Chrono's fairly favorable position in the Bureau allowed him to talk to the higher ups. Stolen Lost Logia, a semi-retired TSAB admiral that had been attacked, a detailed location of a terrorist stronghold and strong possibility of dimensional attack, all supported by eyewitness statements of trustworthy Bureau mage aces.

Perhaps, the Bureaucracy paperwork finally worked in their favor, as some three fully equipped and manned easily was placed into the operational care of Chrono. In a matter of days, Nanoha, Yuuno, and Chrono were quickly collected off Earth, the small dimensional fleet moving with full speed. Ky, Sol, and Arf remained behind to look after Lindy.

Even the Wolkenritter, before launch, harried as they were from their last conflict, still insisted on joining the mission directly from the Navy HQ they had arrived at, the HQ that prepped the Claudia, Pillar of Autumn, and Sulaco.

"H-Hayate-chan! You shouldn't do this! Look at you!" Nanoha tried to complain.

"Don't worry about me, compared to the rest of my family, I practically got off easy!" Hayate tried to nonchalantly chuckle off. Still, some of the phantom aches from being thrown all over the floor from Razlo's Martyrdom still persisted.

The two of them were traveling with the rest of their friends in the Claudia, of which Chrono had personal command of. While the others were scattered about the ship as they saw fit, these two legendary mages were conversing in a hallway which had a clear glass window into the outside of the ship, the roiling various planar energies and dimensional conceptual edges bypassed as mixing colors, while three ships moved at a speed so impossible, it could only be done safely in the non-physics between dimensions.

"Still Hayate...! You're going into a fight injured! You should think this through-"

"Nanoha, we're talking about Fate, and the very way of life itself hanging in the balance. If our roles were switched, and I was telling you to not go when you could, because of generally minor injuries, would you listen?"

The white mage opened her mouth at that, but apparently any proper retort was lost in the passage between her brain and her tongue. She waggled her jaws for a minute, easily, trying to find an explanation.

Unfortunately, her entire military career and modus operandi revolved around "Full Power! No Holding Back!"

"Ah... ah..."

"See?"

"Geez! Still! I would have expected you to care enough to try and talk me out of it, even if I won't listen!"

Hayate managed to break out into a laugh at that poutish whine. Listening, Nanoha couldn't help but smile herself, but there was somber silence soon enough. They looked out the window as their journey continually became shorter and shorter.

Elsewhere, in Claudia's infirmary, Signum pulled her uniform back over a previously bared torso, Shamal finishing an impromptu inspection.

"Thank you." The Flame Knight curtly, rising from the bed to her feet. Shamal waved the thanks off courteously.

"I know you've probably been told this a hundred times already, but you have to remember, the healing spells aren't miracles. They're just supposed to keep you good until your body can catch up and properly heal. Even if we're fast healers, it's only been weeks since Lancelot. You're not going to be going into the fight at full condition."

Signum nodded, "I understand... but I still must go. Not only for Mistress..."

"For Fate-chan as well?"

"True... but not only that... also for myself..."

Shamal blinked, curious, "Yourself?"

Signum gaze became distant, "One of the Espada... Kuma... I know him."

"Y-you do? Is he from our past?"

"I believe so... the memories are fuzzy, but they're returning... Kuma and I have something to settle."

Shamal sighed, hugging herself, "So does Vita-chan, unfortunately."

"That's right. Mito. Where is Vita?"

"Practicing with Zafira."

Signum gave a wry smile, "Well, when I see her, I'll just have to tell her we'll have to see who gets to Kuma Oso first."

At the other end of a journey of three ships, was another climatic battle, to stop people from using a weapon, which a tyrant said could destroy a planet from the other side of the universe. But more importantly...

"Fate... we're coming... hold on!"

The thoughts of not just one friend, but a whole family.

Duel Ten: Achilles' Last Stand

When he received the news, Aaroniero Arleri was seated at the very top of Outrage, using his collected text to translate the alien Al Hazredian language that ran the operating software of the massive Lost Logia Device.

Outrage itself, was sizable, almost filling the center interior of the obelisk shaped central room of Catedral. The centerpiece of the ancient machine was a massive silver sphere, almost planetoid, neon purple veins running across its slowly rotating surface. Along the equator of the sphere, eight engraved metal plates had been implanted, holographic runes floating in front of each, a different color in front of each plate, red, blue, white, etc. Hovering over this large mechanism, was a smooth bodied machine that was vaguely shaped like a question mark. Starting at the equator of the sphere, it proceeded to ring it over top as a flat path, before jerkily continuing down the diameter till it hit the bottommost pole, where the machinery dipped downward till it stopped. Floating at the "back" of this question mark were six large flat contraptions, like wings to the Outrage. All these floating pieces held together invisibly in concert, neon veins everywhere, and floating pieces of digital, holographic Al Hazredian lazily orbited about the sun that was Outrage.

Phoenix Entierro stood passively, watching her master as he worked his way through debugging and understanding the machine he had called into being, his fingers rapidly drumming away at floating screens and digital keyboards that were accessing the weapon.

"How much sooner, Aaroniero Arleri-sama?"

"We are not sure... this language... is so expansive and complicated... We need time..."

Then the new arrived, a figure in white of some or other that Phoenix had never bothered with socializing before, frantic.

"Aaroniero Arleri! It's bad! A TSAB Fleet just exited interdimensional space and is closing in!"

That had the tall headed ghost standing up in surprise, Phoenix also blinking in disbelief, "What...? Give Us a visual!"

The messenger threw open another screen, showing three warships in the distance.

"This is not a obstacle to approach easily... It may be some thousand regular officers on those ships..." Aaroniero hummed, a finger rubbing the side of his mask in thought. Phoenix was near frantic, tugging on his robe unhappily.

"What do we do!?"

Aaroniero stared at the approaching ships for a minute, before speaking, "Ho w many know of this?"

"The news is being passed around in all the major areas of Catedral." The messenger answered.

"Give me permission to publicly speak to all sections of this facility. We are about to have a decisive battle."

"You're on the verge of bringing Outer Heaven, Aaroniero, at this time, you practically have permission to do anything." The messenger merely said, before disappearing from the chamber.

Not long after, a new screen saying "SOUND ONLY" came to Aaroniero, and his voice went into it, where it reverberated all over the halls of Catedral, where hushed and worried figures in white were everywhere hearing a large army nearly at their doorstep, when paradise was finally at hand.

"This is Aaroniero Arleri. Kuma Oso, Friagne Dientedeleon, come to me immediately. The rest of you, We speak to everyone who is willing to hear Us. Undoubtedly, you have heard, or is hearing now that in visible distance from this building, three warships from the Time Space Administration Bureau are coming towards us. Their aims, most likely are to war with us.

Three ships. There can easily be some thousand mages against the mere three hundred of us. But We are not afraid of numbers! All of us are veteran warriors to the last, experience and power within us. Not only that, we have Outrage in our possession, which We are shortly about to finish translation. We swear that our first target will be not only these three ships, but the Headquarters from which they came from, and the world that controls them all.

Do not be afraid! Be emboldened! We are fighting for our past injustices done to us, and the future grievances that will be done unto so many more in the future, the rich, fortunate, and greedy who dared strip so many of us of our meaning, to further their own ridiculous ambitions.

Brothers, we are a mere three hundred, but we have a duty to fight to the last. Recall the tale of the other three hundred warriors of legend, who fought not a thousand, but millions. The two of us are alike. We are both fighting the injustice of this life, because we are defending the dream of a better, purer, greater future! And even if all three hundred of us die, inside our bodies are more than flesh and blood. We carry an idea within us, which cannot be destroyed by fire or steel, or magic.

Even if we all die, let us die with such bravery and passion, that our successors, whatever they name themselves, Espada or not, the new generation of the disinherited, they will hear our story of a mere three hundred warriors, who came this close to bringing about a better future! Let our righteous victory bring about the future! Let our grand defeat secure another's future!

Order of the Useless Sword! TO WAR!"

And where ever Aaroniero's voice reached, a rushing torrent responded, a maddened rally of noble intentions and impassioned thoughts. Espada everywhere shouted their Devices into full form, as they all rushed to the main gate of Catedral, to head off the Bureau dogs in their faces.

Aaroniero heard the thundering echo all the way to his position, where he closed the screen. Behind the disintegrating window, Kuma and Friagne flew up and landed onto the top of Outrage, the cardsharp loudly applauding with his hands.

"Ah, Aaroniero, wasn't that a beautiful speech. It's a good thing you told me to come first, otherwise I would have willingly gone to the slaughter with the rest of us!"

Kuma and Phoenix gave disapproving looks at the remark, while Friagne bowed at the waist with a wave of his hat in hand. Aaroniero waved the whole issue off for more pressing ones.

"Enough. We are short on time. We must complete the translation of the operating software on Outrage as soon as possible. While We have no doubt the others at the front will hold off the Bureau dogs long enough, there is a possibility that the attack will be diversionary for a more subtle operation. You two must operate the Lost Logia defense mechanisms in Catedral, and protect the interior of this structure.

Kuma swirled around coldy, with Friagne following jauntily.

"Fine."

"Oh, a game on home ground! Not even Gil knew... and now some wretch is about to... heh!"

Phoenix watched the two Espada fall off the edge of Outrage, semi-passively, before Aaroniero hand was on her shoulder, assertive and assured.

"Phoenix Entierro... We will seal all the entrances into this chamber, except for one, to force a bottleneck. You must defend that passage. You will be our last line of defense."

"I understand, Aaroniero-sama." The hooded girl replied, pulling the rod off her back, the sealed coffin for a dead woman's Linker Core, "The Will of Espada."

"The Will of the Future."

What could be considered the "front steps" of Catedral appeared to be a giant platform of stone, sticking out from the center of the crazy mess of towers like a great tongue. Widening slightly as it reached towards the rest of Catedral, the platform terminated into the mouth of a canyon, the dark recesses constructed out of the topsy turvy turrets and towers, everywhere.

Chrono and Yuuno stood, clad in Barrier Jackets, staring at the hundreds of lights that clung all over the entrance of the tower, while the bass, like a wave, rose in the distance.

The glows of a hundred and more Engine Devices, and the war cries of dug in Ghosts.

Even with some thousand of their own, the men right behind Chrono and Yuuno seemed to shiver and and shuffle hesitantly, while holding their Devices close as good luck charms. Chrono bit back the urge to sigh.

"Espada are scary people, aren't they?" Was all Yuuno could nervously advise, before the Blue Breaker moved further ahead.

"I am Admiral Chrono Harlaoun, of the Time Space Administration Bureau. You are all under suspicion for illicit use of Lost Logia level material! If you do not resist, you will be granted a chance to plead in your own defense! If you consent to these conditions, lay down your weapons!"

Chrono shouted these words into the air between him and the lights on the canyon entrance. For a moment there was a silence. Then Chrono gasped and threw out his hand.

A fairly powerful magic spell slammed into the shield he created in time, sending him sliding back with enough force that he slammed into the mages behind him, who grabbed him messily, all of them stumbling back a few steps.

From the Espada in the distance, their mocking retort, "Bureau dogs! If you want them so bad, come and get them!"

Yuuno frowned at the rowdy cheer, while Chrono returned, brushing embarrassment off his shoulders.

"This isn't going to be pretty."

"Huh, you think, Ferret-boy?"

Yuuno sent a half-hearted glare Chrono's way, while the Admiral pulled free S2U from its sleep inside the thick metal card.

"Don't underestimate these guys, Chrono. They might have more firepower than us, in the end, if they use Engrajei."

"You got my back on this, right?"

"I have everybody's back. Even the ones not here, Chrono."

Chrono returned the librarian's smirk, before turning his gaze to the Espada all over the front doors.

"Attack!"

Though above Catedral were the echoes of battle, Nanoha, Hayate, and the Wolkenritter navigated the underside of the stone fortress, flight magics guiding them around the upside down towers and spires that jutted downward.

"Hayate, are you sure about this?" Nanoha called out to the other party, as they continued roving the belly of the beast.

"Oi, don't doubt Hayate." Vita snorted back, "She watched the movie again just to make sure."

Hayate answered as well, as she looked about, "There's no doubt about it. The documents that were sent to us, that comment... whoever that person was, they were saying that there's a weak spot somewhere here we can use to get in..."

Inside Hayate's head, she heard Reinforce's voice echo, "Meister! Up ahead fifty yards!"

There, a particular turret was thrust outward. Though seemingly like any other, thick steam poured from a grated port built into the side of the tower.

"Is this it...?" Nanoha murmured, while Signum floated near, and plunged her naked blade into the steam, and pulling it out. Placing her free hand carefully across the flat of Levantine, she judged the situation, before turning back to her companions.

"This steam is fairly hot. I wouldn't advise staying in it for too long."

Shamal inspected the possibly entrance, also commenting, "It looks like a giant exhaust port, like Devices use for bleeding excess heat and magic after an attack spell... to have a structure like this active, they have to be having some high intensity spells constantly active."

That sent Vita groaning, "Great, our anonymous 'benefactor' is telling us the only way is to fly through a sauna made out of too much magic..."

"Barrier spells should be able to offset the worst of it, but I don't know how long it will last with all that excess magic rubbing on it." Zafira advised as well.

Hayate shrugged as she floated closer to the steaming portal, "It can't be helped. We'll just have to get through it as fast as possible. Nanoha?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll be needing you to make an exit for us while we're inside."

Steel grate flooring exploded outward into a twisted mess, letting steam spill out, uncontrolled, while the silhouette of six jumped out of the hole in the ground.

"Finally out! I swear, another minute, I'd be as red as my armor!" Vita muttered, though somewhat half-laughing at the thought.

As the party moved out of the column of steam, they found themselves in the lower levels of the Catedral. Inside the rounded hallway, gauges and pipes wrapped themselves into the walls everywhere, while glows of magic energy fed everywhere, lighting up the dank hallways, and filling it with a dull ringing bass, like the roar of engines in the distance.

Signum looked about her, "Looks like we made it inside..."

Shamal also commented, "This looks like the level they maintain all the engineering for the rest of the structure..."

"We all remember the objective, right?" Hayate asked, "Fate or Outrage, whatever comes first, as fast as we can."

Nanoha's voice hollered over, calling to see something she found. As they gathered onto the white mage, they saw what she was looking at.

Along one section of the wall, words were painted onto the pipes in a scrawling mess:

-WELCOME TO THE NEXT STAGE!-

"Hmph, looks like our "Ephialtes" is still expecting us." Zafira frowned from the back, as they continued reading the bizarre instructions, two pointing in opposite directions down the chaotic passage.

-GO THIS WAY TO LIVE: NO FRIENDS AT HOME.-

-GO THIS WAY TO DIE: GET A HAPPY MEAL FLAG!-

"...Happy Meal flag!? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I can't believe this person is playing around with us!"

"So which way should we take?"

"I'll go that way."

The Wolkenritter turned to Nanoha, who looked resolutely in the direction to Die.

Hayate was hesitant, "Are you sure? What if this guy isn't kidding?"

"I'll should go with you." Signum also answered with a step forward.

"No, I think Hayate is going to need all the help she can get from you guys."

"And what about you?"

Nanoha returned a smile, "You know I can take care of myself. Nickname, and all."

"Don't be stupid!" Vita snorted, "Your body! Don't say you're perfectly recovered-"

"Vita."

"...What?"

"Just this one time."

"Gah, fine! Don't use that tone on me! I won't forgive you if you die, though!"

Nanoha sheepishly, grinned, before hefting Raising Heart in both hands, "Well, let's end this, and bring Fate-chan home then, shall we?"

Hayate nodded, before slowly walking back in the opposite direction of the hall, "Then I'll see you when this is over!"

"Be careful, everyone!"

"You, too."

And their booted feet stamped down opposite directions, Nanoha to Death, the others to Life.

Eventually, Hayate and the others broke through the long passages of hardware and engineering, and into the "normal" hallways that were empty of Espada. barely lit massive tunnels seemed more fit for flying through, as they apparently suddenly connected into one or another without any logic. Though Vita was sorely tempted to comment on the architecture, they were running out of time, and merely opted for flying forward through the unmappable hallways as fast as they could.

And then Signum felt a familiar presence in the air. It closed in on her. With naught but a sigh, Signum slowed her movement until she was drifting behind the others. They turned back with confusion.

"Signum?" Shamal asked first. The Flame Knight gave a baleful sigh.

"Everyone. Protect Meister Hayate. It appears our unfinished fights have finally caught up to us-"

Then a black wall weaved itself into existence, cutting the corridor in two, the shocked knights on one side, while Signum disappeared behind it. They all rushed up to the barrier, hands against the wall as they all tried, tested, and pounded for weakness.

"Signum? Signum!? Can you hear us!?" Hayate pleaded.

"Damn. An enemy attack. They must have been biding their time..." Zafira swirled around, eyes on guard for anything new. Meanwhile, Vita continued to pound with her palms.

"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?"

"Reality Marble." Was the marble-cold retort. Vita and the others turned to match Zafira's direction. Down in the darkness, Friagne slouched in mid air, legs draped over another.

"Reality... what...?" Shamal sweated first.

Friagne fixed his gloves while speaking, "Reality Marble. It's a Lost Logia we Espada collected a while back, and integrated into the defense mechanisms of Catedral. It's a peculiar spatial phenomenon, where the reality of the universe, and the reality of the user's soul overlap, violating the laws of nature... creating the ideal battlefield."

"What are you saying...?" Hayate stepped forward, glaring.

"What I am saying, is that on the other side of that wall, my associate Kuma Oso, is going to kill your knight, aided by the memory of whatever it is that strengthens him, and weakens her. It is a very marvelous creation. Ah, the people of Al Hazred did create some wonderful things in their past time-"

"Shut up! You're going to tell us how to break through and destroy that thing!" Vita snapped.

Friagne shrugged, "Well, it's a simple matter of destroying whoever is projecting the Innate Bounded Field. Aka, me."

"So it's just a matter of beating you to get Signum out!"

Friagne tilted his head in confusion, "Signum? Since when were we on the topic of her? I thought you would be more concerned about the dilemma you people are in!"

"What!?"

Then a playing card floated in front of Vita's face, and another by Hayate, and yet more, like ash.

"Come now, were you so quick to assume that the barrier of the Marble was for just for that knight? No, the moment that wall came up, you people were already in my Reality Marble."

Friagne snapped his fingers. And the darkness that none of the knights realized had been encroaching all over their world, suddenly was swept away.

And everywhere were cards. The endless horizon of paper. Crunching underneath their feet as the very ground, up in the air as a solid sky. While a few cards drifted down at a time, at points, the sky of cards trickled streams downward into pools on the ground, while bizarre Dali-esque shapes constructed out of playing cards protruded out of the ground at various points.

An endless plain of gray pink, made from a vast white intermixed with black and red.

The suited Espada threw out his arms, proclaiming, "Mistress of pain, I do dearly beseech, to welcome thee to Royal Gambit! Play, play, play to your heart's content! Play until your body dies. Play until your soul dies. Enjoy yourself, so that I too, may be pleased."

With that, Friagne Dientedeleon sank into the cards.

And all around the Wolkenritter, Friagne Dientedeleons rose out of the cards, chuckling, laughing, shuffling.

The first time they met, she was standing beside her Meister stoically in the throne room, with the other Wolkenritter, while he, along with some privileged others, were prostrated on their knees.

A young, plucky, ambitious lieutenant of sorts in Meister Laharl's army, he was on the fast track to being captain of Laharl's fortress security, set to take the position after his aging predecessor finally got around to fully retiring. He was in fact, already assuming a majority of the physical duties, leaving the administrative duties to his elder.

"Fellow subjects. I have a new decree." She remembers Meister Laharl saying, "These knights beside me, are now my personal bodyguard. They are answerable only to me. Do not question anything they say or do. Their actions will bring our land the power to achieve anything."

There were murmurs of confusion. He looked on with confusion. Personal Bodyguard? These new people, out of nowhere, suddenly more important than his? The young and upcoming Captain of the Guard was expected to now bow to these strangers? She would have to be careful around him. A little Jealousy now might become a dangerous intervention later.

"Do not question the decrees over your Lord! I say again, these knights are second only to me!"

That was that. Most of them grumpily broke up, others remains, speaking to themselves. She and the other, of course, merely passively stayed by the throne, even as Meister Laharl left, as he had given no order for them at the moment.

Then he approached. There was an odd look in his eye. She tensed her body and her tongue. No doubt, he was either going to attack her now, either her body or her honor, and she would have to be prepared for what could happen. She had no fear though. A brat like this...

"Hey, so you're the new guys, huh?" He grinned. Apparently he wasn't very good at listening, either, "Either way, name's Ji&#(!)e. So I guess since we got similar jobs, we'll be buddies now, huh?"

And he offered her his open hand.

Signum looked on, snow falling around her. In the distance was a towering castle, that stretched upward to the point your eye and neck ached from seeing the gothic black spires, black gargoyles, black buttresses, flying or not, the artistry of the crumbling shell of a former home.

"This is..." Signum's mouth moved on her own, filled with nostalgia.

"Cocytus Vertical. A memory given form through hatred."

Signum turned around in the empty snowy field, to look at Kumo, who had drifts of snow collecting atop his beard head, his shoulders, atop that pouting snout, while his arms were folded.

"Kuma..."

The Espada threw snow off his body, while he unearthed Dos Colmillos, holding them loosely and pointed at the ground, "I've waited for this opportunity for years. Fighting you on that planet and ship could have been good enough... but to have you right where I want you..."

"Kuma... what did I do to you?"

The mechanical voice behind the teddy helmet snorted, "You still don't remember, even after seeing this?"

"It's slowly coming back." Signum coldly retorted.

"Good, that old voice. Because revenge is sweetest when the dying recognize the crime they committed."

Kuma swung out his swords in a flicker that left both of them pointed ahead, one ahead of the other, wide and ready to receive or begin attacking.

"Now come at me with all your strength, and all your skill, Signum. I want to watch you fight uselessly until the end, right before I kill you back."

For all this time, Levantine had been quiet inside its conjured sheath, which was held in Signum's left hand. Now the Armed Device was raised to chest height, Signum's eyes frosty like the snow about either of them, while her other hand grasped the handle and slowly pulled her blade free.

Kuma's masked head lowered at the sound of familiar ringing steel, mechanical breath hitching and shallow, overly eager to finish things.

Then, bulging bear eyes shot up, "SEE YOU IN HELL!"

The Espada spun in place, and where there was gentle snow, all that was left in front of Signum was a giant whirlwind that whipped blasts of cold and sloughs of snow at her with enough force to send her ponytail and the loose folds of her clothes flapping wildly.

A flicker. Signum threw up both her sword and cover in time to catch several large sharp chunks of ice hurled against her Device with a groaning clang. Even defended successfully, the force of shattering ice sent her sliding back in the white field that was transforming under a sudden biting blizzard. In the distance, where he originally was, Kuma Oso hunkered down and flung himself into the air. Signum leapt up to meet him.

With a strangled cry, Kuma practically threw himself at Signum, his body nearly parallel to the ground as he slashed away at Signum, who ducked under one, and parried with patience against the onslaught, till Kuma overextended himself on his last swing. The flame knight readied to swing Levantine at Kuma's blank face.

"DIVISORIA SANGRIENTA."

Signum managed to shimmy back in time for Kuma's sandaled foot to swing overhead, until the entire swordsman spun in place. A giant blade of rushing air shot point blank downwards, the edges just nearly skimming Signum's face, while the projectile smashed into the ground. Giant plumes of exploded snow rose into the sky, while Signum glared through the biting wind and sleet, across to the Espada in front of her, crouched like a beast, body leaning forward, legs splayed and tense, weight on the toes, Dos Colmillos in either hand.

"Kuma... you say for me to use all my skill, yet I feel you aren't doing the same. Stop playing. Let's finish this feud. My Meister needs me."

"Tch, just like always... Meister, Master, Mistress... I'll just send her along after you!"

Signum's glare only got more silently furious, while her grip tightened.

"Levantine. Cartridge Load."

"EXPLOSION!"

An empty shell flew into the blizzard air, before the falchion was streaming with fire. Kuma pointed his own weapons.

"Colmillos. I am the bone of my sword!"

"DIOS DE LA VENGANZA."

From the hell of Cocytus Vertical, wind whipped about the once-dead Espada in a harsh blanket, while cold whirled about Dos Colmillos, coating steel with frostbite.

Signum charged forward, crying "Shiden Issen!", and Kuma met her with a similar rush of edges.

Magically overpowered flame and cold met, and the blizzard air around them exploded.

"Roaring Storm Gigant CRUSHER!"

Vita's massive hammer came down at the group of Friagnes in the distance, crushing dozens, while the ensuing shockwave that followed after threw up several more into the air, where they disintegrated into mere cards.

Opposite Vita, Zafira gave off a great roar and threw out his arms at another approaching mass of the Espada. Bursting through the card formed earth, lances of glowing solid light burst through, spearing through multitudes and destroying them.

Dozens dead, dozens of dozens more of Friagne Dientedeleon floating mockingly towards the pressed in Wolkenritter, Hayate in the center, chanting. Vita turned back, slightly harried.

"Oi! Hayate! Aren't you done chanting yet!?"

"...star in the sky, pierce mine enemies a thousand times, and a thousand more... Sohn des Morgens! Fire!"

And meeting Vita's demand, her mistress stabbed Schwertkruez into the air above them, glow on the staff shooting up into the sky like a flare, where it thereon exploded into a spitfire of arrows that showered the air and the ground around the Wolkenritter, stabbing through all and any remaining Friagnes in a shocked and gasping frenze, before exploding everything in bursts of flame.

The knights and their mistress panted bits of ash and burning paper flickering around them, while the smoke cleared, leaving Friagne a bit before them, clapping his hands genteely to one side of his body.

"Getting better. You've killed me 138 times already. I wonder... two hundred? Three hundred, before Lady Luck tires of you?"

"Damn it! This is getting stupid... he just keeps coming back!" Vita snarled at the white suited man in the distance.

Friagne chuckled, "Come now, am I still that difficult for you? I even revealed in our last game, for pity's sake, the nature of my Bluffing... and it's still too much for you!? How pathetic. I guess even with all that power, the blood's in your body, not in your head. And you're supposed to be my new nemesis after Gil-"

"Stop comparing me to him!"

"Why not? In the end, he's the only one in your entire Bureau who has to right to be known by name. If you can't even live up to something..."

Friagne drew his fingers back.

"...Then just die without anything! Royal Crusher!"

Snapping his fingers at the group, out from the card built sky, a giant arm crashed through, a giant limb that bled paper from its artificial frame. From this, the large fingers cracked a thundering snap of their own.

High above the Wolkenritter, a series of concentric circles formed out of cards spun about, increasing in speed, while a sparking blue sphere of power gathered.

Hayate choked, "EVERYBODY! MO-"

A meters wide blast speared into the card ground below, creating a blast nearly parallel to Hayate's own strength, the shockwave sending smoke and cards flying out from the center of impact. The forming crater was immense.

In the subsiding roar, the Wolkenritter stopped tumbling across the ground, landing on their faces or backs, while Zafira's barrier barely manged to hold out for any of them.

Hayate shook her head, trying to clear the explosion from her head, while Vita swore somewhere.

"Son of a bitch, where's my hat...?"

As She of the Night Sky finally got to her feet, she found the smoke clearing to find dozens more Friagnes ringing the four of them, while more large arms were pulling themselves out of the card sky and the card earth. All of their fingers were cocked, ready to arrogantly sound an attack.

"Scared? Mortified? I won't stop until you're bowing, asking to die!"

Vita sneered, stepping forward, "Give me a break, you cowardly pansy. We haven't even begun to get serious, yet! Eisen!"

The metallic call of "Zerstörungform" had the already large hammer grow a drill tip and a thruster on opposite faces of the Device.

"We haven't given up, Friagne...!" Hayate growled as well, gripping her own staff and staring at the one who was speaking. He audibly snorted.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You're no high roller. Not at all. And I'll prove it!"

And as the attacks and various calls of various spells in various direction began anew, Hayate quickly glanced back to Shamal, protected by Zafira. Klarwind, floating off her fingers, were still shining with high speed calculation.

Hayate could only hope. Hope her betting was better than what Friagne assumed.

"Hey, what do you think of the lord, anyways?" He asked, in between their breaks.

Often, whenever she wasn't gathering Linker Cores for Meister Laharl, he would always be there to greet her, and talk to her. It was strange. She never cared for companionship, not even with the other members of the Wolkenritter. At times she felt she was even actively cultivating a negative personality, pushing away the regular security detail, which made it easier for her and for the rest of her team.

Except him. He just kept coming around, that brat of a Not Quite Captain of the Guard, with that cheerful smile. Saying, 'hey, since we got free time why don't we learn from each other and spar?'

Of course, he was young, and years too young to even start being legible opponent. But he remained, always talking too much, for the silence she had. Apparently, he just didn't get the idea that maybe he shouldn't even be anywhere around her. But he remained.

On occasion, he would strike up an interesting conversation topic, though.

She turned to look at him, slightly confused. They were at their usual 'sparring' place (which translated to her as 'some light exercise'), a half clear field within the confines of the fortress, grass that wasn't very green, due to being stepped on so much, some weed flowers that were growing where the lawn met the stone barrier wall. Him leaning against it, her standing out in the field passively.

Still...

"You mean Meister Laharl."

"Well... yeah."

"He is my master. That is all I need to think of him."

He didn't seem to agree, the way he looked with a glaze over his eyes, and folded arms.

"Serving the master, and doing as he wishes... is that truly honorable?"

"Of course."

"Even if he's not worth it?"

...What did he just say? Did he dare imply-

"Laharl isn't a good person. He lords over the weak. Steals property and land, raises armies just to conquer needlessly. And now he has you people doing all his dirty work. Signum, what's the reason we strengthen our skills, and train to be swordsmen? Is it just to hurt innocent people who can't even fight back...? It's just stupid. Yet he... Laharl... that man... he's not worth-"

"Speak another word, and I will have no hesitation to remove your head from your shoulders."

Her grip on Levantine was bone white. She was more than willing to defend her Meister's honor.

"Signum, just think about it. If the time comes when you have to choose between the saving people's lives, or just obeying your master... well, I know you'll do the right thing."

"What makes you so sure I care about 'right things'?"

And he gave that smile, innocent and trusting, the young smile of a foolish Not Quite Captain of the Guard, dreaming to one day be a master swordsman.

"Because... despite what others think, I think you're a good person in the end, Signum."

The flame knight winced, a sharp pain sliding across the back, and only made worse by the sleet slapping against the recent injury. With the small moment of respite Signum had, she managed to catch her breath, while she stood atop the roof of one tower that jutted out of the black fortress that stretched upward into the sky. The battle had already escalated, and turned the ground around the castle into a cratered blaze, before Kuma and Signum began chasing each other along the exterior of the materialized memory.

Every minute, the snow and wind was increasing his speed, while her own body was being weighed down by the same icy material. He had already gotten one good hit in, along her back, with enough force that the cloth armor jacket was cleaved in two, only able to keep a serious injury from becoming a fatal one.

It's just a matter of time... then the Ghost will overcome me... Signum dourly reminded herself, as she used one hand to pull the now spent armor off her body, baring her shoulders, her other used to hold the mechanized longbow by her side. All over her body, minor injuries everywhere was beginning to add up. A glancing blow here, a shallow gash there. Under the snow, it was beginning to drain the knight.

I refuse to die here, though. Not from a match up I've faced hundreds of times before in Testarossa.

With that, the flame knight wiped away the blood leaving her cheek, straightened herself, settled her breath, and waited for the inevitable.

Then the spire Signum was standing on became uneven, as faint lines of carved stone erupted all over the decorative structure. Pushing off, the knight leapt further up the the exterior of the tall fortress, while the architecture fell apart in the blizzard. She hefted the bow in her hand, once a sword, calling to it as Signum watched the silhouette in the falling rubble grow darker and larger. Two Cartridges flung themselves to the wind.

"STURM FALKEN." Levantine announced to Signum as she drew back her bow, the materialized arrow bursting into flame.

Letting the projectile fly, Signum could already see the induced snowstorm affecting her spell, even a high caliber one as hers, as the arrow's path slowly nudged away until it hit just off the side of the collapsing rubble, covering one side in scorching flames that melted the black stones. The course of the attack was still untrue, and it allowed Kuma to burst through, covered in sharp cold zephyr, both body and blades.

Quiet swears under her breath, Signum drew back and fired more times, many missing Kuma by miles in the blizzard, a few more managing to make the teddy headed Espada waver from side to side from inside his cocoon of chill wind to dodge the close shots.

The two of them darted about sides of the castle, Signum's arrows blasting sections of wall and exposing the interior to cold, while Kuma responded by slashing away at outcroppings of architecture, letting them fall onto her or kick them in her direction with his black lacquer geta.

"Good. I'm glad you've lasted this long..." Kuma growled, blurring about as he dodged the arrows shot at him, "I want you to die slowly. I want you to burn... bleed... suffer, as I have!"

"Was me killing you that much of a crime...?" Signum murmured through the sleet that was crushing her body and chilling her skin.

Kuma's head tilted in indignation, while they swung about each other, trying to outflank the next, "What?"

Signum drew back another arrow, aiming, "One who takes up the sword should only do so, under the expectation of being met by one at the end of his or her life... if you can't accept that, don't come to me, braying about revenge. Otherwise, you have no honor or respect as a-"

"Shut up!"

"DIVISORIA SANGRIENTA: PERFECCIONADO!"

A blade composed of pure force collided against another burning arrow, letting the air between Signum and Kuma explode. In the midst of the white steam, Kuma swept it away, barely able to breath with rage.

"Honor!? Respect!? Don't spew that bullshit at me! What about you!? Honor? Respect? You? You're just a dog for whoever holds the Book of Darkness! You don't even think! You just do whatever your master says! I bet if they said for you to die, you would do it without thinking! You mindless puppet! You mindless whore! Honor is trust! Respect is mutual! I had it once, before you took it away from me, along with my life! All I have left, is Hate! Is waiting for the opportunity to kill you! My great mistake! That haunts me! So DIE!"

"DANZA AGUDA: PERFECCIONADO!"

Kuma spread out arms, blades perpendicular, and lost his shape into a giant whirling top, wind visibly warping around him in a vortex. With this he charged towards Signum.

She drew one last arrow.

In a moment, a spinning Kuma crashed against a triangular shield emitted by Levantine, while Signum stood behind it dispassionately, securely placing herself in a stance and drawing her arm back, while she squinted past the sparking and trembling magic towards the top of the spinning mess, where the giant pouting head should be.

The shield cracked.

"DAS SCHILD HÄLT NICHT."

"I know. Give me what you can, Levantine."

A second later, Signum's aimed was perfect.

A second later, the shield broke apart, and windswept blades tore through the bottom half of the longbow, shattering it back into an ordinary scabbard. With it's dying defense, it managed to keep the wound exploding on Signum's side to being a mere heavy gash.

Gasping, Signum fell, barely managing to hold onto her original sword.

Kuma Oso also fell, a hole cleanly melted through the right eye of his pouting face, and out the other end.

"Levantine..."

"SCHLANGENFORM."

Lengths of bladed chain speared upward and tore through the side of the fortress and stuck fast, bringing Signum to an abrupt halt. Grunting at the jerking stop, Signum winced, and held her side. Looking ahead, she found Kuma's still body collapsed on an exposed awning, limb dangling, and head lolled back, while steam poured out from its new opening.

Signum groaned as she dangled, tired out from the over intense fighting. Most likely near all her cartridges had been expended, trying to keep up with the Espada, and she could seriously question if she even had enough magic just to support flight again.

"I'm at my limit..." Was all she could sigh.

"Is that it. And I thought you loved your mistress..."

Eyes widening in shock, Signum found that where Kuma was once smeared all over the section of the exposed wall, now was only two halves of a damaged mask disappearing into the depths of white below. Twisting her neck she turned in the direction of the voice that floated in midair, supported tenuously by the blizzard about him.

"...I thought all those bodies you left behind you, mattered."

"Kuma..." Was all that could be said at the ghost, who was missing a mask.

There were hazy memories of a man who liked to smile, his hair done up in topknot. All that was left was a scarred face, bald, white from lack of sunlight. His neck was forcibly braced in steel, and the back of the head multilated to fit some sort of glowing machine attachment that ran up to over his ears, if there were any left, and firmly attached to his lower jaw, disallowing the mouth movement. Between bared teeth, out from various points of his skull, plugged into his nostrils, metal braces and cables were dug in, entrenched and running along the skin back into the machinery at the back of his head. One eye was completely missing, leaving a machine red glow inside the shadowed hollow, while the other was bleary with tears, enduring a torture that had been felt for years.

Kuma's mouth did not move, like the mask once over top, but still emitted a raspy, breathless voice, as if through a badly constructed speaker.

"Ever since that day, my tears have never stopped falling...You won't stop making fun of me, won't you? I haven't taken off this mask for years, and how you have for force me to remove it to see you... are you mocking me, Signum, that you need to see what's left of me to recognize me? Or is it to admire the handiwork you did...!?"

Kuma blinked away a tear, growled, and pointed the one sword remaining of Dos Colmillos he was able to retrieve.

Signum grunted, pulled her blade back into a sword, and began to fall.

Purple miasma clung to Signum protectively.

"PANZER GEIST!"

Wind whirled around Kuma's sword pointed arm in circles.

"BRAZO DEL VIENTO: PERFECCIONADO!"

The epicenter of the maelstrom of air slammed into the wall that Signum had just fallen feet away from, before the entire stone face disintegrated. The blast of air continued inward through the opening, with enough force that the surrounding pieces of wall began to be sucked into the opening as well, along with Signum, who could do little more than flail around inside the vortex.

As the wall clear on the other side of fortress exploded in a flourishing finish to the spell, the shell of a man that was Kuma Oso glared, eye pouring forth tears, while looking on at the gaping tunnel he created, strewn with shards of stone.

Floating to the edge of the opening, Kuma's feet settled onto solid earth. He continued in, sword held limply at his side.

Deeper in the darkness within the wind drilled tunnel, Signum coughed and staggered to her feet, pushing herself with Levatine, whose tip was driven into the ground for support. Her hair was free from it's previous ponytail, now only a disheveled mess that fell over her shoulders and stuck to her face from the blood all over it.

Signum panted and bled, and listened the groaning and whining of icy wind passing through smashed passage, and the distinctive clok-clok of geta sandals that echoed louder and louder with each step.

Levantine's hilt slid away from the grip, and Signum pushed her remaining cartridges into the internal magazine.

"NACHLADEN."

Two Cartridges. Only two moves, before I'm left with just sheer skill.

I won't lose. I won't lose to this man. Not while I'm away from Hayate, who needs me, or Testarossa, who needs help. I won't lose.

With a deep breath, Signum brushed away her hair as best she could, stood tall, and waited.

"Shuffle Nova." "Shuffle Nova." "Shuffle Nova." "Shuffle Nova." "Shuffle Nova." "Shuffle Nova."

Cards drifted through the air gaily for several seconds, before the cloud of printed numbers and symbols detonated, turning into small explosions that multiplied over a huge space. Narrowly leaping free from each blast, the Wolkenritter, covered in char, while they continued flying as fast as they could, cutting down whatever giant arms came out of the sky or sea of paper above and below, while the innumerable copies of Friagne pursued jovially from behind, sadistically prolonging the game to merely see how long till they opted for a pathetic 'last stand'.

All the while, Hayate furiously conferred back to Shamal, battle tactics and info being thrown together hastily.

"Shamal! You figured anything about this place yet!?"

"I think so, if we assume this place is merely an expansion of his previous powers already!"

"And!?" Vita quickly insisted, momentarily turning back to swing her massive drill hammer behind her to knock away various flying projectiles and smash apart more Friagnes.

"I've been scanning this place and thinking about that ability of his, that 'bluffing'! Even if you have enough devices to compute and translate a human body, Friagne can't possibly write himself out of reality... he must have somehow found a way to create a pocket dimension, and the cards are somehow gateways from which he can produce a copies from, probably based on equivalent trade of mass... but with this space, it's a second pocket dimension sitting on top of Friagne's... and the connection is even more open than in regular reality-"

"Shamal, English!" Vita whined. Hayate translated as best as she could understand.

"So you're saying we can blast through these walls to reach Friagne?"

"Sort of. It's not so simple as breaking through a wall, though-"

"Regular Sharp!"

The party instantly turned their attention to raising barriers to fend off a swarm of razor sharp cards that bounced and slid off their shields at various angles. Before a Friagne could capitalize and reuse the deflected cards, the knights were already taking off, slashing away several more giant hands and other limbs that tried to hamper their escape.

"What's the difference?" Hayate continued to quickly ask.

"You have to think of this place like a giant program. After you break through the exterior physical reality, there's still some several firewalls to break through, then you hit the actual code underneath. There, someone has to know how to take control of it, then we can reverse the logic between the two dimensions, so that the real Friagne will be on the same side as us, while all his card powers are where ever he was!"

"You're sure?"

"That's what Klarer Wind seems to think!" Shamal responded, motioning to the pendulums floating off her fingers.

"We've probably only got one chance at this..."

"Tch. We'll do it perfectly in one go!" Vita confidently sneered.

However, in their flight, the boundless floor spat up a giant wall that cut off the Wolkenritter mid flight, of which it extended to either side infinitely, and reached up to connect to the sky of cards. The knights with their interrupted movement, could do little more than slam up against the surface, which was as solid as the diamonds printed onto it.

"I should have done this earlier, honestly." Friagne's voice drawled rather haughtily. As the four of them tried to run down either side of the wall, two more walls ascended, vying to turn the infinite wall into an claustrophobic dead end. Twisting around, Hayate and the others glared at the far end of the constructed corridor, where Friagne stretched himself across a cobbled throne like structure that was grown out the walls.

"Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide... all that's left to do is die."

Out of all the surfaces, chains of joined cards spat out, rushing out at the knights, who had all their eyes widening in horror as they tried to raise something, anything-

"A barrier-!"

"It's too fast-!"

"Zafir-!"

The coils of paper had already drawn tight and lashed themselves all over the bodies and limbs of the Wolkenritter, tying them securely in the air while they struggled.

Friagne stood from his constructed seat, an Ace of Spades in his hand, "Let's end this fittingly, shall?"

With a half-hearted toss, the card fluttered across to the knights, where Friagne commanded with his fingers and voice.

"Full House Crash."

The small object enveloped itself in a brilliant glow that masked out everything in sight, before going up in a giant concussive detonation, a blaze of fire and a shock wave so strong it punched craters in even the walls of Royal Gambit.

"So ends the reign of Yagami Hayate, Mistress of Pain... a pathetic passing of time, compared to... better days, and better rivals. Goodnight."

Out of the smoke, unmoving, blackened forms fell out, and limply crashed onto the card ground below.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because... well... don't you want to be free, Signum?"

In a unsettling difference, he asked her to come out to the field early in the morning, when the sky was turning in blue in preparation for the rising sun. There, unsettling details about the planned events later tonight were revealed, much to Signum's chagrin.

"I am Meister Laharl's servant and bodyguard. You are telling me to revolt against him, tonight?"

"You're your own person, Signum! The Book nor Laharl... Laharl especially, doesn't control you!"

"I am just a program, the Book's will given shape. You are being foolish, Ji#&!()#ke."

He shook his head and flung that notion aside with an arm, staring at her intently, "You're not just a program! You're here, real, like any other person! You don't have to follow the orders of an evil man like that, none of you have to! We don't have to! Tonight we're going to put a stop to this insanity! All of us! The guards, the soldiers, me-"

"I cannot rebel."

"Then don't fight for him either. I promise you Signum, after tonight, I'll free you. We'll free everyone. Laharl doesn't own us. I won't let him own you, either."

Explosions climbed upward within the blackened fortress, while the winds howled outside and through the larger openings in its walls that were sometimes unwittingly created in the furious melee. Tattered banisters and frail carpets, the sparse decorations of Cocytus Vertical fell apart in uneven pieces as Signum and Kuma slashed up the halls around them unwittingly in their deflected blows and and attempted strikes that managed to hit everything but not them.

Signum leapt away, down the corridor, the first of the two last magic infused shells exploding out of Levantine. With gentle twists of her wrist, Signum had her sword spiraling out into segmented links one more time, swirling about her, while purple flames crawled along the length of the whip like weapon.

"Hiryu..."

Kuma stood there, blankly watching while water dribbled half frozen from his eye.

"...ISSEN!"

Unassisted as it was without its scabbard, Signum whipped the length of blade with all the force she could muster. Levantine whirled down the small hallway, along with the flurry of thrown flames, turning everything between into flaming wreckage that was hurled as well at the maskless ghost. Even the floor and the walls fell apart into serrated chunks that were flung forward from the force of the attack.

Covered in cold wind, Kuma disappeared as the first flames and wreckage reached him. Signum snorted as she saw the man leap from one flying piece of stone to another. Even when she flung her Levantine to catch Kuma as he leapt about from the pieces of cover, crushing the burning stone or striking between open spaces, the undead fury continued his nimble dance about, until he was on solid ground again, and rushing towards Signum. With a yell, Kuma swing and stabbed, though the knight managed to avoid the swings at her face, bringing up her reassembled sword to lock blades with him, sword to sword, pressed near each other's face, while sparks skittered from the meeting edges. Trying to gain an upper hand in momentum, the two found themselves rushing down the remainder of the surviving corridor, their blades still in unison.

In a sudden move, Signum's foot reached ahead in another step, but rather than continuing to run, her other leg lashed out in a wide arc into the side of Kuma's head in a loud crunch. Though, instead of the sight of Signum's metal boot toes dug into Kuma's head, the Espada's free hand had caught her by the ankle.

Signum gasped for a second, before she found herself being toss through the air by the captured limb. While she was left dangling in the air, Kuma was already moving, and in a blink of an eye, slamming his shoulder into her gut with enough force to leave her coughing up red. With the force of the blow struck while free floating, Signum could do little more than unceremoniously rocket off, skipping off the ground with loud crunches, while her armor's barrier could last, until she all out plowed through a wall in a loud crash, more black stone and mortar coming apart and strewing themselves across the floor along with the knight.

The throne room had been maintained well, even if it was a memory. A medium sized all, with the disappearing and faded red carpet running down the center, while columns lined and decorated the center of the hall. There was a door at the far end, but Signum had opted for coming through the lengthwise wall to the left, with the new gaping hole. At the other end, atop several steps, the large chair remained, almost more built for reclining lazily than actually sitting.

Bleeding, bruised, tired, with only one cartridge left, Signum staggered back, resting against on column, panting, while she watched the crying ghost walk through the hole they made.

"I hope you at least remember this place, Signum. It was where we first met. It was where we parted ways too many years ago to remember." Kuma's voice echoed out of his neck harshly.

Signum didn't bother responding.

"Hmph. Too tired and injured to even shoot back some cool reply like you usually do? How much the tables have turned... perhaps I should even kill you in the same way you did me. I even remember the stroke. Entering from my left collar, down and across, exiting my right hip. You remember, that Signum? You want to relive that sensation, SIGNUM!?"

The flame knight, even nearly extinguished as she was, managed to jump aside as Kuma swooped in and cleaved through the column she was supporting her back with, rolling to her knees in front of the throne. The Espada was already upon her, swinging his lone sword down at her face, which she warded off with her own sword. An underhanded swing of Kuma's sandaled foot, however, crashed into Signum's already maltreated torso, sending her back colliding into the sharp steps leading up to the empty throne, eliciting a sharp gasp of excruciation from her

"Rrrraaaaaggghh!" Kuma dove down. Signum was too slow.

The katana sunk through her gut, and out the other side, hilt meeting belly, and cool, bloody steel lodging itself into the stone behind. Signum spasmed, barely able to grasp her sword in her fingers, her head jerking back, white eyes and mouth widened, sudden pain to great to even voice.

Kuma, glaring, withdrew his hold on his sword, leaving his prey pinned down while she grit her teeth, mastering the pain as best she could.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Signum. You're a program. It probably doesn't hurt nearly as much as it would if you were a real human being. Probably the only real way is to destroy your head... even then, I suspect your current master could just revive you... how cheap death is, huh, Signum? Kill hundreds, die yourself, and start all over again like nothing ever happened... I wonder how you felt when you killed me? Did our time together even matter... or was I just an annoyance? Tch."

With no sword, Kuma merely gripped his fist, calling a small vortex about his arm, flapping the cloth sleeve while he stared at Signum.

"This is the end...!"

"...You threw away your sword."

Kuma found himself hesitating over that whisper, "...So!?"

"...You prided yourself on using two swords... to attack and defend, to fight multiple enemies, to strike faster, to continue even when you lost one... I understand when you lost the first earlier... but you let go of this sword..."

"I don't need Dos Colmillos to kill you. I'll just crush your head in."

Signum coughed in a way that almost sounded like a snort, "Wrong... a swordsman's pride and soul lies in the partner of his blade... weren't you the bone of your sword? I remember how often you said you wanted to surpass me... but you threw away your swords... and resorting to a techniques of a brute... where is your pride and dignity, Kuma?"

"I already told you! I lost those the day you killed me... the only thing I have now is the memory we're standing in! All I need is that to remember how much I hate you... and I'll use anything necessary to kill you... that's all that matters now!"

"No... you're wrong. Even in death, you still could have had your integrity. But I can see now... Kuma... you lost the moment you threw away your swords..."

"...What?"

Signum's hand gripped the handle of the Colmillos, "And now... you will never equal me... throwing away all your pride, and your future... to hold onto your angry memories... but I have to survive, because I need to return to those that matter to me."

"Tch, your precious masters, again"

"No... my family."

And Signum stared hard back at Kuma, with a piercing gaze of such ice blue, it forced even the Espada back a few steps in uneasiness, even with all the strength he had now.

A growl of determination, and Signum push herself forward, while her arm pulled on the blade that impaled her. In a final jerk, Kuma's sharp Device was pulled cleanly out of the stone and out of her body. Staggering forward onto her feet, Signum dropped the sword at her feet, and clutched the wound on her stomach, while her grip on Levantine was reaffirmed.

One more deep breath, and Signum calmly stared at Kuma, who was furious and shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere, unable to believe.

"Levantine."

"EXPLOSION."

The last cartridge flew, and the sword burned bright.

"I'm sorry Kuma Oso. But you're right. This is the end."

Kuma's eye was livid with rage, while his bared teeth ground each other so hard blood began to fall from the gums. Screaming, he swung his arm in an arc towards the knight, fierce air firing from the limb.

Signum stepped to the side calmly while the throne beside her exploded in two pieces, debris flying, and her hair waving from her head like a curtain, before she rushed forward, hand on stomach, Levatine burning and sparking along the ground.

"Shiden..."

Kuma screamed, swinging his palm horizontally, and Signum ducked under the blast that crushed pillars into two pieces and destroyed the wall behind her. Closing in, Flame Knight Signum began to swing, while Kuma brought down his fist, calling down enough wind and frost to burst down through the ceiling in a rain of force that was more than enough to crush the both of them.

"SIGNUM!"

"...ISSEN!"

It was not often she wore the armor Meister Laharl created for them, while within the boundaries of the fortress. Grim, bulky, genderless, masking any sense of humanity the moment the helmet came down, and all four of them wearing a uniform design, varied only in dimension.

There they all stood impassively, flanking either side of the throne, while Meister Laharl sat bored, the Book of Darkness in his lap, while sounds of revolt echoed through the halls, people dying for or against the overlord.

The doors were kicked open finally, him at the very front of it, clad in full armor, and his two swords.

"Laharl!"

"I see things have come to a head. Coup d'etat? Jealousy?"

"Justice! We won't let you and your evil schemes continue anymore!"

"Really? You think you can stop me? You're just a human... but I... am on the verge of god hood... with this Book... I'm only a hundred pages away from ruling heaven, hell, and everything between and beyond... I'll be the first to have ever completed the Book of Darkness... you think someone like you can stop me!?"

"You aren't god yet, Laharl! You're just a tyrant! One who's about to be taken down!"

He clapped his hands. A typcial gesture for action on their part. They wordlessly clanked armor as they unearthed their weapons. She watched him grimly stare at her, all of his men that had survived till now backing away in fear. She was a dangerous warrior, after all. A tool honed to razor's edge, with its own ability to act, though completely under the thrall of its master.

"Signum, don't do this. I know you're better than this...!"

"Fool. You honestly believe you can just talk them out of this... they are MINE! They are my perfect warriors. They will never falter. Especially for some pathetic whelp like you! Wolkenritter! Protect your master! Slaughter these men and harvest their Linker Cores... whatever worth they are."

The words left her mouth without her ever even realizing it, while she pulled Levantine from her scabbard.

"Yes, your Highness. Load Cartridge."

They were low level mages, and fairly average swordsmen, too. She, Vita, and Zafira were ages of solidified experience and instincts, and Shamal was far from useless either, with strings and portals.

"Signum! No!"

Orders were orders. Slaughter. Slaughter the men. It was down to a few handfuls when he interjected, his swords crashing against her own.

"Run! All of you! I'll meet up with you later!"

"B-but-"

"I'll figure this out! But we can't all die here! Go!"

And they all tried to run. But he was only one, while Vita and Zafira pursued, while reinforcements loyal to Laharl regrouped outside the main keep.

But the two of them continued to clash, Laharl watching, humorously entertained.

"Signum! Don't do this! I don't want to fight you!"

Then what was the point of all those spars? It all came down to this. Don't hold back. Why are you holding back? Foolish youth, now wasted.

Wasted slowly, as cuts from near misses slowly drained him of life and strength.

He staggered, continuing to be defensive, "Signum... talk to me... don't hide under that armor... I know you're in there... talk to me! I know you're better than this! You don't have to live like this! You're not a puppet! You're a person!"

She ripped up an arm, forcing him to drop one blade, while his other traded blows with her helmet, shattering it, and exposing her face to the heated air outside.

It was easier to see him now, face to face, rather than behind grates. Hunched, panting, bleeding, barely holding onto his sword. Clothes tattered, Levantine's heated edge making short work tearing steel armor and cauterizing flesh.

"Signum... please... snap out of it... don't look at me like that... don't pretend you don't have a soul... all those times we talked... you're better than this, Signum! I trust you... I know... you can choose... to do the right thing...!"

"Ritter. He's getting too melodramatic. Just kill him already."

"Yes, your Highness."

It didn't even require thinking. Just action.

"Signum..." he staggered forward, eyes still trying to shine with that blind hope of his, "You're strong... strong enough to listen to yourself... you're not a tool, Signum...! The Book doesn't own your life-"

It was such a simple stroke. A practiced technique even a novice should have known. Enter the target's left collar, down and across, exiting the right hip. Simple. Clean.

He fell to his knees. He couldn't even believe the obvious truth.

"Signum... why...?"

And that was how they parted. Him bleeding all over the floor, her standing there impassively, Laharl laughing wildly, how stupid could a human get?

It was the second to last time Laharl would laugh, the last being a month later, just a few moments before the Book of Darkness went out of control with its 666 pages, and proceeded to consume the planet whole.

DATA FILE 5681292 RECOMPILE SUCCESS. SAVING.

It was snowing gently through the hole in the ceiling, like pieces of dreams.

Signum was kneeling on one foot, one hand on a raised knee, the other pressing Levantine's edge into the ground, while blood dripped slowly.

He didn't have very much blood left in his body, after the countless years. Even though his body had been shorn in two, his legs and pelvis a few feet away from this rest of him, all that trailed out from the gaping opening was an empty hollow, with trailing cables and fiber optics sparking and spilling out like some sterile substitute for organs.

A groan, as internalized life support systems were slowing down, him on his back, staring blankly at the white sky above.

"...I killed you."

"...how... all this time... waiting for the perfect opportunity... I was supposed to..." The voice coming out from his throat and unmoving mouth was breaking up, filled with static.

"...You were a fool to put such blind trust in me."

"I had faith... faith that you had your own soul... and in the end... you just threw it in my face... in the end, you just love whoever holds the Book..."

"I was a fool to have that blind trust, too."

Choking, growling, gritted teeth, as if trying to muster all the life he could in his anger.

"Signum...! How could you kill me...!? I was the only one who could see you for who you really were...! I was the only one who didn't treat you like an enemy... or a tool...! I trusted you... Signum! With my entire being...! My entire heart...! And now... now you are free...!? Someone else... !?"

"Mistress Hayate... was the first one to ever love us back."

His face wasn't even sure how to move at that comment. That final, damning phrase.

"But I was a different person, then. Those days with Laharl were times I now regret, as are countless others I probably do not even remember. I regret more that I would even forget there were people who trusted me then, like you. Even if you will not accept them now, I thank you for that... and I am sorry."

He continued looking up into the white sky.

"But now we must part ways again. I must move on, and so should you."

"Move on...?"

His electronic gasping broke into cynical chuckling, while Signum looked down on him with narrowing eyes.

"Move on!? Heh... I won't ever do that..." He turned to stare intensely at Signum, somewhere half way between a sneer and a growl, eye watering, "As long... as I have my soul... I will... never forg...e...i you...!"

That was when the light left his eyes, his head dropping back, only darkness in the sunken, sleepless pits that were once eyes, a final long exhale that left nothing inside his mutilated body.

Signum sighed, and reached beside her, placing the one Colmillos, stained red along its blade as it was, onto his frozen chest, in some impromptu warrior's funeral.

"...Goodbye, Jinnosuke."

And Cocytus Vertical fell apart.

"This... isn't over."

The walls had dropped, and Friagne was about to simply opt for dissolving the bodies into his Realty Marble, when he heard Vita's defiant mumble. Looking down, he chuckled in amusement as the Wolkenritter gathered themselves one more time.

"Still kicking? This tenacity is insane..." The Espada laughed, as he stood in mid air.

"Shut up," Vita snorted, "I... we won't lose to someone like you! Not to some coward who doesn't even have the guts to fight us, face to face!"

"Hmph... you should remember who's the dealer here. Who's the table. Who's Reality Marble this is. I am a god here." Friagne chided with a finger.

"Yeah, I know this is your fancy theme park here. I also know we're essentially sitting on top of your real body here... all I need to do is just break through the floor here!" Vita sneered.

"What a foolish notion... I'll enjoy using your faces for my next edition of Jokers." The Espada mocked, folding his arms.

All the while, Hayate whispered in their minds quickly, (Zafira, I need you to look after us. Shamal, stay back... Reinforce... I don't like to do this, but...)

(This is the only way, I understand. Leave it to me!) Hayate could hear her companion chirrup encouragingly.

(Thanks... are all you guys ready? Then let's go!)

With that, Vita begun, "'Foolish notion'? Oi, you don't have any idea who we are then...! Then before we beat you up, remember this! First, I'm the Iron Knight, Vita...!"

Swung up into the air high above Vita's head, Graf Eisen roared, Cartridges exploding.

"...With Graf Eisen, and for the people I love, there's nothing I can't destroy! Destruction Hammer!"

The drill spinning on Eisen, and rocket boosters flying, the Device hurled itself headlong into the card ground, the tip sparking and screaming as it slowly penetrated the mass, shredded paper flying from the point of impact.

"More... more! Give it all you got!" Vita shouted to her hammer.

"JA!"

The chambers moved back and forth, drinking down magic and spitting out three more empty shells, as the drill drove deeper into the boundaries of Royal Gambit's reality.

With a scream and a final push, Vita completed her swing, Eisen ripping a large gash through the cards that was not healing immediately. Underneath the layer of reality, an inky darkness remained, periodically broken by a blink of magical circuitry.

Vita twisted her neck to shout back to her mistress, "Hayate!"

"On it!"

Flapping out her wings and heading high above, Hayate wielded her Tome and Schwertkreuz in either hand. Pages flipped on their own to the right text of spell, while a white Belka sigil formed behind her.

"Resound, Horn of Judgment...!"

"Tch... I'm not down yet...!" Friagne muttered, before flinging himself at Hayate's forming spell, alongside a swarm of others that cannonballed wholly formed out of the ground and sky. Giant arms dragged themselves out of the cards, ready to simply smash the Wolkenritter under its immense weight.

Zafira jumped ahead, growling, "Let me remind you, I am the Guardian Beast, Zafira... I won't let you anywhere near my mistress! Iron Yokes!"

More shafts of light protectively encased the area around the knights, before shooting outward, accurately destroying each suited body that neared them. Even the giant arms were skewered into the ground, unable to move.

Before Friagne could enact a new strategy, the glows inhabiting the circles at three corners of Hayate's sigil gained their maximum strength, eliciting a yell from her as she pointed her staff down at the gaping fissure beneath her.

"Ragnarok! BREAK!"

The furious tri-beam burst forth, rushing into the void with all strength. In moments, the light filled the crevice, flames exploding outward. In the smoking remains, much of the darkness had been dispelled, leaving a network of glowing lines that ran about in the deep.

Friagne was incensed, perhaps even slightly worried, but hid it all, spitting, "Tch! Breaking through my Reality Marble. A foolish notion... I can already tell none of you have the skills to play like that! Betting everything on something like that... pitiful! Regular Sharp!"

A wave of cards flung themselves at the knights, who threw up shields. Rather than all out bounce off, many instead, and once more, collided dead on against the shields, letting Friagne snap his fingers one more time.

"Guard Flush!"

combined, many cards slid through gracefully through the shields. Dodged as they could, Hayate and the others still dropped away, gashes lining their faces and limbs, gasping in pain.

The remaining Friagnes laughed at the sight of Hayate rolling onto her stomach at the edge, grunting with effort as she lifted herself up with her arms.

"This is it! Really! Such bad players. You haven't even fazed me... did you think you could just break through Royal Gambit and just fight me face to face? This is the casino! We keep you here till you drain you dry of every wealth, body and soul! It's time to pay up!"

"Tch... you're so full of yourself." Hayate muttered back.

"You're hardly in the position to say that, you know, Mistress of Pain."

Hayate turned a glare up to the Espada, "You think...? And someone like you... you're just concerned about proving your strength. Well you forgot something, Friagne. Or rather, someone!"

"Wha-!?"

"Unison Out!"

Hayate's smirk lost the electric blue eyes and glowing blond hair, while Reinforce Zwei jumped out of her mistress' body and into the depths of the circuitry of the Reality Marble.

Friagne choked, "Her!? You going to-!?"

"She's a Unison Device... I don't know if this is going to work... but regardless, this isn't game over! We're just anteing up!"

Before Friagne could reply, their floating numbers jerked as if something had intruded into them. They gasped, garbled, and choked, as they lost control of their bluffing bodies.

"H-Haya...! How... could you...!?"

Unable to fly, much less anything else, the bodies crashed into the ground, spilling apart into cards. Far ahead of Hayate, a mound grew, while a voice gasped within. Above, Reinforce's voice echoed across the realm of the warped Royal Gambit.

"Meister! I don't have full control, but this is the best I can do! The real Friagne is in that mound over there! Get him out before I lose control of this place!"

"Right! Vita! Come with me!"

The red firebrand was cheering viciously, "Right! Let me at him!"

Dashing forward, the two of them leapt off their feet to fly in low towards the shivering pathetic mess ahead. Out from the pile, an emancipated arm reached out pointing.

"Just die...!"

Crude, makeshift spears of paper punctured through the ground, aiming towards the two knights. Vita roared, swinging Eisen about to easily knock away the weak counterattack, while Hayate dove forward, her fist crashing through the pile of printed numbers, until her hand grasped something solid, and pulled with all her might to pry out the resistance.

Something feeble, bald, and naked emerged, pipes infused into his body at points, as if he had become part of a machine.

The creature mumbled to itself from out of a mouth piece that was connected to a hose, while staring at Hayate with bright green eyes,"No... no, no, no...! This isn't fair...! This isn't fair! I've waited so long for a good battle...! Gil Graham... offered so much... but you... equaled me...!? Bested me...!? Defeated me...!? And now... I lose now!? No... no, no, no...! I want to fight more...! I want to drag out this perfect match up for eternity...! I have found an equal... and I want to fight more...! Fight more!"

Hayate grunted as she tried to keep whatever she was holding in her hand out in the open air, while she snapped open the Tome of the Night Sky. Glaring, she spoke.

"You don't deserve to speak about my Uncle that way! If you want to fight forever so badly... enjoy the dream! Sleep forever!"

"U-Uncle...!? You...!"

Friagne Dientedeleon, the real body, a naked shell of a being that gibbered for battle, glowed gold, before breaking up into light that drawn into the pages of the Tome of the Night Sky.

The cover snapped shut with a final decisive "ABSORPTION."

Hayate stepped back, grunting, "Finished."

The Wolkenritter's vision was filled with cards as Royal Gambit exploded.

All of them found themselves back in the endless halls of Catedral, where they stood, blinking confusedly for a few seconds, wondering if they were really back where they should be.

Then Reinforce Zwei choked and pointed in a direction, "S-Signum! She's...!"

Turning, the various members gave of gasps and chokes of horrified shock to find Signum sprawled across the ground, unmoving, a bleeding mess probably in far worse shape than the rest of them. Rushing up, they tried to shake her awake, while Shamal immediately began calling for her Devices to seal the Flame Knight's wounds.

"Signum! Signum! Wake up!" Hayate pleaded. She was met with a groan.

"...Mistress...?" One eye creaked open.

"You're alive!"

"Enough... I defeated... Kuma. But I fear, with these injuries."

"Don't worry! You come first! Shamal?"

"It's serious, but it's not impossible to treat like this... but it'll take time.." The green knight responded.

Zafira snorted, "We've used up the majority of our strength fighting them, too... at this rate, their job at defending was a success."

"Damn it!" Vita swore, trying to ignore her own injuries, "We beat them...! We can't just give up now! Nanoha... Nanoha needs us!"

"I know." Hayate sighed, "But... we can't do anything in our condition. We'll just have to trust she can make it on her own in the mean time."

"Time isn't on our side... mistress..." Signum managed to add, "...Outrage..."

"...We have to trust Nanoha."

In the one unsealed hall that led to the central chamber of Catedral, complete with the Lost Logia within, Phoenix Entierro worriedly looked up at the ceiling past the shadow of her hood, as rumbles of battle echoed, and specks of dust dropped from above.

"I hope those guys are alright... we can't lose now..."

"Phoenix."

The girl turned to find Arnage walking towards her from the far end of the hall.

"A-Arnage? What are you doing here? The fighting, you should be-!"

"Phoenix... I'll take over guarding... you should kill Fate. Now. Before it's too late."

"WHAT!?"

The man, placid behind his white sunglasses, took a deep breath from his inhaler before repeating. "Fate Testarossa Harlaoun. She deserves to die by your hand. Do it, before you lose the opportunity."

The girl's mouth tried to move, struck with total disbelief, "W-What... I don't understand... why? I need her alive! You said you'd get information out of her! About our connection-"

"I got it all. She told me everything."

"So!?"

Arnage sighed, "Phoenix... you were worried that you were a clone? Made only to be experimented on?"

"Y-Yes?"

"No... No. It's the other way around. Phoenix, Fate's the copy."

It was if all the sound left the world at that unveiling.

"...What?"

"Fate said she was cloned off someone called Alicia Testarossa, who was deceased when she was created. Her creator was Precia Testarossa, Alicia's mother. Who's now also dead... and her Linker Core... your Device..."

"No... no... I don't understand! How... But... she's older...!" Phoenix was shaking, hysterical.

Arnage grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to get through to her, "She got older... and you just died. Phoenix, don't you get it? You had a mother once that loved you! You had a life! And your mother loved you so much, she couldn't bear with the idea that you were dead, so she created that clone to feel better... but now...!"

"Now...!?"

"Isn't it a shame, Phoenix! You were experimented on! Used! Abandoned! And that clone... that fake... the copy... she's the one living out her life, growing up, smiling, with a new mother, new friends... completely taking over what should have been your life-"

"NO! NO! Stop talking...!"

Arnage leaned down to speak next to her ear, "Phoenix... the very dignity of your being has been stolen by Fate Testarossa Harlaoun... this is a crime... kill her... kill her and regain your right to exist. For the one thing you should at least have. Yourself."

"B-but... Aaroniero-sama..."

"I'll guard the door here... this is something you have to do by yourself, Phoenix... Alicia..."

Phoenix was silent for a second within the mask of her shadows, before snarling, tears flying off her cheeks.

"Arnage... thank you!"

"She's still in the same room. But you have to go fast, unless the fighting above causes something to malfunction."

"Right..."

The girl in white stalked forward, tearing the rod off her back, growling with hatred, "Put down her funeral dirge, Ataúd!"

"ACTIVADO, AMO."

Taking off, Phoenix rushed down the halls of empty Catedral.

Arnage looked on, before taking a breath of his inhaler, and walking on.

Somewhere, in the darkness by herself, Fate Testarossa Harlaoun moaned.

Then the chains inexplicably came loose. The blond crashed to the floor, gasping. For several minutes, she caught her breath, while massaging her sore arms, and the welts that lined points of her torn clothing.

Eventually, managing to raise herself up with her hands, she reached to her side, where she pulled free a familiar triangular yellow gem. Fate looked up, with darkened eyes.

"Arnage..."

He was up to something. Something possibly worse than anyone could imagine. She was the only one who knew. She would put an end to this madness.

"Bardiche..."

"HERE, SIR."

"I don't think we have much time. Are you ready?"

"ALWAYS, SIR."

"Then, Set Up!"

And lightning amber filled the room.

Suddenly, Aaroniero's perfectly sealed off chamber suddenly was penetrated in a direction he had failed to foresee.

The ceiling simply burst inward, a pink beam pounding out a fairly neat circle. Chunks of stone clanked against the top of Outrage, though none worse for wear. Aaroniero Arleri turned around passively, looking up with a posture that seemed to give off mere unamusement.

Above, the White Devil descended, her staff since exploded out from its usual soothing curves into a giant golden headpiece, filled with sharp pieces and antenna of the Excelion mode.

The two regarded each other for many imperceptible minutes.

"Aaroniero Arleri..."

"...Takamachi Nanoha."

The veil of ignorance and misunderstanding, a fog of distrust and deceit. Can we reach across the void to each other?

Duel Eleven: Heaven and Hell

Fate. Phoenix. Pale imitations of what cannot be undone. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

LET'S ROCK!

Intended translations

brazo del viento: Wind Arm

A/N: Long chapter is Long. 14380 (Dies). I hope you put up with this, and with me... I don't ever break up my chapters.