The Winter Battle:

Moments after the blizzard roared upon them it began to lighten its intensity, as though someone were controlling it. A few more seconds went by and the storm soon formed an eye within the clouds. The circular wall of snow and ice spun around them ensuring their escape would be fruitless.

The next moment the eyes within the wall walked out and they all saw the figure's image clearly. The clothing and armor the being wore was white as the snow around them with shades of black around the neck, wrist, and elbows, and behind the knees. The armor was that of a Samurai, but foreign to Maximus. His form almost appeared transparent and to Maximus' eyes he looked like a ghost. He had thought it be odd for someone to wear such a type equipment.

"So, this is the Winter Shogun, do you know anything about him that might be useful incase we have no choice but to fight him?" He turned to Aqua who looked back at him with fear in her eyes.

"Are you insane, no one has been able to defeat him at all!" She replied as her fear was swelling within her.

"It's true, all who have come to seek him out in the past have died, never to return. The Kingdom has placed an enormous bounty on him and for the longest time no one has even tried to go after this fearsome foe. It is also rumored he is even more powerful than the Demon King himself." Darkness informed him and began to pant like a dog with her excitement overflowing her. "To think, a virginal knight, such as I, to be cut down by a shogun will be a glorious thing to experience. To feel his blade, carve a mark upon me will be a great reward!" She shouted with glee.

"Can you not think of anything else outside of being tortured, tormented, or killed by anything in this world!" Maximus shouted at her.

The next moment the Winter Shogun turned towards Aqua and within the same instant bolted towards her. He appeared behind her with his sword drawn, high in the air. Maximus was surprised at the speed of the being and had turned around in time to see his opponent's weapon swinging down upon her. He quickly employed a magical barrier in front of her and was stopped. He quickly shot his leg up and aimed his foot at the midriff of his foe's body. The moment his foot was about to connect, it pasted through.

"What?!" Maximus said out loud and quickly took hold of Aqua.

His mana flowed through his entire body and the next moment zapped away sliding across the snow ten yards away.

"What just happened?" Aqua and Darkness asked out loud.

The two were unable to keep pace with the movements of Maximus and the Winter Shogun. Their speeds were so fast everything happened within a single second, beyond what they could comprehend.

"I did not expect him to move that fast," Maximus said and looked down at his coat that had a single tear near his chest. "Not only did he cover the distance between you two, but also changed the direction of his sword at the same rate of speed. On top of that, his body does not appear to be able to take any physical form of damage. I thought it was only for show, but it turns out we are up against a ghost and I am nowhere near prepared to take one on let alone know how to deal with one."

"He is not a ghost." Aqua said picking herself up. "He is a creature of this world who did not have a real body. That is until he ran into someone with a divine relic that gave him his current form." She continued and began to feel ashamed and hunched over a little.

"What do you mean by that, explain yourself?" He inquired keeping an eye on his opponent.

"Well, you see, I have sent a lot of people here from the land of Japan upon Kazuma's home world and one of them happened to have an item which had the power to give form to this being. He must have tapped into the subconsciousness of that person and took this form for whatever reason." She said pressing her index fingers together trying to act innocent.

"Wait, you mean to tell me some imbecile from another world is responsible for accidentally creating this thing." He paused for a moment to look back at her. "Actually, it would be more accurate to say you are ultimately the cause for this. Why do I get the feeling you didn't want me to come here to defeat the Demon King like you originally told me to do, but picked me out just so I can clean up the mess you ultimately made." He said with a little anger in his voice.

Aqua screeched in fear dropping the jar of Snow Sprites and bowed before him. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, I mean, I already got your forgiveness didn't I?"

"Yes, I already forgiven you for killing me, there's no need to drag that back up anymore. Although I wish you had told me the real reason behind all of this, but there is no need to. It is not like it is going to change anything between us. It just would be preferable to know the real reasons up front. Now how do we defeat this guy?" He said to her.

"As we are, we stand no chance against him." She said grabbing the jar to open it to release the captured Snow Sprites. She took a deep breathe and bowed upon the ground graciously. "We are so sorry."

"What are you doing? He inquired of her.

"What do you mean, is it not obvious? The Winter Shogun is forgiving, all we have to do is drop our weapons and bow before him and he will leave us in peace." She informed him.

"More like in pieces, there is no way he would just forgive and forget just like that, especially after the number of Snow Sprites we vanquished." He said to himself.

The Winter Shogun bolted towards Maximus raising his sword to strike once more. The next instant Darkness stood before him and positioned her sword to parry his. The moment their blades met, hers was cut in two.

"Oh no, my sword had no effect!" Darkness stood there surprised.

"We need to get out of here before it's too late!" He shouted at Darkness.

"Then go, I will stay behind to cover your retreat! As a knight it is my duty to safeguard the helpless!" She shouted back.

"This is no time for your silly games, we need to run." He said grabbing her shoulder.

"Then go." She pushed him back and turned around.

The next moment the Winter Shogun bolted towards Aqua once more for another attack. Maximus appeared behind her and wrapped her in his arm. The next instant the sword hit the ground and Maximus appeared next to Darkness.

"You were saying about 'all forgiving' this guy is." He said to her and she giggled to try and sound innocent once more.

He turned and noticed Megumin was still face down on the ground and looked at the others.

"I cannot believe I am about to do something so drastic and rash." He said to himself. "Aqua, I need you to carry Megumin and get her as far away from here as possible. Darkness, when I give the signal, and you will know when you see it, I will need you to carry my body too." He instructed.

"What do you mean by that?" They both asked at the same time.

"I am about to do something that might work against him and at the same time it is a risky move to the highest extreme. The reason I say this is because, I get the strange feeling no matter where we go or how far we run, he will chase after us." He explained.

"Why do you want me to carry you and how do you expect me to do that?" Darkness asked.

"Aqua, I need you to give Darkness and yourself a boost in strength and speed to escape. I will hold him off in Soul Form for as long as I can. Now go!" He ordered. "This is going to hurt like no other just to activate this maneuver. Good thing I read a little more into this technique way back before coming here." He said to himself.

The next moment Aqua cast the spells upon the two and at the same time Maximus' right hand was engulfed by a malevolent aura. Before they could inquire what was upon his hands, he rammed it upon his chest, over his heart. The stinging sensation stretched all over his body and soon his soul appeared out of it.

At that same moment, the Winter Shogun bolted towards them and before he could strike them, his body was struck upon his midriff. The force of the blow sent him flying back twenty yards away and he flipped in the air to land on his feet, sliding against the snow. He tilted his head slightly with a confused expression in his eyes.

"What just happened?" Aqua asked out loud, amazed at what had transpired.

"I am not sure, but somehow the Winter Shogun was repealed just now." Darkness replied.

"What are you waiting for, get out of here now!" Maximus' voice shouted at them and they noticed his transparent soul standing in front of them, coming into view.

They both nodded and began to make a break for it.

"Wow, I cannot believe that actually worked, although, considering your transparent form, it was the right call to make. Now let us continue our little battle!" Maximus shouted with an excited look on his face and the two charged at each other once more.

The Winter Shogun raised his sword once more and when they were a few yards apart, Maximus used his magic to boost his speed and slammed his right fist upon his foe's chest.

At the same moment Maximus took hold of his opponent's right wrist, pulling it forward, moved his right hand upward to lift him up. He held him above his head momentarily and threw him down upon the ground. The Winter Shogun laid with his back against the snow and had another confused expression. Maximus noticed the impact did not cause him any harm.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Maximus whispered out.

The Winter Shogun swung his sword at Maximus' legs. He noticed the attack coming and maneuvered backwards, away from the strike.

"Can this guy not take any kind of damage, I mean, I know I hit him in a fatal spot where his heart should be, but nothing happened to him at all. What is at play here, what kind of creature can negate such a blow?" Maximus said to himself.

He used an analysis spell to see if he could get any information that would be useful for the battle. The moment he cast it, his vision glitched, as if something were preventing him from learning anything.

"How is that possible, does he have some sort of defense against my spell or is it there is no knowledge to gain from this being?" He said to himself and concentrated his spell a little more which yielded the same results. "I see, you seem to have some sort of resistance against magic being employed upon you." He said out loud.

The next moment the Winter Shogun bolted towards his with his sword lunging forth. Maximus stepped to the side, out of harm's way, and took hold of his sword arm. He sent his right hand down upon his foe with a balm blow. With his wrist aiming for his opponent's face. Before it struck the Winter Shogun blocked his strike by locking his hand with Maximus'.

"His speed has increased to keep up with me, impressive. However, I cannot stay in this state for long, hopefully they are far away from here. Although, I got a feeling the two of us are locked in battle and can only leave when one of us is dead." Maximus said to himself.

Maximus slammed his right knee against his opponent's chest and quickly lifted him up, swinging him to throw him on his back. The moment before the Winter Shogun was to crash upon the ground, he maneuvered his feet to land on it and with his strength stopped himself. Maximus was surprised he prevented himself from landing on his back. The two stayed there for a moment before Maximus was then lifted up and thrown forward.

Maximus suddenly stopped himself inflight and barreled back towards his opponent. He appeared behind his foe and backhanded him with his right fist. The force of the blow sent his opponent flying away and before he could fly more than five yards away, Maximus slammed both of his feet upon the Winter Shogun's back. He backed away from him and began to form an attack. Blue fire and lighting appeared between his hands in the shape of a ball.

"Heaven's Blaze!" Maximus shouted.

The attack shot out and the stream of blue fiery light stretched towards the Winter Shogun, engulfing him completely. The fire began to encircle around and twisted up before crashing down upon him again. The steam from the fires began to form a cloud and soon it dissipated. Maximus kept his focus where his foe was and waited for the result. The next moment the Winter Shogun walked out of the cloud, unfazed with no visible damage.

"This confirms you have resistance to magical attacks, what a foe you are turning out to be." He said to himself.

The next instant the Winter Shogun bolted towards him once more, this time with his sword sheathed. He appeared behind Maximus and performed the same attack Maximus did earlier. Before his strike could find its mark, Maximus blocked it with his left wrist.

"Are you trying to employ the same tactic I did upon you?" He said out loud.

Maximus quickly boosted his speed once more and squatted down a bit. Spinning on his left foot, he sent his right heel against his foe. The next instant the Winter Shogun stopped the strike by grabbing his ankle.

"His speed has increased again, what is he." Maximus said to himself.

Maximus quickly leaped up and motioned his body to bring his left leg around to strike at the Winter Shogun's head. He increased his speed once more and was able to strike his opponent. Hovering in the air, upside down, he launched a flurry of combos. After a few moments he landed on his hands and launched both feet upon the chest of his foe, kicking him with all of his might. The force sent the Winter Shogun far away towards the mountains.

"That's my cue to get out of here." Maximus said to himself.

Before he could leave, he noticed a stream of clouds barreling towards him.

"No way, how did he recover so fast?" He whispered with amazement.

The Winter Shogun appeared before him and soon disappeared.

"What?" Maximus said to himself.

The next second he felt a blunt blow against his chest and immediately fell to the ground.

"That was too fast, I didn't see it coming." He whispered and stood up to see his opponent waiting for him to stand. "Well, how incredibly polite of him to wait for me. I think it is safe to say he is capable of learning as this fight progresses. Which means, there is no defeating him at all." He said to himself and flinched in pain. "Not to mention I am stretching the timer on being away from my body. I have one last trick which will get him off my back when I make a break for it." He finished his thought.

The Winter Shogun charged after him once more and Maximus stood there with his arms open. Before the two could continue their fight, Maximus' soul disappeared. His foe looked around waiting for anything and after waiting nearly a minute, he saw Maximus was not coming back and decided to leave the area to return to his domain.

Meanwhile, just after the battle between Maximus and the Winter Shogun had ended, Maxwell and Lord Alderp had watched the fight take place.

"I have learned much from my new foe in the brief exposures with him, so much I can add to my collection of magical knowledge which I can employ. Soon I will have the perfect place for him to be unable to escape. It will be quite the showing when everything is ready, I do hope it is to his liking as well as yours master. I will also have to apologize for the long wait." Maxwell said with his gaze upon the image.

"Yes indeed, and do not worry about taking too long, I am sure it will quite the show. The only concern I will have is getting him. Trying to steal her, this Aqua, away from him is too obvious and he has proven to be around her at all times he is able to spare. Even when they are apart, he will have his familiars watching all who come too close to her." Alderp said placing his hand on his chin. "Wait, this could be to our advantage." He briefly whispered out, but loud enough for Maxwell to hear.

"How can this prove to be anything outside of a disadvantage for us?" He inquired.

"Think for a moment longer, slave." Alderp shot back and waited for him to think it through.

After a few moments, a thought popped in his head. "We could use any one of his other companions to lure him into the trap."

"Exactly, and I would go as far as to bet he would come for this one faster than the other one, outside of his precious Aqua that is." Alderp said with a grin forming on his face. "Oh, how delightful this will be once your Magical House is all set and ready for him." He began to laugh.

Meanwhile in the Heavenly Realm, Maximus noticed he was sitting in a chair in an awfully familiar place. Before him was the empty chair where both Aqua and Eris had sat in before. He felt disappointed and annoyed he did not get to employ his last trick and sighed.

"Great, I ran out of time." He said out loud.

"I am sorry I am late; I hope you did not wait too long," Eris shouted as she ran past him and sat upon the chair. "Now then let's," She stopped to finally notice Maximus sitting before her. "What are you doing here?" She inquired feeling surprised to see him.

"Seriously, I thought you deities keep a watchful eye on the world's you are watching over. Never mind, it's obvious why I am here; I died once more." He replied feeling disheartened at the thought of possibly going through the same torment to return back. "What will it be this time, my memories again, my powers, some years off my life span? What will be the toll for me to return?" He asked.

"Um, last time was a one time deal only, so I am sorry to say this but I cannot let you return." She said turning her gaze to the side.

"Oh. come on, surely Heaven can allow me this once more. Do you think it wise to leave one of your own unattended, now with all the new enemies I have gained?" He asked with a little anger.

She remained silent and did not want to look upon him.

"Well, it looks as though I will be sitting here until you give in." He said folding his arms.

The two sat there for several moments and Maximus decided to change the subject.

"By the way, where did you come from just now, I thought you would be waiting here for everyone who dies. Did you happen to sneak down to the Mortal Realm again?" He inquired.

"Yes, I was down there before you arrived." She responded, feeling a little ashamed.

"Geez, no wonder you are just a low-level Goddess." He said.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" She shouted at him.

"Just that you seem to be alright with neglecting your duties and breaking the rules of non-interference with the mortals of this world. I got the whole story from Aqua last time I asked her about you. These were the reasons you are at such a low level." He briefly explained.

"Did she tell you everything about me?" She asked looking down twiddling her thumbs and looked a little embarrassed about something.

"Everything that dealt with your situation and how you may never be able to advance to the next level." He shot back and noticed her discomfort. "What's wrong with you, you seem as though you are worried about something?" He inquired.

Before she could answer, Aqua's voice echoed throughout the voided room.

"Maximus, I cast the resurrection spell upon you, so you can go ahead and come back now." She informed him with a little cheer.

"Wait, are you serious, I can return without paying any price?" Maximus asked jumping up from his chair.

"Wait is that Lady Aqua's voice!" Eris said with distress.

"Yeah, all you got to do is come on back. By the way, you have some nerve dying on me like that. I will have you pay the price for it later!" She snapped at him.

Maximus began to laugh, feeling a sense of relief. "Do not worry, I am looking forward to it, I guess I now owe you one for this anyway." He said and turned to Eris. "Well, I guess this is it, I will be leaving now." He waved at her.

After a few moments he noticed nothing was happening and turned back.

"Hey, are you sure you cast the spell and not something else? Because I am still here, waiting to leave." He yelled up.

"I am sorry Maximus, but I cannot let you leave again. You have to return to your world, not this one." Eris informed him.

"Who is there with you, by the Gods I will come there myself if I have to, tell me who is there, why does your voice sound familiar?" Aqua raised her voice.

"It's Eris, she is telling me I cannot go back again." He responded.

"Eris, you mean that little stuck up twerp who thinks she is so great just because she has a big following and her own currency named after her here, that Eris!" Aqua said on the verge of screaming and feeling annoyed.

Eris was frightened by Aqua and began to move her hands over her ears.

"Whoa, she is actually scared of her. I know Aqua can have her moments of being intense, but this girl is downright terrified." He noticed and turned back. "Yeah, by the way you might want to tone it down a bit, you are scaring the poor girl."

"She better be, I am a high-level Goddess compared to her, so I won't have any lip from here about your situation. As for you Eris, if you do not let him return, I will tell everyone you pad your chest!" She ordered.

"Wait, what do you mean by pads?" Maximus asked, feeling confused.

"No, please do not tell everyone that, I will open the gate for him right away!" Eris begged.

"What do you two mean by pads? What are they?" He asked.

The next moment a blue circle appeared beneath him and he began to fear it at first, remembering how the last time went.

"Honestly, Lady Aqua can be so unreasonable." She mumbled out. "Oh, by the way, if you don't mind," Eris called out to him. "Please, keep this a secret." She gently pleaded and winked at him.

The next moment he was lifted away high into the air.

"What are pads?!" He shouted with curiosity.

The next instant he awoke within the front room of the castle next to the fireplace. The warm sensation of the fire heating his body. He felt the smooth soft skin of Aqua's thighs under his head and began to feel calm. His eyes slowly opened and saw her with a smile growing on her face.

"Maximus, you're awake, I am so glad you are back!" Aqua shouted with joy as she wrapped her arms upon his chest and leaned down to press her forehead on his. "By the way," She paused sitting up. "Don't you ever scare me like that again! It was hard seeing you as a corpse last time around! Promise me you will do nothing like that again!" She said with angry tears coming out of her eyes.

Maximus smiled a little as he raised his right hand to caress her cheek. "Yes, my Lady, I promise I will not do anything rash like that again." He promised her and she took hold of his hand.

"Good, you better keep that promise." She said as she flicked his forehead.

The two began to giggle a little when the other two entered the room.

"Maximus!" Both Darkness and Megumin shouted with cheer seeing him alive.

The next instant they both quickly embraced him as they were happy to see him return from the dead.

"Maximus, I must ask you, did you see anyone waiting for you on the other side?" Darkness inquired.

"Hey, why don't you two leave him alone and give him some much-needed space!" Aqua ordered.

"If I tell you, will you please get off me?" Maximus responded and Darkness eagerly nodded her head. "Yes, someone does wait for you on the other side on a chair and it is the Goddess Eris." He informed her.

"Oh, how wonderous, to see the Goddess Eris waiting for you on the other side would be a momentous occasion. I must see her face to face right now!" She shouted with disturbing joy.

Before she could go on, Maximus placed his right index finger on her forehead and made her lose consciousness.

"You can dream about away from me." Maximus said and moved her to the side.

Her limp body flopped to the side and he began to sit up as Megumin backed away to give him room.

"What did you do to her?" Both Aqua and Megumin inquired.

"I put her to sleep, she will awake by morning's first light." He replied and began to stand up and walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Aqua inquired.

"I am going to the baths to relax my whole body is still feeling the soreness from having it reunited with my soul." He briefly explained massaging his shoulders at the base of his neck.

"Hey, wait for me, I will join you." Aqua said and rushed after him.

"Wait, what about Darkness, what are we going to do with her?" Megumin asked.

"Leave her there, once we are done, I will wake her then we'll go get something to eat tonight and get the reward." He shouted back as Aqua and he made their way to the baths.

"We already got our rewards from the Guild, so there is no need to rush." Aqua informed him.

"Wait I was out that long?" He inquired feeling shocked to hear her inform him the time frame he was out.

"Uh huh," She briefly said and opened the door to the baths. "And now to repay me, you have to wash me every night from here on out." She informed him with her finger pointing at him.

"Somehow, I don't see that as a form of punishment." Maximus said feeling confused.

"You didn't let me finish, silly." She paused as she began to unbutton her top and briefly exposed a portion of her breast with her left hand over her nipple. Her right arm was raised up and caressed her forearm behind her head. She began to show a seductive smile on her face. "If you do a great job each night and handle my delicate skin with elegance and grace, I will let you make love to me again." She said with a sultry tone.

"Hmph," He smirked at her. "Then I gladly accept your punishment." He finished as the door closed behind him.