Mila covered her mouth as she tried to keep her laughter under control. She would have slapped her knee and guffawed if she could have, but being surrounded by so many foreign dignitaries just before a battle required some decorum. She had just watched Viktor get his ass handed to him by an opponent who didn't even draw his sword until the very end of the match. The King's skill with the sword was well-known throughout the kingdom, and not even General Altin could best him in a match. This very one-sided loss was going to sting him for a while. Mila sensed some movement to her right and looked up to see the Orientalis assassin woman suddenly standing next to her. She'd seen her at the war council and around camp a few other times but hadn't really had any personal interactions with her. The woman had long and lustrous brown hair that fell past her shoulders. She was tall and lithe, her athletic build and toned muscles clearly contoured by her skintight garment. When the woman turned to look at her, Mila was fixed by intense stormy-gray eyes.

"My name is Minako Okukawa, Royal Shinobi. I don't believe we've been formally introduced yet, Princess."

Mila extended her hand and Minako enveloped it in a firm handshake.

"Mila Babicheva, Princess of Kyaltaesi. It's a pleasure to meet you Okukawa san."

"Likewise, Princess."

Minako gestured over to the pair of monarchs out in the field.

"I taught him that move, you know."

The corner of Mila's mouth quirked up and she smiled.

"Did you, now? I must say, it was most impressive. I don't think King Nikiforov had expected anything like that at all."

The assassin woman smiled back her, the action causing her eyes to crinkle with mirth and draw attention to the small mole under her left eye.

"The difference in fighting style between our two kingdoms is rather polarizing. In Occidentis, physical strength and prowess are valued above everything else. Fighters will square up to one another and just hack away at each other until the strongest one wins. In Orientalis, we strive for a balance of skills. We are taught from a very young age to use things other than strength to win, and not to rely on any one particular skill. Inevitably, there will always be at least one adversary that is stronger than you, but you must be able to defeat that adversary, regardless."

"Hmm, that is a very sound strategy. The best warriors have a wide skill set and can be resourceful during battle. Your kingdom's warriors are indeed quite impressive. The King had been expecting to be addressed head on, and was not at all prepared for the Emperor's evasiveness and agility. And, although I doubt he is happy about the loss, he has definitely learned from it."

"What kind of man is he, your King?"

Mila's gaze shifted over to the silver haired sovereign, and she smiled wistfully. The question was not unexpected, it made sense that the Emperor's subjects would be curious about a foreign leader who had suddenly stormed into their lives and formed an alliance with them. Thankfully, Mila didn't really need to sugar coat anything or try to talk Viktor up or anything.

"The King is a very fair and just man. He has inner strength as well as physical strength. He rules his kingdom with an iron fist and an open heart. I have great respect for him and gladly serve him."

Minako nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"That is reassuring. He shares many qualities with our very own Emperor. I think that they will be very good together."

Mila smirked cryptically as she eyed the two men.

"Oh, I think they already are."

…

The King sheathed his sword and felt the pressure of the Emperor's own sword leave his neck. He turned around to face the man, an unreadable expression on his face. He hadn't suffered a loss in eons and the defeat left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd lost by a landslide in front of everyone and was trying his damdest to not let the mortification show. When his eyes met the Emperor's, he saw nothing but kindness and respect in them. There was no pity in them, and he was neither smug nor gloating. Before he could say anything the Emperor took his hand and raised it high into the air with his own.

"Let's all have a round of applause for King Nikiforov of Occidentis!"

The crowd burst into loud cheering and clapped enthusiastically for the monarch. The Emperor lowered the King's hand and took a few steps out in front of him.

"The King fought valiantly and did well to keep me on my toes for the whole battle. He is a worthy adversary and did spectacularly well for someone taking on a ninja for the first time."

The members of the ice dragon clan all gasped at the sudden revelation that the Emperor was also a ninja. There was nervous chattering and excited murmuring within the crowd as they processed the new information.

"…our King just took on a ninja and lived!"

"…he's right, our King forced him to keep moving at all times!"

"…he's the first ice dragon to take on a ninja! Incredible!"

The Emperor bowed deeply to the crowd before putting his hand up in a gesture for silence.

"You have all completed your preparations and been allotted time to practice and get acquainted with your squads."

The Emperor reached for Megami no Kiba and pulled it out of its scabbard with a flourish. The air around it crackled with energy and the blade glowed bright red as flames burned on its surface. The crowd was mesmerized by the stunning blade, whispering quietly amongst themselves at the power radiating from it.

"The time has come for us to move out and defeat the demons! Prepare to move out!"

The crowd cheered loudly, raising their own swords and assorted weapons into the air before breaking off into their groups once more and lining up at the camp entrance. The King stood there, his jaw just about hanging down to the ground. The Emperor is also… a ninja? The man in question was suddenly standing before him and he looked up. He was incredulous. He's just gone from trying to figure out how he was ever going to be able to show his face to his subjects again, to being applauded. The Emperor had just royally helped him save face in front of everyone present.

"Are you really a ninja?!"

The Emperor smiled at him as he sheathed his phoenix sword.

"I am. I would lie about any training I've received, King Nikiforov."

The King put his hands up in front of him and waved them frantically about.

"I didn't mean to imply that you were lying! Sorry, sorry!"

"No offense taken. I spent three years training with Minako, the Royal Shinobi…or ninja as you know them. She taught me the basics and was able to bring me up to an amateur level. Enough that I would be able to use the skills to my advantage should the need arise."

The King's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets to join the jaw that was still on the ground. Amateur level? That was amateur?! The King shuddered at the thought of what one operating on a professional level would be capable of.

"Are you ready to move out, King?"

The King straightened up and readjusted his cape and armor before nodding to the Emperor.

"Pardon my curiosity, King Nikiforov, but where is your dragon sword?"

The King looked a bit embarrassed as he sheepishly eyed the Emperor.

"It's…back at the castle. I didn't think that I would be needing it on the expedition to locate Squire Plisetsky. I did not foresee a run-in and then future alliance with the Phoenix Clan."

"That's understandable. Why don't you go ahead and summon it then, I'll wait."

The King stared at the Emperor as if he'd grown a second head.

"Summon it? What do you mean?"

It was the Emperor's turn to look shocked as both eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"You weren't taught how to summon your own sword?"

The King was very confused. A sword is a sword, you can't just make it appear out of thin air, can you?

The Emperor was also feeling quite confused. Sword summoning is one of the first basic skills that is passed on to each new user once they come of the age to inherit it. He could see that the King was genuinely surprised by this new information and came to the conclusion that something out of the ordinary must have happened at the time the prior Ice Dragon sword user passed the sword on to him.

"Something happened to the previous sword user and he was unable to teach you how to fully harness all its powers, correct?"

The King was surprised at how quickly the Emperor had managed to come to that conclusion. He hadn't mentioned a single thing about his father nor given anything away about his family.

"Yes, I suppose it did."

The Emperor sensed that whatever had happened in the King's past was not something he wanted to talk about, so he decided to leave it alone.

"Would you like me to teach you? It's really quite simple to do."

The King's eyes lit up at the Emperor's offer.

"Yes, please!"

The Emperor looked around and saw Minami standing nearby.

"Kenjiro, come here please."

The excitable little bundle of energy's eyes widened comically before his face burst into a goofy grin and he scampered over as quickly as he feet could carry him.

"Emperor Katsuki Sama! How may I be of assistance?"

The Emperor removed the Phoenix sword from his belt and handed it to the young man.

"Take my sword to my tent, as fast as your feet can carry you."

The young man nodded enthusiastically and ran off at top speed as soon as the sword was fully placed in his hand.

"His boundless energy really does come in handy sometimes!"

The King chuckled. Curious to see where the Emperor was going with things. A few more seconds passed and the King wondered what the holdup was.

"Wait for it…"

"I did it Emperor Saaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaa!"

The young bundle of immeasurable stamina came barreling back toward them in record time, and didn't even appear to be out of breath.

"Thank you Kenjiro. You are efficient as always."

The young man's eyes sparkled and glistened at the Emperor's praise, and the King could clearly see the adoration in them. The Emperor was everything to that young man, and he wondered how he had achieved such levels of adoration.

"Thank you Kenjiro. That will be all. Please gather the Princess and the other soldiers in our group. I will join you all shortly."

"Yes, Emperor Sama!"

The young man ran off once more, leaving the two monarchs to their task.

"Alright King Nikiforov, I am going to describe the process to you as I perform it. Please pay close attention."

The King nodded and watched intently as the Emperor closed his eyes.

"First I picture the sword in my hand. Its length, its weight, its minute details and even the way it shines in the light."

The King's eyes widened as he saw wisps of fire magic escaping the Emperor's palm and start taking the shape of a sword.

"Once I have fully envisioned the sword in my hand, I will call out to it and summon it by name."

The Emperor's eyes flew open as he shouted for his sword.

"女神の牙、帰り!"

One bright flash of reddish light later, the Emperor's sword was magically back in his hand.

"Ебена мать! черт!"

If he hadn't just witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it possible. He had no idea that he'd had the ability to summon his sword in all the years he'd owned it. It made him wonder just what else his sword was capable of. The Emperor re-attached the Phoenix sword to his hip and turned to face the King.

"Now, you try."

The King readily closed his eyes as he tried to recreate the Emperor's actions. He brought up the image of himself holding the sword in his hand, which ended up being quite easy to do. He'd been intimately familiar with the sword since the day it had been passed down to him by one of his father's attendants. He'd stared at it for hours, admiring its craftsmanship and memorizing every intricate little detail.

"Good, King Nikiforov, very good. Keep recalling as much as you can about your sword. It's a bit far away from you at the moment, so you'll need to focus extra hard on the details."

The King redoubled his efforts and formed a more complete picture of the sword in his mind. It got to the point where he could practically feel its familiar weight in his hand.

"Now, call out for your sword!"

The King opened his eyes as he commanded his sword back into his hand.

"Божий коготь, вернуть!"

A flash of blue light burst forth from his hand and the Bozhiy Kogot was back in his hand, as if it hadn't just been in another continent.

"Wow! That's..."

The King's sword pulsed, a low hum emitting from it as it glowed bright blue. The Emperor's sword also pulsed, in a slightly higher pitch, as it also glowed. The Emperor looked up at the King, the shock and surprise clearly etched on his face.

"Has your sword ever done that before?"

"No. Has yours?"

"No. This is the first time I have ever seen it do this."

The swords pulsed and thrummed back and forth at each other, glowing brighter and louder whenever they got closer to each other.

The Emperor was entranced.

"It's like they're..."

"...talking to each other."

_terminology_

女神の牙、帰り! (Megami no Kiba, kaeri!) – Goddess Fang, return!

Ебена мать! черт! (Yebena mat'! Chert!) – Holy shit! Damn!

Божий коготь, вернуть (Bozhiy Kogot, vernut'!) – God Claw, return!