Yoshino vs Minerva! Let's see if her training pays off.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Date A Live.
"Yoshino" Speaking normally
"Yoshinon" Speaking mentally
"Zadkiel" Summoning Astral Dress/Angel or using special skill/ability
Yoshino's POV
I watch as Origami's family runs off with her. Now that she's safe, it's time to deal with the main threat.
I look up at Minerva and see her glaring at me, and I glare back. "Let's go, Yoshinon!"
"Right to it, partner!" Yoshinon starts glowing, and I grab her and pull her off my left hand, transforming her into her scythe form. I then push myself off the ground and fly up to slash at Minerva, who dodges both slash.
"Damn Hermit!" She growls at me. "You're a Spirit, too, aren't you!? Why would you waste your time protecting those weak humans!?"
"Those with power should use it to protect those who cannot protect themselves." I say. "I may be a Spirit, but I still have my humanity, something you have clearly forsaken."
"What bullshit!" Minerva roars as she fires light beams at me, but I deflect them with Yoshinon and fly at her. "Mal'akh!" She makes Metatron take on a wing-like formation and swings her arms, sending a wave of light beams at me, but I activate Mist Sprint, turning my body into a ball of mist to weave right through the lasers before reforming behind her and slashing her, but she manipulates the cannons into forming a shield to block the hit.
I catch her smirking, though, and then I remember another one of Metatron's abilities.
"Kadour!"
I quickly disengage as the cannons start acting like they have a will of their own and begin firing at me. I fly around to dodge the barrage of laser, then decide to counter attack. "Hail Storm!" The blade of my scythe glows an icy blue as I perform a spin slash, sending a barrage of slash waves of the same color back at the cannons. Even though the cannon have their own will, it's apparently only meant for attacking purposes as they don't try to dodge and are knocked away.
With the barrage over, I stop to gain reprieve, but I don't see Minerva anywhere. I then immediately sense a presence behind me and turn around to see Minerva smirking with her fist pulled back.
"You're mine!" She shouts as she throws her punch at me, which I was barely able to avoid, and I use the chance to wrap my string around her. "Wh-What the hell!?" She cries out in shock as the strings hold her body in place.
"Got you." Now it's my turn to smirk at her. With my opponent ensnared, I fly back and gather my Reiryoku for another attack. "Chilling Breath!" I take a deep breath and blow cold air at the trapped Light Spirit. The attack hits and ice begins to form on Minerva's body, but she roars and releases an explosion of light around he, breaking the ice as well as the string holding her and flying out of the cold air.
"Tch, for a B-Class Spirit, you're a lot trickier than you look." Minerva growled.
"I've been honing my abilities." I say calmly. "Can't stay weak forever."
Minerva grits her teeth at my statement and flies at me while firing light beams with Metatron. I reflect the beams with an ice shield, making sure to angle it upwards so they reflect into the sky, and then move to the side to avoid another punch and counter by sending a few icicles at her, which she dodges by flying up further into the air.
"Artelif!" Metatron's cannons take a circular formation with the tips all facing in one direction, light gathering at the center. At first, the attack was aiming at me, but then I notice something odd.
She starts changing the attacks trajectory. It's no longer aiming directly at me, but at something...behind me?
I look back to see what she could be aiming at, and my eyes widen with horror. Shido and Kotori are still here! She's aiming to kill them!
If Shido dies before canon even begins, we're all pretty much fucked!
I quickly activate Mist Sprint, using the speed boost from the dash to quickly get to them before Artelif fires. Luckily I got to them first, and quickly reform my body to shove them both out of the way.
However, I didn't have enough time to form an ice shield to block this time.
This is gonna suck...!
Hanakai's POV
I didn't know what to think about everything that's happening today.
When my squad arrived to the scene of the fire, we had lost readings on the new Spirit, meaning it has already been lost as soon as it appeared. However, we did see Minerva Riddell holding a strange white crystal.
When she said that the crystal in her hand is what creates the Spirits, I was surprised. What does this mean? Could the Spirits actually be former humans who were turned by the First Spirit, the one called Phantom?
I tried to reason with her that the crystal should be locked away for further inspection, but she refused and instead absorbed it, declaring that she would reject her humanity if it meant killing Artemisia. And thus, I witnessed the transformation of a new Spirit, right before my very eyes.
One look was all I needed to see that she had immediately gotten drunk on the power, and her words proved just as much. I resolved to kill her, as it was the AST's duty to kill Spirits, but she pointed out how the AST never successfully killed a Spirit, and said we were too weak to stop her.
As hard as it is to admit, based on her readings, she is at least a AAA-Class Spirit. We would need reinforcements if we were to stand a chance.
Then she did something that horrified me. She turned her Angel to fire at a little girl who had tripped during her escape. I tried to stop her, but I was not fast enough. I could only watch as the beam headed towards the girl.
But then, Hermit appeared.
There was no Spacequake to signal her arrival. She just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and saved the little girl, allowing her parents to escape with her. Not only that she used her powers to summon a rain shower that completely put out the fire. Then, she turned the rabbit puppet on her left hand into a scythe and flew up to face Minerva.
Seeing two Spirits fighting each other was something else, but what was surprising was that, from Hermit's words from their opening exchange, she was fighting to protect. We were told that Spirits were walking forces that bring only destruction, but she's starting to make me doubt that.
Especially after seeing what just happened.
Minerva started to use her giant laser again, 'Artelif' I think she called it, but I noticed her starting to change its trajectory mid-charge. Hermit must've noticed it as well, because she looked behind her for a moment, and then immediately turned into a ball of mist and rushed in that direction. And I was horrified to see why.
There were still two civillians who haven't escaped the area - one a young boy with blue hair, the other a young girl with red hair and twin tails that was also naked for some reason!
And Hermit just shoved them back and took the huge beam herself.
Minerva starts laughing like a maniac. "HOW'S THAT, HERMIT!? THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR WANTING TO PLAY HERO!" So she was planning for that to happen!
I grit my teeth and look down at Hermit. She was heavily wounded, and her Astral Dress was singed and torn in multiple place. However, I could still get a reading from her. She survived the attack, something I was actually glad for.
Hearing Minerva's maniacal laughter, I knew I couldn't stay idle any longer. So, with a commanding voice, I issue orders to my squad. "Two of you go down there and get those kids to safety! The rest of you, open fire on Minerva!"
"But what about Hermit!?" One member asks. "She's weak! We could finish her off now!" Hearing that actually disgusts me as I glare at the one who made the suggestion, making her flinch.
"For what reason!? Saving the life of a little girl!? Stopping the fire from spreading further!? Taking a cheap shot to save two more kids!? She has done nothing but want to help us, and you would reward her with death!? Who would the real monsters be in that scenario!?" My squad looks at me in shock that I was standing up for a Spirit, but I didn't care! "You heard what Hermit said, did you not!? Those with power should use it to protect those who cannot protect themselves! Above all else, that's what the AST should strive for, and if a Spirit shares this view, then we must put our differences aside and accept her as an ally!"
My squad stays surprised for a moment before nodding. "Yes, Captain!" They all shout, even the one who suggested killing Hermit earlier.
With a nod, two of them head down to get the kids as demanded, I took out my sword and flew at Minerva, who notices me and moves her Angel to block my attack. "Deciding to fight me now, huh? How cute!" She pushes me back. "Don't think I didn't hear your little speech. It's actually funny that you would follow Hermit's words despite seeing what just happened to her." An insane smirk forms on her face. "But, if you really wanna die as well, then go ahead and come at me!"
I smirk, which makes her frown. "It seems you have yet to adjust to sensing other Spirit's Reiryoku. You see, Hermit actually survived your attack."
"What!?"
"ZADKIEL!"
A howling blizzard gains our attention, and we see a giant rabbit puppet rising behind Hermit.
Yoshino's POV
I can my body aching all over. Artelif hurts. That's all there is to it.
It's like having the judgement of an Angel being cast down on you. It's Metatron's strongest attack for a reason.
El is deceptively durable, and I can use Zadkiel to further bolster my defenses, but even then, I was fully expecting to die protecting Shido and Kotori.
Yet at that very moment when the attack was about to hit, I felt a divine presence wash over me, as if some type of God was keeping the damage from becoming fatal.
"PARTNER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" My ears are ringing, but I can still hear Yoshinon screaming for me.
"I'm still alive...at least." I manage to get out between breaths. "What about Shido...and Kotori?"
"They're alright, partner! We got to them just in time!" That's good. As long as they're alright.
I open my eyes, and my vision is blurry from the pain. Thankfully, I closed them before the light hit, or else I would've been severely blinded. As my eyes slowly regain focus, I see two AST Wizard flying down. "Are you alright, Hermit!?" One of them asks.
"Don't worry about the kids! We'll get them to safety!" The other tells me.
I was surprised to hear that they were here to help the kids escape instead of finish me off like their jobs tells them, but I still give them a thankful smile. "Okay. Thank you." The two move to grab Shido and Kotori, and I hear them fly away. Good. Now no one else is in danger.
Ignoring the pain in my body, I stand up, using Yoshinon as support, and I look up to glare at Minerva with rising anger. She was willing to kill Shido just to get me, not even caring that what she tried to do would've doomed us all...! She just crossed the line! I'm going to kill her!
Recalling Yoshinon, I raise my right hand and call my angel with a mighty yell. "ZADKIEL!"
A howling blizzard forms behind me as I summon my angel, a huge white puppet with glowing red eyes that looked like Yoshinon.
I had been practicing with Zadkiel a couple times, and thanks to my previous knowledge, I had already developed a skill that it didn't gain until Origami's arc in canon. "SHIRYON!"
Zadkiel roars, a bright light surrounding both of us as I feel it form into my ice armor. The armor takes Zadkiel's appearance, as if I've merged with it, but I've made the paw gloves into greaves. Reason being because my version of Shiryon also allows me to summon my scythe.
Ready for Round 2, I fly back up into the air to face Minerva. "Minerva Riddell. You have proven that you are too dangerous to be allowed to wield the power of Spirits. I am going to kill you and take Metatron!"
Minerva scowls at me. "You just don't know when to quit, do you? I'm getting tired of all you insects!" She smirks dangerously. "So, I'm going to end you all at once with this!" She raises her hand into the air, and I feel her focus her Reiryoku into the sky.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*
And as if to prove me right about her plan, a really loud siren blares with the warning of a Spacequake.
"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY CREATING A SPACEQUAKE!?" I hear someone yell. I didn't look to see who as I was busy focusing my Reiryoku for my own Spacequake.
Minerva laughs maniacally. "I'M JUST SHOWING YOU WHY SPIRITS ARE FEARED! NOW DIE!"
The Spacequake forms above us, white in color, and I don't think too much about it as I form my own, blue Spacequake. Just as I hoped, the two Spacequakes meet and calmly dissipate.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Minerva howls in outrage, glaring at me. "WHAT DID YOU DO, HERMIT!?"
I return her look with a smirk. "I suppose it's no surprise you aren't aware of this, but if two Spacequakes of opposing Reiryoku meet, they harmlessly cancel each other."
"I didn't know that could happen!" I hear someone else shout in surprise.
"You..." Minerva snarls at me. "JUST DIE ALREADY!" She aims Metatron at me and fires, but I dodge and weave through all the shots, and then summon Yoshinon in her scythe form and take a slash at her, which she dodges by teleporting. I sense her teleport to my right and throw Yoshinon in that direction, but Minerva dodges to the side.
"You missed! Now DIE!" She laughs as she prepares to use Artelif again. However, there's one thing she doesn't realize that I learned during training.
While she's in her scythe form during Shiryon, Yoshinon has her own will.
A fact proven as I see her take a U-turn back towards Minerva...and slice her right arm clean off her body, making her scream in pain and interrupt Artelif's charge.
"HAH! HOW'S THAT, YOU BITCH! THAT'S PAYBACK FOR HURTING MY PARTNER WITH THAT CHEAP SHOT!" Yoshinon sounds really excited about that.
"MINERVA'S BEEN WOUNDED! FIRE!" The AST fire at Minerva, who uses Metatron to form a barrier around herself to block the shots. However, in that moment, she's forgotten about me.
"Chilling Breath!" I blow more cold air at the barrier, slowly making it freeze. An AST Wizard quickly follows up by firing missiles, and the combined assault not only breaks the barrier, making her stagger back, but I single missile manages to catch her while she was staggered, knocking her out of the sky as she was damaged by the explosion.
With her completely open, I fly at her to cut her down, but she lets out an angry roar and her whole body suddenly releases a bright light, making me flinch as I cover my eyes to keep from being blinded. By the time the flash ended though, Minerva was no longer in view, and I could no longer sense her Reiryoku.
"Looks like Minerva fled while she was momentarily blinded." I hear who I assume is the AST Captain behind me. "She's been Lost."
Dang it. I was really hoping to kill her there and retrieve Metatron. I lower my head and clench my fist in frustration, but I feel comforting hand on my right shoulder, making look to the Captain in surprise.
"Be proud, Hermit. Even if she has escaped, your presence still saved three young lives, and you even put out the fire. We are grateful for your help."
"She's right, partner! She may have escaped this time, but we'll definitely get her next time she shows up!"
Hearing the Captain's and Yoshinon's encouraging words lifts my spirits, and I smile, proud that I was able to save three important characters. "Yeah. You're right. Thanks for the help."
The Captain smiles back. "Again. Thank you for helping us."
With that exchange, I disappear back to the Spirit World.
Finally out of danger, Yoshino lets out a tired sigh and dispels Shiryon. "That was rough..."
Yoshinon reforms on my left hand. "Tell me about it. Even Kurumi wasn't that intense when we fought her." I would have to agree with her. Kurumi was more of a vigilante and wouldn't involve innocents. She even waited until we were somewhere away from civilians before confronting me.
At least, that was how she was back then. But now, she might be a bit more cruel.
Anyway, I'm glad that the AST were willing to let me go afterwards, so now I can relax and rest off the damage.
"Yoshino."
At least that was the plan before I heard a familiar voice behind me.
Turning around, I calmly greet the Spirit of Origin. "Mio."
"I saw the entire battle. You did well fighting against Minerva."
"Yeah, but I could get Metatron back from Minerva." Yoshino sighs. "What happened there, actually? How did she manage to steal Metatron from you?"
Mio looks down sadly. "I got careless. She attacked me thinking I was the one who started the fire, and one of her attacks knocked Metatron's crystal out of my possession. When the AST arrived, I couldn't do anything to take it back without revealing myself." She grits her teeth in anger. "I was about ready to use Ain to erase her when she targeted Shinji, but when I saw you rush to protect him, I instead focused on making sure you wouldn't die."
I immediately understood what she meant. "I see. You used Ain Soph to make it so that I would survive Artelif." I smile at her with gratitude. "I guess I should thank you for that."
To my surprise, Mio comes up and hugs me. "I should be thanking you. I let myself get overconfident knowing the future, and it nearly cost me everything. If not for you, Origami, Kotori, and more importantly, Shinji would've died, all because of my mistake. This is my reward to you." Reward? What does she plan to give me.
I feel Mio's aura wash over me, and I let out a gasp as a small portion of it passes through my body and enters my Sephira Crystal. This causes a surge of power to rise within me, my sight and hearing becoming much sharper than before.
Mio separates from the hug, and I look down at my right hand to see it surrounded by Reiryoku. Except this isn't my usually Reiryoku, but instead a multicolored aura, far more powerful and much more pure.
Surprised by this, I look at Mio. "What did you...?"
She smiles at me. "I've given you a small portion of my power. You have grown so much that I am confident you will know how to use it. This is my thanks to you for saving Shinji. We will meet again soon, Yoshino." With that, she disappears, leaving me to take in everything as I once again stare at the multicolored Reiryoku that is Mio's power.
"Wow! We were pretty much blessed by a Goddess!" Yoshinon says, and to be fair, she isn't wrong.
Well, might as well see what this new power gives me.
Well, that was definitely a close one, but thankfully, Yoshino was able to pull through, with some help.
Minerva still escapes with Metatron in the end, but on the bright side, our Water Spirit got a nice buff for her efforts!
Next chapter, we'll see just how much of a buff she really got! See you guys then!