Here we are at Chapter 43. Time for the fated duel between brother and sister. I do not own Code Vein or Skeleton Knight. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 43. Enjoy.
Chapter 43: Game of Dragons
Amidst the rubble of the destroyed section of the palace, Hikaru stands against her brother Homura.
"Sister?" Homura changes back into his humanoid form. "Sister, what is-," he stops when he finally notices the missing necklace.
"You tried to control me. ME, your own sister!" Hikaru seethes. Homura grits his teeth. "I loved you. I spoke out in your defense when Father exiled you. I agreed to help you when you came back after all this time. And THIS is how you repay my kindness, with betrayal?! And now you have brought chaos to our home. What is the meaning of this? Tell me, Homura!" she demands.
"Father forced me out. He denied me my birthright. He denied not only my existence, but also the glory of our people. Hikaru, you know this. We are dragons. We stand above all our species. Why must we hide away in one part of the land when we could have all of it and more? I wanted to lead our people to brilliant, new beginning. But Father denied me that chance, so I'm taking it myself," Homrua argues.
"This is your idea of a new beginning?!" Hikaru gestures to the flames around them. "Bringing destruction to our home? Trying to kill our father?"
"The only way to create a new era is to build it upon the remains of the old. I must eliminate all opposition in order to cement my reign. In the flames of this chaos, I will swoop in and save the day, earning the people's admiration as their new emperor. But, you don't have to die with the rest of those fools. You can still join me at my side. Help me put our people at the top of the mountain," Homura extends a hand to her.
Hikaru narrows her eyes, "...Father was right about you. I just didn't want to see it. This ends now, Homura," she raises her claws.
Homura frowns as he drops his hand, "Then so be it, sister,"
A second later, the two charge at each other and throw fists.
…
In the city, Elane and Iris continue to cut down Lost in the city. Elane fires off two arrows at the hearts of two Lost, turning them into ash. Iris stars down a large Lost wielding a hammer. It makes a few wide swings, but Iris evades them all before moving in. She jumps off the Lost's huge belly and swings her sword down, severing its swinging arm. She then goes and stabs her blade through its heart, finishing it off. One Lost on a rooftop jumps down towards her. Just as she turns, the Lost gets cut in half by Fuyumi, who lands nearby.
"Fuyumi! Are you okay?" Iris asks as they all regroup.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Right now, we need to focus on dealing with these Lost," Fuyumi says, sending out a Flame Roar to burn one approaching Lost to ashes.
"How did so many get into the capital?" Elane wonders.
"I don't know. Hikaru went to deal with the most likely culprit. Our focus needs to be here. The longer this drags on, the worse it will get," Fuyumi says.
Elane and Iris nod before they separate to continue helping the people in the city.
…
Back in the palace, Hikaru crashes through a wall, sliding across the floor on her feet, She glares as Homura bursts through the smoke, right fist reeled back. Hikaru grabs his arm as he throws a punch and swings him onto the ground. When she tries to go for a stomp, Homura trips her off her feet with a swing of his tail. Grabbing her leg, he smashes her onto the ground and then flings her through another wall. Hikaru gets back onto her feet just as Homura flies down on her. Hikaru flips back, throwing a foot into his chin. She follows it up with a tail swing to his stomach, sending him flying into the air. He spreads his wings to control himself, but Hikaru is already flying at him. They clash in mid-air, throwing fists and legs at each other. Homura grabs Hikaru by one of her horns and pulls her in for a knee shot to the stomach, followed by a hammer fist to her back. She gets sent flying down, but corrects herself just before she hits the ground. She flies through the air as Homura gives chase, breathing a breath of crimson flames at her. Hikaru dodges the flames, swinging around to beath her own. The two breath attacks collide and cancel each other out in a fiery explosion. The two dragon siblings fly through the flames to collide with their fists once more.
"Where did you get such monstrosities? How did you bring them into the capital?" Hikaru demands.
"It pays to have friends, little sister. Especially both within and without the kingdom. You think everyone in the alliance likes the status quo. I managed to find a few who desired more, just like I did," Homura smirks.
Hikaru is a little shocked to find out they had traitors in their ranks, but she can't focus on that right now. If she can take down her brother, the ringleader, the rest would fall shortly after.
"I will burn you and your cohorts to ashes if I must, Homura!" Hikaru roars, throwing another fist.
Her brother counters with a fist of his own and they clash.
…
In the entertainment district, warriors clad in black clothing, ninjas, lay waste to the Lost in the streets. Most of the civilians in the area have been evacuated, but several more still remain. In her office, Yukio goes over her reports from her people in regards to the evacuation. Just then, two of her courtesans bursts through the door.
"Lady Yukio!" the woman nearly screams.
Yukio stands from her desk, "What are you doing here?! I told you to evacuate with the others!"
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't leave you behind all by yourself. We have to leave now, Lady Yukio!" the second courtesan pleads.
"Damn it all. I told you I'd be right behind you once everyone else had-," their conversation is interrupted when something busts through one of the walls.
They look to see one of the Lost, wielding a sword and shield in its arms; its red eyes practically piercing through their skin. The girls scream as they back away from the monster.
"Get behind me, now!" Yukio orders them. She stands between them and the Lost, despite not being a warrior and having no means to defend herself or them. "You will not lay a filthy hand on my girls. Do you hear me, you monster!"
The Lost stalks closer to them, but just when Yukio thought her life would end there, a few ice shards fly out am impale the Lost from behind. The monster's body falls to the ground and dissipates into ash, revealing Fuyumi behind it.
"Is everyone alright?" Fuyumi asks.
"Fuyumi... Uh, yes, we're alright. You came just in the nick of time," Yukio stands in awe for a moment before she composes herself.
"You need to get out of here, now. I'll take care of any Lost in the area," Fuyumi says.
"Okay, we were just about to. Let's go, you two," Yukio glances at her girls.
They all leave into the hallway, only to find two more Lost waiting for them. Just as Fuyumi is about to take them down, they both fall and dissipate into ashes. Behind them stands an individual with black attire, knives in their hands, and a pair of dark pink eyes.
"Lady Yukio, you must leave now. Everyone else has been taken to safety," the ninja replies.
"Excellent. We're leaving now. Fuyumi, we'll be fine from here on. This is one of my people. You go help the soldiers deal with the rest of these monsters," Yukio says.
"Are you sure?" Fuyumi asks.
"Quite sure. I didn't get to where I am without being resilient. You have more important things to attend to," Yukio replies.
Fuyumi slowly nods, "Alright, just be careful," she says before running ahead while Yukio's group take a different direction.
Yukio glances at Fuyumi's retreating back for a moment before turning away.
…
Back with Hikaru, she jumps out of the way of her brother's falling axe kick. He flies through the smoke to throw a right cross, but Hikaru ducks under it to deal a palm strike under his chin, followed by a left fist to his chest. Homura flies through a wall, only to break back out through a second. Hikaru swings her tail at him, but Homura catches it and swings her up and into the ground. He thin pins her beneath his left foot.
"I'm only doing what's best for our people, Hikaru. Why can't you see that?!" Homura asks.
"How is this 'what's best for our people'? And what about Fuyumi? Why brainwash me to kill her?" Hikaru growls.
"Let's just say there's a few friends of mine that want her dead. They agreed to help me with my ambition if I helped them remove a thorn from their side. Why should that matter? She's not even from the alliance?" Homura asks, but seeing the anger in Hikaru's eyes at the mentioning of people wanting Fuyumi dead, he comes to a conclusion and smirks. "Oh, you're kidding me. You actually fancy her, dear sister. Well, I certainly didn't see that coming. I knew you played for the other side, but I didn't think you would go so far as to fall for a foreign lesser being. Where's your pride as a dragon, sister? Well, no matter, once I've dealt with you, I'll give her my full attention," he taunts her.
This only angers Hikaru more, swinging her tail hard to send him flying back. Just as he gets up, he gets nailed by a flying double kick that pushes him through another wall. Hikaru grabs him by his face and slams his skull into the ground repeatedly before kicking him away.
"Because of you... I almost... It was only by sheer luck that she survived. I almost killed her because of you, Homura. Those memories of my actions will haunt me for the rest of my life. But, I'll find some comfort from them once I've beaten the crap out of you!" Hikaru tackles him back into the air.
She starts throwing punch after punch into his chest and face, wanting to tear him apart. Homura grabs her wrists and headbutts her in the face before hitting her with a knee to the stomach and then flinging her aside. Just as she rights herself, Homura slams into her and they crash into the ground. Homura stands over his sister, throwing a series of punches, but Hikaru wraps her tail around his throat and throws him off. Getting back up, she fires off another breath attack. He responds with his own and they try to push each other back with their flames.
…
Back with Fuyumi's group, she fires off a Plasma Roar to take out a large Lost as it tries to kill a few escaping civilians. Meanwhile, Elane fires her arrows at two Lost on a rooftop before they can jump on Iris as she slices through a third.
"How many of these things have we taken down now?" Elane asks.
"A lot, unfortunately. This only makes me more concerned. But, we've taken out a lot of them here in the capital," Fuyumi says.
"Yeah, but..." Iris looks at the flames and the burning buildings around them. "This is only going to get worse. The damage here..."
Fuyumi hums before standing in the middle of the street. She then conjures Cloak of Winter, freezing all of the flames around them and spreading across a large portion of the city. When the spell is complete, Fuyumi takes a breath. She pushed that gift beyond its usual limits to freeze as much of the flames as she could.
"That should help. I'll freeze the flames in every area we clear out. That'll keep the damage from spreading. Let's keep moving," Fuyumi says, only to see another explosion at the palace. "Hikaru..."
"Fuyumi, you go help out the princess. You've already taken care of much of the blaze. Civilians have been evacuated and they'll deal with the flames themselves. We'll finish up here," Iris suggests.
"Iris. Elane," Fuyumi mutters.
"Cut off the head of the snake, and the body will fall. The sooner, the better," Elane adds.
Fuyumi nods before heading to the palace while Elane and Iris finish up in the city.
…
Back in the palace, Hikaru rolls along the ground like a pebble across a pond until she finally stops. She slowly gets up on one knee as her brother stalks towards her.
"You have the same problem as our father, sister. This peace has made you weak. The same peace that would kill our species. If we're not at the top, then we will fall. And I will not allow anyone to stand above me," Homura says.
Hikaru chuckles, "Funny. Aren't you doing your little friends dirty work for them? Who are you working with anyway? The Gravlon Empire?" she asks.
"What's it matter to you? You won't live long enough to find out as I conquer the rest of the land," Homura says.
He raises a fist, only to get blasted from behind by a beam of light and sent flying over Hikaru. Hikaru looks back to see Fuyumi, having conjured Hoarfroast Stream at Homura.
"Fuyumi," Hikaru mutters as she gets back on her feet.
"Hikaru, are you alright?" Fuyumi runs to her side.
"I'm fine. He's tougher than I-," Hikaru is interrupted by a roar as they look to see Homura break out of the rubble, parts of his body covered in ice.
"I grow tired of your interference, woman. Die!" Homura breathes crimson flames at them.
Fuyumi grabs Hikaru and dissipates into red mist to evade the attack. They pop up right behind Homura and Fuyumi hits him with a Lightning Charge to his back. Homura screams from the shock, but gets punched in the face a few times by Hikaru and then gets kicked back. Fuyumi reappears above him and performs a Savage Dive from above. Homura staggers from the attack, but Hikaru nails his side with a tail swipe. Fuyumi sends him flying up with a Circular Cleaver, followed up by Hikaru dealing an axe kick to his back to send him crashing into the floor.
…
Back in the city, Iris and Elane take down a few more Lost while some of the soldiers work to put out the fires around them. One Lost jumps down at them from behind, but something crashes into it and smashes it into the floor. They look back to see Kagero as the culprit.
"My thanks for your aid to my troops. They informed me of your efforts to stop these monstrosities," Kagero replies.
"Huh, I thought you didn't like us," Elane notes.
"What I like or don't like doesn't matter. I only wish to protect my home and my people. That is all. Our forces have dealt with a majority of the monsters in the regions outside of the capital. It's just about mopping up the remnants at this point. However, I would still like to ask for your assistance. Can I count on your aid?" Kagero asks.
"Sure. You have our support," Iris nods as Umi flies down and lands on her shoulder.
...
"It's over, Homura. The Lost in the capital are just about eradicated, and the rest you have scattered throughout the land won't survive long with you. Let this madness end. Don't force your sister to do something drastic," Fuyumi says.
"You? You think you can command a great dragon like me?" Homura gets back on his feet. "You aren't a dragon. You aren't even a dragonewt, or even human. You have no right to tell me what to do. I will bring glory back to my kind, and ensure we stand at the top, like we always have. The rest of the land has forgotten this fact. They must be reminded of the order of things. All will bow before me, and if you were smart, you would be on your knees, begging for mercy. But, I won't give it to you," he seethes
"I've heard enough out of you, Homura," Hikaru charges at him while Fuyumi fires off more ice shards.
Homura swings his arm to shatter the ice shards before blocking a punch from Hikaru. They trade several punches before Fuyumi came in with a few sword slashes at his flank. Homura blocked them with his tail, but Fuyumi conjures a Lightning Barrage close up, blowing him back. Homura growls, only to grab a punch from Hikaru and headbutt her in the face. He spin kicks her away, but Fuyumi jumps over her to swing her sword downward at Homura. However, Homura catches the blade and using his strength, he breaks it in half. Fuyumi is shocked to see her blade break, but gets punched in the stomach and sent flying into a wall. As Fuyumi pulls herself out of the wall, only for Homura to stab the tip of his tail through Fuyumi's right shoulder. Fuyumi screams in pain as Homura glares at her.
"You are truly vexing, aren't you. I had tolerated your interference for the last time," Homura growls. Fuyumi thrusts out her left hand to try a blood gift, but he catches it in his right hand and breaks her wrist with his strength, making her scream again. "No more of that. I'll at least let my little friends know you're dead... once I show them your cold, dead, cor-," Homura stops when his body shakes.
He gasps as he looks down to find Hikaru's fists through his chest, his beating heart in her grasp.
"Si-Sister..." Homura coughs as he looks behind his back to see her.
"Goodbye... Brother," Hikaru says forlornly before crushing his heart and pulling out her fist.
Homura releases Fuyumi and his tail slides out of her shoulder, allowing her to fall onto her knees. He staggers back, taking one last look at his sister before falling to the ground on his back. His last image is the night sky before his eyes dull and his life ends.
Fuyumi heals herself before looking up at Hikaru, "Hikaru... are you alright?"
Hikaru just stares at her brother's corpse, "He tried to kill you. He tried to kill my father. He brought this destruction to my home. He was a greedy monster, unworthy of being called a dragon. But still... he was my brother," Hikaru falls to her knees as she starts to cry.
Fuyumi crawls over to her, pulling her into her arms, "I'm sorry,"
That's all she can really say as she wipes Hikaru's tears. Hikaru lets her help as she bawls her eyes out. Outside the capital, Lady Hawke retreats into the shadows.
"The mission has failed. It seems we'll have another enemy to deal with now. We underestimated the strength of the Dragon Alliance. It is a mistake we won't make again," Lady Hawke mutters as she disappears into the night.
Meanwhile, the fires of this chaos die down as the battle finally comes to an end.
And that's the chapter. Fuyumi and her friends help take down the Lost while Hikaru defeats her brother Homura, even if the victory is bittersweet. Now comes the aftermath of such a grueling endeavor. Will this alter the emperor's decision for the potential alliance with Anatolia? What about Hikaru and Fuyumi? Until then, please Read and Review.