The hobgoblin Fale, former ruler of the recently liberated Asodosia, currently found himself in the small dark room Kana used to conduct some of her more sensitive experiments. Like the creation of Flesh Golems. His weapon hung from his back as his left hand moved away from its handle, placing it there. It was naturally covered by a long-sleeved leather glove, to hide the human hand Kana had attached to his arm, in order to both heal and punish him.
He was now waiting for the hobgoblin hag to transport him to Himassa. His frustration and impatience started to get the better of him, when he finally heard the door open. The wooden frame was pushed aside revealing Kana with a massive fur covered figure behind her. This was something Fale was not expecting. Kana walked in, and so did the the massive figure, revealing itself to be Tomo. As he was overlooking the area, he paid little notice of Fale.
"I-I wasn't expectin' you." Fale remarked, carefully approaching the imposing form in the room.
"He'll be going as well. Time'll soon arrive to unleash his wrath on the humans, and for that there's no better place than Himassa." Kana informed, placing herself in between both beings.
Placing herself in position, she called forth the 5th-tier spell [Teleportation], causing the trio to vanish. A feat that would have shocked the unknowing. Soon after, they reappeared in the city of Himassa. More specifically, the former city mayor's palace used by the brothers, Tonga and Loa. They were in one of the floors below the location the brothers normally kept their harem.
In the far end of the floor, two makeshift thrones had been made for the brothers, having been placed in front of three large windows. Naturally, at this time the brothers were sitting in their thrones, with Haku standing in between them. At the entrance were two boar-type beastmen, and inside near the walls were six chimpanzee-type beastmen.
"Hmph. He looks even more pathetic than I imagined." Tonga hissed when his eyes went to Fale.
"Still, as we agreed, he's to stay here to prove your loyalty to the King. His presence will justify your continued reign here." Kana pointed out, with a somewhat formal tone.
"We know." Loa said in a neutral tone.
"Good." Kana said in satisfaction.
"Can I go then?" Fale asked with a disinterested ton, looking at the brothers.
"Go where?" Tonga asked, tilting his head.
"Somewhere that's not here."
"You can, but before you go, there're laws, that you have to obey." Loa pointed out.
"Laws? Those're for weaklings. For humans." Fale argued with a dismissive grunt.
"They're our way. If you don't follow them, you'll be killed." Haku himself firmly and matter-of-factly stated.
"He'll follow them." Kana affirmed, to which Fale simply nodded in annoyance.
"We rule here. You do as we tell you." Tonga quickly said.
"Humans are not playthings in this city. They serve us, producing food crops, and taking care of animals..." Loa began to explain, when Fale spoke over him with a raised eyebrow.
"You don't eat them?"
"We do. But only the old, and the ones that don't do as they're told, or attack us. Those can be eaten. Same with beastmen who don't follow the rules." Loa replied with a hard edge to his gaze.
"Grmph! You expect me to eat old flesh? Or beastman flesh?"
"If you want. We normally give them to the animals, or those who want them." Tonga coldly replied.
"Females and younglings are off-limits; we need them to produce more humans." Loa sternly added.
"Bah. I don't understand why ya' wouldn't wanna eat them, or have fun with them, but these 'laws' aren't complicated. I'll follow them." Fale reluctantly acknowledged.
"Good. Now you can leave." Loa curtly instructed Fale.
Fale looked at Kana who simply nodded in agreement. Letting out a displeased grunt, the large hobgoblin turned and walked out of the room, and on his way to explore the city he now found himself in.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Kana sarcastically hissed, her eyes fixed on Haku.
"Grmm... You can leave now, hag." Haku growled in a demanding tone.
"Very well. Do take care of him." She wryly said, vanishing once more.
As Haku spoke, he did so with a certain energy that not even his sons remembered him showing as he marched towards Tomo. Stopping as he extended his right hand towards Tomo, palm facing up, which Tomo replied by putting his left upon it, ever so briefly before parting ways.
"You should've warned us of your arrival. I would've prepared a place for you."
"I didn't know I'd come today. I can stay wherever. That's not a problem."
"Still, this land's here to serve you, Tomo. Especially, with your pain. My respects to you."
"Then, you can tell me best way to reach conquered city." Tomo growled.
"I refuse." Haku promptly and tersely replied as soon as Tomo finished talking.
"..."
Tomo went to speak, but his old-friend was quick to interrupt him.
"This's land of my sons. My land. Not yours. Unless you plan to take it, I tell you to wait until we've spoken properly."
Tomo clenched his fists, his anger starting to manifest. This small display enough to get the attention and fear from the guards, along with bringing Haku's sons to their feet. Haku himself seemed unfazed, and while It wouldn't be hard to clear the room if Tomo acted on his current state of mind, Haku would be the most difficult of them.
Still, even he would fall, though Tomo knew better. When his eyes fell on Tonga and Loa, his mind was taken back to his own son Toa, and once more found a calm state of mind. He would listen to his old friend. One father to another.
"Hrmm... Very well."
"I knew you'd understand. We'll prepare a place for you. Then we talk..."
In the camp shared by Sajin, Cesar, and Pantera, silence filled the air. Not only because they were all in the middle of eating cooked meat of a wild boar Cesar and Sajin had hunted, but because Sajin's win was still fresh in their minds. Pantera simply could not let it go, and no matter what Cesar said, the fact he seemed to just accept it angered her to no end.
After all, the threat of someone else that is strong coming to rule them was exactly what had happened with Kaze. This anger reached a boiling point when she dropped her meal, got back to her feet, and approach Sajin, swatting his meal out of his hands, sending it onto the ground.
"What're you planning!?" She impatiently growled.
"I don't understand what you are talking about."
"Don't lie! I saw how strong you are. There's only one reason someone like you'd come here. You want to rule us, right!?" Pantera indignantly shouted.
"Pantera..."
Cesar went to speak, but his attention was stolen away by a "doorway" of light that opened not too far from their location. This also got Sajin and Pantera's attention, the former of whom had recognized it as a portal. From this portal emerged the beastman Nato, and another individual that was a stranger to all but Sajin. This was the duplicate that looked after Las Noches when Aizen was gone, Ulquiorra Cifer.
While the strange individual was worthy of attention, Cesar and Pantera were focused on Nato who, much like Cesar, was now free of any of his old wounds. This fact alone was enough to tell them that this display was somehow related to the Espada. Or more specifically, to Sajin as it was taking place in their camp.
"Nato, what're you doing here?" Cesar calmly asked, carefully beginning to approach.
"I did what had to be done. I gave the Espada all the information I could remember to convince them to free us from Kaze. In exchange, they can rule us." Nato somberly replied, his head slightly lowered in shame.
"Y-You what?" Pantera growled, with audible anger.
"There was no other way."
"You weakling..." Pantera hissed, preparing to attack Nato, but was stopped by Sajin grabbing onto her arm as he got to his feet.
"Ulquiorra-sama. Why are you here?" He asked, since he had not been informed of anything like this.
"From the information retrieved from this beastman, a plan was formulated to keep alive as many beastmen as possible. This plan was presented to Aizen-sama and approved. As of this moment, we will be making an active effort to safeguard all beastmen that are willing to live under our rule, and according to a more civilized manner." Ulquiorra replied in a calm, methodical tone.
"I see... As Aizen-sama wishes." Sajin said, letting go of Pantera as he gave his superior a small bow.
Hearing their brief exchange, Pantera was quick to change her target, this time placing her full attention on Ulquiorra. Using her speed, she quickly closed the distance between them, ignoring his katana as his hands were in his pockets, and prepared to remove his head from the right. However, much to her surprise and horror, as soon as she got close to him, his eyes darted to her. Ulquiorra didn't even need to try to keep up with her.
As soon as she got close, he gave her a light spinning kick to the side of the head, sending her crashing onto the ground. As this happened, Cesar pointedly ignored Pantera's brash actions as he approached Nato, wanting to better understand the situation as explained from one of his fellow beastmen.
"What happened?"
"I lost, and was taken by them. They healed me, and showed me their power. When they finished questioning me, I saw no other way than to give up." Nato solemnly replied.
"But why? What about Tomo? What about the plan?"
"His cub Toa's dead. He wanted revenge, no matter what we said. The plan fails without him, so that's why. I did what's best for us." He replied, motioning slightly to Sajin.
"He'll be our next King."
"Is that what they decided?"
"Don't know fer' sure, but I think he'll be next King. He looks like us and he's strong. Our kind'll follow him." Nato explained with a rather wizened tone to him.
"I see... What now? Will they end the war?"
"Not yet. The war'll play out. They need it ta' happen like that."
"What!? This's not a game. That'll mean more of us dyin'." Cesar argued in restrained outrage.
"Winnin's not an option. We need ta' lose. Ta' stop being a problem for the humans. Only then we'll be able to rebuild."
"I... Hrmm... Agreed..."
Cesar sighed in defeat. He knew very well there was no better way for them to be left alone, than through a human victory, and a new ruler that that could not only cow the rest of their kind in line, but also deal with and negotiate with the humans in the long run.
"What now?" He asked, almost fearful of what else Nato might say.
"Hrm... I suggested those kept alive after the battles, the refugees, be taken to Scurll's village. It's placed the furthest away from both sides, has room to fit a lot since it can expand easily, and they've got good minds for it."
"Still, she won't just accept it." Cesar pointed out, prompting Nato to look at Ulquiorra.
"That's why he's here. Don't worry. He won't kill 'em. I think."
"I'll take your word for it."
Pantera was stumbling back to her feet as they finished speaking. While she was in no pain, she had been left stunned by that kick. One thing was made very clear; he was strong. He was much stronger than her. Much stronger than the now dead Sabre. This realization had made itself so clear, that she was starting to agree with Nato's statement of there being no other way.
"We should get going." Nato suggested, approaching Ulquiorra.
"Agreed. We will make our way to the village now."
"What village?" Pantera asked in confusion.
"Scurll's. She'll help us with survivors." Cesar replied.
"Will she agree to this?"
"She will." Ulquiorra plainly replied.
Stepping forward, Ulquiorra gave Nato one of the cube-shaped teleportation items the Espada used, so the beastman could set their destination and activate the item. Upon activation, a piece of cloth whirled around and surrounded the group, causing them to vanish in a flash of light.
There was no time for Cesar or Pantera to take in this strange method of teleportation, or even the teleportation itself. In an instant they were all in the middle of an arena in the Lizardmen village, surrounded by several of them, and having apparently interrupted a duel between two others.
"Who are you!? Why're you here?" Scurll demanded, rising from her seat as her tail violently smacked the ground.
"Apologies for teleportin' in! We not here ta' fight. We come here for help, mighty Scurll." Nato loudly announced with a respectful tone.
"Oh? Interessstin'... And? What kind of help, Nato?" She asked with a curious head-tilt and narrowed eyes.
"Y-You know of me?"
"Of course. We're not as isolated as you think. Kaze might use this war to take my children away from me, but I also use it to learn more about this country, and the outside world." She replied with equal parts cunning and caution.
"We want to use yer' village and land, as a place to keep those who're running away from the war." Nato explained.
"Grah! I've no wish to keep large numbers of humans here."
"No. Not humans. Beastmen. There're those that don't wanna fight. We ask that you allow them to be brought and kept 'ere."
"..."
There was a moment of silence as Scurll stroked her lower jaw and considered their idea. She could sympathize with those wanting to escape the war. Especially since she heard from the two humans she had as "guests", that any beastman that tried to flee the war were either killed, or enslaved by the two neighboring human nations, the Baharuth Empire and the Slane Theocracy. Still, despite her sympathies, there was risk involved in this idea...
"And? What do we get in return? You put us at risk if I accept, so what do you offer?"
"We will offer you protection, and the means to expand your village when necessary." Sajin replied, having been given permission to do so via his ring by Ulquiorra.
"And you are?" Scurll asked with a scrutinizing tone and gaze.
"Sajin Komamura."
"Oh? How can you promise this, Sajin?" Scurll asked, now taking an interest in the rather giant of a fox-type beastman.
"We have the means to do so. On that, you have my word." Sajin replied with a confident tone.
"Hmmm... You're not lying..." Said in a contemplative tone as her tail swayed from side-to-side.
Scurll sank into thought once again. She recognized Cesar and Pantera whom silently stood to the side, though saw no point in detracting this rather interesting conversation with such minor details. She had no love or loyalty to the war or Kaze, and their goal seemed a far more noble one than a pointless war that took her children away. After a moment of thought, her tail firmly stuck the ground as she seemed to make her decision.
"Hrmm... Very well. I'll aid you."
"Thank you very much for your assistance." Sajin graciously said with a head-bow.
"..."
Scurll accepted his thanks with a silent, respectful nod. This was all she could do. At least, that was what she thought at this moment. She could tell that this "Sajin" wasn't lying. His voice and manners were that of a being of values and honor. This helped to ease her worries, along with her druidic abilities allowing her to feel their genuine emotions through the very soil they trod upon.
There was also the fact, that while she couldn't tell how strong they were, she still sensed great power coming from Sajin and the pale humanoid to his side. Enough to know that denying them out-right would have been foolish. She could only hope that this was the correct decision.
It was around midday-meal of the celebration's second day that Diogo Villa, the team's divine magic caster, brought Cerabrate a letter from Nazz. The former had to dismiss the three women he had sleeping in his bedroom. Something Diogo found beyond amusing. His room, and the building where all of Crystal Tear was staying was in the capital, and was among one of the more well-kept buildings. One of the reasons they were placed there, was a further attempt to keep them around and pleased, due to their contributions.
"Hehehe... Don't they look a bit old for your preferences?" Diogo asked with a knowing chuckle.
"Why are you here?" Cerabrate growled, opening the window as he ignored his friend's remark.
"I being a letter from a messenger. It's from that Nazz fellow, and further explains your duel to be." Diogo informed, getting Cerabrate's full attention.
"I'm listening."
"It will take place tomorrow at sunrise, in the old temple that's located north of the capital. He reminds you of bringing a witness, and that it is not a fight to the death. The letter ends with a suggestion for the wager." Diogo said in a serious, business-like tone, causing Cerabrate to raise an eyebrow at him.
"What does he suggest?"
"Well, you both will wager your rewards for winning the war.~" Diogo replied with an amused one and grin, especially as Cerabrate's face twisted with some discomfort.
"You can't be serious." He replied in an empty tone, taking the letter from Diogo's hand to read it himself.
"Y-You are not..." Cerabrate mumbled as he finished reading it.
"Rather helpful, isn't he? Especially when you were having trouble thinking of something to wager." Diogo pointed out with a smirk.
"Hmph! Good to see you're enjoying this. Well, it's not like I have anything to worry about if I do wager my reward..." Cerabrate remarked with an almost reassuring tone.
"Now, now. His feats cannot be ignored."
"Neither can mine. Not to mention those 'feats' are just hearsay. If we had been there to see him, I would be more inclined to agree. As it is, I don't believe I'll need to be as careful as you think."
"As your witness, I suggest you think this through. If you agree to his terms, you risk losing your 'reward' from the Queen. Are you certain this is acceptable?" Diogo asked in a cautious tone.
"Yes. Yes, I am. He may be good. He might even be brilliant, but I'm better. I know it." Cerabrate replied in a restrained tone.
"Oh? Then should I send a reply?"
"No. We'll see him soon enough as is."
"Hm... Very well."
With that Diogo left, leaving Cerabrate alone to ponder the current situation, with a certain fear starting to come over him. Something that made him swear through gritted teeth. It was just ridiculous for him to feel like that about some mere unknown mercenary. If this had been a challenge from Leinas Rockbruise, someone of actual station and notoriety, then perhaps it would have been logical to worry.
However, to be fearful of some unranked nobody? It was ridiculous. The fact the Espada were getting his hard-earned attention and accolades rankled his nerves to no end. Of course, that had to be it. His nerves getting the better of him. There was no reason to worry. He was an adventurer of the highest rank, while Nazz was a simple unranked mercenary of his own pitiful group. Victory should be more than assured.
The second evening of the celebrations came and went, and as the sun began its rise, Cerabrate and Diogo made their way to the designated temple. The terrain was somewhat difficult to walk though, as the path had not been actively traveled in some time. This was due to the fact that as the war got worse and worse, maintaining older landmarks and monuments became less and less of a priority, and sites like this fell into disrepair.
Arriving at the entrance to the temple, they were faced with a rather small structure that could at best hold up to 50 people at once. It was a stone building with walls overtaken by the forest growth around it. Its wooden doors had broken down long ago, and some of it windows on the sides had likewise broken with time.
The inside the building bore many cobwebs, several layers of dust, and worn out wooden benches. The only piece that seemed untouched by time, with no blemishes or vegetation, was a statue of a mighty dragon, placed like an altar at the end. This was a statue of the founder of the Dragon Kingdom, the Brightness Dragon Lord.
The temple was built by the people of the Kingdom not long after it was founded, and at a time its visitors had rivaled those in several religious locations. Even to that of the Temple of the Four Great Gods religion that had long ago been adopted by the Kingdom. However, as the war raged on, and it became obvious that the ancient founder of their home wasn't coming to save them, it was abandoned.
Sitting at the base of the statue was Nazz, and whom they could only assume was his witness. It was a strange woman who seemed to be in her 40s, and wore a kind of simple, yet expensive looking gown. Yet, for both Cerabrate and Diogo, there was a hint of recognition when they looked at her. As if she was someone they had met long ago. Especially in the case of Cerabrate, who felt an inkling of attraction to her, that he normally felt for younger, smaller, women like the Queen. Of course, even they could not tell this woman was in fact the Queen herself, Draudillon Oriculus, in her true adult form.
"Who is she?" Cerabrate plainly asked, both he and Diogo stopping not far from the entrance.
"My witness. Now, do you agree to my suggestion?" Nazz asked back, beginning to approach the adventurers.
"I do." The adventurer replied, donning his helm as he closed the distance between himself and Nazz.
"Good."
The Espada stopped and drew his sword, with Cerabrate taking the same action. Both fighters took their stances, waiting for the other to take the initiative, or apply some kind of boosting [Martial Art] on themselves. Nazz had no need for it, and Cerabrate at the moment thought he had no real need to do so. Even if he silently used a minor one on himself before entering.
Suddenly Cerabrate took the lead, charging at Nazz while executing an upwards swing with his adamantite Claymore. The Espada easily avoided it by stepping back, and then bringing his own massive sword in his right hand down on the human. The adventurer easily avoided the blow by throwing himself to his right, which Nazz expected as he threw a punch with his free left hand. Cerabrate reflexively ducked under the blow, rolling across the floor so that he was now behind the Espada.
Retaking his stance, he executed a simple thrust between the plating of Nazz's armor, targeting the location right under the left arm would be to disable it. His efforts however were brought to a swift end, when Nazz ground his sword across the floor, greatly damaging it, kicking up debris, and lifting a small portion of the stone floor around himself, taking Cerabrate off his feet. Falling backwards, he placed his left hand on the floor, putting all his strength into it to push himself upwards and rotate, managing to land on his feet, even if he wasn't entirely surefooted.
He was still readying himself when Nazz went back on the offensive, and with Cerabrate being pressured from avoiding the quicker than expected blows thrown at him, he silently invoked [Ability Boost], [Greater Ability Boost], and [Flow Acceleration] to surprise and overwhelm the Espada with several swift slashes. Nazz managed to avoid the blows until seemingly being overwhelmed.
As the Espada's arms were forced open from a clash resulting in a shower of sparks, Cerabrate prepared to use as art called [Divine-Skill Single Flash], to both blind and takedown Nazz. Yet his plan was flawed, because while Nazz wasn't able to block in time with his sword, he was still more then able to lift up one of his legs to front-kick Cerabrate in the chest. Metal on metal rang out and echoed in the building as the force sent the adventurer onto the ground.
"D-Damn it..." Cerabrate hissed, going to all fours as he quickly flipped upright, which was quite the impressive feat when wearing full armor.
"Do you yield?" Nazz asked as he approached.
Cerabrate looked around as he contemplated his next move. As much as he hated to admit it, it was quite clear he was outmatched in terms of raw power. So much so, he wasn't even sure if even using [Martial Arts] would allow him to match what he was certain was strength already upgraded by [Martial Arts], and whatever enchantments that rested in Nazz's gear. Agility wise he also felt he was at a disadvantage. In his eyes, it was probable that Nazz had specifically trained to do that regardless of his full armor, and used [Martial Arts] to heighten his senses to be able to react as quickly as he did.
If so, then he would have to go for speed. He had already overwhelmed him once, even if only briefly. If he did the same again, but followed it up with a finishing blow, he could win. Of course, performing an attack like that on someone who was defenseless could be risky. Perhaps even deadly. But as he was sure Nazz himself understood, that there was a risk to everything...
"Hmph! I'm just getting started."
Cerabrate got back to his feet, and began to slowly creep backwards towards the statue and Nazz's witness. Something he hoped would damper the Espada's initiative. This placed himself between the statue and the Espada, and while not the smartest idea, he hoped that one good swing from the Espada would take it down. He was certain that he could avoid the blow, and that it would mean dropping the statue onto Nazz.
"Get back." Nazz curtly instructed, looking at his witness.
The woman silently did as she was told, which Cerabrate didn't mind as he was already putting his attention on the Espada and the statue. Silently calling upon [Ability Boost], [Greater Ability Boost], and [Flow Acceleration] once more, he waited and prepared with his focus razor sharp as he did.
While practitioners of [Martial Arts] often called out the names of their arts to help reinforce the strength of their mental focus, fundamentally speaking it wasn't totally necessary. Not when the user was skilled enough to do so through sheer will like Cerebrate could. A trick that he has used to catch many opponents off-guard in the past when he there was a pause.
Just then the Espada Nazz went back on the offensive. Despite several skillful swings, his opponent managed to avoid them with little difficulty, avoiding each one until he was close enough to the statue to duck and roll under it. This led to Nazz ramming his sword right into the structure. Though statue didn't fall, Nazz's weapon was stuck, giving the opening that Cerabrate needed. Taking his stance, he used [Slash] to strike at both the statue and Nazz.
This action gave the already damaged structure the necessary push to break its base and cause it to fall right onto Nazz. The result was most shocking. Almost as if Nazz was denser than the statue itself, because the Espada was not only left unfazed, but the construct broke apart upon contact, before then falling to pieces onto the floor.
"I-Impossible..." Cerabrate breathed in shock.
Diogo was also taken aback by the sight. Surely the falling statue should have taken him down, even if only momentarily? Not only that, but the [Slash] art had left at best a simple scratch on the armor, which he was sure Cerabrate had also noticed. This wasn't looking good, no matter how one looked at it. No decisive blows had been landed, and Nazz was holding some kind of advantage over Cerabrate. That much was clear to an experienced adventurer Diogo. He then look upon Nazz's witness. Despite appearing to be more of a beautiful noblewoman than a warrior, she too seemed to pick up on it as she spoke in a low, and somewhat awkward tone.
"Y-You should yield."
"Silence! I'm not done yet."
"You sound troubled, Cerabrate. Much more desperate, and brusque than you normally seem." Nazz calmly remarked.
Cerabrate gritted his teeth in frustration and rage. How was this possible!? The statue should have gained him something. His [Slash] as well. Yet Nazz was unfazed. Could it be that certain aura that seemed to swirl around the Espada's gear? It was strange. He couldn't place the type of magic it was, which only further angered him. Could it be that his gear was of lower quality than this Espada? No, that can't be! Even if it's made of adamantite, his gear was made by the very best in the Kingdom!
"Don't think too highly of yourself! You're nothing but a lowly mercenary who has the swordsmanship skills of a child! You are an amateur compared to me!" Cerabrate shouted, his frustrations coming to the surface.
"Indeed. That's right. I'm not as skilled a fighter as you are. And? What of it? What will you do?" Nazz stoically asked.
"I'll end this." The adventurer balefully growled.
He would cut Nazz down. He would cut him down and make sure someone who had made him look like that much of a fool would never stand up again. Taking a stance, he tightened his grip on his blade, and his body glowed white as he invoked [Holy Fury]. It was a special finishing move he developed that combined the [Martial Arts] of [Limit Breaker], [Flow Acceleration], [Holy Flash], [Slash], and the spells [Lesser Strength], and [Lesser Dexterity]. The result delivers a devastating barrage of attacks that were enough to overwhelm even a Beastman Alpha.
With this he charged forward, and quickly began overwhelm and force Nazz back, allowing him to block only a few of the oncoming blows. Cerabrate finally saw an end this duel. He was certain his attacks would eventually break Nazz's armor, be it enhanced adamantite or not. He could even see some scratches beginning to form, despite how minimal they were.
Everything seemed to be going well. That was until from within the armor an aura of purple-colored energy emerged, wrapping around the Espada's form. Had it been any other time, Cerabrate would have picked up on this, but in his current enraged state he simply continued with his attack. Not even noticing when the blade began to grow dull and crack. Little did he know that no matter how well-crafted his adamantite weapon was, it meant little in the face of magic the Dragon Lord commanded that could easily reduce a building to rubble, if not dust.
Feeling the effects of [Holy Fury] wear off, Cerabrate jumped back and followed up, activating the art [Divine-Skill Single Flash], which would blind an enemy with light before delivering a killing blow. However, when he did this, the strain placed on the weapon meant to channel it, caused it to further crack, leading to small pieces of it to start falling off. Something that the adventurer noticed with shock and confusion.
Seeing this, Nazz let his aura dissipate, keeping only a bit concentrated onto his blade. Taking advantage of his opponent's distracted state, the Espada brought his weapon down on the front of Cerabrate's helm, slicing clean through it like butter, before sending him flat on his back onto the stone floor with another kick. With blinding speed that caught all present by surprise, Nazz finished things by aiming his blade less than an inch from Cerabrate's throat.
"Yield." Nazz firmly demanded.
"F-Fine!" Cerabrate shouted in reply as he forcefully removed his helm.
"Hm. Good. The duel is now over. As agreed, your reward is mine." Nazz said in a dismissive tone, sheathing his sword back into place, and motioning for his witness to approach him.
"N-No... Y-You can't! It is mine. I have given it my all to have it! I won't let you take it!"
Just then Cerabrate rushed to his feet, as he prepared to take some rash course of action. Nazz wasn't impressed by this in the slightest. He placed his left hand slightly around his witness and raised his right towards Cerabrate as it was enveloped by the purple flames.
"Don't think me defenseless without a sword. Try to do something to tarnish our honorable duel, and I will reduce you to dust, boy."
Cerabrate bit his lip, doing so until he drew blood. That being the only way he could vent the anger and frustration that ate away at him. He did not want to risk death, even if he had just lost his entire motivation for fighting this war. Of course, he knew that now he couldn't walk away without damaging his reputation. This was all too much. To be humiliated and forced to fight a war he now had no interest in, he dropped to his knees, now completely spent. Both mentality and physically.
"Hmph... Thought so. Let us leave." Nazz gruffly said, as he began to walk away with his witness.
Diogo was quick to rush to Cerabrate's side, trying to aid him, but his leader was quick to push him away in a rather childish and unbecoming display. Diogo accepted this because he knew that if Cerabrate could act like that, he was in good enough condition to be healed later. As it was, he wanted to examine his comrade's fallen sword. Including the pieces that had fallen from it, and the ground around the area it had first started to be affected by Nazz's strange ability.
"What are you doing?" Cerabrate asked in an empty tone as he sat in place, running his fingers through his hair, a lost expression now clear on his face.
"These pieces seem to have been cut from your sword. No, even more than that, they seem to have simply been... separated from it."
As Diogo answered, he took the damaged sword and placed one of the pieces next to it, causing both to touch as if they were pieces of a jigsaw-puzzle.
"What about it?"
Diogo ignored him as he went to the portions that seem to have been dulled, with his eyes scanning the area until he found some sparkling portions of dust. Picking some up he examined them as best he could, trying to take in their look, shine, and texture. This wasn't his field, but if he was right, it might mean that what caused the weapon to dull was Nazz's power. Breaking it down and reducing parts of it to dust.
"Hear me out on this, but I think he reduced parts of it to dust, while using the rest of his attack to create cracks and sunder your weapon. It's truly a fascinating and terrifying ability."
"Dear gods. That would require great skill and precision to do, right? More than I credited him for having." Cerabrate grimly remarked, now looking upon his helm.
"Exactly. If he did not have it, he probably would have killed you when he cut your helm."
"T-That's impossible, surely! To be able to do that to strongest of metals, clearly puts him above all of us. At the level of heroes, if not more..." Cerabrate argued in disbelief and consternation.
"Perhaps. Although, there still must be a reason why this has never been mentioned before. Is it a spell or a [Talent]? It's truly a mystery. Perhaps he cannot use it during long periods of time. It might even take too much out of him, explaining why he used it at the end of your match."
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't change the clear difference in power we possess..." Cerabrate said as he sighed, and then staggered back to his feet.
"Indeed. I am sorry that things ended like it did." Diogo said sympathetically.
"All of our work... All for nothing." His leader growled in anger and frustration.
"Well, we're still earning a lot from this war. The windfall alone ensures that our futures are secure. And you can still improve in some areas, so not all may be lost yet."
"Do you think I can beat him?" Cerabrate asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I... am not sure."
"Hehe... Going back to training... Like some amateur... Hah!" Cerabrate mumbled, letting out a weak nervous laugh at the end.
"Let's go. I want to think some things through." He added with an exhausted sigh, picking up his helm.
"As you wish. Not to mention we have to repair these..." Diogo added, as he still marveled at Nazz's work, still pondering how enchanted adamantite could have been laid so low...
Meanwhile, as per the Queen Draudillon's request, they teleported back to Naz'da'gar's lair, where naturally the force controlling the armored-avatar dropped like a puppet whose strings were cut. Now she could speak to his true form, which was currently emerging from the nearby glistening clearwater pool.
"I wanted to thank you in person, as well as apologize. For doubting you could have actually beaten him, for even a moment."
"Oh? You thought I could have lost? I wouldn't have taken you if that was a possibility." The Dragon Lord dryly remarked.
"I know. For someone like you, it may sound stupid, but you have to understand that I have feared his intentions for a long time. So much so, that there were moments where he filled my nightmares almost as much as the beastmen." Draudillon explained with a distant expression.
Memories unbidden came to her, as she recalled her situation until now. Where she was having to live her life, knowing that one day she might have to please that man. To allow him to do as he wished to her child-form body, with her not wanting any of it. Not to mention, every time they spoke, he was basically eating her with his eyes. It made her skin crawl to think of it, but at the time it was a necessary sacrifice for her nation and her people.
Now free of that burden, overwhelming relief, as well as many other conflicting feeling and emotions, filled her. Naz'da'gar was quick to notice her current mental and emotional state, and placed his hands on her shoulders as soon as he got close, and spoke in a reassuring tone, with his eyes going to hers.
"You don't have to worry about that anymore. Like you saw, I defeated him. I broke his pride at that, nad he will never have any claim over you again. I can assure you of that."
"I've been waiting to hear that for a long time. Still, couldn't you hurt him a bit more? Let him feel more pain?" She suddenly asked, the resentment for Cerabrate clear in her voice.
"I already broke his spirit. Causing him more pain would have meant little, and goes against the spirit of the duel." He replied, sounding a bit surprised at her suggestion.
"Right... Sorry. I shouldn't have said that, but after all of this, I would have liked to see him suffer a bit more." She explained, walking a bit away from him.
"Remember, that he is still needed for the war. I couldn't hurt him too badly."
"Is he? With you and the rest of the Espada? Is he really that necessary?"
"Don't speak like that, Draudillon. This isn't you. He is only guilty of his desires..." Naz'da'gar began, when she spoke over him.
"Are you sure? Who knows what he has done to others." She spat back in open disgust.
"Be that as it may, I ask you to let go of this now. He is of use to you, even if it is as a meat shield. The more he is out there, the smaller the chances of the beastmen winning. Take care to remember that I and the rest of the Espada cannot be everywhere at once." Naz'da'gar firmly stated.
"You're right. My apologies. I shouldn't have brought this up... Still, you did win, and with it the reward..." The queen began, wanting to quickly change the topic, only for him to interrupt her this time with a laugh.
"Hahaha... I didn't win much, did I? After all, I've already had his reward.~" He remarked with a grin as his tail eagerly swayed from side-to-side.
"Hm-mmm... More than once...~" She cooed with a blush.
"And if you don't mind, I would like you to claim the reward you won from him now." She then added while dropping her clothing.
"Are you sure?" The Dragon Lord asked, with his tail now moving even more excitedly.
"I am. I have nothing to take care of today, so until tomorrow I am yours. As my thanks to you."
"Hehehe... If that is the case, then don't worry. I'll make you forget all about the bad things that have been plaguing you..."
Having said this with a smile, Naz'da'gar took her hand, and began to lead the queen to the pool. No one would see or hear of either of them for the rest of that day and evening...