pure blade rang against it and smoked.
Masahide launched forward to assist, but the distance between them seemed to grow so that he retreated no matter how fast he ran.
It must be something similar to Everywhen. “Ema,” Kichi said, “Can you stop it?”
Ema closed her eyes, and suddenly Masahide started to move forward at a snail's pace. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. You’re winning.” Perhaps it would be easy for her to win if she wasn’t maintaining the Dream Sword; but that was their best chance.
The staff moved like the blades of a windmill and battered the pure sword away. The red hot blade broke out of Yoshiie's hand, but the blade rotated from the impact and lopped off fingers. Yoshiie fell to his knees and stared at his ruined sword hand.
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Kiyosue’s energies ripped pieces of marble and statues from the hall and hurled them at William, but one boomeranged back and struck him. His body crumpled under the weight, and any possibility that he remained alive was slim. The chances of healing such an injury were slimmer.
The Dream Sword met the staff and split it in two. The halves disintegrated, but a new staff appeared repeatedly, and Masahide cut through them each time.
The underworld hounds pounced at William’s whistle, and they snapped and snarled.
Kichi had to risk attacking. She might drop the tandem spell if she was injured, but the same was true of any of them. She struggled to clasp the Near-Field Amulate and met Ema’s eyes. Ema nodded and concentrated on helping Masahide by fighting against the stretch of reality.
Kichi closed her eyes and ran blindly toward the fight. This was made harder by distance no longer remaining constant. It was as if she ran in a treadwheel crane, for when she chanced a glance, she’d barely moved.
The underworld hounds snapped, and when one got too close, it lost its nose. Even closed, the jaw underneath showed sharp white teeth and a snaking tongue.
Kichi closed her eyes and ran as fast as she could. Her lungs burned, and she opened her mouth to suck air in gasps.
William’s voice filled the hall. “A few knights are nothing against a born sorcerer. You should’ve brought your whole order. Imagine if Mother had stayed to crush you.”
Hot air hit Kichi’s face. When she looked, she was nose to snout with an underworld hound. Its jaws snapped onto her head and ripped it from her shoulders in the near future. She moved to the side and thrust. The hide was so tough that her sword stuck.
Masahide cut the other hound in two and rushed to meet the sorcerer. A thousand fireworks erupted from the two figures beside the high seat. Sparks landed everywhere.
Holding onto her sword, Kichi swept back and forth as the hound tried to bite her, only held back by the blade. When the steel ripped free, she rolled and rose to one knee but was forced to throw herself backward. Jaws opened wide and bit at her, but she scooted underneath and shoved the blade under its mouth and into its brain. The heavy mass landed on her and kept her pinned. Struggling to breathe, she hoped she could maintain the Dream Sword.
Ema’s forehead glistened, and the struggle showed on her face. How much longer could she go?
The hunger ate at Kichi’s stomach, so she took the time, even only half freed from the corpse, to unclasp the amulate. She was so weak. Pulling her legs out from under the weight was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
Masahide cut through the high seat of the Duke. It left a sharp line from one corner of the back to the ground. Things from the gloomy ceiling, hands, mouths, and wings descended on him, and his attacks sometimes turned from William to descend himself. But objects of light blinked into existence and fought most of them back. The extra defense must have been Ema.
William spun a new staff every time broke in his hands, but that happened less and less. He landed a few blows to the arm and leg.
Finally, and horribly, the Dream Sword evaporated; the blade of stars vanished and left Masahide holding nothing. Kichi didn’t know who had lost control, but it would have been her in a few moments anyway.
William's face was mostly shadow without the light of the clashing magic. He hit Masahide’s arm as he went for his pure sword. Then, as a portal grew in the air, a smack to the side of the head ended the connection to Mount Templar.
Kichi looked back to Whitebeard, but he hadn’t even looked up. He faced down, beard hanging and one hand shackled.
But she recognized a figure in the light of the double doors. Akisane stood holding a black blade. Just when things were bad, they got worse.
Kichi
Level: 12
Focus: Prescience
Secondary focus: Lava+3, Tandem Dream Sword
Weapons: pure sword - 5% pure
Items: Near Field Amulet (Prescience+2, focus)