WAR NEVER ENDS – HERE TO WIN
The Battlefield
Clyde's fist is coated in the golden divine energy of 'darkness', the purest form of divine energy he can use. The sound of it cutting through the air is enough to demonstrate his power to the armies behind him.
Large portions of those fighting stop and watch, once again they exercise the bad habit of losing focus while they are awed by what is happening. While the elite fighters escape this habit, the others cannot. The shinobi have never seen anything like this, the captains neither. These two are at a level they couldn't hope to touch.
Their position is separated from the rest of the battlefield. True to his word, Clyde charged ahead of his forces while Lara stayed behind hers. He showed his back while she showed her front. To him this is the essence of what it is to be a leader. He has done that part of his job, now all that is left is to win here. His job is no longer that of a leader, it is that of a warrior.
Lara bends her knees to fall below the incoming punch, standard procedure. The two of them have fought before many times, practice fights during their tenure in the academy. Lara won each time yet Clyde persisted with the same attacks, all too easy for her to read.
Unlike previous times, this time Lara counters with a right hook into the side of Clyde's head. Despite her perceived nature, she is a calm and collected fighter. She has encountered people on the same level as her throughout her career, senior members of the military, members of the aristocracy, however; she has rarely lost to them. She is a natural rational decision maker.
Before Clyde's body even has time to react to the first attack she replies with another, a kick into his left shin. Anybody else may have had their leg broken by that attack but not Clyde. As he stumbles away from the incoming attack he is greeted by two more punches to the gut and one solid uppercut into his face.
The 'darkness' general is only able to take two steps in retreat before he comes under attack once again.
Lara creates a sword of golden 'light' energy and thrusts it towards Clyde.
This time he cannot accept the incoming attack, he must counter. The faces of his subordinates appear before him. He wonders if this is what people mean when they talk about their life flashing before their eyes. 'No' he tells himself, 'This is them calling to me, telling me to survive'.
Before the blade reaches him, a golden 'darkness' shield forms in his hand, knocking the blade off course.
His vision gives him a newfound clarity of thought. His allies do for him as Lara's bloodlust does for her. He feels his brain working quicker, the thoughts moving about with renewed speed, being accepted and rejected at a previously unobtainable rate. If he didn't know any better he would swear that his brain has been upgraded.
The reason for his improvement matters little though. He must attack. He does this using his shield. With Lara's momentum from her last attack destabilising her, he knows she will not be able to defend herself easily, he takes the solid circular shield he has created and hits her in the face with it.
His attack doesn't rescind. After hitting her in the face with the shield, he swings his hips and drags its dull edge sideways, dealing a blunt strike to Lara's wrist. His objective is achieved, he forces her to drop the blade, watching it dissipate as it hits the floor.
Lara's previous smile is gone, replaced by total concentration. 'So, you can attack too. Don't think that puts us on the same level'.
The attacks with the shield stunned Lara but that doesn't last long. Upon recovering she drops down, balancing on her feet with her centre of gravity as low as possible. She places both hands on the floor and spins one leg around her body and under the shield. She sweeps Clyde's legs out from beneath him.
The rebel general hits the floor hard but cannot afford to be disorientated for long.
Lara immediately springs back up to her feet and raises a leg, stamping it down towards the shield.
As the shield shatters, Clyde rolls away, Lara's foot narrowly missing his head.
He rolls away with great speed, rolling as quick as most shinobi could run. With a skilful stretch of his hand, he waits until his arm moves towards the floor before gently tapping the ground with his fingers. At this speed the small tap is enough to have a great affect, especially when enhanced with divine energy. A small crater forms in the ground and Clyde raises a meter into the air. He still spins on the same axis for a moment before he drags his body weight around, positioning him as parallel to the ground just before landing.
Lara now moves to use a blunt force attack of her own, creating a club in one hand and a globe of golden 'light' in the other. She fires the first globe towards Clyde as he leaps to the side, quickly firing the other as he is off balance.
Leaping to dodge the first, Clyde can do so easily at this range. The second poses more of a problem as his first evasion removed him from the ground, loosening his body control. Lara's attack was one that anticipated his would-be position, so he avoids it by lowering his hand onto the ground and reversing his momentum with a strong push.
This dodge provides Lara with the time she requires, she closes the distance between herself and Clyde and viciously swings the golden 'light' club towards Clyde's head. The demented smile on her face has returned, the focus from her brain gone. 'There is no way that he can dodge this'.
Indeed, it is impossible for a transcendent general to dodge this, her confidence is well calculated.
However, to Clyde it is something else. Miscalculated. 'This is the chance'.
With the club moving towards his head, his hips sway from side-to-side.
Lara gasps as she witnesses something she thought impossible.
Clyde's speed increases suddenly, it increases enormously.
This is beyond her expectations, no more than that, it shouldn't be possible.
Lara's lack of concentration, Clyde's speed boost. He was correct, this is the chance.
Faster than Lara can possibly counter, Clyde thrusts a knuckle into her throat, her neck taking so much impact that it leads her body as she is knocked backwards and down into the floor. As her body is slowed down by a smattering of rocks in the otherwise grassy area, she feels a strange sensation, a familiar yet different taste in her mouth. It is blood. Her own blood.
With the single exception of Tao Ma, the battlefield goes still as shock spreads like the flu.
Lara coughs as she rises to her feet. "Where did you get this power?".
"I found something in this world" Clyde answers. "I found something to help me get stronger. One of the fabled strength training manuals given to members of the aristocracy".
A shout comes from across the entire battlefield.
"Impossible" shouts the furious Elliot. "What do you mean you just found it? Finding something like that in a pocket world, that's definitely impossible!".
Clyde grins. "I thought that as well but you should be able to tell that I am speaking the truth".
A wave of excitement crashes against the shore of the shinobi-captain alliance. If this means what they think it means then everything has changed.
"Now you should finally realise why I was willing to fight this battle, Lara" Clyde bellows, "I was already a level above you the moment you arrived in this world".
This changes everything, this was a trap. Even Peterson quickly realises this. The information was kept from everyone by Clyde, a true feeling of hopelessness was created. The chestnut-haired general had even managed to trick himself into feeling more fear than he should. Of course, the enemy would sense this fear, this incredible tingling sensation shared by an entire army. They would think the fight was already settled, even Tao Ma had been fooled this way. Then Clyde would get a chance to reveal it, his true power. They could win. They would win. Clyde has finally done it. He surpassed Lara and set a trap for her that even she couldn't escape. He planned Naruto's escape in case he couldn't win even with these better-than-thought odds. Right down to the last detail, he has created the best possible odds for his worlds salvation.
Many switch from their previous confidence to despair on Lara's side. Except the key person. Except the one who can unsettle them the most. Lara herself.
It sounds at first like she is crying, her neck craned to obscure her face. That isn't what is happening though. First heard by Clyde but soon by the others is this maniacal reaction. She is laughing. She laughs in the face of their big reveal.
"Is that it?" she shouts, her eyes unnaturally wide, "Pathetic!".
"You've always been like this Clyde. You've always believed that you're better than me and I'm sick of it" she says. "It's a joke. A total joke! What a complete and utter joke".
He shakes his head. "I don't know what you are laughing at Lara but our fight is already over. Give yourself up and you have my word, I will spare you and your subordinates".
"You think this enough, Clyde? Do you think this is enough?!" her aura is truly frightening now. Not her divine energy but her presence. Clyde isn't tricking himself anymore, this is different. He's certain that anybody would be terrified. "You should know from years of experience that you will never better than me. I'm the best. I'm better than you. I've always been better than you. I will always be better than you".
"You're possibly the most talented woman I ever met in the academy" Clyde admits. "But you are definitely not talented enough to overcome my newfound strength. You can't fight up an entire level, nobody is that talented. You can't win Lara".
"No?" she laughs. "But you aren't the only one who has attained a new level of strength. There are other ways to get stronger Clyde".
Clyde's own words come back to him. He had explained this to Naruto before coming here. There are two ways that they can get stronger. One of them is to use a strength training manual. Then there is another.
His face drops. "You can't possibly mean… you couldn't have been given one…".
"That's right. After killing you I am getting promoted" she explains, "I am going to leave the military. I've been given a position with the aristocracy".
"You have a divine ability? You've been holding back too?".
Divine abilities. They are theoretically better than a strength training manual, though harder to learn. A divine ability not only upgrades your divine energy like a manual, it also grants you a supernatural power. Those born into the aristocracy may not be talented enough to learn them every time but Lara wasn't born into power. She suffered in her youth, rose to her position at the pinnacle of the army through her own talent and sustained that position with her own power. If she were granted such a thing, she would certainly be able to master it.
Lara creates a knife from golden 'light' before smiling at Clyde. They both know something surreal is about to happen.
Then she appears behind his back.
Clyde starts and begins to turn around. However she got there, he knows that he is in trouble.
She slashes the knife down towards his back, her own speed renewed.
Clyde's superior speed is still with him fortunately. He manages to avoid being killed by pulling back at the last moment. That doesn't avert all damage though, the long cut down the length of his torso the greatest wound sustained by either of them in this fight so far.
Lara quickly grabs Clyde by the front of his head.
'Fast' he realises, 'Divine abilities really do raise your divine energy by a level'.
Lara strengthens her grip, her fingernails painfully digging into the side of her rival's face. She steps forward, lifting him so that his feet part from the ground and then slams him head first into the floor.
Elliot gulps. He wonders if this is the reason he was unable to defeat Clyde, because of his manual, or if the 'darkness' user was just a superior talent to himself. Either way, he will no longer be able to help Lara. That battle is no longer on a level that he could interfere with, it's too far above him.
Lara looks around and sees the pause in the battles around her. She stops to lick the blood from the blade she just slashed at Clyde with and smiles. It tastes just as good as she was hoping.
"What's the matter? We're going to bathe this world in blood, aren't we?".
"Kill them!".
Her word is law once again.
The battles resume.
"Now then my dear rival. It's time for you to die".
Lara stabs the knife down towards Clyde but is soon surprised.
He catches her wrist.
She notes this is different to the old Clyde. By all accounts she has superior talent, superior power and a superior ability. The old Clyde was an optimist but also a realist, he would have given up in this situation, he would have accepted the authority of those with more power, just as he has done for years.
Something, or someone, has changed him.
Clyde grabs hold of her right wrist, while her right hand has the knife. He also grabs hold of her left wrist, her left hand wrapped around his face.
Gritting his teeth, he forces himself upward, lifting both away from him.
"You think I will give up and let you slaughter my people just with that. You can… go to hell…".
He finally rises back to his feet, an even greater surprise to Lara.
He throws both her hands out to her sides before kicking her in the chest.
She is forced to take a flurry of steps backwards, creating about five meters separation between the two of them. Yesteryear this would be a problem to Lara but now she can attack from any position, or so she thought.
Lara uses her new ability, teleportation, to do the same as previously. She appears behind Clyde and slashes her knife down towards his back.
This time his dodge is even greater. He dodges to the side of the blade, it misses him completely. Not only does he dodge, he craftily catches Lara by the wrist, as if to say, 'your teleportation is nothing to me'.
"You're still going to have to beat me, Lara!".
Elsewhere on the Battlefield
Consecutive golden 'lightning' bolts stem from the fingers of Peterson. His target is as it has been for a while now. General Brooks.
She is easily able to dodge the attacks though. She has far more experience at this level than Peterson and his power is yet to truly settle down yet. She glides across the ice with a childish smile on her face, spinning each time to taunt her opponents for their inability to land a strike on her.
Her complacency is misplaced though. Hiruzen knows that a true warrior is never complacent in battle. He creates an 'earth' wall in Brooks path, forcing her to slide to her right where a terrifying attack is waiting.
Brooks pales as she realises that Tsunade is stood there. Tsunade steps forward with her left foot and strikes as hard as she can with her right fist.
The enemy general creates a wall of 'ice' which Tsunade is easily able to shatter. The goal of the 'ice' wasn't protection though as much as distraction. Brooks is able to use the moments delay induced by her wall to dodge the incoming attack. Just as well considering the torrent of wind that bursts from Tsunade's fist and destroys the stone wall behind Brooks.
She notes that Tsunade's power is incredible and resolves to deal with her right away.
Brooks creates a golden 'ice' icicle and thrusts it straight into Tsunade's gut, pausing a moment to smile before kicking her back along the sharp ice.
"Tsunade!" Hiruzen shouts after his student.
Brooks laughs an evil laugh, unnatural from her childish frame. "You really should all just give up. You are truly just hopeless. Far too weak to fight me".
A gasp of air stuns her.
Tsunade pulls the icicle from her gut and rises to her feet. She is still alive.
"Are you still OK to fight?" Peterson asks, eyebrows raised.
Tsunade hasn't even been able to use divine energy yet. She is in this fight just through the incredible power that she has amassed by combining her incredible chakra control and sage mode. Peterson has seen many locals with healing powers before but this world continues to surprise him with the likes of Naruto and Hashirama and now Tsunade.
"My healing can take way more than this" the 5th Hokage breathes, "Don't underestimate a Hokage".
Smiling Hiruzen whispers, "That's my student".
Brooks doesn't get it, this determination they have.
"I don't think you realise the situation that you are in. Granted, Clyde is still on the same level as Lara but you seem to have forgotten something. Everyone thought the two of them were equal before and Lara was stronger back then. While Clyde has only increased his strength, Lara has also gained an ability, she has gained strength and a new power. You can't hope to win this fight now".
The response to her rant is initially silence. This confounds her even more. It isn't a silence of defeat, despair or fear. The silence holds while the determination in their eyes speaks volumes. It hasn't put them off at all, they thought they were fighting a losing battle before and they still are now.
"This whole situation came about because of me, because the general saved me against protocol" Peterson explains. "If it weren't for the general, I would be dead. Together we fought the most monstrously powerful locals I have ever seen. We lost but we are still alive and that is because of the man that the general is. I believe in him, always have and always will and he will show you why, here today".
Brooks realises that she isn't going to break them, not yet. These people have been living on hope for too long now and it will have to completely evaporate before their morale disappears. It seems that she still has some work to do.
Elsewhere on the Battlefield
Lara cackles. "Are you serious Clyde, one lucky block and you think you can really fight me?".
She begins to teleport at full speed, disappearing and reappearing dozens of times per second in a way that makes her appear in several places at once. It's as close to an illusion as she can get.
'Lara is a genius. A fighter who can beat nearly everyone on the same level. Someone who could fight well before she even had divine energy. If I were someone like that, where would I attack from… where…'.
Clyde's mind is stuck for a second but then he realises that he has had experience in this area before. He has fought against someone on a similar level to his own. He has fought against someone whose gift for trickery and sneaky attacks is far greater than Lara's. If he can fight against someone like that and survive, there is no way he cannot do the same for Lara.
He can predict exactly where she will teleport, he just has to get into the same mindsight he was before, as when he fought Naruto.
Clyde creates the same shield as before and waits for Lara to teleport one final time. The second she does that he raises the shield up above his head and drops to his knees.
CLANG!
Just as he thought, Lara attacked from above.
He's full of surprises today. Lara knows now that he was right before in so many ways. He is not the same Clyde she has battled before.
He dispenses of the shield, raises to his feet and grabs her by the ankle. Making use of her airborne position, he slams her down into the ground.
After the initial shock of the impact, Lara teleports a short distance away. She retreats, relying on the safety of distance and getting back to her feet. Annoyed, she is really annoyed now and her face shows it. She had been expecting to have killed him by now.
This is important. If he predicts her movements and executes the right attack, he can still deliver a fatal blow.
"You still don't seem to realise it Lara. You can mock me and say that I will lose all you want. But I am not the same man as before…".
"… I came here to win!".