Discarded

Disclaimer: I own Nothing!

Chapter 11: Ward makes his move.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

" Non Human Talking"

' Non Human Thinking'

*Technique*

The small force of fighters and magic users looked on with disbelief as a ball of fire incinerated the teen that had lead their charge.

Saito yelled in pain as he burst out of the flames. He quickly went into a roll before unlatching the cloak he had been wearing. The cloak fell and continued to burn as Saito came to a stop while in a defensive position.

" Fire proof my ass!" Saito yelled as he looked at his burning magically enchanted cloak. He had spent quite a bit of money on and had hoped to finally get a chance to properly test it.

" To a certain extent. There is very few things that can stand up to a dragon's fire. The cloak wasn't one of them." Derflinger said to his partner as Saito got ready to battle.

" Atleast my armor is okay." Saito said while thanking the heavens that he didn't need to rip that off.

The three headed dragon let out a roar before Saito charged it. The massive beast was unimpressed with his charge as it watched the human gain ground on it.

" Dragons that have not become familiars by tradition are usually brainless wads of meat. This fact is even more true if the beast has more than one head." Derflinger said as Saito swung the blade to hit the large and thick legs holding the dragon up. The usually unmatched blade began to spark as it scrapped on the tough scales of the dragon.

" Your going to have to give me a power boost partner. Normal swings won't work." Derflinger said making Saito hiss. The dragon began to reach for him with its claws making the reborn Gandalfr to jump out of its reach.

" I can't do that partner too many times... I need to save my energy." Saito growled as the dragon's heads locked onto his body. He quickly ran underneath it again as the three heads unleashed a wave of fire.

" Go for a killing blow. If you take out their heads you won't have a problem." The enchanted blade ordered making Saito wonder how he was suppose to reach the dragon's multiple heads. The giant reptile based monstrosity was at least ten neters and that was while it was on all four.

' I'm going to have to do this the old fashion way.' Saito thought before running out from underneath the beast as it finished releasing its flames. Saito jumped and stabbed Derflinger on one of the motionless tails that had been resting. His inhuman leap and gravity giving him the opportunity to latch on.

The dragon let out a hiss of pain before turning its heads to look at Saito. He twisted Derflinger making the six eyes of the dragon to grow before they filled with rage. One lunged for Saito making him smirk before he jumped at the last moment. His friends and the knights of Tarbes watched with disbelief as Saito landed on the dragon's head and rammed Derflinger right into its eye. It roared in pain as it threw its head back while hopping to throw the young swordsman off.

* Power Shot* Saito yelled as he brought out his Blacktail and aimed it at the second eye. His Ki flowed over the handgun and began to gather at the front. He pulled the trigger making the bullet shoot into the energy before dragging it into the second eye. The eyes of Saito and his companions filled with shock as half of the dragon's head exploded from the inside out.

The head went limp and began to fall making Saito jump off. He grunted in pain as he landed and rolled on the back of the dragon. He could hear its roars in pain as he made a safe distance to keep an eye on the two remaining head.

" I didn't think that was going to work." Saito said with awe as he looked at his Blacktail that had a few runes showing. More smoke than normal was coming out of its chamber.

" You paid to enchant the Blacktail. It might not be at my level of power yet but it can now use some of your KI. We're going to have to experiment later." Derflinger said as the two remaining heads finished roaring in pain and looked ready to unleash unholy hell on Saito. Saito jumped off the dragon's back as it unleashed flames to torch him. Saito ran along side of the dragon before swinging his blade on one of the legs.

* Rock Splitting Wave.* Saito yelled as his KI extended and gave Derflinger the edge it needed to cut into the beast.

' This thing is made of stronger stuff than what I first thought.' Saito thought as his KI blade broke after cutting only a fourth of the way into the thick dragon leg.

" There's a reason why I never allowed you to take on any bills with a possibility of fighting an A-rank monster." Derflinger said as Saito jumped back and unloaded a few KI-less shells on the Dragon head wanting to eat him. He saw four out of his six shouts bounce off the dragon's scales, One shot missed and the last one buried itself inside the mouth of the dragon. Had he remained standing still the dragon would have made sure he had followed the bullet that struck it.

" I guess the inside of its mouth doesn't have to be as strong as the outside." Saito said as he ran while an idea formed in his head.

" Oh shit!" Saito yelled as fear for his life filled his body. The second head had swung from an angle Saito hadn't been looking at. It's massive jaws ready to devour his helpless body. A battle roar of a small dragon filled the air as Sylphid slammed into the dragon head and smashed it into the ground. The blue dragon clawed at the large Dragon's eye before jumping off and taking to the air to get out of its reach.

" Don't let it take off Partner!" Derflinger yelled to snap the Gandalfr out of his trance. Saito rushed and quickly jumped on the leg of the dragon before kiciking off into a flip to reach its massive back.

" It's really pissed off at Sylphid." Saito said as the dragon flapped its wings making Saito bury Derflinger half way into the Dragon to hold on. The dragon roared in annoyance before one head turned to look at the Japanese Teen.

" I got an idea." Saito said with excitement as he shot at the dragon head making it try to take a bite out of him. Saito jumped from its reach before landing in front of one of the wings. Saito shot a few more rounds making the dragon lunge at Saito. The teen jumped and landed on the back of the Dragon's long neck.

" Why isn't it roaring in pain?" Saito asked as he turned to look at the dragon's head. His eyes grew with disbelief as the wing had flatten itself to allow the head to fly by with out danger. Making his plan of having the dragon hurt itself nothing more than a waste of time and effort.

" Damn it." Saito growled as he charged on the long neck of the dragon while he could still run on it. Saito had to use his partner to stay on the dragon as its head swung around like a mace in hopes of knocking the swordsman off.

" Partner!" Derflinger yelled as Saito lost his hold and fell to the ground.

" I got him!" Guiche yelled as he used his earth magic to make a slide for Saito the reach the ground.

' If I wasn't on a life and death battle that slide would have been fun as hell.' Saito thought before taking hold of his Blacktail to trigger his Gandalfr powers. He charged the dragon once more before sliding under a claw that tried to grab him.

* Power Shot!* Saito yelled as he fired into the dragon's palm. An explosion of KI caused the claw to be pushed back as Saito got out of its reach. Saito quickly got on his feet before rushing up the dragon's body to reach his blade.

A roar made Saito turn towards the one eyed head as it shot out a ball of fire at Sylphid. Saito quickly took aim and released another KI enhanced shot that slammed into the side of the dragon's head. It roared in pain before slamming into the ground while knocking some trees over.

' It didn't pierce the scales but the force still hurt it... kinda like punching someone wearing armor.' Saito thought before jumping to dodge one of the tails that tried to hit him.

' Got to let it cool down otherwise who knows what can happen.' Saito thought as he jumped once more. He quickly lowered his gun since he didn't have any plans of firing it anytime soon.

" Saito!" Richard yelled making Saito turn to him. A spear had been tossed to him and Tabitha used some of her wind magic to make sure it reached him. Saito grabbed it and smirked before charging once more. Saito took on a stance to make any spear man proud before throwing the weapon with all of his strength. It flew into the air at a perfect angle before slamming into the open mouth of the dragon attacking him. The KI wrapped around the spear allowed it to tear right through the throat of the beast and making a massive hole in the back of its mouth. The bloody spear landed near the group that was a safe distance away.

" How much power did he put into this thing?" The spear owner asked with awe as he grabbed his weapon.

" That doesn't matter right now." Kirche said as she looked upon the battle with worry. The second head had gotten up while ignoring the pain flooding its body. It lunged at Saito only to have Sylphid slam into it again. Saito in the mean time had to catch the falling Derflinger that had been knocked off the dragon thanks to the spear Saito had launched.

" Thanks for the save Partner." Derflinger said as Saito charged the head that Sylphid had slammed into the ground.

" It's good to have you back." Saito said as he reached the top of the head and slammed Derflinger into the Dragon's remaining good eye.

" I need to conserve my KI." Saito said to himself before pulling out an item he had always wanted to use in real life.

" Fire in the hole!" Saito yelled as he slammed the World War II grenade into the dragon's injured eye before jumping into the air with the safety pin. Sylphid quickly flew under the swordsman and took him out of the range of the injured dragon. The mages and knights watched in disbelief as the roaring and now eye less dragon head exploded from the inside out.

" Did Saito just use magic?" Montmorency asked with disbelief since Saito's attack left a bloody and headless neck.

" The only magic flowing in Saito is the magic belonging to his familiar contract. It must have been some kind of weapon Saito had been hiding." Jacob the Combustible said as Sylphid flew in the air like a buzzard.

" The name of that Native American I'm suppose to be yelling when jumping off of things!" Saito yelled as he free fall towards the last head. Everyone was watching his falling body with disbelief.

' Come on... come on you stupid beast.' Saito thought as he wondered if his plan had failed. He knew of the potential risk of plummeting to one's doom but he hadn't thought this jump would be his end.

" Yes!" Saito yelled as the injured dragon did one final lunge to kill him.

* Sonic Wave!* Saito said as he used a weak blast of wind to dodge the attack. Saito twisted in the air as the head flew past him. He quickly swung Derflinger into the hole on the dragon's neck. The power of Gravity and Saito's speed helped the swordsman begin to cut into the neck as he fell to the ground. The dragon roared in pain as Saito came to a stop as blood erupted from the long gash he just created. Saito kicked off the dragon's neck and rolled on its back to see the damage he just caused.

" It's over." Derflinger said after the head fell over with lifeless eyes.

" Probably but its best to be safe than sorry." Saito said before throwing another grenade into the bloody hole in the Dragon's neck. He would have to thank the Merchant for the very expensive explosives. The boy knew they weren't as powerful as newer grenades but they were still enough to keep him alive. He sighed at the fact that now he was going to have to give the shady man even more money. Money wasn't a problem for Saito it was dealing with the man since he was creepy than usual when meeting him in real life. Especially when the man would only appear after sun down and when he would least suspect it. It made him wonder how the robbed man always knew Saito had wanted to see him. Sure Saito had a list of the placed he would visit but the man always ended up finding him.

" That was overkill." A knight said as the dragon's neck exploded making the head fly a few meters before slamming into the ground.

" At least he saved one head to keep as a trophy." Richard said as they saw he was right since the last head had been nearly perfectly preserved in the battle.

" Darling!" Kirche yelled like a fanatic fan girl before rushing to the man that took down an A-class monster thanks to the help of Sylphid and the others. Of course in her mind she was only able to give credit to the young swordsman that was like no teen she had ever met. The fact he only drooled over her body for a moment before giving her face total attention made her like him more. She was proud of the fact he found her body, but it made her feel special that he didn't treat her like a trophy waiting to be claimed. She had noticed that Saito treated all women differently from the men of her world. What she didn't know is that both Saito and his father were easily controlled by the woman of their house. He had learned long ago that women were not only able to be as strong as men, but they were much more scarier. It was one of the reasons why he had allowed Louise to beat him even if he was able to beat her in any physical match.

Saito was panting as his body felt drained like never before. He fell on his butt as his adrenaline left him. Sylphid landed near him while worrying something had happened to him during the battle.

" Thanks." Saito said after Tabitha carried him towards the group with her wind magic.

" Oh darling that was so amazing." Kirche said as she held Saito to her body. Making the unmarried knights jealous since his face was between her generous breast. Saito didn't bother to fight her hold since he was too damn tired. And a great part of him was enjoying the treatment from the Germanian beauty.

" Air." Tabitha said before pulling the tired Saito from Kirche's grasp.

" Drink this Saito." James said as he offered Saito some water. " Dragons flames can drain a person of the water in their body, which is why so few are willing to fight them, when they reach A-rank." James said as Saito chugged the drink.

" We need to continue our battle before that bastard escapes." Richard said as they saw the small castle they had to charge.

" My familiar hasn't detected any underground tunnels for the duke to use." Guiche said as he looked at his large mole that had suddenly popped out of the ground. " Kirche and Tabitha can take to the air and ensure no escape. While Jacob, and I help the knights raid the castle. Montmorency can wait here until Saito is ready to join us." The blond earth user said with a serious face. His family training and teachings starting to show proof of his blood connections with the General of Tristain.

" That traitorous Duke never allowed other mages to enter his castle, which is why he only employees knights, and mercenaries." Richard said as he clutched his weapon.

" Lets move closer to the castle. Thanks to its design its easy to make sure no one can sneak up on it... much less escape it." Jacob said making the knights charge.

" Take a break Saito... when you're ready you can come save the day." Guiche said before using his horse to follow the knights.

" Darling I'll make sure to show you how helpful I can be." Kirche said before getting on Sylphid with Tabitha.

" I'll protect the others." Tabitha said making Saito give her a weak smile.

" Drink this Saito." Montmorency said with respect as she offered Saito one of his few elixirs.

" I'm going to cast a spell that will help you regain your strength." Montmorency said before helping Saito to a nearby stream. She gently laid him down and took a deep breathe.

" Thanks Momo." Saito said making the freckled blond to pout before smiling.

" No problem Saito." Montmorency said with before focusing her powers. She knew he was of common birth but his strength at times seemed far greater than that of some of the mages she knew. But she respected him for being different from others that were at his level of power.

" Substance of life, tamer of flames..." Montmorency chanted as she used her water magic to heal the swordsman.

' I'm going to be paying for those grenades for the next three months but damn it they were fucking worth it!' Saito thought as the bliss of sleep tamed him.

+-*/\*-+

" It is time to go Louise." Ward said making the void user to nod her head. The man couldn't help but feel some hate in him since the princess had given Louise her own horse to use. To make things worse she had assigned the Captain and Vice Captain of the Gunpowder Squads to protect Louise. Meaning that he couldn't corrupt the girl as much as he wanted.

Soon the four rode out of the castle to accomplish the mission Henrietta had given Louise.

+-*/\*-+

The sound of battle raged on as the Knights of Tarbes took on the armed forces of the Corrupt Duke. Kirche watched with wonder as the men fighting along side her darling showed a level of skill far greater than that of their opponents.

" The same." Tabitha said as she looked on.

" What do you mean?" Kirche asked.

" They use the same power as Saito." Tabitha said as Kirche noticed one knight blow his enemy into the wall with the Sonic Wave technique. The man's mace still carrying some lingering KI as he used it to shatter a shield.

" I... I can't believe it. Is it a secret only known to the men of that village?" Kirche asked as she saw the KI trained men over power the people they were fighting. The enchanted weapons they wielded also giving them an edge over their enemies. Their bodies flowing with the natural energy giving them a boost in abilities that made them far greater than normal.

A few men yelled as Guiche trapped them with a wave of earth. While Jacob launched a fireball into another crowd.

' Their magic is effective but nothing as impressive as what I've seen Saito do.' Kirche thought before grabbing on to Sylphid. The Dragon had dodged an attack from the Duke of Tarbes. He was standing on his tower as he levitated a boulder before launching it into the air to strike the dragon.

" Tabitha we need to get away." Kirche said making her quiet friend shake her head.

" He won't hit us." Tabitha said with a calm tone as she used her magic to gently push the boulders off course.

' He is easily much stronger than us but at the moment he's too mad to think straight. Maybe we can make him waste a lot of his magic before Darling has to fight him.' Kirche thought before launching a ball of fire at the Mage.

" I refuse to lose to such unworthy foes, I have plans and none of them involve you living or Tristain's current rulers." The man yelled with a hint of madness before lifting all the boulders around him and sending them to the two mages in the air.

Tabitha quickly patted the side of Sylphid making the Dragon dive towards the ground to save them. Kirche nearly screaming her head off thanks to the sudden drop that she had never experienced.

The Duke watched with rage before hurrying to his castle to make his escape. The mercenary forces he hired would not stop his enemies from entering his home. A few knights loyal to him appeared and they navigated their way through the small castle

" Are you two alright?" Jacob asked as the dragon landed near him.

" I could be better." Kirche said as she fixed her hair since it had been damaged by the wind Sylphid had created while saving them.

" We finished taking care of the forces outside of the castle. He won't be escaping by normal means." The Knight Captain Richard said as his knights made a perimeter around the castle.

" I guess from here we will have to go in alone." Guiche said as he stood with the magic using group.

" You won't be completely alone." Richard said making two knights near the age of Saito appear.

" This is Emanuel and Felix." Richard said as they looked at the two knights one used a halberd and another a longbow.

" We call them the Dragon Brothers due to them being able to use Fire based KI. If you ignore Saito's existence they are the greatest KI users in our village." Richard said with pride. Which was easy for him since the two teens were his cousins. That and the fact he was proud of all the warriors under his command since they had learned to channel their KI to a certain level. Not fully battle ready but enough to suddenly gain the upper hand.

" KI?" Kirche asked with a bit of confusion.

" It's inner energy that exist in all humans." Jacob said making the mages look at him with shock."About four Generations ago Saito's family had unlocked its power. Instead of keeping it a secret, they spread it to the other members of Tarbes. It is one of our greatest kept secrets, not even the court knows of this fact. Although the royal family has been told of the truth thanks to Saito." Jacob said making the mages break out of their shock. The man made the story with the Knight Captain and Saito to help explain their new abilities. Since Tarbes is so close to the Capital the knights could claim they were never pushed into using it since not much happened around them except for the Jungle Orcs attacking. Saito when given the chance had informed Henrietta and her mother about the ablities the men of Tarbes had started to unlock. The young swordsman had insured the knights loyalty, going so far as to swear he would hunt down any rogues that had learned his style of fighting./

" Why hide it?" Tabitha asked.

" Because of the Nature of KI and the Nature of our Society." Jacob said making the Mages confused.

" There is times that KI is inferior to Magic. Its range of attacks can not reach most veteran mages. However if one learns to fully harness one's KI then you easily obtain another Saito." Jacob said making the mages to fill with shock. The idea of a battalion of Knights at Saito's level was something they didn't want to experience.

" When our people first started using KI we focused mostly on increasing our power and range of attack. The reason being is because our enemies would always be warriors." Richard said as the mages looked over the damage the Knights of Tarbes had caused during their battle. They saw massive cuts on the grounds, and walls. They could also see the weapons and armor of enemies looking like they had been cut into with ease.

" However Saito decided to use KI in a way none of us had ever expected." Jacob said with a smile of pride.

" How does he use it?" Guiche asked.

" Saito uses KI to enhance his abilities in battle." Richard said making the mages confuse.

" By focusing his KI on his body he becomes faster, stronger, and more aware of his surroundings. What good is a fireball attack, if a Mage is facing an opponent that can move faster than they can follow. How can you continue fighting if you are facing a man that can take your strongest moves head on and receive minimal damage? You saw it during his battle with the dragon. He took on the flames of three heads and survived, how can mages compete with that?" Jacob said making the mages feel a bit of fear.

" With such power your people would be able to take control of Tristain with ease... in a few generations you could even take over other countries."Guiche said with fear but not enough to stop his military bred mind.

" And there lays the beauty of KI." Jacob said with a smile. "A KI user must always have a focused mind. They must endure hours upon hours of meditation to help them calm their entire being. They must always have inner peace or it will disrupt their abilities in battle. " Jacob said making the Mages look at him with shock.

" I'm sure some of you noticed that we are not like normal knights." Richard said pride.

" You are smarter." Tabitha said making her classmates look at her with shock.

" Using KI takes a lot of brain power. Its why doubt, hate, or any negative feelings can't be locked into a KI user's soul. Which is why most muscle headed sword wielding idiots haven't figured out its existence." Richard said with a tone full of humor.

" KI training is best started at an early age. It's not just a form of power but also a way of life. To be honest most of the men fighting here are amateurs at using their KI. It wasn't until recently that our village has been able to properly train the next generation of KI users. " Jacob said making the academy students fill with shock.

" Its true.. us older fighters might have more KI but we burn through it much faster than Emanuel and Felix. Of course they don't have the reserves to match Saito. His level is just far greater than theirs but they continue to train to become better. Our village is proud of all three of them and the things they will accomplish." Richard said making his cousins become a little shy.

" It was easier for us to fit into Saito's training." Emanuel said as he looked away.

" We come from a big family which is why we can spare all the hours we used to meditate and build our KI. The only reason we became knights is because we got bored of all the farming." Felix said with a sheepish chuckle.

" It is still impressive since you two are the most experienced KI users in the battalion. You have trained hard to be at the place in which you stand it won't be long before you can stand as equals to Saito." Jacob said with a kind tone.

" Thanks but we're happy remaining as his students." Emanuel said with a smirk.

" Yeah, if the army finds out about our skills they'll take us from our homes." Felix said with a smile.

" Is that why Saito was trained as a Blade Master?" Kirche asked. " The Capital keeps talking about how ridiculously powerful he is in battle." Kirche said making her fellow students nod their heads since they had seen his abilities first hand.

" Saito does tend to favor swords but he isn't a stranger to other weapons. In fact if he hadn't gained Derflinger he would be using something else." Richard said with a smirk.

" Enchanted Sword." Tabitha said making Jacob nod his head.

" I did some research on Derflinger when Saito showed him to us and the abilities that sword carriers. It was made by a magical smith, its whole purpose is to kill magic using beings. Whether it be Mages or Monsters." Jacob said making the eyes of the Mages to grow. " It can cut through magical attacks with ease and reinforces itself with the magic it absorbs."

" I never knew such a thing could exist... the only known weapons like that are locked in the deepest safes of the world's rulers." Guiche said making Jacob nod his head.

" Its because Mages fear what a human can do with such weapons. However now the corrupt bastards of the world have to face Saito. A one man army with a weapon that grows stronger the more magic based foes it is used agaisnt." Richard said with a smirk since he wasn't telling them that the blade helped make Saito stronger as well. Not by much but enough of a boost that if a person of his level faced him Saito would have a hidden edge.

" It is why he hunts." Tabitha said making the mages fill with shock. It became fear for the students as they understood why Saito would go on expeditions on his own.

" Its the only way he could strengthen Derflinger without the court knowing about its or his abilities. Its why he is able to fight four Jungle Orcs and a three headed dragon in the same day and come out the victor. Tired as hell but still the victor." Richard said making Guiche gulp as Kirche developed heart in her eyes.

" If the Duke hadn't attacked Felix and I would have taken part of our first Orc hunt in a month." Emanuel said making his brother nod his head.

" Saito had planned to take us nearby the Orc's nest for that each of us could kill one. It's a tradition for KI users." Felix said making the young mages look at them.

" You can't be considered a true Combat KI user unless you can defeat an C-rank monster on your own." Richard said with pride although he had yet to accomplish such a task. Of course the mages didn't need to know that since all the Knights of Tarbes had planned to wipe the Orc's nest out during the trip Saito had planned.

" Earlier you said Fire KI does that mean that there is elemental types with KI just like with Magic?" Kirche asked.

" Yes in fact KI has five stable elements. Earth, Fire, Lightning, Wind and Water. By adding the KI elements to attack it causes the fighters to increase their power. Emanuel and Felix have a strong fire affinity that is why they can use fire based attacks with ease." Jacob said making the brothers fill with pride since Saito had been shocked when they started using fire KI.

" What element does Saito use?" Tabitha asked.

" I don't think Saito is limited to a single element we have seen him use all of them during his training. However he favors wind more thanks to its ability to increase a weapons cutting power and it needs less KI to use." Jacob said making the mages confused.

" Elemental KI is far more complicated than normal KI. The reason being that you turn pure energy into an elemental power. Such a process is normally impossible yet KI can do such things. In fact a Fire KI Master would be able to use his element even in the bottom of the Sea or in the coldest Tundra." Jacob said making the academy students fill with more disbelief. At least that was a theory Saito was planning to test out one day. After figuring out how to survive such experiments.

" But why lighting? Shouldn't it be the void power like with the pentagon of magic?" Kirche asked.

" The Elemental Cycle for KI is not like our magic based one. Each element can overpower yet be defeated by another. Unlike with magic which can be overpowered by using stronger magic which is fused by combining elements." Jacob said making the mages nod their heads.

" For example... lets imagine the Dragon Brothers have to fight Saito. If Saito tried to use Wind based KI to beat them their Fire KI would defeat it. However if Saito used water based KI he would defeat them with ease. Fortunately for them Saito has yet to form water based KI attacks without a source of water. However he has a good grasp on lighting and can use one defensive Earth KI technique..." Jacob said as he drew on the ground.

" Don't forget Earth KI attack." Emanuel said making everyone look at him.

" Yeah that Blade of Chrono technique has to be made out of Earth KI." Felix said making his brother nod his head.

" I believe you two are right." Jacob said as he remembered the move Saito had used. " Now this is the Elemental Cycle. Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Lightning, Lightning beats Earth, Earth beats Water and Water beats Fire." Jacob said as he pointed at a cycle he drew on the ground. (A/N: I'm sure some of you are going to be going...Blah blah blah.. bitch bitch bitch...whine whine whine... right about now. But like I said before... Saito is creating his School of KI from things he gained from Anime, Games and Manga. Hell I could even add some things from movies or something. Anyway he picks something he likes and makes it that way. With him being the only true KI user in Tristain no one can deny what he says much less prove him wrong. Besides the power of suggestion is a frightening thing. If many generations are taught the cycle how Saito sees it then they will make it so. Remember Mind over matter and all that good jazz...so deal with it or stop reading... its my Fanfiction people... I can do what I want... It's completely Democratic... so go to hell.)

" I understand water beating fire but why is the rest set up in that manner?" Guiche said making his friends nod their heads.

" It is because of the nature of these elements, Fire feeds of wind, wind moves lightning through out the world." Jacob said making the mages look at him with confusion.

" Clouds can't move if the wind doesn't push them." Emanuel said making the mages look at him.

" Clouds are full of lighting so in a way wind is pushing lighting around. Its the best explanation we could come up with. KI training starts at an early age so we have to keep it simple." Felix said making the mages nod their heads. He could remember Saito's lesson to the young boys half their age that wanted to help protect their homes. Normally their parents would have them focusing on their chores but Saito was bringing the village a new source of income. It allowed the fairies to visit home more often which made a lot of people happy, it also helped the Gandalfr that everyone liked him for buying them stuff during his trip.

" Lighting beats on the Earth when it comes down from the heavens. Earth tames water by trapping it and absorbing it. Water extinguishes Fires because its water." Jacob said making the mages nod their heads.

" Unfortunately due to this cycle KI elements can not combine with another to grow stronger. This cycle can never be changed." Jacob said before looking at the castle. " Now that our break is over it is time to continue." Jacob said before nodding towards the Dragon Brothers. The taller teen closed his eyes and shifted his halberd to an offensive position. He took a deep breathe before opening as his power flowed into his weapon.

* Arc of Fire!* Emanuel yelled as he rushed and slashed at the massive wood walls preventing them from entering the castle. The fire made a slash far greater than what Emanuel is suppose to be able to accomplish by normal standards.

*Fire Bomb.* Felix said as the arrow in his hands glowed red. He shot it in the center of Emanuel's attack making the massive doors explode. He sent three more arrows into the open castle before exploding in the darkness causing men to scream.

"You okay?" Emanuel asked his brother that had let out a breathe.

" Still not used to releasing so much KI at one time." Felix said before Jacob began to enter the castle.

" Let us end this madness and give our people peace of mind." Jacob said before entering the stone walls to face the Duke of Tarbes.

+-*/\*-+

" That's the Criminal that escaped from the castle." The captain of the Gunpowder squad said as her and her few soldiers rushed to stop the Golem from attacking the port town. They had just reached the town only to be filled with disbelief.

" Louise they will need Anima's help." Ward said making the pink haired Mage in training to nod her head.

" Please Anima protect the town." Louise commanded her familiar making it turn its heads to the Griffin Knight and its master. It growled before rushing to battle.

" We need to hurry Louise." Ward said after grabbing Louise's hands to prevent her from running into battle. " Because of this attack on the town the ships will be sailing early. If we don't get on a transport now we wont make it to Alabaster in time for the meeting." Ward said making Louise look at her familiar and then at her fiancée.

" Anima will be fine, he will continue to follow your orders until you tell him otherwise. I promise that we will come back for him." Ward said making Louise nod her head. They took off on the Griffin to reach one of the flying ships as fast as possible. The magical beast easily took to the air to escape the battle that was centered in the town leaving the port perfectly safe.

" Its going to take a lot more than guns to defeat me." Fouquet said with pride as her Golem attacked the knights and members of the Gunpowder Squad.

A roar erupted from a street making the woman and her Golem to freeze. She looked towards the battle cry and saw Anima running on all fours.

" A Chimera?" Fouquet yelled with disbelief.

" It's Anima! Valiel-dono must have sent him!" The Vice Captain yelled as the knights and Gunpowder soldiers felt a wave of relief. Especially the knights of the town since they feared it would start attacking them.

The powerful demon smashed into the Golem making it fall backwards. Fouquet yelled as the collision knocked her off the shoulder of her Golem. She landed on the roof of a house as the Golem was tackled outside of the town. Anima let out another roar as it punched the face of the Golem causing it to break apart once and for all.

" Find Fouquet before she makes her escape!" Agnes yelled making the knights fan out. Anima growled as he turned towards the docks for the Air ships. It roared once more before charging towards the ship that Ward was making Louise board.

" Is it another attack?" The Vice Captain asked Agnes.

" No... something must be happening to Valiel-dono and Ward-dono." Agnes said before the Gunpowder squad mounted their horses and took off after the demon.

The massive beast showed a great amount of grace as it navigated through the populated town. Its massive claw, talon and hooves had yet to kill anyone even as it traveled at its top speed. It jumped to the side of the mountain turned port before scaling at a speed that left those watching speechless. It jumped to the top level of the Port and looked at the ships that began to sail. It roared in rage as its master was taken farther and farther from its protection. Its eyes locking onto that of Ward and promising a painful death to the human that had taken its master. The man couldn't help but turn his eyes away from the demon since it could feel what the demon had planned.

Anima might be a demon but it liked Louise, since the girl was not intimated by its looks. It was also grateful for her putting so much effort in taking care of it. Plus it liked the way Louise would spend so much time talking to him.

The Gunpowder squad knew something bad was happening since Louise had left without her summon. It was almost as if she was forced to abandon him. Which was something they knew the girl would never be willing to do thanks to the drama her father had caused.

+-*/\*-+

" There they are!" A knight yelled as he looked upon the small group of mages and the two young knights.

" Ten knights... we'll take care of this Jacob." Emanuel said as he charged the group.

" Conserve your energy." Felix said as he pulled the string of his bow back.

" Remember the basics of your school." Jacob said making the teens nod their heads. Emanuel charged straight ahead his weapon ready to be used at the drop of a coin. He felt two arrows fly by him and saw their targets fly back fro the attack.

* Power shot.* Felix calmly said as he lowered his bow to take a quick rest.

" What was that?" Guiche asked since he had never seen such a move.

" By channeling KI into my arrows I increase their speed, range and power. Since we are so close to my targets the momentum of my attack carried them until it ran out." The Archer said making the Earth Mage to nod his head in understanding.

* Arc of Fire!* Emanuel said as he swung his weapon instantly slashing through three men and making the others jump back.

" What sorcery is this?" The Knight Captain of the castle yelled only to have the two knights next to him to fly back.

" Its not sorcery," Emanuel said as he side stepped a knight and knocked him away with the end of his weapon. " We're simply better than you." The teen said as he blocked an ax and then kicked the man from him. The Knight Captain growled in rage as he charged with his shield and sword.

Emanuel smirked as he used his Halberd to keep the man from reaching him.

" Now!" Emanuel suddenly yell as he ducked. An arrow flying into the Knight's chest half a second from being able to endanger the brother of its launcher. The Enemy Captain gasped in pain before Emanuel rose with his weapon to deliver a deadly slash to the man's torso.

The Captain yelled in pain and fell on his back before dying. His last thought wondering what kind of monsters Tristain had started to create. And why he had agreed with betraying his people.

" Lets go." Felix said as he charged ahead with his brother to continue clearing the path. The mages soon following to the best of their abilities. The duo smashed their shoulders into a large door that lead into the location Jacob had sensed the Duke.

" You have only charged into your deaths!" The Duke bragged only to be cut off by a Fire Bomb attacks destroying a group of men.

* Arc of Fire!* Emanuel yelled as he charged a distracted group and cut them down in half with ease. The two halves of the men soon burst into flames.

Tabitha did a quick and quiet chant before sending chards of ice into the enemy army.

" Kill those brats!" The Duke ordered from the safety of the back. Archers took aim and send out a volley of arrows.

" I don't think so." Guiche said as he made a wall of earth protect them.

*Fireball!* Kirche yelled as she shot a ball of flames at two men. Jacob continued to watch as the younger mages did their best to defeat the armed men and reach the mocking Duke.

' This castle is completely made of stone... we are in his element now.' The Fire Mage of Tarbes thought as he saw the enemy of his friends stand with arrogance.

Destroyer of peace, the endless hunger, and messenger of death. I lay before you a banquet to save my friends. Yield to my wishes and deliver my rage. Great Inferno! Jacob yelled as he pointed his wand at angle over the fighters. A ball of fire gathered at the front before blasting towards the ceiling. Before impacting it exploded into ten smaller flames that targeted the enemies of Tristain. Men yelled in pain as the magical attack reached their targets.

" He was able to change the direction of the flames during his attack." Kirche said with awe since she heard never heard of such magic.

" Enough of this!" The Duke yelled as he made stone from the walls and ceiling fly towards the group opposing him. Guiche quickly chanted a spell to build a defensive wall. The two earth spells collide before the weaker power of the blond gave way to the multiple strikes. The Duke growled in rage when he found his targets missing.

* Fireball!* Jacob yelled making the tyrant smirk before a single slab of rock lifted into the air to intercept the attack.

* Fist of Gaia!* The Duke yelled as the a large stone hand appeared and launched itself at Jacob.

"Thanks." The experienced fire Mage said as Emanuel knocked him from harm's way. Tabitha helping with a weak blast of wind.

" Flame!" Kirche commanded making her familiar launch a stream of fire at the Duke making the man leap from the place he had waited to see the end of the battle.

" Come forth my Guardian Knights and repel those that dare to harm me. Knights of Gaia!"The lord over Tarbes chanted making some fully armored knights to appear. Each one holding a sword ready to battle.

*My noble protectors I call upon you. Valkyries!* Guiche calmly said making his Golems to appear. The Duke was shocked since such a spell would normally be difficult for a teen of Guiche's age.

The two groups of enchanted guards charged at each other. The Golems of the Duke proving to be too powerful for Guiche's Valkyries. Yet the slimmer beings proved to use their higher speed to their advantage. The battle ragged on as the the mages regained their energy. Jacob made sure to hold Emanuel and Felix back since they had used far more KI attacks that any member of Tarbes had done before. A frown formed on the Fire knight when the two group of Golems ended up killing each other off leaving no clear advantage in this battle.

" This is merely the start of your defeat!" The Duke of Tarbes gloated as two stone doors suddenly opened allowing more knights to storm in. Emanuel instantly taking the front to buy his allies the time they needed for their spells. His brother arming three arrows and placing his bow in a way to allow him to strike three targets at once. Tabitha and Kirche prepared some quick spells to drive the soon to be attacking knights back. Guiche formed another squad of Valkyries before working on preparing a defensive spell to protect their group. Jacob refused to stop starting at the Duke as he had a spell ready to counter anything the man might throw at them.

The knights charged an Emmanuel held his ground. Felix fired his exploding arrows full with the proper KI amount. Fire and Ice rained down on the charging armored men. Guiche's Valkyries charged straight ahead to reinforce Emanuel in the front lines. And finally Jacob cursed as the man they came for laughed his head off while escaping deeper into his castle. The Fire Mage released his attack on the attacking knights in hopes of destroying enough of them to follow the Earth Using coward. Unfortunately more mercenaries appeared to fill in the numbers that had just been killed.

" We must hurry the longer that man has, the easier it will be for him to flee." Jacob said as he glared at he hired men in their way. He raised his wand and unleashed a wave of flames as their new enemies charged.

+-*/\*-+

" The real battle has started." Derflinger said at Montmorency's side making her jump.

" How do you know." The blond asked.

" I can sense magic and your friends are now going all out. But I sense a power equal to Jacob leaving the area... the duke is making his escape..." Derflinger said making the eyes of Montmorency to grow.

' Everyone we need a little more time, please in the name of all we hold dear hold out a little longer.' Montmorency thought as she focused more of her power into her spell to heal the greatly exhausted young man. She watched as more water wrapped around her sword using friend and began to be absorbed by his boy while he rested in a deep sleep. The enchanted water helping his body to regain the strength it just lost.

+-*/*-+ GatsuBerk: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and I'm really sorry for any mistakes I made but I've had a sudden wave of misfortune hit me. I'll be updating before the 25 of December and hopefully it will be an chapter you can all enjoy.