(A New Fate and the last few chapters for the year 2023 arrive. Let us see where this adventure takes us.)

Bold = English Conversations

Bold + Italics = Japanese Conversations

Fate 16

Previously on Canon Distortion

Makoto Nanaya found herself face to face against the Great Sage Nine. While Makoto was able to handle herself for a while, she was eventually overwhelmed by the mage's ancient and powerful magic. Before Nine could deliver the finishing blow to her, Sora Minakaze himself intervened and saved Makoto before she could have been seriously harmed. Now against the great sage responsible for providing the world the means to defeating the Black Beast, Sora Minakaze steels himself for further combat.

And now, the continuation of Canon Distortion…


A silence greeted Sora Minakaze and Makoto Nanaya. The man had just made his declaration and the silence he was greeted from the Great Sage herself said volumes. He had thought that a mere nobody like him would not have been worth much attention but mentioning that he was also Balmung must have piqued the great Sage's interest in him. All he and Makoto could do at that moment was simply wait and see what she was going to say at that moment.

"Bal...mung?" Nine questioned as Sora and Makoto nodded their heads upon hearing her question to what Sora had just said. "Did you really just say… that you were Anima Voluntatis...Balmung young man?" Nine further questioned as Sora simply nodded his head upon hearing that statement. Further silence greeted the trio as Sora did not know whether the silence was going to be a good thing or a bad thing in this case.

Before Sora could even ask his question, he felt a sensation immediately strike him at that moment. A sensation telling him to immediately duck out of the way if he wanted to live struck him and without hesitation, he followed that sensation, ducking his head out of the way of what seemed to be two sharp blades of wind that flew right past his head. Sora immediately knew who was responsible for casting such a spell as he stood back up and focused his gaze right at the woman responsible.

"That reaction time… could it really be?" Nine questioned as Sora immediately felt Balmung tell him that another attack was coming his way as Nine decided to create a complex spell and form a vortex of water that would have ripped apart. It was both precise and expansive to ensure that she would be able to properly assess if this person in front of her really did have Anima Voluntatis: Balmung like he had just said.

And this was what Sora saw in his eyes, a vicious yet precise wave of water came rushing towards him and Makoto. He could have easily dodged the attack by just jumping into the air but it would also hit Makoto at the same time. Makoto herself looked fine by the looks of it but he knew that facing off against the Great Sage herself would wear down any person so rather than take the risk of presuming that she was going to be fine, Sora decided that he needed to take some initiation of his own to ensure that Makoto was safe.

Firstly, Sora ran towards Makoto and she could see what his mind was thinking at that moment. Makoto did not hesitate to get up to her feet and run towards Sora at the same time. Sora raised his hands in such a way that it would offer her a place to put her foot on in order to launch herself high into the air. Soon Makoto was soaring in the skies, safe from any danger that the water below would have brought her way. But now Sora was the only one on the ground and he had a risk of being drowned by the water that was surging towards him.

Nine herself couldn't see what was going on with Sora as the water had obscured her view of the man. The water smashed the ground in front of her and Nine simply waited to see what was going to happen next. If Sora truly was the thing he said he was, that lethal wave of water would be nothing for the man to avoid but it seemed like his talk was nothing but a bluff. Her eyes however began to notice something strange occur in front of her eyes as it seemed like the water was parting right in the middle.

"What in the…" Before Nine could finish her sentence, the water immediately parted right in the middle and a person came bolting right down the middle. Nine immediately formed a barrier in front of her to protect herself from an attack but the attack never came. Instead, she felt air blow above her as Sora had the Rev Gun pointed right towards her at that moment in the air and fired a shot quickly. Nine was quick enough to redirect the barrier to block the shot as the ground underneath her was blasted out of her feet.

'This speed…. There's no doubting it… his words are true.' Nine thought as Makoto landed on her feet when the water finished pouring away. Sora himself landed right next to Makoto as he kept his gun pointed towards Nine at that moment, not letting his sights off her. Two of the Black Beast heads moved to surround him and Makoto as their gazes were focused on the woman in front of them. Sora remained focused and Makoto herself did not say a word to break that focus. Makoto knew that what Sora did wouldn't be enough to stop the Great Sage Nine while Sora could sense that the woman in front of him was a dangerous foe he needed to be careful of.

As soon as that thought came crossing his mind, he immediately sensed danger coming his way and prompted the Black Beasts to protect him and Makoto at that moment. The beasts moved in front of Sora and Makoto but the attack that they took was something different entirely. The attacks the Black Beasts were able to take were primarily physical attacks and attacks enchanted with Ars Magus, attacks that while effective, were unable to dent the durability the Black Beasts had.

The moment Sora saw the heads of these Black Beasts go flying right off their long necks sent a chill crawl down his neck. He knew the power these Black Beast heads had and the fact that they were effortlessly decapitated told him that the person that Makoto was facing was truly a powerful being that he needed to show some respect to if he wanted to keep his neck. "So it is true… You really are a user of Anima Voluntatis: Balmung… the only question I have is how…" Nine questioned as Sora couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion hit him at that moment.

"How are you able to use the power of Balmung the way you are while there is a confirmed user of Balmung in front of my eyes? There's only one possible way that explains what I am looking at." Nine said as she raised her hand towards Sora and pointed right at him. "You are not just a user of Anima Voluntatis: Balmung… but the genuine article itself…. Am I correct?" Nine questioned as Sora simply nodded his head, realizing there was no reason for him to try and make her think otherwise.

"The genuine article… A Nox Nyctores… has become a living being that is capable of summoning Black Beasts to it's side… What an utterly absurd sight indeed!" Nine shouted as Sora simply felt the chill on his back intensified as he did not want to say or add any other word that may draw attention towards him but he knew that would be a task in futility. "Indeed it is… So what are you going to do about it?" Sora questioned as he knew questions like the one he asked would often result in violent answers.


At that moment, Nine made manifest a flame portal that Makoto immediately knew was dangerous but before she could warn Sora, a giant hand grabbed Sora and pulled him through the portal. A portal soon manifested beside Nine and the hand emerged out of it, Sora in it's grasp as Nine leaned in closer to see Sora's face. Sora could feel the piercing gaze of the Six Hero stare right at his soul. Sora could have used Balmung to avoid being grabbed but the fact that he didn't told Nine even more about the person in front of her that him using Balmung would have.


"Confident that you would be able to overpower Hino-Kagutsuchi with just your raw power huh…" Nine questioned as Sora simply nodded his head, deciding to just go along with what the woman was saying instead of trying to oppose her words. Nine couldn't help but laugh upon hearing his bold statement. "Now that is truly the first I have heard of such a thing! You truly know how to make a woman laugh don't you." Nine said as she was sure that the man was simply giving her a confident but futile bluff.

Her thoughts of a bluff were immediately dispelled when she saw Sora slowly start trying to force himself off Hino Kagutsuchi's grip. The demonic arm, something which should not be overpowered by brute strength alone struggled to keep Sora in it's grasp as Sora relented, deciding to not expend all of his strength at once as he achieved what he wanted to do by showing his strength. Nine herself couldn't help but stare at the man in front of her as she couldn't believe what her eyes were witnessing.

"To think… that I would bear witness to a brand new life coming to form. As a creator, I cannot help but feel amazed and disgusted by what I am looking." Nine said as Sora was surprised to hear what she had just said but a particular word came up his mind. "Creator? What are you talking about?" Sora questioned as Nine couldn't help but be amused by what her ears were hearing. "I would have thought that my name would be well known and my appearance shown in educational institutions everywhere. So the fact that you have to ask something as simple as that tells me you really do not know who I am." Nine said as Sora couldn't help but be further confused by that statement before realizing what her words truly meant.

"Wait… Are you trying to imply that you are the Great Sage Nine? One of the Six Heroes?" Sora said as Nine couldn't help but be amused upon hearing that statement. "Imply? I am the Great Sage Nine, One of the Six Heroes." Nine replied, hoping that by delivering her answer that would be enough to make Sora respect and tremble under her feet and if it was a normal person, that would be the case but Sora was no ordinary person.

"I see… that's a lot to process I guess." Sora said as Nine couldn't help but be alarmed upon hearing Sora say I guess at that moment. "Don't get me wrong. You being alive for this long while looking as young as you do is something to be alarmed about and that is something that I have many questions about but that is not what I should be focusing on at this moment." Sora said as Nine couldn't help but be both impressed by this man's focus and annoyed at how he was not in awe that a Six Hero was alive and in front of his face.

"So please answer me this… What are you doing here and are you holding our friends hostage?" Sora questioned as Sora was quick to get to his key question. Makoto couldn't help but feel impressed by how Sora was able to think about his question despite the predicament he found himself in. Inside Sora must be freaking out and figuring out a way to break out the creature's grasp but the fact that he was able to remain as calm as he was is something to be amazed by.

"Me? Hold your friends hostage? Are you sure you got your facts correct?" Nine questioned as Sora looked up at the flaming sky above him. "Well… You seem to be one of the people responsible for the current situation we are in. You seem to be the one who stands to benefit from what is happening in the world… We know that there is another person responsible but you seem to be the only one capable of creating something like this to fulfill that other person's ideas." Sora said as this intrigued Nine as his choice of words had her curious.

"And who is this other person that I may be working with hmmmm? Do entertain me." Nine questioned as Sora took a small deep breath before looking at Nine right at her eyes. "The former Imperator of the world herself. The one calling herself Izanami." Sora said as pause was met between him and her. Makoto herself could feel the tension in the air intensify before the hand that was gripping Sora gripped Sora even tighter, as if reflecting it's users anger.

"Oh...I thought that you would be much smarter than what you are. But I cannot blame you, we do seem to be close. Seem to be the word." Nine said as she pulled Sora closer to her, making sure her eyes were met face to face with his. "But I am going to make this clear. Me and that woman are not working with each other in any way. I have my own wishes and the death of this world is not what I want." Nine said before raising her arm to the sky, prompting the demonic hand to follow suit.

"How about I make my point even clearer with this!" Nine shouted as she threw her hand down, prompting the demonic arm to go as fast as it could to try and smash Sora on the ground. Sora closed his eyes and focused on the ground he could clearly see was coming towards him quickly. Without any hesitation, Sora applied Balmung to this situation, focusing on finding a possibility that he would be able to apply to his current situation.

'Focus Sora… find it… Find it.' Sora thought as Nine knew very well how Balmung worked. She knew very well that Balmung works by finding possibilities that the world would be able to access but it had to be within the user's capabilities. She didn't know what the man was capable of besides being able to control black beasts from out of nowhere. She figured that other than his strength and Black Beasts, there was nothing much he would be able to do at that moment.

Sora however remained calm as he soon found the possibility he needed as what felt like milliseconds had passed in his mind. As he saw the ground approach ever closer, Sora found what he was looking for and shuffled in his grip. "There's no use! You shouldn't have done what you did!" Nine taunted as she made Kagutsuchi tighten his grip on Sora in response to Sora nearly breaking out of her grip the first time.

"Noted… but there's no need for you to worry about me." Sora said as Makoto felt her mind flash at that moment, allowing her to see what was going to happen next as Nine couldn't help but wonder how Sora was going to break out of Kagutsuchi's grip. Was that just a last minute jest he was making before he went splat or was his words simply those of great confidence. Those thoughts would be answered as Sora focused his gaze towards the ground and took a deep breath.


The next few seconds relied on his vision as while Nine had prompted her summon to tighten it's grip on him, she had not tightened enough to restrict his arms to allow him to do what he was going to do next. He immediately slipped out his Rev Arm only to release it from him, causing the entire thing to drop towards the ground as his stump. As soon as that happened, this freed his stump for the black mass to drop out of it towards the ground.

It soon quickly formed to a Black Beast that allowed Sora to make the rational decision to devour the ground that he was about to smash into instead. This utterly insane idea worked as when Sora saw the sight beyond, he was able to roll out of Kagutsuchi's grip as it still had the idea that Sora was going to smash him to the ground and had released him from it's grasp, letting Sora roll safely out of the dangerous speed he was about to crash at.

Nine couldn't help but blink her eyes a few times upon seeing the ridiculous sight. The urge to laugh of course was present but the manner the man had escaped from his predicament was no laughing manner. As Sora stood up from the rubble, his blackened hand had already grabbed the Rev Blade that had pierced the ground and retracted it towards him, allowing him to reattach the Rev Arm back to his person without fail.


"What an utterly revolting sight...a man using the powers of a dangerous beast like they are a child casting magic." Nine said as Makoto couldn't help but nod her head upon hearing that, agreeing with her statement as even if she knows Sora is by her side, the utter ridiculousness of the situation cannot be ignored. "I only just started using this power. So sorry if it seems like I am using them in a manner that is akin to a berserker." Sora said

"Then I would highly suggest you stop using that power… there is no good that can come from using any power borrowed from the Black Beast." Nine said as Sora looked at the Rev Arm upon hearing that statement and took a deep breath. "If this power lets me protect those I care for, I care less where it comes from and what it can give me." Sora answered as Nine looked at the ground upon hearing that statement.

"The power to protect huh… So even bargains with the devil are on the table if it means becoming more powerful…" Nine said as Sora nodded his head upon hearing that statement. "Even if it means becoming the devil himself… I will protect my place in this world… with everyone." Sora said as Nine couldn't help but shake her head upon hearing that statement. "So let me ask you again… If you are not working with the imperator herself, what are you even doing in this whole mess?" Sora questioned as Nine shook her head hearing that statement.

"Why don't you tell me Balmung? Why do you think I would waste my time in this world, rewinding the world to a point where I can interfere?" Nine questioned as Sora looked at Makoto at that moment. The both of them were confused upon hearing that statement as Sora wondered if he was missing something with that question. "Am I supposed to know something? You do know that just because I am born from a Nox Nyctores I would be able to read the intentions of my creator." Sora explained as without warning, Sora had to use Balmung to take a step back as a wave of flames were blasted right on his face.

"You dare speak with such insolence!?" Nine questioned as Sora shook his head upon hearing that statement. "I mean no such thing! I am genuinely curious as to why you would even create the world you have right now!" Sora explained as Makoto knew she needed to say something otherwise things may get worse. "It's not just for Sora only. I do deserve to know what is going on over here as well." Makoto said as Nine couldn't help but be curious about that statement.

"You have to admit, if I am crazy enough to go against what is considered the desired path of god to get what I want, I am deserving to know what you are planning to do." Makoto explained as Sora nodded his head upon hearing that statement. Nine looked down upon hearing that statement as her mind was in deep thought upon hearing that statement. "True… only one has to have to have a few screws loose in their mind if they decide to defy god the way you did." Nine said as Makoto and Sora nodded their heads upon hearing that.

"But if you wish to know what I know, I want to know if you are strong enough to deserve such knowledge." Nine said as she pointed her finger towards Sora. "I want to see your current potential right now Balmung. I want to see your full strength that you say is to protect." Nine demanded as Sora took a deep breath upon hearing that statement. "I have a rough idea… but tell me what will you do if I choose to refuse your request for battle." Sora questioned as he asked in such a way that it did not question her intelligence but ensured that they both shared a common ground.

"Refuse and I will kick both you and your woman out of my realm. You both will just have to be content with what if's and guessing your own questions." Nine said as Sora looked at Makoto at that moment. Makoto knew he was looking at her with a question in his eyes. "Do you think I can take on the Great Sage herself? How do you fancy my odds?" Sora questioned as Nine tilted her head, unsure of the language being spoken to her ears as with her fingertips, she began to weave together a brand new spell.

"Honestly… she's as powerful as the books make her out to be. I barely survived trying to fight her and even if we both went after her, she can still hold us back easily." Makoto said as Sora nodded his head upon hearing that. "Even that big arm she summons is strong. Honestly, our odds of winning are shit even if we team up." Sora said as Makoto nodded her head at that. "Oh? Does this mean that you both are going to be giving up?" Nine questioned, speaking in the language they were speaking much to their shock as they looked at her in surprise.

"If you both are that intimidated by my sheer presence, I do not think it's even worth my time to fight against you two." Nine said as Sora and Makoto were quick to piece together that Nine was using magic to both speak and understand what they were saying, most likely as a way to ensure there was no detail that they could hide from her ears. "Come on now, that's just presuming before we said anything." Sora said as Nine simply smirked before deciding to dispell the spell and turning around.

"Go ahead and discuss what you both are thinking. I could care less what you both decide at this point." Nine said, figuring that Sora and Makoto would choose to leave and not give her the chance to test her skills against the reincarnation of Balmung. "I cannot help but feel I am being looked down upon." Makoto said as Sora simply nodded his head at that. "Definitely, she's 100% looking down on us at this very moment." Sora replied as Makoto couldn't help but ponder on Nine's words at that moment.

"So what are we going to do? We are clearly wasting our time here when Ragna could be someone where else already." Makoto said as Sora nodded his head at that statement. "I agree with you there… and it does seem like fighting against Nine right now for any kind of information would be useless in this case." Sora said as Makoto figured at this point, the two were going to be leaving the Great Sage Nine to her own devices.

"But I do not want her to have the last laugh…" Sora said as Makoto was surprised to hear that statement come out of his mouth. "I know this is probably going to be a waste of time and probably get me hurt in the process… but I really want to give her a piece of my mind." Sora said as Makoto understood his intentions at that very moment. "But I don't want to get hurt badly or make you feel hurt seeing me get hurt… so how do you feel about this whole thing?" Sora questioned, wanting to get the feeling Makoto had at that moment.

Makoto closed her eyes and went into deep thought. She knew that Sora was asking her this because she had the pleasure of facing off against Nine and should have a good gauge of her strength at this point. "I won't lie… I thought originally that since she has to be about over 100 years old she would be weaker but her magic is the real deal… Nothing like the Ars Magus we currently use." Makoto explained as Sora nodded his head upon hearing that statement.

"To be frank… as amazing as you are right now Sora, you will definitely get stomped out currently. Not because you are not strong, she just overwhelms you with her magic and you are just a bad matchup against her in general." Makoto said as Sora nodded his head even more upon hearing that. "So you are recommending me to just forget about her and we should leave and deal with finding Ragna?" Sora questioned as Makoto knew that if she said yes, Sora would respect her decision and go with it.

"But at the same time… what she said about you… about us… pissed me off a little." Makoto said as Sora immediately focused his gaze towards Makoto upon hearing her say those words. "I know she probably said what she said in order to get a reaction out of us… but it's working too well." Makoto said as Sora looked at Makoto's clenched fist. "So I want you to go ahead and give it all you got! You don't get chances to fight someone especially those of a six hero! And if that does give us information we can use to help the others all the better." Makoto said as Sora thought about what she had said and nodded his head.

"Alright… We have decided." Sora said as Nine turned around to see the duo having made their decision as she couldn't help but wonder what the two had decided. "Oh really now? What have you both decided upon?" Nine questioned as Makoto herself was curious as to what Sora was thinking at that moment as she saw Sora take a deep breath before saying his next words. "That you are pretty uptight about what you are planning and probably will just ditch us anyways if we were to fight." Sora said as Makoto couldn't help but be surprised to hear Sora say something like that.

"And what are you trying to imply with those words?" Nine questioned as Sora simply kept his eyes closed at that moment. "It means that you have no intentions of telling me and Makoto anything in the first place even if I were to somehow to win my fight. So I see little reason for us to fight for that reason." Sora said as Nine sighed upon hearing that. "And I thought the idea of facing off against a Six Hero would be enough for you to consider challenging me. You really do seem to be that kind of person in the first place." Nine said as Sora shook his head.

"Sure, challenging a Six Hero is something anybody would want to do but at the same time, what's the point of doing so? You cannot really go around telling people you managed to defeat a 100 year old witch in battle now." Sora said as Makoto realized what Sora was trying to attempt. "Awww… you scared of losing to an old woman?" Nine replied, Sora catching in the inflections of her voice that she knew what he was trying to do. "Well… I can't say that I didn't try." Sora said at that moment as he pulled out his firearm, having secretly charged it away from Nine's vision.


Without another word, Sora fired a shot right at her. The bullet moved with great speed but not fast enough for Nine to be unable to react to as she used wind magic to push herself away from the Bullet's trajectory. While it was a cheap shot, Sora's shot had failed to hit it's mark and Nine figured it was her chance to fire back with magic of her own but when she proceeded to do just that, Sora had already vanished, the sound of the bullet hitting something physical echoing in her ears.


"Looking for something?" Sora said as Nine turned around to see Sora swinging his fist right for her face. Alarmed by the speed Sora had just moved to her position, she formed a barrier to protect her face but it was not enough to stop the attack fully, causing her to feel the weight of Sora's punch directly on her barrier, forcing the Great Sage to her knees as Sora did not relent, following his punch with a punch from his Rev Arm, slamming the mechanical arm on the Barrier itself and blasting the excess Seithr it had stored right out, allowing Sora to fully crush Nine's barrier without giving her a chance to strengthen it.

Nine herself was caught off guard by just how much power Sora was discharging towards her direction. She had not underestimated his strength as shown earlier, she had underestimated how fast he could deliver such power as she saw the mechanical arm of Sora Minakaze roar as Sora grabbed the motorcycle handle attached to it. "ENHANCED GEAR!" The Rev Arm shouted as Sora immediately launched another punch towards Nine's direction.

"Well… HERE YOU GO!" Sora yelled as Sora did not hesitate to throw his full weight towards his punch. Nine herself could not form another barrier in time to protect herself or use magic to redirect the attack. At that moment, The great sage simply raised her arms up to a blocking posture and took the attack on her arms, causing her to slide on the ground greatly as she felt the impact all throughout her bones. Sora's attack had not been hard enough to break bone but that was the most terrifying part about Sora's power that Nine became aware of.

As Nine tumbled through the ground, Makoto couldn't help but be impressed by the power Sora had put to his punch. 'He really wants the Great Sage to go all out huh… that's why he made sure to hold back enough power to not knock her out immediately.' Makoto thought as Nine soon found herself crashing to a wall. The solid brick she felt on her back was enough for her to know that the attack she had just taken while not fatal in any manner had enough power to knock her out if Sora was precise with his strike.

"...Hmph… Not bad at all." Nine said as she picked herself up, standing on her two feet. "But are you sure it was wise for you to hold back your power when you had such a clean shot? You sure you will not come to regret making such a decision?" Nine questioned as Sora simply shook his head at that moment. "Think of that attack as my calling card. I won't hold back for my next strike." Sora said as Nine simply smiled upon hearing that.

"And what makes you think I would like you get close enough for a second strike… Balmung." Nine said as Sora could tell from the sage's tone she meant what she had said, she was going to do everything in her power to ensure that Sora was not going to land a second strike on her. "I will make that second strike happen. This I swear." Sora said as Nine couldn't help but smile a bit upon hearing that statement.

"Then how about this. You hit me with any attack a second time and I promise to tell you all you want to know." Nine said as she then turned around and raised her hand towards Makoto. As soon as she did, Makoto instinctively and with Balmung sensed what was going to happen next and immediately took a few steps back only to find herself surrounded by a pillar of flames that cut her off from linking up with Sora.

"And if you fail, I will just have to burn her down to point that her ashes will not even remain. That fair enough for you?" Nine said as Makoto felt a chill crawl up her back at that moment as she knew this feeling all to well. Meanwhile Nine felt the same chill come up her back as she look to see Sora's eyes were hidden away from her. "I would have already accepted your condition on the spot but you just had to place her under danger didn't you." Sora said as he focused his gaze towards Nine at that moment, allowing her to see the eyes of the man in front of her glow a bright yellow with a reddish hue glowing past him.


"Don't you dare back out on me when I go all out"


GREETINGS LOST SHEEP OF FANFICTION!? HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING ON THIS FINE DAY!? Well, It has now arrived, the last month of the year. While everyone gets ready for their christmas cheers and new years I am just going to be chilling and relaxing with everyone else. I hope the stories I write for you all help keep you all entertained while waiting for those faithful days to arrive.

SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT IN THE CHRONICLE AGAINST SORA MINAKAZE AND THE GREAT SAGE NINE!? WILL SORA LAND THE SECOND STRIKE HE NEEDS TO GET THE INFORMATION HE NEEDS FROM NINE THE PHANTOM!? HOW DIFFICULT WILL THE GREAT SAGE MAKE IT FOR SORA TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL!? AND HOW WILL MAKOTO FEEL ABOUT THIS SERIES OF EVENTS BEHIND THE PRISON OF FIRE!? All this and more on the continuation of Canon Distortion