Shogunate Pride Chapter 13: Sweetness VS Grace
By Bluestar076
Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! I like the fact that we have reached Chapter number 13 because, apart from being my favorite number, it also gives the idea that we have reached the length of an average anime season, it still surprises me how far we have gotten now! And speaking of this chapter, we finally start the climax of the Chimera Tribe Arc with the last battles! You can guess who's going to be next. And this will be quite a particular and intense chapter because, unlike the other times, we'll see only one battle for this episode! So expect more frenzy and tension in this one! And like I said the other time, if everything goes well, I might be able to complete this arc before the end of 2023, so let's cross our fingers! But let's not waste more time and let's get right into it! As always, I hope you enjoy it!
Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and CloverWorks.
Chapter 13: Sweetness VS Grace
Caelum – Great Akihabara Market – Inside the Central Tower
KABOOM!
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Apostatìs became more violent and destructive as he kept proceeding in the tower. Not only there was a chance that the members of his guild were getting overwhelmed by the enemy, but now that he was inside the place where his loot was situated, he was wasting time in finding the right path. "DAMMIT! IF I SEE ANOTHER CORRIDOR FULL OF CANNONS I'LL GO CRAZY!" He shouted. Another one of them shot at him from behind, making him turn around and pulverize it with one blast of pure energy from his hand. "Calm down…you won't get anything out of this! I'm sure they didn't do this whole thing completely random. There must be some pattern!" He then reflected. With that in mind, he started to look around at the devastated room he was standing.
There were tons of entrances in every direction, and all seemed the same as if they were made to confuse anyone by purpose. Aposatìs almost felt ashamed of himself for falling into something like that. "Come on…I know it's not all the same…" He thought.
Then…by looking around…he could see that one of the entrances at the top of the room seemed different. Instead of square doors, this one had a more cylindrical door. That was enough to make the leader of Chimera Tribe understand it.
"THERE!" Not wanting to lose more time, he quickly dashed through the use of his wings and headed for that door in less than a second. "Finally! Now that I understand the game, I'll make sure to reach the globe in no-" But just as he was starting to get confident…something else happened.
A discharge made of red electric shockwaves suddenly surrounded the door, electrifying Apostatìs as soon as he tried to go through it. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! GRRRR…WHAT!?" When he raised his head, he could see that the shockwaves were still surrounding the door. This could only raise his frustration…but even so, he made a large smirk. "Oh, I see how it is…desperate to defend that thing until the very end, eh? FINE! I ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE! WREAAAH!" After saying this, he threw a punch infused with energy to destroy the door. He felt a bit of pain due to the electricity, but the attack was successful.
He then dashed forward and reached the new room, being more careful about ending up at the right door. He could see that the electric shockwaves started to get more intense and surround the tower, limiting his freedom of movement. But even through this, he kept his smirk. "Block me as many times as you want. You won't be able to stop me in the end! NO ONE MESSES WITH CHIMERA TRIBE!"
In the meantime, Rokumon was still trying to reach him. He didn't have the same problems as Apostatìs, since Tammy could guide him through that intricated labyrinth.
"Go to the right!" She told him.
"Right!" Rokumon did so and ended up getting the cylindrical door that led in the right direction. As he kept going further, the road became more complex and bizarrely structured, but even with this, he was able to make a few steps forward. "How long do you think will it take?"
"I still think it may take a while, but If we keep up with this pace, we may be able to reach it without problems!" Tammy said. "Speaking of which, did you see that electricity?"
Rokumon stopped for a moment to observe that the tower was indeed getting surrounded. "True…and it's not even trying to attack us…" He then gave a careful look and realized it. "Wait…could it be?"
"What is it? I wanna know!" Tammy asked.
"It seems we have a bit of a backup. Ren, you sly fox…" Rokumon commented with a small smile. "Ok! Let's resume, we cannot waste more time!" He said.
"Right!" "With that, she gave directions again. It would have been only a matter of time before the two chasers would have met. And they weren't the only ones that were doing their best.
While running through the tower, Iori, Ronin, and Merida ended up reaching a room that stood on high, with a large keyboard that extended itself throughout the room.
"Man! Look at all these computers!" Ronin commented.
"What is this place?" Iori asked as he looked around. Merida had to look carefully until realizing it.
"Oh! Right!" She said, before running towards the machines and giving them a look. Naturally, the Dragon Slayer and his exceed friend followed her. "This is the control room. It's basically a small spot where people control and fix the tower…still, why is no one here?" The girl then wondered.
"Maybe they've escaped after knowing about the attack." Iori tried to guess.
"And does that mean that we could guard the globe with this?" Ronin asked.
"Indeed. In fact…" As an answer, Merida pointed at the window in front of them. They could all see that they were standing above what seemed to be a huge and empty room, except for a pillar that stood at the center of it. And at the center of it, floating and sustained by electrical energy…there it was.
The source of all the energy inside the market. The thing that saved it in the past. A small yellow globe made out of energy.
"Ah! There it is!" Ronin exclaimed.
"And no one is there yet, which means that we can still do something!" Iori said.
"Yes! Let me check here…" With that in mind, Merida started to control the computer and started to click several buttons. Soon, the room started to react, and barriers appeared around the pillar with the globe in it. "Ah-ha! It works! With this, we should be able to reinforce it enough to not let Chimera Tribe take the globe!"
"That's great! You seem pretty advanced on this type of stuff, that's impressive for someone like you…" Iori noticed.
That comment made the girl slightly blush. "W-Well…I saw a few books once in my father's room and ever since that, I've got interested. It's not that much, really…" She commented.
Ronin simply enjoyed the scene with a quirky smile.
"Ok…I'm trying to add as many defenses as possible to the globe. We can hope that it will be enough to limit them and give the others a chance to stop them…" Merida then said while she kept on typing.
"Man, I would go down there, but I would lose myself more than I already do…and I didn't fully recover from the battle with that man yet…" Iori commented. Naturally, Ronin came closer to comfort him with a pat on the shoulder.
"Hey, it's all right! It's already enough that we got here! I'd say we give some support by defending her from whoever tries to go inside here. And you know Rokumon, he'll surely nail it! What do you say?" He asked.
Iori looked at him in silence for a few seconds and then smiled. "I like the idea. Let's do this."
And with that, they waited, making sure that the globe would have remained untouched at all costs. But they were unaware of the fact that not only Rokumon was in there, but someone else was going through the tower.
Even if she didn't know how to move, Tsukuyomi was able to be lucky enough to make her way through the tower. She had to stop for a few moments to catch her breath due to the tiredness and the wounds that she got during the battle against Zenodias. But even with that, she kept on moving on. Both Cal and Rere opened the road for her and she didn't want to waste that chance.
"Come on…keep going…don't give up…don't let them win!"
Great Akihabara Market – Northern Section
"Anf…anf…anf…"
Ever since she followed the directives of his Master, Domino made her way through the northern section of the market, fighting as many bandits and taking out as many roses as she could take. Even if she ended up with a lot of things to take care of, she didn't quit and kept on attacking. After all, she was used to this type of effort.
And in the end, she was standing tall at the center of a pile of exhausted bandits that surrounded her. She dried off a bit of sweat from her front as she looked at what she caused. "Man! Even if it was for a few average mages, I surely made a lot!" She commented before looking around.
"Hmm…everything is getting silent. But I swear I've heard a lot of other noises coming from the central tower…I hope everything is ok back there." She spoke. "Sheesh…it's a bit sad to see this place getting messed up. Well…at this point I'll check the other places. I think I've cleaned this part more than enough." She was about to make her way to somewhere else. But right at that moment…she could see them.
Petals of roses flying around.
That sight made her increase her guard. "Gee. More of these?" But at the same time…she felt something. Something…different.
"…Wait a second…even if they're not enough to go through my lungs…they seem more intense." It was then that she realized it. Right at that moment…she wasn't alone.
And to confirm this theory of hers…she could hear a few steps from behind that made her turn around. It was at that moment that she saw her. "I see. I guess it's time to get serious, I'm afraid…"
Ecclesias was slowly approaching her, followed by flying petals that gently fell on the floor. Someone would have said that it was quite an elegant entrance, but the mage of Shogunate Pride knew that there was something more…gruesome behind it.
"It took a while…but I've got to one of you…" The girl said before stopping a few inches away from Domino, glaring at her with utter despise. "We finally meet, disgusting legal mages."
It didn't take long to make Domino swap her attitude to a more serious one, as she looked at the enemy. "Are you the one who generated all these roses?" She asked.
"Correct. The name's Ecclesias, the second in command of Chimera Tribe." Ecclesias presented herself before grabbing one of the falling tables. "These roses were meant to be a way to give you a painless death. We've wanted to be merciful towards you, but it seems that ended up getting more annoying than I expected. Not only do you keep on fighting…but you caused so much havoc between our ranks. One sole reason to being mad at you."
"That's some hard words coming from someone who assaulted and destroyed this entire market in the first place! You were the ones who started this! We simply…answered!" Domino countered.
"We're following our natures. It seems that you legal mages don't have a clear idea of how chimeras act. Oh well…" Ecclesias answered before drawing her weapon: a long stockfish. "Nothing that can't be resolved. I've waited a bit to take my chance to show you the consequences of getting in our way."
Even with that threat, Domino didn't falter and instead got ready. "You're right. I don't know how a chimera acts. What I do know is that after what you did, you can be considered not so different from any dark guild, which means that it's my job to take care of these things, right?" She said with a small smirk.
Ecclesias looked at her in silence for a few seconds before releasing a deep sigh. "You seem so confident and you're good at words, I'll give you that. But how are you when it comes to facts?"
Domino didn't even have the time to ask what she meant that Ecclesias already dashed forward and reached the girl in less than a second, grabbing her neck and violently smashing her down to the ground, forming a small crater. "GAH!"
The vice commander of Chimera Tribe then raised her while still holding her by the neck and tightening the grip. Her stare was cold, already confident in her victory. "I don't have time to waste with someone who pretends to be some sort of heroine. Not only did you dare to get in our way, but you even took them down. You can guess why I'm in such a bad mood. It's just unfortunate that a child like you ended up being my first victim. Now…how about you let yourself be killed?" She threatened her.
Domino was choking but even with that…she still smiled. "O-Oh yeah…I can totally relate to that…but I think you've misunderstood the situation." She spoke.
"How?" Ecclesias asked.
"Well…just for the record, I'm actually eighteen years old, and…who said that I would have gone down without a fight? You know…there's an important saying that criminals like you tend to ignore. And that is…never judge a book by its cover."
"Uh?" Ecclesias was confused, but before she could do anything…
SBAM!
Domino already threw a violent kick at her spleen. Ecclesias widened her eyes in full bewilderment and pain, as she was wiped away against a building that crumbled down. "GAAAAAAH!"
The girl from Shogunate Pride could land on her feet as she stood ready.
Ecclesias, on the other hand, stood between the debris before standing up with her whole body trembling for the pain. "W-What…the hell happened? I-It's like I've just got hit by a whole carriage!" She commented.
"Eh eh! You know, back at my church, they used to tell me I had a big strength for someone of my shape! Now I can see why!" Domino answered. She then took out her weapon, a long glaive that she made spin, and then pointed at the enemy. "Come on! We're just getting started! I don't intend to let you reach my comrades!"
Ecclesias looked at her with coldness again. She could see why the other members of her guild had trouble fighting them…but this didn't mean that she couldn't be angry. Now that she got hit by what she still considered to be a microbe…she was more than willing to tear her apart. She spit a bit of blood and then swung the stockfish. "Is that how it is, then? Fine. Once again, you refuse to take the easy treatment. So don't complain…if I give you a stylish and painful death. Have at you, now!" And with that, she dashed forward again.
Domino did the same, feeling incredibly fast and the two clashed their weapons, releasing a strong impact that cracked the ground.
The two were surprised by the other, as they had to put in more force than ever. "How is it that someone like you holds such strength!?" Ecclesias asked as she kept on pushing.
"We samurais give a lot of credit to daily training, I'm simply using one of the virtues we have: 力 – Chikara; which is STRENGTH!" Domino countered as she was able to push back the enemy. She then tried to attack her several times with the glaive, but Ecclesias turned out to be more agile than expected, as she dodged all of the attacks with ease before jumping back. "Oh gosh! She's fast as well!" Domino thought.
"I see. You surely have a nice philosophy. Which means that I'll have to find a way to destroy it." Ecclesias said before taking out six roses. "Soon enough, you won't understand what killed you! Fragrance of Eternal Sleep!" She then threw the roses up, which exploded and released a pink smoke that surrounded the whole area.
"What!?" Domino tried to look around as that attack limited her sight. She stood ready and held her weapon tightly, but right after that, she started to cough and feel her senses getting dizzier. "Dammit…it's like the aroma of the roses, but intensified!"
Then…a cut formed on her arm, tearing apart the sleeve of her shirt and making her bleed. "GAH!" More cuts started to form, as something was moving around her, attacking her from every direction.
"You seemed almost immune to the poison contained in my roses, which meant that I should have used something stronger. This aroma is the perfect weapon for those who resist toxic air. You won't be able to move, which gives me the perfect chance to pierce through your heart!" Ecclesias's voice started to echo as she kept on circling Domino while attacking her. After a few blows, she went in front of the girl ready to give an anticipated finishing blow. "Now…fall asleep!" She was about to stab her in the heart, but right at that moment, Domino widened her eyes and planted her glaive to the ground, blocking the other blade. "What!?"
"COUGH…eh eh…you know, for someone who uses aromas as their weapon, you really picked up the worst opponent to deal with! Because things like these…are a piece of cake for me." As Domino said this, a strong wind started to surround her.
"What are you doing!?" Ecclesias asked.
"Simple…I'll just follow wherever the wind will take me! Wind Dispersion!" As an answer, Domino started to spin her glaive, forming a whirlwind that made the smoke vanish, nullifying its effects.
"No way- GAAAAAH!" As a result, even Ecclesias was blown up by the wind and ended up in mid-air. Domino took advantage of it to make a tall jump to reach her and throw her down with a heavy blow of the glaive. "GH!" The mage of Chimera Tribe crashed to the ground with a violent impact and widened her eyes as soon as she saw that Domino was already diving against her. She jumped in time, making her enemy stab the ground instead. "Anf…anf…anf…" She had to take a few breaths after that.
"She's incredibly fast and when her attacks reach me they hurt a lot. I don't know if I'll be able to defeat her…but I have to try!" Domino thought as she put the glaive at the ready.
"I see…so your element is wind. No wonder you were able to resist the roses. Through your magic, you were able to change the air with clean one and make yourself immune to the poison. But the accomplishment of this hunt still has my top priority…even if I have to get serious now." Ecclesias commented.
"Disappointed much?" Domino asked.
"Why should I be?" The other girl countered before her stockfish started to glow with pink energy. "I have plenty of ways to kill you."
"Uh oh…" That sight wasn't really appealing to the mage of Shogunate Pride. And she was right. She had to worry about it.
"Blade of Versailles." As she pronounced the spell, Ecclesias's weapon stretched out becoming extremely long and capable of cutting several palaces in half. She moved it through the hilt so that it could have reached Domino.
The girl of Shogunate Pride widened her eyes as she tried to defend herself with the glaive, but the weapon's dimensions made her get slowly pushed away. "GRRRRR!" As she did her best to stay tall, the stockfish did something unexpected: the tip started to move like it was made of rubber and reached Domino's back. Needless to say, the girl ended up getting stabbed in the back near the spleen, spitting a bit of blood from her mouth. "BLARGH!"
"You're mine now!" After stabbing her, Ecclesias lifted the stockfish by raising the hilt, ending up throwing Domino against a destroyed building
"Gh…" As she stood up, Domino could once again confirm that it would have been a difficult battle, now that she had a wound on the spleen which would have made movements much more difficult. When she raised her head, she could see with horror that the enemy's blade was already going down against her. Thankfully enough, Domino was used to having fast reflexes and knew how to react to attacks such as these. So, almost instinctually, she quickly drew the glaive to answer all her attacks.
Ecclesias, from a few meters away, could hear that the stockfish was clashing against something. "Even with that, she keeps on being persistent?" She said as she kept on using the blade.
Domino was swinging her glaive as fast as she could to not get hit again, but the enemy weapon didn't seem to slow down. "At this point, I'll inevitably get stabbed again! I need to improve a bit…" With that in mind, she used a spell that made herself surrounded by a coat of wind, which increased her reflexes and speed. "Windstep!" Thanks to this, the girl found herself to be in a more favorable condition on dodging and counterattacking the blade. She then jumped away easily from the weapon and then dashed at high speed to search out for the enemy, finding her in no time.
Ecclesias widened her eyes as she saw the enemy coming towards her at high speed. "Are you kidding me!?" She shortened the stockfish a bit to ensure it would have reached Domino. Once it had the perfect length, she swung it against the enemy. "TSEAH!"
"GH!" Domino could feel the blade stabbing her left shoulder, but even with that, she didn't quit, and instead, she tried to overwhelm both the enemy and her blade with a barrage of glaive attacks. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"NGH!" Ecclesias did her best to defend herself, but she could notice that her stockfish was starting to falter. That was the perfect moment for Domino to strike.
"Wind Cutter!" Domino generated one single swipe of wind that released several scythes made out of the wind to cut through Ecclesias's body.
"GAAAAAAAH!" Ecclesias was wiped against a wall as the armor pieces in her outfit started to crack. "You little freak!" She then violently placed two hands on the ground, and behind her, two large amalgamates of thorns rose and went against Domino.
As she was about to prepare for the next attack, the other girl widened her eyes and jumped back to answer those two things with the Windstep still active. Even if they were just plants, the two thorn mountains attacked with the same violence of an aggressive animal, and even if she was able to cut through most of them, they kept on going, to the point that they were able to grab her and slam her to the ground. "AGH!" When she opened her eyes, she could see that Ecclesias was running on one of the thorn mountains and then jumped to dive against her with the stockfish.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Shit!" Domino jumped away in time, making the enemy attack the ground, and then charged with the glaive. "TAKE THIS!"
The two girls ended up clashing again. This time, they didn't just stop to push against each other instead, they actively kept on attacking, hoping to overwhelm the other. What came out was a strong clash of weapons that released several iron noises and sparks as the two attacked relentlessly. Domino was helped by the boost she was given thanks to the Windstep, but even with that, she could see that her opponent turned out to be agile and faster than expected.
"GRRR!" Meanwhile, Ecclesias was doing her best to keep up the pace with that small mage. "This is the last time you interfere with us! You can't stop our nature!" She exclaimed.
"Your nature is wrong!? Don't you realize what you have caused to this market!? Look at all this debris!" Domino protested.
"So, what!? This isn't the first time we raze an entire place! It's to show off that no one will ever treat us like they did in the past again!" Ecclesias countered.
"Even if you have a terrible past, that doesn't justify your acts of violence against other people! You should try to understand them!" Domino exclaimed.
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW!? You weren't forced to live in the streets and strive to survive! YOU HAVE THE WARMTH OF A LEGAL GUILD!" As she kept on attacking, Ecclesias suddenly drew three roses that she made explode to generate a pink aroma. "Fragrance of Eternal Sleep!"
"AGH!" Not expecting it, Domino was blinded and forced to recoil. In less than a second, she could feel a violent punch in her punch that stunned her and made her spit a lot of blood from her mouth. "BLARGH!"
"NYMPH FEAR!" As she punched Domino in the belly, Ecclesias infused her arm with floral energy which wiped the girl away.
"G-Gh…" Even if she was badly injured, Domino found the strength to stand up and glare at her enemy, who was looking at her back.
"I don't intend to get moral by someone like a legal mage. You could never understand how it feels to be completely alone with only one person who watches over you!" She exclaimed.
"If that's the case, then you clearly are biased! Your trauma led you to be self-disappointed and attack without thinking! Trust me, I know how it feels!" Domino countered.
Ecclesias, in the meantime, was already generating two giant roses that looked like carnivorous plants. "The more you talk, the more you make me want to pulverize you. I'm sure you must have realized that even if you manage to hurt me, you can't win, so why even try?" She asked.
"I'm sure you don't need to know an answer. I'm just doing my best at my job while trying to make you realize your mistake! You may be my enemy, but I like to be empathic!" Domino replied.
Ecclesias could feel a vein swell inside her head for the rage. "ENOUGH!" She then pointed at Domino with the stockfish, aiming at the roses, which started to shoot several seed bullets that exploded at contact.
"Windstep!" Once again, Domino used the spell to increase her speed and reflexes to run around and dodge the explosions, adding another spell. "Soar!" Thanks to this spell, Domino was able to fly up in the sky while getting surrounded by a gentle yet fast breeze of wind. This didn't prevent the giant roses from rising and aiming while still shooting the seed bombs. "They don't intend to stop! I need to find the right moment where to dash forward!"
As she kept on flying around while Ecclesias was doing her best to take her down, Domino could finally noticed it. "There!"
Between the seed storm, she could see one straight direction down that would have led to her enemy. Without losing any time, she stopped in mid-air so that she could accelerate the dive attack against Ecclesias.
"What!?" the mage of Chimera Tribe could see her enemy speed through the seeds and make her fall with the glaive. "GAH!"
Once the enemy was down, Domino took the chance to destroy the two giant roses with a barrage of wind scythes. "Wind Cutter!"
"GRRRR!" Ecclesias didn't take too much to stand up again and use the magic on her stockfish to extend it and reach out to Domino. "Blade of Versailles!"
Domino turned around and could see the blade stabbing her and pushing her away again. "GHHHH! No, I won't let it happen a second time!" As soon as she saw that she was going to crash down, Domino used all the strength she could to land on her feet and then grab the stockfish with her hand.
"What the!?" Ecclesias didn't expect it.
"GRRRRRRRAAAAAH!" Using her high strength, Domino slowly lifted the stockfish's blade and Ecclesias alongside.
"WOAAAAH!" Unable to prevent it, the girl from Chimera Tribe ended up getting thrown directly at the enemy. But she could realize what Domino was planning to do, and as such, she intended to answer as well, preparing a fist infused with floral energy.
"Wind Dispersion!" Domino was already preparing the wind whirlwind to attack the girl as soon as she would have gotten closer.
"Nymph Fear!" And as soon as she was closer, Ecclesias didn't hesitate to release the fist at its full power.
The result was that both of them ended up getting hit by each other. "GAAAAAH!" While Domino ended up crashing several times to the ground, Ecclesias got attacked by several wind cuts before flying up in the sky. She was able to land on her feet, but she still had several cuts throughout her body. Even if it seemed absurd, her blood was soaking the ground. "This brat got me hard…d-do I really need to push myself over her? No…I cannot doubt myself because of something like this. Apostatìs needs me…" She thought.
And on the other side, even if she was able to deliver a good amount of strong hits, Domino wasn't really in the best of the conditions. She was able to stand up again, but she could feel her body tremble and the physical trauma caused by the Nymph Fear reach out even her bones. Even if she was well-trained in the physical, she thought that it was a miracle if she could still stand up and fight. She could tell that she was, indeed, fighting the Vice-Master of the enemy. To the point that she thought carefully about something…
"I surely made more attacks between the two of us…but she's the one who made more damage. And she's still standing! I don't know what else she has in mind, but I can't let her reach the others, especially considering she's the one making all these roses! Maybe…I may be forced to use 'that'" She thought.
Both of them were at their limit, but they still didn't want to fall for personal reasons. They were similar on that, but they were still on the opposite sides.
"You still stand up…?" Domino asked.
"I should be the one asking that question…" Ecclesias replied. "I can see how you are reduced. Who knows how long will it take before you eventually fall? You may be energetic but you'll run out of your adrenaline rush. It's better if you quit right now."
"Absolutely not! The others have done and are doing so much to free this market, I don't know what I would have to say to the others!" Domino retorted.
Somehow, hearing her talk made Ecclesias annoyed. "Look at you…being so confident in what your comrades had done. Hearing you talk about that just pisses me off."
"You're the Vice-Master of your guild, right? I know you have similarity with something like that!" Domino asked.
"It's not the same thing as you may think. We of Chimera Tribe all got together to finally have our redemption for how the world had treated us. We were lonely people who ended up gathering for a common cause." Ecclesias answered as she took a rose. "We all have a reason to do so. We want to make sure that our voice is heard again. Just like it happened to me and Apostatìs…the idea of getting down like this and disappointing him…it's simply something unbearable."
It was at that moment that Domino could see that there seemed to be a deeper meaning in her enemy's words. While she was still a threat…she could see a glimpse of sincerity in her words.
"You seem dedicated to making sure your Master is ok, right?" The girl asked.
"It's only natural. He…always made sure that I was ok…I'm sure you feel the same with yours." Ecclesias replied.
"Well, yes…" The other girl said.
That was enough for Ecclesias to raise her stockfish once again. "Then I think there's nothing left for you to know. Just like you, I want to make sure that this loot will proceed as planned, even if you step in our way. We've never missed one and we'll make sure that you won't change this! We destroy to survive, we destroy for ourselves! That's the road of a Chimera! I don't intend to leave Apostatìs alone!"
Even with that threat and the pain she was feeling at that moment, Domino still maintained a battle stance. "I can get your efforts to fulfill your mission and the fact that you're doing your best to protect one person is admirable! I can get that feeling, I had it as well for a long time." She said, remembering one person in particular. She could still remember it…
A girl, just like her, looking from the window of a church.
She then opened her eyes. "But…even if you were left behind by everyone else, I can't excuse the destruction you are bringing in! I can respect, you Ecclesias, but I'm still willing to take you down!" She proclaimed.
Unlike before, this time, Ecclesias didn't get annoyed but simply made a deep sigh. She understood it. She wasn't going to convince her or scare her at this point. Therefore…only one solution was left: end the battle.
"If that's what you want…I don't think I can convince you anymore. So I'll just stick with your game. But…" She then released a magical aura around her body.
"Uh!?" Domino felt alarmed as soon as she saw it.
"My will doesn't change. I have to look back over Apostatìs, and if I have to use my strongest resource to take you down…so be it. Be ready…" Ecclesias warned as she grabbed more roses. "It seems I need to show you…the fatal side of grace. Elysium!" As she pronounced the spell's name, she flashed everything with a pink light.
"Agh!" Domino covered her eyes for a second and when she reopened them, she could see that the entire battlefield was now covered in a beautiful field made out of roses and petals. "What-!?"
She could see as Ecclesias gently landed on the newly created garden. "It's time for you to know…what means to be stabbed by the spines of a rose." She spoke.
Domino didn't want to listen and instead used the Windstep to boost her speed and movements. "We'll see about that!" She then dashed forward to attack with the glaive.
But right at that moment, she could see with confusion that some of the roses started to rise and fly against her. "What!?" As soon as they were getting closer, she used the glaive with outstanding speed to cut down the roses. She did it with ease but she could see that while she was doing so, more roses started to float and reach her, forcing her to use a barrage of attacks all around her to get rid of them. "Dammit! It's almost like these roses have a life of their own! What's happening!?" She exclaimed. She kept on going, faster and faster, but the roses kept on coming, looking like a swarm of wasps, to the point that some of them stabbed her body. "GH!"
She could then see that while she was defending herself, Ecclesias was already jumping towards her. "NYMPH FEAR!"
"OH NO-" Domino inevitably got hit by the maximum punch power infused by floral energy. Much like the kick she delivered at her at the beginning of the battle, Domino could feel the power of a truck hit her in the belly as she was sent to crash down on the flower garden.
"GH…F-Fuck…" When she raised her head, she could see that Ecclesias was already diving down with another Nymph Fear. Luckily, Domino had the reflexes ready to dodge that attack and move away at the right time. But this didn't help the fact that she felt at an extreme disadvantage at that moment. "What have you done!? What is this field!?" She asked.
"The roses I've spread throughout the market to take down both you and your friends were just a fraction of this spell's true nature. Elysium is an Area-on-Effect attack that surrounds everything, turning it into a full garden. You've entered my domain now. Even if you won't go down for the poisonous aroma of these roses, they'll find a way to kill you now!" Ecclesias explained before raising a hand.
As she did so, several roses rose and bloomed, starting to shoot several seeds made out of energy.
Domino widened her eyes as she saw them and started to jump back several times to dodge the attacks. "She's right! I won't be able to win if I'm stuck in this! Maybe…" Soon enough, she had gotten an idea. She prepared an attack by rotating her glaive, but this time, it wasn't aimed at Ecclesias, but rather at the field itself.
"Wind Dispersion!" Domino generated a whirlwind to cut down a part of the field, and the attack was successful. The girl thought she had found the solution to that, but she had to change her mind as soon as she saw the field rebuilt itself. "What!?" In that moment of shock, she left herself open, and the flowers that were aiming at her shot repeatedly at her. "Ngh!" Domino got attacked by a few bullets before she used the glaive to cut the roses in half and land on her feet.
"You thought this was easy? It takes more than that to destroy a spell that is the essence of one's magic. There's no escaping from that. For you right now, it's either victory OR OBLIVION!" Ecclesias exclaimed as she started to direct more rising roses with the stockfish like an orchestra.
The roses that went up started to shoot several beams, which Domino swiftly dodged by moving fast all around the field. Seeing that the beams were following her she went beyond and started to fly up through her magic. "Soar!" Thanks to that, she was able to dodge the attacks more easily. Then, she could see two large thorns rising and trying to attack her. Domino didn't hesitate and pierced through them with the glaive with ease, but just as she got out of them, she could already see the extended stockfish going towards her.
"Blade of Versailles!" Ecclesias knew that simple plants like that weren't going to be enough, but she was finally more confident. Now that the girl ended in her dominion, there was no way she would have won. She just needed to make sure she wouldn't have moved anymore.
"Damm you!" Domino did her best to hang on, as she attacked repeatedly with the glaive. She then tried to move to the right before dashing right against Ecclesias. "Wind Cutter!" She was able to generate several scythes of wind that cut through the girl's armor pieces.
"GRRR!" Ecclesias could feel her body' getting sliced again. Even with all of that, Domino kept on attacking. But she knew that she was done for. She called back the stockfish and started to attack relentlessly the enemy with it.
Domino started to answer, causing another clash of weapons, with them moving all around the garden. While they kept on fighting, several roses flew up and attacked her from behind. It was a bit of an unfair position for the girl from Shogunate Pride, but even with that, she did her best to both attack and make sure that the assaults from behind didn't get her, even if it started to be exhausting.
"You're clearly about to fall! GIVE IT UP ALREADY!" Ecclesias shouted.
"NEVER!" Domino retorted.
"Why are you being so stubborn!? What makes you believe you can take me down in your current position!? Are you that confident in that justice of yours that you think you can win!?" the Vice-Master of Chimera Tribe asked.
"It's not about justice, I don't care about that! It's about doing the right thing and being myself! Seeing others being grateful for my actions is enough for me to make me carry on! If you're so dedicated to helping your Master, you should know what I'm talking about!" Domino answered while keeping on swinging the glaive.
For a moment, Ecclesias had a recollection. She couldn't understand why, but she felt like…she was seeing what Domino intended as if she was able to see her true colors. It was almost like…they were similar. Moments of her alongside Apostatìs flashed through her mind. Now she could get what she was saying.
"…I see now. That sense of devotion…I have it as well. And that's why…I'M WINNING THIS FIGHT!" Full of resolve, Ecclesias moved her head down to dodge Domino's glaive and quickly charged a fist full of floral energy. "NYMPH FEAR!"
Not expecting it, Domino got fully hit, but she was able to stick on the ground and just recoil for that. "GHHHH!" She could see that her enemy was just a few inches away from her. She couldn't waste any more time. If she wanted to get out of that situation, she needed to defeat her right at that moment, therefore, she prepared for the next attack. But she didn't know…that Ecclesias thought the same.
"WIND-"
"BLOODY ROSE!"
It was a matter of a moment. A white rose was straight thrown against Domino, and before the girl could throw the attack…
SPLAT!
"GAAH!" Domino could feel her heart getting pierced for a moment, but not enough to kill her. Still…she could feel as if her body was slowly losing her energy. With trembling eyes, she looked down at the rose that stabbed her. "What…what is this?"
"The most beautiful yet dangerous flower of them all. The bloody rose. It attaches itself to the opponent's body. It's a white rose that will soon turn red…as soon as it sucks out all the blood from its victim." Ecclesias explained.
Domino gasped in horror. She wanted to answer, but she could feel her body getting weaker…as the rose was starting to slowly become red and drops of blood fell from it.
"You have fought well. You were simply unlucky that you ended up facing me. Now…start to close your eyes. You'll go in a better place." Ecclesias said.
Domino's stare started to come out and her senses were slowly fading away. Yet her heart was still beating for a moment. She didn't know if she was really about to die. But she didn't want to let that happen…even if the situation seemed possible.
"Is…Is it really going to end like this? I…I'm starting to feel without blood…dammit…I shouldn't let this end like this…"
She looked up at Ecclesias.
"E-Even if she's harming a lot of people…she seems sincere. I can see now why I had so much trouble fighting against her. Her will is just as strong as mine. But…I know I can't let her win! I can't let them take someone else's treasure! But…what can I do?"
As her mind was about to faint…she thought of what to do. Actually…there was a way to get out of that situation. One she thought earlier.
"Did we really come into this? Eh eh…I guess I have no other choice. Yes. This may be the only thing that could save me and help me defeat her. But…what would happen next? Will I be able to maintain my sanity?"
She was doubtful. Her trump card was a double-edged blade, and there could have been a price to pay. Yet…she thought about the others. If she was facing such an opponent, the others must have done the same, and used whatever they could have used to resist and defeat them. She didn't want them to be left behind. She wanted to be strong and protect what she held dear. That was why she joined the guild.
That alone…was enough to make her do so.
She started to move her head up, shocking her opponent. "What? She can still move?" Ecclesias then noticed she could hear something coming from her.
"Kaizedaiarakan shushochuishiki chorosharihotsu makamokukenren makakasennen…"
"What the hell are you saying…?" Ecclesias asked, confused.
"A prayer…something that could help maintain my self…Kh…" Domino answered before starting to slowly stand up.
Ecclesias didn't know why, but she stood ready. It was too strange. She won. "What do you intend to do? That rose will end sucking up all your blood, what else do you think you can do in that short amount of time?"
Domino didn't answer immediately. "…The same thing you're doing right now…" She then lowered her head to glare her in the eyes. "Give my everything to defeat you."
And once again…it was a matter of a second…
SPLAT!
"GAAAAAH! W-WHAT!?" Ecclesias found herself getting slashed by two large slices of purple energy. It didn't make sense. It was all too sudden. How was she even able to move that fast with the Bloody Rose in her heart?
But as she raised her head, she could see the truth by herself, which made her widen her eyes in horror.
Domino was right in front of her, attacking with her two hands that almost looked like claws, and the rose in her heart that turned into a bunch of flying petals, getting destroyed. But what immediately jumped to the eye above all was that…she was changed.
Domino's hair was moving like the wind was blowing in front of her, she was surrounded by a purple aura but most importantly…a black mark was filling her from her hand to the right side of her face. That appearance could only belong to one type of mage.
"IT CAN'T BE-" Ecclesias shouted.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAH!" Domino didn't waste time and immediately attacked her with a horizontal slash on her thorax with the glaive.
This time, Ecclesias could feel a far superior strength compared to earlier as she was sent to crash against a destroyed building. When she stood up while trembling, she could see that her opponent was approaching her with still that form. Everything was clearer now.
"This is absurd...you were holding something like that this whole time!? You're a Devil Slayer!?" She exclaimed.
"We'll settle this now, HERE I COME!" Domino answered as she dashed forward with outstanding speed.
Ecclesias did the same by trying and keep up with her, but she could see that her magical energy had reached new heights. "Blade of Versailles!" She tried to overwhelm her by unleashing her stockfish and tried to overwhelm her with slashes from every angle.
But even if she got hit a few times, Domino knew how to counter this, as several scythes of wind appeared all around, contrasting the stockfish and even breaking it to pieces.
"AH!" Ecclesias widened her eyes with horror as she saw her weapon shatter to pieces. But the worst part was that she was now exposed to her enemy, who didn't hesitate.
"SKY DEVIL'S SLASH!" Domino started to attack with a barrage of slashes made by both the glaive and her own hands, filling the enemy with wounds and cracking her armor pieces even more.
"AGH!" Ecclesias was once again pushed back and gravely injured. But she wasn't going to give up. She refused to believe that the tides of the battle could change in such a short time. "GO!" She made several roses rise and aimed them against her.
The roses went like missiles, both throwing themselves and shooting against Domino, who started to answer back by using her whole body to attack. Every limb could have been used to defend herself while proceeding to take down the enemy.
"Keep calm! Keep going! Don't let it ruin your mind! You can win!" She thought. "Sky Devil's Wicked Winds!" She then generated two spells made of purple wind that made her pace faster and reach the enemy to attack her with a straight punch.
"GRRRRR!" As she got hit, Ecclesias gritted her teeth and stood firm with her feet. "NYMPH FEAR!" She was able to push the enemy away with a floral energy punch but not to wipe her away entirely, as she already run back against her. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" To answer that, Ecclesias created the biggest thorns up until that moment and violently aimed them against Domino.
"Come on! You got this!" As she tried to have a collected mind, Domino made her glaive spin and cut through the large thorns, reducing them to a rain of dead plants. As soon as she was only a few inches away from Ecclesias, she grabbed her face and slammed her to the ground. "Sky Devil's Depletion!" In doing so, she infused a strange purple energy.
"NGHHHH!" Ecclesias felt it, but she already prepared a few roses to throw down. "Fragrance of Eternal Sleep!" Thanks to the pink aroma she generated, she was able to get out of her grasp and jump away a few meters.
Domino didn't take too long to wipe out the smoke with her wind, and as soon as she could see again, she could see that Ecclesias was running against her, ready to crush her with several Nymph Fear punches. Domino answered the challenge and answered as well. The two of them started to exchange myriads of attacks, destroying the surrounding environment in the process. The ground cracked even more as they continued.
Ecclesias could feel herself getting drawn down as she continued. But she couldn't let her be overwhelmed while the hunt was still going. "You're a Devil Slayer, SO WHAT!? I WON'T LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND! YOU'RE ALREADY DOOMED!" She was able to dodge one of the attacks and go for another Nymph Fear, but right at that moment, she could feel herself weaker. "AGH! W-What!?"
"GRRRR!" Domino took the chance to wipe her away with one heavy attack of the glaive.
Ecclesias stood up, but she could feel her energies abandon her. It was almost as if she was the one who took the Bloody Rose. "W-Why is this happening!?" As she raised her head, she could see that Domino was standing ready to deliver another attack. Not only that, but the roses generated by Elysium were starting to wither and die. "H-How is this possible- AH! W-Wait!" As she was wondering how it happened, she just thought of right now...when Domino grabbed her by the face with that spell. "T-That attack..."
"That's right. The Sky Devil's Depletion allows me to drain you away of your energy...consider it an answer for that rose of before." Domino replied with a serious stare.
The Vice Master of Chimera Tribe couldn't simply stand it. She wasn't going to fall. Her enemy got stronger, but she was still going to win. Therefore, she called all the remaining flowers around her and alongside them, she charged against her to throw one last Nymph Fear. "THIS IS YOUR END!"
Domino knew that she was right. This was indeed the end, as she gathered a lot of air in her mouth…before releasing it into one large storm of wind. "SKY DEVIL'S…RAGE!"
Ecclesias looked with horrified eyes as her attack got neutralized and she was fully hit by that attack. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Her armor pieces were destroyed and all the Elysium field was wiped away, leaving a rain of dead plants.
Once that ended, Ecclesias fell on the ground with a violent impact, defeated.
"Anf anf anf anf anf anf anf…pheeeew." Domino could feel her heartbeat increase and her mind get blinded for a moment…but somehow, she was able to maintain calm…and the Sky Devil magic in her faded away. She looked at her hand, noticing that it turned back to normal. "I…I did it. Eh eh…that's one step forward…" She commented before looking at her defeated enemy.
Elsewhere in the market, all the roses were starting to wither and turn into ashes that flew away with the wind.
"Hey, look!" Henry noticed.
"The roses are getting disintegrated!" Cal added.
Even Nobuhito and Sena were noticing that from another side.
"Did…did they do it?" Sena wondered.
"Most surely! Their creator must have been taken down!" Nobuhito answered while giving a thumbs up.
Ren could see the ashes from the top of the tower, alongside Hoshiko. "Eh eh…not bad, guys."
Back to Domino, she walked closer to the enemy, who was looking up at the sky with wide eyes while lying down on the ground.
"S-So…is this how it ends? All the efforts I've made to come here…all reduced to ashes? Is this…how my garden dies out?" She spoke.
A few moments of silence followed as the girl from Chimera Tribe looked up at Domino.
"…What are you waiting for? K-Kill me. After all of this…it's the only outcome I have left…" She added.
Domino looked at her in silence for a few seconds before putting her arms on her hips and puffing. "Gee, for someone as elegant and graceful as you, I didn't know you were such a drama queen!" She commented.
"W-What?" Ecclesias asked confused.
"True, you did a lot of horrible things…but I don't think you deserve to be killed! Well…I've ended up killing a few enemies in the past, but only if I was forced to do so! Legal guilds aren't as gruesome as you think!" Domino explained, feeling a bit ashamed of the past.
"Are…are you sure?" Ecclesias asked.
"More than sure," Domino confirmed. "Everyone needs a second chance after all! Well, you'll probably spend a lot of time in prison after this, but you get what you mean!"
Ecclesias looked up at the sky again, surprised by that reaction. "I…I never knew that it would have ended like this. Maybe…losing to someone like you…wasn't that bad. Maybe…I was in the wrong after all…there could have been other ways."
"Your dedication was impressive, as big as ours in the guild. It was only a shame you used it for these purposes." The other girl commented.
"…If…if that's so…I wish…there could be a way for me to…say it to Apostatìs as well. I wish I could save him in time…" Ecclesias added, feeling a bit of regret.
Domino was indeed impressed. Even in defeat, her thoughts were still for her Master. For such a dedication, she could have answered in only one way.
Ecclesias saw a hand leaning towards her.
"How about we tell him together?"
"U-Uh?" Ecclesias looked at her confused.
"We're still in time to do so if you care that much! I'm ready to give a hand!" Domino replied before giving a genuine smile with closed eyes.
Ecclesias was simply speechless. Even if she was her enemy…she was showing an act of kindness and sweetness. She could see it now. She was in the wrong. But…it still wasn't too late. That reaction made her smile back with shining eyes as she grabbed the hand.
Even if she was badly injured, Domino had the strength to lift her and put her hand over the shoulder. "Come on, let's go! The tower is not that distant! Though it may take a while since I'm quite tired…"
"Sure…lead the way," Ecclesias answered. And with that…they've started to move. "Now that I think of it…I still don't know your name."
"Domino! Domino White!" The other girl answered with pleasure. "Though…I'm curious…what makes you so attached to this Apostatìs? Is there something between you two?" She then asked.
Ecclesias was a bit hesitant to say it…but she knew that she could trust her, so she admitted it. "He's….he's my older brother."
As soon as she heard it, Domino made a small surprised gasp. "Oh! I see now! Then…I'll make sure to go fast!" She spoke.
And upon from that distance, they could already see the tower, where things were about to get settled.
Great Akihabara Market – Inside the Central Tower
"GRRRR!" Apostatìs was throwing several punches against the umpteenth cylindrical door. He was getting tired of all that frustrating situation. But now that he was there, he was ready to see it through. "FALL ALREADY!" And after one last punch, the door went down.
The blast could be heard from the control room, as one of the computers Merida was watching was giving the intruder an alert. "Ah! Someone is here!"
Iori and Ronin ran toward the window to see what happened, and they could see a small pile of smoke from one of the two sides of the room below them. "They've arrived…" He said.
"Oh no! Let's hope the defenses will be enough!" Ronin added.
Apostatìs stepped forward to see what lay beyond that smoke and could find himself in a giant yet empty room… except for one glowing light. "Hm? Ooooooooh!" As soon as he raised his head…he could see it.
Standing in mid-air inside a tall pillar…a small golden ball made of energy. His hunt, his treasure…was finally there.
"Ah ah ah ah ah! Finally…the search was worth it! I've finally reached it, the golden globe!" He exclaimed, not knowing that someone was about to reach him.
A few meters away, Rokumon was climbing up the last floor. "Anf…anf…anf…uh!?" As soon as he raised his head, he could see it. A mage was standing in front of the entrance of the final room. That was it. His target was there, and he was about to engage him. Everything would have been decided at that moment.
"There he is!" Rokumon said as he prepared his Odachi sword. "I've got you now!"
And with this, we're done for today! The chapter even turned out to be shorter than expected! But a shorter episode is never a bad thing. If anything, it's me who tends to exaggerate a lot XD! Plus, the focus of this chapter was on a single intense battle as you could see. I had a lot of fun writing this battle, especially when it came to Domino's side, wanting to make her give the best push against a fearsome foe. Considering that this was the penultimate battle for this arc, I did my best to make it as intense and choreographed as possible, and considering the two fighters' magics, this was surely possible! And the most surprising thing for me was that I was able to do these chapters in only three days! I'm shocked, really! But I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that!
But of course, as always, I'll leave the last word to you! Did you like the chapter? What were your opinions on the battle and the two girls who fought it? What do you think will happen in the last battle? As always, let me know with your reviews! Your opinion is important!
And now only two chapters are left before wrapping up the Chimera Tribe Arc! Even if next time I'll work on Digimon Adventure 04 again, I'll do my best to give you the next two chapters before the end of 2023, if I keep up with this pace, I should be able to do it!
Once again, I thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you in the next chapter or the next chapter of another story of mine! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!