Shogunate Pride Chapter 14: Roar of Resentment
By Bluestar076
Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! After getting a short fever and a bit of a sore throat, I'm coming up with a new episode, the first big moment I've been waiting to see for a while, as we start the last battle of the Chimera Tribe Arc, with the first major boss of the story! And considering the ones who will fight in here, expect some intense and violent action! It's still surprising for me to know that we've reached the end of a serious arc (even if it's about 10 chapters). So without further ado, let's get right into the chapter! And 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 14: Roar of Resentment
Caelum – Great Akihabara Market
"Euuugh…" A good amount of bandits belonging to Chimera Tribe were groaning exhausted as they were carried away by a lasso that was holding them.
The lasso belonged to Henry, who put them alongside several other piles of bandits that were put together. They were all defeated and exhausted, so they weren't going to put up some resistance.
"There we go…we got another one." The samurai mage commented.
"Gee…to think that there were so many of them…" Cal commented, a bit surprised.
"Well, good thing that we were able to get them! We were even able to find back the dangerous members we defeated earlier!" Iku told her, pointing at some of their enemies, including Mandible, Ray-Machina, and Jose. All of them were still knocked out due to the battles.
"My thought was right, then…there were others like that big man…" Cal said while observing.
"Mind if we add a bit of them?" A voice then said, making the three mages turn around. They were surprised to see both Nobuhito and Sena getting closer.
"Hey, Nobu, Sena! Glad to see both of you!" Henry greeted them with a smile.
"Yeah, we weren't present that much, but as you could guess, we were busy with a few…problems, let's just say," Nobuhito answered before adding more defeated criminals to the pile.
"My forms combined with Nobu's trick were able to put up this big loot!" Sena added. "And it seems you did a great job as well!"
"It wasn't easy though. Some of them were tough…" Cal replied.
"Yeah, we had that experience as well," Sena said, referring to Barrel.
"M-Me too…" Another voice suddenly said, making everyone turn around.
It was Rere, who was still exhausted and on Fern's shoulder. "H-Hey…I'm still here somehow…"
"Rere!" Cal exclaimed, running towards the friend. "Phew…glad to see that you're ok." He then looked around. "But…I don't see Tsukuyomi here."
"She went for the central tower. We were getting closer so she proposed to help Rokumon and Iori." Rere explained before making a deep sigh. "I've wanted to join in, but a battle with someone dangerous prevented me from doing so." She said, referring to Doxos, who was thrown among the pile by Fern.
"I see…so you had a hard battle as well. Still, it's a big feat! So good job!" Henry told her.
Fern started to look around. "It seems everyone is starting to gather…and considering all these enemies…I think we've almost got rid of them. But I can't help but feel that there's still something bad." He commented.
"Right. Everything went easier as soon as the roses faded away. But I agree with you Fern. I think the battle is not over yet…" Cal added before looking toward the tower. "I hope Tsuki and the others are ok."
"They're in good hands!" Another voice said, making them turn around. This time, it was Tammy and Revany who approached them.
"Oh, Tammy! It's you!" Nobuhito said before looking down. "And you're…barefoot?" He then asked.
Tammy blushed a bit. "W-Well, long story. But anyway! I guided Rokumon inside the tower with my spell, and he reached the room with the golden globe. Now that he's there, the globe should have a good defense." She then explained.
"Ah, good to know! Your Eye Magic turned out to be quite good once again!" Iku commented.
"I can confirm from my side that we were able to clean off the streets from their forces. Even by taking some of their most dangerous members." Revany said before looking at the pile. "And it seems that you did the same. Which means that…" She then looked at the tower as well.
"Yeah…I think that the only thing left is defending the globe as well." Sena said.
"Excluding Rokumon, Iori, and Tsukuyomi, even Hoshiko, Yori, Domino, and Ren are missing…could it be that they headed there as well?" Fern wondered.
"It is mostly probable." One last voice said, making everyone surprised, as they recognized it. Soon enough, they saw Dohko jumping from a building and landing on his feet.
"Master!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Yo, everyone! It seems that we got busy!" Dohko commented with his usual carefree attitude.
"Eh eh! Yeah, you can say that again!" Nobuhito replied.
"Are you sure of what you're saying, Master?" Cal then asked.
"Indeed," Dohko replied before looking at the tower. "Considering that we slowly took down most of the forces, I assume that those who are still missing headed there to aid Rokumon and Iori. And…I have a feeling that they'll need most of their support. I couldn't help but notice a strong magical energy heading towards the central tower up until now."
"This means that their asset was there all along? Man…if we weren't tired, we could share a bit of help up there." Sena commented.
"No need to excess your work, Sena. What you did is already enough. I'm sure that the residents of the market here are more than grateful for that." The Guild Master said, turning to the mayor and some of the imperial soldiers.
"Absolutely. I must thank you for your hard work. I thought that this was going to be the end, knowing the danger of that guild…" The mayor replied. "Still…I'm concerned about what could happen to the globe. I just hope Merida is ok…"
Everyone stood silent for a few minutes and then…
"…Everything will be ok." It was Rere who assured him first. "A…A friend is up there. She'll make sure that it will be ok."
"Rere…" Cal commented, a bit surprised by this sudden mood. But he nodded and turned on the mayor as well. "She's right. You could see what we were able to do up until now. The others will not be less."
The others nodded and the mayor looked surprised at all of them.
"T-Thank you…I owe you even too much."
"It's our job, after all!" Dohko said with a smile. "Like I said at the start of this, they'll see what it means to mess up with a samurai."
"Speaking of which, Master, where have you been? We didn't see you anywhere for a while!" Henry then asked.
"Oh, right! You see, while I was wandering throughout the market to see where I could have helped, I was suddenly assaulted by a large group of bandits, so in short…I was busy, that's it. Man if they were a lot!" Dohko replied.
"I-Is that so?" Henry asked, a bit confused.
"And by the way, considering that you're starting to chime up all the defeated ones, I could really get some help to take those here! Iku, Fern, would you help me out?" The Master then asked.
Before going with him, Fern looked up at Rere, who nodded. It was ok to put her down. So he gently placed her alongside the others. "Make sure to not push yourself."
"Eh eh…n-not that I really have a choice." The girl commented. With that, Iku and Fern followed their Masters, leaving the others there.
"Guess it's up to the others, then, eh?" Nobuhito asked.
"Tammy, can you give us a real-time event with your magic from there?" Sena then asked the other girl.
"No problem!" Tammy replied, using her magic back.
And in the meantime, Cal looked back at the tower with Rere. "Considering that you were with Rere, you surely fought just like ours. Yet you went forward, you're really a pushover, aren't you Tsukuyomi?" Even if he thought of this, he couldn't help but smile. "Well…not that I would complain. I like that attitude."
Elsewhere, Iku and Fern followed the Guild Master to the spot where he had to fight, and they were astonished to see a sea of bandits and criminals all lying down defeated. It was hard even to count them.
"H-How many of them are there?" Fern asked with a drop of sweat.
"Oh, I didn't really count them as I was fighting, but looking at them…I think they're at least three hundred." Dohko replied before starting to grab them up. "Come on, let's start up!"
"T-Three hundred!? All by yourself!?" Fern exclaimed.
"Eh eh! It's Master Dohko we're talking about, after all!" Iku commented with a laugh.
"D-Do you think he used his magic?" Fern then asked his fellow comrade.
"Most probably! Come on! Time for pushups!" Iku replied before following Dohko. After a few seconds standing still, a bit pale for the number he heard, Fern did the same.
As the roads of the market were starting to get clean, the battle was about to reach its peak right at the center of it.
Great Akihabara Market – Inside the Central Tower
Iori, Ronin, and Merida looked as the figure entered the globe hall from the control room as sweat came down from their heads. "They've arrived…" The boy commented.
Merida quickly started to push buttons on several computers. "I'll reinforce the globe as much as possible! They won't reach it!"
"It's only one of them…but if he's here it must be powerful…" Ronin commented.
In the meantime, down there, Apostatìs looked with awe as he walked closer to the pillar. "Finally…it's so beautiful…" He didn't need to add anything else. In a moment, he spread his wings and flew up. "AND NOW, IT WILL BECOME AN ADDITION TO OUR COLLECTION! VICTORY IS MINE!" In less than a second, he reached the pillar and went for the globe.
"MERIDA!" Iori screamed.
"NOW!" Merida pushed a few last buttons on the keyboard and the reaction started.
Several barriers, including electrical ones, started to surround the zone of the pillar where the globe was standing, giving an adding shockwave at the leader of Chimera Tribe.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT!?" He exclaimed. But he had enough of it. He wasn't going to let anything else get in his way, not now that he had his goal right in front of him. "ONE LAST BARRIER!? FINE! GRRRRRR!" He started to assault the barrier with a barrage of punches just as he did throughout the tower.
"Tch…I can feel the vibration of his attacks from here…" Iori commented.
"It's alright! Those barriers should be enough to hold its attacks! But…we should need something to take care of him now…" Merida explained.
"Dammit…" Iori didn't know what to do. For a moment, he thought if he had to get down and face him in the end. It would have been hard since he still hadn't fully recovered from his previous match. But…surprisingly enough…he didn't have to, as he could spot a familiar figure. "Wait…is that?"
"Uh?" Merida raised her head. "What's that?"
"Help is on the way! He reached him!" Iori answered all happy.
Back down there, Rokumon finally entered the globe hall and finally saw Apostatìs properly. Without hesitating, he held his odachi katana tightly…and took careful aim. "Time to end this."
In a moment, several sparks of fire started to surround the room, which started to become hotter, but most importantly, tongues of flames started to surround the blade, to the point that it looked like a katana that came straight from a volcano. And as soon as the sword was ready…he could throw the attack. "Hellfire Magic."
He raised the blade and cut with it so that he could shoot a large burst of flames that reached out for the enemy. "Infernal Destiny!" The violent burst of flames spread out throughout the hall, surprising Merida and making the other boy and his exceed friend look in awe.
"GRRRR! STUPID BARRIER HURRY UP AND-" Apostatìs was focused on taking down the barriers, but he stopped himself as soon as he started to hear something behind him. When he turned around, he saw with horror a large tongue of fire coming right for him. "W-WHAT!?" The flame was too close for him to do anything and he got inevitably hit and sent to crash his back against the pillar. "GAAAAAAAH!" He felt a scorching pain due to the fire, but he was conscious enough to notice the enemy a few meters away from him. "THEY FOLLOWED ME!? DAMM YOU-" He was about to dash against Rokumon, but another unexpected intervention occurred.
A hole in one of the walls was suddenly opened, and from it, everyone could see someone coming down for Apostatìs
"Huh!?"
Yori was diving down with great strength as he prepared his sword to make it crash against the enemy. "Aim…and strike!"
In less than an instant, as soon as he was close to Apostatìs, he pushed him down with violence thanks to his sword, making him crash to the ground with violence.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A large thud followed by a pile of smoke occurred as Yori landed down near Rokumon, taking a battle stance and ready to fight.
"That's…Yori!" Iori exclaimed delighted.
"This is awesome! With the two of them together, victory is 100% assured!" Ronin added.
Merida was happy as well to have some more help and to have contributed but was confused by one thing. "W-Wait…you and that man have the same name-?"
"With a different word." Iori pointed out.
"It seems I've arrived just in time…" Yori commented before turning to Rokumon, who was surprised to see him.
"Yori! You're here! I thought you were with Henry." The other samurai said.
"He wanted to take care of it by himself, so I've wandered here and there to see where I could have helped. After seeing everyone taking care of it, I've decided to go in here and give some support while I could. I hope it's not too much of a bother for you." Yori explained.
To that, Rokumon couldn't help but smirk. "Are you kidding? A help from you it's just fine. If we take him down, the globe will be safe!" He answered before getting ready as well.
Soon enough, they could hear a few groans from the pile of smoke, and shortly after, they could see Apostatìs standing up.
"Kh…this is the absolute worst…first I get lost in here…then there are electric shockwaves everywhere, then the globe is protected and now…two assholes attack me…" He raised his head and gave a glare at the two of them. "Eh eh eh…I suppose you're that group of mages who messed up with my men by taking them down. Well…even If it sucks as a situation…this is just the best." He then stood ready. "I did want to get back to you as soon as I was done here. Oh, well…guess I'll just have to anticipate that, by starting with you."
"You'd better be careful with what you're saying. You're surrounded now." Rokumon warned him before pointing the sword at him. "It's better if you just surrender."
"Eh eh…you're right…" Apostatìs replied with a creepy tone.
"Wait really?" Rokumon asked all hopeful.
The other mage was a bit stunned. "Are you an idiot!? I was sarcastic!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" As usual, Rokumon was left demoralized.
"You think that right now, as I'm right in front of my purpose, I would be stupid enough to quit? I have a reputation to maintain, and many people I don't intend to disappoint…Chimera Tribe has never missed a hunt…AND NEVER WILL!" Apostatìs continued before stomping his feet on the ground. That action was enough to put the two mages in an alert state. "Your fate had been written ever since you stepped into this market and decided to mess with us. Don't expect to blame me for what's going to happen to you right now."
"Fool. You're blinded by anger and greed right now. Brute violence won't let you defeat us so easily." Yori warned before swinging the blade. "How about we show you the meaning of your mistakes?"
"They're ready to fight…let's hold onto something…" Iori commented while observing.
Apostatìs stood silent at first but then lowered his head. "Brute violence, you say? True…violence had always been my primary source…but I've never expected to use only that to destroy you and this place."
"Uh?" Rokumon and Yori were confused. But they could see something strange in their enemy…he was starting to release some strange traces of blue energy from his body.
"The chimeras are creatures that are born from the union of various animals…they take their best aspects to create one perfect being. A being that could tear apart everything that steps in their way. That idea became our Guild's main belief, a belief we held for so long. We stuck together, destroying everything with one sole purpose…" The magical energy in his body became more intense. "To survive…and the only way to survive…IS THROUGH POWER!" He then spread his legs and started to gather as much air as possible. "Aaaaaaaah…"
"He's gathering air! Is he perhaps a Dragon Slayer?" Rokumon wondered. Yori started to get nervous.
"I don't know…whatever that is…it's wiser if we stop him." With those words, the other samurai dashed forward in an attempt to block him before he could throw his attack. But Apostatìs was used to this type of scenario and trained himself to deliver the blow the fastest way possible.
In a matter of seconds, a few gathering noises got louder and louder and the light that surrounded his body became brighter.
"What is he doing?" Merida asked from above.
"YORI! WATCH OUT!" Rokumon warned.
"Too late. Atomic Wyvern…" Apostatìs was ready.
Yori widened his eyes and defensively put his arms for any eventuality…and then…
"BREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH!" Apostatìs released a devastating large beam from his mouth that overwhelmed Yori and left a large trail of destruction below him. The whole hall trembled for the power, even making Ren lose balance from outside and shock Hoshiko.
"WOAH!"
"W-What happened there!?"
Even Iori, Merida, and Ronin had to hold themselves from the control room due to that.
"AAH! S-SUCH POWER!" Iori exclaimed.
"IT'S THE SAME ATTACK THAT DESTROYED THE WALL OF THE MARKET!" Merida added.
"NGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" While Yori was able to resist an attack like that, he could still feel a devastating power that was pushing him back, forcing him to recoil. "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" He was nearly able to stick to the ground and reach the wall, which cracked down behind him. As soon as the smoke faded away, Yori was in the same position, but with his eyes wide open and several burns all over his body.
"Yori! Are you alright!?" Rokumon asked, bewildered.
"I-I've never seen a power such as this…it's the fruit of an intense and violent strength…almost as if he forced his whole body to reach that level…" Yori commented as he could see that the aura of his enemy grew bigger.
"He's an authentic…force of nature!"
Apostatìs was still breathing heavily due to the attack, but he had a delighted and excited smirk on his face, as his body glowed with a strong blue light, including his eyes, which became slit. "EH EH EH EH EH…"
"Absurd…it's like looking at an authentic wyvern…" Rokumon commented. Still…he held his odachi sword tightly.
"Rokumon…I have the feeling that we'll need to give our most efficient performance to slay this beast…are you ready?" Yori asked while coming closer and preparing the blade.
"More than ready…let's see if I'll be able to extinguish his force with my flames!" The other mage replied.
"Do you understand now? As you'll get pulverized…YOU'LL KNOW WITNESS THE POWER OF A WYVERN SLAYER! THE KING OF THE MONSTERS!" Apostatìs declared as he dashed forward them with his wings. "AH AH AH AH AH AAAAAH!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rokumon and Yori accepted the challenge and did the same, clashing against him, releasing a loud shockwave and impact that cracked down the whole hall.
"AGH!" Merida lowered herself while Iori held her.
"H-Hold on!"
Even if the two mages showed a large strength, Apostatìs turned out to be strong enough to force them to pull on against him. "Is that all you've got!?"
"GRRRR!" Rokumon and Yori used as much strength as they could before getting forced to jump back. "Rokumon, a coordinated attack!" Yori suggested.
"Got it!" The second mage accepted as they both started to surround him on both sides and started to attack with elegant yet violent cut attacks through their katanas.
Apostatìs could feel his body getting cut down, but even if he was bleeding, he didn't care and eventually found his way to start and block and answer their attacks, leading to several clashes.
"He's starting to answer! Now!" Rokumon exclaimed.
"Yes!" Yori agreed and they both tried to cut him down at the same time, but Apostatìs took the perfect timing to block both blades and push them away.
"GRRRR!" He then violently slammed his palms against their faces and wiped them away, making them crash into two separate sides of the hall.
"G-GH…" Rokumon stood up as he saw that Apostatìs was approaching him with glowing energy and his whole body was smoking.
"What the hell am I looking at…?" Iori asked, almost terrified.
"I-Iori…the computer here is sensing a high level of radioactivity! It's almost like he's a living nuclear weapon!" Merida told him.
"What!?" The boy exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Rokumon was already preparing his blade. "He answers with firmness and strength, which means that I must give the same!" As he prepared himself, a spiral of flames surrounded him and followed him as he moved against the enemy leader. "Dance of Naraka!" Soon enough, Rokumon started to overwhelm Apostatìs with coordinated and direct sword attacks which made him look like he was dancing with a sword in flames, which started to burn down the environment around the enemy, trying to burn him. It seemed similar to Tsukuyomi's Dance of the Eclipse but with more strength and balance.
"GRRRRR!" Apostatìs got attacked several times, but even if he was on the verge of burning down, he answered with the same violence. His fists and kicks released several trails of blue energy that started to clash with Rokumon's orange flames, and as the two clashed all around the hall, several explosions generated by the reaction of the two elements followed him. "I've lived through this world which is hell itself, DO YOU THINK THAT A SIMPLE FIRE CAN BURN ME ALIVE!?" He shouted as he punched the samurai right in the nose, making the bone crack.
"GAAAH!" Rokumon could see the blood coming down from his whole face, but he smirked nonetheless. He could feel a brim of excitement in that exchange of blows. He stood firm with his foot, making it stomp, and pushed forward with his katana. "These aren't simple flames! THEY'RE THE HELLFIRE! THE FIRE THAT CAN MELT EVEN THE SOUL!" With that same charge, he was able to cut Apostatìs's abdomen, making him recoil.
"GRRR!"
"NOW, YORI!" Rokumon gave the signal, and right at that moment, the other samurai jumped behind Apostatìs and slammed him down with his katana. "FURUKAUNTA-REVENGE!" In a matter of seconds, a gigantic force pushed away Apostatìs, making him crash a few meters away from them.
"Did we get him?" Rokumon asked. Yori didn't have to answer, as an explosion blew up from where Apostatìs was standing, and right after that, there he was standing still with his tall wings and breathing heavily.
"This will take a while, I'm sure of it…" Yori commented.
"What just happened? It's almost like I've got the full force of the Atomic Wyvern's Breath right back at me…" Apostatìs wondered.
"That's my Furukaunta magic. It takes a while, but once I've absorbed enough damage, I can send them all back. If you intend to pulverize us with that brutal magic, expect us to do the same!" Yori explained.
"I see…" With those words, Apostatìs started to approach them. Every step seemed to melt down the floor, due to the radioactive aura that he was releasing due to his magic. "You two seem to be excellent mages, even perfect if I dared to say. You show a great balance between speed and strength…which means that it will give me further satisfaction to destroy both of you!"
"We could say the same of you, but even if we could respect you as an opponent, we cannot forgive what you're trying to do! This is where your road ends! Yori!" Rokumon answered.
"Right after you!" Yori added, and once again, they all dashed against each other.
This time, Apostatìs decided to use a different approach as he concentrated an amount of energy and then infused it in his arms. "ATOMIC WYVERN'S CLAW!" He started to attack the two samurais with his claws, which released an added swipe of atomic energy at every attack he threw.
"DAMMIT!" Both Rokumon and Yori found it difficult to block and answer those attacks. Yori let himself get hit a few times so that he could charge energy back for another Furukaunta attack, but he knew he had to be careful about it.
"If I let myself get distracted, I might be doomed! These attacks could disintegrate my skin!" He thought.
Rokumon did his best to block the claws' attacks and destroy the several energy swipes with his odachi katana infused with hellfire, but at a certain point, he found Apostatìs right in front of him. He looked up with horrified eyes as Apostatìs threw the next attack with outstanding speed. "DIE!" Apostatìs scratched his abdomen, making it bleed, and shot a swipe of energy right into it, wiping away the enemy.
"GHHH!" Rokumon felt a big pain in his body as he was thrown further, but he was able to regain his balance and made a few jumps backward to land on his feet. "All right, big boy, if you resist that much to flames, let's see how you answer to this!" With that said, he surrounded his whole body in the same flames as his magic, with his face resembling a hanya mask, giving him the look of a flame demon. "Hellfire Armor!"
Apostatìs accepted the challenge and covered himself in the radioactive energy of his magic. "Atomic Wyvern's Radiation!" He then spread his wings and threw himself with high violence against Rokumon, who clashed against him. Each of his attacks released a trail of flames right behind Apostatìs, whose blows generated a roar that destroyed the surrounding floor.
The two of them stood on the same level for a few moments, but in the end, the leader of Chimera Tribe was able to push back the mage of Shogunate Pride with a heavy punch. "GRAAAH!" He then tried to stab him right in the throat with his bare hand, but Rokumon moved aside to reveal Yori.
"HMM!" The large mage pushed Apostatìs down with a heavy karate chop and then jumped up to make his sword stab the ground. Furukaunta-Score!" From the point where the sword was stabbed, five large trails of energy moved through the floor and reached Apostatìs, blowing him away and making him fly up.
Once again, the Wyvern Slayer could feel like his energy was thrown back at him. But that wouldn't have stopped him. If they were going to do so, all he needed to do was to give them as much magic to overwhelm them. He was close to finally completing his catch. His pride as a hunter wouldn't have led him to be defeated right now. That conviction made him regain balance in mid-air and release another gigantic beam from his mouth. "ATOMIC WYVERN'S BREATH!"
Both mages looked horrified as they tried their best to defend themselves, but they were inevitably pushed against the wall, followed by an explosion. It was a miracle if the walls of the hall didn't collapse and destroyed the tower. But it wasn't that far from there.
"I'VE TALKED TOO SOON EARLY! I'M SO SORRY, YORI!" Ronin screamed out.
The two mages stood up, even if their bodies were already starting to tremble due to the large amount of blows they had received. But that wasn't going to stop them. Rokumon looked up to the enemy as he still had his Hellfire Armor activated.
"A-Are you ok, Yori?" He asked the other samurai, who stood up as well.
"Yes. But things aren't getting easier either. He's spreading his corrosive magic throughout the whole area and by consequence, to us. Using the Furukaunta magic will be hard if this keeps on happening…" Yori replied.
"It's the first time I ever come up with something like a Wyvern Slayer, but I can already see what they're all about. Unlike the Dragon Slayers, their magic focuses more on destructive power…" Rokumon commented.
"Yes, I should have expected it. Wyverns usually have a crueler and more violent nature compared to dragons…if we're not careful and take him down immediately, this whole tower could crumble down even without him taking the globe…" Yori added.
"Any ideas?" The other mage of Shogunate Pride asked.
"Considering that his attacks are like an authentic bomb that explodes at full power, we need to answer at our fullest," Yori answered. "The key to taking him down is to make him exhaust and then overwhelm him. He's like a battery, and we need to make him turn out of energy."
"With your Furukaunta magic, this would be possible. But it would also mean that you should take a large amount of those blasts…" Rokumon said.
"It's alright. It's not the first time I endured such pain. I need to hold high the expectations from one of the top mages of this guild after all." Yori replied, sure of himself while preparing a battle pose. "More than ever, a clean mind is what it takes to win this battle, the complete opposite of what he's doing now." He then turned on his friend. "What about you?"
"Well, considering he's a tough opponent, I couldn't afford to lose this perfect chance of texting him. I'll make sure to make him run out of energy for you. We're the 'Niou' of the group after all, right?" Rokumon said, feeling his excitement back.
"Indeed." Yori then noticed that his enemy was landing down. "He's coming…"
Apostatìs, on the other hand, landed down and glared once again at his opponents. "You're still standing? Seeing two enemies that can resist two of my Atomic Wyvern's Breath isn't something I'm used to…"
"Are you perhaps disappointed?" Rokumon asked.
"You kidding? This couldn't make me happier…because it will give me much more satisfaction to tear you apart and see how your hopes crumble down as you see your bodies getting pulverized!" The leader of Chimera Tribe exclaimed as he spread his arms. "Seeing forces of orders such as soldiers or legal guilds getting crushed down by our power. For me, it's the sole treatment you people deserve! Seeing you fall is compensation for what I've been through all these years!"
"What you've been through?" Yori asked.
"That's right. You legal guilds say that you bring out the order in this world and protect the weaker, but even with that, there are people like us that keep on living in the damm street! People who aren't accepted by anyone and are forced to walk in the middle of nothing! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FORM UNIONS, AND CREATE FAMILIES! BUT YOU'VE DONE NOTHING TO SAVE PEOPLE LIKE ME!" As he kept on talking, his body was getting filled again with atomic energy. "If people like me exist, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN! IT'S THE WHEEL OF KARMA THAT'S PAYING YOU OFF!"
As he talked, both Rokumon and Yori remained in silence to let him talk. Even if he was an enemy, he seemed to have his motivations to do it according to his last words. But once he was done and preparing for the next attack, the two samurais didn't need to hear more.
"We don't know what you've lived on up until now, and we can be sorry for that. But we can't help but notice how there is fakeness in your words." Rokumon said.
"Right now, your mouth is moved by pure frustration. And no motivation could excuse the destruction of a whole inhabited place to get richer. What you just said motivated us further to take you down. And don't think you'll have that easily! You just saw the beginning!" Yori added.
"Look at you, acting all mighty and righteous. You have no idea what I was forced to do just to survive and reach this age, SO YOU CAN'T PRETEND TO LECTURE ME LIKE IT WAS NOTHING! IF YOU'RE SO IN THE RIGHT, LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN DODGE THIS!" Apostatìs didn't want to add anything else. Full of anger and frustration, he started to accumulate atomic energy in his arms, and once they were fully charged, he shot two large beams at the two mages. It wasn't as powerful as the Atomic Wyvern's Breath, but they could still feel a devastating power coming out of it.
"ATOMIC WYVERN'S TORRENT!"
Yori spread his arms and tried to take the hit by standing still. "HMMMM!" The mage could feel like a ferocious storm that tried to take him down, but he tried to be like a rock and planted his feet well to the floor. It was painful, but he needed to absorb as much power as possible to deliver one straight Furukaunta attack to put him down. "Lesson One: Never Step Back! Don't let your enemy overwhelm you! Harden…your temperance!" He said to himself, as a motivation to stand still.
"YOU SAY SUCH THINGS BUT YOU CAN'T HELP IT! YOU'LL SOON END UP FLYING SEVERAL METERS AWAY AS DUST!" Apostatìs shouted back as he kept on charging the two beams. "UH!?" But he could then noticed that the other mage already reached him, as flames were already surrounding both of them.
"Dance of Naraka!" Rokumon attacked the enemy leader with a sequence of perfect sword attacks as fast as possible. But to his surprise, Apostatìs gritted his teeth and promptly blocked them with his arms, leading to a clash and forcing him to interrupt the two beams. Still, Rokumon wasn't going to falter. He stomped his foot on the ground and tried to overwhelm the enemy by performing a full dance of odachi blows that aimed at surrounding the enemy in every way possible, filling his body with cuts that were infused with burning flames. But the enemy was still roaring out, almost like he was showing all the anger and grit from his heart. "Even if he's almost in a berserk state, he's still reasoning to defend himself! He's really serious in this…then I can't let him breathe out!" Rokumon thought as he prepared his next move. Just as Apostatìs was ready to throw a powered-up punch with his atomic magic, Rokumon made a circular cut that released three flaming swipes in one single motion that stunned the Wyvern Slayer and cut him on the chest and the shoulders.
"NGHA!" Apostatìs was forced to recoil as blood came out from the three cuts and an explosion of fire blew up right behind him. When he turned around, still astonished by the pain, he could see that Yori was already charging against him. The samurai mage was fast enough to not let the other answer, and soon enough, he planted the katana on the wounded shoulder and brought him alongside, making him crash against a wall. "IS THAT HOW IT IS!?" Surprisingly enough, Apostaìs had the strength to pull off the katana from his body and use it to throw Yori up.
"GAH!" Even if he was tall and muscular, Yori could feel like he was thrown up by a giant catapult, but he was able to regain balance and land right on the walls, where he could see that Apostatìs was already flying toward him. Yori greeted him by clashing the sword with the Wyvern Slayer's claws. The two of them ended up running all around the walls with speed and violence, as they tried to overwhelm the other. Rokumon followed them and jumped on the walls as well.
Iori and Merida noticed it as well.
"They're close! Get down!" The young boy said as he lowered himself while holding both the girl and the exceed.
"I've never seen someone like that guy before! I-It's terrifying!" Merida exclaimed with a bit of panic in her voice.
"Don't worry! He won't win!" Iori assured her while holding her tightly.
"Rokumon and Yori are the two Niou of the guild, they won't let someone like him prevail!" Ronin added.
In the meantime, Yori and Apostatìs continued their violent clash as they ran at incredible speed throughout the walls of the circular hall. A regular person would have already felt their head spinning, but the two mages were focused enough on making blow after blow that they could hold a balance in their organisms. The mage of Shogunate Pride did his best to both block the attacks with the katana and receive them at the same time to charge enough energy for the next Furukaunta attacks.
"ATOMIC WYVERN'S CLAW!" At a certain point, Apostatìs infused his claws with atomic energy and started to release several claw attacks added with energy swipes, adding difficulty to the samurai. "GRAAAAH!" Then, Apostatìs made an X-shape claw that tore Yori's clothes and armor in the form of the X and made his sword go up.
"GRR!" But Yori wasn't done there. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the katana before he could lose it. He took it backward, but it didn't matter, as he opened the hilt of the sword, revealing a double blade that he used to stab Apostatìs right in the belly. "FURUKAUNTA-SPEAR!" He then used his magic to dash around the walls while holding the enemy with the katana, which started to release a large amount of energy around the blade, making it look like a shooting arrow.
"GRRRRRRRRR!" Apostatìs could feel a terrible pain filling his body, and so, he found the strength to stomp his feet on the ground and grab the sword to push it away from his belly. He was able to do so, but he had to recoil and spit a large puddle of blood. Then, before he could react, he could sense a scorching hit from behind him. When he turned around, he could see that Rokumon was already there, ready to cut him down, and in less than a second, his sword had already fallen on Apostatìs. "KH!" The leader of Chimera Tribe tried to block the attack at the last moment. He was able to do so, but only for an instance, since the odachi sword, still scratched his skin. "S-Stubborn mages…" He looked at both of them, well aware of what was about to happen, especially now that they were that close to him.
Rokumon and Yori looked at each other and nodded. Apostatìs raised his shoulders, spread his wings, and prepared himself to answer.
Then…they departed.
"WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The two samurais tried to overwhelm Apostatìs with a barrage of sword attacks, while the leader of Chimera Tribe did his best to answer their attacks with his claws. All of them used their elements to give an adding push to their blows, in the desperate attempt to win. Yori was filled with pure and white energy, Rokumon's whole body was burning up, and Apostatìs released his atomic magic to help himself. It was like seeing two comets that were trying to crash down on a null point. The impact and power of the attacks were strong they echoed throughout the entire room and the rest of the tower.
As she kept on proceeding, Tsukuyomi could hear the rumbling and the vibration of the battle. She could feel a lot of pressure coming up from her whole body. Was it anxiety? Was it a hurry? All that she knew was that she couldn't help but feel sick at the heart. Maybe she was thinking that it could have been a suicide since she could still feel the injuries from her battle with Zenodias. Yet…she knew that she couldn't think of it that way…not now that she was that close to reaching the others.
"Anf…anf…anf.." She stopped for a moment to regain a bit of air and then moved on. "T-The others need me…I need to do it for Cal and Rere…!" She said, as an incentive to move on. She then started to make his legs work, even if they were trembling. "忠誠心 – Chusei kokoro; Loyalty…time to show it now, Tsukuyomi!"
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Back at the globe hall, the three mages were putting as much strength as possible, making the vibrations even stronger.
"NO MATTER WHAT SHIT YOU WILL THROW AT ME! I'LL KEEP STANDING UP! NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO BREAK DOWN MY OWN BELIEFS!" Apostatìs shouted out as he kept moving. But right then, he could see that both mages were slowly starting to push forward and reach him. "WHA- GAAH!" In an instant, he was smashed by the two's blades, with the impact releasing a loud impact that made a large crack in the control room's glass.
"IIICK!" Merida lowered herself, fearing that she could have gotten cut.
Apostatìs was groaning with pain as he tried to move his body while trembling. He could feel the two weapons crashing down his body, but he wasn't going to end there. He found the strength to grab the two enemies' faces and catch them by surprise.
"MF!" Rokumon and Yori tried to answer, but Apostatìs knew how dangerous it was to leave them even an instant, so he quickly charged two beams from his hands.
"ATOMIC WYVERN'S TORRENT!"
The two beams wiped both mages away in two separate dimensions and caused large explosions that finally made the walls crumble and open two holes in the tower. But luckily enough, the two mages fell and crashed to the ground. Their bodies were smoking, but, as two of the strongest members of Shogunate Pride, they were used to feeling such terrible pain, even if this was a new experience for both of them.
"Hey, Rokumon…don't tell me you intend to quit right now…" Yori asked.
"Heh…are you kidding? That rumble that just happened couldn't help but boil my blood with excitement even further. We're reaching the peak. What about you? Do you feel charged enough?" Rokumon asked back.
"I think just a bit more, and I should be able to unleash an attack that would put him down for good…I just need to make sure to not break the balance right now. It will be essential to maintain the mind as null as possible to throw that one strike that will end the battle." Yori replied.
At that moment, Rokumon could see something unexpected coming right from his friend: a drop of sweat that was coming down right from his head. Sure, it could have been because of all the movements he made that made him sweat, but the giant samurai thought of it as a slight perception of pressure coming from his friend, which was unusual.
"…Hey."
Yori turned at him.
"That attack will hit. You're the Zen Lord after all. The only person I know that could stand up against that balance of yours is Master Dohko." Rokumon told him before making a smirk. "It's time we show him a lesson."
Yori was surprised by that comment, but it was enough to make him smile with his closed eyes, confident. "Then let's do it. Glad to make it possible with The Undying."
"Right!" With that settled, both Rokumon and Yori looked back at Apostatìs, who landed down with a violent impact that formed a crater right below him.
"That last Atomic Wyvern's Torrent was made to assure that your bodies would have been incinerated. And yet you're still there, trying to put up a fight." Apostatìs said with a tone that almost sounded off. But he then made a deviated laugh. "Magnificent. It has been a while since I've faced mages with such strength as you. It's a shame that I need to kill you…"
"It's just like you said earlier. We're doing our best to not let you destroy our own beliefs. Ideals are often forced to contrast with each other. You have been a talented fighter as well, not many could resist against someone like us. But unfortunately…it's time we put an end to this. As you can see by yourself, you've made enough damage for letting you still be free." Yori replied.
"Is that so? And how do you intend to do it? I'm curious." The enemy mage asked with a tone of challenge.
"Oh, there's no need to get heated up yet. We have our ways. So, it's better if you get ready." Rokumon countered.
To that, Apostatìs lowered his head. "Your…ways? Eh eh…I've always had my ways. But people told me that they were wrong all the time. Once again, you're showing how hypocritical you people are…" He then raised it with his slit eyes wide open and a maniacal stare. "IT'S TIME TO OPEN YOUR EYES!" He shouted.
The two samurai mages didn't need to listen any further and immediately dashed against the enemy, who prepared himself by surrounding his body with radioactive energy. "ATOMIC WYVERN'S RADIATION!" After that, he dashed forward as well, deciding to use another technique simultaneously. "Atomic Wyvern's Claw!"
Rokumon saw what he was planning to do, and used the same way. "Hellfire Armor!" He covered his body in flames and started to attack him with a sequence of precise attacks. "Dance of Naraka!" The two of them once again, revealed to be at the same level, even after all the amount of damage they received. But unlike previously, Yori was there to assist his colleague with his blade as well.
Together, the two mages coming from Shogunate Pride were able to push back Apostatìs, who continued to attack nonetheless. Seeing what they were seemingly attempting to do, he drove his head away so that he could dodge his attacks and then grab both of their heads and make them clash violently.
"GAH!" Both Rokumon and Yori could feel terrible pain mixed with a temporary headache before they were pushed away by a double punch from their enemy.
Seeing the perfect opportunity, Apostatìs started to gather air as his body started to glow from the accumulated energy.
Yori widened his eyes. "He's using it! This could be it!"
"Yori!" Rokumon cried out.
"ATOMIC WYVERN'S BREAAAATH!" It didn't take long for the hunter of Chimera Tribe to finish the loading and release a titanic atomic beam from his mouth, aimed at the two of them at the same time.
But he didn't realize that in doing this, he gave a perfect chance to his enemy as well. Yori didn't hesitate and ran towards the attack before planting his sword on the ground so that he could absorb the attack alongside his weapon. "NGHHHHHHH!" He could feel himself starting to lose balance, but it wasn't needed. He allowed himself to feel that. Also, he could feel his body getting ready. "ROKUMON! GO NOW!"
Rokumon didn't need any confirmation, only acting for the trust of his friend. He jumped right on the beam and started to contrast it by attacking it with the sword infused with flames.
Apostatìs widened his eyes in bewilderment as he saw this happening. But he then frowned and increased the charge in the blow, hoping that it would have ended them once and for all. But even with that, Rokumon didn't seem to falter. Like a dancer who was executing a performance surrounded by flames, he moved forward, until he was able to reach out to his enemy, with the beam getting consumed by the fire. But they weren't going to get turned off yet. As Apostatìs saw with horror that his enemy was able to reach him, Rokumon already charged his next attack.
"INFERNAL DESTINY!" In less than a second, he threw a large tongue of fire that slammed Apostatìs against the wall.
"Let's make sure to close him to a corner!" Yori exclaimed. With that in mind, they both started to run forward.
Apostatìs stood up and saw that his enemies were already going after him. He couldn't understand how they were able to do all those spectacular answers yet, but he didn't care. If he couldn't take them down immediately, he could have given them only a slow and painful death. That made him surround his whole body in atomic magic and answer to them. "ATOMIC WYVERN'S RADIATION!" As soon as he was close to them, he started to throw punches, kicks, and claws with straight violence, almost tearing their skin apart. "YOU WILL DIE NOW!"
Rokumon and Yori could feel their body lose more blood than expected, but now that they had him, they weren't going to go down just yet. And the Number II of Shogunate Pride knew it well…as soon as he was able to slam his belly with the hilt of his sword. "TYRANT RAVE!" The attack was followed by a large explosion of fire that sent Apostatìs up in the air.
High enough that even Iori and the others could see him.
"Ah! They've got him!?" Merida asked.
"NOW, YORI!" Rokumon shouted. Yori got it and jumped at the right height so that he could grab Apostatìs by the shoulder with his sword.
Apostatìs could see with horror as Yori was resonating with magic, the same one he had gathered through the battle.
"FURUKAUNTA-VANISH!" In an instant, the mage released a variant of the Furukaunta that affected a whole area. The leader of Chimera Tribe felt run over by a terrible power while falling and crashing down with a violent impact. The overall attack was strong enough that made the whole hall tremble again.
Yori landed on his feet, even if he had to breathe heavily after that.
Rokumon came closer to check him on. "Are you ok?"
"Yes…don't worry," Yori said before looking at the pile of smoke that was generated by the impact.
"Did we get him for good?" Rokumon then asked.
"He received a blow of the amount of a whole army. He shouldn't be able to stand up again." The other mage replied.
Then, a few noises could be heard, and as soon as the smoke faded out, they could see Apostatìs lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. But even with all of that, he was groaning loudly, trying to struggle, to the point of releasing a cry of frustration that echoed throughout the entire hall.
"He's…desperate…" Iori commented from above.
"GRRRR! N-NO! I REFUSE! I REFUSE TO LOSE…" Apostatìs said as he tried to stand up.
"He still wants to put on a fight!?" Rokumon asked, astonished.
"Restrain yourself. You can't keep on fighting in your conditions." Yori warned him.
"SHUT THE HELL UP! I don't intend to listen to you any longer! I'm tired of hearing what am I supposed to do to others! I…I'll take the globe and add it to our collection!" Apostatìs protested while trying to move, even if it seemed like an impossible task. As he tried to move, the two samurais looked at him with a bit of pity. They could see that even if furious, he was seemingly also tearing up. "Chimera Tribe…is the only thing I have left to live on in this world. I can't afford to make it fade away like that! Otherwise, I can't make her happy!"
"Her?" Rokumon wondered.
Apostatìs implanted his clawed hand to the floor, crashing it. "I have nothing left to lose! This guild is the will of the ransom of many people! Taking me out would mean taking out that same will! Therefore I can't lose…I'LL MAKE SURE TO SHRED YOU TO PIECES!" He continued.
And then…almost as if it responded to his words…a strange red smoke started to come up from the creeks of the floor.
"What the!?" Rokumon exclaimed, taking a step backward.
"What is that?" Yori asked. Even he didn't expect it.
"Hey, what's with the red smoke!? He didn't use that!" Ronin commented from the control room.
"I…I don't think that's from him…" Iori replied, making the other two freeze their blood.
"What…what do you mean?" Merida asked.
"Gh…I don't care if I have to break my bones, lose a limb, or even blow myself up! I'll take that globe! Chimera Tribe has never failed a hunt AND NEVER IT WILL!" Apostatìs exclaimed, unaware of the fact that the unknown smoke was surrounding it…to the point that it got inside of him and triggered a reaction. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The mage could feel something painful yet it was filling him with energy, with red electric shockwaves coming out from his body.
"What is happening!?" Rokumon asked, alarmed. Yori on the other hand, prepared his weapon.
"I don't know, but it's not good! I can sense a terrible power! I-I've never seen something like that!"
"GRRRRR!" As he got filled with that strange power, Apostatìs could feel a terrible headache and several words with no sense…but he could hear something clear. A chant… that infused organisms with newfound power.
"मेरेलिएतुमदर्दभरेशहरमेंजाओ,
मेरेलिएकोईअनन्तपीड़ामेंचलाजाताहै,
मेरेलिएतुमभटकेहुएलोगोंकेबीचजाओ।
न्यायनेमेरेउच्चकारककोआगेबढ़ाया;
मुझेदिव्यशक्तिदी,
सर्वोच्चज्ञानऔरपहलाप्यार.
मेरेसामनेकोईनिर्मितवस्तुनहींहै
यदिशाश्वतनहींहै, औरमैंशाश्वतरूपसेकठोरहूं।
सारीआशात्यागदो, तुमजोप्रवेशकरतेहो।"
Soon, Apostatìs stood up again and the blue filaments of his magic became colored with a crimson red which sounded almost demonic. He raised his head with glowing eyes of the same color, as he prepared himself to attack again.
"A-Absurd…" Rokumon commented.
"Get ready! He's coming!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The enemy mage dashed with a speed far superior to before and unexpectedly punched both mages in their belly, making them spit a good amount of blood from their mouth and throw them away.
They were able to regain balance and land on their feet, but they could see with horror that Apostatìs was already charging another Atomic Wyvern Breath and shot it in less than a second. But this time, not only did he try to destroy both mages, but the entire room as well, as he directed the beam pretty much anywhere.
"DOWN!" Iori could see what was about to happen and promptly put the others down from the control room.
The beam left trails of destruction anywhere, the worst ones compared to the others he left by reaching the hall and during the battle.
"Not only did he stand up again and get stronger, but he has also left himself go more than before!" Rokumon noticed while trying to dodge the attack.
"It's the work of that smoke we saw earlier…it responded to his cries and unleashed both his power and wrath…it's almost like…some sort of infection," Yori observed.
"Do you think it's some sort of dark magic?" Rokumon asked.
"I think it's something worse…this isn't any regular darkness…this seems something worse. If I have to find the word to describe it, it would be…madness."
"Madness…" Rokumon whispered while looking at the enemy, who was continuing his rampage.
"We completely lost him. The only way we have now to regain him is to take him down for real this time!" Yori warned. "Let's go!" He quickly ran toward the enemy, followed by Rokumon.
Even if the beam was moving throughout the whole hall, the two mages were able to grab their enemy and push him down, tackling him and forcing him to stop the beam.
"GRRRRR…WREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Even if he was blocked by two physically strong mages, Apostatìs found the strength to answer and released a shockwave made of red atomic energy that wiped the two mages away.
"AGH!"
The shockwave reached the control room and put the computers in a short circuit, breaking them, thus deactivating the barriers put around the globe.
"No, the computers!" Merida exclaimed. "Now the globe is exposed!"
"Ah, crap! What do we do!?" Ronin added. His friend Iori was sweating hard when he looked down. "We can only hope now…but I think that in his current conditions…that guy isn't plotting to take the globe."
"AAAAH!" Apostatìs, in the meantime, was focused on making Rokumon sink with a barrage of punches powered up by atomic energy. The samurai used his sword to defend himself, but he could feel that the physical pressure coming from his enemy was starting to get too much to bear, so he had to solve it quickly. At a certain point, he found the perfect moment to block the fists with the sword and counterattack with a parry, using the hilt of the sword. "TYRANT RAVE!" He was able to trigger a fire explosion that sent Apostatìs flying up. Rokumon then charged a quick-fire ball to blast him away, an attack that succeeded. But he could see that Apostatìs quickly wiped the smoke away with his wings. "Dammit!"
"ATOMIC WYVERN'S BREATH!" Apostatìs shot an atomic beam from his mouth that forced the samurai to use fire to boost himself away from the trajectory.
In all of this, Yori found the time to run on the walls and assault Apostatìs from behind by slamming the sword on his back. "FURUKAUNTA-REVENGE!" He was able to replenish the damages right back at him, wiping him away from a few meters. But he could then see an insane red aura coming from the spot where Apostatìs went, and right after that, it was almost like seeing a meteor that was ready to run over him, reducing him to dust. A horrifying image of Apostatìs with atomic magical claws, a red aura around his body, and a demonic expression on his face was printed in Yori's eyes. Even with this, he maintained a clean mind and started to answer the myriad of blows that were about to await him. But even with that, he started to feel overwhelmed by all of that.
Rokumon came right behind Apostatìs while using the Hellfire Armor and tried to overwhelm him with several sword attacks. The attempt was successful, but Apostatìs's corrupted mind made him continue nonetheless. "HE'S NOT FALLING BACK!" Rokumon shouted.
At a certain point, Apostatìs lowered his head to dodge the sword's attack and then grabbed both mages by the neck and made them crash against each other again. He then used his magic to generate claws, but not on his fingers like before, but on his wrists. Added to his wings, the two mages could see that he now looked more like a real, ferocious, and cruel wyvern. Needless to say, Apostatìs threw himself against the two with a barrage of claws attacks. Rokumon and Yori tried their best to defend themselves, but their bodies were already getting filled with scars everywhere.
"HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW, LEGAL MAGES!? WHAT IS LIKE TO CRAWL DOWN WITHOUT ANY WAY OF GETTING BACK AGAIN!? THIS IS HOW I FELT FOR ALL THESE YEARS AND I'LL THROW IT ALL BACK TO YOU! HOW DOES IT FEEL? TELL ME!" After that shoutout, he grabbed their faces and flew at high speed against the walls. He then moved around, making their faces violently rub against the wall.
"GAAAAAAH! I-I CAN'T MOVE!" Rokumon shouted.
"Keep calm! W-We need to come out with something!" Yori told them. They both tried to struggle back, but with that level of violence, it was almost impossible.
Iori and Ronin were starting to feel the pressure in their bodies even if they weren't fighting. "P-Please! Fight back!"
"SOMEBODY HELP!" Ronin added.
"NOW DIE!" Apostatìs was then about to deliver the finishing move, but right at that moment…
"SONIC BOOM!"
Several swipes made out of grey energy threw themselves against Apostatìs. Not expecting this, the leader of Chimera Tribe got fully hit by all of them and was thrown back, freeing Rokumon and Yori in the process who fell on the floor.
"AH! SOMEONE ACTUALLY HELPED!" Ronin said, almost crying out of joy.
"But…who did it?" Merida asked.
"Wait…I know that attack…" Iori replied.
Meanwhile, Rokumon and Yori could finally stand up and take a few moments to regain air and stand up again.
"Anf…anf…anf…are you ok?" Rokumon asked.
"Y-Yes…somehow. We were lucky he was stopped…but who did it?" Yori wondered as he turned around. Rokumon did the same, and both of them were surprised to find out the answer.
"I-I made it…" Making a few steps closer to them, the two mages could see a familiar girl dressed up with a kimono who reached them with the katana in her hands.
"Tsukuyomi!" They exclaimed.
"I didn't expect you here!" Yori commented.
"Eh eh…" Tsukuyomi tried to make a smile even if she was tired. "It wasn't really in the program, but considering that we got closer, I've decided to come..." She answered, before looking at the pile of smoke. "And it seems that I came right in a terrible moment…"
"You can say that again, my friend…" Rokumon spoke. "That mage is probably their leader, and right now, he's out of control."
"Their leader!?" Tsukuyomi exclaimed before noticing someone landing down from the pile of smoke.
Apostatìs regained himself from all those blasts and landed on his feet and his hand before standing up. "What's this? Another nuisance has come to aid you!? This is getting ridiculous…" He commented before putting a hand on his head. The magic from the red smoke triggered again, making him roar with rage.
Tsukuyomi looked at the scene with a bit of fear. She expected to see someone strong in there, but she didn't expect to find out something like that.
"YOU CAN ALSO COME IN A THOUSAND, IT DOESN'T MATTER! I'LL ERASE EVERYONE WHO DARES TO STEP IN MY WAY!" Apostatìs shouted, releasing large atomic energy from his body. He then started to approach them, with one heavy step after another.
The girl in the kimono started to make a few steps backward. "S-Such tremendous power…" She was starting to think if coming up there was a bad idea after all. But then…she could feel two hands holding her shoulders. When she looked up, she could see that both Rokumon and Yori were holding her, trying to calm her down.
"I can understand that you're scared. I wasn't expecting the battle to turn out this way either. But right before that, you were able to stop him, even if for just a moment. Which means that even if you're not strong like us, you can still face him." Yori assured her. "All that you need…is to keep your mind clean…and tell yourself that everything will be alright."
"That's right. And even if we are injured, we can still fight. This means that now there's gonna be three of us facing him. Our victory rate can only grow up with this!" Rokumon added.
Tsukuyomi looked at both of them and then right at her sword. She was right. She came there for that reason. It was also the same reason she joined the guild. She wanted…to be strong. Taking in mind what they just said, alongside what she heard from Cal and Rere earlier, she took a deep breath and stood ready. "Let's do this! Let's take him down!"
"That's more like it!" Rokumon exclaimed.
"Now you're sounding more like a Shogunate Pride mage. LET'S GO!" Yori added. And the three of them threw themselves against Apostatìs.
"Come on…you got this…" Iori said from the control room.
Apostatìs was no less and dashed forward.
"THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME I'LL PULVERIZE YOU!"
Tsukuyomi shouted back as she charged with everything she could. She wasn't at her fullest…but she would have spent that energy on that adding battle.
"BRING IT ON!"
And I think we can stop here for now! I don't do that many cliffhangers, but whenever I come up with one, I always find them funny! As you can see, this chapter turned out to be more focused on the battle as a whole instead of the dialogue. I've tried to put as much as interactions as possible, but I've realized that, considering that this is technically the first major boss of the story, I've wanted to give as much of an impact as possible, deciding to make a battle that was more focused on the brute violence and the outstanding strength of those who fought it. And it wasn't an easy task either! Up until now, I haven't really made other last clashes with a main antagonist so far, So I really tried to outdo myself when it came to battle. And while I had a few ideas for this moment while I was writing the rest of this arc, I didn't really know how to put it into action. Then, when I started to write this, thanks to a few influences I had from a movie I recently saw, I've decided to go beyond and make Apostatìs even more violent and charismatic than he already was, making him more savage, rebellious and kaiju-like (The Atomic Wyvern thing came up recently and I'm glad I've decided to use it, it's beautiful). And considering that I've been waiting a long while to write a serious battle with both Rokumon and Yori, I've wanted to give out the best to give their moment to shine, especially for the fact that I love both characters. And they'll keep on shining! If anything, Tsukuyomi can be considered an assist for them, who are the tanks of the battle! I'm usually someone who likes to give equal space to all members in a main group instead of focusing only on the main protagonist, so even in the next chapter, I'll do my best to balance them!
But as always, I leave the last word to you. Did you like the chapter? What do you think of the battle and the three titanic mages that fought it up until now? What do you think was that red smoke? How do you think this arc will end? As always, let me know in your reviews. Your opinion is important!
And with this, only one chapter is left! With the next one, we'll finish the Chimera Tribe Arc! I still can't believe it! It's incredible how I've gone this fast with chapters that still respect my usual episode length! Considering that we're close to an arc finale, I'll do my best to not wait for you that long. I'll try to blend both the next chapter and chapter 23 of Adventure 04 before the end of this year. And who knows? If I manage to end both, I may add something else before the midnight ticks on the 31st!
As always, I thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope to see you in the next one or the next chapter of another story of mine! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!