Chapter 12: Retaking Elusia

The Somniel arrived at the port of Elusia nearest to the castle, as an eerie fog lulled over the area.

"...The place is so… empty." Siege remarked, looking over the port town.

"The town is usually bustling with people… what on earth could have happened here?" Ivy remarked.

"I see someone ahead! Let's- Oh no!" Mirai exclaimed, soon seeing the "person" was a Corrupted.

"Corrupted! They've overwhelmed the town!" Alfred exclaimed, as Siege, Richard, and Alear shared grim expressions. "Let's retake the town and save-"

"There's no one to save, Alfred…" Siege stated.

"Does the Fell Dragon mean to destroy Elusia too? But that makes no sense." Diamant remarked.

Morion could only look at the scene before him, before he then sighed deeply, and gave a sympathetic look towards Ivy and Hortensia.

"I truly never thought that your lives were truly that terrible, and under such a threat." Morion admitted. "I believed that you were willing worshippers of the Fell Dragon who would see him revived at all costs."

"And now?" Ivy asked back.

"...I see them as no different to all of us." Morion answered back. "We are all victims of the Fell Dragon, your people were unfortunate to die fighting for a lie. I truly feel sick inside, realizing that I might have killed a few dozen good men who fought for the wrong thing."

"It's alright, we can make peace after all of this." Alear stated. "I'm sure that we can work out a peace when Sombron is defeated again, if not for good."

"If we are to save what remains, we cannot allow Sombron the time." Ivy stated. "We must protect the living, for the dead are only here to stall us while Sombron and his puppet continue to scheme."

"I'm afraid you will go no farther." A new, sinister voice rang through the area, as the group tensed up.

"...That doesn't sound like any of the Four Dragons…" Mirai would say.

Cue: Lair of the Four Kings - Street Fighter V OST

Suddenly, a figure coated in sinister purple energy would slowly descend, a wicked smile on his face as he slowly descended to the ground, while one of his subordinates, a man dressed in very vagrant clothes, complete with a mask and claw, walked next to the fully red and black clad man, who finally touched the ground as he chuckled at the group.

"Who are they…?" Zendara asked, already having her ax ready to go.

"Bison… Vega…" Siege growled. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"It's simple, soldier." The red clad man, presumably M. Bison, would say as he held up Sigurd's ring, firmly on his finger. "Lady Umbris recently received us as her personal guard. She, the Four Dragons, and Sombron are in need of time to prepare a voyage, you see. To Lythos." Bison said with a wide grin.

"And if she says we kill you, all the better for us. Such a grandeur offer, who could refuse?" Vega spoke dramatically, revealing the Sacred Twins Ring on his finger.

"They even have Emblem Rings!?" Fogado exclaimed.

"And I doubt that they won't use them." Richard scowled. "Be careful, Bison is a general, he knows how to command his men well. One mis-step, and his men, or if you're unfortunate, he himself will tear any of you to pieces, along with that masked assassin of his, Vega."

"Hahaha, well said, tactician. Kneel before my Psycho Power!" Bison exclaimed as he took his stance, and Vega took his.

Victory: Defeat M. Bison and Vega

Defeat: Siege, Richard, or Alear fall

Recruitable Unit: Saphir,?

PLAYER PHASE

"Hey, Diamant… I think I see someone in Brodia's colors up ahead. In heavy armor too." Siege remarked, seeing someone in the midst of the fog.

"Wait, that's…!" Diamant exclaimed, upon recognising the figure.

"Saphir…" Morion remarked, as he could see her pony-tailed white hair, and her dark skin, with her entire body clad in heavy knight armour, with axe in hand.

"Warp me down." Morion declared.

"Are you sure? It's dangerous down there." Richard warned Morion.

'I will not let her fight this battle alone." Morion growled. "I will not die so easily, against these rabble. But she will not survive long, if those men you said are versed in tactics. I shall convince her to follow your orders."

"As you wish." Richard declared, before he warped Morion down, right beside Saphir.

"King Morion!?" Saphir exclaimed. "Why have you come to Elusia? You shouldn't be fighting this far from your own-"

"You worry far too much, Saphir. Or perhaps you have forgotten who I am." Morion remarked, as Saphir turned silent. "I came here because I cannot sit idly by while danger is afoot. The Divine Dragons, both past and present, as well as the Radiant Saviour himself, have led us here. It was the Radiant Saviour's magician brother that brought me here before you. Now that we have regrouped with you, I expect that you take the Divine One's orders, as well as those of the Radiant Saviour, as if they are my own. They are more familiar with these enemies than we are."

"It shall be done, your Highness." Saphir answered back. "I will swear on my name as royal guard to protect your life from any threats."

The force began to split off, as Siege and Alear were teleported beside Morion and Saphir, while the others began to move towards the northern and southern ends of the village, to engage the Corrupted over there, while the fliers also joined their leaders on the ground.

Opherla and Zendara helped by clearing paths forward, both taking out big groups of Corrupted by their lonesome so the group could move forward towards Bison and Vega.

ENEMY PHASE

The Corrupted began to advance towards the group, as they attacked whoever was in reach, as Citrinne took a few nasty hits, although the ones attacking her were frail to her magic, as she took them out.

"Citrenne, are you okay?" Alcryst exclaimed with worry.

"I can still stand." Citrenne answered back. "Now I understand why the Radiant Saviour is cautious about those two men…"

"Tch, man these guys are acting like a well oiled machine…" Siege growled. "Bison and Vega are really hammering down on taking us out…"

PLAYER PHASE

Richard then noticed that there was a man amidst the formation, who did not seem to be one of the Corrupted, as it was a elderly man with short white hair and a short beard, dressed in white priest robes.

Using Re-warp, Richard appeared beside him, and began to talk to him.

"You… You are not one of the Corrupted." Richard remarked. "And that means that you are a loyal man to Elusia… why do you fight with the likes of the Corrupted?"

"You speak truth." The elderly priest sighed. "Since the king's death, my country has become something unrecognizable. Elusia's armies serve Elusia no longer, but the Dragons… I truly cannot accept fighting for them. I find myself reluctant to spill blood for this broken nation. What irony it is to tell this to my foe. I must be going senile."

"Perhaps. But you can change your allegiance." Richard answered back. "Both Princess Ivy and Hortensia live still, and they fight on this very field against the Dragons that you detest. She has been a true ally to all of us, and even saved us."

"She lives!?" The priest exclaimed. "Then as far as I'm concerned, where she stands, there lies Elusia. My devotion has always been to the royal family itself. Please, take me with you."

"I shall. What is your name, honored priest?" Richard asked.

"Lindon. Long ago, I served as a royal soldier. I may be getting on in years, but with my magic, I can still open these soldiers' eyes to the truth!" Lindon stated.

"Good words to live by. Allow me to repay your devotion!" Richard remarked, before he then Engaged, using Brynhildr Forest to clear the nearby Corrupted. "There, we shall be safe. Stay behind me, and I shall get you to your Princess quickly."

The rest of the forces began to advance, before Goldmary managed to reach an Corrupted armored knight.

"You can die now." Goldmary declared, before launching a jumping thrust right through the armored knight's head, as it fell dead, as Goldmary scoffed. "Perfection."

Meanwhile, Mauvier, Zephia, Siege, and Mirai approached Vega, as Siege was the first to engage Vega.

"I always despised you and how you seem to pride elegance over seriousness in a fight… you disgust me, you know." Siege spat at Vega.

"Ah, but to find beauty in death is what I do." Vega declared. "And believe me, displaced soldier, your death shall ring across the entire world when they hear of it!"

"As if you could ever strike me lethally! En garde!" Siege quipped, as his first strike would give the Break status to Vega, knocking his claw out of his hand, before striking him a second time, reducing his health to 0 for the first HP bar and knocking his mask off!

"Hmph. It seems I must put on a more grandeur performance! Emblem, let us show them your radiance!" Vega exclaimed, as now, Eirika was at his side, in her Fell Dragon state.

"It will be a short one!" Zephia remarked, before she then used Elsurge, as the speed and area of the spell was large enough to hit Vega despite his speed, before Mauvier followed up with a powerful dashing strike, which sent Vega sprawling back. However, Mauvier was hit by Vega's counter, as the assassin did not retaliate lightly, as blood dripped from his armour, from wherever the claws shredded his armour.

"This pain and the wounds… They are not strong enough to smoulder my duty to Lady Veyle!" Mauvier declared, before Mirai rushed up to deal the finishing blow to Vega.

Vega yelled in pain as he flew backwards, lethally struck as Eirika's ring flew off his finger, and he landed in a heap.

"Ah… the elegance… of the performance… cut short… in the grasp of death…" Vega spoke in finality as he breathed his last, dying on the spot.

"I got the ring!" Siege exclaimed, holding up the Sacred Twins ring, looking back to Alear. "Catch!" He yelled, as the ring traveled in a blue and gold path into Alear's hands.

"Restore calm, Emblem of the Sacred!" Alear declared, as Eirika reformed herself back into her Emblem form.

"Finally, I am returned to your side. My name is Eirika." Eirika declared. "I raise my sword in hopes that peace will come to this world at last."

"I know that we can depend on you, Eirika." Alear declared, before tossing the Emblem Ring towards Mokou. "Mokou, make use of this ring."

"I shall." Mokou declared, before she then synced up with Eirika, before she then began to take down a Great Knight Corrupted, using Eirika's summoned Rapier. "Glad to have something to take care of the more pesky of the enemies."

ENEMY PHASE

"That fool… what a waste." Bison growled at Vega's quick death, before lining up with Siege, as Siege suddenly realized that Zephia, Veyle, Vander, and Alear were in the same line right next to one another.

"Oh… sh-" Siege was about to warn, but it was too late.

Sigurd's Override Skill - Renamed Nightmare Booster in Bison's usage

Bison laughed as Fell Sigurd would float alongside him, before he and his horse charged into him to grant him the Override Engage Skill. "NIGHTMARE BOOSTER!" Bison yelled as he shot forward in vibrant, vile purple energy, as Siege quickly enacted a Personal Skill.

Radiant Protector: If an Enemy's Engage Skill targets more than one allied unit in the same area as Siege, Siege blocks the Engage Effect and takes the full damage of the Engage Skill. If Siege's HP would be reduced to 0, instead he survives with 1 HP

Bison would ram into Siege full force, as Siege yelled in pain, preventing Bison from steamrolling over the group in line, as Siege nearly skid back into Zephia, before Bison would suddenly shoot up with Siege, before punching him to halt his upward flight.

"THIS PLACE SHALL BECOME YOUR GRAVE!" Bison yelled as he stomped Siege right down to Earth, as Siege would crash down hard on the street, concrete bricks flying everywhere from the impact as Siege lay there, motionless for a second as Bison laughed wickedly.

"Siege!" Alear exclaimed.

"You… You took his attack head-on for us!" Zephia exclaimed.

"Radiant Saviour!" Mauvier exclaimed.

"DAD!" Mirai exclaimed in horror.

Siege would suddenly twitch, as he managed to grab his sword again, and though he had to rely on it heavily, Siege rose back to his feet with the help of his sword, wobbly in footing as Bison scowled.

"Like a cockroach, you don't seem to know when to just lay down and die. Look around you, imbecile. The Corrupted hunger for your blood. Even now… you will die, horribly." Bison stated. "You will have wished to die, by my own hands."

Suddenly, the Corrupted immediately focused on Siege, and his 1 health point, as they immediately began to bum rush Siege to finish him off for good.

"DAD! Someone, please do something!" Mirai exclaimed as she couldn't help from her area. She could only watch as the Corrupted rushed at Siege full force.

However, no one could do anything in time, as a lance wielding foe held the weapon advantage, and just enough strength… for him to strike Siege, and reduce his HP to 0, as blood flew, and Siege flew back from the impact.

"Is… this… where it ends…?" Siege weakly asked as he collapsed from the attack.

"Siege, Siege no! NO!" Dezna yelled.

"...I… couldn't even… Get my wife… my kid… to… to see their future of… So many… Wonderful adventures…" Siege weakly said.

"If you die, all of our hope is lost! You can't! You can't do this! Please! PLEASE!" Dezna exclaimed.

Alear grit her teeth, before she then immediately began to reach for the Draconic Time Stone.

However, she wouldn't be the one to act on this.

"FATHER!"

With a cry of rage and sorrow, Mirai's Divine Super Saiyan Dragon state rose to life once again, as she warped next to Siege, the power of her warp blowing away the Corrupted to bits, and even dealing considerable damage to Bison.

"You insolent…!" Bison growled.

"Father… please… WAKE UP!" Mirai yelled, as she shot energy into Siege, so that he might be able to breathe life again… as he weakly coughed, and felt himself have enough strength to look at his daughter.

"M… Mirai….?" Siege asked.

"You're not dying today! Not when we're so close to this victory! You've done enough, far enough for all of us! You're not staying out here to die. You let us handle this fight, you hear me!?" Mirai exclaimed.

"Heh… hehehe… my precious daughter… my… that determination I have… it burns so bright in you… very well… I recall we… didn't bring Framme with us, she's helping watch the Somniel. I'm sure she… she'll patch me up…" Siege chuckled before coughing more blood. "I… leave it to all of you, then."

Siege was suddenly warped from the field of battle, to safety so he couldn't be further damaged.

Miraculous Save: Siege, Richard, Alear, and Mirai each have the capability of reviving and retreating one main character should they fall in combat. These are one-time Personal Skills that once used, can no longer be used in the future.

Mirai lost the skill "Miraculous Save"

"That… that was close." Richard remarked. "Damn it… I should have known that he would have tried that."

Alear lowered the Draconic Time Crystal, as she was relieved that Siege managed to survive the fight.

"Damn idiot…" Geina remarked, as there was a pained expression on her face. "...Of course you would take all that head-on… You almost…!"

"You absolute dumbass… I better not see you pull that ever again…!" Nihilister growled, trying to hide the tears she nearly shed upon seeing the fatal blow Siege received.

PLAYER PHASE

Mirai, meanwhile, glared at Bison, and she engaged him immediately!

"You… you will suffer… I'll make you pay for almost killing my father!" Mirai yelled at Bison in a tone of pure fury.

"Ah, so the whelp has decided to challenge me. Just as your father did, you shall learn your place, just as that pathetic excuse of a soldier did!" Bison laughed at Mirai's challenge.

"What… what did you just… call him…?" Mirai asked, her anger suddenly spiking further, as did her power. "You… You know NOTHING OF HIM!"

Mirai Combat Skill: Azure-Crimson Ignister Blast - If target has multiple Health Bars, those extra Health Bars will suffer over-damage when the current Health Bar reaches 0. Deals damage equal to 150% of Atk, ignoring Def and Res stats

Mirai suddenly began to bash Bison multiple times with rapid blows, striking him with blue and red ki coated fists and feet before she flipped back and charged up two beams of energy.

"YOU'RE GONNA… DIE!" Mirai yelled as she fired them forward in similar fashion to Final Flash, as the twin beams formed into a massive blue and red beam that shot right through Bison, sending him flying backwards as he landed on the ground harshly, the ring on his finger falling harmlessly to the ground.

"Kgh… Grrh… Heh… Hehehehe… it… doesn't matter… Lord… Sombron… has… already…. Gh…" Bison could only say before he died on the spot.

STAGE CLEAR

MVP: Mirai & Fjorm

"The battle is won… but… The Radiant Savior…" Vander remarked, remembering the damage Siege had taken just before the battle's conclusion.

"He will come through." Richard answered back. "He has a knack of surviving the most serious of wounds and bouncing back. He'll need the time to heal, and I'll help cut that time down."

"...If we lost him, it would be truly devastating." Alear admitted darkly.

"Yeah… for all of us…" Nihilister remarked, sympathetically looking at Alear.

"And he did it for the likes of Zephia and Mauvier." Griss remarked, not even commenting on the pain that Siege took from such a hit. "Jeez, he was truly serious in protecting all of us, to take that to the chin without backing out."

"He'd do it for all of you." Mirai remarked, still in her Divine Super Saiyan Dragon state. "That's who my father is. He cares for all of his allies. New, old, it doesn't matter. When you fight with my father… he makes sure if anyone dies on the field of battle… it's him. No one else." Mirai remarked, deducing that from how Siege acted.

"Now that we have retrieved the Ring of the Holy Knight back…" Alear remarked, taking the Emblem Ring from Bison's fallen body. "Provide for us, Emblem of the Holy War!"

Sigurd then manifested himself, as he knelt before Lumera.

"Queen Lumera, forgive me for being too weak to remain by your side." Sigurd declared.

"There is no need to kneel for forgiveness before me." Lumera stated. "You were fighting against Sombron's corruption, and your power has been used for evil. Now that you are returned to our hands, you fight with justice and heroism once again."

"Thank you." Sigurd answered back, before noticing Siege wasn't among the group. "! …Where is the Radiant Savior!? Has he…!?"

"He is gravely wounded." Richard answered back. "Do not worry, he shall live, with my aid and the other clerics, and fight again. Your former wielder tried hard to kill him, and almost succeeded, if it wasn't for his daughter's intervention. I doubt that he will be lucky enough to survive that kind of situation again, which is why we'll keep an eye for him. His life, grim as it sounds, holds more value than most of us, for he is a beacon of hope just as Alear is."

"To think… I struck the Radiant Savior… to a near death blow… how disgraceful… Divine One, I know… I know how close you are to him… please… forgive me for being the cause of his near death." Sigurd apologized to Alear.

"I will not blame you." Alear declared. "He fought to protect others from the attack, and so he chose to risk his own life to stop you from taking others. It was a heavy blow, and I doubt that Mauvier would survive that blow if it hit."

"He speaks the truth, the force of that attack would have been my demise." Mauvier declared regretfully.

"But we cannot dwell any longer. Elusia Castle is before us. Richard, I task you to help your brother stand back on his feet." Lumera stated.

"It shall be done, your Divine Highness." Richard declared with a bow.

"No. Father wouldn't want us to worry about him like this." Mirai stated firmly. "You heard him, Framme is currently with him at the Somniel. She shall restore his wounds… he would want us to finish this fight for Elusia, that way, we can head to Lythos, then he will be ready to be fully recovered. Until then, he would want us to finish what he began." Mirai finished.

"And speaking of Lythos…" Richard remarked, as he frowned. "...The moment this fight finished, I have an ominous feeling lingering in my head. As if something truly dangerous lies there. And it's not just Sombron."

"What could possibly…" Alear remarked, before she then thought back to the fact that the outworlders were still subordinates. "Oh… I see why you are concerned."

"We only go to Lythos Castle once we make sure that we prepared everything, and after we take back Elusia Castle" Richard declared. "Because once we go in… we give our best, or there will be dire consequences. I can literally feel them crawling on the back of my head."

"Concerning…" Alear remarked. "To Elusia Castle then…!"

The group then marched for Elusia Castle, as Siege was placed onto a spare mount, so that Richard could work on the fly to start recovering Siege's injuries.

"Heh… considerate of you guys to let me see the fight to come, on the back of this mount…" Siege remarked as he was atop a wyvern.

"Be quiet, don't strain yourself." Richard recovered, as he carefully applied Recover on Siege to heal the worst of the injuries. "We'll get you back on your feet soon. After all, you managed to live through that, because of your daughter coming to your aid."

"Hah… you worry so much… I'm… just happy to see my daughter taking the lead on this. Don't worry. I'll stick to the back lines, just to watch how you guys crush whoever is left in our way." Siege smirked, as Richard nodded back.

While that was happening in the back lines, the group approached the one man remaining in the castle, as he was currently dressed in what appeared to be a denim trench coat over a proper black suit and tie underneath, with black boots and familiar red gloves, as he looked at the group, scoffing slightly.

"Kazuya…" Siege scowled.

"You sure know how to keep someone waiting." Kazuya remarked with a scowl to the group, his eyes glowing red slightly. "I'm afraid if you've come for Sombron and the dragons, you're too late." Kazuya remarked.

"We are aware." Richard remarked, dismounting from the wyvern. "Doesn't mean that we're going to let you keep this castle."

"Tch. I don't like it anyways." Kazuya growled. "Too foreign and… rustic for my tastes." He remarked, which set off Hortensia and Ivy a little bit, as Kazuya smirked. "But I suppose the reason you're here is this, yes?" Kazuya would ask, suddenly holding up Leif's ring.

"Yep, and we know you're not giving it with a fight." Hitomi scoffed. "So say what you want, and get to the fighting. There is nothing else to discuss."

"Then let me say this… I'm not interested in a good lot of you." Kazuya growled. "A lot of you I see are a bunch of weaklings and cowards, none of which I consider a good opponent." He added, as a wall of Corrupted suddenly cut off a large portion of the group. All that was left to face Kazuya up front was Alear, Mirai, Lumera, Zephia, Mauvier, Marni, Griss, and Veyle. "But you all… you intrigue me. To a slight degree." Kazuya remarked, as suddenly, a proper arena formed, with electric cage walls in the form of an octagonal circle. "Let's see just if you all have the guts to take me down." Kazuya remarked with a sly smirk, before taking his stance.

"Welp, this just got complicated. But I suppose this is how Kazuya fights, good or bad." Richard remarked, before the rest of the group drew their weapons. "He wants his gauntlet, he gets it. In the meanwhile, time for some castle-cleaning!"

The main force began to fight the horde of Corrupted, while the separated people were forced to face Kazuya.

STAGE RULES

Gameplay: Tekken 8

Objective: Defeat Kazuya!

Stipulation: Gauntlet Match, every unit Kazuya defeats is replaced with the next one. Defeat Occurs if all units are defeated

GET READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE

KAZUYA

VS.

8-PERSON GAUNTLET

Cracking his neck, Kazuya would taunt the group, calling forward the first challenger to take him on.

"Well, I'll see how you fight." Griss remarked, before he then stepped up, swapping the Nova tome for something more practical, a Surge tome. "Make it hurt. I know that you got that bloodlust in that eyes of yours."

ROUND 1

FIGHT!

Kazuya merely smirked, before the two of them began to clash, as Kazuya weaved and bobbed between spell strikes, as only a few of them hit him. The moment that Griss showed an opening, Kazuya did not waste a single moment in punishing Griss with a rushing combo, before smashing him down into the ground, cracking several bones, and rendering him down for the count.

K.O.!

"Oh, now that's real good pain right there." Griss chuckled.

ROUND 2

FIGHT!

"We'll see if those fists of yours can reach high enough to strike me!" Zephia declared, before she then took to the air, bombarding the entire battlefield with meteors, although they were far too slow for Kazuya to even hit it, as he made a few close-calls on purpose to mock Zephia's attacks.

"You strike too slow." Kazuya scornfully declared, as Zephia growled. "And that advantage of yours? Meaningless."

Kazuya then opened his devil's third eye, as a beam shot out of it fast enough to literally pierce her wyvern's head entirely, as it spiraled down into the ground. As soon as Zephia landed, Kazuya grabbed her by the throat, and smashed her right into the ground, cratering it, as Zephia was rendered unconscious.

PERFECT K.O.!

"Come on. Is this all any of you can muster?" Kazuya mocked.

"I shall be your opponent!" Mauvier declared, before he then dis-mounted, due to the fact that he saw how Kazuya would have rendered his own mount useless, before switching to a slim lance, as the two of them began to fight.

ROUND 3

FIGHT!

Mauver went for several quick strikes, as they managed to hit against Kazuya's guard, and even managed to block several hits using his spear as a makeshift pole to redirect Kazuya's fists and strikes away enough to avoid taking damage. However, Kazuya, with his superior stamina and strength, out-endured Mauvier, before landing a flip-kick that grounded Mauvier, and landing an axe-kick to finish the fight.

K.O.!

ROUND 4

FIGHT!

"I'll show you!" Marni declared, before she then used a tomahawk axe to throw at Kazuya, only for him to duck under it, before she then used it to hit Kazuya several times, only for them to be glancing blows, even though with her strength, they still damaged Kazuya enough, as he flinched enough from Marni cutting onto his shoulder

"I got you now-" Marni declared, following up with an over-head swing aimed at Kazuya's head, only for Kazuya to catch the ax bare-handed. "...Huh?"

"More than I expected… but not enough, child!" Kazuya declared, before he then twisted the ax out of her hand, before landing a double back-fist, one right to Marni's face, which broke her nose, and the other, that made her keel over, gagging for breath, as she slumped to the ground , as he merely kicked her away with a short rising kick that further broke her nose.

"You need far more training to even scratch me." Kazuya scoffed.

K.O.!

"Half of you down and it's not even been a minute. What a waste." Kazuya remarked. "I hope the rest of you aren't weaklings too."

"I shall-" Lumera remarked.

"No, I'll go!" Veyle declared, as she stepped forth, with dagger and tome in hand.

"You remind me of another childish fighter I know… And just as annoying." Kazuya glowered, having been talking about Xiaoyu. "I digress, she was slightly competent. Let's see how you hold up."

"Very well." Veyle remarked.

ROUND 5

FIGHT!

Veyle began to go for a more evasive approach, knowing that directly fighting Kazuya is not a smart idea, as she went for counter-strikes, instead of making the offence, as it was looking to be the right strategy, as Kazuya was pelted with a long string of spells that she countered with, and her dagger was fast enough to land several direct hits through his guard.

"I shall make you bow!" Kazuya growled, before he then went for a Glorious Demon God Fist, thrusting his fist forward to send Veyle flying away.

However, Veyle let the attack graze by her hair, before she then slammed her hand, creating a circle of dark magic on it, as it then exploded in a spray of dark magic, that pushed Veyle away, and kicked up a large cloud of marble dust from the destroyed ground.

"Did… Did it work…?" Veyle remarked, before she then heard crackling thunder on the other side, which caused her breath to hitch.

"That was a proper attack. Indeed, now I see where the real fighters begin." Kazuya remarked, before he then stepped out, in full Devil form. "But you're still far from worthy to defeat me!"

Kazuya then moved in a flash-step, before striking through Veyle with a dashing punch, as Veyle's consciousness was cut out in an instant, as she collapsed, before he picked up Veyle, and tossed her right towards Lumera, who caught her.

K.O.!

"Hmph. The real fight begins now." Kazuya remarked, his Devil Form coursing with massive energy.

ROUND 6

FIGHT!

Lumera immediately rushed forward, before using her blade to strike at Kazuya, as her blade managed to deal decent damage, although Kazuya didn't seem to be fazed by the attack, before he went for a thrusting punch, which she weaved over.

Kazuya then immediately hit Lumera with his signature 10-hit combo, as Lumera was sent into the air, before she then recovered, and head-butted Kazuya, something that he didn't truly expect the Divine Dragon to do, as both sides staggered back.

"I shall rip you apart!" Kazuya exclaimed the minute he recovered from this, before unleashing three dark fisted blows, a left hook, right hook, then an uppercut that sent Lumera soaring into the air, as Dark Emblem Leif was helping him with sword blows, and as Lumera was in the air, Kazuya would charge up energy in his third eye.

"GO TO HELL!" Kazuya yelled, unleashing a demon beam, and Leif an arrow, both of which pierced right through Lumera, not lethally, but enough she was definitely weakened considerably, enough that she couldn't continue any longer.

K.O.!

Kazuya would then kick the downed Lumera away, before looking up at Mirai.

"You. I want you fighting next." Kazuya demanded.

"Very well. For the Hounds and my grandmother… and for Veyle… you'll not win against me!" Mirai yelled.

ROUND 7

FIGHT!

Cue: Heat Haze Shadow - Tekken 7 OST

Mirai began by actually landing a rushing combo on Kazuya, which started with a jumping knee to take him off his feet, before she then unleashed a salvo of fists on Kazuya, ending with a hefty Roundhouse to send him spiraling into the air and landing harshly on the ground, which would actually cause Kazuya to reel from his wounds he was given!

PERFECT K.O.!

Remaining Rounds to Win: 1

"Not bad… I'm starting to enjoy this." Kazuya smirked as he was back to his usual form, though it seemed now he was meshing his standard look with Devil powers from the dark aura coursing around his hands. "Let's see if you can keep that momentum."

ROUND 8

FIGHT!

Mirai would dash forward, in an attempt to land a jumping dash kick on Kazuya, as Kazuya took it, before going for a sweep kick that knocked Mirai off her feet, before he hit her with a left hook that knocked her back.

Mirai managed to recover, before doing a step run in, as Kazuya read she was going for a high attack, when instead, she was going low, soon stepping on Kazuya's own knee and flip kicking him in the chin, before blasting Kazuya with an azure-crimson energy ball that sent him back into the electrified wall he had summoned for the ring, adding to the damage dealt to him!

"Impressive." Kazuya remarked, before he then dashed forward, and hit Mirai with a rising electrified uppercut, and then went for a series of spinning kicks that sent Mirai flying. As soon as Mirai got up, he grabbed her, and performed Gates of Hell, bending Mirai over his knee, and kicking her away.

Mirai was hit enough that she was reverted right out of Divine Super Saiyan Dragon form, her ponytail holder having fallen out, revealing her similar hair color and styling to her mother, only reaching her mid back in comparison. She got back to her feet, but was dazed as she wobbled on her feet, unable to properly continue the fight, and wide open for a finisher.

"As I thought. Weak, down to the core!" Kazuya yelled, before he then performed his Rage Art, sending Mirai into the air, before hitting her with a Devil Beam directly to her chest, sending her flying.

GREAT!

Mirai flew back and landed at Alear's feet, as she groaned in pain as Kazuya folded his arms, glaring at Alear.

"It's surprising to me that the power I feel from you is less than your own daughter's. Didn't that soldier give you anything to make you competent?" Kazuya growled at Alear.

"He did." Alear remarked, before she then tossed her blade aside. "And now I know that the only way I can beat you is if I fight on the same standards as you do."

"Hmph, fool." Kazuya scoffed. "So be it, show me if you're worth being called the bride of someone like Siege Sukui."

"Siege, give me strength." Alear prayed gently.

"Alear, you can do it. I gave you what you need to win… you can access deeper levels of power, just as I did… just call upon it in your times of need, and win for all of us!" Siege would say, loud enough for Alear to hear, yet quiet enough that Alear assumed it was Siege talking to her in her own mind.

As Siege spoke those words, Alear's fists began to glow, as a azure trail of energy followed them, and she felt empowered.

FINAL ROUND

FIGHT!

The two of them began to fight, as Kazuya began to notice that Alear was fighting as if she was a different person, as her attacks were strong enough to break his full guard, which she always followed up with a few blows.

"Scatter apart!" Kazuya declared, before firing a laser, only for Alear to block it, as he then followed up with a rising head-butt that knocked Alear back, although she was still standing. "You still stand."

"And I have picked a few tricks from him." Alear remarked, before she then swirled her arms around, cupped it, and fired several blue projectiles, reminiscent of a Hadoken, except they seemed to be entirely spherical, as Kazuya dodged two of them, and didn't have the chance to block the third.

"You won't win on these parlor tricks!" Kazuya growled, before he then rushed forward, before grabbing Alear, and choke-slamming her onto the ground, only for her to break out at the last moment with a kick under his chin.

Alear rose up, before she then began to weave through Kazuya's blows, even taking several of them with grit, before she then landed a powerful Power Charge-like move, only hers was more graceful than Terry's was, sending Kazuya flying back.

"I will not lose to the likes of you!" Kazuya growled, before he then grabbed Alear, before he then flew deep into the air, and pile-drove her into the ground, with the intent of destroying her, only for her to spring back up, as Kazuya was on his last legs.

"Now! Dig deep! Unleash your power!" Siege yelled at Alear.

"I shall!" Alear declared, before she then readied her fists, as blue energy began to swirl behind her. "Take this final blow of mine!"

Alear then rushed forward, before she then went for a barrage of fast blows, before she then began to charge her fist, as the visage of a dragon's head formed around her. She then roared, as she struck forward in a flash-step, with much greater distance than Kazuya did, as the dragon-head consumed him, and exploded strongly.

Alear Rage Art: Divine Dragon Wrath Strike

K.O.!

WINNER

"I'll never lose. I can't." Alear would say as she clutched a fist to her heart. "May you find peace in your defeat."

Alear then powered down, before she then took Leif's ring, and began to purify it. "Free us, Emblem of Genealogy!"

Leif then recovered immediately, before he looked around, and noticed that there was no-one else, but the defeated warriors.

"...What happened? Is… Are we all collected together at last?" Leif asked, as Alear nodded. "That is divine news… with this, Sombron will no longer be able to achieve his ambition. With all of you guarding them, our path to victory is clear."

At the same time, the Corrupted Horde's remnants were finished off, as the main group rushed over, with the clerics tending to the defeated heroes.

"A long and arduous battle… But we managed to do it." Richard declared. "And I could see that finishing blow, Alear. You did Siege proud with that one."

"I'm glad to hear that." Alear remarked, giving off a sheepish smile. "I sort of had to make my fighting style up, due to the fact that I drew from my memories of Siege."

"Why not hear it from me then?" Siege asked, dismounting the spare mount he had as it walked over to Zephia, considering Kazuya killed the other mount. "You were great out there, Alear." Siege smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it, especially from you." Alear smiled back.

"Now then, onto the crux of the matter…" Richard remarked, turning to Zephia and Lumera as they were getting patched up. "Elusia Castle is ours once again. Now, the truth. What is Alear?"

"I suppose this was to be expected… well… better now than never." Zephia sighed, looking to Alear. "The minute I laid eyes on you… I always had my suspicions… always had that thought linger in the back of my mind…"

"But now, after we heard you make that incantation, oh the fact was clear as day." Griss remarked. "Alear, believe it or not, you are the Child of the Fell Dragon, Sombron's child."

"What!? Then that means…!?" Veyle remarked, before pulling out the Dragonstone she carried with her, as the realization dawned upon her. "...Alear… all this time, I was looking for you… and I…"

"What is the meaning of this!?" Vander exclaimed. "Even if you are our ally, I will not permit such slander of the Divine Dragon's child!"

"Vander… he is right." Lumera would stop Vander's tirade, looking at him somberly.

"Queen Lumera!?" Vander exclaimed with shock.

"Let me tell you something that you haven't learned, steward." Zephia declared. "The truth is, Divine and Fell Dragons alike can summon Emblems. Perhaps you heard about that, but you don't know HOW it is done. Divine Dragons use prayer as a conduit to draw the Emblems out. It is only the Fell Dragons that use incantations to summon Emblems."

"...But wait a second, where does that put the Radiant Savior? He's been using incantations the whole time!" Zendara exclaimed.

"Beats me. I bet that this Goddess must have found a way to purify the ritual, giving a bona-fide Emblem, rather than an emotionless Dark Emblem." Griss remarked. "Of course, an all-knowing goddess can do that."

"I can explain for him." A voice called out, as Magina descended into view. "Ah… Zephia. It's been a while." She remarked, looking at the Mage Dragon.

"Yes… Yes it has been." Zephia remarked, as there was a mix of bitterness and longing in her voice, as her expression was conflicted.

"Trust me when I say, I truly missed the days when I could have visited you as you wished… of course… when Sombron got suspicious of me… surely you understand." Magina remarked.

"When I was younger, I looked up to you." Zephia declared. "But that devotion faded after you left me alone with no family to care for me, to feel alone longer than a thousand years."

"It hurts me so… but I couldn't let Sombron punish you for swaying your devotion… it seems he's punished you far enough as it is… you still don't have a child…" Magina spoke with genuine remorse.

"...There is still a part of me that wants to tell you to never come into my life again." Zephia remarked, before she lowered her head. "...But that part of me died the day that Sombron replaced me with these deplorable outsiders. I have nothing to care about him. I live to spite him, and I shall take pride in that."

"Then let me say I am glad for it. Now, back to explaining." Magina stated. "Siege can summon proper Emblems through incantations, because it is the only way to summon them. It is the character of the heart, however, that determines how they arise."

"It is the same case with Alear." Lumera answered back. "But I won't lie that my blood in her veins had a part in it. Despite her incantations, her power is a mix of both Fell and Divine."

"Actually, Lumera. Have you not noticed?" Magina asked. "Alear isn't just incanting the Emblems… She prays as well. The incantation is simply the words of her prayer she uses to bring them forth as Emblems of good."

"I see…" Lumera answered back.

"Anyways, we've veered a good bit off track, haven't we? …Unfortunately, Alear, yes… you are Sombron's child." Magina said.

"I… I need time to process this." Alear stated. "But that's not all you have to say, goddess?"

"Let me interject one other thing to you. Why do you think I had Siege show up? When you were in a desperate search, looking for a way out of Sombron's control. Why did he, a disguised Elusian royal, decide so suddenly to be at your side?" Magina asked.

"You… You remember how I came to be all those years ago?" Alear remarked, as Magina frowned gently.

"Of course… it… pained me so. Watching it all. I wanted so badly… to place others in a spot where they could save your siblings. Just as Siege saved you… but I was all but too late… by the time Siege had you fully devoted with him… it was already too far gone to save the others…" Magina sighed deeply. "How I cried to Lumera that day…"

Lumera fell silent, as there was a melancholy in her expression.

"But wait, that doesn't explain why Alear slept for a thousand years." Richard remarked. "There's something that happened between all of this-"

"...Richard, for the sake of Siege's well-being. Please, do not ask further." Lumera stated. "I can tell you this… if I tell you how the war came to end a thousand years ago… it would hurt Siege all over again."

"Hurt me… all over again?" Siege asked. "What do you mean?"

"That is a secret that I swore with Magina to not share, even if you must hate me for it." Lumera declared. "Please, Alear. I care for Siege well enough to tell you that this is best left unspoken."

"Mother… all secrets have to be told one day… but for now, I suppose that I must agree." Alear stated.

"...I… I have a hunch… how it might have happened." Siege remarked. "...Now I think I understand this slight pain… in the back of my mind… I… I can't let it fester."

"Siege…?" Alear asked.

"Magina… refresh our memories now… but as I recall it…" Siege would say, as he began to retell it, as the scene went to a flashback.

There stood Past Siege, and Past Alear, Alear having full red in her hair, and red eyes, as the two glared down at Sombron, inside a burning temple, as the bodies of those who remained loyal to the Fell Dragon to the very end, strewn across the entire ground.

"Sombron… your tyranny… it's gone on long enough. For my wife, for my daughter… I will slay you to protect them!" Past Siege yelled.

"You wretched mortal… you dare turn my child against me!?" Sombron growled. "You believe that I shall hesitate because she is of my flesh!?"

"I know that you care for me not." Past Alear declared.

"And I too know you won't. SO NEITHER SHALL I!" Past Siege yelled, as he slashed Sombron across his chest deeply, enough to drain what Past Siege believed was the last of his life.

Lumera rushed in, holding their child in hand as Past Siege and Past Alear embraced and kissed, before they separated, and turned to Lumera.

"The war is finally over, Mother. We don't have to worry any longer." Past Alear smiled. "Siege and I shall-"

Before Past Alear could even finish, a spear of darkness pierced through her back, right through her heart, as she could only utter several pained cries, looking down at the bloodied spear, and then at Lumera, who gasped in horror, while Past Siege was catatonic.

"If I shall be sealed under… I shall take that child you cherish so much with me! You will suffer for your victory, mortal filth!" Sombron wheezed, as Siege began to tremble with rage, slowly turned to Sombron.

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Past Siege screamed in agony as he turned around, and cut Sombron clean in half with his sword, and not even stopping there, as he mutilated the Fell Dragon's corpse into a mess of blood and flesh.

As Past Siege stood panting, staring at the result of his rage, he then heard Lumera's weeping, as Lumera held Past Alear in her arms, as Mirai was on the ground, crying loudly.

"No… It can't be like this… You just-" Lumera wailed.

"I guess… Fell Dragons have to die in the end… But I wanted… I truly wanted to be a good… a good dragon." Past Alear wheezed.

"No… no you weren't a bad dragon…" Past Siege said as tears fell from his eyes, as he ran to her side, and held her hand. "You… you were the best… the best dragon I ever knew! You were a very good dragon, to the end!" Past Siege cried.

"Someday, life will return to you. And when that beautiful day… should dawn… Siege and I will be there to give you a gift to celebrate your love, and a gift to welcome you back to life." Lumera remarked, fighting back tears.

"Thank you, Mother… Thank you, Siege…" Past Alear remarked, as she forced a smile upon her lips. "If I see that day… Maybe I'll return as a Divine Dragon like you… dressed in white, like a true knight under you… A proper bride to Siege… to protect the world forever."

"Please… try to fight… for me…" Past Siege said, gripping Alear's hand tightly. "Don't leave me. I told you when we married, death should never part us!"

"I'm sorry… Siege… Please… Please, bring Mirai… to me…" Past Alear begged quietly.

Past Siege could only nod, before picking their child up, and lowering her onto Past Alear's chest, as the dying Fell Dragon mustered the last of her strength to wrap Mirai in a warm embrace.

"Poor Mirai… To lose your mother like this…" Past Alear remarked softly. "I'm sorry… that I can't stay to be a good parent for you… but I know that Siege will teach you to be better than what my past made me… Listen to him, and give me love as much as he would give you... Be strong enough to carry my legacy… and make sure that no-one will have to go through any of this ever again. I love you, Mirai. And I won't stop loving you even beyond the veil of life and death. I'll always be with you in spirit."

Past Alear then closed her eyes, as she died embracing Mirai, as the baby was mercifully lulled into sleep, before she could witness her mother perish right before her, as Lumera picked her up, and held her closely, with tears flowing through her eyes.

Past Siege then smashed his hand on a nearby pillar, dusting it, before he then collapsed onto the ground, crying deeply.

Back to the present day, Siege could be seen crying even now, remembering the events as they happened, and how he had so easily forgot.

"20 years…" Siege bitterly remarked. "20 years, where I've served Magina… saved countless worlds, made sure no one else shared the pain I did that day… And yet… I forget it all… All of it."

The entire group was left shocked beyond belief, as there were varied reactions of horror, sympathy, and pity.

"Siege… you…" Richard muttered, as his expression was frozen.

"Alear… you don't… you deserve… someone so much better than me… I'm… to forget… and move on like you and this world were nothing to me… nothing at all…" Siege remarked, looking at Alear with a look of regret, remorse, and apology. "You don't deserve a husband like me…"

Alear looked at Siege for a moment, before she then walked over, and hugged him tightly, as she used whatever Divine Dragon Powers around her to bathe them both in a blue light, as the feeling managed to soothe Siege slightly.

"It's not your fault. You didn't choose to forget what happened." Alear answered back. "I knew that you would forget, after all of that pain of losing me could have broken you. But I know that even if you forget, Magina wouldn't, and that one day, she will make sure that you and I meet again. And we did. Not only that, Mirai is happy to see us both back. She still thinks that you're a good father, and I believe that you're the husband that helped change me from being a mere pawn. So I believe in you, and I will not allow myself to believe that you're as bad as you say you are. I'm here for you, Siege, just as you were there for me back a thousand years ago."

"Alear…" Siege said as tears rolled from his face, shocked at her words, before he softly and bitterly smiled and laughed. "...What a wonderful wife I have… for me to walk in adulterous ways after forgetting her… to still come back and forgive me… for all my shortcomings…" Siege bitterly wept.

"I know that you would have felt bad about what you have done." Alear declared. "But again, I say that it wasn't your fault. You merely found a way to move on with your life, and I should be glad that you still love me as much as you did, to give me both power and the love that I have lost. You don't owe me anything, just as I don't owe you anything."

"Alear's got a point." Richard answered back. "She's not going to go around hitting you with a frying pan for wooing a few girls, especially Geina. She's the kind of wife who understands that you went through a lot of bad shit, and that you tried your best to be good, despite it all. So stop feeling bad, I thought you were done with that, after we dragged you from that hellish place."

"...Hahah…" Siege bitterly laughed as he composed himself, and nodded firmly. "...There's no point sitting here wallowing in my sinful sorrows, and in the past." Siege stated, as he looked to Alear. "Sombron's child or not… I still mean it when I say to you… You, Alear, are the best dragon I've ever met. And a very good dragon, to the end." Siege smiled. "And as your husband… from this day forth, till the day death comes for us both… I will do my best to fight with you, and protect you as well. Together, we'll not only save Elyos… there's a lot more worlds out there that need a Divine Dragon and her Radiant Savior to come to their aid!" Siege remarked with a bright smile.

"Siege… thank you." Alear smiled, as it seemed the very topic turning into a motivational speech to a degree got everyone pumped up.

"Now… Let's not dwell here any longer." Siege firmly declared.

"Right, to Lythos!" Mirai exclaimed. "To stop Sombron! And get back Marth, too!"