{Month: Sunflare}
{Date: 1/7}
{Time: Mid Evening}
Corvus and Leo ran through the island's deep woods, their steps matching the same pace as they raced through the lush greens and forgotten sticks. The two clashed heavily, matching each other blow for blow and evading each other's heavy strikes.
Corvus parried Leo's next attack, knocking him off his balance then launched him away with a thunderous roundhouse kick. He dashed after Leo with haste, using the trees to increase him momentum then knocked Leo to the ground with an electrifying strike to his stomach, causing a large cloud of dust to rise above the trees.
Corvus landed on the ground using his feather cloak, panting softly and adjusting his clothes, his gaze landing down at the small crater in the ground. 'That should be enough...I hit him with super effective damage, even targeting his very core. He's through...'
Corvus began making his way to my and Lelitia's location, grunting softly as the few hits Leo landed began to affect his body. He shrugged them off with a low scoff, thinking nothing of his minor injuries at the moment.
Suddenly, he felt his entire body shiver, a cold chill crawling down his spine. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face where he last left Leo, noticing Darkness Aura mixing between dark purple and light blue rising from the crater.
"He's still up..?" Corvus asked to himself in disbelief, taking cautious steps toward the crater.
"Y'know...it's amazing how you believe I'm done from such a weak attack!" Leo roared, flying out of the crater with a vengeful strike to Corvus's face, sending him flying through the forest.
Leo flew behind Corvus at top speed, grabbing his ankle and began slamming him against the ground repeatedly before launching him in the air and releasing a beam of grim, icy energy behind him. Corvus recovered quickly in the air, summoning his naginata and launching it through the beam.
Leo quickly evaded the polearm and took flight with a powerful flap of his wings, propelling himself toward Corvus and began launching a series of strikes. Corvus evaded Leo's unpredictable strikes as best he could, taking a few blows within the process.
"You won't ever get to your elf..." Leo threatened, his tone filled with the voice of a wrathful dragon.
He swiped Corvus's ankle with a quick grab, flying toward the ground and twirling around to build momentum before hurling him to the ground. Corvus groaned loudly as he bounced off the ground, his body vulnerable for Leo's next onslaught.
With a threatening roar, Leo crashed down with a mighty blow to Corvus's stomach then began pummeling him into the ground with rapid blows, each blow inflicting his body with a corrosive frostbite. Corvus was completely defenseless, his only option to accept the onslaught until it passed.
Leo roared loudly as he landed his final attack, the blow generating a shockwave strong enough to cause the ground to lightly quake. Leo stood over Corvus's body with a grim stare, his green eyes glowing with satisfaction upon seeing his enemy trapped in a frozen prison.
Leo used the tail of his dragon cloak to impale Corvus through his frozen stomach, listening to his groans of agony with a blank gaze. "You...nor Lelitia should've come here, to my sister's land...with some false Messiah to try and conquer it."
"You all will never prevail...All hail, Lunia!" Leo declared, raising Corvus from his near grave and tossed him in the air.
He began rapidly striking Corvus's body with his tail, following it with a heavy overhead slash with my Earth Sword, sending him back into the ground. Corvus gasped for air, the feathers of his cloak subtly turning into bolts of lightning to heal his wounds, but Leo was still on the hunt.
Leo walked over Corvus's body, impaling him through his chest and palmed the handle of the blade to drive it deeper into his body, sinking to his knees as he drove the blade through the ground. Leo panted heavily with exhausted rage, his Dragon Cloak flickering away from his body and his hair covering his face.
"All...will bow... before Queen Stella... before Lunia ever plans to fall..." Leo declared softly, tiredly raising himself onto his feet using my blade as support.
-------------------------------
{Time: Mid Evening}
The waves calmly washed against the shores of the lone island I sat upon. Gazing upon the skies above, the second moon began to rise over the horizon, the night sky beginning to shift into a beautiful purple and navy blue with stars sprinkled along the canvas.
Beside me, Lelitia had finally began to wake up from her light coma, grunting lightly as she felt sand sticking to her face. She tried to move around, but the mana cuffs and shackles I placed upon her body restricted her to the ground.
"Hey! Release me at once! You will regret tonight, I swear it!" Lelitia barked, fighting against her restraints and attempting to muster the strength to break the cuffs.
I chuckled softly at Lelitia and sighed dramatically, leaning back upon my sand throne with my cheek resting against the palm of my hand. "You're finally awake..?~ It's about time, and while we have this time to just reflect...you have time to give me answers before I finally end your life.."
Lelitia growled lowly in defiance, looking up at me with a salty glare on her face. Knowing she couldn't do anything at the moment, she decided to comply and listen to whatever questions I may have. "Fine...what do you want to know?"
"How many of you are there and what is the end goal with all of this?" I asked first, glancing down at Lelitia with a regal gaze.
Lelitia exhaled softly before answering, looking out at the vast ocean ahead. "Including, Lord Xahir? There are seven of us named the Shadow Messiah. Our goal is to take over all of Cynthia...and be blessed with the grace of Lunaris and gain access to Tsukihachi, the Seven Moons Blade.."
"For what purpose do you have that you seek the Goddess that watches over Lunia and Cynthia? What right does Xahir have over me for my throne..? This King of Darkness is nothing, a man just as obsolete as his own shadow," I jeered, pushing myself off my throne and walked toward Lelitia, stomping on her head.
"But, I digress as it doesn't matter who Xahir is...or what the Shadow Messiah has planned. At the end of the day, you will all be old news. A memory for me to look back on and laugh at," I sneered, digging the heel of my shoe against her head.
Lelitia groaned in pain, struggling to break free from the cuffs, the restrains cancelling her energy flow and rending her useless beneath my high heels. As I continued to humiliate Lelitia, the sound of Leo's voice called out from the distance, catching my attention.
I looked up from Lelitia at the forest ahead, noticing Leo jogging toward me with my Earth Sword in hand, a smile forming on my face as he neared. Just before he could step out of the forest, streaks of lime green lightning began flashing behind Leo, a massive bolt of lightning shooting at Leo's back and blasting him away with immense force.
I gasped in surprise of the attack, quickly rushing toward my airborne brother and catching him before he hit the ground. I held him in my arms, gently shaking him to try to wake him up, but Leo was out cold. I looked up from my incapacitated little brother at the forest ahead, watching as an injured Corvus walked out of the forest.
"C-Corvus..!? You're still alive! Help me!" Lelitia cried out to her partner, wriggling her way closer to Corvus with urgency.
Corvus walked toward Lelitia with a light limp before collapsing onto one knee in front of her, panting softly and taking a moment to catch his breath. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a lockpicking kit, using his tools to free Lelitia from her shackles.
"Thank the Abyss that you came! I was certain I would meet my doom here and never get the chance to fulfill My Lord's wishes!" Lelitia hummed with relief, sitting up quickly and hugging Corvus with high gratitude.
Corvus grunted softly in pain, holding Lelitia gently with a wince, the pain from his battle with Leo still residing within. "Not...too hard, Lelitia...I'm still healing.."
I looked down at Leo with a protective grip upon his body, the spatial particles around my body swirling more intensely, the absent energy around my draining the very life force away from my surroundings. I warped Leo to a safe location, swapping him for Saya and looked down at her with an void expression.
Saya groaned nauseously from the sudden warp, panting heavily with her hand clutching her necklace in slight distress. She quickly looked around her surroundings, turning over to me and noticed my gaze, her body immediately freezing.
"Saya...Leo has been defeated by these two, and as I am now...I may not keep it together, but I need someone who's conscious to keep me at bay..." I began with a strained tone, using all of my mental strength to keep myself from snapping. "If we don't stop them now, they will go for North Sylvannia's throne.."
Saya could see my left eye becoming more dull, similar to the image of a black hole. She could feel my Essence keeping itself together like a loose puzzle, waiting to fall apart at any moment.
"Let us help her, Saya...If it were you and Miyuna in this situation..." Senju spoke to Saya mentally, the button eyes Saya's panda suit glancing up at her.
"Shut it, Senju! I know...I would want someone to do the same for me, but..." Saya began, glancing over at Lelitia and Corvus, her body shuddering with anticipation due to their Essence. "They are pure evil! I recognize that elf, she betrayed Queen Sophia...who happened to sell me off to Lunia!"
"But..." Saya paused, using her Ignis Flames to summon her halberd with a determined smirk on her face. She glanced at me and nodded, preparing to assist me in battle. "If I were you, and Miyuna were out...I would probably seek my help too, My Dark Overlord!"
My left eye subtly flickered with life at her witty and arrogant comment, a silent scoff escaping from my nose as I swapped my Earth Sword for my Water Sword. "Whatever you say, little brat. Just don't get in my way."
"You don't get in mine either!" Saya challenge, turning her focus toward Lelitia and Corvus.
Corvus chuckled lightly as he noticed Saya in the distance, tossing his lightning dagger in the air before catching it by its blade. "Another foolish junior? Who is Queen Stella? The new Mom of Cynthia just like her mother?"
"Settle down on Queen Isolde, my dear Crow..~ Unlike her gloomy brat, Queen Isolde was the epitome of a true woman. Besides, I suppose a Queen still needs her pawns on the board," Lelitia chuckled lightly, shape shifting into a Water Assassin and got into position.
"Stella! Two speedsters and they are most likely going to target Saya! You have to protect her!"
I enhanced my Water Sword into my Ice Sword, my obsolete expression landing upon Corvus and Lelitia, reading their body languages carefully. I looked back down at Saya, a smirk forming on my lips.
'She's fine...if she can last three rounds with me, she can take out one of these two alone. I know it,' I replied to Risa mentally, getting into my stance and wearing a battle ready expression.
"Alright! Let's put the queen and her falling kingdom down for good!" Corvus laughed, dashing toward Saya at lightning speeds with his dagger ready to strike.
Saya readied herself immediately, chuckling lightly as sparks began generating around her body. She puffed her cheeks and began expanding the stomach of Senju's Suit, intercepting Corvus's attack before deflating and landing her Triple Focus Strike along his midsection.
Saya rushed forward with a series of slashes, dealing searing damage upon his body before I swapped her out with a stone to avoid the large claw of a giant King Crab. She grunted as I caught her by her collar and tossed her in the air, blowing her across the ocean with a powerful repulsive force.
"STELLAAA!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?" Saya screamed as she flew across the salty waters, her eyes frantically searching around for safety.
I quickly ran off behind Saya and began skating along the ocean surface, leaving behind a trail of ice with each stride. Lelitia and Corvus began to give chase after us, Lelitia summoning a Perfect White Shark to ride upon while Corvus used his speed to run atop of the water.
I boosted forward using the rushing winds to get into position to catch Saya, leaping forward and catching her bridal style before landing upon another small island. I swapped my Ice Sword for my Earth Sword to take control of the sand, launching torrents of sand at both Corvus and Lelitia.
"Running away won't get you anywhere, Stella!" Lelitia taunted, leaping in the air to avoid a blast of sand before coming down with an axe kick.
I swapped positions with Saya, allowing her to parry Lelitia's strike and knock her off balance. Before Saya could attempt a follow up, Corvus appeared at Saya's side with his battle axe in hand, swinging down with a regal fury.
Saya flinched at his blade, but kept one eye open out of anticipation, noticing no matter how much he tried, Corvus's attack couldn't reach her. "What the..."
Corvus paused in his attack at the phenomenon as his blade seemingly stopped just before reaching Saya's arm. No matter how much force he exerted, he couldn't push past the space between him and Saya. "What is this..?!"
I let out a soft laugh at his futile attempts to strike Saya, my left eye dimly glowing with dark regality. My eyes met Corvus and Lelitia's unnerved gazes, the spatial particles around my body becoming more visible to the eye. "It's time that I stop toying with you two...all I needed was a bigger space!"
I grinned as I stood up straight, gathering my spatial particles into one point, forming an void of dark crimson energy that released repulsive forces of energy. I held the void in the palm of my hand, swapping positions with Corvus and hummed softly.
"What do you think happens if anything touches this void? You will be the first in three years to experience my Kuroana Technique! Zeno Force!" I bellowed, hurling the small void toward Corvus and watching it detonate in the air.
A bright red flash of light shone out with a deadly brilliance, Corvus's eyes widening he felt the immense repulsive force of energy washing over his body. The void soon detonate into a massive explosion, blasting Corvus away with pure aversion.
Miyuna, who was watching over Leo alongside Izumi, heard the explosion and quickly looked up in shock, noticing a massive cloud of smoke coming from a nearby island. 'Saya...I hope Lady Stella's keeping you safe...'
Sophia looked out into the distance as well, stepping forward and standing beside a tree as she watched the smoke cloud slowly clear, feeling the windy aftershock of the explosion gently brushing against her.
Corvus groaned as he crashed through multiple trees, his body flipping through the air like a ragdoll before he recovered onto his feet and ran through the forest. He looked around with caution, feeling a warping presence around him, his body immediately halting as I teleported in front of him.
"Going somewhere?" I chuckled softly, launching him away with a focused palm strike against his chest.
I began generating orbs of water energy in front of me, firing them toward Corvus like speeding bullets, by Corvus quickly recovered and deflected the orbs with his dagger. He rushed forward with multiple strikes coming from various angles, but none of his attacks could reach me regardless of his efforts.
I repelled him away with a crimson force then blinked in front of him with a staggering spinning heel kick, knocking him to the ground with the back of my foot. He rolled to the side and recovered onto his feet, slashing downward at me with his battle axe, but the forest around him warped.
Corvus looked around with confusion, raising his axe from the ground then groaned in pain as Senju charged forward with a tackle, allowing Saya a grand opening. Leaping over the large panda, Saya landed a powerful chop against Corvus's chest, causing him to stagger further backwards.
"Let's go, Senju!" Saya cheered, dashing forward with blazing energy.
"Don't get too carried away, kid," Senju spoke wisely, sprinting after Saya and cloaked his paws in Light Energy.
Saya and Senju began landing a synchronized assault upon Corvus, Saya using her petite figure to blindside Corvus's weakpoints while Senju dished out the heavy blow. Corvus grunted as he flew backwards from Senju's next strike, rebounding off one hand and landing onto his feet.
Corvus panted softly as the exhaustion began to settle in, his previous battle against Leo leaving him low on reserves. 'There's no way I'm losing to some rookie... I refuse to be embarrassed!'
"Aww! What's the matter, Mr. Assassin? Can't handle a hothead like me?~ Don't worry, not even Queen Stella could take me down, so your weakness is understandable," Saya taunted, shrugging her shoulders with a smug grin on her face.
Corvus chuckled aggressively at Saya's comment, his eye twitching with annoyance to her taunt. "Don't get cocky, little girl. I might be just a bit tired...but that doesn't mean I don't have enough energy to kill you!"
Saya stomped on the ground and bellowed, the rubber bands in her hair snapping as she began to awaken the Ignis Star within herself. Her hair began to flare up in a radiant, azure blue hue, her eyes shining a fiery determination.
"Kill me? Ha! I've been through way worse before, what's another life or death battle!" Saya challenged, laughing in the face of danger as she summoned her gauntlets.
Corvus lowered his stance before dashing ahead, his body flickering and reappearing in front of Saya with a lightning fast slice, knocking her away with an unperceivable attack. Saya recovered quickly in the air, launching multiple fireballs toward Corvus to keep her distance.
Corvus evaded each fireball with skilled maneuvers, using his lightning to summon his bow and fired multiple lightning arrows at Saya. Senju rushed in front of Saya and used his Reversal Claw upon the arrows, sending them flying back toward Corvus.
Corvus absorbed the lightning arrows, using the electric properties of the arrows to heal himself and restore his stamina. He chuckled softly as he felt a bit rejuvenated, his eyes shining as he stared at Saya and Senju. "Thank you for that, I really needed it.."
Saya grunted lightly witnessing her opponent healing using his own attack, bracing herself for Corvus's counter attack. "Senju...any plans in mind?"
Senju stared at Corvus with an analytical gaze, mentally gathering information via his Essence and let out a low hum. "He doesn't have ENA, so Wind is his only Affinity. As far as matching his speed, without proper planning, we won't be able to."
"However, using Yin Mode, I could siphon his W Cells, weakening him to down to Aero and slowing him down," Senju added, giving Saya a bit of hope to a near hopeless situation.
Saya nodded at Senju's analysis, taking a deep breath and exhaling, putting her full faith in Senju's judgement. She got into her stance once again, adjusting her gauntlets to release smoke from the ends. "Alright, I'll let you take the lead."
"Are you two done saying your last goodbyes to each other? It's time I finish you both off so I can return to my main target!" Corvus called out with impatience, sheathing his dagger and smirked at the two.
Senju stepped forward with resolve, his fur slowly shifting to all black, Yin Symbols forming into his eyes as he walked toward Corvus. "Yeah... we're done planning your downfall."
Senju rushed forward at surprising speeds, catching Corvus off guard with a decisive gut blow, a pulse of darkness energy circling around Senju's paw. Lightning Energy began to enter Senju's paw, Corvus letting out a pained grunt as he felt his energy being siphoned.
Without missing a beat, Senju began landing a series of blows upon Corvus's body, siphoning his energy with each clean blow. Saya watched in the background in awe as Senju effortlessly dealt with Corvus, her mind absorbing the information in front of her.
Corvus stumbled backwards upon Senju's next attack, luckily managing to block Senju's next strike before countering with a quick stab into Senju's chest. Corvus watched as Senju fell to the ground, panting in exhaustion and disbelief of Senju's strength.
'What the hell has this panda been eating..?' Corvus thought to himself, glancing up at Saya and noticed a knowing smirk playing on her face. 'Wha—'
Corvus quickly glanced down at Senju, noticing a vengeful paw flying toward him. He tried to dodge out of the way of his strike, but his body was no longer as reactive as before, Senju's paw landing its mark and sending Corvus flying backwards in a spiralling motion.
Senju grunted softly as the recoil of his attack knocked him slightly backwards, purple lightning crackling around his entire arm before transmuting into Yin Energy to restore Senju's stamina. He stood strong, his fur flowing in the gentle winds as he kept watch for any lingering dangers.
'Oh my Theia..! That was his Revenge Crush! I wanna learn that!' Saya fangirled mentally, her eyes sparkling with adventure with the desire to learn another one of Senju's Techniques.
Suddenly, four ice arrows flew from the shadows of the forests and landed their marks upon Senju's arms and legs, infecting his limbs with frostbite. Senju grunted softly as his fur returned to normal, his energy points frozen as he couldn't access his aura.
Lelitia dashed from the thick trees in her Assassin Disguise, aiming a killing blow at Senju's throat, but the area around her warped, leaving her in the middle of the ocean. Disoriented from the warp, she didn't have any time to recover before I came crashing down with a powerful slash like a meteor crash landing upon the planet.
Lelitia groaned loudly as she heavily splashed into the ocean, an opening in the waters forming due to the concussive force of my attack. The waves came crashing back down, engulfing us both in the deep, but Lelitia quickly recovered under the water, shapeshifting into a mermaid.
"Don't you get tired of getting in my way? There's nothing you can do to stop the Shadow Messiah! Why do you think everyone's now active around Arcania?!" Lelitia taunted, summoning her trident and readying herself for battle.
"Lunia has fallen thanks to the help of a certain traitor to your own blood! Zhang Li heavily supports our cause and will do whatever it takes to make sure we succeed! You lose, Stella!" Lelitia laughed, pointing her trident at me and began firing bolts of water magic at me.
I shifted my Earth Sword into my Ice Sword, granting me better mobility in the water and allowing me to dodge each of her magic bolts. Her words echoed in my head like a broken record repeating the same lyrics over and over, the memory of the attack flashing in my head once again.
My concentration began to waver, the magic bolts bypassing my spatial defenses and striking me in waves. Seeing the opening, Lelitia swap toward me and began dishing out a series of blows and thrusts upon my body, each strike laced with an arrogant venom.
With a mighty upper swing, she sent my flying out of the water before swimming after and gracefully leaping out of the ocean with her trident cocked back for a powerful thrust. "Meet your end, Queen Stella! All hail the new age of Cynthia!"
Lelitia thrusted her trident forward for a decisive, killing blow, but the spatial particles around my body began to flash red, releasing a destructive repulsive force of energy to blow her away from me. Lelitia grunted as she was sent crashing toward another island, her body landing hard against the ground and leaving a dust cloud.
"So...Zhang Li's attack did have a purpose beyond jealousy..? Well, I guess it's my turn to send a message as well..." I said coldly, my left eye glowing with a hint of vengeance within.
Lelitia grunted as she rolled along the ground before recovering upon one knee, coughing lightly and moving loose strands of hair from her face. She glanced around as she heard rapid clashing around her, Victoria and Natsume charging toward each other from either side of each other.
Victoria noticed Lelitia and skidded forward to stop her momentum, her senses warning her of an aerial attack and leaped out of the way as I crashed down and released a massive shockwave to blow everyone away. She rebounded off one hand then landed on her feet, her hands steady upon her blade.
Natsume evaded my crash landing as well, skidding backwards and blocking the shockwave before looking up at me, her heart thumping hard once she felt my energy. "Lady Stella..?"
Lelitia grunted softly as she slowly stood up from the ground, her gaze shifting up to meet my terrifying gaze. Her arms began crawling with goosebumps, her motions becoming still as she stared into the iris of my left eye. 'I can't...move...my body..'
I began walking toward Lelitia slowly, each step I took leaving behind small shockwaves as I began charging energy around my body. I grunted heavily as I struck her with a stunning kick to her stomach, causing her to fall onto her knees. I gripped her hair and smashed her head into the ground, driving her face into the ground with pure wrath.
"You all took away my mother and father...It was because of you all why Lunia fell. Now you will also pay your retribution," I spat with pure malice, lifting Lelitia off the ground by her hair.
Lelitia wriggled within my grip, shape shifting into a small fox to escape my hold before shifting back in mid air with a spinning kick. Her leg began to slow down as it neared my head, seemingly stopping just before reaching my head and catching her off guard.
I grabbed her leg then yanked her toward me, striking her with a devastating strike, red lightning flashing upon impact. As she flew backwards, I began bending the space around us to pull her back toward me then knocked her to the ground with a Darkness infused roundhouse, Lelitia's body dropping onto one knee.
"Now that I know who my real enemies are, I can send a message to your false King," I said, lifting my leg then stomping down in the back of Lelitia's head to force her to bow down to me.
"I won't kill you here...no, that would be too easy. I want Zhang Li...and since he's associated with the likes of bottom of the barrel scum like you, I have all the more reason to rip his throat from his worthless body..." I began, combining each of my Elemental Swords into my Vesper Argentum, shifting my weapon into Anima Argentum.
I drove my sword through her lower back, my blade deep into her body and inflicting her with every ailment each Affinity offered. I didn't care for her cries of pain, ripping the blade out of her body and stepping off her head.
"All hail Queen Stella, the one, only, and TRUE Ruler of Cynthia! You and the rest of the Shadow Messiah better prepare...for my Dark Ambition!" I declared, letting out a powerful bellow as I blasted Lelitia away toward the ocean with an intense repulsive force of energy.
Victoria and Natsume stared in awe of my true form, both giving different reactions to my prowess. Natsume's body froze at the sight of the unknown, goosebumps riding along her very skin while Victoria stared with reverence, her heart pounding at the sight of my dark honor.
My body forced itself into its normal state, my body sinking to its knees before falling onto the ground. Victoria gasped in shock, quickly rushing toward me to check on me, Natsume quickly following behind. Victoria picked me up without question, retreating back toward Ránheim with urgency.
Natsume followed suit, contacting Sophia with news about me as she dashed back toward the citadel. With the news heard and received, Sophia sent out a search for the rest of her allies and troops to return to base.