Greetings internets. This isn't a full chapter, just something to introduce the volume 7 story. Yay, the Sjora arc begins. Also, I've recently been reintroduced to why I don't like school. *Ahem* Anyway, enjoy and review (or don't)

Interlude II

(Three years ago, two months after the previous Blade Dance)

In the depths of Scorpia, the Alphas Theocracy's royal palace, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard echoing through the halls.

"Nee-sama! It's an emergency!"

A girl with waist-length blue hair and amber eyes suddenly burst into the room of the first princess, Sjora Khan. It was her younger twin sister, Saladia Khan.

"Saladia? What's the situation?"

Though Sjora was only thirteen, she was able to react calmly to her sister's declaration and ask for information.

"Right! A group of powerful invaders have infiltrated Scorpia! They're almost at the throne room!" Seeing her calm elder sister, Saladia regained enough composure to give a report.

"What!? What about the royal guard!?" In contrast, Sjora now lost her calm as she cried out in alarm.

The Theocracy's royal guard were no pushovers. Each one was an elite who could take on a thousand. They should be more than adequate to bring down any foe before they get even close to the throne room.

"T-They've all been eliminated!" Saladia answered.

"I-Impossible! Even Ordesia or Dracunia don't have an army capable of defeating them all that quickly!" All traces of Sjora's earlier composure was lost in a panic "In the first place, how could they mobilize an army without us noticing!?"

"I-It's not some nation's army…" Saladia said nervously.

"What do you mean? Is it an alliance of several nation's troops then? Damn, did they conspire to take all of our—!?"

"No, it's nothing like that! It's…it's…it's only five" Saladia interrupted.

"W-What did you say…?"

"I said there are only five intruders!"

"Guh, to think that they've already made it this far…and there really is only five…" Sjora groaned as she and Saladia entered the throne room through a secret side entrance.

Straight ahead of her, a group of five figures stood calmly in the center of the room's great hall. All about them were the collapsed forms of royal guard members.

One was sitting on powerful spirit that looked like a plant of some sort that was spewing poisonous fumes.

One was commanding a group of terrifyingly powerful spirits that no elementalist would even consider trying to control

One was wrapped in a cold blue flame which seemed to freeze the world around her.

One wielded roaring black flames in one hand and crackling black lightning in the other, lightly hovering with wings as black as night.

And the last…merely stood there, in the middle of the other four. But that person's mere presence was enough to make Sjora take a step back in fear.

"Eeh, more pests? Hey, hey, onii-sama, can I get rid of them?" The shortest of the five figures, an ashen-haired girl, turned to the one in the center and asked lightly.

"Wha…?" Sjora's voice unintentionally leaked out.

Judging from the figure's voice, it was a young girl no more than twelve. Sjora was so shocked that someone that young had defeated countless royal guardsmen that it took a while for her to realize the girl was talking about killing her.

"D-Damn! S-Saladia!" Sjora cried out to her sister in alarm.

"R-Right!" Saladia, who had been shocked silent of the pressure the five intruders exuded, snapped to attention and began to chant in the spirit language.

"Let the shadow of a thousand and one nights bring you to a never ending slumber!— Alf Laylah Wa-Laylah!"

A grimoire suddenly appeared in her outstretched hand as she summoned her elemental waffe. It was Alf Laylah Wa-Laylah, an elemental waffe capable of summoning countless demon spirits.

'Whew, I actually did it…' Saladia thought to herself, relieved. Though she was an extremely powerful elementalist for someone her age, she could only occasionally succeed in manifesting her elemental waffe, as her talent as a Witchwasn't as high as her sister's.

While Saladia was congratulating herself, Sjora also summoned forth her own elemental waffe, Proteus Masques.

It was a waffe with the ability to replicate the target's powers. Whether it be contracted spirit or the combat skills remembered by the body, everything would be copied flawlessly.However, certain requirements had to be fulfilled beforehand to copy someone, so she couldn't use it to copy one of the five enemies before her. Instead—

"Let the shadow of a thousand and one nights bring you to a never ending slumber!— Alf Laylah Wa-Laylah!"

—She mirrored the form of her younger sister. With the two of them using the same waffe, the sisters summoned a vast horde of powerful demon spirits that would make even the strongest of armies tremble in fear.

"This combination has never lost before! Regret your foolishness as you're devoured alive!" Sjora exclaimed as she and Saladia sent their summoned demon spirits charging at the five invaders.

In the face of this howling tide of demons, the five merely stared blankly. Sjora thought that they were petrified in fear, but then—

"Halt"

"!?"

—The figure in the center held out their hand and spoke. As the word left her mouth, a terrifying black aura exploded out from him, enveloping the entirety of the throne room.

The horde of demon spirits suddenly halted their charge, as if they had smashed into a wall. However, Sjora didn't even notice. The overwhelming aura coming from the center figure inspired a primal fear in her, a fear that blotted out all other thoughts.

'No…this isn't fear…this is…awe…' Sjora thought to herself as she stared transfixed at the invader.

"Ha ha, you used demon spirits against onii-sama? Who's the fool now?" The ash-haired invader pointed at the two princesses and burst out laughing, her face bearing a mocking grin.

'Onii…that's not a girl!?' It was only after the second time hearing the phrase "onii-sama" that Sjora realized that the figure that awed her so was a boy 'T-That's impossible! There's no way someone who isn't an elementalist, let alone a witch, could have commanded our demon spirits so easily! The only way a man could do such a thing would be if he was…if he was…no way…'

"So you are the current hierarch, Rajihal Kahn" While Sjora was mulling over her thoughts, the five invaders had walked over to the old man on the royal throne "Your line has sat on that throne for a long time, but its time you returned it to its rightful owner"

Despite having nearing the age of eighty, the old king's gaze still had not lost its sharpness. Rajihal Kahn was a tough warrior who survived the two Ranbal Wars despite the Theocracy's location, surrounded by the Ordesia Empire, Dracunia, and other powerful countries. Even before such a overwhelming aura, the grizzled old man remained resolute.

"Only one…deserves to sit upon this throne more than I!" Rajihal spat back.

"Looks like you don't get it…Fine, I'll show it to you. My legitimacy" The boy with the overwhelming aura replied.

"What?" Rajihal asked, but the boy ignored him.

"Oi, Azi Dahaka. Wake up" As he said this, the boy stomped on the ground and the whole of Scorpia began to shake.

"You...how do you—!?"

*crack* *crack*

The old hierarch began to ask something, but was cut off by a sharp cracking sound. Looking down, Rajihal was shocked to see fractures begin to appear on the throne. Through these cracks an ominous red light began to pour out.

"! ! !" His instincts warning him of danger, the hierarch leapt off the throne just as it completely shattered. As the throne broke apart, the room was bathed in bright light

"Well? Do you still intend to deny me what is mine?" The boy asked, pointing where the throne had stood moments ago. In its place was an enormous three headed dragon with glaring red eyes.

"Demon Dragon Spirit Azi Dahaka…." Rajihal breathed out

'Only those of the Khan line know that the Demon King's throne houses one of Solomon's spirits, Azi Dahaka!' Sjora thought to herself 'For an outsider to know about it…he really must be…'

From where she still stood frozen, Sjora stared at the back of the new Demon King. Though he was just a boy her age, he exuded a strength and charisma which mesmerized the young princess. As she stared at the young man, feelings of worship and…something else sprung forth.

"E-Excuse me!" Sjora cried out suddenly

"Hm? What do you want?" The boy turned around.

"My lord! I am Sjora Khan, princess of the Alphas Theocracy! Please allow me to swear my loyalty to you!" Sjora exclaimed as she knelt before the boy.

"…Very well then. Do as you wish" The boy replied.

"Then from this moment on, my body and soul exist for your sake alone….um…"

"Kamito. Kamito Kazehaya"

"R-Right! I am now yours to command Kazehaya-sama!"

"…Just Kamito is fine"

"My apologies. Then, Kamito-sama"

"That's not what I meant…"

(A few months later)

"Well then? How do I look?"

"W-Wha…"

Sjora stuttered half a word as she stared blankly in surprise.

She had been meditating in her room when her sister had come in and told her to meet with Kamito. Eager to hear what her master had to say, she had rushed to Kamito's room and found—

"R-Ren….Ashbell!?"

—The famed Strongest Blade Dancer sitting comfortably in Kamito's favorite chair.

"Oh, so not bad then. Good, good" The black haired beauty nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with something.

"You…how did you sneak into the Organization's headquarters!?" Sjora exclaimed, drawing a pair of daggers.

"Sneak into…I thought Saladia already explained everything to you?" Ren asked with a confused expression.

"Saladia…hm, she did say to expect 'an amazing surprise'…so the surprise is that you were a part of the organization as well? That certainly is a surprising…" Sjora thought aloud.

"Hah…Saladia really didn't explain anything to you did she?" Ren said with a sigh

"Explain?...Ah, that's right! Why are you in Kamito-sama's room!? Even if you're a member of the Organization, I can't let this pass!"

"I have to start from there? Look, this is my room okay?"

"Eh?"

"Here, this should clear things up" Saying that, Ren showed her hand to Sjora. On the ring finger, a ring that had previously been invisible suddenly appeared.

"That ring…it's the same as Kamito-sama's…and you say this is your room as well…d-d-don't tell me—!?" Sjora sputtered, coming to a sudden realization.

"You finally figured it out, huh?" Ren said somewhat tiredly.

"Yeah…you don't have to say it" Sjora muttered through gritted teeth 'This bitch must be….Kamito-sama's lover!'

On that day, a great and long-lasting misunderstanding was born.

"Good, because it's a bit embarrassing to say aloud, even to people who already know. Hah, even though it's been a long time now, I don't think I'll ever get used to this" Ren said, letting out another sigh.

'She's been with Kamito-sama for that long!? Damn it! And she even has the gall to complain!' Sjora thought to herself angrily. The thought that her first love had been snatched away from her, even perhaps before they had even met, irked her to no end.

"Oh? Why are you looking so irritated? Ah…are you going to joke about how I look more beautiful and feminine than you like Saladia did? Geez, that bothers me a lot more than you know" Ren said with a slight pout.

'W-What's with this mocking pity!? Who does she think she's talking to!?' Sjora curled her hands into fists. She could feel a dark rage beginning to grow in her heart.

"Really…it's not like I asked to look this pretty. I'd honestly prefer to look a bit plainer" Ren said in honest annoyance as she ran her hand through her luminous hair.

"Ha ha ha…I'm sure…" Sjora put on a strained smile as she stepped out of the room

'That's it. I'm going to ruin that harlot even if it's the last thing I do!'

(Present)

Deep in the forest a luxurious, oriental shrine was built where a portion of the forest had been cleared.

It was the camp of the Four Gods, the team representing the Quina Empire. It was late at night, so everyone on the team was sound asleep, save a single elementalist standing guard.

'That is…Hakua I believe. Contractor of the divine beast spirit, Black Tortoise' Sjora thought to herself, watching the girl carefully from the branches of a nearby tree.

She was a black-haired girl with a lazy expression on her face. She seemed completely unfitting for the job of night guard.

'In other words, a perfect target' Sjora thought as she stealthily jumped down from the tree, landing a few paces behind Hakua without the slightest sound.

"*Yawn*…really, when is Rao going to take over my shift…" As if to reinforce Sjora's opinion, the girl let out a great yawn with an extremely loose expression.

'Really…to think someone this pathetic is a participant in the Blade Dance' Sjora almost let out a disappointed sigh 'Well no matter. I shouldn't complain when my job becomes easier'

Sjora's initial role in the first round of the Blade Dance was to create a trap-filled Sanctuary that would bait the enemy into entering. However, that strategy was broken when Milla Bassett had stormed her base and destroyed her carefully prepared traps.

Though at this point she should have reported back to the Team Inferno camp, she was far too ashamed of her failure to do so. She decided that she needed to achieve something big before returning or else she would disappoint her lord. And the best way to do that would be to eliminate a powerful team. The question was, which team should she target?

The three most favored teams were all connected some way to the organization. Though she would have loved to annihilate Ren Ashbell's team, doing so would surely anger her lord. Sjora's encounter with Milla had left her too traumatized to challenge the Rupture Division, so that only left the Four Gods and the Knights of the Dragon Empire.

Both teams were of equal renown, but since Sjora's plans depended on her using her Elemental Waffe to imitate an enemy to infiltrate the target team, she choose the Four Gods. After all, dragons were well known for their sharp instincts. The risk was simply lower to target the Quinese team. Thus, Sjora found herself in her current situation.

'Just you watch Ashbell! I'll prove to Kamito-sama that I'm worth far more than you!' Sjora thought to herself as she began to creep forward.

'Just a few more steps…' Sjora stealthily approached Hakua's unguarded back and drew a dagger hidden in her clothes.

'Now!' Sjora drew her arm back and then stabbed down on Hakua's unguarded neck.

Or at least she tried.

'I…can't move!?'

With her blade only centimeters from Hakua's throat, Sjora found herself unable to move a muscle. Arms, legs, neck, mouth, every part of her body was completely paralyzed.

"Ah, really. What are you even doing Hakua?" An unknown voice said from behind Sjora.

"Oh, hey Rao! About time you got here!" Hakua said cheerily, turning around. Completely ignoring Sjora's frozen figure, she happily walked to the girl behind Sjora.

'Rao?...That must be Rao Rin, contractor of the Azure Dragon!' Sjora thought to herself as she struggled to move.

"Don't 'oh, hey' me! If I hadn't stopped her first, you were going to kill this girl weren't you!?" Rao exclaimed.

Like Hakua, she had black hair which was styled in buns and had a similar face as well. Sjora vaguely recalled that the information on the Four Gods stated Rao was Hakua's sister.

"Well, duh. Why wouldn't I?" Hakua tilted her head in confusion.

"Did you forget the rules of the Blade Dance!? Killing another participant will get us disqualified! We can't afford to do that before we accomplish our mission!" Rao shouted.

"O-Okay, okay! S-Sorry, it slipped my mind!" Hakua apologized

'No regard for human life…they definitely aren't ordinary Princess Maidens…'

While Sjora was probably the last person who should be thinking that, it certainly was true. It was clear from their conversation that two girls casually speaking beside the paralyzed Sjora were extremely abnormal.

"Slipped your mind…ugh, how did someone as stupid as you even survive in this world" Rao sighed in disbelief.

"It's because I'm the best at what I do" Hakua said proudly

"…Well I certainly can't deny that. But you know, even you can't afford to fail this mission. Our client this time isn't someone we can make an enemy of and expect to live" Rao's eyes narrowed dangerously.

'They mentioned a mission again… What the heck are these two planning?' Sjora asked herself

"I know, I know…ah, working under Linfa-sama was pretty nice though" Hakua said with a distant expression.

"It's not like you to get sentimental" Rao said, surprised.

"Ha ha, don't worry. It won't affect my performance" As she said this, Hakua's lazy expression hardened into a cruel smile.

"Now that's the sister I know so well" Rao replied with a similar smirk "Let's get to bed then. We'll be rather busy the next few days"

"Ah, wait. What about her?" Hakua asked, pointing at the paralyzed Sjora.

"Hm? Just take her Magic Stone and be done with it. It feels weird to have to let a witness live, but it can't be helped" Rao answered with a shrug.

"Sure thing~" Hakua answered as she tore the Magic Stone off of Sjora. Moments later, Sjora was teleported away, leaving no trace of her behind.

"Oi! Hakua, Rao! I heard shouting, what's going on!?" A red haired girl called out while running towards them. It was another member of the Four Gods, Rion Sharma. Trailing behind her was a tired looking girl with white hair, Shao Fu.

"Ah…Rao here was startled by a snake and yelled out like a scaredy-cat. Don't worry, we're not under attack or anything" Hakua said lightly, waving off her teammates concerns with a convincing smile.

"H-Hey, just what are you saying!?" Rao exclaimed indignantly.

"Whew, so it was just Rao…" Rion said let out a relieved sigh.

"Eeeh, is that it? And here I was hoping I'd get to fight someone strong…" Shao said with a disappointed sigh.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll fight someone crazy strong soon" Hakua said, giving Shao an unreadable smile "Really soon"

Yay, the Sjora arc is done. Whew, that was quite the effort. Jokes aside, Sjora won't be playing a major role in the next arc so if you liked her, sorry but it'll be about the Quina girls.

I enjoy a good misunderstanding comedy but I certainly can't write an entire arc based on one. If you're looking for such a series, Tilea's Worries is a pretty good. No, I wasn't paid to say that, nor do I know the Sheeprabbit.

I'm busy as heck but I'll try to update regularly. Until next time~