Shogunate Pride Chapter 7: Matter of Armory
By Bluestar076
Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! Today we continue with the attack of Chimera Tribe, and in particular, we finally start the individual battles! Needless to say, I'm very excited to do so, not only because the OCs have interesting magics, but also because I've recently reread the Battle of Chapter 2 and noticed that I've gone through with both pace and details, so I'm willing to replicate that same sense with the rest of the battles. Since I like to be as fluid and detailed as possible, I always put a special place in battle scenes (Considering also that my stories are all action-packed XD). And considering that we're talking about Fairy Tail and that we're in a guild of samurai, expect to see a bit of extra effort from me. And without further ado, we can start! As always, I hope you enjoy it!
Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and CloverWorks.
Chapter 7: Matter of Armory
Caelum – Great Akihabara Market
The smoke caused by the explosions in the various zones of the Great Akihabara Market continued to rise, reaching up the skies. The troupes of Chimera Tribe continued their charge to make the market defenseless against them while their leader, Apostatìs, headed directly towards the tower at the center of the city. But, even if their main members were making sure that their goal was accomplished…they didn't realize that the market acted in advance…and called out for a little help.
In the northern section of the city, two girls who were around ten years old were running away from the havoc that was caused by all those attacks. They were there only for a small commission given to them by their parents, but they never thought things would get that bad, to the point they thought of the idea of never taking a commission again.
"ANF ANF ANF ANF!" The two little girls were running as fast as they could to keep their own lives safe, but while running one of them tripped and fell. "AGH!"
"Ah!? Maruki, oh no!" The other sister tried to turn back and help her, but before she could do so, she heard something that made her blood freeze and stay still for the fright.
Laughs started to rise from behind her, making the little girl turn around, just to see in horror that a group of bandits was approaching them.
"Oh great, as if we weren't getting enough nuisance! Now we have two little brats!"
"What are we going to do with them?"
"What could we do? They're harmless! And besides, they could have a few extra coins! I'd say we get rid of them and check their pockets!"
"What?! NO PLEASE!" The first sister immediately ran close to the other one and spread her arms in defense.
"Shiori, what are you doing!?" The second sister asked.
"Please, take everything you need from us! But please don't hurt my sister!" Maruki begged for mercy, but the bandits didn't stop their charge.
"You're not in the position of making a deal! You can die like the rest, you brats!"
"MARUKIIII!" Shori cried out loud while her sister closed her eyes, fearing that it might have been over for both of them. But right at that moment…she could see what looked like space dust near her.
"U-Uh?"
In an instant, the bandits that were going to attack them got sliced up by a rain of deep blue swipes and were wiped away. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! W-WHAT!?"
"W-What happened?" Shiori asked. But the answer came up soon, as both sisters could see a tall figure appear in front of them.
"You know…the courage you had to defend your sister…wasn't that bad. I liked it." The figure said before raising his head, revealing it to be Dohko. "You're all right now. Leave it to me."
"Is he…a mage?" Shiori wondered.
Naturally, the bandits weren't happy with what they were seeing. "W-What the fuck is he doing here!' Is he trying to tamper us!?"
"Who cares! He's just one trying to defend two little brats! Let's get him! WREAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They then tried to charge them by taking advantage of their number, but Dohko didn't seem frightened by that. If anything, he let out a disappointed sigh.
"Guess someone here doesn't value the small things that life gives. Typical bandits. Oh well…" He commented before taking out his odachi sword. "Not that I'm complaining about it."
"LET'S TAKE HIM!" The bandits continued, making Dohko take a single step forward while holding the sword. And in an instant…just like a comet…he dashed and ended up behind the bandits. "What the- GAAAAAAH!" Just like before, the bandits' bodies were filled up with long cuts and all fell,
"INCREDIBLE!" The two girls shouted out in awe while Dohko stood up and sheeted the sword back.
"Bandits like this are always boring." The mage commented before seeing the two girls reach him.
"That was incredible sir! Thank you for saving us!" Shiori told him.
"How can I be like you?" Maruki added.
Dohko made a small smile and kneeled to them. "Well, if you hold that courage you showed before maybe you'll be able to reach me one day." He said to her. "You remind me a lot of my three kids. Now go. It's dangerous to stay here."
By hearing him the two girls had stars around their heads and looked in awe. They then nodded and started to run away. "Yes! Thank you again!"
Dohko looked at them departing with the same smile and then looked around with a more concerned expression. "We've started to attack back, but there are still a lot of them. I wouldn't be surprised if there was someone among their ranks who was on the same level as us. What matters the most now is that Rokumon and Iori manage to reach the tower and make the globe safe. Until then…show up what you're made of, pals."
In the meantime, Ecclesias was looking around and could notice that the attack was slowing down. "What's going on? The damages should be greater than just this…and Apostatìs still didn't reach the tower. What's going on?" She wondered.
"L-Lady Eclesias!" Suddenly a voice called her out, making her turn around to see surprisingly a bandit badly injured.
"What happened?" She asked.
"W-We're getting attacked! Our assault is getting countered!" The bandit reported, stunning the woman.
"What!?"
"I-I don't know how it happened, but it seems that a guild went here and as soon as the Master destroyed the wall, they started to attack back. A-And they're extremely powerful! One of them just reduced me to this state with her lightsaber! D-Do something before…Gah!" Before he could finish, the bandit lost all his energies and fell unconscious.
After hearing this, the Vice-Master of Chimera Tribe made a cold expression as she looked up. "Once again…someone's trying to interfere with us. Why don't they understand? When Chimera Tribe gets its hands on a treasure…those who interfere become only a small page of that quest. We've worked so hard to reach the point we're in now. I won't let anyone ruin everything." With those words, Ecclesias made a large spinning jump before stopping in mid-air with graceful movements. She then took out the roses that were attached to her basin and threw them up in the sky. At a certain height, the roses exploded in a rain of petals that started to scatter around in a sublime sight that was an omen of something worse.
Ecclesias then landed on her feet and looked at the petals with a cold grin. "As soon as these petals will reach out to you, their aroma will slowly corrode your senses leading you down to a slow death. That is…if you manage to resist our mages' ferocity. It doesn't matter really, because either way…you'll still lose."
Back at the southern entrance of the market, after getting rid of a numerous horde of bandits…two mages were glaring at each other, waiting for the perfect moment to start their duel. The sun was high…and the wind was howling moving away the dust, the small pebbles, and the two mages' hair.
While he told Yori that he could have handled it, Henry sweated up a bit at the sight of the approaching enemy, Sinclair. After that previous attack, he felt that this guy wasn't like the bandits he fought just a few moments earlier. But at the same time, he knew that he couldn't falter in that moment, because that would have allowed the enemy to proceed and to give everyone a disadvantage. He needed to have a balanced mind, like the third trait of the samurai.
"きれいな心 – Kireina kokoro; A clean mind…" He thought while holding the Jabberwock tightly. His stare didn't get away from the eyes of his opponent, who was holding the lance in the same way.
"Is it doubt am I sensing coming from you? If you're not feeling okay, you can still stand aside and let me proceed." Sinclair told him.
By hearing that sentence, Henry made a small laugh. "Ahah! Oh, please. Didn't you see what I did with your friends back there? You think that you can be any different just because of that lance?" He provoked him. "And besides…I certainly can't back up after getting the chance to face another Holder-type mage."
Sinclair smirked. "Just what I wanted to hear. You know…I'm starting to like you. Too bad that it has to end it all just with this. You still have to make sure that you can dodge the strikes…of my Gae Bolg." He said, referring to his spear.
"Aren't we running a bit fast? Perhaps it might be you who will fall under my Jabberwock." Henry countered, mentioning his orange-colored katana.
"Heh. True enough. But you know… many factors determine the outcome of a duel between two men. And one of them is…the one who makes the first blow." Sinclair answered. After that, he started to make his lance spin a bit more times, throwing it up and grabbing it back a few times in an acrobatic way, to give a small preview of what he could do.
Henry smirked after hearing him and looking at him, and as an answer, he started to swing the Jabberwock with the same agility his enemy showed, as if he was trying to draw several figures in mid-air. With those moves, there was nothing to add.
The two of them simply looked at each other in silence…with their fronts sweating up for the heat…and waiting for it.
The first attack.
The only thing they could hear was the wind howling around them…while the sun reached the perfect height.
…Now.
Both Henry and Sinclair moved their feet forward and dashed against each other, swinging their weapons.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
In the end, they attacked at the same moment, clashing their weapons and releasing a large thud that wiped away the surrounding pebbles.
Due to the stall, the two were forced to push forward. "Ngh!"
"Eheh, guess it's still a draw. But not for long!" Sinclair stated, as he pushed up and started to swing the lance several times and start a fast sequence of attacks with the weapon.
Sensing the weapon, after getting pushed back Henry relied on his skills with the sword to defend himself. "Jabberwock – Third Style – Soresu!" The samurai mage started to move out the weapon in a perfect way, designated for pure defense purposes. In the blink of an eye, the sword answered all the lance's attacks, almost as if it had a will of its own, giving the chance for Henry to jump away for a moment. But Sinclair already knew how to answer and used the lance to give himself a push upwards and attack Henry with a double dive kick.
"What!? GAH!" Not expecting it, Henry got attacked by both kicks and fell on the ground before regaining balance and holding himself with one hand. Once he raised his head, he could see with horror that Sinclair was already charging against him with the lance covered in purple energy, the same one that attacked him earlier.
"Don't die on me just yet! This is just a warm-up!" The mage of Chimera Tribe exclaimed.
"Crap!" Henry thought at that sight.
It didn't take long before Sinclair could have charged at high speed and power with the lance, which energy expanded, destroying a good trail of the ground. "Gae Bolg - titim na ndéithe!" Sinclair made one straight charge with the intent of swallowing the enemy with a large amount of energy.
Seeing the clear danger, Henry thought quickly of a way to escape it. "Jabberwock – Fourth Style – Ataru!" By slamming the katana to the ground Henry gave himself a large push upwards that made him jump at the perfect height to not get incinerated by the attack. The boy could see with scared eyes a single hair of his getting incinerated by the purple energy. The thought of what could have happened if he got hit made him tremble a bit, but at the same time, he could see a way to answer that, and as soon as he was behind him but still in mid-hair and upside down, Henry made a vertical cut with the katana to slice Sinclair's back, making it bleed.
"GAH!" Due to the sudden attack, Sinclair had to stop and lost a bit of balance, while Henry could land on his hand and his feet.
"Anf…anf…anf…" He was able to deliver a blow, but the situation wasn't absolutely to his advantage.
After sensing the wound and looking up the blood on his hand, Sinclair stood in silence for a few seconds…and then started to laugh as he turned around. "Wonderful! It has been a while since I've felt this excited! Only a few people were able to dodge the Titim Na Ndeìthe, so you should feel proud!" He spoke.
"The skills I gain from the Jabberwock let me respond to all of his attacks. But even with this, I'm still having trouble dealing with him…that lance is extremely fast, and each blow is heavy. I need to sharpen my senses even more if I want to attack him as I did now." Henry thought as he started to stand up.
"Maybe what I felt from you wasn't doubt. I can see now that you can answer. Therefore…I think there won't be any problems if I continue with more!" Sinclair stated as he started to spin his lance further.
"It's fine by me! Come and get it!" Henry exclaimed while getting ready.
By hearing that, Sinclair's smirk became large as the purple energy surrounded the spear once again. This time, instead of charging directly, the hunter started to spin with the weapon at hand, becoming a terrifying pinwheel of energy. "Gae Bolg - súil olc!" The rotating attack started, rushing towards Henry, who used his defensive skills again as soon as the enemy was next to him.
"Jabberwock – Third Style – Soresu!" Once he was close, Henry used the katana's skills to defend himself, but by doing so, he ended up getting dragged in the spin. "GH!" Henry tried to hold on as he had the enemy right in front of him while spinning.
"Chimeras are creatures that don't follow a natural order, a natural form, or a natural life! The thing they care about the most is finding prey that can shred to pieces! It would be bad if the battle would end like this! Come on! Surprise me more, Henry! If you can!" Sinclair exclaimed as he looked at Henry while the clash continued.
"NGHHHHH!" Thanks to the ability of the sword, Henry was able to put it up with that attack, but even through it, he was having a hard time defending himself. The least he could have done was to push forward to stop the spin and jump away. Even if it stopped, Sinclair still had that large grin on his face.
"It's getting even worse…" The mage thought.
Sinclair in the meantime was already swinging the lance much like he did before, feeling a shiver of excitement on his back. "It has been a very long time since the last time I felt so threatened yet happy to face someone strong! This tension between weapons is exhilarating!" He commented.
"Is that why you fight? You simply find pleasure in getting almost killed and stealing stuff from people!?" Henry asked.
"What? Oh no, our motivations go further than just that. But I'm not really in the mood to talk to it. How about we start round two!?" Sinclair replied before holding the lance in a battle stance and ready to jump into an assault again. That sight was enough to make Henry sweat even more and be ready for whatever his enemy was planning.
Sinclair didn't lose any time and immediately dashed against him at high speed. The Samurai mage was bewildered to see him so close, but he couldn't elaborate on anything that he had to defend himself from Sinclair's sudden barrage of hits.
"Gae Bolg – Ionsai an Tlosias!" Sinclair attacked with a fast and precise sequence of attacks made with the lance, which started to bright again a purple light. Every blow was swift and decisive, almost as if it was aimed at specific points in the opponent's body.
Henry did his best to defend himself, but he could feel the lance getting stronger and faster thanks to the technique. At one point, a defense didn't go well, and the weapon was able to pierce through his spleen, leaving several drops of blood to fall on the ground. "GAH!" Henry screamed out of pain while his enemy looked at the scene delighted.
"I was able to get you in the end! A few more hits and you'll be out of the way!" The hunter commented.
"I can't let him do as he pleases, if I continue to defend myself, I'll end up being his punchbag! I need to answer!" Henry thought, wanting to do something as well. At that moment, his sword brightened with a clear blue light and the samurai made it fall directly on the enemy with the same strength and firmness he used, making a cut that was able to slash his upper body.
"AGH! What the-!?" Sinclair exclaimed. But Henry wasn't done there.
"Jabberwock – Second Style – Makashi!" With the aim of not leaving his enemy a moment to breathe, Henry unleashed all the skill he had with the sword directly at him, thanks to the technique that allowed him to be skilled with one-on-one duels, managing to hit him several times and starting to make cuts appear throughout his body, mostly on the arm bends and on his chest.
"Son of a bitch, NOW WE'RE TALKING!" Not wanting to let him the upper hand, Sinclair immediately answered with abruptness. The overall techniques, the Makashi and the Ionsai an Tlosias clashed with each other, letting out all of the two warriors' skills with their weapons.
Sparks started to come out of their arms, the impacts were strong enough to release several wind swipes that destroyed the surrounding rocks, and more cuts and wounds came out from each one's body, but in all of this chaos, they simply didn't care. Both Henry and Sinclair looked at each other with their teeth clenched in a large smile, waiting for the moment when the other would have faltered, so that they could strike.
"HAH!" One of the clashes made both of them lose balance for a moment. That was when they both thought the same thing. "WREAAAAAH!" Henry immediately attacked him with an uppercut of the sword, managing to cause a cut on his neck.
"AGH…HAAAH!" After recoiling a bit, Sinclair answered by making a horizontal cut that was able to cut through Henry's belly.
"Gh! Anf…anf…" Both Henry and Sinclair looked at each other. They were starting to breathe heavily for the energies used, but they could see that the enemy still had too many forces to continue. Therefore, they went on with a heavy blow. "WHOAAAAAAAAAAA!" They both threw what seemed to be a punch at each other but in the end…
"MMMF!" For some reason, they put two fingers on each other's noses. The two of them stood still in that position for a few seconds while moving in a circle before taking off their hands.
"EUGH! What is wrong with you!? What was that!?" Sinclair exclaimed.
"ACHOO!" Due to what happened, Henry had to sneeze for a moment before answering. "I don't know, I just thought of something that you couldn't predict! And you're the one to talk when you did the same thing!" He countered.
"I was aiming at the eyes! Not certainly that! I don't have your tastes!" The hunter mage answered back. "But leaving that aside…I can say that you're pretty good. It's a shame that you're my opponent."
"You know we can stop It any moment if you just quit it, right? Are you perhaps trying to persuade me?" Henry asked.
"Nuh-uh. Sorry, but we can't follow you goody-two-shoes mages. We simply like to stay free from every bond. In my case, Apostatìs was kind enough to host a lone wolf like me in his group. And I can't surely leave him alone like that, right?" Sinclair responded.
Henry was caught off by his words for a moment. Even if he was there to destroy the market and steal its treasure…he could still see a remarkable feat in his words. "You're moved…by a sense of loyalty?" He asked.
"Heh." Sinclair seemed pleased to hear that. "Thought that we were just some ruthless criminals who go around and search for treasures, right? Well, that's not the case. True, chimeras usually think of destroying everything they see, but much like other animals…they keep in mind to stay together and act as one. Just like us. We have simply found the best way to survive based on our tastes, that's all." He explained.
By hearing all of that, even Henry made a small smile. "You know…if you put it that way, it's almost like looking in a mirror." He said as he remembered that day of the past…where he was found. "You are moved by an act of loyalty towards your companion. I could say the same, more or less. But unfortunately, as far as I like your dedication…it still doesn't mean that I can forgive the damage that you are causing right at this moment. Can you see what happened to this wall?" He added, pointing at the wall of the southern section of the market.
Instead of provoking him, Sinclair couldn't help but smirk. "Just as I thought. Well, I never asked for your approval. You simply can't understand how we live. That's why…I'm intending to take off that heart of yours if I have to." He stated.
Henry licked a bit of blood on his mouth before answering with a smile. "You could see it clearly that it won't be an easy task, right? I was just waiting for the moment we would have started again!" He exclaimed.
"What!?" Sinclair asked. But he couldn't have the moment to realize that Henry was already pushing against him with the strength of a meteor, attacking with the sword.
"Jabberwock – Fourth Style – Ataru!"
"GAAAAH!" As a result, Sinclair got wiped away for a few meters and ended up clashing on the ground several times. But even with an attack of that caliber, Sinclair smirked and regained balance. "I see how it is. Then I hope you won't mind IF I DO THE SAME!" He exclaimed, as his lance started to get wrapped up in a large purple flame.
Henry widened his eyes as he recognized the attack. "The technique he used before to blast me!" He thought.
"HAH!" To use it, Sinclair jumped high and then aimed. Once it was all set and done, all he had to do was to throw it with brute strength. "Gae Bolg – Miotas Bàisteach!" The lance departed like a straight bullet thrown from a hundred kilometers away, and once it took the ground, it converted the energy into a giant explosion of purple flames.
Henry tried his best to jump away from the blast, but the flame was too much, and the attempt ended up in a failure, with him getting hit by it. "GAAAAAAH!" Much like he did to his opponent before, he got wiped away a few meters. "K-Kh…" With the forces he had left, he stood up with the help of his sword and was horrified to see that Sinclair had already taken back the spear and was already running at high speed towards him, aiming at the heart. "AH!" Right at the last moment, the samurai mage used his sword to defend himself, causing a powerful shockwave. The lance ended up reaching the chest only with the tip, which still made the boy bleed a bit.
"Get it through your head! We'll get that treasure! No Chimera Tribe hunt ends up in failure!" Sinclair exclaimed.
"GRRR! OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Henry protested as he pushed the lance to the right, freeing himself, pushing away Sinclair with his elbow and getting a chance to attack. "Jabberwock – Fifth Style – Shien & Djem So!" By applying the skills of a swordsman he made four cuts on the enemy's body before making a more direct cut that pushed Sinclair's away.
"GHHHHHH!" Both Sinclair's body and mouth started to bleed badly, but even if the enemy's blasts were getting stronger and more serious, he didn't want to quit. He quickly regained balance and was able to land on his feet. "Anf…anf…forget it. I don't plan to disappoint my friend Apostatìs! Uh?" At that moment, the hunter-mage could see something.
"Anf…anf…anf…" His opponent was breathing heavily, but apart from that, he could see what seemed to be blue flames coming out from his body and his sword that seemed to make Henry feel heavier.
"What's happening to his body? Are those a reaction for relying too much on that sword of his? Heh…in that case, that would mean the perfect chance to strike him down!" He thought.
"Dammit…that effect I've seen the other times is having effect again…whenever I use the Jabberwock for too much this…thing happens and my mind is getting dizzy. But I can't quit right now…I need to defeat him before anything bad comes out! He's in a bad state at the moment…I just need to finish him!"
"He's getting worried, now it's the time!" Not wanting to waste the perfect opportunity, Sinclair immediately started to spin around with the lance, which got covered by the purple flame. "Gae Bolg - súil olc!"
As always, the attack was fast and violent, and Henry had to defend himself with the blade in the same way to at least resist. "Gh! Focus dammit! The attacks I've done up until now have been effective but I need to find a break in his blows! Focus…" While resisting, he started to look carefully at Sinclair and his weapon (even if it was hard since they were spinning at the moment). And right there…he could see a pattern that could have been used to reach him. As he was rotating…he could have been exposed from…up.
"Ah! But of course!" He thought. At that moment, he started to use a bit more strength to push back a few inches. As soon as the lance wasn't clashing with the sword anymore, he jumped up and immediately dived with the sword while the enemy was spinning. "HAAAAH!"
"WHA- AGH!" Sinclair ended up getting his opponent clashing from above and laid down on the ground. But he still had something to say, and pushed Henry away with a kick, managing to stand up. "Ok, I'll give you that. But we're not done yet!" He exclaimed as he immediately started with another technique. "Gae Bolg – Ionsai an Tlosias!" He immediately started to attack with a fast and direct sequence of blows with the lance and Henry answered in the same manner.
"Jabberwock – Second Style – Makashi!" But even if the clash seemed pretty much the same, Henry started to think more on the defensive at first, since his purpose wasn't initially that of attacking Sinclair. This is when the Makashi's second ability struck into action. By using it, Henry was able to see through the enemy's movements, from each time they breathed, the muscle movements they made, how many times they attacked, and so forth. Through this skill, Henry could make a deduction he thought of ever since he started to get hit by this enemy.
It was all clearer now. With the Makashi, he could see all the movements Sinclair made in the attacks and all the open spots he could have exploited to his advantage. It was almost like seeing every single frame of a tape.
"Just as I thought! His attacks follow a specific pattern!" He thought. And just like that, through careful movements of his limbs and body, Henry was able to dodge most of Sinclair's attack, much to the hunter's dismay.
"W-What the!? He didn't move like that before!" He exclaimed.
"You've played enough, now it's my turn! TSEAAAAAH!" Once he found the break into his attack, Henry attacked Sinclair several times with the combination of his sword skills and the effects of the Makashi.
"GAAAAAH!" Once again, Sinclair was wiped away a few meters, and Henry's orange blade shined brightly with the sun. Now there was nothing that could have prevented the samurai from ending the match. "I've finally got him! With this, I'll-"
But…right at that moment…
"UH!?" Henry suddenly started to feel his senses getting dizzy. His eyes started to see double, his ears started to whistle and his legs started to tremble. "G-GAH!" Due to this sudden sense of weakness, the least Henry could have done was to stand up. "W-What is happening!?"
"Uh?" Sinclair was confused at first, as he stood up, but as soon as he saw some petals fly in the air, everything made sense. And that was enough to make him smirk. "Ah, I see. Our graceful lady never surprises to amaze us."
Henry started to look around, trying to find a reason for that. "M-My body is starting to get weaker…and my senses are starting to dissipate! I-Is it because of my use of the Jabberwock!? No, it can't be for that, it's still too soon! T-Then what…!?" He thought. Then…by turning around, he could see them. "AH!"
A pile of red roses was starting to grow and slowly invade the whole battlefield, releasing their aroma throughout the air.
"R-Roses!? Don't tell me!" The samurai exclaimed.
"That's right!" Sinclair answered. "This is the work of our marvelous vice leader, Ecclesias! These roses will soon start to invade the entire area, and once the enemy inhales their aroma, there's no escape! Your entire organism will stop its function and you'll die." He explained.
Henry was simply horrified to hear that. "S-Such a diabolical function…for simple flowers!?"
The member of Chimera Tribe smirked as he stood up and prepared himself with the lance. "Just as I said, even if we focus on destruction, we chimeras work as one! If you mess with one of us, YOU MESS WITH EVERYONE! NOW TAKE THIS!" With those words, he threw himself into the attack by delivering a straight-up blow with the lance engulfed in purple flames.
"Gae Bolg - titim na ndéithe!"
"GAAAAAAH!" Unable to do much this time, Henry got fully hit by that devastating blow and fell. But Sinclair wasn't done there, as he jumped up and threw the lance with still the purple flames active. "Gae Bolg – Miotas Bàisteach!"
Henry tried to do something thanks to the Jabberwock, but both his senses and mind were so obscured by the aroma of the roses that he couldn't do anything and simply got blasted away. This time, he crashed against a part of the fallen wall of the southern section of the market before going to the ground.
Once he landed, Sinclair took back his lance and pointed it at Henry, who still had his face on the ground. "I think this is enough to show you and your guild that we don't play around." He commented, thinking to have won.
But…to his surprise.
"G-Gh…" The Samurai mage's body was trembling, as he tried to stand up with his hand.
"You're still moving? Damm, talk about a persistent one here! But considering that you're feeling the effects of both my Gae Bolg here and the aroma of Ecclesias's roses. As far as I liked this duel, we have settled the things." Sinclair warned him.
Henry, in the meantime, was trying to stand up with the energies he had left. What Sinclair said was even too much true for him. Those two magics, even if extremely different between them, were a mortal combination that almost killed him. But even with that, he couldn't let it go just yet.
"K-Kh…y-you said before that you're willing to do anything to repay the debt with your guild, right? Heh…I could say the same for mine. Guess that we're similar in the end. Strange, isn't it? And it's just for this thing we share…that I can't let you go yet." The samurai said.
"And how are you going to do it exactly? You can barely raise your head." Sinclair asked.
But that question…only made Henry smirk. "Oh, trust me…I have my ways."
Sinclair's eyes frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Eheh…it's just a simple trick I have for situations just like this…and I like to call it…Jabberwock – First Style – Shii Cho!" Henry replied, unleashing another technique.
"The first one!?" Sinclair thought as he stood ready.
By using his techniques, both Henry's heart and senses started to turn off their functions. By doing this, he could feel the aroma of the rose getting out of his body. "By stopping completely the functions of my body, this aroma can't do much to me!" He thought.
"What is he doing? It's almost like he's trying to blend in with the ground, I'm almost starting to lose conscience of him. Hm! It's just a useless effort. I'll just pierce his heart before he disappears!" Sinclair thought in the meantime, ready to strike him down with one final attack.
"There…he's aiming for the attack. A withdrawal of the first style is that I can't attack much, it can only help me to get a better position. Therefore, I'll be forced to change my style to answer and attack. But if I catch the perfect moment, I may be able to take him down before the roses' aroma gets back into my body! I just need to seize for it…" Henry thought as he saw his enemy preparing himself.
The battle turned out to be a perfect classic duel overall. Both of them unleashed the best of their techniques and now it was all up to one thing. The last shot. It was all a matter of which fighter would have delivered the best performance and the perfect timing to take the other down.
Much like at the beginning, the wind blew up the dust, and the sun was high. As he charged forward, Sinclair didn't take his eyes from Henry, who did the same while staying still.
And then…it started.
"Gae Bolg - titim na ndéithe!" Sinclair dashed with a straight attack of the lance enveloped in purple flames. Even with a destructive power in front of himself that could have murdered him, Henry didn't move. Or at least…not immediately.
Even the timing of the movement would have been fatal. One single mistake and the roses' aroma would have prevented him from attacking and leaving him exposed.
Therefore…he simply limited himself to look at the enemy as he charged.
Seconds passed, and Sinclair's speed was outstanding. More spent, like an invisible clock was above the two fighters.
And then…just as Sinclair was at least 25 centimeters of distance from him…Henry quickly stood up and charged as well with the katana.
"Uh!?" Even if he continued, Sinclair was confused by this.
"JABBERWOCK – FOURTH STYLE – ATARU!" By charging with the same power, Henry was able to break through Sinclair's lance and was able to attack him directly with an outstanding force that hit Sinclair like a truck.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Full of blood, Sinclair flew away a few meters and crashed against the down several times. The impact of the attack was even able to wipe away the roses that were in front of them. Once the enemy was sent away, Henry didn't lose any time and used the katana to cut off the remaining ones. Once he did so, Sinclair fell on the ground with a large thump, unable to move anymore. "A-AH…"
"Anf…anf…anf…" Henry could finally breathe again, as he sheathed the katana on his back. After that, he turned around and walked slowly towards Sinclair.
The hunter's body was full of cuts, and the physical trauma caused by the last attack would have left him unable to move for a while. The only thing he could do was to breathe heavily and look up at his enemy in defeat. "Anf…anf…I…I see. Knowing that you were at a disadvantage…you used your last trick to deliver another powerful strike. A huge risk that you took to defeat me. That was…remarkable." He commented.
"Heh. Well, it was the only thing I could have done to take down such a ferocious opponent as you. Earlier, you said that a crucial point in a duel is who delivers the first shot. But I think even the last one takes its importance. Well, even too much." Henry answered.
For some reason…even if he lost, that answer made him smile. Because in the end…he was satisfied. "Heh. A true cowboy till the end. This was…a really exciting fight. You're pretty damm good." He spoke.
"I could say the same to you. A shame that you were my enemy." The mage of Shogunate Pride answered.
"Like I said…I simply stick with those who resemble me and show the same free spirit as I have." Sinclair replied, remaining firm on his thoughts. "And…your friends better show the same strength as you showed against me. You had a proof with Ecclesias's roses. We of Chimera Tribe never stop at anything. And even if I won't be there…we'll still get that treasure…" These were his last words before closing his eyes.
Henry looked at him in silence for a few seconds as the wind moved his clothes. "He just passed out…" He spoke before turning around. "I'll leave him here. He won't go far for a while, and I don't think the other members of the guild will come and get him any time sooner."
As he walked back toward the entrance of the southern section, he could see that a rose survived its attack. Alone, it wasn't going to do anything, so Henry could grab it. Even if harmless…Henry stared at it worried…since the sense of loss he felt earlier was still present.
"It's absurd how flowers like this almost killed me. These guys of Chimera Tribe surely don't mess around." He thought.
He then kept on staring at the rose for a bit more…in a stare that almost felt…lost…with his eyes off. He didn't know why…but he felt…attracted by it.
"Ngh!" After a few seconds, Henry shook his head and tightened the rose, reducing it to a bunch of petals. "Oh, please…staring at a rose…" He commented.
As far as he wanted to move more, the samurai mage ended up being forced to sit down behind a stall. The damages of the battle were extremely high and he wouldn't have been able to support the other in their battles…at least for the moment.
"Anf…anf…that Sinclair was extremely tough…it usually brings me bad things, but this time…I really got lucky. And he may be right about the last thing he said. I'm sure he and this Ecclesias aren't the only serious members of that guild. And that means…that the others may be in trouble." He commented.
"…Still…" He added with a smile. "I think they'll be able to handle it. No one messes with a samurai after all…" With those words, he simply waited there to recover a bit of his forces. After everything he and Yori did, the southern section of the market would have remained pretty much intact…as the battle moved out to the other sections.
Caelum – Great Akihabara Market – Western section
Cal was sweating hard as he stared at the sudden enemy, who didn't seem willing to let him go. This wasn't the first time he was in a situation like that, but he could see that this guy didn't plan to joke around.
Tsukuyomi and Rere, in the meantime, looked up worried. "Dammit…after that attack it's almost impossible to climb up again…" Tsukuyomi noticed.
"What do we do?" Rere asked her. "At this point, the only thing would be to use a technique, but do you think we should do that?"
Tsukuyomi looked down in concern as she thought of it. "True…on my side, I could use the Eclipse Comet to go up and reach them…" She thought. But right at that moment…
"There's no need to worry about that! Go on without me, I'll stay here and face him on!" Cal exclaimed, willing to stay behind.
"Hm?" Sterling seemed curious by that answer, while the two girls were naturally shocked.
"WHAT!? Are you serious!?" Rere exclaimed.
"I remained on the top of the hill, he won't be able to make any sneak attacks as long as I'm here!" Cal replied, insisting on staying.
"That's not the point, Cal! You saw what he can do! He's surely not like the other mages we've seen so far!" Tsukuyomi told him.
"Even so, we cannot let them destroy the market! Don't you remember what the Master said? We need as much cover as possible while Rokumon and Iori reach out to the central tower. As we speak now, the rest of them are causing more havoc. We can't let them do so! Just go!" Cal protested while keeping on glaring at the enemy, who stood still, looking at the scene interested.
"But…are you sure of it?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Yes, stay calm. And besides…" Cal answered, as his stare started to change into his signature cold and seemingly apathetic one. "This might be the perfect match to put my skills to test."
Even with that glare, Sterling didn't falter or anything and instead, smirked, finding him funny.
Tsukuyomi looked up still in concern, but right at that moment, she could feel Rere's hand on her shoulder, making her turn at the girl.
"Let's go, Tsukuyomi! I have known Cal for a while now, and I can assure you he can handle it! Besides, this isn't the first time you see him in action, right? You know what you can do." The girl assured her with a convinced smile.
Despite being still a bit concerned, Tsukuyomi could see that Rere was sincere, and therefore, she nodded and started to turn around. "Got it. Try to reach us alive!" She said while she and Rere started to run.
"Got it. Leave this to me." Cal simply replied.
As the two girls started to run, Tsukuyomi turned to Rere and spoke. "You know, that was very cute of you Rere! I'm surprised!"
Hearing that comment made the girl blush and start to look around while scratching the back of her head. "W-Well it's not something unusual, I'm always the support when it comes to groups, ehehehehehe..." That line clearly showed up a message that meant 'please appreciate me more'.
And as soon as the two of them were gone, Cal could finally focus fully on his opponent, who still hadn't made a move.
"Sense of sacrifice, huh? I gotta say that's pretty high for someone of your age, but to be fair…" Sterling spoke before making a contorted smile. "It's all wasted breath. Because you just stepped in front of a CHAMPION!" He declared. "And I'm not that certain that your other friends will be able to safeguard that tower. Knowing Apostatìs, it will probably be ashes in a couple of-" Before he could finish the phrase, Cal was already in front of him, ready to attack.
"Instead of blabbering on how you guys are gonna win, you should focus on the attack. Applied Magic: Acceleration!" Without losing any second, Cal promptly attacked Sterling with a direct and heavy attack that caused an impact that raised a bit of dust. The samurai was certain that he laid a blow on him, but for some reason…he could feel his blade making resistance. "What the!?"
And just as the dust faded out, he could see with horror that his enemy didn't move an inch and successfully blocked the sword with his arm. He could also see that the enemy's skin changed, looking now more…rocky.
"Hmmm! Not bad! Applying effects on your little sword there, eh? I'll admit it, it's good." Sterling commented before making a grin. "But now it's my turn!" He then punched Cal directly in the stomach while remaining all rocky.
"BLARGH!" Due to the impact increased by the enemy's essence, Cal spitted blood from his mouth and flew up a few meters. "GH!" Luckily, since he still had all of his energy, he could take his balance back and land on his feet. Still, he felt the pain from the blow and laid his hand on his stomach for some seconds. "GH…what just happened!? Did he change his body!?" He exclaimed.
Sterling took the chance to spread his arm and pridefully show off his body. "Take Over: Materia! Thanks to this wonderful magic I can change the material of my whole body, assuming the look of the most resistant things in the world. I'm simply making sure that sword won't reach me out. Now bring it in kid, Show you if you can face a…CHAMPION!" He shouted out.
Cal gritted his teeth as he assumed a normal composure back. "Take Over…he has the same magic as Sena, but instead of transforming completely he simply changes the material of his body…" He thought. After hearing that, he looked at his sword and thought of something. If one thing was different…he could have had an upper hand. But he quickly shook his head and held the weapon tightly. "No. I can't think of that now. My applied magic still allows me to change the effects of the blade. Whatever material he'll use, I may have the right counterforce to it!" At that moment, he could see that his enemy was already running towards him, wanting to make the first move. Even if he was heavy due to his rocky body, his steps were heavy and meant that if Cal wasn't careful, that blast from before would only have been a preview.
"HERE I COME!" Sterling shouted out.
"WREAAAAAH!" After holding the sword in a different position, Cal dashed as well and attacked, generating a loud shockwave that moved the tents of the stalls below. "NGHHHH!" Cal tried to push through with the blade, but the rock of his enemy proved to be too much even for him. Therefore, Cal jumped back and started to attack the enemy several times with the katana, taking advantage of the fact that he was faster at that moment, and he could have moved around to disorient him.
Sterling could see the technique, and even if it was hard to follow his steps and jumps, Sterling stood still and was able to resist the continued sequence of attacks and answer back with a heavy punch. "Damm, even if it's just a metal stick, that sword sure is resistant!" He commented.
Cal in that moment jumped up and dived against him. "And you still didn't see anything! Applied Magic: Heavy!" The applied magic increased the weight of the sword and crashed down on Sterling like a heavy boulder, releasing even a loud noise.
"Nghh!" Sterling could feel himself sink into the ground due to the pressure the blade was having. But still, his body seemed intact, therefore, he could grab Cal's arm and throw him away. "GOT YA!"
"WOAAAAH!" Cal was caught by surprise and couldn't do anything to answer, and in the end, he crashed his back against a rock and fell. Sterling took the chance to stand up again and look at his opponent with still a smirk on his face.
"G-Gh…this didn't work out as well…" Cal commented. "He's made of rock at this moment, right? Then I may know the right thing to use." As soon as he raised his head, he could see that Sterling was already running towards him.
"Let me show you a proper dive attack executed by a CHAMPION!" Sterling shouted, as he jumped high and attempted to dive-attack Cal with a punch.
The boy from Shogunate Pride accepted the challenge by standing up and promptly answering with his sword. "HAH!"
The two attacks crashed, and this time, Cal didn't falter, making Sterling grit his teeth. "Eheh…guess you're resistant as well. But I'm sure that at this point, you've learned that you can't- UH!?" Sterling was about to demoralize him when he noticed with horror that his arm was starting to freeze out, and the ice was quickly reaching the rest of his body. "Ice!?"
"Applied Magic: Ice! The only way to cut through such a hard rock is to freeze it!" Cal answered before making a slash with his sword that pushed Sterling away.
"AAAAH!" The mage of Chimera Tribe crashed with a large thud. "Nghhh! I can't move! This ice is too thick!" He exclaimed.
Cal took the chance to immediately run and attack him directly with the sword, which was still infused with energy. "TAKE THIS!" For the first time, Cal was able to deliver serious damage to the enemy, who couldn't do much to defend himself since his body was frozen.
"GAH!" Sterling could feel the rock of his body start to shatter fast. He needed to do something quickly, or the battle would have already ended.
After a good number of blows, Cal jumped up and threw four swipes made of cold energy that crashed down on the enemy. Then, at that moment, Cal could hear the ice shatter into pieces, which consumed him. The answer wasn't too late to come, as a silver arm came out and tried to grab him. "AH!" Seeing the danger, Cal jumped back and remained careful, as his enemy stood up in a new material.
Sterling's body was now all of a grey that shined thanks to the sunlight. "This is absurd. A mere kid that forced me to change my body into Steel. One thing is certain though! You won't be able to lay down tricks such as that now!" He exclaimed.
"We'll see about that!" Cal promptly answered before running towards him. Sterling did the same and the two clashed again. "Applied Magic: Shadow!" As soon as he was close, Cal turned his sword into what seemed to be a blade made out of the darkness that answered the enemy's attack with shadow energy.
"Aaaah! What is this!?" Sterling could see some shadow flames getting in his body, making him wave his arm to take them off. Feeling more frustrated, Sterling tried to smash Cal's face with a heavy punch, but just as his fist was a few millimeters from the boy's face, a purple mist surrounded the area, and Sterling could feel his punch hit the air. "UH!?" The mage looked around, noticing that everything was black around him and that he couldn't see much.
"GAH!" He then started to feel shadow attacks directly on his body. Judging by the touch, it was clear that Cal was attacking him with his sword. But even with the knowledge of that, Sterling wasn't in the position of countering, since the boy was unobtainable. "Little bastard! He's using the darkness to blind me and attack me however he pleases! NGAAAAH!" Out of frustration, Sterling started to deliver random punches, hoping that one of them would be able to reach him, but luck didn't seem to stand on his side at the moment, and the swords attacked started to hit him on more sides of the body. "GAH! DAMM YOU MUTT!"
Cal continued to take advantage of that situation and attack him as far as he could. "Applied Magic Combo: Shadow + Lock On." To not make a mistake, He applied two effects of his magic to make sure that his attacks would always hit the enemy.
Sterling continued to receive blow after blow for some more, getting more irritated, but then, he realized something. "Wait…eh eh…True, I almost forgot. Even if you can't see, there is always something else that you can use." He spoke. After saying that, the mage of Chimera Tribe closed his eyes and started to rely more on his ear. Even in all that darkness, Cal's movements could still be heard.
And his deduction was right. Thanks to this, he could sense that the enemy mage would have attacked from behind. And just like that…he took action.
"THERE!" Sterling quickly turned around and grabbed Cal by his neck, starting to strangle him.
"GAH-" Since he got taken, the darkness caused by the shadow faded away, making the area visible again.
"Thought you could win with this easy trick, eh kid!? Well, don't forget that you are dealing with a CHAMPION!" Sterling shouted as he violently smashed Cal against a rock. But he wasn't done there. He started to run fast, making Cal's face rub against other rocks, harming badly his face before slamming him on the ground.
Cal ended up getting stuck between the rocks. But he didn't have time to think of something he widened his eyes as soon as he saw Sterling jumping high, aiming to land directly over Cal while assuming a Buddhist pose.
CRASH!
Once the landing was successful, Sterling moved away to see his opponent end up sinking with the rocks. "Ahahahahah! Surprised yet, pipsqueak? This is what happens when you deal with a CHAMPION!" He exclaimed.
"Gah…" Even if he could feel his body crushed down, Cal was still able to breathe, something that his opponent noticed.
"Oh, your lungs are still working?" He asked.
"T-That word…'champion'…why do you keep saying it?" Cal asked.
By hearing that, Sterling smirked. "Isn't it obvious? Because I was and still am a champion!" He said.
"What do you mean…?" Cal demanded.
"It's simple enough. A long time ago, I was known as 'Sterling the Smasher', a great champion of heavyweight. My incredible body mixed up with this Take Over magic made me unstoppable, and the crowd didn't do anything else but praise me! That is…until that fateful day…when a stupid youngster like you was able to face me straight up and throw me down with his strength! Even if I had a perfect body, his muscles were somehow superior, and he beat me! My title was lost forever, and my reputation as undefeatable was shattered into pieces! I couldn't live up to that! That is…until I met Apostatìs…and his Chimera Tribe guild! Their sense of continuous hunger…and the desire to have a ransom convinced me to join them, and with them…I could finally feel like I could be on top again!" Sterling explained, feeling more excited as he went on.
After hearing that, Cal remained silent for some time.
"Speechless, eh? I couldn't expect less. Those who never felt outdated can't understand how pissed off I am to this very day. But there's still the happy ending with what I'm doing now! I may not be the heavyweight champion anymore, but I can still have my first position! As the strongest hunter in the region! And as such, I and the others can't let someone like a legal guild stop us!" The other mage continued. "But at this point, talking with you isn't something useful. After all, with the next blow, you'll be dead." He then prepared another punch. "You scared me for a moment, but remember this in the spirit realm. You have already lost…if you face a CHAMPION!" After those words, Sterling dashed with the punch, aiming to ultimately smash Cal's head with one last blow, but as soon as he came closer…
SWING!
"UH!?" Sterling was shocked to see that his fist had been blocked by Cal's sword. Even if the boy was sinking to the ground, his arm was free, and was holding the sword tightly.
"Anf…anf…I see." Cal spoke up, as flames started to expand around him, burning down the flames that were dragging him down. "Champion you say? I can't understand? You can't live up to that?" He slowly started to stand up. "Someone that thinks so low of himself and others…wouldn't even earn a trophy made out of stone." He spoke.
"WHAT!?" Sterling shouted as he tried to push up, but he stopped as soon as he saw fire coming out from the sword. "AH! Fire!?"
"If you think like that, then it means only one thing…you never knew defeat. You don't know how it feels to fall …and try to find the strength back to finally win and feel satisfied." Cal continued, remembering even his personal experiences. "Someone who gives up that easily…and tries to find an easy way to step on top over the bodies of other people…a person like that can't be called a champion. It's only an ARROGANT BASTARD!" With those last words, he pushed away Sterling's punch and was able to make him recoil with a burning slash on his belly.
"AAAH! T-THIS IS REAL FIRE, DAMMIT!" Sterling shouted, as he saw the flames on his body.
Cal, on the other hand, looked up to him with a flaming blade, ready to strike him down.
"I never knew defeat, you say!? That's true! Because I am a CHAMPION! And I'm taking back my reputation, no matter what!" Sterling exclaimed.
"What you say is straight-up stupid! Someone needs to teach you how to get off your high horse!" Cal retorted.
The two mages glared at each other and then started to run. Sterling could count on his strength powered up by the steel of his body, and his punches were once again effective as soon as they clashed with Cal, giving the boy serious wounds.
But even with this, Cal tried to stand up this time as his mouth was getting full of blood. He knew how to deal with him as well. All that was needed to get through that armor of steel was a simple combination.
"Applied Magic: Fire + Speed!" By delivering several blows with his sword at a fast pace, Cal was able to slash Sterling's body several times. Even with his strength, Sterling couldn't keep up with his movements and once again, got hit several times by that tongue of fire. It was almost like Cal was making a coordinated dance with precise movements that struck through his body.
Sterling was forced to recoil and breathe. But he couldn't and didn't want to waste more time to regain air. "No…If you think I'll let myself get beaten up by a kid again, then you're dead wro- AH!" He was going to protest the current situation when he was horrified by something he saw: the steel of his body was starting to go down and turn liquid due to the flames of Cal's attacks. "AAAAAAH! I'M MELTING!"
"What did you expect to happen? The best way to get rid of steel is by using pure and concrete flames. It is the same technique used to forge swords just like this and trust me, I know something of it! Just as I know that this will bring you down!" Cal shouted before running towards him with the swords.
Having enough of him, Sterling tried to slam him on the ground with a heavy fist, but to his horror, Cal lowered in time and attacked him straight with a slash that released an explosion of fire.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The result was that Sterling got involved in the explosion from a close distance and flew away by a few centimeters, falling from the hill.
Cal could take a moment to breathe and looked down. Even if he saw his opponent falling, he wasn't completely sure that the battle was over, and as such, he kept on holding his sword tightly and looked down with his usual serious stare.
Unfortunately for him, he could feel the earth tremble for a moment from the hill, making him stagger. "Ah!" After that, he saw something big jumping up and landing with a loud impact. And just as he thought…Sterling was still there.
The big man was full of cuts and bleeding badly, but he still had enough hate to stand up and glare at the enemy. "Now you've done it, little bastard…first you mock me saying that my wish to get back my throne is nonsense and then you reduce my body to some sort of…melted lasagna! No one has ever dared to push me this far, not even the guy who deprived me of my title! Listen up, kid…I usually am a chill guy that doesn't have a problem getting hit…but if you dare to piss me off and force me to be serious, you don't have any idea how bad it's going to be for you. Well…you have reached that point. And now you'll have to pay the consequences." He warned.
"Do I look scared to you? The only thing that can convince me is my defeat." Cal promptly answered.
That answer made Sterling laugh. "Eheh…you say this…but let's see if you'll stick to your words after you felt THIS on your skin!" With those words, Sterling used his magic to change body material once again. This time, the light seemed brighter and once it faded away, his body seemed to shine like a brilliant white diamond, but a certain…thickness could be seen with his eyes. "Take Over: Materia – Diamond!"
Cal flinched for a second at the sight of this form, but he tried to keep his composure down so that he could attack smoothly. As soon as his enemy finished the transformation, he threw himself with his sword infused with his magic. "Applied Magic Combo: Fire + Strength!" As he did before, he fused two of his skills to have a better chance to destroy the enemy's material, hoping that it could have melted like before. But as soon as he clashed the sword against him…
TING!
Even if it was covered in flames and powered up, the sword stopped itself as soon as it touched his body, making the same sound as a triangle instrument and making Cal's whole body tremble. "Agh! W-What the!?"
"Whoops! It didn't work! Try again!" Sterling sarcastically told him.
That phrase made Cal annoyed and he immediately tried to attack him several times, mashing up several elements and abilities hoping to make even a small crack, but Sterling's body remained the same. "D-Dammit! It's not working!" He exclaimed before getting grabbed by the enemy.
"It's only natural idiot! There's a reason why every miner would give his life to take even the smallest piece of a diamond! Apart from its outstanding value, it is the strongest and most resistant mineral in the whole world! Not even things such as emerald and gold reach their resistance! Try every combination you can with your magic, this body will remain unscarred, a fitting one for a CHAMPION!" With those words, Sterling threw up Cal a few inches and then threw him away with a punch on the belly.
Cal could feel a terrible pain as the thick essence of the diamond hurt his body before getting thrown away a rock. "AGH!" He was starting to get wounded severely, but he still needed to stand up. With all the air he could breathe, he tried a different combination. "Applied Magic Combo: Fire and Lightning!" This fusion made its sword release several red lightning that followed his sword. "HAAAAAAH!" As soon as he jumped, He started to attack several times and each blow was followed by red lightning that caused a small explosion. Even if he was forced to recoil and got pushed away, Sterling's body remained the same, and he started to counter the attacks with a heavy fist.
What followed was a clash of blows that brought the two of them to the same level, but in reality, one side had the upper hand. The red lightning that followed Cal's blows ran over the whole area, making large cracks in the rocks, showing the energy that Cal was using.
"Come on! I'm at his speed! There has to be a way!" He thought.
"Are you deaf or what!? I TOLD YOU THAT IT'S USELESS!" Sterling shouted before stopping the samurai with a palm attack that slammed Cal's face.
"GAH!" The violence of that attack made Cal lose a lot of blood and forced him to recoil. When he raised his head, he could see that Sterling spread up his fists with a smirk.
"This is the end. SPINNING JABBER ATTACK!" Sterling started to rotate faster and faster to the point of becoming a white spinner that ran against Cal."
"AH!" Cal tried his best to defend himself with his sword, but after a couple of seconds, he ended up getting dragged in the rumble, receiving blow after blow. "A-Absurd! He can move this fast even with such a body!?" He thought before getting thrown away by the barrage.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" This time, the impact was greater and threw Cal against a taller rock. The impact of his back made the rock form several cracks before the boy fell to the ground. He had his face downwards, with blood coming out from below him, and he had difficulties in breathing.
Seeing the effects of his attack, Sterling stopped rotating and looked satisfied at the result. "How's that? Will you now stop moving around like a monkey?" He asked before coming closer. "…Eheh. At this point, he's not able to move." He commented.
But even in those conditions…Cal's body could still tremble due to the effort he was making to stand up. However this time…it was surely hard.
"Gh…I feel a terrible sense of nausea…and I think I'm on the verge of fainting out. But I can't quit yet…this battle against them is only at the beginning…and after everything, I said earlier…if I lose here, I couldn't look at Tsukuyomi and Rere's faces again. Have I made a mistake in refusing their help? Dammit…and to think that I almost had him. B-But…what can I do?" This was his thought.
"His current shell is extremely resistant. Not even the elements of my swords can harm him at this point…and his blows are devastating. It looks like…the perfect offense…and the perfect defense…and at the moment, I don't have something that can counter it…" He thought. Due to the situation, Cal ended up thinking obsessively about the last word.
"Counter…counter…counter…..Ah!"
Suddenly…a flash…something that came to his mind at the right moment. A thought, a memory…maybe a key that could have gotten him out of that situation. And it came out thanks to that word.
"What…what did Yori-Shishou say…that day?"
Suddenly…his mind thought back to a memory of the past. When Yori told him a strange, yet curious story."
"Once upon a time, there was a traveler that stumbled upon an old merchant. This man offered him two weapons that were completely different, yet extremely effective at the same time: a lance so powerful that could have pierced through every defense, and a shield so resistant that could have blocked every attack. Now, Cal. If I were to ask you…which one would be stronger or useful…what would you answer?"
"Hmm…that seems like a complex riddle. Judging by what you said, they both seem extremely effective. So…I don't know how to answer."
"There is an answer for that. Want to know it?"
"Eheh…yeah, I quit."
"Both…and none at the same time. There is no advantage between one and another because, in the end, they have the same effect…and as a consequence…they can nullify each other. Whenever you're in a dilemma…try to think of this."
Everything was now clear. Thanks to that simple riddle…and that memory…he knew what to do, as he widened his eyes from the ground. "They…nullify each other. Of course…" He thought. With a new plan and a new resolution set in mind, he started to stand up, even if with a bit of trouble.
"Are you kidding me!? Just how persistent can you be!? What's the point of standing up again? You saw that you couldn't harm me! You're throwing yourself to suicide here!" Sterling exclaimed.
"N-No…that's wrong. Because…" Cal answered before glaring at him straight in the eyes. "I have it now. The trump card to defeat you!" With those words, he threw himself towards him, trying to do what seemed to be a headbutt in Sterling's chest.
The mage from Chimera Tribe saw it as a hilarious and stupid attempt. "AHAHAHAH! Did the blood loss make you lose your mind as well? Or are you that desperate? If you want to die so badly, I'll be glad to assist you!" He exclaimed while throwing a punch from behind aimed at Cal.
"Now!" Seeing the perfect chance, Cal lowered his head, and while he took some damage for the punch…he got what he wanted.
CRACK!
Sterling smirked, as he thought that he killed his enemy for good. But he widened both his eyes and his mouth in horror, as soon as he witnessed the truth. "W-Wha…!?"
A large crack was growing bigger and bigger in his chest, starting to shatter the diamond badly. "M-MY DIAMOND SHELL! HOW DID IT HAPPEN!? AH!?" He was bewildered to see this thing happen, but he simply looked down and could see a terrible thing.
Cal was already down…and he ended up attacking himself with the punch. "I-I DID SO!?"
The mage of Shogunate Pride took the chance to stand up again and look at him. "The perfect lance and the perfect shield that nullifies each other." He spoke.
"What!?" Sterling exclaimed.
"What you said earlier is right, I wasn't in the conditions to destroy that body of yours. The only one who could have done something like this at the moment…was yourself. I just made it possible, there are no tricks." He spoke.
Sterling was horrified once he realized what he had done. "D-Don't tell me! You threw yourself on purpose right now!? It wasn't to give me a headbutt! You were planning to make my fist attack my own body!?" He exclaimed.
"That's right. If I moved a moment later, you would have probably killed me. I just needed to wait for the perfect moment to make this coincidence…and now that there is a crack in your armor…All I need to do is make it worse so that you can fall!" Cal answered.
Sterling's rage was at his highest. Just as he thought that he won, that boy humiliated him once again by making him fall into a simple trick. He couldn't accept it. He needed to behead him immediately. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! SPINNING-" He was at the point of using the attack from before again, but before he could start to rotate, he could feel his legs and arms getting frozen. "Oh no! The Ice!" He then saw that his enemy was ready to throw his attack.
Now that he was unable to move, Cal took this last chance to do his best and take him down. The sword was already infused with cold and clear blue energy, as he aimed at the fracture he made him open. "Someone who only thinks of standing at the top with an easy way, without noticing the people that would have supported him even if he lost his title and not caring about the damages he would have brought to people that weren't involved…that is not a person I can call a champion. That type of person has only one name! TRASH!" With that statement, he started to attack relentlessly with a barrage of sword attacks. "APPLIED MAGIC COMBO: ICE + ENHANCE!" By freezing the fracture to make the shell more vulnerable and by increasing the capacity of his blade, Cal attacked with fury and managed to crack up the entire diamond body of his enemy, to the point of nullifying his Take Over magic.
"GAH!" Frightened and horrified, Sterling saw as his body turned back to normal as well and Cal was ready to deliver the final blow.
"BON VOYAGE, FATASS!" With that last word, Cal released an ultimate cut that left even a cold energy trail that blasted Sterling away.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" As he flew away, the mage became smaller and smaller until he could be seen as a small star.
"Gh…Gah! Anf…anf….anf…" The battle was finally over, and Cal could take time for himself to recover his energy. He was pretty messed up due to all the attacks he received...but he was still there. "M-Maybe I pushed too much this time…anf…for a moment I thought he could have destroyed my head." He commented. He then looked at his body, noticing that it was messed up. "I-In these conditions…I can't do much at the moment…" He spoke before slowly standing up and descending from the hill. "Forgive me, Tsukuyomi…Rere. I thought that I could have finished this with still some energy. But I'm too much exhausted after this. The least I can do…is help with the bandits that are passing by until I have enough energy to go into a serious battle again."
He then started to look around. "And for now…it would be better If I search for some stall that sells medical stuff…I would…really need it." He commented. And then…as he looked around, he saw something that caught his attention. "Uh?"
A petal was flying by…and at the same moment…what seemed to be red roses started to appear. An unusual and sudden scenario. The samurai came closer to give a better look.
"Roses? On a ground like this?" He asked. He tried to touch one…but as soon as he noticed something alarming, he instead took the blade and cut the roses into a rain of petals. "Dammit! These are poisonous roses!" He exclaimed before looking up. "There's no doubt. This is the attack from another mage…are they trying to cover the whole area and kill us this way?" As he wondered this, he started to run. Even if his body was weakened, he had to do so and make sure that the aroma of those plants wouldn't have reached the others before they could have battled properly.
"This means that they don't have only regular bandits. Apart from their leader and Sterling, there are other people who reach our level! I need to hurry!" He thought, realizing that this battle was becoming indeed a race against time.
And his fears of not being the only one having this encounter could only grow.
The havoc and the rumbles continued to rise at the Great Akihabara Market. While two of the main mages of Chimera Tribe were defeated, their charge didn't slow down. Apostatìs was getting closer to the main tower, and Ecclesias's roses would have made things more difficult for those of Shogunate Pride.
The samurais needed to sharpen their senses if they wanted to push the situation on their side. The battle was still active.
While Tsukuyomi and Rere kept on running around, Domino split up from the others and started to make a road out of the bandits that tried to attack her and the roses that started to appear around her as well.
"Dammit! Where did these roses come from!? I need to reach the bottom of this situation before they reach the central tower!" With those words, she resumed her run, hoping to find answers.
"TSEAH!" Fern did the same in another part of the market, taking down bandits with his weapon: A large medieval flail. He then wiped his forehead. "Phew…even if they're weak enough, they're growing in number. If there are so many, I need to hurry and clear the roads from these guys!" He said before resuming the run as well.
But little did he know…that there was something that followed him. What seemed to be…
An ant?
And we're done! I feared that this chapter would become either too long or too short due to the presence of two fights in it, but in the end, it came up pretty balanced and I was overall able to put up everything that I wanted to put (Wow, this is a record for me XD)! As you can see, apart from the first scenes, the next few chapters will mostly focus on the battles between the characters and these first villains, as you'll be able to see the powers of everyone. This being said, I also hope that I'll be able to show different action scenes. Fairy Tail usually shows up in other frenetic action scenes apart from the main battles, and I hope that I can be able to replicate that same sense with this story while also trying to do something different. And naturally, I tried to not push too much on the 'power of friendship' trope like the original series. It will be there, considering that it's a thing I like as well, but naturally, I'll try to not overuse it like Mashima usually does in his story (Please do not make the same mistake in Dead Rock as well!)
But naturally, I leave the final word to you! Did you like the chapter? What was your opinion of the two fights seen in this chapter? Which moment excited you the most? And what do you expect from the rest of the clash between Shogunate Pride and Chimera Tribe? Let me know with a review! Your opinion is always important!
I hope that the next chapter will come out in better condition because recently my laptop got damaged in the display and I'm currently using my father's one to work at the moment. Let's all cross our fingers hopefully! Still, as long as I can work, there won't be many problems (I think).
Once again, I thank you for reading this chapter and for the support you guys are showing! And for that news, if you want to dig more into the story and have more fun, jump into the discord server of the story where we can become nonsense in five seconds! The code is in my profile, and if it doesn't work let me know.
We shall see you either in the next chapter or the next chapter of another story of mine! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!