Hakumen was tapping his fingers on his thighs while in a cross-sitting position. He was getting impatient. This takes place while Ragna's group was traveling to his location before they met Naoto.
"Too much time is being wasted!" Hakumen exclaims.
"Patience is a valuable skill, Hakumen." Jin was meditating in his frozen spot.
"You are not the one to lecture me, Jin Kisaragi. We do not know what is out there. They may attack all of us at any moment. We cannot allow any of them to have a chance of attacking us." He stood up. "Do you recall that moment where you are to keep your promise to keep Tsubaki safe?"
"Yes, what about it?" He opened his eyes.
"Now is the best time to test you. Do you have what it takes to bear the responsibility? To protect Tsubaki?" He unsheathes his sword.
"I am always prepared. Poor choice of words, Hakumen...I'll end this test of yours and put you in a frozen prison for doubting my strength." He summons Yukianesa and grabs it from the small pillar of ice.
"Show me your conviction." He points his sword and swings it around him. He cuts down the trees surrounding them for an open area to fight in.
"Cooperation is meaningless Hakumen. I'll end this right here and make you yield!"
"Enough chatter. Show me your pride."
Lust Sin II plays
The Wheel of Fate is Turning!
REBEL ONE!
ACTION!
Jin pierces the ground below him. An ice blade forms behind Hakumen. He didn't even look behind him and destroy it. "Predictable." Jin jumps over him and swipes his sword. Hakumen uses his drive: God Slash. He grabs his sword and pulls him in, he then grabs Jin and tosses the man behind him. "Demonic Leg..." He covers the gap made by his toss and reached Jin. He swung his sword and Jin had to block his attack while falling. It slammed him on the ground. "Rending Steel!" This attack broke his guard and knocked Jin's Yukianesa off of his hands. "Lotus!" This kicks him into the air and Hakumen follows, "Camelia!" Hakumen spun and slashed Jin down to the ground once more.
"You are just all talk, where is the frozen prison you threatened to encage me in, Kisaragi?" Hakumen wanted to test Jin's emotional control.
"Just you wait..." He summons ice swords being thrown at Hakumen. The Hero cuts every projectile down and proceeds to create a black vacuum.
"Earthbind..." This negated every projectile being thrown at him. Hakumen was being occupied by the projectiles and didn't notice Jin sprinting and grabbing his sword on the ground, he went behind him. He uses his sleeves to blind the hero's point of view and proceeded to swing with a reverse grip, Hakumen reacted quickly and blocks it. Jin continued attacking and changed his grip on the sword. It was used as a distraction, Jin uses the sheath of his Yukianesa to hit the ground.
"Frost Bite." This froze Hakumen in place. "Freezing Crystal Strike!" Jin rides an icicle and proceeded to hit Hakumen. It breaks the ice around him and hits him with his sword. The impact made Hakumen slide on the floor. He quickly recovers. "Good!"
They were both far from each other at a certain distance.
"Empty Sky Form: Summer's Advance!"
"Frozen Fang: Ice Blade!"
CLASH!
Both projectiles clash with each other. Unfortunately for Jin, Hakumen's attack broke through his own. Jin barely had enough time to create an ice barrier. Particles of shattered ice surround the area. Hakumen took the opportunity to jump.
"There! Moonsong!" Jin creates an ice bow and locks onto Hakumen.
Hakumen breathes calmly, "Empty Sky Forbidden Form: HeavenFall! Hakumen slices the ice arrow and destroys it.
Jin couldn't see from the dust made from the ice Hakumen shattered. He was then seen dashing out of the dust.
"Wha-!" Jin was prepared to counterattack. "Blizzard!" It was a quickdraw attack from his Yukianesa. Little did Jin know, Hakumen was using his drive.
"Yanagi..." He blocks his quickdraw attack and grabs his collar and tosses him to the ground.
"AGGHCK!" Jin let out a pained scream when he was brutally tossed to the ground. He dropped his Yukianesa. Hakumen picked him up and holds him up by his collar.
"Where is your pride? Where is your drive to protect the ones you love? You only fight to win a battle, Kisaragi!" He points his blade at Jin.
He slowly summons ice pillars to bring his weapon to him. Once it had reached him, he grabs his Yukianesa. "Violent Ice!"
The Hero dashed back, he avoided the attack. "Good. You still have strength left. Ready yourself, I am no longer holding back, Jin Kisaragi. Show me the true strength of your Power of Order!"
Hakumen fixates his stance, he breathes calmly. "Hmmmmm...Empty Sky True Form: Light of Judgement of the Fierce God!" The ground trembles beneath him. As the blue energy of light surrounds him.
"I might as well respond." He picks himself up, "Frost End: Suppressing Blade!" The air around him crystalizes into small snowflakes. The ground around him freezes as he musters up the strength he has left.
REBEL 2!
ACTION!
"Artic Dungeon!" Jin stabs the ground once more. But this time, this creates a frozen chamber trapping Hakumen with Jin. "You are not going anywhere." Jin attacks him with everything he's got. "Snow Flower Storm!" Repeated quickdraws from Jin's Katana, Hakumen had used his God Slash, "Empty Sky Form: Winter's Reposte!" A counter move. It destroyed the Frozen Prison that Jin had created and gave Jin multiple cuts. He picks himself up, "Gee!" He shrugs off the pain, "Holding back is useless!" He prepares his stance while Hakumen fixates his place. "Ice Fang Storm!"
Jin creates multiple ice waves.
Hakumen proceeded to cut them down with ease.
"What is this?" The hero cuts down more of the waves.
"I'm not stopping here!" Jin throws him more ice waves but they were all cut down and negated. "Huff...huff...not yet!"
"Worthless! Is this your pride Jin?! You disappoint me!" The hero taunting Jin.
"You haven't seen what I can do yet!" He rides his icicle at high speed.
"Crimson Lotus!" Hakumen breaks the icicle Jin was riding on. He jumped out of it and prepares his attack.
"I am the white void..." He creates a giant red barrier.
"You left yourself open!" Jin began to throw everything at him. "Huooooogh! Snowfall: Ice Blades!" A barrage of ice swords swarmed him.
"I am the just sword." He negates every projectile thrown at him.
"What?! That's not enough?!" He created new moves in desperation. "Purgatory Moonsong!" A giant ice bow locked onto Hakumen. He fires, it was easily negated and the arrow shatters into pieces in the air.
"With blade in my hand..." The ground trembles once more.
"Damn it! Purgatory Arctic Dungeon!" His final and strongest move. He stabs the ground and envelope Hakumen in a frozen coffin. The ice coffin shatters into ice dust into the air.
"I shall reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of Destruction!" Everything that Jin had thrown on him did nothing.
"Retribution: Judgement of the sword!" Hakumen prepares to swing. Black paint brush strokes began to follow Hakumen's sword.
Jin had no more options, he was gonna use his counterattack move. This was Jin's last move. He had always kept it as a trump card in specific situations. "Judgement: Snowstorm!" A giant red barrier forms in front of Jin.
"I am Hakumen!" He strikes the barrier. It shatters and wounds Jin in place.
"AGHHH!" Jin suddenly felt pain in every part of his body. He was heavily fatigued when his trump card was destroyed as if it was nothing. "Unbelievable..." He fell onto his knees. He used his Yukianesa as a form to keep him standing. "I can...still fight!"
"The end has come." Hakumen pointed his Okami at the defeated Jin. "This is it. You had done enough. You have yet to learn more. Plenty of room to grow. Remember this: Love conquers time. Never be selfish. This is an old man's wisdom that I am willing to share. Take it into the heart. Not for me, but for Tsubaki...and for Ragna and for people you deeply care about." He sheathes his sword. He was impressed that he had gotten stronger. But that wasn't enough to beat Hakumen.
"Bold of you to say that...you know I've heard that you nearly killed the vampire just to test brother's motives..." He was using the last of his energy to talk.
"He has proven to me that he was no longer in the path of vengeance. A new path that he has carved for himself and the Harlequin. I would not have gone to such lengths if I had not known about his abnormal existence." When Ragna took the blow for Rachel, he realized that he was going to give his life for her. Something that Hakumen was not able to do before he had entered the Susano'o unit. Something sparked in him. Something new, it was hope. Hope that he would no longer burden himself to kill a family member that he deeply cared for. There was no saving Ragna from the fate that is to become the black beast, Hakumen had no choice but to hunt him down to save him. It was a facade he had made. He acted as if he was cold and careless. But after all this time, he wanted to distance himself from others. So, they would not get in his way and be harmed by his enemies. "Our brother has developed into someone better, has he Jin? Get stronger, do not forget your mistakes and this loss."
"Brother...Tsubaki...damn it...I'm out of strength..." He blacks out, Hakumen catches him.
"Open yourself to your friends, Jin Kisaragi. You will find true strength once you find yourself at peace. You have failed the test. But that does not mean you have fallen. Every failure grants you more strength. Once you discover your mistakes and correct them, you will become a greater sword than anything else."
Hours passed since they last fought. Jin was still resting, but he got better. Hakumen had bandages and covered him up. He was listening to what Hakumen said even after he blacked out. "I...I see..."
Ragna's group had finally arrived.
"Holy shit, what happened here? Did you two fight? Was it a disagreement?" He sees Jin covered in bandages. Tsubaki and Ragna approached him. "Hey, you alright? Did you and the masked freak over there have a disagreement or something?"
"Jin! What happened?!" Tsubaki was very worried.
"It was a sparring match with certain conditions I had agreed upon. I lost fair and square." He was being humble about his loss? This surprised Ragna a lot. Not only him but people who knew him as a stubborn person who wouldn't admit defeat. Those people were Noel, Tsubaki, Makoto, and Jubei.
"I had called Celica for your aid Mr. Hero," Rachel informed Celica that Jin was in a bad shape.
"What matters, is you're alive. Get well." Ragna stands up and leaves him be. He shows Celica where Jin is located and she proceeded to fix him up.
Jubei had approached and asked Hakumen about their fight, "What were the conditions?"
"We were to fight at full strength. I wanted to test his development after all this time." Hakumen was impressed with his development. Although, he still has plenty to learn.
"Oh? Don't you think that's overkill for the young lad?"
"The enemy isn't kind, cat." Hakumen's right. The enemy would not be nice enough to hold back unless they're cocky bastards.
Jubei shrugged off Hakumen's usual cold attitude, "Didn't know you wanted an apprentice. Is it because he has the Power of Order?" Jubei taught Jin a bit of stuff as well. He had taught Jin how to control his Power of Order and utilize its capabilities.
"Perhaps." This was a lie. He wanted to give him wisdom and allow him to seek strength to protect. So he wouldn't fall into that path of selfishness like he used to be.
Tager had informed about meeting with Hakumen. It was still bright as day during that time. "Professor, we're here. What are your plans to execute the procedure?"
"Set up camp, for now, I'll inform you later in the evening." She spins, kicks, pushes herself off her chair and grabs a glass of water. "Damn...I only got the location but what is in there? Dad, mom, Hakumen, and Ragna are around but would they be enough to deal with what's in there?"
Kagura opens the door of the lab, "How's the progress? Everybody out here seems to be doing well. Izanami didn't even do anything so far. As for me, paperwork is piling up. Platinum just now joined us. She was busy finding Jubei but couldn't succeed." The Black Knight nearly trips, "Jesus Christ, how long will they take? I'll be too drained to even fight with all of this work." Kagura started to have deprivation of sleep. The work started to pile up to the point, Hibiki and Bang started to help.
"Just do what you're doing. They'll get there eventually. We all need some shut-eye for once."
"Gotcha." He winks at her and leaves the room.
"Master, I'll help ya with the hunting." Ragna offers his master help with hunting food to eat for later.
"Alright kid, let's start right now. I might wanna talk to you while we do so."
He looks back and calls Rachel. "Rachel! I'll be back later. I'll go help my master get some food ok the way."
"Do return safely." She waves him good luck on their hunting.
They went off. She sighed happily. "Oh? The princess seems pleased here." Nine sitting down next to her putting her left leg on her right.
"What about it?" Rachel raised her brow.
"Why'd you pick him? I'm sure that there were multiple suitors set out for you." Nine placed her finger on her chin.
"I...I don't know. Out of everyone else that tried to impress me, and tried to meet my standards. I never liked them. Actually, they were an eyesore in my home. That buffoon stole my heart." It was unknown to her, how she had fallen for Ragna.
"Oh? Tell me more." She got a bit giddy.
Rachel's face started to go red, "Why must we speak in this manner."
"C'mon, girl talk. We both have to deal with our significant others every day. Besides, I've always wanted to talk to someone that's been in a relationship. When I tried to live peacefully, I ended up dying to fucking Terumi."
Rachel rolled her eyes, "Alright mage, never speak a word after this conversation..." She sighed, "He had never given up in his journeys, no matter what odds that are against him, he somehow succeeds. Even before we had gotten together, he had placed his utmost trust in me, despite the rudeness he had given off. I understood why he was hard-headed, it was often a nuisance but after everything that has happened to him, I cannot blame him." All that Rachel could do was watch. She was forbidden for her to intrigue.
"Seems like he felt the same for you back then didn't he?" A guess was made from the mage.
"I already knew, but I thought it would be a mistake...an obstacle, something that shouldn't be done during the time loops. But, he had confessed when he was at his last moments as the black beast in the previous time-loops numerous times. It broke me when I couldn't do anything."
"Basically, both of you were that stubborn to just admit to each other. *Sigh* Youth these days." Nine looked at the clear skies.
"I'm older than you just so you know." Rachel definitely was annoyed.
"But you lack experience princess. To me, you are still in your early 20s with your dear Ragna here." Nine making a grin. She was right. Rachel may have lived for longer than a century, but she didn't have proper experience with people.
"That's fine. I get why you like Ragna." Nine knew the conclusion from the start. She had talked and experienced Ragna as well.
"What makes you conclude that?" Curiosity from the vampire.
"He's brave. He would be willing to risk his life to save innocent strangers that don't even know him. He's got no brains, but he's got a heart. A trait that many people don't have. I heard what he did about the fuss with Hakumen. That's true love right there. He was willing to risk his life for you. He cares about you as much as you do for him. Celica fell for him once. She kept talking about him when I was working on the Nox Nyctores." Something that Nine said, ticked Rachel off.
"What's this feeling..." Rachel felt angry and uneasy.
"You're jealous aren't you? It's normal. Don't worry, she isn't gonna steal him from you. His eyes are on you, princess. My little sister is not a prick. There is no way for him to just switch you out. He's a good and loyal person. Not to mention, he always keeps his word. You're lucky to have him with you." Nine winked.
"Honestly, I feel better after having that chat with you. It reminisced home." She felt like she was talking to a parent.
"If you're planning to marry the guy. Let's just say you're getting this from me as your future mother-in-law." A little grin from the mage.
"M-marriage?! Now's not the appropriate time to think about it." She instantly looked away.
"Do I care? No." Their conversation lasted for a while. It was a good chatter for the two and it came to a halt when they saw their significant others.
The time while Rachel and Nine were having their long chat before the duo had arrived...
Ragna and Jubei were wandering in the forest looking for animals to catch.
"Honestly kid, I'm relieved you found someone. I was kinda worried about your way to revenge alone. You've dedicated your whole life just to killing Terumi.
"Yeah, Rachel is the coolest girl I've ever been with. She may be annoying sometimes, but that doesn't matter to me. She's perfect."
"Not to mention, there's nobody like her as well. Congrats. Might warn ya about Valkenhayn. He may tolerate you having around Rachel but that doesn't mean he likes you either. He probably sees you as garbage or something like that."
"Ouch. I know it would take time but...ow." That kinda hit him. He has no job nor a place to stay. "Hmmm...I'll think about what I'll do when I get back..."
"C'mon now! I don't want you straying behind. It's mating season. I'm seeing loads of animals." He runs and jumps into the trees.
"Whoever gets the least animals in 1 hour gets to clean up after dinner time!" Ragna made it a challenge with a cocky smile in his face.
"Oh? This challenge again? You do know that I'm on a winning streak? You're on." This wasn't the first time they had that competitive challenge. Ragna had challenged him multiple times when he felt like he had gotten stronger. But this time, he was confident that Jubei would stand no chance this time.
An hour had passed and the two returned.
Ragna's face was distraught. He had lost the challenge once more. Jubei was walking with a wide grin. "Ragna, you are way stronger and faster than me. But there is one thing you lack: It's technique. No matter how strong your opponent is, if you find a way to outwit them, you'll come out on top. Haha, you may have surpassed me boy, but you still got plenty to learn."
"How...but how...? I WAS WAY FASTER THAN YOU! NO WAY IN HELL DID YOU JUST PULL THAT OFF!" Ragna couldn't accept it. He was at least 5 times faster than Jubei and still lost.
"I guess that's another win for me, I won't be cleaning up after this. You lost fair and square. What happened to the lessons I taught ya? Don't take them for granted-" He was then scooped up by Nine again. "K-Konoe! You can't just grab me like that!"
"You won against someone who's way stronger than all of us, the imperator and Terumi himself. What makes you think why I'd just grab you like this Darling?~" She was very impressed by his performance.
"Ughh..." Ragna slouches and sits down. He sighs in defeat. Rachel approaches him and pokes his cheek, "You heard your master, you have attained a new height of power. But all of that was all for naught. You had not utilized them properly. How about a preference of less brute force and more on thinking hm?" She was doting him.
"Yeah, Mr. Ragna! You might become way stronger if you apply techniques!" Gii was cheering for him.
"Hmm...how about asking your master for a remedial?" Nago suggested.
"See? Even my familiars suggest that you shouldn't rely on brute force alone." She moves closer to him.
"Man, I guess I should. I have some room to grow as well. Thanks." He felt better after their encouragement.
"I'll motivate you even further." She stands up.
"And what's that?" The criminal was curious.
She slowly moves closer and whispers in his ear. "You may even discover your own techniques to surprise me even more in bed~" This triggered something in Ragna.
"You're more of a pervert than I am. Despite, calling me one." A dark grin appears from him.
"But you are one." Her brow was raised when she told him that.
"You're the one to talk, rabbit."
Jubei heard their dirty talk from far away while cooking the food. "Hey, tone down there. Now's not the time to sleep with each other you two. We gotta prepare for what's coming. I ain't helping you out when you wake up fatigued from your last stand."
Both began blushing from embarrassment. Rachel turned and faced the opposite direction. Ragna's eyes were wide open, "You could've just told us that directly instead of saying that out loud!" Heat rising up from his cheeks.
"You got caught princess- AGH! HELP!" Rachel grabbed Gii and held him tightly, strangling the poor thing. She dropped him on the ground. The girls began blushing when they understood what Jubei meant. The 3 Heroes shake their heads in disappointment, Jin included. Nine chuckled and softly told Jubei, "Young love huh?"
"Pretty much." The cat sighs and speaks in his conscience. "Enjoy every second of it kid. Make sure you both survive in the end."
The couple was still heavily embarrassed. "In matters like this, it's easy for me to falter..." she held on to Ragna. She regrets saying those words while Jubei was around. "God, master can you at least have a bit of privacy for us please?" Ragna sulked.
"Not when I'm around, HA HA HA. But seriously, keep those to yourself when you are not alone. People like me with a good sense of hearing can listen unintentionally." The old cat laughed in triumph.
They really should've kept their mouth shut.
"Alright, everyone listens," Tager calls everyone for a meeting. "The professor told us to follow the direction where the navigator tells us to. This is the location where the system is located." He shows a virtual geological image of a landform. It was a mesa.
"There is something waiting for us there. So we need to prepare." Tager ordered the plan given out by Kokonoe.
Ragna's group holds Noel and Jin. Noel's ability of a god slayer weapon is viable for this role. One can never tell the enemy's capabilities. Jin's ability to immobilize the enemy while both sides attack will be very useful. They are the main attack force. They'll be named Team A.
Hakumen's group. They are back up when the main attack force needs support. They are necessary for complete success. The 3 heroes: Hakumen, Nine and Jubei. Tsubaki with her anti-observer weapon. The Sealed Armament: Izayoi and Rachel provide support for the rest of the 4 people. Their purpose is to be the big gun of the group when Ragna fails. They will be Team B.
Tager's group will have Celica, Makoto, and Naoto. They will be the support group for helping out on the sidelines. When one's hurt they can provide medical help. This will be Team C.
"It seems like we're separated Ragna." She didn't look too happy about the division of their groupings.
"Nahh, it's no big deal. We'll both be fine anyways. You have 3 heroes on your team. And I'm pretty strong myself. You don't need to make a fuss about anything. I promise I won't get hurt too much and die, kay?" He puts his hand by her cheek.
"Promise? I'll remember that agreement." she held his hand by her cheek.
"As long we execute the plan properly, there would be no problems. Now, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day. We're going back home." Tager interrupted the two.
Hours passed after Ragna cleaned up the after what's left of their dinner. He growled sadly while he was doing the task. It's was a reminder of his defeat earlier during their hunting competition. Time passed later and everyone was sleeping on their mats, Rachel had trouble sleeping. Ragna was hugging her and buried his face in her golden hair, so she couldn't move much.
"How would I cope when you return? I trust your words Ragna and I have faith...it's just...not going to be that easy..." Insecurities and anxiety take over once more. Ragna woke up from the excessive movement that Rachel was doing.
"You alright there?" He yawns as he moves above her and asked.
"I am, I'm just having trouble sleeping that's all." He didn't buy it.
"It's about me going back isn't it?"
"..." She moved away.
"Look at me." She turns to him.
"Have faith in me alright? Since when did I break my promises?" Ragna was deeply concerned for Rachel.
"You had not broken one ever since...never." She can never recall a single time where he had failed to uphold his promises.
"I'll never break this one. I won't leave you. Even if I go back to where I belong. I'll just be back in a second once you overwrite my memories into the other." She still had doubts, but she trusted him.
"O-okay..."
"Let's get some sleep. We need it." He wraps his arms around her as he continued to slowly knock himself out. Her fragrant scent supported Ragna's sleepiness and Rachel could feel his warm breathing by her neck. Both were in a very comfy position to sleep in. She loved it and embraced him tightly. She closes her eyes and falls into slumber along with him.