The fires engulfing the city began to blaze as Rancour finally returned to the pair.

“The Japanese warrior, how have you convinced him?” Rancour asked.

“I defeated and spared him.” Momo replied. “Now, what shall we do?”

“The king can be useful to us; however, I doubt he would side with us, we may have to alter his mind to be able to subdue him.” Rancour suggested.

The two ran down to the city, followed by Takahiro. Seeing the carnage that was occurring, Momo’s anger swelled, seeing men butchering women and children for simply being in the same city as the rebellion. He would not allow it.

Rushing to the battlefield where a few rebels remained he began cutting down the knights, finding a group about to slaughter a small family, he quickly shot piercing projectiles at them, skewing them as he grabbed the family one by one, moving them to the side of Nottingham that was unaffected by the siege.

“What do we do, Rancour? There’s too many of them for us to handle alone, the civilians are being slaughtered!” Momo yelled as he watched hopelessly.

“Fight them where you find them, I’ll find this king.” Rancour replied calmly, showing no emotion.

Momo agreed solemnly, as he regrouped with Takahiro. He pointed to the second entrance of the city, as knights from a corps lead by a familiar face joined with the remains of the former King’s guard.

“Stigandr!” Momo yelled to the leader of the now three hundred strong knight corps.

“Hello Momo, I’m afraid there’s no time to talk, let’s end this battle and then we may be on friendlier terms.” Edward Stigandr replied quickly.

“Protect those who are unprotected! Women, children and the elderly, fight so they may live another day! Do not forget who you are fighting for, we fight for the weak, and to prevent the Usurper from gaining his bloody hold over England! Charge!” Stigandr yelled to the reverent knights.

Momo raised his glaive, the light glimmering and reflecting toward the centre of the battle as he lead the five hundred remaining warriors into the fray. As they descended upon Raúl’s army, they formed a semi-circle around the city court, allowing none to pass to the citizenry as fifty knights evacuated civilians, protecting them from raiders.

Momo leapt into the centre of their formation, slamming his glaive into the ground, creating a shockwave that protruded in all directions, staggering the enemy knights as Takahiro followed in close stride, quickly dispatching knight after knight, as Momo fired arrows into the heads of three knights, breaking ten swords of the surrounding knights, killing them before they could react.

As the rebellion began to repulse the army of Raúl, Momo saw Rancour fly past, slamming into the Parliament building, pulverizing it. Raúl personally entered the city with a fresh corps of knights. Momo jumped into the air, propelling himself toward Raúl, aiming his glaive down and propelling it toward Raúl at double his own speed, slightly surprising him as he dodged it.

Momo landed next to Raúl, attempting a high kick into a stomach kick, which were both evaded. Picking up his glaive, he rushed in toward Raúl, swinging his glaive to no avail, as the man effortlessly dodged his attacks.

Momo summoned hundreds of spectral slashes, creating small grazes across Raúl’s body as he closed the gap, slicing Raúl’s midsection, creating a small gash. Raúl backed up, being chased down by Momo, but as Momo attempted to swing at Raúl’s neck, he was easily sidestepped, as Raúl drew his sword, slicing off Momo’s arm.

Momo evaded some follow up swings with acrobatics, blocking another swing from Raúl as the two separated.

“What’s your game, king?” Momo asked, staring at the man before him as his arm regenerated.

“A rebellion has amassed, am I supposed to sit back and watch?” Raúl answered.

“That’s not at all what I mean, you instructed your men to burn the city and kill innocents to draw us here, no?” Momo retorted.

“Quite perceptive. I’m assessing the power sources of my new nation; you and your wraith are one of them. I would like to know; how did you convince the Ronin to join you?” Raúl inquired, his gaze softening to genuine curiosity.

“I bested him and spared his life, he chose to join me as a thanks, and a way to repay his honour debt to me.” Momo explained.

“The Japanese have a respectable honour code, no?” Raúl observed.

“We’re not having a talk between friends, usurper, I want to know your angle so I may choose to kill you, or to let you go.” Momo declared.

“As if you could. I have no intention of wasting soldiers any longer however, I have what I came for, but do know that if this city, or any others for that matter decided to rebel again, I will destroy it before you could blink.” Raúl threatened as he signalled to his soldiers to pull back.

Momo and Raúl stared at one another uneasily as the King’s army fell back, leaving Nottingham ablaze and a clear example of the usurper king’s power.

As the rebellious army regrouped, Rancour, Momo and Takahiro made their way to Edward Stigandr, who awaited.

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“It has been a while, Stigandr. I take it you are no friend of the new king?” Momo asked.

“It is not that, my army was passing to join the former King’s guard for mediation on a truce, however, Raúl’s army broke the truce and began killing the innocent, so we joined the King’s guard to repel the invaders.” Edward explained.

“I see, are you not afraid of the new king’s wrath?” Momo questioned.

“Our lives are for the defenceless, and we must be willing to tolerate the consequences of our deeds. There is no fear for our fates, we live our lives well.” Edward replied.

“That is honourable of you, warrior.” Takahiro remarked, giving Ojigi to the man before him, Edward returned the gesture.

“I hope to see you two again, safe travels.” Edward spoke, returning to his men.

Momo and Takahiro ventured onto the foothills overlooking the city once more, their quest now returning to York, to circumvent a possible alliance between Ellanher and Raúl.

The two travelled to Seleby, attempting to prepare for the attack upon York. Fate would not have it.

“Hey! Long time no see, I’m in the better spirits I was rambling on about since the last time we fought!” Hjalmarr called from behind the two.

Momo grumbled a few angry words before turning to face the large man.

“You have a friend now! He looks... Well, not English, nor Norse, a warrior from another land, I assume. This will certainly be a treat!” Hjalmarr teased, walking toward the two, who drew their weapons.

Hmph, it’s like that? Hjalmarr thought to himself, drawing his axe.

The three stood parallel to one another, each preparing to open the fight. Rancour appeared, joining the two as all three charged at Hjalmarr in unison. Hjalmarr slammed his axe into the ground, shaking it with such an intensity that an earthquake split the ground into many pieces, violently shaking the Earth. Momo, remaining determined, launched himself at Hjalmarr who moved to block. Momo threw his glaive at full force, piercing Hjalmarr’s shoulder as he landed, punching him in rapid succession as Rancour and Takahiro arrived to help fight.

Momo reclaimed his glaive, slashing Hjalmarr on the leg, to little effect than a graze. Hjalmarr swung his axe at Momo, who narrowly avoided it, backflipping away to avoid follow throughs. Takahiro slashed at Hjalmarr whilst he fixated on Momo, slicing off his hand with his Blazing Vindication.

Hjalmarr punched Takahiro with an electrified fist grabbing onto his throat and slamming him into the ground as he kicked Rancour away slightly. Regenerating his hand, he raised his axe at Takahiro, who still could not escape the brute strength of Hjalmarr. Momo slashed at Hjalmarr’s back, launching a beam at Hjalmarr, forcing him to stagger, releasing Takahiro, who quickly moved to Momo.

“I see you’ve grown, at an incredible rate no less. Perhaps it’s time for a chase.” Hjalmarr laughed, running away at full speed. In just over a second, all four stood at the gates of York, as Ellanher exited the gates, to join his son.

Thunderous applause came from Ellanher as he walked slowly toward the three, his robes masking his face.

“Well well. You did well bringing my son back here. I knew the day where i’d have to deal with you would come, so called ‘Shadow’.” He remarked, cackling deeply as he drew his staff.

“You certainly will be quite entertaining, Lord Ellanher, but you will be no challenge.” Rancour replied slyly.

I shall deal with Ellanher, you take your revenge upon Hjalmarr. Rancour ordered as he walked closer to the Lord of York.

“You. It’s time we end this.” Momo declared, pointing at Hjalmarr, who smiled, signalling him to a flat plain nearby to finish the fight.

“Stay here. Guard the people from any fighting that may reach them.” Momo whispered to Takahiro as he and Hjalmarr ran to the plain he had singled out.

Mimicking their first battle, the two stood ten yards out from one another, staring at one another. Momo reconstituted his weapon, turning it from a glaive into a scimitar of Arabian make, one that seldom few had seen on English soil, but one he saw wielded by Raúl. The curved make and slashing nature of the blade suiting the fight with Hjalmarr better than the glaive.

Hearing a large explosion in the distance, it was obvious that Ellanher had engaged Rancour. Momo dashed at Hjalmarr, slashing his right cheek, leaving a graze. He raised the blade to block a swing from his axe as it slammed into it, making Momo slide backwards. Imbuing Spectral Energy into his blade, a deep blue flame enveloped it as the two raised their blades to one another.

Momo kicked at Hjalmarr’s leg, feeling it harden as he made contact, but the damage was still done, as Momo began making fast stabbing movements with his blade that Hjalmarr’s heavy axe could hardly keep up with. Throwing his axe at Momo and catching him off guard, Momo’s entire right shoulder to abdomen was deeply lacerated, as he was sent tumbling backward off of the pure force, as lightning shocked his body, making him unable to counter. Hjalmarr picked Momo up, punching him in the stomach a fraction of a second too late, as Momo’s resonance barrier formed, protecting him, as he separated from Hjalmarr, panting deeply as his wounds closed.

“Not bad. You almost had me for a second.” Momo admitted, catching his breath.

“You’re not half bad yourself, I like the new sword, it works well!” Hjalmarr replied gleefully.

Momo nodded at Hjalmarr as the two recomposed themselves, their fates hanging in the rustling breeze, the chilling air showing the efforts they had expended, the vapour of their shallow breaths filling the air. Both of them would have to put every possible effort into this, as the fate of England at large weighed upon their shoulders.