Book II, Part II: Outbreak - Convergence
Chapter VI: Status Quo
[July 16, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Main Concourse | 2:37 PM]
Katanas' footfalls sounded unnaturally heavy to his ears as he exited the elevator, followed closely by Squall and Darius as they exited the Dark facility. He had sent a message over his GLD as they had headed back up, and he saw the figure of his other brother approaching them shortly after they left the elevator.
"Katanas," Revolver said, eyes flicking briefly around the area as if he expected that they were being watched or hunted. "What's this about?"
"Not here," the SeeD Commander replied, briefly jerking his head in the direction of the elevator. Revolver gave a slight nod before following him back towards the doors, stepping inside after his brother and the Balamb SeeD Commander. Darius stepped inside a second later and the door slid shut behind him, beginning to ascend to the third floor.
"Revolver," Katanas said, looking around the elevator before returning his attention to the blacksmith. "We're going to see Father."
There was something in the way he said the statement that made Revolver bristle momentarily...then he nodded, glad that he always kept the battle hammer he favored on his person.
"I see," he said gruffly, seemingly understanding Katanas' intentions. Even more so than his brother, Revolver was an expert at reading people, and the current assemblage made sense in his mind if he was in fact correct as to the meaning of Katanas' statement. "Something is amiss, then."
"Lindsey," Darius growled, nodding slowly, and the pieces clicked fully in Revolver's mind. He'd long suspected that their father had not been honest with them all those years ago when Darius' love had been lost, and it seemed that something had finally been dragged out into the open from the grave it resided in for so long.
"This will not end well," Revolver said calmly, looking over at Katanas once again.
"I know," Katanas replied as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the third floor. "That's why I asked you to be here."
"And Mother?"
"At Senatorial Hall," Katanas replied. "Likely for the best."
They rounded a corner, making haste for the Headmaster's office and drawing an interested look or two as they went from passersby - it wasn't often all three sons were seen together, and it usually meant something important was happening. Add in the presence of the Balamb SeeD Commander, and it almost certainly meant trouble of some kind. Coming so soon after the Sin incident, it was unsurprising that the members of the command staff would be uneasy.
The small party immediately drew the attention of the Headmaster's aide as they approached, and he stood from his chair as the Trabian SeeD Commander reached the front of his desk.
"Commander," he started, snapping a salute, "Headmaster DeValle said he wasn't to - "
Katanas shook his head, cutting the man off mid-sentence as he noticed the look on Katanas' face, a look of urgency and...something else that caused him to think twice about finishing his statement. "This cannot wait, Aron," Katanas stated with finality, brushing smoothly past the desk as he nodded for the rest accompanying him to follow.
A hand reached for the doorknob, and Katanas Terentius DeValle crossed the threshold into his father's office, preparing for war.
Darius DeValle Sr. was sitting at his desk, mulling over the details of a particularly vexing contract proposal when he noticed the door to his office slowly open. He frowned - Aron had been given particular instructions to deny all entrants - before glancing up from his work to see who dared disobey the orders of a Headmaster's aide.
He was somewhat surprised to see not just Katanas, but all three of his sons enter the room, followed closely by Squall Leonhart of all people. What the Balamb SeeD Commander was doing here, he was unaware, yet unconcerned with. He was more concerned with why Katanas had disobeyed a direct order - while Aron was far from the SeeD Commander's superior, Katanas held strict adherence to rules and protocol unless it was truly important. In that respect, he was a model son...unlike his rule-breaking younger brothers, he mused. He resisted the urge to sigh, instead pausing his perusal and turning his attention to his trio of sons standing before him.
"I assume you three have a good reason for disobeying Aron's orders?" he asked quietly, not even bothering to acknowledge Squall's silent form behind the three DeValle brothers. Darius' face was tense, he noticed, and even Katanas looked...perturbed, to say the least. Revolver was as stoic as always, his face slouched in his usual subtly angry frown, but Darius was the first to answer.
"You knew."
Darius' words weren't a question, but his father's expression didn't change. He didn't have time for his son's cryptic statements and petty anger; there was work to be done. An aggravated sigh passed his lips, and he folded his hands on the desk in front of him.
"Of course I knew, boy. I'm one of the three most powerful people in this organization. I know the ins and outs of every single piece of every single contract, the nuances of every senior officer and executive in the Garden Network, and I knew it all well before the thoughts even crossed your mind."
Darius growled and reached to his side, sliding one of his pistols from its holster with a flicker of motion. Most people would have been more concerned with the drawing of a weapon within such a place, but the Senior didn't waver. His son was as likely to harm him with that gun as a chocobo was to reach the moon, he thought to himself. He was more intrigued, however, when Katanas cast a spell around the room - Silence magic. Trabia specialized in magic manipulation, after all, and it was not uncommon for SeeD officers to use Silence spells to prevent noise in an area from reaching outside for reasons of stealth or for security purposes if a secure location wasn't easily available.
"Put that away before you hurt yourself," he said dismissively, not even caring to appear threatened by the gesture or the implications of Katanas' spellcast.
"You. Knew."
Darius repeated his statement, and the Senior noticed that none of the three others present in the room with them seemed surprised or alarmed by the fact that his son was acting this way. He turned his chair away from the gathered SeeD officers, unconcerned with turning his back on his armed son, and stood from the seat to walk towards the large window at the back of his office.
"I know many things, and I've known many things," he replied casually, starting to suspect why his youngest had come as he looked out towards the horizon.
A storm was brewing, he noticed.
"How could you?" Darius seethed, glaring at his father. His knuckles were almost white from how tightly he gripped the weapon in his hand, and his face was reddening with every moment as he took a threatening step forward.
"How could I what?" the Senior retorted, his tone stern. He was blatantly antagonizing his younger son now, even as he started to suspect why Darius had truly come here. He held little worry, still; Darius DeValle Jr. was many things, but someone who could overpower the Headmaster of Trabia Garden? Certainly not.
His dismissal and apparent forgetfulness, real or not, was enough that Darius couldn't keep his tongue in check any longer.
"What did she do to you, Dad?" he hissed, his voice low and growling. "Did she look at you the wrong way? Not pay the toll for entering the house? Not rich enough? Not poor enough? What did Lindsey ever do to you?!"
He was screaming by the end, letting out his fury and heartbreak all at once to the man who raised him. The Senior stood calmly for a moment before sighing, this time heavier than usual. So he was right, he thought with detached interest. He had neither the time nor the patience to deal with his youngest on most days, but today, on this topic? His patience was relatively thin and his schedule relatively full.
"I did nothing to the girl," Darius Sr. began, looking at his youngest son with annoyance. He took stock of the way that his son didn't respond, absently reaching for a datapad on his desk and beginning to peruse the contents. "And judging from your silence, you know that fact. Are you done with this grandstanding?"
The tablet flew from his hands in response, blasted from his fingers by a single shot of Darius' pistol to land sparking and fragmenting on the floor near the window.
"But you know who did. More to the point, you allowed it to happen," Darius said confidently. "Headmaster Martine said as much, and I've the records to prove it." The Senior merely scoffed.
"Martine? That doddering fool? You'd believe the tripe coming from his mouth and his so-called 'records,' knowing full well of his machinations regarding Commander Leonhart and his team in the past? Honestly, boy, if you believe you can frame me for such things with this frankly abysmal 'proof,' then it seems you've taken none of my teachings to heart."
"On the contrary, Father," Katanas began, staring the Trabian Headmaster down calmly, "Esthar's Presidential Guard confirmed both that Mathius Martine authorized the kidnapping of Lindsey Geneave by Vector Industries...and that you were involved."
"Kidnapping is a despicable charge," Revolver growled, "as is treason."
For the first time since his sons and the Balamb SeeD Commander had entered his office, Darius DeValle Sr. was unsure of how to react. If what Katanas was saying was true - and he suspected it was, knowing his eldest - then they had already known of his involvement with Martine since the moment they entered. However, knowing his youngest, they did not yet know of the nature of his part in Martine's plans. If they had, Darius would have already confronted him with the specifics, so driven by his emotions towards the girl was he.
A risk, then. Calculated, but a risk all the same.
The Senior smiled.
"It seems you took your lessons to heart after all," he said, a strange measure of pride entering his voice as he looked between his sons before turning away and stepping back towards the window at the rear of his office to look over the plains once more. "Yes, I spoke with Martine about the girl. I sanctioned no such thing, however. Just because the girl wasn't important to me did not mean I would aid him and give up her safety for a mere sum of Gil. No...I merely made clear to Martine who he was not allowed to use for his...pet project, as it were."
Darius stared for a moment, slowly lowering his pistol back into its holster even as Katanas and Revolver looked between each other, intrigued. Their father was admitting guilt, however slight, which was a rarity in itself.
"His pet project...you knew what Martine was up to?" Darius asked, his anger unchanged but in check for the moment.
The Senior shook his head. "Not at all. Martine confided nothing to me except that whatever he was planning was to be kept strictly off the record. Even to another Garden Master, he would not divulge details. I merely assumed it to be some secretive project, perhaps pertaining to the Night Riders, and left it at that. Whatever it was, it was apparently a lucrative deal, and it required only one person in exchange."
Darius' hand moved towards his weapon again. "You said you stopped him from taking someone else. Who?"
The Senior growled faintly in irritation. "You are prying into matters best left alone, boy. I have answered this much because you were an annoyance, but this is a bridge too far. Take your leave of this matter, now."
"Answer the question."
Squall's voice was calm, but almost unnaturally loud in the office as he spoke for the first time since arriving. Senior turned around to glare at Squall, icy daggers pointed at the SeeD Commander, but Squall's gaze was equally impassive and unyielding. The man had stared down Ultimecia; a mortal mage was nothing in comparison.
"I will not. Get out of my office, Commander, before I have words with your Headmaster."
"Go ahead." Squall didn't flinch a bit, his eyes narrowing the tiniest bit as he watched the elder DeValle.
"Well, since you so kindly agreed..."
The Senior's mocking words hung in the air as he turned around again, taking a step forward...only to stop.
"No, Father...I believe it is time for all the laundry, dirty or clean, to be aired. Our family is stained enough." Katanas took a step towards his father, arms folding in a clear sign that he would brook no argument on the matter. The Senior turned around to lock eyes with his eldest son, but internally he was now awash with turmoil. He couldn't Planeswalk...and that meant only one thing.
The Planar Lockout spell was a versatile ability for preventing both intraplanar and interplanar travel, but it held a sizable flaw - it was only effective against others who possessed power less than the one who had cast the Lockout. Darius DeValle, Sr. was one of the most powerful mages on the planet, outclassed primarily - and possibly only - by Rinoa Heartilly. Overall, there were few people alive who could claim to be stronger than him. Squall Leonhart, potentially, but the boy was not a Planeswalker. There were only two of those who were close enough and aware enough to craft such a thing, those being his youngest and eldest sons. Darius was certainly nowhere near strong enough to erect a Lockout capable of holding him here, which meant...
But that was impossible.
"What manner of trickery -"
"I assure you, there is no trickery here," Katanas stated boldly. "Now, I believe my younger brother asked you a question."
The Headmaster turned away again, saying nothing, and his body began to shake moments later as the four watched on. A chuckle escaped his lips, which turned into full-blown laughter that echoed around the office, something rarely if ever heard within Trabia Garden's walls. He laughed for several long seconds before finally turning back to his sons and the Balamb SeeD Commander, an unsettling look upon his features.
"Very well," he began, still smiling. "This will go on the record, then. I paid Headmaster Mathius Martine a substantial amount of Gil - the exact amount eludes me - to stay away from..."
His hand rose slowly, a lone finger extending to point at his youngest son.
"You, Darius."
Darius' eyes widened briefly in surprise before narrowing again suspiciously even as every other pair of eyes in the room turned to stare at him. "What are you talking about? Lindsey was targeted explicitly - I've known that since shortly after she was taken."
"Silly boy..."
Darius' father clasped his hands behind his back, staring straight at his youngest in a serious manner once more. "Mathius Martine came to me with...a list. Whatever he was planning had remarkably exacting criteria. The list was short, and what did I find at the top, to my surprise? Your name," Darius Sr. remarked. "Not Lindsey Geneave, you. The only reason Martine even approached me at all was due to that concern."
He waved a hand in the air in a dismissive motion. "Think about it, my foolish son. Lindsey was a Galbadian SeeD. Martine was the Headmaster of that particular Garden. Why in the world would I be remotely involved with what a Headmaster does with the SeeD under his command at his Garden?"
"Then you bribed him to stay away from me and pick Lindsey instead?" Darius said, mildly horrified at the realization. Revolver growled, disgusted that his father would do such a thing, while Katanas stood as stoic as ever beside his two younger brothers.
"Of course. The only thing that miserable man loves more than the meager power he possesses as a Garden Master is the almighty Gil. Quite like your former Garden Master, as I recall," the Senior said with a smile, directing his comment at Squall. The Balamb SeeD Commander didn't respond, instead looking over at Katanas and drawing the attention of his counterpart.
"I think I've heard enough, Commander DeValle."
"Of course, Commander Leonhart. I'll defer to your judgment."
Squall nodded and looked back at Darius Sr., walking forward to stand in front of the three DeValle sons.
"Under my authority as the SeeD Commander of Balamb Garden, I'm placing you under arrest, Headmaster. It's in your best interest to come quietly."
Senior gave a short bark of laughter that sounded almost like a scoff. "On what grounds, Commander?"
"Bribery, conspiracy, and treason all seem like places to start," Squall replied, "but I believe I'll leave the specifics to JAG Officer Xucai. Headmaster DeValle, you are to disarm and come with me immediately."
"And if I don't?"
Squall's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't advise that, sir." A hand moved slightly towards his belt, an unspoken threat made clear by the subtle motion.
"You've no right to 'advise' me of anything, boy, especially not in my Garden. Take your leave of this place now, before you do something you'll regret." Senior's eyes flashed with anger, and everyone in the room could feel the ripples of magical energy that started to swirl around him. All three of the DeValle sons tensed, hands moving towards weapons, and Squall's hand clenched around the hilt of Lionheart at his waist.
"I'm giving you one last chance, Headmaster DeValle. Stand down, or I will take you into custody by force."
The Trabian Headmaster was unfazed, and magic coalesced visibly around his hands as he glared at Squall.
"You are welcome to try, Commander."
Lionheart cleared its place at Squall's belt, as did Darius' pistols from their holsters along with Revolver's battle hammer and Katanas' rapier, and the world around them become noise and light as the entirety of the Headmaster's office on Garden's third floor exploded in a blast of magic and fire.
(Play: Raid - Hitoshi Fujima, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
Katanas was just barely able to see his two brothers leaping out of the now-shattered wall where Senior had been standing in pursuit of their father as the smoke cleared, chased closely by Squall himself. He didn't hesitate, immediately pulling out his GLD and opening a line directly to all command staff.
"This is Commander DeValle. I am engaging a threat in the vicinity of the Headmaster's office. All personnel are not to approach under any circumstances - General Nox, you are in command of Garden staff until the threat is neutralized."
With his message sent, he leapt out of the third floor office after his brothers, seeing them already engaged in battle as he Blinked to the ground. His father had manifested his weapons of choice, a pair of short, blunt wooden rods with ornate traceries carved into them that he held in each hand like thin maces, deceptively sturdy and used both for offense and to assist his magic. Katanas could see that he was fending off rapid blows from Squall and Revolver as Darius tried to keep a good line of sight to assist from afar. Despite both their prowess in melee combat, Senior was older by far and had the combat experience to match, and he was easily giving the middle DeValle brother and Balamb SeeD Commander a run for their money from what Katanas could see. Revolver fell back under a flurry of blows from the sparring sticks that ended in a burst of Firaga magic, and Squall's Lionheart cleaved back in only to be turned aside by a Protect spell and immediately countered by a burst of icy spikes that exploded from Senior's body. Bullets flew in as Squall retreated briefly, the youngest DeValle son peppering his father with a barrage of metal from his dual pistols before having to Blink away from a cutting Aero spell that sliced through where he was standing.
Katanas wasted no time engaging his father, his rapier singing through the air in a perfectly executed lunge that clashed against the Protect spell surrounding the DeValle patriarch. Gravity magic burst over Katanas, pressing down on him even as Senior drew back and leveled a fierce blow with one of the weapons in his hand. Nimbly, Katanas twisted aside from the strike even under the weight of the magic, and drew back again right before a more powerful shot from Darius' rifle cracked through the air, shattering the Protect around Senior and allowing Revolver a moment to strike. He went for a blindsiding blow, the hammer in his hand shimmering with energy as it arced across at his father, and both weapons in the Headmaster's hands came up to block in time before Revolver's strike smashed him back along the ground. The blacksmith regrouped beside Katanas as his father steadied his footing, with Squall off to the side and Darius watching from afar.
"To think all three of my sons would have the audacity to bear arms against me," Senior said, refreshing the Protect spell around himself and adding the pinkish hue of Shell alongside it. "It would seem I need to whip you arrogant striplings back into line."
Power blossomed from his body, his magical energy soaring as he began to call on more destructive magic than the comparatively meager spells he'd begun with. The sky above rumbled and began to spit out flaming rocks towards the ground as the Meteor spell took hold, even as Senior started channeling for another spell. Darius shifted his aim upwards as he started to cover his brothers and Squall by blowing the incoming projectiles from the sky, and the remaining trio sprinted towards Senior in hopes of interrupting whatever spell he was preparing. Lionheart split a large meteor apart as Squall leapt into the air, going high as the other two DeValle brothers prepared a pincer attack below him, but all three found themselves rebuffed as Tornado magic burst around Senior's position. The Balamb SeeD Commander was swept up into the maelstrom, flying uncontrollably upwards into the powerful winds while Katanas and Revolver fought hard to keep themselves on the ground. Revolver shared a look with Katanas, and the two of them vanished into another plane of existence as Revolver drew on his Guardian Force's power. In the midst of the summoning, a brilliant laser of force split the roaring winds as Darius let a shot of pulse ammunition loose into the maelstrom, causing Senior's Shell to flare explosively as the column of energy met the magical barrier. Within the next instant, the winds were forcefully dissipated as a tall, purple-and-white humanoid creature emerged from the light, the Guardian Force Pandemona inhaling deeply and sucking the magical power into the bag-like organ on its body. The three eye-like features on its head shimmered for a moment as it finished inhaling, the organ expanded to twice the size of its body, and then it exhaled.
The outpouring of wind rapidly formed into a tornado of force that engulfed Senior much as his own attack had done to Squall, Pandemona's Tornado Zone sweeping the Headmaster up and slicing at his body with razor-sharp gales of wind and magic power. Darius shielded his face from the powerful air currents, watching as Revolver and Katanas began to rematerialize onto the battlefield, but his face turned to shock when a high-pitched keening tore through the air. From within Pandemona's attack, a Flare spell exploded outward in a massive concentrated beam that blasted straight through the Guardian Force, gutting it instantly and sending it toppling as it began to dissolve into mana particles.
"Move!" Darius suddenly screamed, looking on from afar as Revolver and Katanas finished reentering the corporeal plane again, only to immediately be surrounded by a large glyph of magical energy imprinted on the ground. Both SeeD leapt away, but Revolver was just a fraction too slow as the entire area of the circle was encased by swirling wind that pushed Revolver back inside the boundary. Crackling lightning came from within as Senior's Ripcircle spell activated, and Revolver howled in pain as slicing wind and bolts of lightning tore at his body from all directions, the magical energy within the attack starting to cloud his vision over with magical blindness even as he collapsed onto the ground. Darius seethed in anger as he watched his brother fall, and he grabbed both his pistols from their holsters as he cast Aura magic on himself and raced towards his father. Shot after shot left the firearms, unerringly slamming into Senior's Protect at chest height, and he yelled in rage as his fury peaked. Lightning began to crackle around his body as he shot forward, raising one hand to the sky before bringing it down in his father's direction and causing a massive bolt of electrical power to strike in front of him. Over and over, he commanded his Chaos Rain to strike at the DeValle patriarch, letting out all of his pain and fury at Lindsey's situation and his father's concealing of events in a series of devastating thunderbolts.
Flames began to fly in courtesy of Katanas as his older brother lent his power to the assault from afar, and further away still he could see Squall beginning to cast magic as well, adding in Firaga spells as quickly as he could channel the power. Explosions burst around where Senior was standing in rapid succession as the trio of SeeD unloaded spells into the area, only to have the elder DeValle burst from the firestorm on a direct path for Darius. The youngest DeValle's Limit faded as his father neared him, and he quickly knelt to the ground and performed a transmutation, earth rising up in an outward wave to both shield him and attempt to encase the Headmaster. The older man split apart the earth with an equally quick transmutation as he reached it, darting through with one of his sparring sticks upraised before he clubbed his son with it and sent him sprawling across the ground. Immediately, Darius clutched at his arm; he'd felt something in his shoulder break under the impact, and his arm was flaring with pain even with his junctions. Senior made to attack again, racing in the direction that Darius had flown, and Katanas moved to intercept him as swiftly as he could manage.
Revolver, however, proved to be faster.
"What...?"
Senior jerked to a stop as he felt his arm grabbed from behind, his forward momentum immediately arrested, and he looked back to see Revolver with a firm grasp on his upper arm, locking him in place. The blacksmith was bleeding, smoldering, and generally looked terrible, but he still clutched the hammer in his right hand...and he looked downright furious.
"Leave my brother alone," he snarled, and the hammer rose, glowing intensely with a blue light. Senior spun fully, ripping his arm from Revolver's grasp and bringing his weapons up to block, but it was no use. Revolver's Ether Strike came down with the fury of a freight train, the Limit smashing through one of the wooden implements like so much kindling as well as the Protect spell and delivering a horrendous blow to the Headmaster that tossed him through the air in a flare of bluish-white light much as he had just done to Darius seconds before. Panting from exertion, he started to move towards Darius before his legs gave way under him, sending him sprawling to the ground again as the hammer fell from slack fingers.
"Revolver!"
Darius immediately started to get to his feet, ignoring the flaring pain of his broken shoulder and making his way over to his fallen brother. He knelt quickly, reaching out with his good arm towards Revolver and breathing a sigh of relief when he found that the middle DeValle brother was still alive, just unconscious from his injuries and overexertion. With his arm crippled, Darius knew he wouldn't be much help for the time being, and he quickly began to use his Alchemy to try and give the two of them some cover against any stray attacks before starting to try and use curative magic to patch up his wounds. He knew his father wouldn't give up until he wasn't able to move any more, but he only hoped that Katanas and Squall would be able to finish the fight. If his father managed to get away, he'd make sure that he couldn't be held accountable for his crimes and would surely make all three of them pay for the attempt. They had to make sure to end things now, while they still had the chance.
The Trabian Headmaster was, at long last, truly upset. He'd been annoyed to see how his sons had confronted him in his own office, his own Garden, but not mad. He'd been irritated when they had openly attacked him, disappointed even, but not mad. Now?
He was mad.
Revolver's Limit had done some damage to him, the powerful magical strike shattering one of his prized weapons in an instant and dealing a significant blow to him - something he'd not imagined his son to be capable of. Katanas, now, was pressing the attack with reinforcement from the Balamb SeeD Commander, and he was having a surprisingly difficult time keeping up with the young men who were each some thirty years his junior. He'd trained his eldest son well; the boy used skillful tactics, powerful magic, and cunning to keep his foes on guard. Balamb's SeeD Commander was every bit as strong and skilled as he'd learned from accounts of the Ultimecia Conflict, and the gunblade he wielded was almost capable of breaking through the magical reinforcement on his remaining weapon all on its own. He'd never seen a weapon like it before, and it was infinitely frustrating for him to be forced to evade so many well-timed and placed strikes instead of countering them.
In short, Darius DeValle Sr. had finally found opponents that he couldn't simply toy with, and it was vexing.
"I will have you pay for this treason, boy," he spat, scowling at his eldest son even as he parried another strike from Katanas' rapier. "You should never have started this farce."
"No, Father," Katanas replied, batting away a probing strike from his father's remaining weapon before lunging forward, only to have his father leap away with his enhanced agility. "This matter will be done here and now. There is nowhere left to hide, no words left to twist and bend away from the truth."
In truth, Katanas knew he was approaching his limits. His father was a powerful opponent, and his hesitation to bring all of his power to bear against his own blood had put him at a disadvantage from the start. He was bloodied and tired, exhausted both from physical exertion and magical output alike, and it was only by virtue of Squall's presence that he felt they still had a chance at victory.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Senior retorted, twisting aside as Lionheart cleaved in again before he lashed out with a kick that Squall evaded with a short leap sideways. The glittering gunblade weaved through the air, and Senior stomped his foot in a Quake spell that set Squall off-balance and made his strike fall short before he threw the SeeD Commander back again with a burst of Aero magic. "But I will agree with you on one point - this matter will be done here and now."
Senior's body suddenly began to give off an amber glow, and Katanas' eyes widened as he realized that his father was preparing to use a Limit of his own. "Squall!" he yelled, racing forward even as the black-clad man joined him in a combined attack. They didn't get far, though, instead being stopped by a shimmering translucent barrier that sprang up around the Trabian Headmaster and extended some distance from his body. Katanas knew that meant only one thing - he wasn't just using any Limit, he was using his strongest.
"We have to get through the shield!" he called, channeling magic into his rapier again and unleashing a flurry of strikes against the solid wall of magical force. Squall readied Lionheart for another strike, and the shimmering weapon crashed powerfully against Senior's shield as Squall pulled the trigger on his gunblade, sending a ripple of concussive force through the barrier that caused it to waver and ripple...yet remain intact. Senior's eyes traced over to Squall and a hand gestured in his direction, causing a magical glyph to appear before the gunblade specialist and pass through his body. Squall felt his junctions waver briefly as the magical symbol passed through him, his normally-sturdy defensive junctions suddenly feeling weak and ineffective, and he didn't have any time to react to the change as the flames of a Flare spell sprouted from the ground beneath him to leave him awash in raw magic power. He heard Katanas call his name again, but the sheer heat and power consumed everything around him, and he felt Lionheart drop from his fingers as he slipped to the ground.
Katanas watched in horror as the Balamb SeeD Commander slumped to the ground, his gunblade falling beside him and deactivating - he could still feel Squall's energy, so he knew he wasn't dead, but he was clearly out of the fight for now. He refocused his gaze on his father, knowing that he had but seconds until Senior's Limit would be upon him, and made a decision.
Taking hold of his own frustration, anger, and pain - pain at his father's actions, at the suffering Darius and Lindsey had gone through, at being forced to fight his own father - Katanas yelled out and pulled at that power, channeling everything he had into his rapier as it shone with a brilliant azure color. He drew back, amber light flaring around him as he steadied himself, and then he and his rapier shot forward with all the power his own Limit could muster. Senior's shield caved under the tip of Katanas' empowered weapon for a fraction of a second before it tore, the Trabian SeeD Commander flying forward and through the barrier in the blink of an eye before the point of his rapier stabbed deeply into his father's chest, piercing straight through in a spray of blood and an explosion of power that flared and then shattered the elder mage's Shell equally as easily. Senior coughed, the amber light around him flickering and dying out as he lost hold of his Limit, and he gritted his teeth against the pain as he reached up towards the blade.
"You...actually did it..." he muttered, grabbing hold of the rapier. It was away from his heart, at least, but still a dangerous wound.
"You didn't leave me much choice," Katanas said, exhaustion seeping into his voice. Senior just coughed again, spitting blood onto the ground. The fire in his eyes dimmed for a moment before sharpening once more, and Katanas' eyes widened as he realized his father still refused to yield. Too exhausted for the moment to move his body away, he yanked the rapier back and readied his magic, reaching out to touch his father's shoulder before casting a single spell.
Silence magic.
Senior felt the magic wash over him and laughed despite himself. He was a master mage, and warding himself against Silence was but child's play, something that he did constantly which had long been ingrained into habit. His clothing even held runes to protect against his magic being sealed, in case the unthinkable happened.
"A foolish mistake," he said quietly, raising a bloodied hand to Katanas as he readied himself to cast a spell.
Only to find that he couldn't.
The lack of magic shocked him so, it was as if he was rooted to the spot, paralyzed mind and body by something clearly impossible happening despite itself, and Katanas seized the opportunity.
"Do it now!"
Squall Leonhart barreled into the Trabian Headmaster with every bit of force he had, amber light blazing around him as he tore into Senior with his Renzokuken. Katanas had bought him enough time to recover, and he took full advantage of Senior's momentary lapse in attention to strike. The gunblade sliced into Senior, sending blood flying as he lashed out at his opponent and drove him back. Senior desperately tried to parry with his remaining weapon only to have Lionheart shred the weapon with ease and continue tearing into flesh. Squall let out a roar as he felt his Limit fading and brought the weapon up to his shoulder before spinning in a rapid circle, his Fated Circle crashing into the Headmaster and throwing him away to hit the ground and roll to a stop, barely moving. Battered and bruised, Squall and Katanas approached the Senior, who was slowly trying to recover from the intense attack the SeeD Commander had just subjected him to. Lionheart slowly moved towards Senior's neck, the threat clear, and the DeValle patriarch reluctantly found that he had no choice but to surrender.
(End: Raid - Hitoshi Fujima, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
Squall's free hand went to his GLD as Katanas also stepped up to ensure his father's surrender, and he caught his breath for a few seconds before speaking into the device. "Headmaster Kramer. We've secured the objective."
"Good work, Commander," Cid's voice replied. "Place him into custody - I'll have a team there to assist within the hour."
Katanas' shoulders sagged as the exhaustion from the battle and the emotional weight of everything started to hit him, but he found the strength to stand straight again as he looked to Squall. "It's done..." he said, sheathing his rapier and reaching for his GLD. "General Nox - I need a medical team at my location immediately, as well as a security team to take the threat into custody." It had been a heavy price to pay, he knew, but it was finished now. The hardest part was still yet to come, however.
"Backup is en route, Commander," he said to Squall, turning away from the Balamb SeeD. "Please help ensure that my father is taken into custody and report to General Nox once you are able." Squall started to open his mouth to reply to Katanas, but the Trabian SeeD Commander took a step and vanished into a Planeswalk before anything further could be said.
[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]
"What...?"
Freya looked over at Odin, noticing that her advisor suddenly seemed troubled. Given Odin's normally unflappable demeanor, any time that he showed such concern was troubling to the Creator.
"Is something wrong, Lord Odin?"
Odin turned to Freya, the look on his face more concerned than she had seen in centuries. Not since the Harrowing had she seen her firstborn wear such a look - even Hyne's reemergence had not caused such agitation.
"Sir DeValle has relinquished the fragment of my power that I had entrusted him with."
"Interesting...it is most unusual for you to ask something of me such as this."
Aizen's eyes watched Katanas intently as he stood before the Overlord, and he leaned back in his throne with his hands steepled in front of him.
"However, such a request must come with a price. What shall you offer in return, Sir DeValle?"
Katanas closed his eyes, troubled by what he was about to say but unwilling to relent.
"I am aware that there is likely some...turmoil in the near future. When the time comes, you shall have my unquestioned obedience."
The statement was, as much as he was loath to admit, a surprise to Aizen. Katanas DeValle had been his Planeswalker for many years, but he knew the young man held a deep sense of honor that even went so far as to question his patron at times. He was unfailingly polite and professional, but he was unafraid to challenge motives and ideas which he believed to be wrong or unideal, even those belonging to one such as the Overlord. It made him an excellent servant to have when it came to topics such as the feasibility of battlefield planning, but it caused clashes during discussions of a more...political nature. To have him swear to follow without question in light of recent developments would be an immense boon indeed, given the very real possibility of disloyalty in the midst of what was to come.
"Very well then. I accept your offer, and will give you that which you seek," Aizen said, smiling faintly as he held a hand out towards Katanas. It shimmered momentarily before a mote of magical light emerged from Aizen's palm, floating over towards Katanas and sinking into his chest with a minute flash.
[Nether Plane, Chateau du Suzerain]
Footsteps resounded through the halls of Aizen's palace, unnaturally loud even to Katanas' ears as he made his way towards the Overlord's throne room. His heart hurt as much as his body from what he'd just had to do, but he knew that he couldn't afford to waver in his duties. A hand rose as he approached the door to Aizen's chamber, slowly rapping the iron circle there upon the door three times before Aizen's voice came from within.
"Enter."
Katanas tiredly pushed open the large doors and made his way inside, slowly stepping up towards where Aizen sat before kneeling to the ground. Aizen took in the condition of his champion, noting the bloodied, battered, and overall weary look that Katanas currently possessed, and motioned for him to rise. As he did so, a mote of light slowly emerged from Katanas' chest and floated gingerly over towards Aizen, who raised a hand to let it hover over his palm before it descended and absorbed itself into his hand.
"So. You have saved your family and your silly little Garden. I assume that means you are ready?"
Slowly, Katanas nodded.
"I am, my lord."
"Excellent," Aizen replied, the corner of his mouth creeping upwards ever so slightly. "Rest yourself, then. We have much to prepare in the coming days."