Shogunate Pride Chapter 9: The Importance of Tricks
By Bluestar076
Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! Took a bit longer this time since I had a few things on the back during these days (including the progression of another project aside from fanfictions), but since it has been a while, I think it's safe to say it's time to continue, as we progress with the Chimera Tribe! More battles await us while the other members are focused on keeping the place clean! I don't have much to say this time, so we can jump straight into the chapter! As always, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 9: The Importance of Tricks
Caelum – Great Akihabara Market
"WREAAAAAH!" Cal was quick and direct as he let his blade fall on the bandits who were hunting him down. The power of his katana and advanced skills enabled him to carve his road as the lesser mages of Chimera Tribe tried to jump on him, only in vail.
"GAAAAH!" One by one, the mages fell with several cuts on their bodies, as the ones who were still standing watched the boy with bewilderment.
"Who the hell is that guy!?"
"I don't know! But have you seen that speed!? It's unnatural!"
"His body is full of bleeding wounds! How can he even move like that!?"
"Move aside…" Cal told them while breathing heavily, but still glaring at them. "You won't lay another finger on these merchants or their products!"
Some of the civilians looked at him worried about his condition but still tried to escape while they had the chance.
"You're no one to tell us what to do with all those wounds! I bet that with one single attack, you're out! LET'S GET HIM!" With that phrase, the rest of the bandits jumped on him, but as usual, Cal was ready. He could still feel some pain from the battle against Sterling, but he still needed the urge to fight. Therefore, he held the sword tightly, extended his legs, and as soon as the bandits were at the right distance…he went on.
"Applied Magic: Acceleration!"
SWISH!
In an instant, Cal was already behind the bandits, who remained in mid-air. But after the boy made some swift movements with his swords, several cuts appeared on their bodies, making them fall.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Cal turned around to ensure that they stood on the ground and that no one else was coming. When the spot was all clear, he could take a deep breath and hold his arms. "We're starting to push them back. If we keep up at this point, we could turn the tables…still…GH!" For a moment, he felt his legs abandoning him, but he found the strength to keep standing up. The adrenaline rush didn't abandon him yet. "I can't fall right now…they're still attacking and we also have to deal with these roses. If only we knew where they come from…"
At that moment, a loud impact could be heard just a few inches away from him.
"What!?" When he turned around, he could see a giant boulder near him that crashed on a building, crumbling it to pieces. That sight alarmed him and made him look up, where he could see the amalgamate of floating rocks and debris that were spinning around a spot in the sky. Cal couldn't see what was doing that due to the distance, but he couldn't think about it. Right now, he was in extreme danger.
"Shit! I forgot about the rubble rain from above!" He shouted. From that point on, the rain started to become more violent, crashing down everything below, leaving buildings crushed to pieces and large craters. By using the acceleration effect again, Cal started to move around the falling boulders that could have got him from one moment to another. He was able to make quick movements that allowed him to be safe from those violent and sudden attacks, managing to cut some of the rocks falling around him to pieces. "I need to get out from their trajectory as soon as possible!" He thought.
But then…
"GAAAH!" One of his legs started to bleed, presumably a consequence of the battle with Sterling, and this made him fall. "N-Not now!" When he raised his head, he saw debris coming against him. He widened his eyes in terror. With a speed like that, he could have easily been crushed down, and he couldn't move much because of the leg. He closed his eyes, fearing for the worst, and then…
"Jabberwock – Fourth Style – Ataru!"
What seemed to be a bullet in the sky pierced through the debris, cutting it into thousands of pieces and preventing Cal from being crushed down. When the boy noticed that he was still alive, he opened his eyes confused, and saw a comforting vision.
Henry was standing right in front of him with his weapon in hand. He turned around and looked at the friend with a friendly smile. "Are you ok, Cal?" He asked.
"Henry…" Cal said with a low voice. After that, he took a deep breath. "I owe you one. For a moment, I thought that it was the end for me…"
"I know that we all need to do everything we can to keep the market safe, but I think you should take a rest. You're not in...healthy conditions." Henry told him.
"You don't seem ok, as well- NGH!" Cal felt once again the pain in the leg. Something that Henry could see clearly.
"Damm…you seem in bad condition. Were you overwhelmed by these guys?" Henry then asked.
"No. Me, Tsukuyomi, and Rere were attacked by a stronger mage. I told them to keep on moving to not waste any time while I remained to fight. I was able to win but…you could see the effects of that fight…" Cal explained while showing his wounds. "My worst concern is that there might be others like him. Someone that reaches our level."
Henry understood the situation and looked down with a smile. "Yeah, I can confirm that. I've faced one of them as well. Guess they don't want to let this go. Buuuut as you can see, we can do that as well! I'm sure that even Yori is doing fine at the moment."
"Speaking of which, weren't you assigned with the southern section?" Cal then asked.
"Yes. But no one else came after taking down all those bandits and that strong mage. I'm pretty sure they've all entered the great market at the moment. So, I think that the southern section is safe for the moment. In case, someone else might come after or I could go back to look." Henry replied.
The other mage of Shogunate Pride made closed his eyes with a smile. "That would be the ideal for this." He then looked towards the tower. "Which means that we have to get rid of them fast. After that loud noise from the central tower, I'm concerned about what could happen."
"Heh! You know both Rokumon and Iori! There's nothing to worry about it!" Henry replied optimistic. He then looked up to see the floating circle of debris, which changed targets. "Since that thing is still there, it means that Tammy hasn't reached that spot yet."
"What should we do?" Cal asked.
"One thing is for sure! You won't be able to move for a while! Which means…that I'll be stuck with you for a while." Henry told him while winking.
"Are you sure? You won't be able to help around!" Cal then asked.
To that question, Henry couldn't help but kneel to him. "Cal, I know that you are concerned. You've always been one of the eager members who took the missions with the right seriousness ever since you joined the guild. But sometimes it's OK to relax for a few moments. You've given a great help, so let me get your back for a while!"
Cal looked at him for a few moments in silence and nodded. "Got it…thanks."
"No problem! Sure, I shouldn't be the one to say this considering my conditions, but hey! I've rested a bit!" Henry spoke.
At that moment, a short old man crawled out from one of the destroyed buildings and came closer. "Uhm…If it can help, I'm a doctor that sells medicines in this market…if you let me see what's the deal, I could help with that wound." He spoke.
"Ah ah! See? We even got some help! Guess that for once, bad luck isn't getting m- AGH!" As soon as he was glad of the situation, Henry got hit by a smaller falling debris.
"You called it this time…" Cal told him with a skeptical face. And as they were stuck in that situation for a while, the battle continued elsewhere. More violent, more bizarre.
Great Akihabara Market – Eastern Sector
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Back in the eastern section, more bandits were wiped away and astonished by their attackers' power and magic, as they could see with terror that a giant red Oni was aiming at them for some reason.
"W-WHERE THE HELL DID THAT THING COME FROM!?" One of the bandits shouted.
Sena started to approach them while being transformed in his Oni form through his special TakeOver magic. "How about you give up right now?" He spoke.
The bandit was trembling. It was a clear disadvantage, but for some reason, he didn't lose motivation as he held his weapon high, aiming at the enemy. He took out a large sniper gun and aimed right at Sena's head. "D-Don't you dare make another step or you'll regret-" He tried to threaten him, but even before he could show some intimidation, he could see his weapon getting disassembled right in front of his eyes. "W-WHAT!?"
Nobuhito was right in front of him with two pieces of the weapon that he had thrown away. "You know, if you have to go on a big mission, you should at least check out if your weapons are well-attached. As you could see, It was a matter of seconds." The samurai commented before turning on Sena. "Mind if I take this one, Sena-kun?" He then asked.
"No problem!" Sena gave the confirmation, which made Nobuhito smirk maliciously under the gas mask he had on his face. The bandits tried to get away from them, but the samurai already took his wakizashi sword and sent him away with a homerun attack.
"RIGHT BACK AT YA!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"
Nobuhito whistled as soon as he saw how the enemy flew away. "Ahah! Did you see that?" He asked Sena, who turned back to his human form as soon as the danger was over.
"Gotta say, for one that isn't very practical with swords, that was one heavy blow!" He commented.
"I do use my spare time for practice! Can't be an irony for that long!" Nobuhito replied before looking around. "Hmm…the bandits here seem to be all knocked out." He commented.
"So you suggest to move on? We should hurry considering what we saw before at the central tower…" Sena asked. But the other mage wasn't convinced.
"Not quite…you never know when the surprise effect might come out…" Nobuhito said. He kept on looking around for another couple of minutes…and then…he raised his ears and looked up at a certain spot with a smirk. "Like right there!"
"Uh?" Sena asked. He didn't have the time to realize what happened when Nobuhito pushed him away before jumping. Right at that moment, a beam was shot into the spot between the two, causing a large explosion. "Woah! What was that!?" He exclaimed before looking at the part where the beam was thrown.
"Eheh…just as I thought. It all sounded too easy." Nobuhito commented while standing up.
The two samurais looked carefully in the direction where the beam started, and after a couple of seconds, they could see a silhouette coming closer. Those steps were enough to put the two mages on guard.
"I had the feeling that something was wrong! I had to use my perception spell to sense it. As always, Apostatìs is too focused on going straight to the point instead of making sure that everything goes according to plan! But no matter, I can deal with this." The figure said as he came closer.
"Are you sure to be in the condition of saying that? Don't know if you have noticed it, but there are two of us here!" Sena told him. That sentence made the figure laugh as he continued to move.
"Even if there were five of you that makes no difference at all! Those you faced up until now are mere soldiers. You still need to see the true force of a chimera." The figure spoke out. Right at that moment, the two of them could finally see his figure…and were surprised about it.
It turned out that he was a quite short man, around 120 cm, wearing a black shirt that covered his legs, a white cape on his back, two large blue shows, and a white keffiyeh on his head.
"That's the reason why I'm here now! You legal mages had enough fun."
Barrel – Member of Chimera Tribe
After the mage of Chimera Tribe showed himself, there was an awkward silence for a couple of minutes, as the two samurais looked at him without saying a word. Nobuhito and Sena looked at each other…and then…
"…PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
They both boasted out in a loud laugh and kept on doing so.
"What!? What's so funny!? Stop laughing!" Barrel exclaimed as he started to get embarrassed. But the laughter continued.
"Y-You're a member of Chimera Tribe!? Did you see your height? You look more like a termite!" Sena said as he kept on laughing and pointing at him.
"I mean, you can't make a threatening quote when you're tall like that! How tall are you?" Nobuhito added.
Needless to say, Barrel started to get mad. "Oh, is that it? Do you think I can't be a proper opponent just because I'm 120 cm tall? Fine, have it your way…" He said with a cold stare. He then started to lift his feet on the ground and levitate.
"Uh!?" That action made the two mages of Shogunate Pride stop laughing since they didn't expect that.
"What is he doing?" Sena asked.
"I don't know…maybe I took my playful side a bit too far…" Nobuhito replied.
"I'll show you what happens when you make fun of Barrel of Chimera Tribe, or if you make fun of a single one of us!" Barrel exclaimed as he put his hands in a spell position and energy started to flow around his head.
"What's with the head!?" Sena exclaimed.
"CHARISMA PIETRIFICATION!" As he shouted the name of his technique, Barrel aimed at the two mages and released what seemed to be a windstorm. When it reached the two mages, they could suddenly feel their bodies deeply increase their weight and couldn't move.
"NGHH! WHAT'S HAPPENING!? I CAN'T MOVE!" Sena shouted.
"I-It's like I'm feeling pushed on the ground! Don't tell me that he can manipulate gravity!" Nobuhito added.
"You're not laughing anymore, are you? Didn't your parents teach you to not judge a book by its cover? There's no limit to what my mind can do! All I have to do now is to take you down with one strike without having to make one drop of sweat!" Barrel exclaimed as he was ready to charge another beam to attack them while they were immobilized.
But Nobuhito made a small laugh. "Eheh…I wouldn't be so sure of that…" He told him.
"Really? What is it that you said before? Are you in the condition of saying that?" Barrel asked him, starting to be more satisfied with the outcome.
"Honestly? Yes!" Nobuhito exclaimed as he took out what seemed to be a button. Even if he couldn't move his body like he wanted, he had enough strength to move his arms and pull out another one of his tricks. He didn't hesitate and clicked it."
"What's that? What's that supposed to…" Barrel was confused, but he started to hear the noise of something flying and coming closer. He turned around and could see two directional rockets coming towards him. "WHAT THE-"
KABOOOOM!
A large explosion occurred and they could see Barrel that fell and crashed against some rubbles in the debris with a violent impact. As soon as it happened, both Nobuhito and Sena could feel their bodies free again.
"You got him!" Sena exclaimed.
"Yeah, but I don't think it will end that easily. Ready to do this, champ?" Nobuhito asked him.
"Of course!" Sena replied.
And just as the mage suspected, Barrel came out of the smoke with some burns on his clothes and as furious as ever. "What were you planning to do!? Some sort of messed up joke!?" He exclaimed.
"Well, just because we're mages doesn't mean we have to solve everything with magic! And you're the one to talk after the party that you and your friends are making!" Nobuhito countered with a smirk while holding his sword.
Barrel grits his teeth and is ready to throw another attack. "No matter! I'll just have to do it again! CHA- AH!?" He was going to use the same attack as before but was shocked to see Sena dashing right in front of him with his wooden rod.
"Don't think we're stupid enough to fall for it again! MEN!" With one kendo move, the young mage was able to wipe the other one away.
"AAAAGH!" Barrel was sent up high but was able to regain his balance and remain in mid-air. "These two are a bunch of jerks, but I have to recognize that their reflexes are excellent…but I still have the upper hand." He commented. "Don't think it will be that easy! This is just the prologue!" He then exclaimed to the two enemies who were glaring at him.
"Even if he's small, I think it won't be easy to defeat him…" Sena commented.
"Right. The fact that he could control our body like that and the fact that he can fly can already make him troublesome. We don't know what his magic can do…" Nobuhito added.
"What should we do?" The other mage asked.
"I'll attack him from afar by now. Until we have a better sight of his capacities, I ask you to approach him directly until I have a perfect moment to use my magic against him. Buuuuut knowing you, I'm certain it won't be a hard task!" Nobuhito replied before making a smirk at the younger member. "What do you say? Can I trust you for this, champ?"
Sena smirked back. "What type of question is that? You know I'm always ready for the next performance!"
"Good! I'll leave it to you then!" With those words, Nobuhito started to jump up to the ceiling of one of the buildings, with Barrel that didn't lose sight of him.
"You're good only with sneak attacks? How about you pay for that cowardice!?" With those words, his mind started to glow again, as several pieces of debris started to float and reach him.
"He can use psychokinesis!?" Nobuhito exclaimed.
"Total Homeostasis!" Barrel through the debris through the magic with no hesitation, but Sena wasn't going to let it slip.
The boy promptly jumped up and activated his magic as well. "TakeOver: Tengu!" Through the TakeOver, he turned into a humanoid bird with a long nose holding two fans that he used as blades to cut through the debris.
"What? A TakeOver magic? So it's like Sterling…" Barrel commented as he got ready. Sena used a battle pose as well while holding the fans tightly.
"You're the one who you should look at now!" He exclaimed.
"Don't worry! I can take on you both!" Barrel exclaimed. Much like before, Sena tried to not give him any chance to attack and dived directly against him, aiming to attack him with the claws of his form. Barrel saw it coming and started to move away in mid-air to dodge his attacks. His size made him go faster and fly around at an impressive speed, but Sena was no less and started to chase him flying at a high pace. The two of them started to move around the market while Nobuhito was starting to develop some new devices to support his friend.
Sena could see that the distance between him and his enemy was starting to shorten, so he tried to attack him directly with several dives attack, but Barrel could see through it and started to move from side to side so that he could dodge him. Seeing that these attacks weren't working, Sena tried to fly up and then crash directly at the opponent with a straight attack. "HAAAAA!"
Barrel widened his eyes, put the index and the middle finger of both hands in front of himself, and shouted. "CHARISMA FRIGHT!"
"UGH!" Sena could feel both his brain and mind getting wrapped up by an oppressing force that pushed him away. "GAAAH!"
"Better luck next time!" Barrel told him as he saw him falling.
But Sena didn't lose sight of his enemy. "Says who? Let's see if you like this!" He quickly regained balance by spreading his wings and started to move his fans at high speed to generate a large whirlwind that he threw against Barrel.
"Oh, you got to AAAGH!" Not expecting this, Barrel got fully hit and crashed against the center of a building, creating a large hole. "Gh…" He got stuck in the cement, but as soon as he raised his head, he could see that Sena was already darting against him. "HM!" Barrel's eyes glowed, and in that stance, Sena started to move slower from his perspective, which allowed him to escape in time by jumping down and making several somersaults.
From his point of view, Sena could see Barrel move away at an unexpected speed in such a short time, and he ended up crashing against the hole. "What the!?"
Barrel didn't lose the chance and generated two magical beams to directly attack Sena. "TAKE THIS!"
The mage from Shogunate Pride got himself stuck in the whole and couldn't dodge it in time. "AGH!" The direct impact of the blow made him lose the effect of his magic and he turned normal. "Gh…absurd. How could he move like that in just a matter of seconds? Now that I think of it…each time I tried to attack him, his reflexes were immediate, except when I caught him by surprise earlier…could this be related to his magic?" He wondered.
"Surprised yet, kid? Now you see who you guys are messing with. Every individual member of Chimera Tribe puts their heart and soul into the accomplishment of the hunt! And to be true to those words, we have mastered our skills through the years to make sure that our enemies would fall to our claws! Just like me! It doesn't matter if you're larger in number and height! My intellect will take you both down!" Barrel told him.
Sena gritted his teeth as he stood up. "Don't think we can't say the same! It's better if you don't mess with a samurai! I still have other secrets to share here!" He retorted.
Barrel was already preparing the next debris to throw at him. "We'll see if that's correct. Try to not disappoint me! Total Homeostasis!" He then threw the rubbles through psychokinesis.
"TakeOver: Kitsune!" Sena didn't lose any time and used his magic to turn into a large white and red fox with nine tails and started to run around to dodge the debris and reach out for Barrel. As soon as he was close to him, he opened his mouth to release a large burst of wisp flames. "GRAAAAAAAH!"
"Dammit!" Seeing the large amount of fire coming right in front of him, Barrel flew up as far as possible to dodge the flames and then use his magic to block him again. "Charisma Pietrification!"
Once again, Sena could feel the gravity on his body increase and he crashed down on the roof of the building he was standing. "GH!"
"Transform as you want! If you can't reach me, that magic is use- GAH!" Barrel started to mock him and prepare for the next attack, but right at that moment, he could feel something that attacked him from behind. "Gh! What the-!?" He could feel something on his throat and when he took it off, he was confused by what he saw. "What's this? A sedative?" He then turned around and could see Nobuhito standing from another roof, holding what seemed to be mosin-nagant and smirking.
"Just a present for me!" He said while winking.
"That sneaky bastard! I forgot about- EH!?" Suddenly, Barrel could feel his senses getting dizzier, and his body started to stagger. "Ugh…why am I feeling so…" He didn't have the time to realize that a large figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
As soon as he got the chance, Sena came in front of him and tightened his nine tails, which he used to attack him in a barrage of blows. "ORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"GAAAAAH!" Barrel's sense of dizziness was suddenly replaced by several blows caused by Sena and for a while, he couldn't move or struggle and received attack after attack. "Dammit DAMMIT! If I continue at this pace, They'll overthrow me! To think that my mind powers weren't enough against two idiots like them! Guess I have no other choice!" He thought. "MAXIMAM FORTITUDEM!" As he pronounced the technique's name, his two arms started to increase in dimensions and muscles, shocking both Sena and Nobuhito.
"What!? His arms!?"
"How did he do so!?"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" With newfound strength and frustration, Barrel started to answer back with a barrage of his fists, and the two ended up clashing. The impact between blows was powerful enough to make the roof crack and rumble, with several tiles that started to fly away due to the violence. But in the end, Barrel's punches were able to reach out to Sena and hit him in the face twice.
"AGH!"
"SENA!" Nobuhito shouted out.
Barrel didn't end there and grabbed Sena by the tails before throwing him away, making the large kitsune clash against an arch.
"Dammit! He overwhelmed him! After seeing him with all those attacks I thought he specialized in mind attacks, I never thought that-" Nobuhito couldn't finish up his observation that Barrel already reached him with a jump and still with his two big arms activated. "He's fast!"
"SAY GOODBYE TO THAT!" With those words, Barrel threw a heavy punch that hit Nobuhito and destroyed the mosin-nagant that he was using.
"GAH!" Nobuhito spit up some blood but didn't give up on that blow. He frowned his eyes and jumped backward to avoid another punch. He then drew his wakizashi katana and started to move around him to confuse him and find a break to attack. Barrel answered by swinging his big arms around, trying to squash the opponent with a single attack. Nobuhito turned out to hand it well, as his ready movements were enough to dodge the attack. "It seems that what you gain in strength with those arms, you lack it in speed!" He commented.
"We'll see if you insist on these jokes!" Barrel exclaimed before throwing a direct punch against Nobuhito, which smashed him to pieces. The body of the samurai ended up getting blown up in a fountain of blood and armor pieces, and Barrel was delighted to see that. "AHAH! See? This is the punishment for your mockery!" But suddenly, Nobuhito reappeared behind him, ready to attack him. "What!? I just squashed you!"
"Dream Hijack! What you see was a mere illusion! Another trick of mine! TSEAH!" After a brief explanation, Nobuhito attacked Barrel directly with the sword, managing to give him a cut on the belly that made him bleed.
"NGHHH!" Getting more flustered by that fluke, the mage from Chimera Tribe started to attack with more violence and speed by using the big arms.
Nobuhito used the same procedure as before, but he soon noticed how he was starting to get overwhelmed by the punches, with some of them damaging his armor, for real this time. "Gh! Sure, I'm good at dodging, but not that much!"
Barrel then united his two arms to stomp Nobuhito, but right at that moment, Sena, still in his kitsune form, jumped up on the roof with nine wisp flames on the tip of his nine tails. "TAKE THIS!" Without hesitation, he threw the nine flames, which all clashed violently against Barrel, who was forced to use his arms in a defensive stance to defend himself. Sena took advantage of the havoc to grab Nobuhito and jump away before turning back to normal.
"Damm…I always forget that I can't use this form for long…" Sena commented before turning to the friend. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah. That was a close call…thanks." Nobuhito answered before standing up. Right after that, even Barrel reached out to the two by gently touching the ground with levitation. They noticed that the sleeves of his shirt were torn apart, probably an effect of those big arms.
"Unbelievable…not only do you dare to mock someone like me, but you even turn out to be a terrible nuisance!" He exclaimed.
"What? Did you expect something different? You should get lessons on how to control your temper! You're getting too red for me, sweetheart!" Nobuhito retorted.
"But, we have to admit that you are strong…for now! Don't think you can still act all cool, because I've realized what your magic can do!" Sena added, shocking both Nobuhito and Barrel.
"What!?"
"Sena, is that true?" The other samurai asked, making Sena nod.
"I could notice by looking how you battled against me and Nobuhito, paying attention to the moves you used. It was then that I realized that your magic could modify both your mental and physical skills! Am I right?"
Barrel started to sweat as soon as that boy said it.
"That explains how he was able to interfere directly with our heart and brain earlier…" Nobuhito noticed.
"Grr…Heh. Fine. I'll give you credit for that, you are more clever than I expected for someone of your age. That's the truth!" Barrel said. "My magic is called 'Parameter', and as the title suggests, it makes me change the parameters of both my mental and physical power as I wish to. This makes me stronger than usual and allows me to unlock new power by making both body and mind reach new heights. The effect I used on you earlier is because my mind powers were at a high level and allowed me to use the ways of the psychics, while with the powers I used just now, I could increase the capacity of my body parts. But tell me…what does it change? You could already see what my magic can do! Sure, you can deliver some good blows, but you can say that I'm still superior! Just like the rest of us! Why even bother? You could see that Apostatìs already reached out to the central tower! It's only a matter of minutes before he reaches the globe that holds this whole market! You should realize it by now. You have already-" He explained both his power and his situation, but just as he continued to talk…
"Blah blah blah 'we have already reached our goal', blah blah blah 'there's nothing you can do' blah blah blah 'something something darkness' blah. Boy, you surely like to talk, eh?" Nobuhito said.
"STOP INTERRUPTING ME! YOU ARE EXTREMELY RUDE!" Barrel shouted.
"Perhaps you should see things better with your eyes before throwing sentences! As you can see, we're still standing, and so are our comrades! Haven't you noticed that the market is still standing? And now that we know what you can do, we surely know how to face you better, that's for sure!" Sena told him.
At this point, they could see a vein almost coming out of Barrel's head, even if he had a keffiyeh on his head. "WE SHALL SEE ABOUT THAT, YOU FUCKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU MAKE A FUN OF ME!" He added as his body started to get surrounded by a black and red aura, which made everything tremble.
"Boy, he really has a small comprehension of jokes, that's for sure!" Nobuhito commented.
"Still, it's something we can use to our advantage!" Sena told him.
"That's for sure! Maybe we can have one more option for victory! While he threw himself at me, I was able to do that thing." Nobuhito said.
"Great! That means that all we have to do is to endure!" The other samurai said.
"Are you ready for this?" Nobuhito asked him.
"The greatest performers always have to deliver a special finale! Which means that I won't hold myself!" Sena replied before grabbing a kabuki mask. This was the device he used every time he activated his Take Over magic, and changed alongside him. This time, once he activated the magic, the mask turned on a beautiful yet cold visage of a woman with white skin and a long light blue rode. "TakeOver: Yukionna!"
"CHARISMA FRIGHT!" Even if his opponent transformed himself, Barrel didn't hesitate for a second and already used the mind energy to wrap up both samurais' hearts and brains and throw them away violently.
"GAAAAH!"
Both Nobuhito and Sena were able to regain balance quickly, with the former starting to jump up from a roof. "I'll attack from afar while we waiting! Give him your best shot in the meantime!" He spoke.
"Leave it to me!" Sena replied before turning at the enemy and noticing that he was charging some sort of red and black energy vortex. "Uh oh…"
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Barrel took some time to charge the attack until it got to acceptable dimensions and then lifted. "WITH THIS I'LL MAKE SURE TO GET RID OF THAT DAMM FACE OF YOURS! THIS IS MY MENTAL ENERGY AT HIS HIGHEST! MATERIA GRISEO!" He threw the vortex directly at Sena, who could feel himself getting sucked up as the vortex came closer.
"NUH UH! WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!" Sena promptly countered by charging his energy. Soon, the temperature started to reach low temperatures, and a beautiful aurora could be seen in the sky, making everyone in the market look in awe.
"Wooow…it doesn't make sense to see the aurora in the daytime but it's wonderful…" Rere commented while Tsukuyomi looked confused.
Back at the eastern section, once Sena had enough energy, he charged his aurora beam, making the two blows clash. The mage of Shogunate Pride could sense that the enemy attack was powerful, and for a moment he could feel his leg abandoning him. But he soon stood up.
"Nghhhh! 力 – Chikara; Strength! The first trait of a samurai! If I don't have it, I can't look up to the others next time! GAAAAAH!" With that in mind, Sena pushed further, and the two attacks ended up converging into one large explosion.
After it was over, the whole area was surrounded by white smoke. Sena was able to stand up, but he looked around, not knowing what happened. "Did I win?"
As soon as the smoke started to fade, he could see that Barrel was standing up as well with several rubbles lifted with the psychokinesis. "What?! Do you want applause? Even if you stopped that, You helped me with these rubbles!"
"Gee, calm down-" Sena commented with a drop of sweat coming down from his head.
"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY IT AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE! TOTAL HOMEOSTASIS!" Barrel immediately threw the debris both at Sena and at Nobuhito, who was standing up. The two mages started to move quickly to not get hit by all the rubbles, and at the same time, they attacked back. While Sena used several thick snowflakes, Nobuhito started to throw several kunai, and they could both notice that Barrel's attacks were starting to get more vague, and more disoriented. It was then that Sena had an idea.
"Gee! After all that speech that you've made, this is quite disappointing! I can't believe you were this much of a noob!"
Silence.
Barrel glared directly at Sena with twitching eyes. The mage of Shogunate Pride made it on purpose to strike a nerve, and it succeeded. "…What…did you call me?" The enemy asked. Sena repeated it, and the mage of Chimera Tribe was so furious that he could see his lips in slow motion.
"N.O.O.B."
Another moment of silence…and then Barrel started foaming in the mouth. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Sena and Nobuhito were genuinely surprised by that reaction.
"My God! That's the definition of the word 'triggered!'" Nobuhito commented.
Once again, the dark and red aura started to surround Barrel, but this time, instead of generating the vortex, the two samurais could see that Barrel's body was starting to get bigger and bigger, even reaching out above the two meters. Even his look started to change, starting to become more monstrous, with two of his lower teeth starting to become visible. Both his arms and chest were becoming exponentially big. In the end, he had the look of a classical horror movie that roared at the two of them. Needless to say, he wasn't that short now.
"Now I have to say it…this is bad! If that attack earlier was his mental power at his highest, this must be the physical one at his highest!" Sena commented while turning back to normal.
"Which means that we pushed him to the very limit! But it shouldn't be too long before the effect starts." Nobuhito observed.
"This means that this is the last push, right?" Sena asked. He then looked up at Barrel for a few seconds and then made a small dance. "Ok, then! Leave it to me! Get ready to fall to the great Sena Kojiro!" With those words, he put on this mask and transformed again. "TakeOver: Oni!" To contrast such a monster, Sena decided to rely on his signature, and probably the strongest of his transformations.
In a full berserk rampage, Barrel threw himself against Sena, who answered by making his arms clash against those of the enemy. In a matter of seconds, the two of them started to clash in several barrages of punches, much like they did a moment earlier. Nobuhito took the chance to draw the Nakizashi sword and started to move around, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The battle between the two monsters continued on an equal level until Barrel was able to get through Sena's arms and push him away with a double punch, making him spit blood and recoil. But Sena wasn't done there, and delivered a heavy blow with his kanabo club, making Barrel recoil as well.
The mage of Chimera Tribe wasn't still going down and he lifted a large piece of debris to throw at Sena, who answered by crushing it down to pieces, only to see that Barrel was already moving to push him away.
"HMMM!" The mage of Shogunate Pride answered by clashing his hands with those of Barrel and started to get pushed. But he didn't give up, and the two of them started to push forward, almost as if they were having a sumo match. "You know? There's a difference between us! You may have gained a huge strength by assuming this form, but in doing so, you've lost your mind! A suggestion for next time!" Sena spoke, as he started to slowly lift him. "TAKE A CHAMOMILLE NEXT TIME WOAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With that, by using an extra amount of strength, the young mage of Shogunate Pride was able to throw Barrel up. "HE'S ALL YOURS!" Sena then shouted.
Nobuhito was looking at the enemy with a smirk and the sword in his hand. "I need to thank you, Sena! You delivered an outstanding performance!" After some due thanks, the mage clad in red armor jumped up and stabbed Barrel with the sword, increasing the effect he had used earlier.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Like before, Barrel started to feel dizzy, with his senses starting to abandon him, to the point that he ended up sleeping in mid-air. This made him fall to the ground with a large thud.
"He fell asleep, but he's not finished yet. If he wakes up, there's no doubt he'll charge at us again!" Nobuhito commented while Sena turned back to normal.
"Then I suppose I can leave it to you?" The other mage asked with a smile. That question made Nobuhito start to step forward.
"Indeed. I thank you for your effort, champ. Let us have him get a taste of my magic now." As soon as he said these words, he used his magic to assume what seemed to be an immaterial form. "Dream Hijack!" After that change, he threw himself towards the enemy and was able to enter his mind.
A few minutes later…
"Ugh…" Barrel groaned a bit as he started to regain consciousness and slowly stood up. He remembered well what had just happened. But…something was wrong. "Wha-?"
He suddenly found himself in what seemed to be a strange slimy rose space, where the only present thing seemed to be him. "Where the hell am I!?"
"Why good morning, sleeping beauty!" A voice suddenly called out, making him turn around and see that it belonged to Nobuhito, who was looking at him with his usual smile. "I had been waiting to do this! I hope you're ready!"
"YOU BASTARD! What are you doing here!? What is this place!? Is this another one of your tricks!?" Barrel exclaimed, immediately getting angry.
"You could say so! I don't want to spoil you the fun, that's for sure. Let's just say that my presence here is a Self-Insert, and we're here to play a little game. Think you're up for it?" Nobuhito replied.
But Barrel wasn't affording for that, and he immediately spread his arms. "I HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR MOCKERY! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU DO THAT! VANISH!" With those words, he started to generate several portals behind him that started to shoot several purple beams, all aimed at Nobuhito.
The samurai promptly stood ready and started to move closer to the enemy while jumping from one spot to another to dodge the attacks. "I can get your situation now, but growing your anger will only take you farther from the truth!" He told him before getting in front of him. He started to attack Barrel with the sword, but the mage of Chimera Tribe was able to move around and dodge him.
Barrel moved as up as possible before starting to concentrate energy. "WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT! HOW ABOUT I BLOW UP THIS ENTIRE PLACE AND END THIS GAME!? MATERIA GRISEO!" Without hesitation, he threw down the red and black vortex right at Nobuhito, causing a large explosion. "Hm…strange. I usually spend more time charging that attack…Oh, no matter! What's important is that I got him!"
And when the smoke came out, he could see Nobuhito lying down on the ground, full of wounds.
"YES! YES! FINALLY IT'S MY CHANCE!" Barrel didn't want to waste time and flew at high speed against the enemy, stabbing him in the chest with his bare hand, managing to do it. "YEEEEES! GAME OVER, MAGE!"
But even if he was apparently finished, Nobuhito made one last smile and looked at his opponent. "Nightmare…" After saying those words, he vanished in what seemed to be a glittered white dust that started to surround everything.
"COUGH COUGH! Come on, did he blow up!?" Barrel exclaimed while he couldn't see anything due to the dust. And then…when it came out, the mage could see a familiar place surrounding him. "…What?"
He was standing in what seemed to be the courtyard of a monastery, with several monks who were training, meditating, or teaching to younger members. Barrel was simply bewildered by this sight. "I-I'm…back at home?" He asked. Everything felt so…confusing. Of all places…why did he end up there?
Suddenly, all the monks that were in the area started to glare at him in silence. For a few minutes, the scene didn't change.
"W-What? What's with you guys? Don't you remember me? It's me, Barrel!" The mage tried to talk to them.
"We do remember, Barrel." A voice from behind made him turn around, only to see what seemed to be the chief of the monastery, who had the same glare as the other monks.
"Master!?" Barrel exclaimed.
"We do remember your time here and how you used to train here with the rest of us. And we could see how you disgraced the teachings we have shared with you." The chief answered.
"What!? What do you mean!?" The mage of Chimera Tribe asked.
"Do not pretend we couldn't see beyond these walls. Your pride for the newfound strength in your magic brought you to pure arrogance and made you decide to use it for evil purposes! How many damages have you made ever since you joined that group of hunters?" The chief continued.
Barrel started to sweat and make a few steps back in anxiety and discomfort. "N-No, wait! It's not what it looks like! I didn't forget!"
"Unfortunately we cannot believe you. A collected mind and respect for others. By joining those hunters and looting, you disrespected everything you had done here, and you disgraced us and ourselves!" The chief then started to point at him. "Someone like you can only be called…a noob."
Soon, the rest of the monks followed the chief, pointing at Barrel and saying the same things.
"You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob. You're a noob."
Barrel looked around in turmoil, gritting his teeth and holding his head with his hands. "NGHHHH! ENOUGH! STOP SAYING THAT! I'M NOT A NOOB!"
The chief's face melted away, revealing him to be Nobuhito. "Glad that the trick worked! Now it's safe to say that we're ready for the finale."
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" For some reason, that yell changed everything. Barrel wasn't in the monk anymore, instead, he found himself in a colorful meadow with rainbow marshmallows, unicorns, and flowers with faces, all of this joined by the music of a carousel. As he turned around, he could see the other members of Chimera Tribe waiting for him.
"Barreeeeeeel! It was all a bad dreaaaaaaaaam! Come here!" Apostatìs called him out.
"Eeeeh…EHEHEHEHEHEHEEH!" With an exasperated look and laugh, the mage started to run towards them, hoping that the bad situation would have come to an end. "I'M COMING! WE'VE WOOON!"
But right at that moment, Nobuhito appeared behind him, with his sword that was glowing. "Ok! I think you've seen enough!"
"What? AGH!" In an instant, Nobuhito slashed Barrel from behind and released an energy that started to melt down the dream.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Back to the real world, Barrel started to freak out with his eyes without pupils in what seemed to be an expression of agony, and after a couple of seconds, he stopped and fell, starting to go back to normal, with wheels on his eyes. Shortly after, Nobuhito came out of his head and reached Sena.
"Did you do it?" Sena asked.
"Yes! Thanks to our battle, his mind was messed up enough so that I could finish the battle thanks to my dream magic! Gotta say, though…even if he was short…he wasn't an easy opponent." Nobuhito replied.
"Yeah. But we did it! Well, not that I would have expected something different from two master performers like us, right?" Sena asked with a smirk.
"You can say it twice!" The other samurai answered before high five with him. "Though, to be fair…with magic like that, it would have been impossible for me to take care of it on my own. You surely made a big number there!"
That comment made Sena blush and look elsewhere. "Now you're just exaggerating, I did nothing serious, really!"
"No, I'm honest!" Nobuhito insisted, and everything concluded with a small laughter between the two.
"Well…that's nice to hear. I haven't been in the guild for that long, so there are a lot of things that I need to do. But…I'm glad to see that my results can bring me somewhere!" Sena then said.
"You can consider this a start. I think it's better to go now. The battle is still ongoing!" Nobuhito then suggested, looking at the rest of the market.
Before following him, Sena turned around to see Barrel. "Are you sure it's safe to leave him alone like this?" He asked.
"Pretty much. Considering that we just defeated him, it will take him a while to recover. Ironic, isn't it? We took him down both physically and mentally!" Nobuhito replied, making the other mage chuckle.
"Ahah! That's right! So he's out on two sides! Well, time to head off then!" With those words, the two samurais started to leave and move on to reach places where they could be helpful, leaving Barrel alone.
The defeated mage was looking up at the sky with both body and mind exhausted and overwhelmed. After everything he had been through, he could only say one thing.
"I…I wanna go home…"
And with that, there was only one thing to say.
KNOCKOUT!
Great Akihabara Market – Northern Section
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Meanwhile, in the northern section, the chaos increased further, as the imperial guards that were put at the defense of the place were getting overwhelmed by another mage who decided to descend into action after seeing how things were going.
Ray-Machina was shooting at each moving being that was making even the slightest movement with destructive fire weapons that could shoot bolt-action. Even if he was standing in a large area with a large number of present people, he was able to keep track of every single being that was in his scope and crush him down. Soon, that part of the market was filled with holes, flames, and explosions, and the imperial guards could see their bodies getting pierced by that mage's insanely fast bullets.
One of the guards was standing behind a building to not get hit and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But it almost seemed impossible. "Anf…anf…dammit…" He leaned his head of only an inch. "How can he be so fast!? Our squadron got wiped out in an instant, just as we were about to push them back! Is he even human-GAH!" He ended up making a small yet fatal mistake by just leaning the head, as he got immediately shot at the front by a bullet, killing him instantly.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! YES! FALL! I SHOULD HAVE MOVED EARLIER! AT THIS RATE THIS WHOLE MARKET WILL FALL DOWN TO MY ARTILLERY!" Ray-Machina shouted as he saw the massacre he was causing with a delighted expression on his face. At that moment, he raised his head and saw something that he didn't expect. "Uh!?"
Hoshiko was above him in mid-air, ready to make a dive attack.
"A MAGE!? AGH!" Not expecting that, Ray-Machina got hit and fell to the ground. As soon as the attack was successful, the ninja mage jumped back and stood ready for any type of response.
"Thank goodness, I was able to get him in time…" She commented before looking around. "Dammit…I think I got a savage one at this turn." She then noticed that the enemy was starting to move back.
"Nghhhh…" Ray-Machina shook his head and then stood up staggering weirdly. Hoshiko could see that his body was moving statically and irregularly. "Maaaan, if that hurt! Even if my body is made of metal, I can't predict it all, even if it annoys me…" Ray-Machina commented before looking at his opponent. "Aaaah, I see! You're completely different from the others that attacked me so far! Yes…I presume that you are among those mages that are bothering us in our precious hunt, am I right?" He asked with a creepy smile.
Hoshiko felt a bit creeped out by his expression, but this didn't make her falter, as she pointed her ninjato sword at him. "You surely have some guts to say something like that! Considering what you just made it tells me that you don't have any regret on causing all of this! Which means that my job is easier here…" she told him with a cold stare.
"AHAHAHAHAHA! Do you think someone like me could regret this when it's the same thing that makes me alive? I'm both a machine and a chimera, a perfect combination of efficiency and violence, what matters to me the most is not something like the consequences, but the result! And as the official guide to Chimera Tribe, I can't afford to make a bad performance, don't you agree?" Ray-Machina answered.
"W-What? A machine?" Hoshiko asked.
Ray-Machina's smirk grew larger as he spread his arms to show his metallic and shining body. "Look at this hunk of a physique! The exact term for this body isn't entirely human, but Machias! We are the ultimate peak of technology in all of Earth Land!" He spoke.
"Machias? I see. I've heard of them in my many travels. They are living mechanical beings that rely on their powers their high functionalities and technology mixed up with magic. To think that they had someone like him on their own…" Hoshiko thought while keeping his composure.
"To make you an example of how dangerous we can be, one of our kind, Wall Eehto, was hired as one of the strongest soldiers in the Alvarez Empire, and you could see what massacre that turned out to be two years ago, right? I'm just like him, and I would dare to say that I'm even better! That idiot got himself killed while I've kept on accumulating victory after victory ever since I joined Chimera Tribe!" Ray-Machina explained. "Eheheheh…I don't want to intimidate you, but I just want to make sure that you know who you're standing with. And you need to know that I'm not in the perfect mood by now. After all the damages and troubles that you are giving us, there's no way I can let you get out of here alive! If there's one thing you must know is that we HATE when someone makes us mad!"
Hoshiko remained in silence for a couple of minutes after hearing him talk. And then made a chuckle. "Intimidated? Do I look like someone who could be intimidated by something like that?" She told him.
"What?" Ray-Machina asked.
"True, by giving a better look, you surely give a creepy presence, and judging by what you just caused here, I can say that you are a tough one. But don't think this will be enough to scare me. I've learned to accept and move forward in worrying situations just as that, and if I were to abandon the battlefield just like that, I couldn't live up to the code of the samurai of my guild!" Hoshiko proclaimed before swinging her sword. "After seeing all the mess you've been causing for a while by now, the only thing I can do is to show how flashy I can be…by taking you down!"
"Is that so? Then come at me! Prove if you really are as confident as you want to show! With someone like me, you can't expect to have a normal matchup!" Ray-Machina retorted starting to change his arm in what seemed to be a missile launcher.
Hoshiko made a small grin. "Who said I was looking for a regular battle? If there's one thing we ninjas are not…is normal."
"Ninja? I don't care what you are supposed to be if a ninja or a mage. What matters is that I blow you up!" With those words, Ray-Machina aimed at the girl with the launcher and immediately shot several missiles.
Hoshiko didn't get scared by that sight, and as an answer, he threw a handful of small bombs that collided with the missiles, generating a large explosion.
"What!?" Ray-Machina exclaimed, not expecting that reaction. He instantly tried to search for the enemy through the use of a scanner that was put in his iris. But as far as the scanner tried to look everywhere, it couldn't find a trace of the girl. But for some reason, the Machias could see the woman's silhouette appearing in various spots of the huge pile of smoke. "Ah, I see what games we are playing! You're hoping to confuse me, isn't that right? TOO BAD THAT IT DOESN'T WORK! Let me show you what else I can do, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROCCOLI FOR DINNEEEER!"
Ray-Machina then leaned his arms to the ground, almost looking like a dog while a large cannon came out from his back and the radar on his eyes started to become thermal, making him see through the smoke. "Sniper Mode!" With that, he could finally see the clear movements of Hoshiko, who was making her way through the area by remaining hidden in the smoke. "I GOT YOU!" Ray-Machina started to shoot one heavy blow after another, almost like a tank.
"Hm!" Hoshiko could see it coming and started to make large jumps from one spot to another to dodge the explosive blows. "Dammit, I should have expected it from a machine like him!" He commented while he kept on moving. To increase his agility and chance of not getting hit, whenever Hoshiko touched the ground after a jump, she pushed up with the tip of her feet to make another large jump and reach a higher distance, so that the blows could only hit the rocks. She continued to do this for a while until she got out from the pile of smoke, where Ray-Machina could see her.
"I see how it is! But if you think that hopping like a rabbit could get you away from my grasp then you are 100.00% WRONG!" Ray-Machina exclaimed before changing his weapon. The cannon started to slowly change shape into a smaller yet faster weapon. "MK-47!" Ray-Machina immediately started to shoot at Hoshiko repeatedly with magical bullets that went at high speed.
Hoshiko widened her eyes and she started to quickly swing the ninjato katana to reject all the bullets aimed at her. "HAAAAAAAAH!"
"Dear lord, she's fast!" Ray-Machina noticed while the girl went directly down at him. Before she could completely land and perform another dive attack, the mage of Chimera Tribe quickly stood up and turned his arms into chainsaws to clash with the girl's blade. "One-on-one Mode!"
SWING!
Hoshiko could see with surprise as her sword clashed with the robot's arm, which opposed resistance. "He was able to resist the Horse Cut Technique? He's something else! But no matter! I just need to get serious!" She thought. As soon as the impact took place, she jumped back, finally landing on the ground, and immediately started to clash with Ray-Machina by using both strength and speed, but the mage of Chimera Tribe was of the same level.
"How do you like it? You may be as skilled as you want, but you can't compete with the incarnation of progress, SSSSSSSSSPINACH SOUP!" Ray-Machina shouted as he continued the clash. At a certain point, he slammed one of his chainsaw arms against Hoshiko's arm.
"GHHHH!" Hoshiko could feel the tremendous pain coming out of his arm. If it wasn't for the armor pieces she was wearing, she could say that her arm would have been chopped down in a matter of seconds. But that wasn't even the worst part of it, as Hoshiko could feel the enemy's hand on his belly. "AH!"
"LET'S SEE HOW YOU BECOME FIREWORKS!" Ray-Machina immediately shot a missile at a close distance that caused a violent explosion. "AHAHAHAH! One's already down! At this point, I might break the world reco-" While he thought to have won, he soon had to reconsider himself after the smoke passed out. "EH!?"
What he blew up wasn't the real Hoshiko, but rather what seemed to be a doll made of hay with her features.
"What the heck!? Where is she!?" He exclaimed, starting to look around, anywhere but from the right direction.
Hoshiko was already slipping behind him with her palm wide open until she was able to attack him on the back. "Red Star Big Wave!" As soon as she made an impact on the enemy's body, she released all the wavelengths of her soul into his body.
"GAAAAAH!" Ray-Machina could feel the power of his blow, as his body system broke down for a few seconds and he was thrown away for several meters.
"Anf…anf…" After that attack was successful, Hoshiko could take a moment to breathe and check on his arms, noticing that it was badly damaged and bleeding. "I managed to attack him, but with a high risk. Due to his nature as a machine, he can change every part of his body into a deadly weapon. It's a good thing I thought of using the doll trick or I would have paid severely during that clash. He's not an opponent I can attack easily. I need to not give him time to use his weapons. I need to do it…Uncle Dohko relies on me!" She thought.
"Ghhhh…" Ray-Machina slowly stood up as clear blue electric shockwaves surrounded his body for a couple of seconds. "10% of my body damaged, it never happened up until now!" He exclaimed.
"Are you surprised? Perhaps this rabbit is more unpredictable than you think." Hoshiko said to him, trying to tease him.
"Eheh…laugh as you can. I still have to show you my best shots." Ray-Machina retorted with a smirk.
"The same can be said about me," Hoshiko replied while taking off a key with a strange symbol on it. It was colored in an icy white.
"Uh? A key!? Does that mean…" Ray-Machina understood what was going on, and his thoughts turned out to be correct, as the mage of Shogunate Pride raised the key, which started to emit light.
"Open, gate of the winter: Yukiko!" The key glowed up until it revealed what seemed to be a girl with white hair, cat ears, and blue eyes wearing a black shirt, a pair of black fingerless gloves, long black stockings, and two black high-heeled shoes. As soon as the woman appeared, she made a small bow to Hoshiko.
"Good day, my lady. How can I help you?" The spirit asked. Hoshiko immediately pointed at Ray-Machina.
"There's a machine here that needs to be cooled down. How about we give him our flashy treatment?"
"Is that so?"
"Aaah, so that's how it is! Apart from being a ninja, you're one of those Celestial Spirit Mages, uh? NO MATTER! I have enough weapons to get rid of every type of opponent that gets in my way! Sending back this cat thing to the spirit realm will be a matter of seconds!" Ray-Machina exclaimed before his back started to show off what seemed to be a jetpack. "Rocket Mode!" He changed mode and immediately started to fly up in the sky at high speed, while the scanner on his iris started to aim at both Hoshiko and Yukiko.
After hearing the enemy talk, Yukiko had a cold stare in his eyes and looked at him while releasing what seemed to be a double-bladed lance with ice scales on it. "I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO TOUCH MY LADY!" With those words, she immediately threw herself against the enemy.
"I always forget how possessive she can be…" Hoshiko commented with a drop of sweat coming out from her head. She then started to follow Yukiko, running towards the enemy as well.
"FIRE IN THE HOLD, AHAHAHAH!" As soon as he saw the two girls running towards him, Ray-Machina started to release several explosive bombs from his body that exploded at contact. Seeing the imminent damage, Yukiko made the lance spin and planted it on the ground to generate a dome of ice that could resist the explosions. Despite some cracks here and there, the barrier was able to resist, and once the bombs were finished, the two girls could focus on the enemy.
"Nice thought, Yukiko! He's all yours now!" Hoshiko exclaimed. The celestial spirit got the message and jumped on her master, as soon as she united her hands. The cat woman landed on the hands and Hoshiko pushed up to throw her against Ray-Machina.
The mage of Chimera Tribe smirked with his teeth exposed as soon as he saw the woman getting closer to him. In an instant, all his locks-on were directed at her. "You just threw yourself to the grave. TAKE THIS!" His shoulders turned into two large missile launchers that immediately started to go against Yukiko.
The girl widened her eyes, but she went forward nonetheless while starting to swing her ice lance. Once the missiles came closer, she used her weapons to cut through all of them and get closer, but right at the last moment, a missile was able to get through her and exploded directly at her face. "GAAAH!"
"YUKIKO!" Hoshiko shouted.
The cat started to fall, but she then glared at the enemy and gritted her teeth. "Don't think it's that easy to kill me!" A cold blizzard started to surround her and gave her an added push to get up again and reach out to Ray-Machina, who was astonished.
"WHAT!?"
"AAAAAAH!" Once she was right in front of him, Yukiko didn't lose any time and stabbed her lance right into her jetpack before jumping away.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? AAAAAAAH!" Due to the malfunctions, the rocket stopped working and Ray-Machina fell with a heavy impact while Yukiko turned back to Hoshiko.
"Eheh! Great job as always, Yukiko!" Hoshiko complimented the other woman, who turned around with her cheeks lightly red.
"N-Now now, it's only my duty…" Yukiko spoke.
"GHHH…" Once again, Ray-Machina stood up with his body surrounded by the electric shockwaves and the rocket that fell. "25% of the body damaged and the Rocket Mode out of use…goddammit! That girl's movements are unpredictable even for my calculations, how is that possible!?"
"What's the matter? Getting overheated already?" Hoshiko asked with a grin.
"Grrr, It's soon for making jokes!" Getting more frustrated, Ray-Machina went to the next mode, as his feet turned into large wheels, and his arms turned into large guns. "We shall see how far you can resist with my Race Mode, VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOM VROOM!"
"My lady, he's probably gonna get faster with that mode! Let me set things easier for you!" Seeing the danger, Yukiko placed her lance on the ground, which started to freeze most of the environment.
"Ah, I see! Skating against racing! A classic! How about it, feeling ready?" Hoshiko then asked.
"Any time." Yukiko simply replied. And the two started to ice-skate and head forward Ray-Machina, who answered by going full speed with the wheels.
The three of them started to clash against each other several times as they moved through the ice, almost looking like they were in a medieval joust. Hoshiko and Yukiko noticed that Ray-Machina became faster and more resistant, being able to contrast their blows.
"He's getting faster every minute that passes!" Yukiko noticed.
"It doesn't matter! Keep going! Don't let him prevail!" Hoshiko told her.
"What's the matter!? You're not getting that cocky now, BRRRRRRRRRRRRONTOSAURUS REX!" Ray-Machina exclaimed before generating what seemed to be a mechanic tail that started to attack the two girls, forcing them to jump several times to not get hit.
"GRR!" Hoshiko started to clash with that tail by using the ninjato sword to not fall. But Ray-Machina could observe what she was doing and used his two handguns to shoot repeatedly at the two girls, who were forced to defend themselves. "NGHHH!"
"NOW'S THE CHANCE!" Ray-Machina saw an open spot and shot a laser beam from the mechanic tail that hit both of them.
"GAAAAH!" The two crashed on the icy ground, cracking it up. But Yukiko widened her eyes in anger and started to accumulate energy. "HOW DARE YOU ARM LADY HOSHIKO!?" She stood up and started to run towards the enemy before jumping up.
"Talk about a possessive pet!" Ray-Machina exclaimed before starting to attack repeatedly Yukiko, who made her way through the myriad of blasts and reached the enemy's body, stabbing it with the lance and generating a blizzard of ice. "AAAAH! WHAT IS THIS!? I CAN'T MOVE!"
"NOW, LADY HOSHIKO!" Yukiko exclaimed, making Hoshiko start to run.
"GOT IT!" Hoshiko didn't make her repeat twice and ran at high speed against Ray-Machina while her sword started to shine a white light. As soon as she was in front of him, she delivered a sword strike that made him fly away.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Once again, Ray-Machina fell with a large crash, giving the two girls some time to breathe out.
"Anf…anf…thanks, Yukiko. He was starting to get impenetrable…" Hoshiko said while the celestial spirits had to hold her belly for the pain.
"Agh, dammit…that laser from before got me well…forgive me, I don't think I'll be able to continue at the moment…" Yukiko said.
"No problem! You surely made out a flashy show! You've got a well-earned rest!" Hoshiko said with a smile.
Once again, the cat lady blushed and looked elsewhere. "A-Anything for you, my lady…" With that, Hoshiko called Yukiko back with her key to let her rest and then looked at the opponent. Even with all those attacks, Ray-Machina could still stand.
"Anf…anf…dammit…55% of the body damaged…" He said before looking at the enemy, who was ready for the next move. "I gotta say…you are indeed something, brrrother. Apart from Apostatìs and a few others, not many people were able to reduce me in this state."
"I think I had warned you. And considering that you said 55%, this means that we're not done yet!" Hoshiko replied before pointing at him with her sword. "I hope you're prepared for what comes next!"
"Eheheheheheheh…It is I who should be saying that to you, dear ninja. Because you see…I have one last surprise to show you. And you should be honored…it has been a while since I was last forced to use it."
When he said it, Hoshiko's expression became more serious and she got ready.
"You see…ever since I joined Chimera Tribe, I've started to modify my body repeatedly to become more effective and stronger during our loots, finding a way to become the ultimate predator. All the modes you have seen thus far were all my attempts to improve myself in my nature as a perfectionist. And then one day…I had found it. The perfect mode that could guarantee me an assured victory. Just like humans keep on evolving, so do machines like me. And what is the best way for a machine to win…IF NOT COMPLETELY BECOME ONE!?" After that explanation, Ray-Machina started to accumulate energy, as an aquamarine-aura started to surround him. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
Hoshiko could notice as the whole area started to rumble. "What the!?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Soon, Ray-Machina's body started to change more than the previous times, assuming a more monstrous, reptilian, and mechanical look, with several guns, missile launchers, and cannons on each side of his body. Two glowing blue eyes looked menacingly at the samurai.
"Oh, you got to be kidding me…" Hoshiko commented.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! LET'S SEE NOW HOW YOUR NINJA TRICKS WILL BE ABLE TO RESIST AGAINST MY BATTLESHIP MODE, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUTTA BASTARDA! (Ugly Bastard in Italian)" Ray-Machina exclaimed with a loud and reverb voice.
Hoshiko started to sweat. She was indeed in difficulty by now, and she could already see how dangerous his opponent had been that far. But…she then looked at the surrounding environment and all the soldiers that laid down dead. After seeing what he could do and what he had become, she didn't know if she could win. But she was certain of one thing.
She couldn't let him move around like that.
"きれいな心 – Kireina kokoro; A clean mind. I need it now more than ever…" She then looked right at her enemy. "Alright, you've turned in this hunk of a machine, but as you can see, I'm still standing, willing to take you down!" She then smirked. "And I know the best person to ask help for." She then took another key, a red one this time, and raised it. "Come forth, gate of the summer, Akane!"
Another spirit came up, another cat girl. This one looked younger. She had short red hair and cat ears, purple eyes, and was wearing a red dress with two long red boots. "YOOOOO! AKANE IS HERE!" She shouted before landing. "Hey there, my lady! If you called me, this means that I'm gonna have some fun, man!" She said, starting to jump on the place.
"You have a special one for today, Akane! I need your help on a big one." Hoshiko told her, pointing at Ray-Machina. At that sight, Akane's eyes started to glitter like stars.
"WOOOOO! A HUGE MACHINE? This is my lucky day! I'm ready to go!" Akane exclaimed, taking out her weapon, two blades that were united together by a small chain. "Whenever you want, my lady!"
"TAKE OUT AS MANY SPIRITS YOU WANT, YOU'LL NEVER GET PAST ME WITH THIS FORM, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUXELLES IS MY FAVORITE CITY!" Ray-Machina shouted.
"What the hell is Bruxelles!? Never mind…" Hoshiko commented before starting to run against the enemy.
Seeing them come closer, Ray-Machina raised his huge arm and tried to smash them down, forcing the two girls to jump away.
"My Lady! I got an idea!" Akane exclaimed.
"The same one as I? Got it!" Hoshiko knew what she was up to, and in an instant, the two girls were on the machine's arm and started to run through his body, aiming for the head.
"DON'T THINK I'LL LET YOU DO THAT!" Ray-Machina exclaimed, starting to open several spots on his body, revealing many missiles that started to go toward Hoshiko and her spirit.
"AHAHAH! THIS IS GONNA BE FUN!" Akane went on the first line and started to swing her blade, which got burned up, and used it to destroy the missiles by clashing her weapons, which started to produce several fireworks, paving the way for the mage of Shogunate Pride. "MOVE ON, MY LADY!"
Hoshiko took the chance and started to use her ninjato sword to attack the body of the huge robot, who started to get annoyed. "MAGNIFICENT AKANE! THIS IS A COMPLETELY FLASHY SCENE!"
"GRRRRR!" Ray-Machina immediately opened his mouth and started to charge a beam from his mouth. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" In a matter of seconds, the beam was already charged and shot it.
But Hoshiko didn't seem to be worried about it. With one somersault, she was able to make a pirouette jump high enough to dodge the beam, much to the enemy's bewilderment. The girl then didn't waste more time and started to generate several large shurikens made of magic that she used to attack the body. "TAKE THIS!"
As soon as the shuriken stabbed Ray-Machina's body, they started to explode, leaving several damage to the machine. "AAAAH! 75% of the body is damaged! THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST!" He exclaimed. He then raised his large tail and used it to smack down Hoshiko.
The girl didn't expect that attack and got attacked, but she did her best to remain attached to the tail, even if her limbs were bleeding out due to the heavy impact. "GHHHHHHH!" By using all the strength she had remained, Hoshiko jumped up, putting her feet on the tail, and started to run through it, slicing it to pieces with her sword.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Ray-Machina exclaimed before noticing that Akane was already in front of his head.
"HOW ABOUT NO?" The celestial spirit immediately started to attack him with several acrobatic kicks engulfed in flame, not giving him the chance to answer. "HA!" After one last kick, the machine's face was severely damaged and vulnerable. "MY LADY, THE GREAT FINALE!"
Hoshiko listened to her and jumped above her head. "Even if machines are stronger, humanity always finds a way to surpass them, because we are unpredictable AND WE DON'T RELY ON CALCULATIONS!" She shouted. At that moment, several black marks surrounded her face and her ninjato sword became longer and of a pitch-black color. "SHADOW SWORD – MASAMUNE!" As soon as she attacked with the sword, a large swipe of darkness followed, engulfing the gigantic robot and making it converge into a large explosion.
After that ended, Ray-Machina fell, back to his normal form. His mechanical body was now severely damaged and several electric shockwaves surrounded his body. "T-This is absurd! No one was able to defeat my Battleship mode! T-They reduced me to this state and they were able to defeat the others! T-This wasn't absolutely according to plan! Just who the hell are these people!?" He exclaimed before realizing that Hoshiko was running towards him with still the shadow sword.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"NO NO! DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE-" Before he could do something…
SWISH!
Hoshiko slashed through Ray-Machina, who reacted weirdly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-" He started to shout in a natural pain, but his yell seemed laggy, almost as he froze. And after a couple of seconds…his eyes turned blue with a white written that could be read.
An error has occurred and Ray-Machina has been shut down to prevent damage to your machias. Press CTRL+ALT+DEF to restart this Machias.
After another couple of seconds, Ray-Machina fell to the ground like a lot of butter, with his expression remaining the same.
Hoshiko was confused as her sword turned back to normal. "What just…happened?" She wondered while Akane reached her.
"Well! I guess his body got 100% of the damage?" Akane tried to guess.
"Hmm. In any case, I don't think he'll be able to move for a while. The battle is over." Hoshiko concluded while unsheathing her sword.
"And we won it gloriously!" Akane exclaimed all excited.
"No! We won it…" Hoshiko corrected her while striking a pose. "Flashy."
"Ahah! Right, right! Always wishing for sparkles, eh?" the celestial spirit said finding it funny.
"You know me by this point! But I surely owe it to you and Yukiko as well! Who knew what would have happened if I continued alone." Hoshiko then said.
"Don't say it! It's our duty after all! And you know that I always love getting in a good fight!" Akane answered, making the other laugh.
"True enough! Now rest, you've earned it!" With those words, Hoshiko called back Akane to the key and looked towards the tower. "Hmm. If this guy was that strong, I'm concerned of the fact of what the other members could do, especially their leader. I hope Rokumon and Iori make it in time…oh well! I can't say that without doing my part! Time to move again!" And with that, the ninja mage started to run towards the next spot where she could help.
Ray-Machina was simply left there. His eyes turned black, implying that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon…or at least if anyone didn't wake him up.
Great Akihabara Market – Upper areas.
High in the sky of the market, several boulders and debris were kept on throwing, as a mage who was standing in the middle of all those objects controlled them while standing in mid-air.
It was a man with dark blue and white hair, black eyes with red pupils wearing a black leather jacket with silver zippers over a blue long cape, black gloves, and ruby red boots.
Nixel – Member of Chimera Tribe
"Excellent. The damages had been huge up until now. With all these blows combined with the strength of the others, this market will turn into dust in a couple of minutes. Apostatìs has a clear rode by now. However for some reason...things have been slowed down. I wonder what's going-" While he kept on doing his job, Nixel got suddenly grazed by a dart that made him turn around. When he did so, he could see an unexpected yet unpleasant view.
Tammy was standing on the top of a mountain with what seemed to be an arrow aimed at him. "Anf…anf…finally I've reached you! You must be the one who has been throwing all that stuff from above! How about I make you stop doing it?" She provoked him.
Nixel didn't answer immediately and cleaned his chin from the blood. "It seems that the answer has come to me without having to find out something. So, those weaklings have decided to rely on some legal mages to take us down? Fine. I accept the challenge." With those words, he raised his arms and the boulders started to come closer to him, making the girl understand that he was going to attack her.
"Uh oh…"
"You seem young by your appearance. It saddens me to think that they sent someone like you to deal with me. What makes me even sadder is the fact…that you probably won't know how you died." Nixel said while his eyes started to glow.
And that's it for this time! Surprisingly enough, this chapter turned out to be longer than expected. That was surely surprising for me since if I have to be honest, I didn't know for a while how to put the first battle into action! I had a general idea of how things would have worked but I didn't know how to put it in action, considering the peculiarity of the fighters' magics. In the end, I've decided to go with something more demented and comedian while putting some good action as well. I'm glad that in the end, everything turned out to be fine, although naturally, you're the one with the last word. It took a while to get this chapter finished, but there had been a bit of movement in my house, I had to work on things outside of fanfictions and I've also started to take back my Nintendo Switch, so I had to focus more time on myself and what surrounded me. But I hope that I can still have a decent pace on publishing this story after the point I was able to reach! We're close to ten chapters, it's incredible! And considering that I've recently got Fate/Samurai Remnant, I'll surely have more inspiration for both this story and my Fate one! And apart from that, maybe there will be another project coming! And if I decide to start it, I'll make sure to make it the last new story I'll make. Seven seems like an acceptable number and I avoid getting too much to work on, like other writers I saw.
But naturally, as I said before, I leave the last opinion to you! Did you like the chapter? What are your opinions on the battles and the ones who fought? Who do you think will be next? As always, let me know with a review, your opinion is important!
There will still be a few chapters before the end of this arc, but I can assure you that we are at a good point. A bit further and we'll reach the last battles! Until then, I thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you in the next one or the next chapter of another story of mine. Or maybe in the new project! It's something I had in mind for a while and I may be able to start it soon! But anyways, from Bluestar here, arrivederci!