Chapter 9 Tainted by darkness
With Raiha drawn, the spirit wasted no time assaulting the evil that lies in front of him. Charging head first into danger unleashing a vertical slice upon phantom who dodged the strike by slipping into a shadow like appearance. Takamiya formed lightning within his open palm.
"Thou shall be extinguished into nothingness by my holy lighting!"
Takamiya unleashed the built up lighting and summoned it forth electrifying the area around phantom. This sudden magic attack backfired on the spirit king though as his whole body was electrocuted. Daetra shook off the pain acknowledging phantom's object which looked like some kind of mirror shortly after shattering to pieces shards of glass falling to the floor.
"I see so instead of taking my attack head on, thou decided to be a coward and reflect my own manoeuvre. However, that will not save thou!"
Takamiya strengthened his grip upon his lightning blade Raiha and dashed straight for the shadow figure. The spirit king didn't hesitate slicing continuously at the evading shadow unleashing lightning from his blade. Phantom grasped the blade and inflicted the first punch he had dealt since this duel had began. Colliding his fist with the king's lip.
Daetra wiped the dripping blood from his lip and sent a counter kick for phantom's abdomen. Once again phantom intercepted this attempt grasping his foot and throwing him down to the solid ground. King Daetra struggled to his feet panting heavily.
"This is going to be tougher than I anticipated. Regardless I refuse to fall to you creature of darkness!" Daetra declared lightning dancing around him.
Tohka quickened her pace after she received a call from Kotori confirming Shido's current location. Reserving her spiritual energy Tohka decided not to summon her spiritual attire choosing to rely on her stamina running instead. Almost half way to her destination, Tohka bumped into origami who was also worried about Shido.
"Origami? What are you doing here?" Tohka questioned the white haired AST officer.
"I'm searching for Shido. I need to find him at all costs. I fear he is in danger right now." Tohka nodded at origami the mutual feeling between them obviously there.
"I have the same feeling lets hurry!" Tohka replied origami and her now resuming there escapade for Shido.
Back at the crumbled battlefield, Takamiya and phantom are resuming their colossal and destructive battle. Daetra recites incantations creating huge lighting bolts to descend from the sky but each strike was either dodged or absorbed by the mysterious creature.
Still full of sheer determination, Daetra summoned another lightning bolt from above phantom dodged once again but did not expect the after strike. Takamiya thrusted an open palm lighting strike to phantom's gut causing volts of electricity to travel through the spirits body.
"Thou had anticipated my lighting bolt however thou were not prepared for my follow up strike. Now remain still under my holy lightning's paralysis!" Daetra sliced down upon the kneeling phantom but cut nothing but thin air as the mysterious phantom crept behind the puzzled king grasping him from behind slowly disappearing into his body.
"Ahhhh what is thou doing fiend release me!" Try as he might, Takamiya could not cease the movements of phantom which faded into his body and mind. Takamiya screamed in pain both hands on the side of his head gripping tightly.
"Get out of my body you monster!" And for the first time in the battle, phantom finally spoke. "I know you spirit king, as you reigned 1,000 years ago you craved nothing but power. I can grant you that wish your highness."
"Cease this hypnosis trickster fight me you coward!"
"You show rage and pretend to play the role of the great hero however, I know the true you. You crave more power and strength it's what you live for. Think about it, with my assistance you could be the most powerful most feared spirit. You can truly reclaim your throne and be king of not just the spirits but of humanity no this world!" Phantom proclaimed altering the look in the kings eyes.
"I could reclaim my throne and be the strongest?" Daetra questioned his pupils empty from their golden state drawn to phantom's deceiving words.
"Yes your highness everything will be within your grasp. So relax let go of your defence and allow me to make your wish shift into reality." Takamiya dropped his guard and emptied what was left of his resistance.
"Yes please do so oh great one grant me eternal power!"
"Very good your highness now just relax and allow me to take control." Daetra screamed out in pain but did not put up a fight of any sort just letting himself wallow in pain as his mind and body took a dramatic change. A dark and ominous purplish black aura immersed around Takamiya replacing his noble royal golden one.
His sapphire armour darkened highly to an obsidian black shade. His empty pupils now bled a deep ruby red as they opened from their awakening. Raiha the blade of lightning let out a high pitched sonic screech as if the weapon itself was crying out as a living being as its soul was forcefully removed. Its majestic silver became tainted with everlasting darkness the golden handle shifted to an amethyst shade. His darkness blade had now been awakened emitting sparks of purple lighting as it roared to life shattering the light and replacing it with never ending darkness.
As he cackled menacingly, two intruders had arrived. One had hair as white as the snow and the other purple of the amethyst gem.
"Oh look it's the princess and the trigger happy futile woman. Bow before your king and my power!"
Tohka and origami looked onwards in shock and sadness as they felt the darkness surfacing from the double possessed Shido.
"Shido what's happened to you? Why are you doing this?" Tohka pleaded to him tears in her eyes.
"That weak life form is no longer conscious! I have fully taken control of both his mind and body and with this plus my new power, I am fully reborn!"
Takamiya bellowed raising his newly formed lightning blade to the sky causing a colossal lightning storm.
"Yatogami Tohka it's useless that man isn't Shido anymore we have no choice but to fight him with all we have" Origami commanded as she equipped herself into her AST armour.
"Prepare yourself spirit!" Origami pursued the king activating her energy blade and her back thrusters to take her to the skies. Closing in on Takamiya, Origami sliced down on the spirit king who effortlessly parried her strike. Once again she tried to strike again and again but try as she might; she could not come close to breaking the spirit king's impregnable defence.
"Die futile mortal!" Takamiya ordered as he summoned a rain of purple lightning bolts upon her. The lightning was a direct hit ceasing Origami's movements and her out of this fight. Tohka prepared herself for battle realising it was the only thing she could do to get through to Shido. But the reality hit her hard realising if she hurt the spirit king she would be also hurting the one she loved most.
"Adonai melek!" upon Tohka's command her spiritual armour forged onto her body reawakening her reserved spiritual energy. Stepping on the ground she caused a huge crack to appear behind her causing a golden throne like stone to arise from the ground.
"Sandalphon!" Tohka unsheathed a huge sword from the stone slicing the rock sheath in half extending her blade longer releasing a crystallised extension.
"Halvanhelev!"
Tohka flew straight at the spirit king collided her enormous blade with his tainted Raiha. Takamiya blocked Tohka's mighty sword too easily brushing off Tohka's furious assault. Unleashing his lightning, Daetra punched Tohka his fist encircling lightning knocking Tohka back. Tohka's Halvanhelev suddenly had been surrounded by a huge purple light. Slicing it down with all her force creating a massive purple blast to unleash destroying a mountain behind the spirit king as he skilfully dodged. Tohka did not stop after missing though. She attacked relentlessly her attacks being blocked.
"I grow tired of this" Takamiya countered Tohka smashing Sandalphon to smithereens.
"If you won't serve me princess then you will die like all the others destined to should they get in my way!"
All of a sudden, the spirit king's movements had been halted.
"Don't interfere! It's over measly human cease this futile struggle." Takamiya appeared to going insane in Tohka's eyes but that didn't seem to be the case.
"I don't care! I'm going to end this don't get in my way! You're merely a shell now that I control!" All of a sudden a huge blue holy light came forth from the spirit king's chest. Tohka stared deeply at the core as if she could hear someone calling out to her from within.
"Shido? Shido is that you?" Tohka took the opportunity of Daetra letting his guard down and plunged her hand deep into the core feeling something inside. She pulled with all her might releasing Shido from the inside of Daetra.
He appeared to be holding something in his hand. On closer observation, it looked just like Raiha the lightning blade before it had been tainted by the darkness.
"Shido are you okay?"
"To…Tohka?"
"Thank goodness you're okay Shido! I was so worried." Tohka said as she embraced him tightly. Just then Shido heard another voice other than Tohka's and the spirit kings. However, Tohka or the king did not react as if they heard anything so he realised that the voice was speaking to him telepathically.
"Itsuka Shido. I thank you for releasing me from that barbaric environment. Thanks to you I feel like my self again." Shido looked down at Raiha seeing that the blade had now a holy aura as it had acknowledged him.
"My previous master has disappointed me greatly. He took the first temptation from the devil he received in return of being granted power. Little does he know that so called blade he's holding, is so much weaker than the original you now hold."
"I'm sure you are very confused right now but I have a request I would like to ask of you. Please fight my previous master and end the corruption inside him my new master." Shido nodded accepting the new strength he had been granted raising the blade to the sky he released the power of the holy lightning.
"With this power I will end your reign of terror!" Shido said to the now different looking king. Now he had lost Shido's body as a host, the phantom dwelling inside him returned him to his original body back in his prime of life. He had a sapphire cape draped on his shoulders which slowly darkened to black. Upon his head he had his golden headband which reverted from golden to purple amethyst. His royal attire had also darkened.
Shido began his transformation as the lightning encircled him. Sapphire gauntlets appeared on his arms along with sapphire body armour upon his torso. A snow white cape draped from his shoulders and the golden headband upon his head shined as Raiha acknowledged him as its new master.
"Interesting you think that weaker blade can be any match for the power I have obtained? Let's see how long that resolve of yours will last weak human." No time wasted the battle of light and darkness commenced.