Star's Strife
Chapter 7: Victory...Or Death!
The laughter of the Knight of Glorious Victory was ear-bleeding and heart-wrenching for our mundane Human Hero, the Knight of Victory laughed even more as he walked out of his respective spire, his weapon body scraping against each other more fearsome than ever, the blades, the spikes, the axe heads, the dagger blades, the razor-knuckles, all of them grinded against each other, causing a plethora of sparks to scream out of Victory's armor.
"What have you done...To my Jackie!?" Marco demanded from the joyous and laughing Victorious Knight, the Knight didn't bother to answer with words, only with visuals and action he did so, showing Marco a knife that he was holding in his hands, it was stained with small figments and pigments of blood.
"Like I said boy...Strife will always come for you...And Strife will always get his way." He said before laughing once again, twirling his blood-letted knight like some kind of child's plaything, his axe head helm barely even keeping the sound of his laughter from being any more irritating and hate-able.
Marco, without another word, nor a second thought screamed with all of his might, charging towards the Victory Knight with his arms raised, his determination, his anger, his desire for a new-found vengeance increasing a thousand fold, wanting to destroy the weapon Knight for the sake of avenging his love.
The Knight of Victory was appalled from Marco's anger, not really understanding why the boy would be so angry at him for causing such a pain to him, he knew for a fact that Marco's heart was not in the wrong place.
"So be it...Boy." The Knight of Victory said, his tone being from happy and playful, to serious and bloodthirsty, he stretched his arms out, the metal clunking and screaming with pain and sparks as they were moved, he beckoned Marco to come forward, fully insisting on fighting back.
"Similar to my brothers and the past lives before me...I will teach you, the fact...That you will never be victorious." Victory said with a chilling tone, Marco ignored the Knight's words, his emotions taking over him, his eyes started to well up in tears of a mixture of emotions, hate, anger, frustration, loss, grief, pain, despite this, it was all the same for the Knight of Victory.
Marco roared in rage as he prepared to fight the Knight of Victorious, it was a hopeless, Marco had spirit and audacity, but he's up against a living, breathing chassis monster of pure weaponry, his blades are sharp, his steel is broad, and his sense of mercy was non-existent, it simply only meant one thing, the end of Marco Diaz.
Victory raised his Knife high in the air, preparing the stab the thick but short blade right into Marco's Skull as the boy hopelessly punched and kicked against the Knight's spiky chest, Victory had to pause and laugh in enjoyment from Marco's fruitless Struggles, it was like a mouse trying to escaping from a spring trap, their determination to escape is admirable, but overall, a waste of breath.
"Die boy." The Knight said as he slammed his serrated knife down.
There was no blood, no scream, no new corpse, for the Princess of Mewni and the Loyal Knight of Strife came to the rescue, with a black heater shield, Strife blocked Victory's knife, the blade shattering upon impact and causing Victory to scream in agony, the loss of his knife almost being akin to breaking a bone, before Victorious could even react to the Steadfast defense of Strife, he was blasted away by a magical attack from Star, landing on his back and causing his weapons to be tinted with sand and dirt.
The Attack was strong, but it wasn't enough to cause any apparent damage to the Knight of Victorious, he began to laugh in enjoyment once more before quickly getting up from the ground.
"...Got another one in you?" He replied, with a snarky and annoying tone, scraping off some dirt from his axe-head helm.
Marco's first reaction to the save, was to look at his defender, instantly recognizing the Knight of Strife from his dream, he lashed out at the Knight with a tone stricken with venom and hate.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" He roared at the silent Strife Knight, Star was confused from such a prospect, not understanding Marco's words, Strife only scoffed in response.
"Focus on the battle, Marco Diaz." He responded, he weld his weapon with both of his hands, the weapon was like a cudgel, big and thick, but instead of hardened wood, it was made of the thickest iron available, it had a brutal hook on one end and was serrated on the other hand, it could both smash bone and cleave flesh with a single swing, a perfect instrument for destruction for the Knight of Strife.
"STAR! THIS THING IS THE REASON WHY THIS HAPPENED! WHY JACKIE IS DEAD!" Marco said with a unrestrained fury, Star was dead silent as Strife only glanced at her, Star could feel the regret and guilt within the Knight, but it was almost as if Strife didn't know what was happening either, within his fiery visor, Star could sense his confusion, his turmoil, it was almost as strong as the turmoil inside her.
"Allow me to add some more...Fuel to the fire..." Victory said deviously, clearly taking fun within Marco's unreasonable anger and overwhelmed state of emotion.
"...I am Victory...King Ludo has never learned the concept of victory...His repeated failures piled onto him like stone to walls." Victory Explained as he pulled nonchalantly pulled out two knifes from his tasset, within a moment's notice, they grew back like flowers sprouting of the earth, turning from simple hilts to full-on bladed knifes.
"We Knights are tied to the Wand...For the first time in our line of Knights...There was two owners, that means...Two Knights." Victory showed his two knifes to the trio as if he was some sort of professor making a visual example.
"Strife is connected to Star...Mirroring her inner conflict inside of her...And I represent the desire for Victory within my King, Ludo."
"...How do you know all of this?" Strife asked, he sounded defeated, tormented and guilty, the Kngiht of Victory chuckled from the question before answering nonchalantly.
"Simple...I am the eyes...The Ears...The Brains...You're the Brawn, its why you're struggling with helping your Princess with her pain." Victory laughed as Marco glared daggers at Star who was still silent.
"Knights of the Wand are supposed to do whatever it takes to make the STRIFE within our Queens and Princesses gone, if it means spilling a little blood...Then so be it!" Marco simply stared at his friend, his faced shift from a angered-fueled glare to a look of downright betrayal, he looked like whatever inside of him was completely shattered, the personal image of Star being tainted and warped.
"To put it simply Strife, you are my other half..."
There was a silence between the four, beside the quiet giggles that Victory was emitting, Marco dropped to his knees, completely defeated, his skin looked pale and the life in his eyes started to vanish, he looked downright decayed, all of the emotional damage has finally broke him, he simply stared at the black-cloud sky, not even speaking a word.
"...Marco..." Star said, she was crying the whole time as Victory spoke, she dropped her wand on the sand, not even caring about protecting herself as she quickly sprinted towards Marco, quickly embracing him as she began to sob loudly, Strife stood still like a statue, completely catatonic from the new information, this whole ordeal, this whole kidnapping, was all his fault.
He could feel Star, she was worse than she was before, even more so than she was originally was, her heart beated slower than before, all in the while Victory laughed and laughed.
"She died Screaming by the way." He cackled, Marco and Star didn't even respond to the Knight's words, willing to accept their demise any time now.
...
"ENOUGH!" Strife roared, the first ever time he raised his voice against anyone, with a beast-like roar, the Knight of Strife slammed his brutal weapon against Victory's Mace-like Shoulderpad, with a scream of agony from Victory, his shoulder pad shattered, revealing the black but diseased and bony flesh that the Knight of Victory had to work with.
"ENOUGH!" Strife repeated as he swung his weapon again, this time, Victory was ready, he dodge Strife's attack, before quickly thrusting his two knifes right in Strife's flesh, Strife ignored his new wounds as he kneed Victory in the chest, his spiky targe-shield chest breaking and shattering into pieces of wood and steel, Victory screeched like a imp, quickly plucking more knifes out of his tasset and stabbing them into Strife's chest.
"ENOUGH!" Strife Repeated once again, roaring like some dragon as he blocked a bladed-hand slash from Victory, the Knight's long bladed fingers breaking like nails as they collided with Strife's shield, before Victory could even retaliate to the new wound, his now, armor-less chest was bashed by the hilt of Strife's weapon, causing a strange purplish blood to leak out of the body of the Victorious Knight.
As the two Knights battled each other, Star was still crying her poor heart out as the now emotionally drained Marco was still on his knees, staring at the ceiling in a brutal depression.
"I'm sorry..." Was all Star said, to her, it felt like she was the only thing could say, if she said anything else, she knew that Marco will condemn her, if he didn't already, taking all of the blame for herself, Marco finally stopped staring at the oil-like sky, he didn't glare at Star, he didn't gave her a dead-like expression, in fact, he was crying to once he saw Star's face.
Her heart-cheeks, were cracked and leaked, her eyes, were drowning in tears, her general happiness, evaporated, only replaced by the guilt, the regret, Marco finally realized the deep struggles within his friend.
Without another word, Marco finally hugged back to Star, surprising the girl as it gave her hope, hope that Marco doesn't hate her for all the problems and strife he gave him.
'...Strife...' Star realized, looking upon the fighting Knight.
"ENOUGH!" The Knight of Strife roared again, cleanly dominating the fight between his other half as he pushed Victory away, pulling out the four knifes that were lunged in his chest, he growled in annoyance, treating his stab wounds as if they were simple thorns, they dropped to the ground like pin needles, rusting and decaying as they reappeared on Victory's tasset, the Knight of Victory laughed under his breath as his broken pieces of armor regrew back, his shoulderpad reinstalling along with his targe chestplate.
"...Are you done?" Victory asked in a mocking manner, pulling out more knifes from his tasset, looking as if he was completely healed up, the wounds he received during the duel looking like they never happened.
"I never will be..." Strife replied, in contrast to Victory, his stab wounds were still opened and bleeding profusely, despite this, the Knight looked more invigorated than ever.
"...Star...Marco...Find Jackie...If we're part of one...Then that means our honor remains sacred..." Strife commanded from the two, they didn't respond but they listened to the Knight.
"I will fend off Victory...Go through every spire you can find." Strife said with heavy breaths.
"But Strife..." Star began but he roared before Star could finish, insisting that they should leave the Knight of Strife behind.
The Princess of Mewni and her love ran off, Star picking up Marco for he still seemed to drained to even be running, not believing Strife's words, that they would find Jackie intact and alive.
"Yes yes go children...The Adults have to talk." Victory said with a chuckle, with a nonchalant motion, the Knight of Victory pulled out a blade out of his back, almost as if was sheathed and holstered on his back side the whole entire time, the blade was long, balanced, but powerful, looking like it was made of a stone-like metal, the sediment of the air began to slow down as the two knights stood across from each other, the wind blowing was the only audible sound between the Knight of Victory and the Knight of Strife.
It was bone-chilling for both Knights, technically they were fighting against each other with the same goal in mind: To help their owner, to help their Queen/King, to make them happy, if it means going against each other in a fight, then so be it.
Victory, despite his callous and wicked first impression, despite taunting Marco and Star that he brutally murdered Jackie-lynn Thomas, despite all of his devilishness, was the first to bow, almost as if he was like a honorable warrior, a warrior of virtue and chivalry, despite utilizing one of the most sinister but subtle killing machines, the knife, Strife growled under his breath but he bowed back, the two Knights couldn't be anymore different, but they were at the least on the same page of Honor.
It started to rain, the first time since forever, it rained, the water was clear and clean, in contrast to the dirty sky and disgusting sediment, flames started to ignite around the pair of Knights, almost as if the dry sand was ignited by the energy that water can bring to living things.
A full of minute of silence was between the two, when that minute passed, the two Knights clashed with each other, the earth shook, the fires raged like a brutal inferno, the rain started to storm as the clouds roared out thunder and breathed out lightning.