Momo and Hjalmarr stood, face to face as they had so many times, but now, not as enemies, or puppets of greater powers, but as friends, trying to become stronger.
Momo lunged at Hjalmarr, his blade clashing with his axe repeatedly. Momo sent out a wave of slashes which Hjalmarr punched through with his lightning. Hjalmarr slammed his axe into the ground, shocking Momo with unimaginable amounts of lightning, Momo broke out of the hold, dashing toward Hjalmar and slamming his fist into his ribcage and throwing him away.
Momo dashed at incredible speeds, making tens of rapidly closing in afterimages of himself. Hjalmar slammed his fist into the ground, creating an omnidirectional wave of lightning, throwing Momo backwards and into the wall, coughing up blood.
Momo sent an electromagnetic slash at Hjalmarr, burning and searing into his skin as he appeared behind Hjalmarr to his surprise.
“Ardour’s Spark!” Momo yelled, the attack sending Hjalmarr pummelling into the wall, nearly unconscious. As Momo lunged in to finish Hjalmarr, he ducked out of the way, grabbing Momo and slamming him into the ground repeatedly. Momo twisted himself around Hjalmarr’s torso, kicking him away with a heave.
“Not half bad Momo.” Hjalmarr remarked extatically.
“I could say the same for you, my friend.” Momo replied, smiling as he spit out some excess blood.
Hjalmarr lobbed his axe at Momo, throwing Momo’s scimitar out of his hands as Hjalmarr closed the gap, punching Momo in the face, as they locked onto one another, holding each other’s fists in their hands oppositely. Hjalmarr pushed Momo backwards, grabbing him and bear hugging him as he began to crush him, Momo headbutted Hjalmarr with all the force in his body, staggering him for a second as he threw Momo into the wall violently.
Both fighters wiped the blood from their mouths, closing their fists to prepare for the continuation of the fight.
Momo launched an array of slashes at Hjalmarr, lacerating deeply into his skin as he continued charging at Momo, launching him into the wall with an electrified punch, punching him again and again into the wall with electrified fists.
“Get up Momo!” Amirah yelled out.
Momo screamed in fury, punching Hjalmarr with such intense anger he sent him into the wall across the room, knocking him unconscious.
Momo panted walking over to Hjalmarr and pulling him up.
“What was that?” Amirah asked Takahiro.
“It seems, with your encouragement, he found hope, allowing him to finish the fight.” Takahiro examined, impressed at the strength Momo accessed from a few words from his sister.
“That was a good fight!” Hjalmarr exclaimed.
“Heh, yeah, I really thought you had me there, but something snapped, I suppose that always seems to happen when I fight you.” Momo observed.
“Yes, it seems through the greatest rivalries we can bring out the best in one another!” Hjalmarr remarked, as they returned to the group.
Vallum walked up the snowy tundra, the effects of the slowly receding winter becoming more apparent, with the snowfall slowing down and the winds echoing the change of seasons. Vallum began to reach the zenith of the hill, where Braemar Castle stood, his master awaiting him.
As Vallum reached its peak, he bent his knee, knelling before his master.
“What have you to report, my apprentice?” Rancour asked.
“I have observed your former vessel as instructed, my master, he has been growing in power, training over these weeks with his allies, most unreasonably, to my recollection, his sister, who he relented to train previously.” Lord Vallum explained.
“Ah, so he has caught on. He knows of his sister’s potential and wishes to protect her from me.” Rancour observed.
“I don’t quite follow my master.” Lord Vallum imparted.
“Amirah is the perfect hybrid of Nasporian and Human, her genome is perfected, Momo’s is only perfect due to the effects of becoming the vessel of goodness and hope, so now I see the usefulness in her, to make her a servant of darkness.” Rancour surmised, beckoning Vallum forth.
“You wish to use the girl as a weapon?” Lord Vallum asked.
“Yes. I have recently, found a vergence in time, every day, an hour here, I will use it to break her, and build her into a most useful asset for us, before the vessel can do anything about it.” Rancour affirmed, cackling into the night.
“When do we take the girl?” Lord Vallum inquired.
“Gather the armies, we ride south to-” Rancour stopped, feeling the sensation of pain in his chest.
The blade retracted as the man escaped to a hill nearby.
Interesting… Neither Vallum nor I could sense him. Rancour thought to himself.
“Leave us.” Rancour commanded sharply.
“Yes, my lord.” Vallum answered, bowing as he left.
“Well hello there, you look like the aristocratic type, and you’re certainly not English.” Rancour deduced, as the man leapt down to meet him.
“You’re intuitive, you are correct, I am a former aristocrat.” The man replied.
“Yes, and you’re quite handsome for a young man, I would assume you are from the east?” Rancour questioned.
“You’re good, I am from the east.” The man responded, as they stood face to face.
“A little far from home, aren’t you? Very well, if we are to fight, I want your name, and then we shall ascertain what you truly want from me.” Rancour commented.
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“I am my name is Marzen.” He remarked.
“Well Marzen. What are you here for?” Rancour asked.
“I have been sent to stop your armies from mobilising, and I shall, one way or another.”
“Ah, you are on the orders of Raúl. Very well, here is my offer to you Marzen. If you can give me a good fight, I shall give you a singular month before I invade Haevaria and England.” Rancour offered, to Marzen’s surprise.
“I’m surprised it is this easy. No catches?” Marzen asked.
“I’ll tell you this now, as a gift for sneaking up on me so effectively. I respect strength, above all else, I am willing to compromise with those who can impress me, so if you do that, I’ll give you more time.” Rancour explained.
Marzen nodded, dashing deep into the Cairngorms, as Rancour followed.
“It’s quite beautiful out here, isn’t it Marzen?” Rancour commented, to which Marzen smiled, nodding his validation of the statement.
“Let us begin, King Alard.” Marzen remarked.
Rancour sent out thousands of slashes, to which Marzen effortlessly reflected and cut them apart with his scimitar, dashing after Rancour, being pushed away with a shockwave, as he landed on his feet. Marzen leapt into the air, leaping off of the Spectral Slashes Rancour sent after him, kicking him in the face, as he slashed his ribcage, damaging his soul and essence at once.
It seems he and his sword can do more than damage me physically, he can affect all portions of my being, weakening me, he may actually be a threat to me. Rancour thought, as he created a ring of fire, taunting Marzen into a direct confrontation, Marzen leapt into the ring, his beautiful blue eyes matched by the crimson eyes of Rancour. Marzen dashed at Rancour, slashing at his sword twice, before sheathing his own, quickly swiping his dagger across Rancour’s face, kicking him to the ground before leaping behind him, standing motionless as the wind gently rustled against his hair.
“Very impressive, as I assumed, you have no Spectral Energy whatsoever, granting you truly exquisite physical prowess.” Rancour ascertained, wiping blood off of his cheek, as his smiled slyly.
“Shall we continue, King?” Marzen asked sarcastically to the delight of Rancour.
A Spectral Dominion will be useless against him, I suppose I’ll have to kill him up close.
Rancour pointed his sword at Marzen, taunting him inward as Marzen dashed toward him, creating multiple afterimages and speed illusions, throwing off his foresight, as he instantly appeared behind him, slashing his back and cleaving his lower left leg off.
Rancour regenerated the damage, pouring Spectral Energy into his body to match Marzen. Rancour clashed with Marzen, disarming him, as Marzen kicked his sword out of the way, leaping backwards to create distance.
Rancour charged at Marzen, throwing a high punch, which Marzen caught, twisting Rancour’s arm as he bashed his shin into Rancour’s leg, forcing his to take one knee as he punched him in the stomach, spinning around and kicking him in the ribs. Rancour countered, seeing the icy glow on his hands as he reeled into the punch
“Ardour’s Spark!” Rancour yelled, throwing Marzen away.
That one punch was enough to nearly kill me, luckily it was beyond his normal capacity, so he shouldn’t be far stronger than he was before. Marzen thought, as both fighters dashed to grab their weapons.
Marzen and Rancour sprinted to one another, trading strikes with one another, as Rancour, launched slashes in Marzen’s face, lacerating his body, as they instantly began closing up, Rancour drew his bow, firing an arrow into Marzen’s shoulder, to which Marzen bit it, spitting it out as he cut Rancour across the chest twice.
The two separated, looking at one another intently.
“Spectral Dominion: Sanctum of the Vengeful.” Rancour chanted, leaping to the top of the sanctum as uncountable amounts of slashes began flying everywhere, as Rancour fired thousands of piercing projectiles at Marzen, to which he evaded, dodging and weaving thousands of projectiles and slashes, as he felt a slash scraping his cheek.
Marzen leapt to the top of the sanctum, duelling with Rancour once more, Rancour slashed Marzen’s leg, kicking him to the ground, as slashes instantly covered his body, weakening him immensely as he began to give out. The Dominion closed, the Sanctum returned to nothingness as Rancour stood above him.
“I will admit, that was exhilarating. You’ve earned your month Marzen, I hope we meet again, now go.” Rancour commanded, as Marzen got up, dashing back to London.
Raúl saw the returning Marzen, as he walked up the steps, exhausted from his battle.
“Were you successful in buying time?” Raúl asked, walking beside Marzen.
“I was, he has given us a month for what he described as an exhilarating fight.” Marzen replied.
“As I expected, he is willing to allow us time, if his thirst for a genuine fight is satiated, you’ve done very well Marzen, as I promised, your family will be given deeds to land, and you will be crowned the Duke of Kent and Sussex.” Raúl commented.
“Thank you, King Raúl. If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to join you upon the battlefield whence the month concludes.” Marzen implored.
“Of course, I am grateful for your aid Marzen.” Raúl replied as they walked into the royal palace, a storm gathering over the horizon. The city of London overshadowed by the dark clouds of change.