Chapter 11: Under the Familiar Sky
"What?"
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Don't give me that! What is this?"
Shiro had burst into Shou's office fairly early in the morning, causing the other man to be quite confused at what he was doing there.
"I'm not a mind reader Senpai," the younger man said. "You have to tell me what's on your mind that's making it look like you are about to kill something."
"What the hell does 'Visitor's Day' mean?" Shrio spat out, his eyes full of venom.
"Exactly what it means. The base is being opened up for visitors tomorrow. Civilian and personnel from other bases are free to visit for the day. It seems that people are VERY curious about you, so Admiral Lindy Harlaown had asked the captain to do so. Of course, all confidential areas will be guarded and sectioned off."
"And why was I not informed until I saw a poster showcasing me like some celebrity?"
Shou looked shocked at the declaration and held a hand to his chin as his eyes darted around the room in thought before he pounded his palm.
"I forgot. Whoa, look at that eye twitch."
Shiro half wanted to strangle the man in front of him but let his arms drop to his side with a sigh of resignation. It was already decided so nothing he said right now would make a difference. No matter how much he wanted to avoid it.
"What am I expected to do?" he asked, holding his face in his hand.
"Nothing much, just go about your day as usual," Shou answered. "Just be nice if you get asked for pictures. You probably don't want to wear the Armor from the battle so you can choose either to wear your other one or your uniform, whichever you prefer. Oh, and one of Subaru-san's sisters has asked for a favor,"
"Favor? What kind?"
"The sparring kind. Apparently, she has four little apprentices that want to attend some fancy tournament or another for ages ten through nineteen and wants to gauge how far they're getting."
"And so she wants them to fight against someone who just defeated a monster the size of a skyscraper with pretty much one giant spell stronger than standard warship cannons, has no problems in killing people and has problems holding back?"
"Subaru...san's...sister..." Shou answered slowly.
"Ah..." the other man replied nodding his head in understanding.
"But seriously, do be careful will you? You'll be in the presence of royals."
"Royals? As in plural?"
"The Sankt Kaiser as well as The Hegemon of Shutra. Oh, but I guess you are one too."
"Funny...what exactly is this tournament?"
"Let me pull it up...here...the Inter Middle Championship."
Shou moved his chair out of the way so Shiro could lean in and read the description as well as look at the list of current participants. When he finished reading the list his eyes narrowed.
"Isn't there something wrong with the list?"
"Really?" Shou took a quick scan himself. "I don't see anything..."
"Look again," Shiro insisted. "It's one of those things that's so obvious that you probably won't realize it until someone points it out."
Shou spent another few minutes carefully examining each contestant before his eyes widened.
"Why the hell are there only girls? Isn't this supposed to be co-ed?" he asked, looking back over the tournament rules.
"Simple, if a boy were to enter this, that means they successfully beat up a bunch of girls, regardless if they were older than them or not." He placed a hand on Shou's shoulder as the two faced each other. "On the other hand...if they lost, that means they were beat up by a girl."
"Ah...there is no victory there in terms of pride..."
"The only reason we don't mind is probably because we are surrounded by women who are stupidly strong and skilled. It wouldn't do for a nineteen year old boy to go all out against a ten year old girl. He would feel horrible regardless if he won or not at some deep level, even if he did consider the girl to be a strong contender."
"Damn double standards."
"Exactly. The only way this would be fair is if they split the two genders and only place them together towards the end. That way the boy and girl would be up against someone they would have no reservations going all out against since going any less would only end up in defeat."
"Is this why you don't like sparring?"
"I don't like sparring against inexperienced people. I have no qualms sparring against someone close to my skill level. It means I can attack without pulling too many punches. I am not stupid to think that men are stronger than women. I served a Queen after all. I know how strong a woman can be on the battlefield where one has to kill to be victorious. In a tournament like this however...speaking of which, what the hell am I going to do about fighting against ten year old kids? Non-military ones at that!"
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Shou said. "We have these little counters that work like HP bars. They'll count the damage someone takes and if they go down below a certain point, the counter will freeze the person in order to keep them from continuing until they are healed."
"But doesn't that put me at a disadva-actually...that's actually a good handicap...since I take damage in order to use my swords anyway."
"Well you'll probably start with 10000 while the other four start with 2000. But don't underestimate them. They are very serious about this so try your best to beat them. Don't pull any punches but don't cause any serious injuries either."
"Can I one shot them?" Shiro asked with a dark gleam in his eye.
"If you can, go for it. Shatter a poor ten year old girl's self-esteem. You're a bloody hero. Who cares about a squad of pre-teens."
"Geez...it was just a joke...maybe..."
"Oh, but I am being completely serious."
"Really?"
"Probably. But when you see who they are, you might change your minds."
Shiro gave one last sigh before rubbing the back of his neck.
"So there is no way I'm getting out of this huh?" he asked.
"Too late for that...oh...before I forget. I've taken the liberty of creating an Armed Device for you, to help control your power. You interested?" Shiro asked as he folded his hands. "That way, you don't have to walk around carrying your armor all the time. Just a quick snap and boom, ready to fight. It'll also increase your magical protection."
"Hmm...I don't know...I've never really used one before, and I prefer to carry my blade with me at all times."
"Hmm...is your sheath special? Like your sword I mean."
"No...but it is important to me."
"Then how about I finalize the design of the device into the sheath? Granted, I've never done something like that before, but I'm sure it will be fine...I mean we got stuffed animals as devices now, how hard can a sheath be?"
Shiro but a hand up to his mouth as he nodded in thought.
"How will I activate it?"
"I'll see if I can't get it to activate once you draw your blade or pose dramatically, whichever you want. I feel like you'd be wanting both however."
Shiro promptly clubbed him with the sheath for his cheek but didn't deny it.
"But what about my Blood Limiter?" Shiro asked as he turned his blade over to Shou for a third time. "I'd rather not be cut off from my stronger spells."
"I'll use a the same system we use for Subaru-san's Omega Drive. It will allow your limiters to supersede the other functions of the device and allow you to change to your...what do you call it?"
"Honestly...I either have no idea or don't remember...I was kind of hoping you could tell me. You seem to know what I don't remember."
Shou grimaced as he set the blade carefully down on his work bench.
"The man I remember personally called his 'Millennium' while the one I...or rather everyone you know...believe you to be called it 'Genesis.'"
"The Beginning, huh? Not a bad name. Let's go with that."
"Alright, I'll get started then." Shou clapped his hands together and started to work but spoke up again before Shiro could leave. "Oh, and a word of advice. I honestly don't think they'd do anything...but please be careful around Marika Lowell and Amia Lee. They are victims of your old life's actions."
"'Lee?' As in Oswald Lee?" Shiro asked as he turned back around.
"You know him?" Shou asked, turning around as well.
"I asked you first," Shiro shot back as Shou's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah, her father. He's currently in a mental institute...how do YOU know him?"
"A former subordinate..." Shiro mumbled before exiting the room. As he walked down the hallway he had his hand over his mouth again as he mumbled to himself. "So...he didn't kill her here...I guess some things worked out if others didn't..."
"Why are we doing this little festival again?" Aoi asked as she headed down the walkway where several of the base personnel had set up stands.
"Because the Admiral is sneaky?" Natahn provided, quickly helping a pair so that the ladder one of them was on didn't tip over. "It's good for relaxation and morale though."
"And even though the Task Force has been put on constant Guardener Watch," Aoi said with a sigh. "Here we are, playing host to some festival..."
"You said that already Ma'am."
"No bureaucratic limitations she said. Full autonomy she said. No orders will be given she said. Why the heck did I agree to this?"
"You're not listening to me are you Ma'am?"
"Lack of security this is...half the guards are putting up stands for food, another fifth are holding games...the most secure base just became the weakest one."
Nathan could only sigh and scratch his head as he continued following his boss as she mumbled her complaints to herself before he was grabbed from behind.
"Amia?" he asked, turning his head around.
"You're coming with me," she said with a sly grin on her face.
"W-why?" he asked her, his face wrought with a cautious fear.
"You need to get fitted."
"Why?"
"For the event."
"No," he said, trying to break out of her grip but she had a firm grip around his arms.
"Either come with me or I'm gonna loosen my lips," she threatened.
"You wouldn't dare...and it's going to be exposed anyway if I do this!"
"Not unless you get caught."
He quickly stepped on her foot, causing her to yelp and loosen her grip allowing him to break free. He barely took two steps before he felt a snag and fell flat on his face.
"What?" he turned around and saw a rope was tied to his foot with the other end floating in midair and invisible.
"Yay!" came a familiar high voice. "I got the spell to work!"
"Good job Marika!" Amia said, rubbing her foot as Marika appeared beside her.
"How?"
"Miss Teana showed me how!" she said proudly. "It's called Optic Hide!"
"All right, enough of this," Amia said as she tied another rope to his other leg. "Time to go!"
The girls began to drag him across the path back to the base as Nathan tried to grab anything he could to stop them, even throwing glances that screamed "Help me damn it!" to the other members of Shadow but they were finding the scene to amusing to do anything.
Even Aoi had disappeared, too caught up in her rant to notice he was no longer there.
There was only one thing left for him to say...
"Nooooooooooooo!"
"Is that him?"
"Of course...no other uniform is pure white..."
Shiro scowled as he walked down the hallway, trying to ignore the whispering around him. Honestly, it was like people thought he was deaf. Still, it was better than having people fear him to the point they wouldn't even breathe in his presence.
"Oh there he is! Hey White!"
On the other hand...the silence wasn't so bad...
An arm clasped around his neck and pulled him over to its owner.
"Been looking all over for you, White," said the man. Unlike most of the people in this base, the man wore a black uniform, indicating that he wasn't part of the normal forces. Searching past the memories of death and battle, he tried to put the man's face to a name.
"White?" Shiro repeated.
"Yeah, it's your nickname buddy."
"Do I know you well enough for a nickname?"
He saw the man's mouth twitch slightly before he gave a small sigh and stepped back from him and extended his hand in greeting.
"Right, forgot about that. The name's Edward. Edward Kaufman. Nice to meet you."
There it was. The memory of a man dropping down from a shuttle after accidentally knocking their comrade out. The memory of the man sitting on a couch...his throat slit...
"I see," Shiro replied, holding in any and all signs of emotion and recognition as he took Ed's hand. "Nice to meet you. You said you were looking for me?"
"Yeah. Since you're going to be working with us now, let's get go bond over some food."
"Excuse me?"
"You've been taking your meals inside your room haven't you? That's no good. Since you asked us to stand beside you, that means we got to get to know each other so we can watch each others' back on the field. You know, find out strengths and weaknesses so we can cover them."
"But over food?"
"Hey, when you gotta eat, you gotta eat," Ed replied patting his stomach.
"I don't see why not," Shiro said with a shrug. He wasn't really hungry but he'd been living off of dried meat and vegetables and distilled acid rain for three years. Tasting a real cooked meal was too tempting for him, even if he's to the point where he only needs to eat a little bit to function.
"Yo, Alex! Why don't you join us?"
Shiro turned toward Ed's face to see that he was looking behind them. Turning around, he saw Alexander Dalton standing there, confused as to why he was called out.
"What was that?" Alex called back.
"You wanna go eat?" Ed repeated his offer. "Got our special guest to join us."
"Why not?" answered Alex as he glanced at his watch. He quickly jogged up to them and introduced himself with a salute. "Sergeant Alexander Dalton of the Autonomous 501st Task Force."
"A pleasure to be working with you," Shiro said as he nodded in reply.
"Now that introductions are out of the way, let's head to the cafeteria," Ed said as he clapped his hands before wrapping his arm around Shiro's neck again.
However, the three differently colored uniformed men barely walked five steps before they heard a commotion in the room beside them.
"What's going on?" Shiro asked.
"That's one of the costume rooms," Alex said. "I guess someone is having an argument?"
"Sounds like girls trying on dresses," Ed mused, wondering if he should risk planting an ear against the door.
"Do it and I'll tell Ayumi-san," Alex said with a small smile as Ed jerked away from the door, holding his hands up in surrender. Not a moment too soon, as the door opened and out came a girl, dressed in a deep purple gown like that of an aristocrat.
The three of them just stared at her and she stared back before someone called out from inside the costume room.
"Damn it Nathan, stop trying to run...oh my..."
"What is it Ami-oops..."
Amia and Marika's head popped out of the door and they stared at the men in a mixture of embarrassment and amusement before dragging the now red face "woman" back into the room by "her" legs.
As the door closed, the men simply exchanged glances and continued walking down the corridor completely unperturbed until they turned the corner where they immediately broke down.
The one in black was on the ground, banging one hand on the floor with the other clutched around his side in loud laughter. The one in green was more composed as he rested a hand on the wall to support himself as he tried desperately to breathe in between chuckles. The one in white had one arm around his side and one over his eyes as his shoulders shook from silent laughter.
"I'm gonna...I'm gonna...help I...I can't...I can't breathe!" Ed said as he rolled onto his back trying to speak.
"Deep breaths Ed! Deep...breaths! Pft..." Alex tried to calm his friend down but was overcome with laughter again.
"I thought he had more control than that..." Shiro mumbled as he shook his head, still trying to calm himself down. "Didn't think the Captain's assistant would be into cross-dressing..."
The three of them looked at each other again before losing control again. Yes, that was one ice breaker that the trio was glad to have. Even if it was at the expense of Nathan's pride and manhood.
"So? What did you want to talk about?" Shiro asked as the three sat around a round table with a large pizza in between them. Ed was wolfing down his slices while Alex shot him exasperated looks in between his and Shiro was eating slowly, savoring each bite.
"Well, we were hoping to get to know you a bit more," Ed said honestly as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Being mysterious is fine and all especially when you shown yourself to be dedicated to fighting those things, but it doesn't mean you have to do it alone."
"It is not like I fight alone on purpose," Shiro said shrugging his shoulders. "Though I used to fight in a pair, the reason I prefer to fight alone is because no one else can keep up."
"A pair?" Alex repeated.
"Of course. If I am a shield so there must be a sword as well."
The two TSAB mages shared a glance.
"You think that could be Yuu?" Ed asked via telepathy as he turned back to his food.
"I don't think there could be anyone else that could really keep up with him...other than the Aces of course," Alex added as an afterthought.
"From what little we saw with our own eyes three years ago...I'm not too sure about that...I mean...even without that 'final form' of his he beat us in his own time remember?"
For some reason, Alex felt his arms tense, like they were going to fall off if he wasn't careful.
"Something up? The two of you are quiet all of a sudden," Shiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Trying to wrap my head around that there is another crazy guy like you running around out there," Ed said dismissively, waving his hand as he did so.
"Hmm...is that so?" Shiro asked but didn't press the matter as the trio continued their meal and chatted about each other.
Sakura sat on the edge of the curb, her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes staring unfocused at the bustling city. Although the moon was high above her head, the sounds of people running around and construction were still going on behind her back at the base. She didn't even turn her head as someone walked up to her and sat down beside her.
"I think the expression is: 'Penny for your thoughts?'" Subaru asked as she turned toward the younger girl. "What's wrong?"
"I feel like an idiot," Sakura said softly. "I want to hate him for everything he did...for al the lives he ruined...but I just can't..."
"It's probably because he's your brother after all, no matter how much we refuse to admit it."
Sakura only nodded her head in reply and remained silent as Subaru placed an arm around her and pulled her close.
"And there was something that got me thinking lately," Subaru said, causing the younger girl to jerk her head up and stare at her incredulously. "Oh not you too..."
"Sorry," Sakura mumbled trying not to smile. "What is it?"
"Do you remember what Asakura-san said back then, when she was talking about her history? Remember how she said that Yuu-kun died this year?" Sakura nodded slowly. "Don't you think it's weird that the same year he died is the same year we encounter the Guardeners? And then he comes back two years later leading an army that doesn't use magic based weaponry?"
Sakura simply stared wide-eyed at Subaru for a few moments as she took the implications in.
"Was that Shou-san's hypothesis?" Sakura asked.
"Oh come on, you can't accept that it was mine?" Subaru pouted, at the same time turning her gaze away from Sakura. "But...it was your mom's actually..."
"I see..."
"Makes a lot of sense though, doesn't it?" Subaru asked as Sakura nodded again. "Shou-kun also thinks that he probably encountered them then as well but felt the TSAB couldn't protect itself. So he faked his own death...or he really did die and became a Mirage himself, it would explain his hatred for them. But it doesn't explain where he found his army..."
"Do you think it has something to do with the Mariages?" Sakura asked. She then giggled a bit before saying, "Ancient evils sprouting up centuries in the future seems to happen a lot doesn't it?"
"I think it's to balance the evil of the future coming back," said Subaru as she smiled wrly. "Though he was more insane than evil..." she added before shaking her head to clear it. "Anyway, you feeling better now?"
"Yeah...I was just being an idiot..." replied Sakura as she wiped her eyes with her hands.
"Ahaha, I know how that feels. Come on, lets head back inside...ow..."
"Onee-chan?"
Subaru had suddenly ran a hand over her chest and started rubbing the area over her heart.
"Sorry, it's just a little heartburn..." She said.
"What did you eat?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well...when I walked around the stands to see if anyone needed help they kinda...gave me free samples..."
"Everyone? You mean you ate a little of EVERYTHING!"
"W-well, just from the ones that already finished setting up. Besides, it would be rude to turn down their generosity wouldn't it?"
"How big were the samples?"
"Uh...generous?"
Sakura could only sigh at her friend's habits. She ran her eyes over the older girl's figure, wondering just where all the food was going.
"Well at least go to Shou-san for some medicine...and don't even think of getting any free samples tomorrow! At least pay them!"
The girls continued their conversation as they headed back to the base.
The next morning, the base was in high spirits as the festival managed to bring in a large crowd. The smell of fried foods, the chimes of the games, the laughter of the festival goers. The day was bright and it was the perfect day for a festival.
Sakura, Marika and Subaru were waiting at the entrance for a certain bus to arrive.
"I think that's them now," Marika said, pointing out a white bus that was pulling up on the other side of the street. A group of five girls stepped out, being lead by a tall red head. Her hair was short, just stopping at the base of neck and her eyes were narrower and more fierce than her cyborg sister's but nonetheless one can easily see the family resemblance between the two.
Around her were four other girls around Sakura and Marika's age or younger. One had dark purple hair that extended to her shoulders but two side locks that extended all the way down to her chest and had a yellow ribbon on the top of her head. Another had light brown hair in twin tails stretching down to her waist tied by two white and blue striped hair bands.
The third had bright waist long blonde hair with a scrunchie holding a bit of her hair up on the left side of her head. Her eyes were also two different colors, left was red and right was green. There also seems to be a little white stuffed rabbit floating next to her head.
The last one also had waist long hair. It was almost pure silver but it had a greenish tint to it. She had it tied in a bun on the back of her head with a ponytail extending from it as well as another one extending from the left side of her head. Like the other girl, she has heterochromia with a right purple eye and a blue left one.
"They sure stand out in those tracksuits," Sakura noted. "But I don't recognize that last girl."
"Oh, that's Einhart Startos," Subaru explained. "She's a year younger than you but she's also pretty strong from what Nove told me. She's also a descendant of The Hegemon of Shutra."
"Why are all these ancient nobles popping back up all of a sudden?" Sakura mumbled under her breath with a sigh as Subaru called out to the group.
"Looks like you got here okay," Subaru said as Nove led the younger girls toward the gates.
"The ride was long as hell though," Nove said as she massaged her neck.
"Sakura-chan, Marika-chan! It's been a while!" the blonde greeted the two younger girls.
"Yes it has," Marika replied nodding. "Have you all been doing well with your studies and training? I guess...not?" she added as the smiles of two the girls dropped quickly.
"Oh, training is going fine," The twin tail said with a smile. But Vivio-san's and Rio-san's studies aren't doing so well."
"Who cares about studies today, Corona!" the short haired girl shouted thrusting both arms into the air. "It's a festival! Forget about the books!"
"Umm...is the man who defeated that monster really here?" the green haired asked softly
"Hmm? Yeah he is," Sakura replied with a nod. "We asked him to come with us to greet you guys but he said he wanted to take a look around first. By the way, I'm Kimura Sakura, and this is Marika Lowell." She indicated her fellow Returner. "It's nice to meet you, Einhart."
"Nice to meet you," Marika repeated with a nod.
"Yes, please take care of me," Einhart replied bowing her head.
"Now that that's settled, let's head in and grab some lunch!" Subaru said pumping her fist into the air. "We might see Shiro-san along the way too."
"Yeah!" came the reply as they entered the festival grounds.
"I...think we should step away from the games for a bit," Subaru said with a small laugh as each of the girls were carrying large stuffed animals, having won first place at whatever game they tried playing.
"Yeah, let some of the other kids try to win something," Nove agreed as she munched on a chocolate banana. "Hmm? What's going on over there?"
"That's the center stage," Sakura explained as she looked past her stuffed elephant. On the stage was a woman dressed in a purple gown as she hosted a series of games, the current one being limbo. "Though I don't recognize the MC."
"Okay!" The woman's voice carried through the entire festival grounds with the help of the speakers floating around. "The next round of Natalie's No Stake Game is limbo! First place is two tickets to a hot spring resort! Losers getthe consolation package and leave behind a bit of their dignity on stage! So? Who wants to take the challenge?"
"Hmm...she really seems familiar," Subaru said as the group got closer to the stage.
"You really don't recognize that person?" Marika asked, her lips twitching. "Amia did a better job than I initially thought...she did the make up and costume."
"That looks kind of fun," Rio noted watching the first contestant get past the bar with ease.
"But you all are so short that all you need to do is walk under it," Nove said patting Rio on the head and the girl immediately rounded on her trainer and started arguing with her as Subaru and Sakura continued to stare at Natalie.
"I know I've seen her somewhere before..." Subaru said before both girls' eyes widened in shock. "Oh...my...god..."
"How...?" Sakura gasped as she turned to Marika who was clutching her sides, and stiffling her laughter.
"This is the 'dress incident' remember?" Marika asked before breaking out into giggles.
"Um...what's so funny?" Vivio asked, looking at the three of them.
"That woman is a man," Einhart said softly causing her friends to round around to her in shock. But the girl simply pointed toward 'Natalie's' neck. "You can see his adam's apple."
"I guess we should have gave him a choker to wear," Marika said tilting her head to the side, as the other girls just gaped at the MC.
"Good work there, 'Natalie,'" Shiro said as he tossed the MC a water bottle as they came back stage for a break.
"Oh shut up," a decidedly masculine voice replied as "Natalie" took a drink. "What are you doing back here anyway? It's staff only."
"Seen everything already," Shiro replied, nudging his head to a stack of food he had bought from the stands. "Want some?"
"No thanks."
"You know," Shiro said as he opened a box of takoyaki. "A lot of people are saying that they rarely ever see you eat. And whenever you do you barely eat anything at all. If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason for it?"
"Not really," Nathan said after he removed his wig and replaced his glasses. "Long story short, I can't stomach any kind of food except for specialized block supplements. I only 'eat' to keep up appearances, forcing my body to expel them later."
"Ouch," Shiro mumbled, his voice filled with sympathy. "Must be rough."
"Well, I can still taste it so it's not like forcing sand down my throat. I just have to make sure to be near a trash can or bathroom before I expel it."
"Expel being the polite word for 'vomit' I guess," Shiro mused to himself just as the door opened up as Amia walked in.
"Yo! I brought you some lunch!" She said with a smile on her face as Nathan paled at the size of the bento box. Seeing the man in trouble, Shiro decided to help out.
"Sorry but we just ate," Shiro said gesturing his pile of empty boxes in the center of the table. Nathan shot him a look of relief as Amia's face fell. "Why not just leave it here so he could eat it later? Don't want all that hard work to go to waste right?"
Amia bit her lip before looking down at her homemade lunch and sighed.
"Alright," she said dejectedly. "Can you make sure he eats it?"
"I'll try," Shiro said as Nathan rolled his eyes.
"I guess that's as good of an assurance as I'll get huh?" Amai asked glancing at Nathan who was looking at the bento box with an unreadable expression. "See ya."
After making sure she was long gone, Shiro walked over to the bento box and opened it up.
"Damn, this is quite a spread," he said as he placed the top to the side. "Why haven't you told her that you can't eat?"
"I did," Nathan said with a sigh as he stood up and looked inside at the food. "But she thought it was an excuse for me not to eat her cooking. So, I've been forced to eat whatever she makes. Good thing it's delicious so it isn't all that bad. Thanks for the cover by the way."
"No problem...you mind if I..."
"Go ahead. My apologies to her but there's no way I'm going to eat that. I'd be spending an hour getting rid of it later if I did."
"Damn...holy...this is really good..." Shiro said nodding his head in satisfaction. "Why not taste it and then spit it out?"
"I'd be tempted to eat the whole thing then," Nathan replied shaking his head sadly. "Well..." Nathan said as he placed the wig back on his head and rubbed his neck as his voice chainged to a feminine one again. "Time for the next event. There's an hour before your little exhibition match, so you should prepare as well."
"Right...gotta go pick up my device."
The hour past by quickly and with ten minutes left until the exhibition match, "Natalia" decided to make an announcement.
"All right everyone!" he called out. "There's only ten more minutes until a special exhibition match between The White Knight and his challengers! We will be showing the match on the screen behind me, but you will be able to see the action if you tune to the frequency displayed on the screen right now if you have a device. So finish up those games, grab a snack and get ready for some action!"
The cheering could be heard all the way in the changing room as the girls were busy preparing for the match.
"They're really making a show of this aren't they?" Nove asked as she looked at a viewing screen inside the room which was depicting the four Hilde Academy girls on one side of the screen with a giant "VS" in the center and a masked figure on the right side.
"In the end we didn't see him at all," Vivio said as she and Einhart were helping each other stretch. "I wanted to ask him some questions."
"With all the people looking for him he's probably trying to avoid the crowds," Corona noted. "Maybe we can ask him things after the match."
"I wonder how tough he'll be," Rio wondered enthusiastically.
"But he probably won't use his full power will he," Einhart asked.
"I hope not! Did you see how big that sword was?" Rio asked. "It was bigger than the monster it blew up! What do you think will happen if he used it on us?"
"Well, just do your best and be happy with the outcome," Nove said as she patted Einhart on the shoulder. "Hit him with everything you got."
Then there was a knock on the door as Subaru poked her head in.
"We're ready for you out there," she said.
"Good luck out there," Nove said pushing the girls out as she followed Subaru to the training ground's watch room where Shou was already there setting up the battle stage, which was a battle worn city.
"Welcome to the Danger Room, Miss Nove Nakajima," Shou said as he spread his arms out, causing multiple screens to appear around them. "From here we can watch the battle in which ever direction and viewing angle you'd like. I'll also be transmitting the screen that shows the most action to the main screen back at the festival."
"Quite the setup you got here," Nove nodded approvingly. "So where is the guy?"
Shou simply spun around so that he was facing his console as he held his right hand under a screen to his right showing a man in a pure white TSAB uniform with his hands at his side, holding a sheathed blade in his left hand.
"Is that him? He sure gives off an aura of power," Nove noted as two other people came into the room.
"Did it start?" Sakura asked, as she and Marika tried to catch their breaths.
"The girls are heading onto the field now," Shou said looking at the screen to his left.
At the same time, Nathan's feminine voice can be heard throughout the speakers.
"And now the fighters have all entered the stage!" He called out as Nove shook her head.
"How the hell can that MC be a man?" she asked completely bewildered.
"He has a lot of skills," Marika replied. "Infiltration and disguise seems to be one of them."
"On the west corner, we have four friends from The St. Hilde Academy of Magic! Einhart Stratos! Takamachi Vivio! Corona Timil! And Rio Wesley!"
A camera had appeared in front of the girls as Nathan called out their names as all of them waved when their name was called except for Einhart who merely nodded.
"Mses. Vivio and Einhart will be fighting with 3000 hit points each while Miss Rio will have 2800 and Corona will have to make due with 2500! And on the east corner, we have The White Knight that took down that monster that threatened to level our city! Shiro!"
Shiro also nodded toward the camera as his name was called.
"He will be fighting with a whopping 10000 hit points! And as a reminder, if you fall under 100 hit points you will be immobilized in order to make sure you don't receive too many injuries! Now will the fighters please don their respective Jackets or Armors!"
"""" Standby Ready! """" the four girls' devices called out as they were enveloped in four different colored lights, revealing three much older girls in their place, except for Corona.
"And the St Hilde girls are in forms fitting of their power! Even The White Knight is struck speechless!" Nathan said over the gasps of the crowd.
Indeed, the man was gaping and blinking stupidly at the sight in front of him. Three of the girls looked like they just aged six years in a flash. Raising a hand horizontally over his chest and moving it up to his eyes repeatedly as if trying to figure out what just happened. He quickly shook his head as he held his blade in front of him and took a deep breath.
"I can't believe I'm about to do this..." he muttered to himself before looking straight forward and calling out, "Henshin!"
He slammed his blade against his belt, where it locked into place, and pulled it to the left side of his body as the belt called out, "Rise up, Meister!"
He then crossed his arms, as hexagonal panels covered his body, before flipping around one by one, and then shattering when they all flipped, revealing his usual cloaked form.
"Damn it Aizawa...Kamen Rider...really?" he mumbled shaking his head, ignoring the cheering and commentary from the speakers.
Back up in the control room, Shou was doubled over in laughter again.
"Is it another inside joke?" Subaru asked as Sakura smacked the back of Shou's head.
"Ow! Come on now, let me have some fun," the eccentric doctor replied.
"Let's start the countdown! 3! 2 ! 1! GO!"
Immediately, Vivio and Einhart rushed toward the Knight who turned to the right and broke into a run down the street.
"It looks like the girls are attempting to rush the Knight right at the start!" Nathan continued his commentary. "However, he's managing to keep his distance as he pulls away from them. Is he looking for a better vantage point?"
"Damn it Duel, don't announce my plans," Shiro cursed under his breath as he spun around quickly, causing his feet to slide a bit as he placed a hand over his sheath.
"Blade out!" his device called as his special sword released itself from its sheath slightly allowing him to prick himself against the edge, spilling some blood, taking 50 damage.
"And Shiro intentionally runs his finger along the edge of his blade! What is he doing?"
Shiro chose to answer by swinging his hand outward, causing the blood to fly out in a line, stopping in mid air in a line, forming a blade in his right hand.
"Let's do this!" he said as the two girls charged him.
"Sonic Wave!" his device called out as he swung his sword, sending a large shock wave at the girls who dodged to the side, unharmed. He then immediately did the same to the building next to him, except in a zigzag pattern, causing a deep cut on the side of the building, allowing him to jump up the building using the newly created edges.
"He's fast," Einhart said as she and Vivio watched him disappear over the rooftop.
"Corona-chan, can you get Rio-chan up there?" Vivio asked her teammate over a video communication screen.
"Leave it to me," Corona replied as she summoned her golem.
"W-wait, what are you going to do?" Rio asked as she took a step away from her friend.
"Goliath is going to throw you up there, Rio-san," Corona replied with a smile as Rio started to whimper as the giant rock golem bent down towards her.
Back up on the roof, Shiro had created six daggers and had them in the gaps between his fingers except for his thumb.
"Sensor Blade creation complete, Meister," the device reported.
"Good," Shiro acknowledged with a nod. "Launching to directed points n-"
He was cut off by the sound of someone screaming. He looked over to his left and saw the girl in the pink cheongasm style Barrier Jacket flying up past the building he was on. His eyes tracked her soaring body until it landed on the building to the right.
"Are they taking this seriously?" he wondered as the girl started shouting at her teammate. "Whatever. Launching Sensor Blades!"
He tossed the daggers into the air where they hovered a bit before shooting off in different directions as Rio hopped over to his building as two large streams of magical shot out from behind her, taking the forms of serpentine dragons.
"Enryuu! Rairyuu!" she called out as the two dragons lunged at him.
"Dual elements?" Shiro called out as he leap into the air to dodge the flame dragon, which grazed his leg for 300 damage. He then quickly drew his sheathed blade with his left hand and blocked the lightning dragon, which collided with it. He then swung the sword upward causing it to dissipate immediately.
"Eh? Wait what?" Rio asked completely shocked to see her attack be completely nullified.
"So I can nullify it," Shiro said running his finger on the side of his blade. "Good to know."
The blood panels swooped around his right hand, creating another sword as he rushed toward Rio who snapped out of her shock and blocked his dual swings, taking only 200 points of damage as she jumped back.
"Um guys? I need a little help here!" Rio called out as Shiro tried to attack again, only to be stopped by a burst of rainbow colored magic, forcing him backward with 100 points of damage.
"Damn, I'm at 9550 now," Shiro grunted as he landed back on the roof as Vivio landed in front of him. "I should have sent another attack behind me to clear the stepping stones."
"City grid established. Data is complete, Meister,"His device reported.
"All right, then let's take this fight somewhere more advantageous to us," Shiro shouted as he tossed his plain sword up into the air, before breaking into a run in the opposite direction flipping his other blade around and returning it to its sheath
"Hey wait a minute!" Vivio called out as she chased after him. "Get back here!"
Shiro ignored her as he eyed his target, a section of a wall that was casting a shadow. When he reached his desired speed, he dived while spinning around to see Vivio preparing a shooting spell. Reaching behind his waist he pulled out a small gun and wrapped his finger around the trigger.
"Shoot," he said as a white bolt flew out from the gun just as Vivio punched the rainbow ball of mana in front of her. The bolt flew over the ball and hit the girl in the forehead for 100 damage just as Shiro disappeared in the shadow and the ball smashed the wall after him.
"Ouchie," Vivio mumbled rubbing her forehead. "For someone who's supposed to be strong, he sure is running a lot."
"Where did he go?" Rio asked as she caught up to Vivio.
"Vivio-san, Rio-san," Einhart called out. "It looks like he's under the western bridge. Corona-san and I are heading there now."
"" Hey! Wait for us! ""
But before they could take two steps, something landed behind them. They turned around to see the sword that Shiro had tossed up earlier during his escape had embedded itself into the roof, with an eerie beeping noise.
Under the bridge Shiro was catching his breath.
"That was too damn close...any slower and my legs would have been separated from my body," he mumbled as he got to his feet after patting down his legs. "Damn portal cuts..."
The sound of an explosion broke him from his musings.
"Humph, I wonder if that got anyone...tch!"
He turned around and thrust his hand forward, creating a white hexagonal shield as a silvery green beam crashed into it.
"Caught up to me already, huh?" he asked as the shooter rushed toward him.
"Fist on!"
Several small blood panels appeared around his hands before spinning around to reveal two steel gauntlets encasing his hand. He smashed them together before raising them up to block Einhart's kick, before sweeping his leg up to counter.
"There's no doubt that you are strong," Einhart said as her counter lessened by 100 points while Shiro's lowered by another 200. "So why do you keep on running?"
"When facing four opponents with great skill, only an idiot fights head on," Shiro replied as he ducked her kick, grabbing her leg as it went passed and hurled her out from the shade. He then ran his other four fingers of his left hand against the edge of his blade again, taking another 200 damage leaving him with 9150 hit points. "A knight should not be limited by his honor or pride. There is only victory!"
Five blades appeared around him before disappearing into the ground before reappearing from the bridge's underside and sink into the ground again.
"The basic laws of physics," Shiro said as he took a step out from under the shade as the blades were reaching frightening speeds. "Speedy thing goes in..." He spread his arms out as if he was shrugging his shoulders. "Speedy thing...goes out."
A black portal appeared on his chest as a blade shot out at Einhart, who dodged it, only to see the sword disappear in the shade of the building behind her and reappear, dropping at fast speeds, under the bridge again.
"I may dress in pure white, but it is in the darkness where my powers are at their strongest. Let us continue then," Shiro said as he folded his arm behind his waist and had a hand over his heart in a bow as a shadow spread across the area. "Descendant of the Hegemon."
"Is this another part of his plan?" Einhart thought as she looked at him, only to see his head jerk up in surprise as he looked up, causing her to look up herself...to see a giant golem fall down towards him.
With a loud crash, Goliath landed on the same spot where Shiro was moments earlier.
"Did we get him?" Corona asked.
"Don't think so," her device, Brunzel, replied.
"Aww, we were so-kyah!"
Corona let out a loud cry as two blades crashed through Goliath's legs before sticking embedding themselves under the golem's arms, causing it to topple over.
"Damn that was dangerous!" Shiro shouted as he reappeared under the bridge, shaking his arms in pain as his hit point counter lowered another 1000. "I really need to cut down on the dramatics. Erupt!"
The blades on the golem exploded, sending stone and steel scattering across the area, several of them crashing harmlessly into the barrier in front of Shiro, whereas Corona was caught in the epicenter for 2000 damage and Einhart took 500 from the debris.
Before the dust could clear, Einhart moved by instinct by throwing her body to the ground as another blade flew past her, missing her hair by scant inches. She then forced herself up and backwards as a blade came flying out of her own shadow underneath her, grazing her chin for 100 damage.
"Ahhh...Goliath was completely shattered!" Corona cried as she tried to balance herself on her feet, her Barrier Jacket torn in multiple places. "Vivio-san! Rio-san! Where are you?"
As if on cue, two mana dragons came crashing through the bridge. Shiro was forced to dive away from the rubble, as the two dragons chased after him.
"Get back here darn it!" Rio shouted as she and her dragons chased after him.
"Excuse me, Miss Timil," Shiro said as he grabbed the younger girl by her shoulders. "I need to borrow your body for a second."
"Huh? Wait what are you-?" She asked as Shiro tossed her toward the dragons. "Kyaaah!"
"Uwah! Corona!"
Rio forced her dragons away from Corona as she spread her arms out to try and catch her friend only to blink as a white blur appeared in front of her. Shiro pounded his fist into his palm before throwing a punch with his armored right hand at Rio's head, knocking her back just in time for Corona to crash into her, giving Corona another 100 damage and Rio 700 damage.
"Ouch...stop playing dirty darn it!" Rio shouted as the man skidded to a halt and turned around, brushing his hands.
"See that's one disadvantage with having allies," the man said holding a finger up. "You got to watch for friendly fi-urgh!"
He was cut off as a silver green foot caught his chin, sending him up with 700 damage followed by a rainbow colored fist colliding with the side of his head, sending him flying into the rubble for another 1000 damage.
"But having friends also keeps the enemy's attention off of you," Vivio said pumping both her arms. "That was for the exploding sword!"
"Ouch...those girls can really throw a punch..." Shiro muttered as he cracked his neck back into place and pushed some of the rubble off of him.
"Amazing!" Nathan voice rang out through the speakers now that there was a momentary pause in the battle. "Both sides are giving their all and the hit point counters are almost even now! The current amounts are Miss Timil with 400, Miss Wesley with 900, Miss Takamachi with 1900, Miss Stratos with 2300 and Shiro with 6450! Although Shiro's power and ingenuity is impressive, are the numbers proving too much for him?"
"Hardly," Shiro huffed. "I'm giving just as much as I'm getting."
He pulled himself out of the rubble as he made a show of dusting off his hands again as an extremely furious Corona created another Goliath at impressive speed.
"Goliath! Purge Blast!" She shouted as the golem placed a hand on its arm and pointed its fist straight at Shiro who tilted his head to the side in wonder. "ROCKET PUNCH!"
"WHAT!" Shiro screamed as a spinning fist flew straight at his face. He backtracked as fast and far as he could before leaping into the air and gently latched himself to the fist. As he began to spin with the fist he fired a white beam at the building they were heading toward, but it didn't do anything more than put a dent in it, before crashing into it himself.
"Wow...you must have been really mad, Corona-chan," Vivio said, as the building collapsed around him.
Whatever Corona was going to say was cut off by the sound of rocks cracking. Shiro had reappeared under Goliath using its shadow, holding his magic nullifying sword in one hand as he spun like a drill through the rock golem, stopping only kick Corona in the back of the head, sending the girl flying off her golem, knocking her out.
"Argh...what moron thought that everything was better with spinning?" Shiro asked as he stabbed his sword into the ground, holding his head with his free hand as he tried to stabilize himself. Luckily he lost his balance as Einhart tried to throw a kick at his head, causing her leg to miss him by a good foot.
"Ah, to hell with this!" he said as he pulled his damaged mask off and tossed it to the side. "Could barely breathe in that thing anyway."
His hood had also been torn to shreds as had most of his cloak. The breastplate he had had a large crack in the center and his body, save for his face, was covered in dust and plaster.
"In a magnificent turnabout, Shiro has managed to take out Miss Timil but he has also taken 2000 points of damage from her attack, putting him at an extreme disadvantage!"
"Well, no more fooling around," Shiro said as he dusted his hands before returning his blade to its sheath and pounded his gauntlets together before urging the girls with two fingers. "Come on."
Both Vivio and Einhart moved at once, both deciding to try to ax kick him but he raised both his arms over his head to block, but still took 100 damage, before opening his palms so that they were facing the girls and fired a basic shooting spell at the two of them, forcing them back as well as dealing 200 damage each.
With him distracted, Rio had managed to conjure up two more dragons and sent them towards Shiro again, who started jumping backwards to get some distance, while at the same time started to gather his energy into his gauntlets. The dragons were relentless in their pursuit, crashing through everything, from walls, to lamp posts, to entire buildings in their attempt to catch him.
"Sword Out! Sword Create!" the sword device called as Shiro's blade extended out from the sheath as he grabbed it with his left hand while another blade formed in his right hand.
"Null Void! Cyclone Branding!" Shiro shouted as he tossed both blades at the dragons. The magic nullifying blade hitting the lightning dragon, dissipating it while the other blade had enveloped the flame on within its massive tornado, creating something akin to a massive spiral pillar of flame.
"Whoa whoa wait a minute!" Rio screamed as she started to run. "Don't come after me!"
"Well...that worked quite differently than I had expected," Shiro mumbled as the fire tornado burned its way through concrete and steel as it chased Rio down the street. "Though the effect is a welcomed distraction."
"You seem to be stopping and observing what your magic does a lot of the time," Einhart said right after she tried to kick him, leaving a small crater where Shiro was seconds before.
"Can't help it," the man replied landing back on his feet. "It's been three years since I used them like this after all. Why would I waste my energy casting spells when only the strongest ones would defeat my enemies when I could produce the same effect with enhancement magic coupled with my blades instead? Not every idiot goes straight to the point with maximum power and complete destruction."
"Hey!" Vivio called out as she rushed toward him. "It's a legitimate strategy!"
"And speaking of legitimate strategies," Shiro began as he dodged and parried Vivio's attacks. "The tornado is come back this way."
"Huh?" Vivio turned around only to see an empty street with the fire storm far far away only to feel something crash against her head, sending her flailing to the ground, her counter losing another 300 points.
"Really? The 'look what's that' actually works?" Shiro said, completely amused at the result of his cheap shot. "That Rio girl sure can run though...I wonder what will run out first? The tornado's magic or her stamina?"
He then raised his arms to the side of his head as Einhart's leg made contact, causing his feet to slide across the street.
"Why don't you just fight head on?" Einhart asked.
"Because only an idiot fights head on when he's outnumbered," repeated Shiro. "And I was never a person who fights head to head. If it makes you feel any better, consider the explosives my allies' attacks. And besides, it's been three years since I fought without the objective being to kill my opponent. I'm entitled to a little fun."
"What kind of knight are you?"
"The kind that survives and achieves victory for his master."
"Fist off! Sword create!"
The gauntlets shattered into multiple red hexagonal panels before lining up in front of Shiro before all flipping over revealing a large two-handed sword. The blade was as tall as he was and about a foot wide as was the handle of the blade. Gripping the blade in one hand, he ran forward, bringing it down like a club with the flat side of the blade as Einhart dodged to the side. Shiro then spun the blade in a full circle forcing Einhart and Vivio, who had tried to get back into the fight, to dodge by jumping up into the air.
The two of them landed side by side before rushing him again. Einhart threw the first punch when she got close, but Shiro blocked with the flat side of his blade. He then released it when Vivio tried to kick him and grabbed her leg and threw her aside as Einhart went around his blind side and kicked him in the back for 200 damage causing Shrio stumbled a bit but he quickly regained his balance.
Einhart attacked with another two punches at Shiro's head but he blocked by forcing his arms inside her swings and knocking them off course. He then threw a punch at her face but was stopped when she shielded it by raising both her arms up. As soon as his fist hit her arms, he used his other hand to punch her in the gut, causing her to double over. Following the motion, he spun his body around and smacked her across the cheek with his other hand before kicking her in the stomach sending her back for a total of 900 damage.
A sharp rainbow colored blast cut across his cheek, sending him off his feet with 500 damage but he caught himself with his hands and flipped himself back upright in time to block another kick from Vivio but it was enough to knock him off balance as she gave him a punch to the chin followed by one to the top of his head. He quickly got back up and threw an overhead punch down at her which she blocked by raising her arms up. However he followed up with an uppercut, breaking her guard and balance.
Continuing his assault he grabbed one of her arms and flipped her, throwing her on her back and kicked her away from him as Einhart rejoined the fight with a drop kick to his head, connecting with his arms as he blocked it but the force caused his knees to buckle, as Vivio got up and kicked him in the side, knocking him away from the duo. But Shiro remained on his feet and still had his arms up ready for another round.
"What wondrous technique from both sides! Miss Stratos is now at 1200 hit points, Miss Takamachi is at 800 while Mister Shiro still has 2850! It's going to be close ladies and gentlemen!" Came the commentary, which seemed to have stopped when the audience had held their breath during the silent half minute exchange between the three of them.
"Wait a minute..." Shiro said suddenly. "Are we forgetting something?"
The girls exchanged thoughtful glances before answering.
"Now that he mentions it..." Einhart began.
"Where's Rio-chan?" Vivio finished.
""Ah!"" Both girls gasped at the same time and pointed at something behind Shiro who immediately turned around, expecting the other girl to be running up to them, bringing her flaming accomplice, only to see an empty street.
"Son of a bi-" he muttered as he felt two heavy thuds on the back of his head, sending him crashing into a nearby building.
"Wow, he's right," Vivio said with a mischievous grin on her face. "It really does work."
"I still prefer a straight up fight like before though," Einhart said as the man shoved the rocks off his body.
"See, you're learning," The man said with a smile on his face, even though he just took another 1000 damage for falling for a stupid trick. "Even if it's at my expense."
His musings were interrupted by a long continuous scream. Turning to his right, he spotted the familiar pink cheongasm girl running toward them with tears in her eyes.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Why hasn't anyone helped me yet!"
"Oh, there she is..."
Spying his usual blade he scrambled to his feet and ran towards it, pulling it out of the building it had embedded itself into when it flew through the lightning dragon.
He then jumped into the and guided himself so that he would land close to Rio without being enveloped by the burning twister himself.
"Hey, why don't you take a break!" he said as he kicked the girl out of the way before nullifying the tornado with his blade. But he didn't stop there, he broke into a run down the street back toward the other two as he ignored the commentary, which said that Rio was finally knocked out of the match.
"Sword In. Fist On!"
"Down by total points...going to have to play this carefully," Shiro muttered as he smashed his gauntlets against each other. He then slammed his hands against the ground, creating a large concrete spike wall between the girls, and splitting them apart.
"Einhart-san!" Vivio called out only to see Shiro charging at her. She created a shield in front of her and stopped his punch for a second before jumping backwards as the shield shattered. Shiro smashed his gauntlets together again and charged past the scattered shield throwing another heavy punch at her. The punch was short allowing her to roll over his back and get behind him. However he quickly recovered and threw another punch with his right arm, but Vivio dodged that as well as throw her own counter punch, striking him on the side of the head. "Now! Accel Smash!"
A powerful rainbow colored uppercut to the chin sends Shiro flying off his feet, but he took it in stride, quickly kicking his legs. Using the knock back of the uppercut he somersaulted, his feet catching Vivio under the chin, knocking her straight up. He then landed on his feet and jumped up to where Vivio was and smashed her back onto the ground, reducing her hit points to zero and knocking her out as well.
"Damn...got careless," Shiro muttered. He now only had 1200 points left, leaving him at equal standing with Einhart, who just managed to break through his barricade to engage him, only spending a second to see that Vivio had been knocked out.
"Now it's down to just one on one! Both fighters have the same amount of hit points remaining at 1200 and yet neither of them have shown any signs of exhaustion! It comes down to this folks!"
The two of them exchanged glancing blows, neither of them managing to make a clean hit on the other. Shiro threw a right hook which Einhart caught with her right arm, spinning it and locking his arm, but he merely followed through by trying to elbow her head with his left which was blocked as well but he managed to get his other arm free.
Einhart countered with a left jab which Shiro parried by slapping it to the side. Einhart followed with a kick which grazed his chin but it gave her an opening to grab his arm for a throw but he broke free by pulling her hand off with his other hand and got underneath it to try and back hand her. She caught the arm before it got close, leaving them in a deadlock.
"Was this...what you wanted?" Shiro asked, trying to catch his breath as they both tried to free their arm from the other person's grip.
"Yes," Einhart said, taking long breaths. "I wish you fought like this from the start.
"Perhaps when we fight one on one at another time...oh...that's not good."
"What? Another trick?"
"No...that blade is going to blow up..."
He indicated with his head and a finger from the hand that Einhart had in her grip towards the large two-handed sword that he created earlier which was beeping rapidly. Both fighters quickly released the other as they dove away from the blade which erupted like a bomb.
Einhart coughed as she waved her hand in front of her face trying to clear the smoke and dust from her vision. Looking over herself, she was covered head to toe in dust and her Armor was torn in multiple places, especially around her arms. She tried to get up but found that her legs weren't responding. Checking her counter, her heart dropped when she saw that she only had 30 points left.
"Did we lose?" she wondered trying to see where the White Knight went. "Or did he get caught in the blast as well?"
"I did," came a voice behind her.
She turned around and saw the man standing there, pointing his sword at her. The top half of his Armor had been blown away during the explosion, revealing a well toned body covered in countless scars.
"But luckily, I still have 110 points left. Couldn't get to a shadow as fast as I would have liked, but it was still enough. Do you yield?"
She was about to answer when something in the sky caught her eye. Looking up she saw the roof above them was crumbling.
Noticing her expression, Shiro looked up as well, just in time for a block of concrete to fall, land, and shatter on his face. Einhart couldn't help but wince as the man remained frozen in the position for a few seconds before falling backwards as the small speaker on his counter said "Knockout!"
"Um...so is it a draw?" Einhart asked to no one in particular as even the commentator seems to have fallen silent at the sheer absurdity of the event.
"I still can't believe you got knocked out by a falling rock," Shou said shaking his head in exasperation as Shiro simply huffed and turned his head away, rubbing the bandage on his nose.
An hour has passed since the match, which was determined to be a draw since Shiro knocked out three of them and immobilized the fourth despite being knocked out himself. The two men were sitting on a bench in the middle of base grounds, with the festival still going on strong around them.
When Shiro had regained consciousness, Shou had spent a good ten minutes laughing at him for his carelessness, and then continued to remind him about it ever few minutes since then. After the other girls had regained consciousness, the five of them properly introduced themselves to each other, although Corona was looking at him with annoyance while Shiro merely returned her gaze with a amused smiled.
But the girls had left with Sakura and Marika, wanting to explore the rest of the festival, but not before Einhart asked Shiro for a one on one rematch, provided that he would fight seriously like he did toward the end, to which he said "No promises."
"But man, you sure have a way with ancient rulers," Shou said as he returned a greeting to a few soliders who passed them. "Now all you need to do is meet Ix when she wakes up."
"Ix?" Shiro asked softly, but Shou didn't hear him. "Why does she sound so familiar?"
Outwardly, he only sighed as he leaned back on the bench, just wanting the day to end.
Authot's Notes
So I ended up doing a little filler chapter, but I'll be damned if I didn't have fun with it. I've been a bit into Kamen Rider lately. It's the ONLY live action show I'll watch.
Thankfully, even though I've been watching the recent seasons of Kamen Rider, and writing a second fic, I still have time to update this, and with nice beefy chapters too. If you don't know what Kamen Rider is...shame on you. Look around for the episodes or at least some fight scenes. They're not ALL bad. The songs are also pretty damn nice like Journey Through the Decade or Supernova.
Don't forget to take a look at Code Magi Lyrical Rider if you're bored.