THE END WAR – THE LITTLE DIAMOND
The Imperial Palace
Sarada brings 'creation' energy to her hand successfully, at least there is some good news. She doesn't know if Jonas succeeded in copying her energy but she can still access it herself. Unfortunately nothing comes to mind about what she could do to break free of these restraints. Bound this tightly she cannot shift into her comet form, nor is she strong enough to break through her 'diamond' restraints. After a few moments she has an idea, she 'creates' the hottest lava she can cope with and throws it at the restraint around her wrist. It doesn't work. She worries that there is no way to get free.
Just as Sarada is about to take a break a foot appears atop the restraints. She is startled by this arrival. Most people can't avoid the detection of her Rinnegan, even fewer when it is combined with the Future Sight. She glances upward at the new arrival and is stunned by the person who has come to her side. It has been a very long time since she has been allies with this man. It is of course her fiancé, Uzumaki Boruto.
"Hello," Boruto says.
"Hi."
"I'm going to smash through the restraints. Get ready."
"Are you strong enough to do that? Shouldn't we work together?"
"Don't worry, I am a class 9 warrior now."
Boruto stands back and takes a deep breath. He will need to control his power carefully to avoid hurting Sarada. If he puts a bit too much effort into the strike he could seriously injure her. If he puts too little power into it then the next try will be harder still. He hears the voices of several of his ancestors in his head. 'Precision, calm, focus,' says Muto Sora. 'Don't hurt your friends no matter what,' says Endou Akashi. 'It's about the duration of the impact. Minimise the duration, it won't be easy but you can do it,' is the advice from his father.
Boruto pulls his hand back and adopts an open-palm for his attack. He closes his eyes briefly and draws air into his lungs once again. He breathes out, feeling the cool air pressing against the lid of his mouth. He opens his eyes and is completely focused. He strikes forward with his palm, hitting the golden 'diamond' restraints with it. He retracts his hand the moment he feels it impact with the restraints. After the strike cracks begin to form along the restraints, like the cracking of the earth during an earthquake. The cracks travel the length of the bindings before stopping. They have almost been destroyed but they still remain.
The Shadow 9th Hokage hangs his head for a moment. Hitting them a second time without hurting Sarada will be difficult. He wonders if he could flick the restraints to shatter them. The voices in his head don't agree or disagree with his latest idea. He presses his finger into his thumb and gets ready to attack. The chance for that strike doesn't arrive. The weak remnants of the golden 'diamond' restraints seem to break on their own. Although this surprises Boruto it does not displease him. Was this a coincidence thanks to 'fate' energy? Did Sarada break free of her own accord? Right now it doesn't matter.
The 9th Hokage quickly gets to her feet. She looks over her shoulder for a moment as a huge explosion appears in the distance. No doubt the explosion was caused by one of the royal-level battles. She then looks back at Boruto. She has seen him like this so many times. Once she looked at him as her closest ally, other times she has looked at him as her worst enemy.
"Whose side are you on?" Sarada asks.
"Yours."
Sarada hugs Boruto tightly. It is a hug with years' of emotion. They have known each other for many years. After the captained-six contest they thought they had grown closer. That closeness only increased during the three-year peace. Then, on what should have been the happiest day of their lives they were torn apart. Since then they have both desperately wanted to feel the same happiness they felt earlier on that day. Even as mortal enemies they yearned for the day that enmity would end. They yearned for the day they could be on the same side once again. This is a fantastic occasion for the Hidden Leaf Village. The 9th Hokage and the 9th Shadow Hokage are cooperating once again. A broken village has been repaired.
"I have a lot I want to say to you," Boruto admits.
"Yeah, me too."
"But right now is not the time. When this is over… if my father wins then we will speak. We can pretend we're not the Hokage and Shadow Hokage. We will pretend that I'm not the Crown Prince. We will speak just as Boruto and Sarada."
Sarada nods. She steps back from Boruto and looks at the battle once again. It has only just begun and it is already a scene of chaos. Their opponents are strong. Most likely the royals have powers and talents not yet revealed. Yet this is the nightmarish battle she must walk into as the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. If she is going to help win this fight she must pick a big target to pit herself against. She already has an opponent in mind.
Nearby, the Imperial Guard
Several senior colonels from the Imperial Guard are gathered around Nadia. While their subordinates are trying and failing to defeat the Hokage they are here. They are waiting for her suggestion of strategy in this battle. The Queen of Seblix has insisted to them that she believes the enemy's numbers will increase. If that is the case they need a practical means to make things difficult. Thinking up a strategy for this situation is very difficult. They have no idea what their enemy's plan will be, nor any chance of compensating for any changes in that plan. However, nobody is more qualified to counter it than Nadia.
"I think I know how to defeat them," Nadia says.
"What is your suggestion?" Swen asks.
"Retreat."
"Run away!? The rebellion may have numbers on their side but they surely aren't a match for the Imperial Guard," Swen argues. "Why not engage them in a head-on attack?"
"The first thing to consider is the numbers in this fight. If the Imperial Guard make a methodical retreat what do you think the rebels will do? Will they hold their position in the middle of the Imperial Palace? Tell me Swen, if they stood over there by the throne building what do you think would happen."
As if to illustrate Nadia's point an explosion barely misses the royals.
"They would be hit by one of our attacks," Swen deduces. "Yuuki Terukatsu will probably take the lead for the rebels in this fight. He wouldn't be willing to stand there and let his allies get hurt. He would order them away from that position."
"If they retreat they can't do any damage to us though. There is only one sensible option in that situation, pursue the Imperial Guard. Obviously there will be an exchange of ranged attacks. The faster rebels may catch up and share some strikes with our colonels here, but the majority will be out of reach. This is where the numbers come into play Swen. Let's say that half of the Imperial Guard know the Regulation battle principle. That would mean that only one quarter of the rebels would have the same power.
"The Imperial Guard should retreat and arch their movements slightly. Leave it long enough and they should run in a complete circle. The rebels will keep pursuing them but the rebels will grow more and more tired. The Imperial Guard will be using Regulation and will still be at full power when they eventually catch up."
"Couldn't they just retreat forever?" Swen asks.
"These pocket-worlders have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves. I have heard that there is a competent strategist among them too. Somehow they will find a way to close the gap between us. That is where the second point of consideration comes in. The rebels are compassionate. Where possible our strongest warriors should avoid fighting against people on their level. Target the weaker rebels. The stronger rebels will sacrifice themselves to protect their subordinates. We will use their compassion against them. Concentrate on the weak, that is how we will make the strong hurt."
Swen nods to the other colonels. When they receive this nod they run back to their respective battalions to relay Nadia's instruction. For the moment this leaves Nadia and Swen alone to discuss the plan in the shadow of the flames of this final battle. Swen has heard Nadia make important plans before, but none of them have ever compared to this. The quality of Nadia's thoughts here will be the difference between their victory and defeat.
"I've never heard you use tactics like that before," Swen says.
"It's more adaptive than my usual plans. It will be easier for the colonels to adjust to changing circumstances."
"That's not what I meant. Usually your plans prioritise the preservation of the strongest assets at our disposal. It sounds like this plan puts the colonels and strong captains at greater risk than the weak. I know that if we win it won't matter, but I don't understand. Why are you putting the strong at such risk?"
"I'm leaving possibilities open Swen. You trust me don't you?"
"Of course."
"This plan isn't about leaving those possibilities open to the Imperial Guard. This is about leaving possibilities open for you and me."
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
With a huge punch Sabine knocks Himawari scuttling back along the ground. Himawari stands but falls again in the aftermath of the punch. She wishes that she was the one with the Super Healing powers. The punch was strong enough to hurt Sabine's arm. The Blaze Princess can see the effects of the Super Healing divine ability acting on it. She knows that she picked this fight, but it is difficult. Sabine's reputation as the strongest royal is well-earned. She wishes that she had more time as Ashen's student to learn for this fight. Nevertheless time is not a luxury she has. She grabs the Sacred Dagger with her hand and uses the weapon's telekinetic powers to pull her up to her feet.
"You know, I might have fought against your family more than anyone else," Sabine remarks.
"Is that so?" Himawari asks. She is happy to waste time and recover what energy she can.
"That's right. I can't remember who it was first. It was either your grandmother or her brother. Your grandmother was weak, calling her a class 9 warrior was a joke. Muto Sora was stronger than his sister, yes fighting him was fun. I let him live because he was entertaining. I thought that maybe he could send one of his future students against me. Then I fought your grandfather. I fought Ashen around the same time, hard to remember which was first. They were the first people who were strong enough to defeat me though. They danced in the chaos and survived.
"After the coup everything changed. Furst released me and said that I could be useful as the queen. I knew fairly quickly that he was different from your family. He had a killer instinct about him that even I admire. Eventually I went on to fight your father. The first time he defeated me with help. The second time I was defeated by his fake counterpart. The third time I fought to a standstill against him and your mother.
"Something amuses me about all these encounters, Uzumaki Himawari. You are the weakest of them all. The Endou-Muto clan, the most revered in the history of Homeworld. You are a class 9 warrior and look at what you have done with that accolade. You have become the most powerful disappointment ever."
Himawari smiles. It is amusing that Sabine thinks this would get to her. Even if the former Queen of Ewoa is right and Himawari is the weakest of the Endou-Muto clan she considers that a privilege. The weakest member of that clan is strong indeed.
Himawari throws the Sacred Dagger towards Sabine, zigzagging the blade on its path towards her opponent. The Blaze Princess then runs straight towards Sabine. She holds her hand out and begins to gather energy in that hand, particularly concentrating on golden 'fire'. The Sacred Dagger is about to hit Sabine but she blocks it easily. Himawari approaches from the front with an attack in hand that Sabine recognises. This is the same technique her father uses, the Rasengan. Himawari slams the golden 'fire' Rasengan into Sabine's abdomen. The Rasengan explodes, pushing 'fire' into Sabine's body and out the other side.
When the impact of the deadly strike is finally over Sabine falls to her knees. Through the pain she smiles and laughs. She looks up at Himawari and praises the Blaze Princess for showing rare strength. Sabine highlights this strength as still the weakest from Himawari's clan. Himawari doesn't mind though, she watches the Super Healing in progress. When Sabine moves to stand up Himawari kicks the underside of the Crazy Queen's chin, knocking her back once again.
Sabine gets to her feet and smirks at Himawari. Suddenly the Blaze Princess falls over and grabs her leg. The damage was done during that last encounter where Sabine managed to pass some golden 'chaos' energy into Himawari's body. Himawari manages to push the harmful energy away with her own golden 'fire-lightning-wind' energy, but she still feels some pain as a result. She returns to her feet and is reminded about the uphill task in front of her.
Sabine is already recovering from the previous attack. Himawari is hurt. Sabine seems to be too strong for her.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
The three royals she is fighting time a perfect attack against Ashen. They deceive her into thinking they are approaching from three different directions. In the end they all arrive in front of her and attack her together. Ashen laughs as she is hit by them but the strike is powerful. It is a combined attack from three mighty royals, strong enough to puncture her bio-hardened skin. She skids back along the ground with a smile on her face. She taunts them even as their numbers put her at a disadvantage.
Petra communicated this plan to the other royals and the generals with her communication stone. The plan was for the three royals to push Ashen back into a trap set by the generals. If everything has gone according to the Puppet Queen's plans then Ashen doesn't know what is behind her. But things haven't gone according to her plan. Ashen knows exactly what is waiting behind her because the message was relayed to her. She drifts back along the ground with a confident grin.
Ashen smiles and looks over her shoulder. She watches as Head General Safura approaches her subordinates from behind, finally able to join the fight after starting some distance away at Jonas' side. Safura's eyes meet Ashen's and the Head General smiles.
Safura raises a finger and brushes it past her single earing.
The earring is little.
The earring is a diamond.
Safura uses golden 'diamond' energy wrestle her subordinates to the ground. As she expected only Nero manages to avoid the first attack. Nero looks around at Safura approaching from behind and tries to attack her with golden 'hot' energy. Safura uses her Quick Step divine ability to avoid the initial attack from Nero. She then grabs Nero's arm and flips the general for Fayoth over her head. Safura nullifies Nero's Razor Skin by creating a small protective layer of golden 'diamond' on her hands. With Nero down Safura places her in restraints with the other generals.
"What are you doing Head General?" Petra asks.
Ashen smirks. "Petra, have you ever heard of the Little Diamond?"
"The Little Diamond?"
"The Little Diamond is the most important person in all the world. That person cared for me during the war when nobody else did. Despite being an enemy that person never hated me, in fact that person loved me. I took no comfort in the Dark Dimension's politics. I never felt a sense of camaraderie with my fellow fighters. I never felt that I belonged in the Dark Dimension. I fought for that world only out of a sense of duty. Eventually I did find someone who I felt I belonged with.
"I told the rebels that the Little Diamond was male. I'll have to apologise to them when this is over. I lied. But look at all she has achieved. She has restrained the generals in a matter of seconds. She has fooled you all for years. Besides you royals on your thrones she is the most senior authority in all Homeworld. Look at her.
"Al-Aziz Safura. The Little Diamond. You have done well."
Safura smiles. "Thank you. It feels to good to be with you again Ashen."
"Those reports make sense now," Max says. "We were told of your return Helion Ashen. We learned that you fought with the emperor. Obviously you were defeated. However one thing that stood out was that you refused to use your divine ability. You have one of the most powerful divine abilities of anyone we have ever seen. But now it all makes sense…"
Safura smiles.
Ashen explains. "My divine ability is powerful. Perhaps it could have made a difference in that fight. However, I can't hold back once I use that power. Using that power would have hurt Jonas, but it would have hurt Safura as well. I couldn't have allowed that. I have returned to protect the Little Diamond; I couldn't do that by fighting Jonas. However, now I have a new opportunity. I can protect her by fighting you."
"Safura, were you ever-ever-ever on our side?" Yasmine asks.
Safura turns to her subordinate. "I looked out for your best interests. I consider you a friend. However, I haven't been on your side in a long time. During the last war I encountered and fell in love with this world's sworn enemy, Dark Dimension Empress Helion Ashen. From that point on I was willing defect if that was what I needed to do. I wanted to be with her, but our circumstances made it difficult. We both slowed down the war effort as much as we could.
"I told my commanding officer that I wanted to marry someone from the Dark Dimension. They claimed I had been working with the enemy against Homeworld, but at that point I hadn't. Ashen saved me. She then asked a politician she trusted if she could marry a Homeworlder. She was told no, nobody in the Dark Dimension would ever agree to that. Ashen was told never to mention me again, so we kept meeting in secret.
"One day the Dark Dimension found me and captured me. They were on the verge of their big attack on Okarin. They asked Ashen to kill me. I thought she would do it, I thought she should do it to save herself. But she didn't kill me. Instead she took on every single warrior in that room, all to save me from being killed. After that she lost consciousness for some time. I looked after her until she was healthy again.
"When the war was ended I knew that Endou Akashi wouldn't kill her. I guessed that he would seal her away. There was no way of knowing where or how he would seal her. I knew that I could only meet Ashen again if I was strong. I became as strong as possible. I became the Head General of the Imperial Guard. That way if she was unsealed I would hear about it. All these years I have had no path back to Ashen, yet now here she stands in front of me."
Ashen smiles.
"Now then Little Diamond, there is only one thing left we need to do. We need to win this battle. Then we can be together at last."
The complexion of the battle has changed dramatically.
Al-Aziz Safura is the Little Diamond.
In Response to tarunfiction1
Who asks for recommendations for others stories
I'm sorry, I spend so much time writing I don't get much for reading.
Hopefully I can do some reading when this story is done.
Thanks for reading.