Kureha, minutes earlier
"You still see this trail of magic?" Jaymes lands on the rocky ground, catching up to an inspecting Kureha. She got off to a running start to the mountains without stopping until now. She doesn't fully comprehend her account's abilities yet, but from the little she discovered over the last three days, she has near-unlimited stamina and picks up on abilities such as the arts very quickly. Not sure how that'll help her, but this newly discovered ability, seeing the residuals of casted arts, is very beneficial.
Unseen to Jaymes, the floating faint red and green particulates swirl above them, indicating they originated here. "It ends here and goes out towards the city and the castle. They're red and green."
"Aerial and Thermal elements, then. Yeah, that packs a powerful combination." Jaymes steps forward and lines himself up with the trail invisible to him. Their surrounding is a bowl-shaped area that projects out to a cliff overlooking Obsidia. Given how smooth it is, the crater-like indention in the mountain seems to be older than the spell. But there are signs that there was an unnatural cause for the malformations. A battle, maybe?
He projects his arm outward as if he was casting the spell. "There's an issue, though. The Dark Territory might be strong, but I gather it's our physical ability to fight rather than the magical. Back during the war, the Human Empire's saving grace was the sacred arts and Integrity Knights. In physical combat and numbers, the dark realm was superior."
"All that is to say there are not many people who could pull off that attack?"
"Not just anyone. Anyone well-trained in the arts could fire the spell, despite the scarcity of spatial resources. But the force behind it suggests numerous heat and air arts combined. That narrows the list to only those with a high SC value and can manage more than ten arts at max. If they're not an Integrity Knight or a real worlder, then... Well, I had a few strong enemies in my day."
"Hersyrian, the adopted son of the Pontifex. The Pontifex herself. The First Children. All strong enough to use the scarce resources, but...all are dead." Flicking her fingers, Kureha catches on to what Jaymes is saying. Only someone with the ability to generate numerous resources at once could have powered that spell...and he isn't talking about the five heat elements at the tips of her right digits.
She learned a little of the arts back during the war and expanded her education with Cordelia, Sylvie, and Mathias the last few days. Despite picking up on it in a short amount of time, she knows how hard it is to conjure and concentrate with the five she generated now - she can only imagine how much mental strength is required to manage ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred. Jaymes himself doesn't seem unfazed by the achievement but by the person who achieved it.
"Do you have any idea who could manage that?"
"To generate numerous heat and air arts and fire them at the castle? It's not impossible in this day and age. I doubt there's a rule now that prevents anyone from developing their skills as it was in Administrator's day, but there's a great disparity between what Sylvie and Cordelia can do and what we can do. Not just because of the SC value, but Incarnation as well."
"How so?"
He turns back to Kureha, looking at her right hand, still holding the five unrefined heat elements. "Change those elements into an object."
"Like...this?" Kureha barely moves her hand, but the elements change from small, spherical lights to five flaming arrows. She barely molded the thought when they changed shape. She makes another thought, and the arrows turn into bullets.
"Understand?"
"I think so. The five of us real-worlders have a grip on Incarnation because we don't perceive a limit to our imagination?"
He nods. "Incarnation is willpower and imagination manifested. True, we cannot overcome some things in this simulation, which conflict with the system's rules, but I do not believe those values limit our power. For example, my ability to fly is not something innate with my account like it is with Solus'. It takes Incarnation to do it. I tried teaching another with little success at the time. If Sylvie can fly, that's a miracle and a testament to her will. All that is to say that whoever attacked from here had the ability and willpower to do so."
"So you believe they must have the willpower?"
"Yes. Not just to create power but to attack the core of the Dark Territory. Remember what we discussed with Eolyne: Underworlders don't rebel unless they have a strong sense of will. But furthermore...it narrows down our list of enemies. Eolyne and I privately discussed that a group of First Children cultists we defeated a century ago might have sprung from the ashes. I know they have the willpower to rebel...and if it took a century to put them away, they must have the power to contest Kirito, Asuna, and me, at the least. Or the cunning."
Kureha sighs and calls off the arts. "You sure know how to pick your enemies. Why can't you take me on a normal adventure?"
Jaymes chuckles and places a hand on his hip. "What do you mean? We had plenty of normal adventures. We're not doing something crazy all the time."
"I beg to differ. Ever since we reunited, every 'normal' turns out to be something not quite that."
"You don't enjoy our crazy virtual life?"
"I think this girl just wants one moment in which you and I don't run into life-changing trouble..." Kureha pauses, feeling a sensation of danger crawl up her spine. Reflexively she reaches for her golden axe Aymr hanging off her waist and her shield hitched on her back and glance at her partner. With narrowed eyes he looks above and beyond Kureha, hand on his sword.
Following his line of sight, Kureha sees a pair of figures standing on higher ground. The first is a human-sized being with a large, hooded black robe hiding their details. Beside the robed person is a giant. The sex is determined to be male, based on the masculine facial features and hulking blackish-brown musculature. Jet black hair falls from his head. Four metal bands cover each of the carpal and tarsal areas, and his only piece of armor is around the waist. In his right hand is a weapon made of bone and metal that Kureha can only call it a sword in design.
Part of Kureha is frightened by the giant's size and ruby-red eyes, but she stands her ground. The giant looks to be an enormous human, not the classification given to demihumans. But the might of the giant seems to be under the robed figure's control...or that's the impression.
"So, are you all done chatting?" The person in the robe might hide the upper half of their face, but their voice is feminine. She chuckles and bows to the pair below him. "Good afternoon, soldiers of the Star Empire's special forces. Pleasure to meet you."
"And who do we have the 'pleasure' of being greeted by?" Jaymes asks.
"Excuse me for such rudeness, but it hurts that you've forgotten all about me. My name is...unimportant, but you may call me Archer, a grand bowmaster!"
"Did you attack the castle?"
"Caught in the act. I did not expect a immediate response from the castle, so I thought I'd bide my time and wait for my partner who snuck inside. Seems I missed the empress, but that's why there's a Plan B. So imagine my surprise to see not just two people find this place, but members of the other side. What are you doing here?"
So this 'Archer' thinks they're part of the Star Empire forces, thanks to Kureha's uniform from Eolyne. That means she doesn't know Jaymes' true identity. That's a plus. Jaymes, with that in mind, doesn't act like he isn't the Crimson Emperor. "Not many people would be happy to see me."
"That beast of a man..." Kureha whispers as she steps closer to her friend, "I can feel its power. It's amazing. It might be me, but...in raw power, it might outclass you."
"I know. Unfortunately, OC and SC don't mean jack when it comes to durability, and giants have that along with impressive physical power. Just one is a considerable enemy. And pain is a thing here."
"But I don't believe this is a giant or human. Something...between them. A fusion of humanity's brains and a giant's brawn." Kureha swallows her building fright and equip her axe and shield. "I...think we should take him together. You back me up."
"...You got a reason for that?"
"Let's just say I want to test myself before you hog the glory as usual. But if it looks like I can't handle it, then... We'll use Plan C."
"Plan C, huh?" Jaymes nods, stepping back while holding on to Falchion in its scabbard. "All right."
"Are you two done?" Archer inquires. She chuckles again and pats the giant on its bulging arms. "As one of the seven, I humbly accept the will of First Son. His power steadies my arrow, and my arrows will create my fate. I accept the call of the Gladius Filius, and shoot all in my path to invoke its will... Alcaeus, squash the woman, in honor of the prince's revival." The giant's muscles make a twitch take on a reddish hue to their features. It roars with rage and leaps off the rockface. Sword held high, it descends towards Kureha.
"Discharge." Kureha barely hears Jaymes speak the command, her attention on the dark red giant when, out of nowhere, a burst of red light impacts the beast. Several more follow, juggling the monster off course and against the wall of the mountain. Its peppered by more heat elements for a couple more seconds, leaving nothing but crumbling rock and hot smoke in the end.
Kureha is happy that the monster didn't get the opening attack, but the fact Jaymes intervened (somehow) pisses her off. "Hey, what happened to being back up? And where or how the hell did you make those heat elements so quickly?"
"That did nothing but slow it down."
"Huh?" Kureha turns back to the crater, hearing a low growl before the form of Alcaeus the man-giant returns. It bounces into the air with amazing speed that the force alone almost knocks Kureha down. But the giant zips past her. When she hears where it lands, her eyes immediately find it right behind Jaymes. But he hasn't turned towards it yet. "Joshua!"
"What?" His reaction is slow, or maybe it is normal in comparison to his normal speed. In any case, Kureha tightens her grip on her two-handed axe and intercepts the giant's attack. The larger weapon sends shockwaves through Kureha's body, but Aymr holds up against it. She pulls back and puts all her strength into the next attack. That knocks the giant back a couple of yards.
Enraged, the beast roars furiously at Kureha, and she answers by engaging him this time.
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Jaymes
Kureha's... matching the giant swing for swing? It's speed is impressive as is: I didn't see zip past me earlier, but she did. And its strength...I never fought one on one with a true giant in my current memories, but I know their power well enought. I can imagine how strong a half-giant must be. Even with that measurement, Kureha looks to be on equal footing.
Is her "divine" account built for battle like some sort of war goddess?
I can only watch in shock while laying on the ground as my childhood friend takes on a dangerous foe all by herself. They dart across the large crater at supersonic speed, the sounds of their blades and the sparks flying off being the reasons I can track them. It's like watching an anime fight in person... Is this what it must've been like for my friends long ago when I took the field?
If so, then this is ridiculously fast; the only "superpowered" fight I remember watching is Kirito versus Subtilizer, and I managed to keep my gaze on it the entire time. By the time my senses catch up to the battle before me, there's a slight pause. The mad beast got its makeshift weapon stuck in the ground and Kureha is aiming for its neck. She... She's won?
Or so I thought, but the damned thing lets go of its weapon and trades strength for agility. Despite its hulking eight-foot frame, it ducks under Kureha's axe, then begins to attack with nimble movements and swift kicks. Yet, somehow, Kureha manages to distance herself from the beast. That must've been its goal as it doesn't pursue her but yanks its sword out the ground.
Standing on my feet and dusting my clothes, I speak to Kureha as the fight comes to a momentary pause. "The power of a giant. The nimbleness of a human. What a cheat. Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I think I understand everything now. I wanted to be able to adapt to any situation that comes before me, and that what's happening. Looks like you'll be on the sidelines this time."
Adaptability to battle is her account's special power? I'd call it insanity, but my account and Asuna's have their own abilities that could be seen as cheats. I can cast sacred arts without the need for resources as long as I have the stamina to do so, and Asuna can ultilize the powers of creation. Kureha's ability to adapt and match her opponent doesn't seem all that bad in comparison.
But it also speaks to her true character, that of Momiji Takemine. She was forced to adapt to live in her successful elder sister's shadow all her life, then in mine not too long ago. Recently, she's begun to step outside of those shadows and forge her own path. This fight with Alcaeus is one of those steps in another world.
A rare moment in our lives, Momiji is neither standing behind me or beside me. I'm now looking at her back. Did she catch up to me, or have I always been behind her? Or...maybe we've always been side by side, only now I've given her the push she needs instead of the other way around?
I can't help but crack a smile to match that shit-eating grin on her face. "For someone coming off the bench, you're talking big... Be careful, though. Just because you can get on his level doesn't mean this is the extent of it."
"Good point. I think I learned enough about myself, and truth be told, we can't waste all day on this." Kureha feigns disappointment and lowers her weapons. "Oh well, you can take care of it now."
"Don't mind if I do." I unsheathe Falchion and position it pointing at the giant. "Sorry, big guy, but you heard the lady."
Above, Archer, previous watching and crackling enthusiacally, suddenly shuts up. Does she know what I'm about to do? Her unseen face stares at me quietly for a moment. Alcaeus, further ahead, doesn't move either. He stands at attention as he did previously. Well...as confused as I am, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Alcaeus is going to sacrifice himself, I figure out why later. I line the tip of my sword with the giant's heart, then shout, "Release Recollection!"
...
...
...
"Huh?" I look at Falchion, seeing that it still retains its normal likeness. The smooth, silver blade and the winged, golden hilt remains as it. Upon calling "Release Recollection," the wings retract and the blade thickens and turns gold. The eight stones embedded into the hilt coalesce into a single white stone where the hilt meets the blade. But not a single part of the transformation has occured. "Release Recollection! Release Recollection! What the hell is going on?"
"Ahahaha!" comes laughter from the robed man above us. "Bravo! I will admit. I'm shocked to see that you possess a Divine Object, but you haven't mastered Perfect Weapon Control? Is that the might of the Star Empire? Though, that sword...it seems awfully familiar... I'll investigate later. Resume, Alcaeus."
While I stand, dazed by the lack of my sword's power, the giant growls and glares at Kureha. "Grawr!"
"Yah!"
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Kureha
Well, that happened.
After Jaymes failed attempt, Kureha braces as the brute resumes its attack. She may be able to keep up with him in terms of speed, but strength is another matter all together. She is getting that crucial buff, while it seems the monster had gotten stronger the way it launchess her into the air then smacks her down to the rocky earth.
If she hadn't landed on her feet and raised her axe for the following attack, she might've lost this battle then and there.
Seriously, what is up with this guy? Not even the giants of ALO pack this much punch. Then again, she's thinking of this fight as a game, not as reality. That thought is much worse because there's no heads-up display showing its health bar, or signs of weaknesses to exploit. Shes' facing a living, breathing berserker as if this was the real world.
She needs to breathe too, but her axe isn't going to allow that. As long as she remains in close quarter combat, Alcaeus is going to beat her down. If she had a ranged weapon or possessed the mastery of the arts as Jaymes does, she could turn the scales in her favor momentarily. If only...
"A bow? Is that's your wish?"
"Huh?" Holding her shield up, Kureha glances at her axe. Something spoke to her, and she might consider herself insane if she thinks the axe did just that. But there's a warmth and soft glow from the hilt of the axe, around the portion Kureha holds. It repeats "Is that your command?" again, waiting for orders.
The other day, Cordelia and Sylvie said that weapons have a soul of their own, and Perfect Weapon Control, the secret power of Divine Objects, come into form when a weapon and master sync together. It isn't easy to accomplish; only Cordelia managed to achieve the enhancement phase. She even recalls Jaymes speaking to Falchion and Vindica at times, or holding his sword like he's communing silently with it. Kureha's weapon is not a Divine Object like the others, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a soul in the sense they're speaking.
...Might as well try it out. She pushes her shield forward, using the momentum to recoil backward. "Jaymes! Contain him for a second!" A moment before Alcaeus could rebound, dark orbs zip towards him, changing into spiky tendrils as they latch to the ground and limbs of the berserker. Alcaeus, pinned in place, tries to free himself against the sturdy binds yet struggles against them. Jaymes' Incarnation, maintaining control over the tendrils, is powerful indeed.
Having been taken away from where Archer and Jaymes remain watching on the mountain, she hears Jaymes shout, "Kureha! Hurry up, I can't hold him forever!"
She nods and looks at her axe again. "Do it!" On command, the curving blade of Amyr retracts into the lengthy hilt, then it compresses until it is a foot long rod in Kureha's hand. Just when she's about to be disappointed, the rob expands again, forming a thick, jagged recurve bow with a black string. It...worked, but Kureha wasted no time in thinking about it or the lack of bows on her back. Partly using a bow as her ranged weapon in ALO, she assumes the proper stance for an archer and pulls the drawstring back. A red arrow appears on the bow, and she fires without hesitation at the torso of the giant.
The bow strikes true, resulting in another great explosion. Kureha covers her face to protect her eyes from the flying debris, and for a moment, she believes she might have done something against the brute. She isn't naive to think she slayed him, but e major would would make her proud.
As the cloud of debris fades, leaving only a circle of fire, her frustrations find a new peak. The giant Alcaeus is not only alive, but unscarred. He stands there like some sort of alien superbeing who cannot be touched by anything.
She clicks her tongue sourly. "Is this thing immortal?" She recalls Amyr again, thinking of possible solutions. That Archer is a distance away, and while they're not in combat, Jaymes won't allow Archer to interfere as he hasn't directly himself. To that end, Archer hasn't made a move in any manner. Alcaeus is surviving with his own power.
There's something terribly familiar about him, too. His power and frame is one thing, but the more his name is recited in her head, it sounds familiar. Same with Archer too. A bow-woman with that title and berserker with that specific name...where is the source from? If she can figure that out, she can figure out how to beat the monster and his master.
And that starts with a strategic retreat away from Alcaeus.
He gives chase, clashing with Kureha as she leads him farther down the mountain to the flatlands. Either he's blindly following her or...well, there's no reason for her retreat. The flatlands don't provide her any advantages except more space to run. In other words, there's nothing strategic about this, but calling it "running away" is detrimental to her pride.
But it does work out in the end.
The pair slide the rest of the way down, continuing their fierce bout until Alcaeus launches her down to level land. He chases after her with a great leap, landing in a area with small boulders and debris. For the moment, he lost sight of Kureha. He didn't see her land in the surrounding rubble, so he has no clue she skittered behind a particulry large boulder, switched her axe to the bow, and has the left side of the beast in her sight.
Her ammunition is not an arrow, but a sharp rock she happened to pick up off the ground. Using the boulder as a vault, she fires the rock. The giant, not seeing her at all, growls as a gash cuts across his chest. Blood drips on the ground from the wound. The giant doesn't feel pain for long, its red eyes bearing down on Kureha with intense fury, but for the first time in this battle, Kureha smirks. "Well, well, you do bleed."
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Jaymes
"My, my, that's not very honorable of a knight." Archer chuckles as I sense the barrier placed behind his back dissipates. While we focused on the fight between Kureha and the monster, I had slipped a couple of dark element arts that I didn't use as binds towards Archer as careful as possible. I don't know when she took notice since I never looked her way, but she evaded and blocked them all as if she knew my plan the entire time.
I should just charge her with my sword, but after Mutasina proved she had some skill with her staff (granted, she fought the unskilled Yui and Rei) I decide to be a little careful about acting rashly. Kureha wishes to fight her opponent as best she can alone, but I can't get caught up with the archer in case she needs me.
"Attacking poor me from behind like that? Is this how the Star King and Queen taught them to fight? Or did you learn such tactics from the Crimson Emperor?"
Considering I did take a Dark Knight as my apprentice and was influential in Sylvie's training, I can't deny the latter accusation. Need I look towards how I taught Koharu and how Crimson Squad does things at times? I do fight dirty when pressed.
"Based on how you've addressed me, you must be a human of the Dark Territory. A member of the Imperial Knights, I bet. Or a reject."
"Too much information for an ant like you. If I wanted to, I would have destroyed you already."
"Sure. But you haven't made a move yet. I'm sure you've noticed them as well." "Them" being the presences of people leaving the city and heading in our direction. With the barrier gone, I can confirm Eydis and the girls are safe along with the incoming soldiers who taken notice of the fight between Kureha and Alcaeus.
I could attack myself, but I keep the impression that I used Perfect Weapon Control as a desperate resort. The releasing phase my be beyond me, but I know I can still use the enhancing phase. At best, i can catch this woman off guard.
But my concern for Kureha trumps all. I promised Lievre I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Though there's no real danger to Momiji - well, a reasonably low threshold of danger - I know she meant protecting the virtual form of her master too. So I keep Falchion in my hand.
"Why should I waste my power on a mongrel like you? Maybe your partner, but your pitiful performance isn't worth considering you a danger. But you are right, the knights are coming, and that means the Knight Commander is with them. Time to wrap this up for all of you."
For the first time, the woman brandishes her bow, and the hairs on my neck rise in alarm. She starts to levitate as she aims her bow at the area below the mountain. "Allow me to grant your request. The revival of the true leader of our world will be heralded by your destruction!" The blue sky is cut open, revealing a yellow sphere-shaped object in the void. Wait, that isn't just any yellow sphere...that's the fucking sun?
The sun, millions, maybe billions of mels away, just appeared right over our heads.
Just who the hell are these guys? Wasting no time, I jump off the mountain at full speed, zipping downward to the fierce battle below. I ignore the foreboding sight as I come to ground level and soar parallel to it towards the combatants. "Momiji! Switch!"
She flips backward, allowing me to slide on me with the momentum gathered during flight. Falchion at shoulder-height and parallel to both shoulders, I initiate the One-Handed sword skill Vorbal Blade. Red light surrounds the blade as I release the skill, laucnhing a couple of feet towards Alcaeus and aiming for his shoulder.
He slams his weapon on the ground, hoping to use the debris to slow me down, but Vorpal Blade carries me a couple inches off the surface. Confident I got him, I yell as my sword comes towards the beast's body...only to be caught in his hand.
With a roar of his own, Alcaeus the berserker pushes me back and raises his weapon high to crush me. But I already made my next move. "Enhance Armament: Enlightened Falchion!" Falchion's aura glows gold and moves forward on its own through Alcaeus' hands, striking and obliterating his shoulder and upper chest.
I have no clue if I killed the bastard, and have no time to think about it as I retract Falchion and run towards Kureha, who has taken notice of Archer's incoming attack. I grab her and drop to the ground with her beneath me, shouting, "Enhance Armament!" while raising my shield up.
Up above, the power of the sun is concentrated on Archer's bow, and the final words I hear from her is "Finisher Art: Virtus Solus in Palma Manus Meae!"