...
"Are you sure about doing this?"
"Are you also seriously thinking of hesitating at the last part?"
"No, not that I want to. It's just-"
"Forget it. The Royal Family is in their hands, we cannot rely upon them. Thankfully, the Duke wasn't easily swayed. With him on our side, this could be fruitful."
"If only we have enough Holy Sword users..."
"What of them? If we could just overwhelmed them with numbers, even those so-called 'holy warriors' cannot last long. Even before is that there will be someone in the Tower of Nanashi that will cover us."
"But our problem would be the Coalition of Ceres."
"As long as our forces do not aggravate them, they wouldn't do anything. So relax. Besides, even if they did try to intervene, I am a member of the Cult of Ouro."
"... hopefully this rebellion would work."
"...yeah, last thing I wanted is to meet the Realm-Emperor and him throwing us to the Demon King."
"Signals of Hololive 2: The Tale of Risu"
EPILOGUE: The Gale Bearer
In the 'Forest of Barelife'...
The wooded forest of a faraway land is dusky in nature. The life in this place is prevalent just like any wilderness out there, away from the fingertips of humanity and other great races like those of demihumans, dwarves, orcs or even elves.
This place is home to either natural or supernatural alike. Simple predators and prey, with or without abilities that win or fall before their opponent.
But what set this place apart is a lone, two-legged standing person.
A demihuman with a thick tail like that of a squirrel and wearing a light dress. Her striking teal eyes pierced the dimly-lit, leaves-covered area of this magical forest.
She silently surveyed her surroundings before she started to walk.
That is when she was stopped in her tracks as a bear covered in earthly spikes to its back like a protective shell. It roared at her and snarled, looking at her as nothing more than a meal ready to be eaten in this wild world. Just amongst the pile of trophies composing of bones that this bear had accumulated.
But what the bear failed to understand is who, or rather, what, it is facing.
Suddenly, the bear struggled to breathe. It let out a roar but it was small as it made the wild animal coughed and squirmed around. Walking back until it slammed on the tree. It is still struggling, let out small gasps as it clung to any air it could to support its failing lung.
Until its paw finally stopped moving and... death claimed its life.
Risu looked at the dead bear with nothing but a narrowed and annoyed look from her expression. She looked back in front before she flicked her finger. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind suddenly appeared. This wind, however is noticeable, because it's covered black mist.
It was a very powerful wind, it quickly tore through trees and went straight to the dead bear, it then chopped it into pieces, sending blood and gore throughout the air and making what looked like a complete massacre around the area.
It was then followed when the sky darkened and a powerful lightning strike the place quick before everything returned back to normal as if nothing happened. The fiery flames emerged from where the lightning struck, burning that part. Leaving nothing but dead soil.
Everything was destroyed.
But she was already far away.
Risu clenched her hands.
A memory flashed in her mind.
Lightning. Flames. Dark wind.
Her teal eyes piercing the dimly-lit forest.
A predator amongst the predator.
She stopped before she looked to the right. She saw what appeared to be a wriggling form of a humanoid shadow. She recognized this entity whom she met only for the tenth times. This being the eleventh.
So, she asked. "Why are you here now?"
The shadow, let out a laughter as two dark grey eyes appeared, and a grey full moon-like on its forehead.
"I just wanna looked at the soul at whom I am attached to. As usual, a true vessel of myself."
Risu narrowed her eyes at the figure before closing them. "If you don't have anything to say, just leave."
"But the Legacy of the Leda and the Hoshimachi Winter is nearing, not to mention, the Novas of Tsukumo are coming! Do you seriously believed you could contain me here in this pathetic forest?"
Risu's ears twitched as she glared at the shadow. Her eyes turning from annoyance to anger. "If you won't leave me alone, I will torture you to death again."
The shadowy figure did not say anything. It merely let out a thin but dark grin at Risu. After several tense seconds, it spoke again.
"While I, the Baneful Moon, remained to be under your grasp until the end of times, know that it won't be for long. The Z̢̧̨̯͇̞̥̹͖̤̗͍̱̿̄ͧ̐̓ͮ̄̈́̉̂̓͛ͫ̆͂̉͐́̄ͭͮ̒̑̎ͩ̓͗̒ͬ̎̾̌ͦͣ͊̊̒̆̍ͦ͐̇̃͒́͜͟͠҉̶̧̀͜͠w̧̰̳͚̠̤̪̯̙̯̝̹͓͔͂ͩ̾ͥ̓ͫͯͤͥͯ̿͌̔̿̿̄̅͆ͨ̊ͮ͑͑ͣ̐̇͋̄̍̑ͣͫͮ́̚̚͡͏͏̴̵̶̡̛́͟͡͞͏̴̨̕͜҉̴̷̨̡̕̕͜͢m̴̷̷̴̨̧̢̩̺̗̘͍̺̪͎͔̝̹͓̫̗̠͉̒͛̉̓̔̍ͪ̊͋̇̄͆̓̒̽͆̓͗̅͋̈́̐͋̀́͜͟͟͡͞͡҉̶̶̵̢͟f̛̛̺͉̥͙͎̜̱͎̰̻̹͍̩̲̈ͪ͛̅͐̇ͫͮͬͤͥͣ͐̄ͤ͌ͬ̅ͬͣͩ́ͤ̿͋̃̔̐̿ͧ͋̀̌̽̓ͧͬͬͫ̎́ͯ͒̉̈́̚͢ͅ͏̷̨͏̷̶̡̨̧̕͢͜͞͞҉̶̸̷̸̢̡̀͘͟͞͠͏҉͏͏̵̡̢̡̡̀͟͟͟͠b̡̫͕͎̬͎͙̯͔͉̬̞͙̒̉ͣ͆ͮ̂ͤ̒͆͂ͦ̃͘ͅ҉̸̷̧̨̛̛͘͘͢͏̵́͜҉̶̵̡̕͘͘̕͢͝͏̸̛҉̵̧̀͘z̴̴̸̷̨̫̫̤̻̥̥͇̦̝̞̦̤̘̣͉̭̭̮̓ͯ̔̾̃̋͊̌̀̈́̿̋ͮ̂ͪͦ͛̈́ͥͨͪ͋ͬ̅̎̉͋ͯ̍̌̃̐̀̚̕͘͟͢͜͟͢͞͠͝ͅ҉̸̢̡̨͡ that is you shall never be quench. Not to mention, the lineage you carried? The Ģ̸̵̷̴̸̵̴̶̷̴̷̷̵̸̢̧̡̡̧̢̛̛̤̬͎̱̠̼̹̦̙͚̠̏̿͗ͯ̉ͪ́͘̕̕͟͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͡͡͡͞͠͞h̶̸̸̛̳̙͇͖̪͈̩̦͓̖͙̀̀̕̕͢͞͝͠҉̶̡́́͘͜͞҉̢҉̴̴̀͢͠͝͏̡̀̕͏̧̛̀́͢͏̸̵́̕͘͢͜͠c̡͉͓͇̎ͩ͂͋́͐̊҉̸̵̸̴̧̡̛̀̕̕̕͘͠͡͞͠n̴̸̵̴̷̵̷̡̢̨̢̧̡̨̡ͪ̊ͨ̀̀̀̀͘͢͜͢͟͝͡͞͠v̛̱̯͓̭̗̆͏̷̷̷̴̷̡̡̧̛̛̛̕̕͢͟͜͟͟͞҉҉̵̷́͡҉̶̴̸͜͟͡͡͝n̷̼͉̘̥̤͕̺͙͕̻̝ͨ̈̔̈̊̃̒͐͐̄̑̕͘͏̶̧̢̢̢̧̕͘͘͟͡͠҉̷̸̸̸̨̨̧́̀̕̕͢͟͟͝͞͞͝͝҉̢̢ ̍̒̀͡ͅ͏̵̶̶̸̶̸̡̡̨̧̧̢̨̢̢̧̛̀́́͘̕̕͟͜͜͟͜͡͡͞͡͠͡F̷̤̩̰̞̲͕̘̼ͦ͋͆͋͒̄͗̃̉̈̆͢͡͞c̢̨̡͙ͬ͗̔͒̍̏̆͋̋̎́̀͘̕͢͢͢͡͞͏҉̨̛͟͏̵̶̷̛́̕͘̕͜͠͞͏͟͢͏̸̛͜҉y̶̡̢̯̠̲̦͈̻̣̼͉͉͋̀ͣ̒̐͑͆̔͘͡͝҉̷̵̸̵̵̶̸̧̡̀̀́́́̀͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͢͟͢͠͠͡͞͞͞r̷̨̧̡̨̛͔̘̺̝̗̬͓ͥ͐́́͟͝҉̷̷̢̀́̀̕͢͝͝͝҉̸͏̴̷̶̡̢̨̨̢̛́̕͟͠͝a͙͙̹̝̙̰̗̥̯̋͒̅ͤ̀͌̚҉̵̨̛͘̕͜͞͡͞͏̴͟͜͡͠͞҉̴̴̵̕͏̡̢̡́͢q̴̨̧̧̢̨̺͉̜̺̫̲͍̻̯̏͘͜͜͜͟͟͢͡͠͝͞͝͡͏̵̀͘҉̧̨̢̛͘͜҉̷̴̨͢͜͏̵͟͜v̷̶̧̢̩̫̩̻̻̱͎̾̌͏̷̡͏̧́͞҉̸̸̵̴̢̨̛̛́́̕͘͟͟͟͟͟͜͝͡͝҉̛͟͏̶̸̶͜͡͏̵̨̕͘̕͞q̶̧͇͍̼͍̜̥̠ͫ͊̅̔ͮͥ̓̏͛̑̆̀͘͞͝͠ͅ͏̴̶̸͠͏̸̷̵̢̨̛͜͜͡҉̴̶̢͠͞͞h̵̸̶̷̶̡̢̡̢̢̨̧̢̛̰͎͎͚̯̖͎͈̓̐̏́ͧ̀̀̕̕̕͘̕͢͢͢͜͢͜͜͜͢͠͠͠͞͠͡͠͏̶̛̀̀͜͏̨ỷ̸̸̨̛̛̭̖͚̫ͤ̐̇̀̍͝n̥͋ͧ҉̢͠҉̷̵͘͘͏҉̴̷̴̶̷̴̡̡̢̛́̀́̀̀́͘͘͜͢͝͏҉̴͜҉̸̴̡͘͞͝ that was handed to you?"
The shadowy figured then sneered. "One way or another, you won't be able to stop me."
Risu glared at the thing before her... then turning around as she walked away. Trying her hardest to ignore the taunting laugher of an ancient deity behind her.
Back in the 'World of Hololive'...
The Three Great Families, for the first time in a while, had met together for a small expedition hosted by the Most Powerful Holy Sword User of the Indo Kingdom, even standing side by side to the famed warriors of the western continents when she participated a World Tournament - Anya Melfissa, the youngest daughter of the Melfissa Family.
With her are close friends, the two other daughters whose feats are not far off from Anya in their respective field.
One of them is Olivia Kureiji, the youngest Prime Minister of the Kingdom, known for her outlandish and outrageous reforms that transformed the Kingdom of Indo into a centralized continental government the world had ever seen, making a powerful stand for the world stage.
The last one is Reine Pavolia, otherwise known as the Lady of the Peafowl, she was renowned as the Chief Financial Official of the Finance Department. Her methods are a mystery to many revisionists and progressive parties and often criticized for not declassifying informations that are generally needed. But nevertheless, she won over the minds and hearts of the people in the Indo Kingdom for her economic reforms that transformed an agricultural kingdom to an industrial one without any even shed of blood.
Together, these three, probably the most powerful in the current generation, had gathered together to relax and go on a small adventure.
"Last." A young woman with striking red hair, Olivia, said as she took a sip from her tea while seating on a chair near the balcony of what appears to be a mansion atop a cliff.
Behind her are maids and butlers, ready if they are ever called.
Not far from the mansion, winged creatures could be seen flying around the area. One of which is a small dragon, a wyvern and lastly an amphiptere. The first and the second had their riders.
Anya with the small dragon, and Reine with her wyvern.
"You better hurry, Ollivia." A mature-looking woman with white and blue attire, Reine, called out her friend still drinking her tea. "Or else this big boy won't be happy."
She said as she playfully pet the amphiptere who nuzzled to her petting. It let out a small groan, as if calling its owner.
"Okay okay, coming!" Olivia said as she put down her cup and stood up. A maid from behind quickly stepped forward to clean the table and pass the cup to a butler.
Olivia stretched her arms out and clapped in the air. Upon doing so, the winged creature that is amphiptere flew towards the balcony and stopped as it eyed down the railings. The lady of the house then confidently walked towards the beast before grabbing what looked like a rope before saying.
"Go."
Without any hesitation, the amphiptere fling Olivia up in the air before letting out a small screech and flying up above.
The red haired girl then looked up to see bright clouds and the beautiful scenery just below it. The rays of the sun noticeable to her eyes and feeling the world below her turned small. The adrenaline is amazing. She watched from above as three winged creatures approached her.
She reached out her hand as the amphiptere then caught her and she got the rope before she swiftly sat on the small saddle on the creature's back. She looked to the side to see Reine with her wyvern at her and Anya on her dragon in front.
"So, where is this uncharted territory you're saying?" Olivia asked.
"It's somewhere in our regions apparently, according to my scouts, there are apparently three undocumented ruined buildings that we have never seen before." Reine replied to her.
"Even I was shocked, since I thought that the army had already discovered every part of the land during our operations." Anya told.
"Well, good thing these parts are not."
"I agree."
"So, what are we waiting for? Who knows what we might uncover, we should definitely not touch anything once we know their state."
"Agreed."
And with that, the three girls flew up to their destination.
...
FIN
Thank you for reading until the very end.