Mystic Blue

[ACMI3: Followed by]

Itsuwa rolled off the platform and dropped to the star-covered floor below. Acqua followed her down and was focused on her. He was open but that opening would close the moment he noticed something was wrong.

"This battle will end here then." Acqua called out "Since we are both armed, there is no reason for this battle not to occur."

Itsuwa nodded "While that seems to be the case..." Other members of Amakusa were slipping into the rooms and standing on the various platforms, Itsuwa continued "I am not your only enemy."

"It's not a problem." Acqua gave a small head tilt, a tiny shrug "Bring it on."

Everyone (Except GV, obviously) charged in. GV jumped up to higher elevation to observe the way the fight was going. The hair was in place. All he needed Amakusa to do was seal Acqua's movement. That tag, plus what GV was preparing for.

He'd bet everything on this one strike.

Acqua was knocking away the other memebers of Amakusa with wind pressure when GV looked. He spun around again and began striking at Itsuwa. One man against a group such as this was impressive, but GV hadn't really taken into account how skilled Itsuwa was before. Even though she now fought without most of the benefits she'd had before like the improved speed, she was still surviving and deflecting each of Acqua's strikes. The ground was carved up by the damage in arcs. The air pressure alone was ripping up the star-covered screen.

Itsuwa dodged to avoid an attack and deflected another into the ground, repeating the motion a few times and throwing in another dodge or parry to keep Acqua guessing. From his vantage point though, GV had noticed something. the rips that were torn into the star-covered screen looked... different. They weren't random.

Itsuwa was creating some sort of design in the floor by redirecting his attacks? Clever. Doing that sort of thing would take even more skill than he'd expected.

The rips began to glow and Itsuwa dodged away. Acqua looked like he would chase after her but froze.

Itsuwa swung back in, dancing over the ripped surface and striking at Acqua and for the first time, the saint actually had to make a movement to dodge. He leaped away from the glowing sign on the floor and up towards a platform higher in the room

"Now!" Itsuwa yelled "Everyone!"

That was his cue. GV leaped off the platform. Falling even as Acqua rose to meet him.

His lightning burst forth, buoying him into the air as he sent it flying towards Acqua who grunted. GV turned up the pressure, Acqua may be superhuman but there had to be a limit! There had been some Adepts able to withstand his full burst for a time and GV was thinking about it in the same means. Plus, he only had one tag on Acqua, a fact he looked to correct.

Acqua grunted, using magic to summon water to him. He understood then that water would defuse the attack. It didn't matter though as there was one more ace in the hole coming.

As Acqua looked up at GV, he missed what was going on below. The Amakusa had gathered in a special formation.

[ACMI2: Chase]

Acqua spun downwards, forgetting the water for a moment. GV had been waiting for this though, he'd known about the ace in the hole after all and he was damned if Acqua would do anything to mess it up.

"Bolts of rebellion! A thunderous voice in his heart!"

The blue lightning traced along metalic lines that Amakusa had been setting up, not that they had been specifically required but GV appreciated the extra anchor points.

Itsuwa jumped up towards Acqua and he stretched out his hand to stop her attack, GV wasn't done though.

"Speaks of one true law! Voltaic Chains!"

Chains of azure lightning burst from every anchor point around the room, all homing in on the only tagged target. They bound Acqua and increased the damage he was taking from the lightning even further.

Itsuwa smiled as she yelled out her spell.

"Saint Destroyer!"

The spear that struck down the child of god hit the saint who's limbs were bound by chains. If Acqua tried to turn off his saint powers to defend against the spear with only magic, the lightning would catch him. If he didn't, the spear would.

Acqua screamed as the spear made contact, light shining throughout the room.

"Your mistake!" Itsuwa yelled out "Was doubting our bond with our saint!"

White and Azure light met and detonated, Itsuwa and GV were blasted away and GV slammed against a wall, momentarily blacking out. He was up a moment later though and he looked to see what had happened.

[ACMI2: Fanatic]

Acqua was alive, he'd fallen to the ground and was struggling to his feet, the other Amakusa were gathered around with weapons at the ready. Even so, Acqua just grunted.

"Damn."

He was soaked in blood and there seemed to be something different about him now. He didn't sound angry, more... frustrated.

"It seems you weren't wrong about that."

His voice was quiet, but directed at the staggering Itsuwa. He slowly walked over to pick up his mace, as if the weapons pointed at him didn't mean anything.

Even so he spoke out "I'm done, you've won. I'm in no state to stand against you all anymore. As I am now, another blow like that would kill me."

Tatemiya stepped fowards "Then you're leaving, you're giving up on hurting Kamijou?"

"He's safe for today." Acqua commented "And for a while beyond that, at least."

Acqua wasn't giving up, he simply knew when he was beaten.

"What's stopping us from killing you now?" GV asked as he slowly limped over.

Acqua concidered him properly for the first time "The Esper, ah. Well, you all could try. I promise you that a few of you would die though. I've actually been trying to avoid killing most of you. My only target was Imagine Breaker after all. If you try to kill me in this state though, I'll be forced to take some of you down with me."

...

"Just go." Tatemiya grunted.

Acqua simply nodded and... left.

Huh.

And then Itsuwa collapsed, GV had half a mind to follow her example but there were still things to finish off sorting out tonight.

End of chapter.

So yes, this arc ended earlier than expected. Only one more chapter for wrap up. Maybe two if the feeling takes me.

Acqua isn't as crippled as the second saint destroyer made him in canon, but he is hurt. He still has his Divine Mother attribute, it's just not working properly right now.