Shogunate Pride

by Bluestar076

In the region of Caelum, miles away from the guild of Fairy Tail, there's a special guild made of samurais that is always ready to dive into new adventures to save their region from supernatural threats by clashing their weapons. This is their story, as a girl that controls both light and darkness joins them (SYOC Closed.)

24. Pain inside One Eye

Shogunate Pride Chapter 22: Pain Inside One Eye

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! Hoping it won't take that long this time, we continue right from where we interrupted last time with an action-packed chapter and a serious fight with one of the members of the Crow Clan just like in Chapter 20. Can you guess who? To find out, I'd say we could start right away with the chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and CloverWorks.

---

Chapter 22: Pain Inside One Eye

15 years earlier…

Ever since she saw that flashing figure in her eyes…the crimson blood, just like her eyes…the bodies that didn't move anymore…and what happened afterward…Joy didn't expect too much of her life. For her…there was nothing more to follow up on.

Her life wasn't hers anymore, after all. All she needed to do was follow orders…and she would have been assured to live on for another day. Or at least…that's what her leader told her when she was brought upon the Crow Clan.

An enigmatic, pale, and mysterious figure. Joy never knew what to think about him. Yet he was the one who supported her. He gave her food, dresses…and a cause to live for.

"You're a ninja of the Crow Clan, a feathered bird that always lures for misfortune and ready to feast on everything they see fit. Don't let anyone step over you. Never show mercy or compassion. Always strike down your foes…and show them that you are the honored one…the winner…and the one who shall consume their flesh."

"But why should I do something like that? It…doesn't seem a good thing…"

"Why, yes, it is. It is our destiny…some people have more priority than others…and we are among the privileged ones. It's our right to wish for more and…even take from others to feel satisfied, whether it's food, money…or anything else. Even taking others' lives."

"Will I be safe if I do so? Will I be a good girl?"

"But of course! Even better…I have a big dream I want to share with every one of you. A dream where you'll always live happily without fearing the consequences of your actions…or even death. I want to create a future where your lives will go on forever…where you'll be immortal!"

"Immortal? Is it possible?"

"We live in a world ruled by magic…nothing can be considered impossible. And a certain creature left us his proof with his remnants."

"I'll become immortal too, then?"

"Exactly. You won't have to undergo the same misfortune that was brought upon your family. You'll live freely and without fearing elderly or fatal wounds. All you have to do…is to keep on showing your fierce strength…and follow my orders."

"…Are you…are you sure it will work?"

"Yes, my dear, it will. You just need to…smile and nod."

Joy didn't have any other figures to rely on. The Crow Clan leader, Yoshimatsu…was the only figure he could follow after. That 'smile and nod' philosophy, the idea that she could take everything she wanted because she was privileged…it was the only lifestyle she could have.

So as time went on…she adopted it and convinced herself that it wasn't a bad idea after all. She grew up being relentless and merciless towards every one of her opponents and told herself that it was all ok. Her leader told her so, so there was no reason to doubt it. Although…a part of her always tried to not do the job fully.

There was still a glimmer of her that felt…uncomfortable with that. But she couldn't show it. Her leader wanted her to be strong…and show no mercy, or else…she would have gone to a cruel fate and maybe…join her parents sooner than expected.

All that she needed was to smile and nod, even if it meant her leader tampering with her body like…doing something to her eyes.

---

Present day…

Caelum – Fujin Island – Top of Mount Yasahime

Shogunate Pride wasn't new at sneak attacks ever since it was founded. As a guild of Samurais, they were ready for every type of assault. But even so, every time, it always happened whenever they least expected it.

Ren's wound wasn't fatal, as he got to stand up again despite that, but the tension in the air surely had increased when the three ninjas appeared, especially considering that the mages just come out from a battle.

"You'd better be…because we're going to start a dance here. A dance of pain." Joy warned with a grin before sighing. "Of course…that is unless you willingly give us the bone of Jaquio. In that case, we would be more than happy to avoid this."

"C-CUT THE CRAP!" Hitori tried to protest despite her conditions. "T-There's no way in hell I'd give it to the likes of you- GAH!" Still, she couldn't stand up properly.

"Stay down. As we said, we'll handle this." Rokumon told her.

"Are you sure, mage?" Quetzalcoatl then asked. "Judging by the havoc that had been caused here, I assume that you just came out of a battle with the fox, implying that you had to use some energy."

All the mages widened their eyes in distrust.

"He…he already knows!?" Fern exclaimed.

"Is that so?" Nyx asked before creating a gun with her ninpo and pointing at her. "Then there's nothing else to add or to be done. The choice is entirely up to you, samurais. Either you give us the bone of your own will, or…we'll take it by force by making a hole in your skulls." She added with an ominous tone.

"Wait, Nyx. Let me handle them. I'll smash them in no minute, as I did with the imperial guards. I'd be left with a bitter taste in my mouth if I were to clear the mission without pummeling something worthy!" Quetzalcoatl protested.

The small scene caused a giggle from Joy. "Come now! There's no need to argue right when we're a step closer to the target!" She said before raising her eyepatch. "I'd say that there's plenty of space for everyone, considering that there's four of them. We'll simply split them into even parts."

Nobuhito immediately noticed the particularity of the eye. "Is that a star-shaped eye? Like Hoshiko's?" He wondered.

"Does that mean that she's from the Star Clan as well?" Rokumon wondered.

Fern, on the other hand, was already starting to sweat. "I'm afraid that we don't have the time to wonder about that. The important question now is…do you feel ready to fight?" He asked.

"We've indeed expended a lot of energy and magic to fight against Hitori, but there's no reason why we should step back right now that we have the right enemies," Rokumon answered.

"I second that. And besides, I've been in worse situations than this, like with that Mania guy a few weeks ago. This is nothing!" Ren added.

"Then I'd say there's nothing more to add! How about we start the revenge for our little friend? Although…there is indeed the problem that we may be weaker than expected…not that I want to be pessimistic!" Nobuhito said.

Hitori couldn't help but look down in shame. It was her fault that they ended up using some force.

"Awww, look at them! Trying to be solid figures, just like every good samurai should be!" Joy nodded before making a cold expression. "That's what I hate about them. You never cooperate."

"Let's cut down the dialogue. Say goodbye." Eager to finish, Nyx shot a beam right from the revolver that she was holding, while her colleague Joy shot one directly from the star eye.

"HMMMM!" Even Quetzalcoatl didn't wait any further second and dashed directly at the four samurais, who got ready to answer.

"HERE THEY COME!" Fern warned.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE!?" Hitori cried out, closing her eyes to not see.

Maybe they would have gotten the energy to answer three attacks coming from three major members of the Crow Clan, but it would have surely been a hard task.

Luckily for them, they made a single mistake when they landed on the island.

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" A voice suddenly screamed before a burst of wind nullified the ninjas' attacks and pushed Quetzalcoatl back.

"NGH!" Not expecting that, the hitman from the clan recoiled a bit, but still without getting blown away.

"What!?" Both Joy and Nyx exclaimed.

"Wind-?" Rokumon wondered instead. And just as the storm ended, a particular potion rained upon the samurais, making them recover their strengths.

"This is…a mega-elixir!" Nobuhito said as he looked at himself, feeling better.

Ren even made some jumps. "Oh yeah! I'm totally in!"

"But who did this? The only one I'm thinking is…" Fern's guess was right, as the samurais and Hitori saw a ninja with cat ears landed on her feet in front of them.

"As long as I'm here, you won't pummel my lady's guildmates!" Sakura exclaimed with a resolute stare.

"Sakura, you're here!" Nobuhito exclaimed, happy. "How did you come here so fast?" He then asked. But the reaction he got wasn't what he expected.

Sakura turned around at them with the most furious expression ever and released a stunning shriek. "DO YOU EVEN HAVE THE COURAGE TO ASK THAT, YOU MORONS!?"

"EEEEEEEEECK! W-What did we do!?" Ren exclaimed.

"YOU WENT ON FOR THE ISLAND WITHOUT WAKING ME UP AND LEFT ME ON THE SHIP! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"

…

An awkward silence followed, with the four mages of Shogunate Pride trying to look elsewhere.

"Did…that happen?" Fern asked.

"Uuuuh I don't know?" Rokumon replied, trying to act ignorant.

"…And then they called me dumb?" Hitori wondered with a dull face.

"STOP ACTING SMARTASS! Anyway, as soon as I saw explosions from the top of the mountain, I made my road up here. We'll talk about your punishment later! We have more important issues to talk about!" Sakura then explained, still annoyed.

"PUNISHMENT!?" Naturally, the samurais didn't like those words, as the ninjas of the Crow Clan looked at the scene…confused.

"W-What's with them?" Nyx wondered.

"More importantly, who's that ninja that interfered!?" Quetzalcoatl exclaimed, feeling a bit annoyed.

"I think…they're the cats that help the ninja from the Star Clan. Tekina told us a bit about it. Which means…" Joy explained before grinning. "That if we take her down for good, we may as well land a hard hit on her."

"HEY! You assholes had caused already enough traumas to my lady! I won't allow you to go any further with this!" Sakura exclaimed. "Let's see if you keep on being that confident now that there's five of us!"

"You seem to be more ignorant than we thought. But I guess I shouldn't expect more from a Celestial Spirit." Nyx countered while preparing her revolver.

"When it comes to the Crow Clan…a number isn't relevant," Quetzalcoatl added.

"What matters…is the bodies that we leave behind with our ninpo. Even if you've regained your forces…we can still say the last word." Joy concluded.

On the other side, the samurais could say to be ready for real this time.

"Ok…Rokumon, follow me on taking the giant man there. Nobu, Ren, and Sakura, you take care of the girls." Fern suggested.

"Got it!" Everyone else agreed.

"It's time to make progress! LET'S GO!" Nobuhito exclaimed.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" As soon as he said it, everyone from both sides jumped out and started several clashes that caused several piles of dust around the top.

Hitori was left behind, trying to stand up and look at the battles. "I…I can't stay here. I need to find a way to…help them!" She said, with still some determination. And by chance, looking around…

She saw a drop of the mega-elixir that Sakura brought.

"They're strange…but I still need to make my amends with them!"

---

The rocks started to crumble down and cracks started to form throughout Yasahime mountain as the bigger members of both small groups went after each other.

"HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Quetzalcoatl released all of his fury as he defended himself from Fern and Rokumon's attacks and counterattack, forcing the two samurais to protect themselves with pressure. His fists were direct and violent.

"AH, DAMMIT!" Fern moved his head away from one of his fists at the last moment, making it slightly touch him and make his front bleed a little.

"KH-" Rokumon on the other hand was pushed away from Quetzalcotal's kick and recoiled a bit, leaving a small trail of dirt at his feet. "His blows are direct and powerful. This guy here not only is proficient at martial arts…he's a born killer!"

"As if that big body he has wasn't enough!" Fern added, complaining a bit.

Quetzalcoatl on the other hand, spread his arm and enlarged his chest, showing a fighting spirit. "Are you surprised? I'm the executioner of the Crow Clan! I'm the man that Lord Yoshimatsu calls upon the most to take care of unpleasant people. I've tempered myself throughout the years with my original clan to make sure to have the perfect body! The only missing ingredient is immortality, which will be soon upon us!"

"Then I think you'll be pretty much self-deluded as soon you and the rest of your clan will fail!" Fern retorted.

"If you're a martial artist then you should know that your arts are enough to satisfy your soul. Immortality is just a pot that you cannot fill!" Rokumon added.

"Who said that I was like the rest? I keep on fighting, fighting the best warriors and mages out there, and yet…I can't feel satisfied. Why stop with what I have if I can have more? You'll soon be proof of that, as soon as I pummel your bodies as well!"

"So we have a gluttonous fighter who cannot be reasoned with? Then I guess that there's no reason why we should limit ourselves! Fine, you asked for it! HAVE AT YOU!" Feeling a bit annoyed by his motivations, Fern started to spin with the medieval flail and then threw it at the enemy several times.

Quetzalcoatl answered properly by sending the ball back with his fists, which released powerful shockwaves. Some blows from the flail were able to reach directly his skin, but a shocking issue that made the S-Class Mage from Shogunate Pride sweat was that the enemy's body wasn't bleeding or at least showing off signs of wounds.

"What's the meaning of this!? Even with a body like that, no regular human being should come out unharmed with a spiked ball!" Fern thought.

"Is this everything you can do, SAMURAI!?" Quetzalcoatl asked.

That question could only enrage the Lion Heart mage even further, who tried to envelop Quetzalcoatl in a whirlwind of flail attacks. "DARN YOU!"

Soon enough, the executioner of the Crow Clan got hit after hit causing a large pile of dust…which soon faded out with his dashing toward the target.

"WHAT!?" Fern exclaimed as he could see Quetzalcoatl going closer to him. He could tell that he could have been close to death if Rokumon hadn't intervened and stopped the enemy from the Crow Clan at the last moment by clashing his Odachi sword with the fist at the last moment.

"Don't let frustration take over you, Fern! Or else he'll take advantage of it!" Rokumon warned his friend before trying to swarm the enemy with a fast sequence of sword attacks, noticing that even his blade couldn't damage the enemy's body in any way. "Still…how come our attacks aren't working!? Is that body actually an armor?"

"You can swing your blade as long as you want, no weapon can pierce through this body!" After letting himself get attacked for a bit, he answered with a heavy punch at Rokumon's liver.

"BLARGH!" Rokumon surely didn't expect the violence of that time, even if he had already recovered through the mega-elixir. But that was only the beginning.

"ROKUMON- AGH!" Fern tried to get closer to help him, but both he and Rokumon ended up getting grabbed by the head by Quetzalcoatl, who made them smash against each other before throwing them away with a violent knee attack at the head, which made them crash against some rocks. The two strong samurais stood up with their bodies already trembling from the physical trauma.

"D-Dammit…what the hell is that thing? Is he even human!?" Fern exclaimed.

"This strength…that resistance...they must be linked in a way…we just need to find out…" Rokumon added while preparing his sword.

Quetzalcoatl, on the other hand, was approaching them by making slow but loud steps, wanting to enjoy every moment of the battle. "Come now. Don't tell me that you're already done. The other mages that tried to battle against me in the past at least endured more. Is this really the best one of the most renowned guilds of Caelum can do?"

That…made erupt lightning in both Rokumon and Fern, who started to stand up furiously. Fern, in particular, was already summoning several golden circles behind him, while Rokumon engulfed his whole body in flames.

"That's where you poured the last straw for us. I can get it if you insult just the two of us. But our guild had been a military sanctuary that protected this region for over a century, AND I WON'T LET YOU SPIT ON ITS NAME!" Fern exclaimed.

Quetzalcoatl raised an eyebrow at the golden portals behind the mage. "What about those?"

"THAT'S THE PRICE YOU'LL PAY! War Devil's Secret Technique – RAIN OF A THOUSAND BLADES!" Fern didn't lose any time and threw down the rain of weapons at the executioner.

This somehow made the ninja widen his eyes and start to move around to dodge the blade, which was chasing him relentlessly. He was able to deflect some of them with his bare fists, but some of them inevitably stabbed him in some parts of the body like the shoulders and the breastplate. "NGH!"

"This attack worked?" Fern immediately noticed it, as he saw that it was working.

Still, despite the wounds, Quetzalcoatl had plenty of stamina to consume. So even if a literal rain of blades was falling upon him, he charged directly for the enemy, making himself a road in the attack. Every step made a hole in the mountain, and while some blades got stuck in his body, he was able to throw away some of them, as he got closer and closer.

"There! That is the type of power that I wanted to see! BUT EVEN THIS WON'T BE ENOUGH TO LIMIT MY MOVEMENTS!" The executioner shouted. After a while, he got in front of Fern, who was looking at him with menacing eyes. "YOU STILL HAVE A LOT OF ROAD TO MAKE!"

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Rokumon was already in front of him and attacked him with the hilt of the sword.

"GH-"

"Tyrant Rave!" Rokumon didn't lose any time and unleashed a fire explosion from the impact caused by the hilt, which wiped away Quetzalcoatl, throwing him with violence against a wall.

"AAAAH!"

"KEEP FIRING ROKUMON!" Seeing how the enemy started to fall over their attacks, Fern kept on throwing swords from the portal.

Naturally, Rokumon followed the order and already unleashed a large tongue of fire against the point where Quetzalcoatl crashed. "Infernal Destiny!"

The flame and the swords fell relentlessly on the spot, causing explosion after explosion.

"AS LONG AS I, FERN GULLY, AM HERE! NO ONE WILL DISRESPECT THE NAME OF SHOGUNATE PRIDE!"

BOOOOM!

The explosions converged into a larger one that left a huge pile of smoke. After the devastating attacks, Rokumon and Fern could finally catch their breath.

"Anf…thank God…you think we got him?" Fern asked his guildmate.

"I don't know, but I'm certain that left off some serious damage on him," Rokumon commented. "He asked for violence and that's what he got."

A few moments of silence occurred. The two samurais expected Quetzalcoatl to come out at least a bit injured. But what happened next was something they could never expect.

Dong…

With a resonating sound, the two saw the symbol of the Yin and Yang appear in the spot where Quetzalcoatl crashed.

"Huh!?"

Then, a silhouette started to come out from the smoke. Rokumon and Fern could easily realize that it was Quetzalcoatl, still alive, but something was different…and such difference could be seen as clear as the sun as soon as 'he' came out.

Quetzalcoatl resurfaced, with indeed some scars from the attacks but his features were now more…feminine?

"What the…?" Rokumon asked, confused, while Fern became more stunned.

"DID HE JUST BECOME A WOMAN!?"

And it was indeed, like that. Quetzalcoatl's body muted. While remaining the same, the physical changed into the opposite gender.

"I'll give you some credit for the performance you just gave. Sometimes I forget how important one's home and origin can be. I suppose I'll never know of it after I've destroyed mine." Quetzalcoatl started to speak. Even his voice clearly changed to a feminine one.

"He destroyed his own home-!?" Rokumon thought.

"I may have underestimated you, I'll admit it. No wonder how Tekina was taken aback by the likes of you. And since you don't intend to go down that easily…I'll be forced to take upon my main asset to take you down and the rest of you." Quetzalcoatl continued, as he assumed a Buddhist pose. The two mages of Shogunate Pride could see that by doing so, his aura started to resonate and surround the mountain.

"Is that…chakra!?" Fern exclaimed.

"He's preparing a massive attack! We must stop him…her before she becomes even more dangerous!" Rokumon warned, surrounding his body in flames.

Fern also realized the danger he was becoming, and immediately used the War Devil Summoning to summon a magic sword in his hands. "Agreed! TAKE THIS! War Devil's Summoning!"

"Longinus!" Rokumon, on the other hand, made a spiral of flames while dashing against the enemy.

Despite the two upcoming attacks, Quetzalcoatl didn't stop her chant and meditation, which became stronger.

"Khan." With a simple kanji, her aura spread, contrasting with the two attacks, putting them into a stall.

"NGHHH! W-WHAT!?" Fern tried to push forward but found himself blocked while surrounded by strange magic.

"Is…Is his chakra interfering with our ethernano!?" Rokumon added.

While the two mages stood in disbelief, Quetzalcoatl opened her eyes, which shone. "Tenbin no ninpō -kurishuna no yobigoe." As soon as she pronounced the spell, the resonance emitted by her aura directly attacked the two mages, pushing them away and making them crash to the ground.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" The thud was loud and painful, with the two mages trying to stand on their knees.

"This…is even worse than we could ever expect…now we even have to deal with THIS shit!" Fern exclaimed.

"A-An enemy that somehow finds an answer to both physical attacks and magic ones…they're just the perfect mage killers! No wonder he…she's the executor of the Crow Clan…"

Quetzalcoatl, on the other hand, kept on focusing on her chakra. "I'm sure that you, as samurais, know well that a warrior's whole being is based on three elements: body, mind, and spirit. And to make one invincible…there must be harmony between them…and make sure that each element is guarded by another…finding keys over keys to deal with every type of blow. Such…is the basis of my element: The Balance Ninpo."

"Balance…Ninpo!? So, you still are a ninja!" Rokumon answered. "A ninja that trained over the ways of a monk…"

"Correct. This means that…no matter what way you may find, I'll always have the key to counter it. Such is the fallacious simplicity of legal mages." Quetzalcoatl continued.

Fern stood up again. "The more you keep talking, the more you're pissing me off. You can find all those keys to our blows as you want…but I don't know if you're aware…" He said as he swung his medieval flail.

"That it's better if you think twice before you enrage a samurai!" Rokumon added, making his sword engulfed by flames. "Let's go, Fern!"

Without hesitation, the two of them dashed against Quetzalcoatl. True, they had given evidence of being an extremely powerful enemy, but there was a limit to how they could mock them.

There was no way the two samurais would have let that slip.

In the meantime, the other two samurais, followed by the cat celestial spirit, were able to push the two hitwomen away from the top. Even if the situation didn't seem to be totally to their advantage.

Joy's star eye was already glowing, as she pointed at the two samurais with two fingers. "Aim at the limbs." She said to her friend.

After nodding, Nyx made ninja gestures with her hands. "Kayaku ninpō – Reflex Bullets." By doing so, she summoned a special revolver that shot several bullets that started to change direction in mid-air, as if they were jumping from one surface to another.

Seeing that danger, both Nobuhito and Ren started to jump around the area to not get hit, but despite their agility, the bullets went right on their arms with incredible precision.

"GAAAAAAH!" Ren cried out in pain before trying to remove the bullet.

"What's with that magic!?" Nobuhito wondered while doing the same.

Sakura, on the other hand, was already running towards the two women with her naginata raised, ready to throw a tornado at them. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Seeing the danger, Joy jumped in front of her colleague with a small grin. "Oh, I don't think so, dear." She then made ninja gestures as well. "Me ninpō - hasu no hana" By doing so, her star eye started to glow and form a lotus flower made of magic that slowly started to grow and engulf the two ninjas, protecting them from the tornado.

"What!?" Sakura exclaimed.

The lotus flower then blew up in a rain of petals, showing the two ninjas unscathed.

"Dammit…ever since we started the fight, we still weren't able to lay a finger on them…" Nobuhito noticed.

"Calm down, this is just a warm-up!" Ren assured him.

"You only have yourselves to blame for this, since you decided to fight the two of us together, the dancers of the Crow Clan," Joy told them.

"Dancers?" Ren asked.

"Ever since Lord Yoshimatsu greeted us in the clan, we had always been together, understanding and helping each other, as if we were one. And when we're together, nothing can pierce through us. Not even legal mages." Nyx explained.

Joy then pointed two fingers at the samurais, and the star eye already set sight on them. "Which means…that you've made the error to face a flawless combination. Aim for the head."

Nyx followed. "Kayaku ninpō – Machine Gun." This time, Nyx summoned a large machine gun as a weapon and started to shoot repeatedly with powerful magical bullets.

Sensing the danger, Ren jumped in. "Watch out! Thunderbolt Barrage!" Through his magic, he summoned several bolts of lightning around them that nullified all the bullets. But when they faded away, he could see with a shock that Joy was already in front of them with a ninjato sword. "What the!?"

"Too slow!"

"Not on my watch!" Nobuhito promptly dashed forward and used his Wakizashi sword to block Joy's one. "Don't think you can be the only one who can brag about teamwork!" Feeling eager to fight, Nobuhito started a clash with the ninja, pushing her away from Ren.

"Thanks! Uh!?" With that, Ren could focus again on Nyx, who appeared in front of him, with a Beretta gun right at his front.

"Don't think that a mercenary isn't prepared at anything. "Kayaku ninpō – Beretta." She went for the shot, but to her surprise, Ren's reflexes increased, and he moved his head down right when the bullet was shot.

"Lightning Dance! The same can be said about samurais! How about you get a proof of that?" Ren countered before starting to spin fast. "Lightning Whirlwind!" His rotation caused an electric tornado that fully hit Nyx and pushed her away.

"AGH! K-Kh…what is going on!?" As electric shockwaves surrounded her body, she could feel that her sight was becoming dizzy, and couldn't see as Ren was getting closer to her.

Joy noticed it while she was facing Nobuhito. "Me no ninpō - kyōyū bijon!"

Through Joy's spell, Nyx could feel her sight increased and fixed, and could now see the enemy dashing against her. "Joy!"

"Let me be your eyes! Now lower yourself!" Joy assured her while keeping her clash.

"Hey! You're fighting me! Have you forgotten!?" Nobuhito tried to call her attention back while trying to stab her with the sword, aiming to put her to sleep.

But both in swordsmanship and reflexes, Joy was surely superior, as she moved her head backwards to avoid the blade. "I don't know. Considering your skills, I don't know why I should pay attention to someone like you!" She retorted. Through the star eye, she could see an exposed point in Nobuhito's armor, stabbing it with the blade.

"GAH!" Nobuhito didn't expect it and spit some blood. "H-How!?" He couldn't even ask for more that Joy pushed him away with a kick at his chin, making him crash several times to the floor. "D-Dammit."

"Awww, did you enjoy the sight?" Joy sarcastically asked.

In the meantime, thanks to Joy's support, Nyx could see Ren's strike and lower herself at the right moment before the blade hit her.

"Oh come on!" Ren complained.

Right after that, Nyx turned into a crow and flew up. She then reverted to her human form and while still in mid-air, she summoned new weapons. "Kayaku ninpō – Double Revolver." Without a drop of sweat, she started to shoot bullet after bullet.

Gritting his teeth, Ren was forced to use his blade to defend himself, allowing Nyx to get closer.

Her two guns were already aiming at her head. "You're mine now."

But at the last moment, Sakura jumped in front of her. "I DON'T THINK SO!"

"What!?"

The cat celestial spirit pushed away the ninja with the naginata. Nyx didn't expect such a blow but was still in time to defend herself by holding the blow with the two guns and landing on her feet.

As soon as she touched the ground Nyx made her revolvers roll a bit before aiming them at Sakura, who was already running in her direction. The enhanced vision given to Joy lets her find weak spots more easily. "Don't start to get cocky right now." With those cold words, she started to shoot.

As an answer, Sakura swung her naginata and started to deflect the blows while getting closer. As soon as she got in front of the enemy, she started to swing the weapon to attack her, with Nyx carefully moving the head and the body to dodge the attacks.

"This will be the last time you'll tamper my lady's life! Don't think I'll let you lay a hand on the bone!" Sakura exclaimed while keeping on attacking.

"Our sole purpose is to get immortality. We don't see why we should care about what we do to our victims." Nyx retorted before finding a weak spot and shooting at Sakura's belly.

"GAH!" Sakura spit some blood and stopped her attack.

"If you're that eager to defend her, how about I help you to join her? So that both of you will reach the Sanzu River. I wouldn't care in the slightest. I'm here to do my job." Nyx added while pointing at her front.

"SAKURA!" Ren started to run in their direction, sensing the terrible danger.

But Sakura didn't want to quit. Especially after hearing those words. Her tail started to wriggle up, and her hair started to flow, as they were moved by the wind. With that, a tornado engulfed the two of them.

"What!? This again!?" Nyx exclaimed, looking around.

"So, you're saying that you don't have even the slight trace of remorse? Then I don't need to add anything…" Sakura spoke before raising her head and revealing a devilish stare. "I WON'T STOP UNTIL I'VE TAKEN YOU DOWN, YOU FAKE NINJA!" With those words, she stroked Nyx with her naginata, throwing her upwards in the tornado, which was going to wipe her away.

"GAAAH!"

As if it wasn't enough already, Ren took the chance to jump inside the tornado and attack her with a sword strike infused with electricity. "Thunderstrike Slash!"

The blow went swiftly and threw down Nux with a cut on her belly.

"Now for the-" Ren was about to go further, but Joy's voice could be heard again.

"Now! For a direct attack!"

Nyx widened her eyes and quickly summoned another weapon. "Kayaku ninpō – Laser Cannon!" Afterward, she shot a laser beam through it right in front of Ren.

"What!? GAAAAAAAAH!" Even with his speed, Ren couldn't see that coming and got wiped away by the blow and crushed on the ground.

"REN! H-How!?" Sakura exclaimed. And Nyx wasn't done.

The ninja quickly glared at Sakura and aimed at her, summoning back her revolvers. "Reflex Bullets." The bullets went quick and precise everywhere until they attacked the celestial spirit in the ankles and at the back.

"ACK-" Sakura ended up falling to the ground, making the tornado fade away and Nyx land on her feet.

"Anf…anf…anf…" Ren found the strength to stand up again, even with fatigue, and glare at the ninja. "If it wasn't for the mega-elixir, that blow may have been fatal…speaking of which, are you ok, Sakura!?"

"S-so-so…" Sakura answered while trying to get back up. "K-Kh…those damn bullets!"

Shortly after they could see Nobuhito reaching them by recoiling. "Ah, Nobu!" Ren exclaimed.

"Eh eh…I'm trying his best…" The other samurai said, trying to keep his smile up despite having already a lot of bruises over his armor.

Since he was there, Joy turned back with Nyx, with still her grin on her face.

"So? Did you make yourselves an idea?" She sarcastically asked.

"Dammit…these chicks weren't joking around. As long as they look on each other's back, they're a terrible combination. Even their magic seems like one…" Ren commented.

"But we can't let them take the bone! I couldn't look my lady in the eyes if that happens…" Sakura complained.

"Hey, we're still standing! I'd say is a bit soon to surrender, don't you think?" Nobuhito assured them.

"Still…we can't say that they're not tough. But if you speak like that, I assume that you have a plan?" Ren asked him.

"A risky one. But if I want to become a proper samurai, I need to make danger a part of my everyday life. You keep on focusing on the white-haired girl, like you did until now." Nobuhito replied.

Joy, on the other hand, was preparing for the next attack. "Come now, is that a thing of you mages? Losing yourselves in blabbing? I don't know about you, but we have our hands occupied with our work." She spoke. Nyx, on the other hand, was already preparing her next shot.

"Oh, don't worry! We also have our hands occupied! And blabbing is a part of that! And you know what? Hitori understood it better than you girls!" Nobuhito answered back before having a glimmer in his eyes. "Because you gave me the time to think of a way to counter that precious teamwork of yours."

The two ninjas saw it as a provocation and got ready to attack.

"Oh yeah? Prove it then!" Joy threw herself to the attack.

"WITH PLEASURE!" And Nobuhito did the same.

"Fool, a direct approach only means suicide." Seeing how the samurai was running towards them recklessly, she thought she could finish him easily with just a few bullets, but to her shock, these were pushed away by cuts of wind and small bolts of lightning. "Huh!?"

"Go for it, Nobu!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I wouldn't say so after we certified that I'm superior-" Joy was about to stab Nobuhito once again, but this time, it was the samurai's answer that was unexpected.

"Siiiike!" At the last moment, instead of answering her attack, Nobuhito pressed a button in his arm cover which released a rope that wrapped up Joy.

"AGH!?"

"What the!?" Nyx exclaimed.

"Don't worry, lady! You'll be free in an instant! I just need to change height!" Nobuhito explained as he threw Joy through the rope down below the mountain.

"AAAAH! NYYYYX!"

"Nobuhito what are you planning to do!?" Ren asked, a bit worried, as Nobuhito was about to jump toward the direction where Joy had fallen.

"I'll keep her busy! You take down the girl! I'll be fine! See you later!" With those words, the samurai mage in red armor went down.

"He'd be alone against her, will he be ok!?" Sakura exclaimed.

"For now, we need to trust him if we want to succeed. And besides, you know him, it's Nobu we're talking about! He'll surely have an ace on his sleeve for it!" Ren replied, trying to assure her. "For now, let's deal with her."

Nyx, on the other hand, immediately rushed to head down. "JOY, I'M COMING!" But before she could jump, Ren dashed in front of her and tried to attack her, forcing the ninja to defend herself with her sword. "GHH!"

"Don't think you can ignore us that easily! There are still plenty of wounds you need to pay us back! And trust me, as a gambler, I know well how to get back on a debt!" Ren told her.

At the same time, Sakura tried to attack with a wind turbine, making the ninja jump up to dodge it. "And I need to kick your ass for being that inconsiderate about others!"

"Feeling ready for it, kitty?" Ren asked with a grin.

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME KITTY AGAIN! But yes, I'm ready." Sakura retorted before she and Ren assumed a fighting pose.

At first, Nyx looked down without saying anything. But then the mage and the celestial spirit could see a dark aura rising from her body, as she made her revolvers spin.

"I can get if you're mad at me. I wouldn't care in the slightest. I'm here to do my job." She then raised her head to show a cold stare with white glowing eyes. "But if you try to touch Joy…I'll make sure to treat you so badly that you'll envy those who suffer eternal punishment in hell." She raised the two revolvers at them. "Have at you…for the last time."

"I think we may have pissed her off for real this time," Ren said with a more serious tone as he prepared his blade.

"Who cares! I'm not scared! Not as long as I stand up!" Sakura added, getting ready as well.

Even if she was alone, Nyx still showed how dangerous she could still be.

---

"Gah!" After getting thrown away, Joy ended up crashing into a lower part of the mountain and fell to the ground. Even if she was caught by surprise, it didn't last long before she was able to get rid of the rope. By using her eye magic, she was able to form several cuts of energy directly from it that cut the trap into pieces. Right after she stood up, she could see Nobuhito reach her down and land only a few meters away from her. The ninja could realize soon that the rope was only a diversion to separate her from the Nyx and the others from the guild.

The ninja gave a quick glance at the samurai before trying to maintain her grin. "Alright. I'll admit that the rope was something I didn't expect. But I wouldn't even consider it that different from a suicidal move either. You clearly could see the sheer difference in our fighting skills up there, so why even bother trying to take me on individually?" She asked.

"Like I told you, we're just as busy as you are, and this sudden idea of mine is part of my duty. Besides, as samurais, we of Shogunate Pride love classic one-on-one duels!" Nobuhito replied before assuming a battle pose. "I may not be as strong as the others in swordsmanship, but I can still be a danger! I'm Nobuhito Naoe the fool for you, lady!"

"Oh really? The fool? Gotta say that's quite the fitting name for a reckless guy like you." Joy commented, assuming a battle pose as well.

"What can I say? I'm typical to do idiotic things in my life, as long as it makes someone laugh! But before we start, I think some questions should be properly answered. What's your deal with that eye that has a star-shaped pupil like Hoshiko? Are you perhaps another member of the Star Clan?" Nobuhito then asked.

Joy raised her eyepatch to show the eye in question. "Oh, this? Ah ah ah! What a funny and cute misunderstanding. But you've got it slightly wrong. You see…this eye does belong to the Star Clan…but it's not mine." She revealed.

"What!?" Nobuhito exclaimed.

"This was the eye from one of the many ninjas that lost their lives during the raid at their hideout caused by our clan. It was I who killed that ninja…and decided to take his eye." The ninja continued. She held her arm a bit due to remembering the pain but tried to hide her distress. "It was a bit painful to switch the eye…but it was worth it. I can do a lot of cooler things now."

"Are you serious!? Would you really go that far as plundering the corpse of someone you despise and you murdered!?" the mage from Shogunate Pride asked.

"What can I say? In this world… some people are more privileged than others and have all the right to show off that privilege. What matters is the result…and in our case, is that we attain immortality and crush all those who try to step in our way." Joy justified herself. "You already had a taste of what my eye can do a few moments ago. And even if I'm far from Nyx now, I can still work as a solo hitwoman. So how about we end it quickly and let me rejoin with my friend?"

Nobuhito remained in silence for a while to hear it. But after hearing all those words, he thought he had heard enough. "So, you think you can take whatever you want without thinking of the consequences, eh? You're just like my old man. I'm not one to hold grudges or anything, even if it's common in the way of the samurai, but I do wish to follow their path to justice. And you, lady, need a true scolding, and it doesn't matter what I'll use. There's always a way." He said with a grin.

Joy stopped a bit after hearing two specific words from him. "Old…fool? As if your father?" But she quickly shook her head. "Whatever. I guess I'll just leave you to die in your self-delusion. Now have at you!" Eager to stop the chatting, Joy started using ninja gestures with her hands, with her eyes entering in resonance with her ninpo. "Me ninpō – Hiiro no Rubi!" After pronouncing the chant, she shot a straight-up ruby-colored laser beam at the enemy.

"WHAT THE!?" Nobuhito quickly jumped to the right to dodge it, and right when he did so, he could see Joy already running towards him at full speed with the ninjato sword in her hands. "Oh crap!" He quickly took his wakizashi sword and was forced into a clash of blades with the girl. "Still, the fact that she's superior to me in both swordsmanship and magic. I need to find a breach in her attacks and put her to sleep! Then it may be settled!" He thought.

Joy, on the other hand, was going carefree with the attacks. "I hope you won't end up being all talk! With all the hype you made around you, it would be disappointing to kill one of the enemies in less than a minute!" She said before pushing back Nobuhito with the sword. She then tried a dive attack.

"Oh don't worry! I know some basics!" The mage of Shogunate Pride retorted before making a parry at the right time with the sword, followed by a vertical cut as a counterattack.

"ACK-" Joy didn't expect it and got cut from below her left shoulder to her spleen. Still, the sight of blood in her body didn't scare her, and instead, made a large smirk. While still in mid-air, she quickly made ninja gestures with her hands, with her star eye glowing. "Me no ninpō - kōsai-kiri!" After pronouncing the spell, Joy shot several cuts made out of energy right from the eye, which attacked Nobuhito in every part of his body.

"AGH!" Despite being able to deliver a blow at the enemy, the samurai found himself unable to answer and was left exposed to the attack, which pushed him against a wall of rocks. When he raised his head, he could see the ninja from the Crow Clan running towards him with a maniacal expression on her face and the Ninjato sword raised.

"COME HERE!" She went for the blow, but Nobuhito lowered down and ran away by rolling down.

"AH AH AH AH! YOU'RE FUNNIER THAN EXPECTED!" Joy started to find the battle of her liking and chased down Nobuhito.

"YOU'RE A CRAZY YANDERE ON THE OTHER HAND!" Nobuhito retorted apparently panicking before showing a confident smirk and a button. "That's why I've prepared some appropriate countermeasures!" Without hesitating he pressed the button.

Explosions started to engulf Joy, attacking her and pushing her back. "AGH! WHAT!?" He ended up recoiling a few meters and with some burns on her body. "Are these…mines When did he-" She was going to wonder how she planted them, but she could realize it soon. "Wait…you managed to plant them while you were rolling!?"

As an answer, she could see Nobuhito already diving against her. "Just because I still have a lot to learn on sword duels, it doesn't mean that I can't be an expert in other things! Traps are my personal mastery! Now have at you!"

But despite his effort, Joy had once again a way to disappoint him, as she quickly made ninja gestures with her hands. "Me ninpō - hasu no hana!" She quickly enveloped herself in a lotus flower that started to form from her eyes and blocked Nobuhito's sword.

"AGH- Come on! What is this!?" The mage complained.

"I did tell you that this eye would make me do cool things! Like this!" Joy countered with still her smile on her face before, opening the eyepatch and shooting at him.

Nobuhito's sword was stuck on the energy flower, so he ended up getting fully blown by the blast and fell on his back with a large thud. "GAH!" When he raised his head, he could see that Joy was already above him, diving with her Ninjato sword. "AH-HA!"

CLANG!

The samurai quickly raised his wakizashi sword and clashed it with the ninja's blade. The girl felt even more charged by that answer and started to attack repeatedly with her weapon.

Nobuhito started to sweat as he did his best to answer. That was a critical condition. Not only her enemy was indeed superior to him even when it came to one-on-one combat, but he was also in an unpleasant situation, lying down that way. One false step and Joy could have planted her sword right in his skull, ending it up there. "I need to act quickly!" He thought.

"You don't seem to have that smirk on your face anymore! Come on, admit it! You've just made a fool of yourself by dragging me here!" Joy shouted as she continued to attack.

Nobuhito gritted his teeth…but then smiled again with his teeth. "Why thank you! Didn't I tell you that my title was 'The Fool'?" He asked. During the clash, he was able to parry Joy's sword, quickly turn his wakizashi so that Joy would face its hilt, and open it, shooting a single needle from it right at her front.

"AGH- W-What…!?" Soon, Joy started to see all blurry and feel his senses get dizzier.

"Now!" Having created the right chance, Nobuhito used both of his legs to kick Joy away and stand up again, making her fall to the ground.

The ninja girl tried to stand up, although she was starting to have problems with it. "Kh…what…have you done to me?" She asked.

Nobuhito stood on guard despite seeing that his idea worked. "Oh, nothing much. Just making sure that you'll have sweet dreams despite being a full day, that's all." He replied. "That needle is anesthetic. She should fall asleep in a couple of seconds. If I manage to get inside her dreams, my chances of victory will increase drastically."

Joy could feel the effects getting stronger every second that was passing. "D-Damm you…" She tried to move her arm, which was trembling and touched her face with his hand. "I…I can't…" That was it…

"I…can't…HELP BUT FEEL SORRY FOR YOU!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"What!?" Nobuhito asked.

"Me no ninpō - kyōyū bijon!" Once she held her face with her hands, she used her ninpo magic on herself to enhance her whole reflexes and stuff. The samurai of Shogunate Pride could see that the ninja's body started to get surrounded by a fuchsia aura, as she raised her head. The eyepatch completely loosened and fell, revealing her starry eye, which started to glow, with the tips of the stars that started to spin.

That sight was enough to make Nobuhito pale. "W-What is this!? What have you done!?"

"Did you really think that just putting me to sleep would have been enough to defeat me? Do you have any idea of how many people tried to knock me out ever since I first joined the Clan? No, no…you always need something that helps you stand up, like this! True, my kyōyū bijon is mostly a technique used to help my allies, and I won't hide the fact that I'm far more effective when I'm paired up with Nyx…but that doesn't mean that this technique shouldn't have a single effect right? Oh no…I can use it for myself as well. And you can imagine…how my body would react upon getting infused with energy coming right from the Star Clan, right? You have your little fugitive to testify that." Joy explained.

"Dammit!" Nobuhito cursed, trying to not break the balance. But even so…the situation was about to get grim.

And Joy was more than delighted to see that reaction. "Then you're about to see WHAT COMES NEXT!" With those last words, she dashed with twice the speed she had shown before.

"GH!" Seeing the terrible danger that was right in front of him, Nobuhito quickly crafted an MK-47 and started to shoot repeatedly at the girl, hoping to at least slow her down.

"AH AH AH AH AH!" With ease, Joy drew her Ninjato sword again and deflected every single bullet, making it fall to the ground with a speed that almost seemed invisible to the bare eye. It was a matter of seconds before she was already in front of the mage of Shogunate Pride, trying a direct thrust.

Out of reflexes and adrenaline charge, Nobuhito quickly drew his wakizashi sword to defend himself. The impact was able to lighten the damage, but he still got a bleeding cut right in his spleen. "AAAAAGH!"

Once on the other side, Joy didn't hesitate and turned around, jumping up while assuming a new ninja pose with her hands. "Me no ninpō - Utsushi wa me no denkyū!" After doing so, two eyes made out of dark energy with slit fuchsia pupils appeared on Joy's side, starting to shoot a barrage of spheres against him.

"Oh no no no no!" Seeing that attack, Nobuhito started to run as fast as he could to dodge the balls. "I can get that you're furious against me! But don't you think this is a bit too much!?" He exclaimed.

"NOT AT ALL! GET HIM!" Joy countered by sending the two eyes directly at him.

"Dammit…right back at ya!" Seeing that running away wasn't going to help much, he decided to go aggressive against it. "I must play everything!" As soon as the eyes were close to him, he took out two smoke bombs and made them blow, filling the whole area with smoke and confusing the two eyes.

Joy didn't lose focus and used her magic to look around. Even if covered in mist, her starry eye could look through most things. But even with that…Nobuhito didn't seem to be anywhere.

"Even if it's a bit redundant as a phrase, I think it's perfect, 'you can run but you can't hide!' So how about you make things easier for the both of us!" She spoke.

"As you wish!" Nobuhito's voice could suddenly be heard, but to her surprise, Joy couldn't expect where he would have appeared, and when she turned around, it was already too late.

"TSEAH!" Nobuhito was able to carefully hide his movements while the smoke was high to deceive the eyes and move around and reach Joy's s back, managing to cut her in the back.

"ACK!" The ninja girl quickly turned around while attacking with the sword. Once again, Nobuhito was able to swing the Wakizashi sword in time and block the attack. Joy still smirked, as she knew that the eyes were still present and started to dive against him.

"Now!" Once the eyes were close enough, the mage of Shogunate Pride quickly picked up a button and used it to make several mines blow up around them, with the explosions reaching out to the eyes and erasing them.

"Still clever enough!?" Joy asked before she was forced to answer to more of Nobuhito's direct attack. "Still think that you can find a way to outsmart me?"

"Oh, I don't think that, I'm sure there's one! Just like you're doing your best to chop my head off! I would praise you for your efforts and movements if you weren't doing it for something so dull!" Nobuhito countered.

After a while, Joy lowered her head and attacked Nobuhito right in the belly, stunning him. "Me Ninpō – Hiiro no Rubi!" Taking advantage of it, she shot a ruby beam from her eye at a close distance, wiping out Nobuhito.

"GAAAAAH!" The samurai ended up crashing his back against a tree, which crumbled down.

Joy stood still, glaring at him with the glowing fuchsia aura and the eye that was transmitting energy. "What you call dull is the sole reason why I'm still allowed to breathe. The very reason I was able to survive, despite seeing everything in flame." She spoke.

Nobuhito stood up. "Everything…in flame?"

"Lord Yoshimatsu was the one who decided to take me in his wing…give me a home…a purpose. I've had only him as a reference. WHO AM I TO DENY HIM THIS FAVOR!?" In a sudden burst of annoyance, Joy started to make a new ninja gesture. "Me no Ninpō - Meiseki yume shuriken!" Her eyes generated several shurikens that threw themselves against Nobuhito.

"AH!" The mage put his arms in defensive mode to defend himself, but even with his armor, he could still feel the shuriken pierce through it and wound him in more parts of the body. "What did she mean by that?"

Joy then generated a bigger shuriken and threw it against the samurai, in an attempt to finish him off. "HAVE AT YOU!"

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Despite the wounds, Nobuhito gritted his teeth, stood solid on the ground, and used his sword to try and push away the shuriken, or at least, try to take it down. "Even if we were grown up by a single person who is our only role model, we always have a chance on what to do in life!"

"Oh yeah!? How can you say so!? Have you ever felt a sense of abandonment and loneliness!? Have you ever tried pain at all!? You, who always seem to smile in one way or another!?" Joy countered.

"No, I don't think so. But I also had only one role model in my life, yet I've done my best to change things for the best! The same you should do! I don't intend to die out…because of your clan's futile quest! GRRRRRRRR!"

"You think your words have any meaning for me? I'm a ninja from the Crow Clan! What matters to me is only the result! What we're able to leave behind is destroyed! And besides! What can you possibly do, let's hear it! The only strength of a blade isn't enough to counter the full energy of the eye-" Joy was about to mock him…until something made her stop.

Suddenly, Nobuhito's sword started to get surrounded by a particular pink energy. It was similar to Tsukuyomi's eclipse magic, yet the effect was clearly different.

"What!?" Joy exclaimed.

"What-?" Even Nobuhito didn't really know what was going on, but that surely didn't worry him at all. As long as he could have used it, he was happy. "Eh eh, sweat! HM!" Seeing the chance, he increased the newfound magic power to spread it and was able to nullify the shuriken. "HERE I COME!" Then, with all his charge, he rushed forward. Somehow, his magic entered into contact with his body and feelings and burst out into pure physical energy. That was the perfect chance.

But surely, Joy wouldn't have let him do that easily. As soon as she saw that he was able to resist, she answered with the same charge. "You left me with NO OTHER CHOICE!" She quickly summoned the two eyes while charging towards the enemy.

"HA!" As soon as the eyes got closer, Nobuhito cut them down with the new energy, only to find Joy above her.

"Me Ninpō - hasu no hana!" Right at that moment, both she and the mage of Shogunate Pride were soon enveloped in a lotus flower made of energy. "You're left with no choice or escape! ONLY SHEER LUCK WILL SAVE YOU NOW!"

"THEN BRING IT ON!" Nobuhito countered. Both of them thirsted their blades at the opponent at the same time, resulting in…

SWISH!

SPLAT!

"GAAAAH!" Nobuhito ended up spitting blood from his mouth as he was stabbed in the shoulder…but when he raised his head, he could see that his effort had been rewarded.

"G-GH…" Joy ended up getting stabbed in the abdominal cavity. Luckily, Nobuhito's sword didn't dig too deeply for the wound to be fatal…but it still wasn't good news for her. The samurai's new magic started to flow in Joy's body, consuming her aura, and her eyes began to lose magic.

"D-Damm you, clown…I can't…I can't…" She could feel already dizzy. She tried to stay awake as best as she could, but this time, nothing could have helped her. She fell to the ground, asleep.

Nobuhito had to take a few breaths before reasoning. He wasn't used to intense one-on-one battles like this, so all of his adrenaline charges did most of the job. And he knew…that his job wasn't over.

"Anf…anf…I swear…for a moment I saw my whole life passing through my eyes, but somehow, my skin got safe from flying. Now…only one thing left before confirming my victory." He looked deeply at her. "…Having no choices…only one role model…let's see what she meant with that. Dream Hijack!" There wasn't that time to waste. He used his magic to assume the immaterial form and entered her dream.

…

As soon as Joy opened her eyes…she found herself in what seemed to be a strange colorful dimension made out of various colors.

"W-What is this place?" The ninja asked as she looked around.

"The world of dreams." Another voice made her suddenly turn around, only to see Nobuhito a few meters away from her.

Naturally, she wasn't pleased to see him. "Bastard…so you were really able to put me to sleep? This was what you have been planning all along!?"

Upon hearing that, Nobuhito looked down and sighed with a melancholic smile. "Well…yes. It's what I usually do with stronger enemies, since in the end, it's really the only thing I can do: just…go inside others' dreams. Even if I wear this armor, I'm still not a proper samurai like the others at the guild, and I'm doing my best to become one. But…even if it is hard magic to put into action…it does have its moments where it can be useful. For example…it makes me understand better my enemies."

"What? W-What do you mean?" Joy asked confused.

It was then that Nobuhito assumed a more serious expression. "Before you were able to take consciousness in this dream world, I could see what made you who you are now, and I could see that…you were lying to me. It's not like you didn't have a choice, you were forced to make that choice."

The ninja from the Crow Clan started to get more flustered upon hearing that. What did he mean by 'seeing what made her who she was now?', did that mean that he got to know too much?

"Q-Quit playing around! You know nothing of me!" Joy exclaimed, trying to stay on the defensive.

Nobuhito's expression didn't change. "Memory Replay." As soon as he pronounced the spell, the space around them started to shift and move, like a film that got rewound, showing several of Joy's memories…until it stopped at a certain place.

A small village of Caelum, where the sun was high, the grass was green and all the inhabitants were happy.

Joy started to pale out and sweat a lot. She knew exactly what this place was, especially after seeing a few children play around by chasing themselves…including herself as a toddler.

"Mom, look at me!"

"I see you, Joy!"

"N-No…no, hey what is this!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" The ninja exclaimed.

"These are your memories. Much like most of us…and like Hoshiko…you were born in a small village. You weren't rich or many…but you still had simple things that made you happy like food, friends, and family." Nobuhito started to explain.

Joy trembled and felt heartbroken upon seeing the image of herself and her mother hugging each other happily.

"You had all the happiness that you could ever ask for. Someone that loved you. And…no one should pass on the tragedy that you had to live through." Nobuhito continued.

And just as he said so…the scenery changed.

Flames, smoke, blood, cries of pain. Joy's village turned into an infernal one.

"GAAAAAAAH!"

"HEEEEELP! HEEEEEELP!"

"No…No no NO! MAKE IT STOP!" Joy exclaimed as she looked around, horrified to see those images again, even though she thought that she had buried them in the depths of her subconscious. One image in particular was what broke her down.

"JOY! RUUUUN- GAAAAH!"

"MOOOOOM!"

That day, Joy had to witness as men in black killed her mother and destroyed her home right in front of her eyes.

"The one who did this…was the same that you are serving now," Nobuhito spoke.

In the memory, Joy could see a man, Yoshimatsu, tossing away the corpse of her mother and starting to slowly approach her. Joy tried to run away as fast as she could…but he was already there, grabbing her.

"NOOOO! LET ME GO!"

"Do not worry, little one…I have special plans for you."

After the raid was complete and the village was burned down, Yoshimatsu and the rest of the Crow Clan flew away with their loot.

The scenario changed, now inside the Crow Clan hideout, with Yoshimatsu starting to train Joy in a…harsh way.

"You need to be strong! You cannot show tears in your eyes!"

"I-I can't…"

"YES, YOU CAN!"

Yoshimatsu didn't hesitate to harm her if she didn't obey.

"You are destined to do something great, you'll become immortal! No one will be able to take you down! Or you'll end up like your mother!"

"I-I don't want…"

"THEN FIGHT! SHOW NO MERCY! QUIT CRYING AND START TO KILL!"

"S-STOP IT!" The present Joy could only freak out even more as the memories continued. "WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME ALL OF THIS!?"

"Because I need you to open your eyes, Joy! That promise of his was just a manipulation! He just wanted to turn you into a puppet!" Nobuhito answered.

"SHUT UP! I…I-I COULD NEVER TURN BACK ON LORD YOSHIMATSU!" Joy tried to protest, but even her courage was starting to abandon her. She just couldn't face the truth.

"Even after he killed your mother? Or even worse…after he did that to you?" Nobuhito asked as he played another memory.

It was the raid at the Star Clan. Joy was a kid…but she was there, in front of a dying member of the clan…with a knife in her hand and Yoshimatsu behind her.

"There he is. It won't pass long before he'll die out in agony. How about being merciful and giving him a quick end?"

"D-Do I really have to…?"

"He's your enemy. He doesn't deserve mercy. You need to finish him. How about digging that knife right into his eye?"

That day, Joy couldn't do much more…she was getting forced at. She slowly walked towards the dying ninja, who looked at her with a pitiful eye…before Joy raised her knife while trembling and started to stab repeatedly at him.

"It's true that you took that eye by killing a member of the Star Clan but…it wasn't by your choice." Nobuhito continued. "And…now I know…how you made it yours."

Another memory played…a painful one, where Yoshimatsu forcibly took off Joy's eye…to replace it with the Star-shaped one.

"The power of your victim…will be now yours."

She could still remember the blood that came out from the eye…and the pain.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Joy started to breathe heavily and hold her mind. "Stop it…stop it! This is not true! This is not how I remember it! This is just a hallucination of yours to confuse me!"

"No, it's not. You can't just accept it because you're scared! You need to realize it, Joy! The man you are serving is why you have that eye! That man you're helping by getting immortal is the one who killed your family!" Nobuhito countered.

All memories started to merge and flow quickly inside the space, tormenting the ninja girl more and more, ending up in her holding her head with her hands, not being able to withstand the noises…and the trauma.

"No…NO! MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" She ended up crumbling with a loud shriek. As a result, the memories started to crack down and shatter, turning the dream world back to the bizarre space around them.

"ANF…ANF…ANF…" Joy fell to her knees, breathing heavily as tears fell down her face. "W-Why…this is not how I remembered it…"

Nobuhito could only feel sadness for her. Like him, she suffered for a single person's free malice. It came naturally for him to come closer and kneel to her.

"I'm…deeply sorry if I let you go through all that stuff again but…it was the only way that I had to show you the error you're making. As soon as I heard you talking about how you had no other choice, I needed to see whether that was true or not. And…well yes, it was, but not in a way where you could have decided things. It's true…I use my enemies' dreams to defeat them but…through them…I can see whether or not they're moved by malice. And you're not Joy. You're only moved…by pain." Nobuhito explained.

"Stop it…stop talking to me…" Joy quietly spoke as she kept crying.

Nobuhito then thought of something else. "Metamorphosis!" It was a technique he could use inside the dream world to change form to interact better with the enemy. And on that occasion…he could only take a form.

Her mother.

"Joy…" He tried to call her out.

The ninja girl looked up, startled at seeing her mother…even though she knew that it was just an illusion. "Mom…"

Nobuhito, in his disguise, tried to make a comforting smile at her. "Yoshimatsu doesn't care in the slightest about you. He's just using you for his gain. Is there something special about getting immortality? Please…come to your senses before it's too late. At least…do it for your mother…she'd be very proud…if you made the right choice."

Joy's eyes trembled. He was his enemy, he made her go through a terrible pain she had tried to bury, and he even took the form of her mother. Yet…somehow…he was acting kind towards her. Why?

Was he really in the right? Was she able to do a better thing? Was she wrong all that time?"

And after some moments of thinking…Joy raised her hand…only to take out her Ninjato sword and push Nobuhito away with a cut. "GRAAAAAAAAH!"

"GAH!" Nobuhito didn't see it coming and couldn't do anything to defend himself. His transformation faded out and his body started to bleed again.

CRACK!

The dream world was shattered, and the mage of Shogunate Pride got expelled from Joy's mind, falling to the ground. "GAH! It can't be…"

When he raised his head, he could see Joy holding her head while breathing heavily. The aura was surrounding her body again, and her star-shaped eye was glowing.

"You can feel sorry for me as many times as you want, and you can try to mess up with my mind as many times as you want! But it won't change a DAMM thing about me! It's too late for anything else, I've pushed myself too far to come back right now that the goal is at hand! I have no choice…I NEVER HAD ANY CHOICE EVER SINCE THAT BASTARD DESTROYED EVERYTHING! There's only one thing I can do, move forward with what I have…AND I'LL START BY KILLING YOU!" With that declaration, Joy pointed her sword at Nobuhito, ready to use more of her ninpo against him.

Nobuhito breathed heavily, but even so, he didn't stop glaring at the ninja. "No, you're wrong. I feel that there's still something redeemable in you. You just can't see it…" He spoke. And he meant it because he felt like…he and her were similar.

Like her…he ended up feeling a lot of pain for a single person. And ever since things changed in his life, he promised himself to make sure that no other people went through his same sadness, but the exact opposite. With that in mind, he raised his Wakizashi sword, with the pink energy filling the blade again. "So, it's up to me to show you how to change with facts since you insist that much about it! I'll get you out of this, with a classic one-on-one last round with blades! I am a budding samurai, after all!" Once again, he was ready to fight.

Joy, on the other hand, got only more furious. "You're still smiling…that PISSES ME OFF!" She immediately released a beam right from her star eye that left a long trail of destruction.

"Alright, let's go!" Nobuhito answered properly and approached the attack directly. Helping himself with the newfound energy, he started to cut down the beam, making it dispel until all that was left were only particles of ethernano. Once the road was clear, he dashed forward.

As soon as he did it, Joy quickly used a ninja gesture. "Me no Ninpō - hasu no hana!" Like before, she enveloped both herself and the target inside a lotus flower made of energy, limiting the space for both of them. But it wasn't something that bothered the legal mage that much. If he wanted to become a proper samurai, he needed to get ready for more of these situations.

"Bring it on!" Nobuhito didn't falter and approached her, leading to a fast clash of swords, where Joy could notice a detail.

"Your blows weren't that improved before! Are you telling me that you're trying to make an experience out of this match!?" She exclaimed.

"What can I say? We samurais are like our swords: we get better as time goes on! Maybe you'll get to see more of me in the future after I defeat you!" Nobuhito countered.

"You won't have a future! YOU'LL DIE HERE!" Joy exclaimed before taking a step back from him and making another ninja gesture. "Me no ninpō - kōsai-kiri!" She generated several cuts made out of energy from her eye that fully attacked Nobuhito, only for her to witness as he still tried to make himself a road.

"NGHHHHH!"

"You're trying to go through them, are you insane!?" The ninja girl exclaimed.

"GHHHH! IT'S MY DUTY AFTER ALL!" Even if he was bleeding more and more, he kept on going and pushed back Joy with a heavy strike with his sword, making her crash against the flower.

"GAH!" The flower ended up shattering in particles and the girl recoiled. When she raised her head, she could see that despite being almost reduced to a sieve, Nobuhito was still holding his sword high and his magic strong.

At that point, Joy simply had enough. "This was the last straw. IF YOU WANT TO BE ERASED THAT BADLY, I'LL MAKE YOU HAPPY!" With those words, she made one last ninja gesture and then raised her hands. Her eye left out some energy that gathered itself above her, forming a big purple slit eye made out of that magic.

"Uh?" Nobuhito did his best to prepare himself.

The eye kept on gathering energy until it was ready to fire it up. "Me no ninpō - hametsu seiun!" By pronouncing the spell, Joy fired a powered-up version of her beam right at Nobuhito, who tried to hold it with the sword.

"NGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"FACE IT! EVERYONE HAS ONLY ONE ROAD IN THEIR LIVES! AND YOURS IS THIS!" Joy shouted as she kept on firing.

"KH- Oh no I don't think so! This fool still needs to do a lot of things before he exhales his last breath! This new power was the proof, that it won't end like this, not for me and NOT FOR YOU! GRAAAAAAAAAAH!" Nobuhito still didn't want to quit, as he tried to increase the magic in his sword. A risky but effective move, as the energy became stronger, but his body became more tired. "HA!" In the end, with what remained of the strength, he was able to push back with the sword, making it dispel the beam, leaving the ninja open. "NOW!" He quickly ran towards her.

Joy still didn't want to let him go and quickly gathered more energy. "I DON'T THINK SO! I CAN DO MORE- UH!?" She was about to try again but she then saw that Nobuhito's body started to become pure energy, the same that was infusing his sword.

Once he turned into full energy, he quickly dashed towards Joy, entering inside her body. "Dream Eater!"

At first, nothing seemed to have happened, and Joy seemed confused…until…

SWING!

SPLAT!

Her whole body was filled with bleeding cuts. "GUAH! N-No…I-I cannot…why…?"

Nobuhito came out from her body surrounded by magic and ended up back to normal and behind Joy, who fell to the ground, with some tears in her eyes, and passed out.

"Anf…anf…anf…a spell where I can enter inside one's body to attack them from inside with dream magic…sometimes I'm surprised by myself! Oh well…at least it's over…" The samurai commented before turning around to the defeated enemy.

When he came closer, he held Joy's wrist and checked if there were still pulsations. Luckily for him, he could feel her heart still beating.

"Phew…thank God, she's still alive. That's good." The young mage said with a smile. "I hope that we can find a way to deal with you in a pacific way…" With those words…he fell to the ground as well. "But…I'll think of it later…right now…I'm terribly tired."

He looked up at the sky, while he could hear the noises of the other fights. "Man…I've got my first serious one-on-one battle and I won…I can't wait to tell the others! Well…I hope they can manage to win. I'll apologize for…not being able to come back."

A samurai proved himself and took down a problematic enemy…but the outcome still needed to be decided by who was left, and the other enemies were surely no less.

---

The remaining battles were ongoing in full heat, a few meters above the mountains.

"HAAAAA!" Both Rokumon and Fern tried to charge once again at Quetzalcoatl, who remained in his feminine form. Once they were close, they tried to go with a barrage of sword attacks infused with their magic in an attempt to overwhelm their enemy.

As an answer, he created a barrier to defend herself, staying completely immobile.

"Just how many assets you have yet, damm ninja!?" Fern exclaimed.

"Keep calm, Fern! If we were able to pull him at this limit, it must mean that there are ways of countering him!" Rokumon tried to assure him as he kept on going.

"You can think as many times as you want that you can have a hope to defeat me. But you've been trying to use your energies up until now and as you could see, they were all for naught, like in this case. Khan." Seeing how he was still an advantage, Quetzalcoatl spread his aura again and used the counterattack spell once again to wipe them away.

"GAAAAAH!" Both samurais were pushed back.

"Gh…whenever he uses this attack, we feel all our strength get back at us, just like Yori's Furukaunta magic!" Fern commented.

"But how is it possible? Back when he was a man, we found out that magical attacks could harm him, but not in this case, what the hell are we supposed to do!?" Rokumon added.

The executioner of the Crow Clan, on the other hand, was making some gestures and summoned several spheres of energy above himself, ready to throw them at the two samurais. "Do you realize now the situation you're in? Come now…open yourselves. Let this blow be the one who shall give you the final rest."

"Take another guess!" A voice from above caught his attention, making him look up, only to see Hitori dive against him with her katana.

"What!?"

"HIYAAAAAA!" The priestess went at full speed and was able to make a long cut on the enemy's back, making him jump back.

"Hitori! You're ok!" Rokumon exclaimed, happy to see her.

"How did you do that?" Fern asked.

After she delivered the blow, the fox lady raised her head and looked at the two mages with a smirk. "I should thank that Celestial Spirit for that. After you went to face down these idiots, I saw a droplet of the elixir that cat brought in and I was able to drink it. With this…I think I can take care of the true evildoers I'm supposed to beat up." She explained.

Needless to say, Rokumon and Fern were happy to hear that. With an enemy like that, an adding helper wasn't something they didn't want.

Quetzalcoatl, on the other hand, gritted his teeth as he realized that the priestess found out something more. "Tch…dirty animal…that straightforward attack makes me think that you got it!" He spoke.

"Precisely! Don't think that I couldn't hear you talking during the battle from above! Considering how the two samurais figured that you could have been harmed by magic in your original form, then it's only natural that in this form, it's the exact opposite! There's a reason why you push away others when you're like this! It's because you have low resistance!" Hitori explained.

To confirm her theories, Quetzalcoatl started to sweat and frown his eyebrows.

"Of course! It's a ninpo about balance, it's only fair that even its weaknesses are also balanced…" Rokumon commented.

"Tch. Now I feel like a complete idiot for not realizing that sooner. Well, no time to weep over spilled milk! Now we know how to get our payback!" Fern added before starting to swing the spiked ball of his flail. Rokumon and Hitori joined him shortly after.

Even if they could realize his weakness, Quetzalcoatl didn't lose his spirit and prepared more gestures. "Idiots. Understanding an enemy's weakness won't solve anything. I'll still make my execution just as planned! Tenbin no Ninpō - Norowareta-sha-tachi no tamashī!" By pronouncing another spell, the executioner of the Crow Clan started to concentrate his magic into a cloud of purple smoke above him, which released several wailing ghost heads that threw themselves at the three mages.

Upon seeing that, Hitori dashed forward and released nine will-o-wisps that she threw against the ghosts. "Nine-Tailed Kitsune's Curse!" Several explosions in mid-air followed as the two spiritual attacks clashed against each other, but the important was that the road was clear for the others. "Now!"

Fern was already running at high speed, with his weapon spinning around like a mad bull, ready to fall upon Quetzalcoatl.

The executioner widened his eyes and spread his aura to attempt to blast the samurai with the resonance waves. "Tenbin no Ninpō -kurishuna no- GAH!" But before he could complete the spell, Fern already started to attack him repeatedly with the medieval flail, making him lose a lot of blood.

"YOU'RE NOT THAT COOL NOW THAT WE KNOW HOW TO COUNTER, RIGHT EXECUTIONER!?" Fern shouted as he kept on going, trapping the enemy in a cage of attacks with his spiked ball. "NOW, ROKUMON!"

The Number II of Shogunate Pride already run throughout the mountain to jump and make a dive attack with his odachi. "TAKE THIS!" Thanks to Fern's distraction, Rokumon was able to successfully plant Quetzalcoatl on the ground with his sword.

"GRRR!" The elegance that Quetzalcoatl showed when he changed gender disappeared, replaced by utter annoyance and disgust. In an instant, he surrounded his body in light, with the symbol of Yin and Yang appearing, making him turn back into his male form. With that, Rokumon and Fern's weapons soon ended up getting pointless, and he was able to get rid of both of them with a powerful war cry that released a shockwave. "GRAAAAH! YOU WON'T MAKE A FOOL OF ME!"

"Ngh! He returned to his ignorant form!" Fern exclaimed.

Rokumon already engulfed his sword in flames. "But this time, we know how to answer. We just have to get used to his pace."

Even Hitori was preparing her Hanafuda cards. "Mind adding a place for three? I still need to properly kick them away!"

Fern got convinced easily and several small gates appeared behind him. "Then let's kick him properly. GRAAAAAAAAAH!" Nothing else was added, the three of them threw themselves at full power with their magic against the rampaging executioner.

At the top of the mountain, the charge and the determination were on the same level. Nyx tried to jump several meters away from the two enemies and tried to take them down from afar with an M-16. The shots were precise, fast, and filled with magic. But she couldn't know that one of her opponents was the same.

"Flash Combo!" Thanks to his Lightning Blade Magic, Ren was able to compete in speed with Nyx's attack, and soon reached out each one of the shots, cutting them in half, before reaching the ninja and cutting the weapon in half.

"AH!" Nyx got scared by such a sight, but she couldn't get the time to answer, as she found herself in a tornado. "Dammit!"

"Sakura appeared in front of her and started to overwhelm her with a barrage of naginata attacks." "SERVES YOU RIGHT FOR MESSING WITH THE LADY! ORYAAAAH!" She finished with a direct lunge that wiped Nyx away.

"GAAAAAH!" The ninja of the Crow Clan ended up crashing into the ground with a large thud. Still…she found the strength to stand up. "D-Dammit…" She was staggering, but she still had some energy left.

The same went for Ren and Sakura who got ready. "You better withdraw when you're still in time. I don't kill people but that doesn't mean that I can't teach them a harsh lesson!" The S-Class Mage warned.

"And don't think that I'm done going easy with you! GET READY!" The Celestial Spirit added.

"Shut up…I don't intend to falter until I've got the bone. Even if she's busy, I don't intend to let Joy down and-" Nyx protested but interrupted herself when she turned around and looked below to check on her partner…and be shocked. "AH!"

A few meters below them…Nobuhito and Joy were lying on the ground…with the ninja girl not showing any signs of movement…and standing on a puddle of blood.

Nyx's pupils started to tremble, and her eyes widened. "J-Joy…?"

She and Joy have always been close, inseparable, almost unbeatable. And whatever mission they took, Nyx knew that Joy would have been close to her. Sure, she was sassy…but she was still her only comfort inside the clan.

And yet…there she was…defeated…and bleeding. She couldn't see clearly from there, as the eye spell that she gave her faded away…so she could only think of one answer.

"Joy is…dead?"

"Uh!?" Both Ren and Sakura exclaimed.

"Does that mean…Nobuhito one?" The cat spirit wondered.

"But that doesn't mean something Nobuhito would do normally…" Ren added.

Even below, the others heard what the girl said.

"Uh!? Joy failed!?" Quetzalcoatl exclaimed.

"J-Joy…" Ever since she set foot on the island and started her raid to get the bone, Nyx always showed herself cold, impassible, and direct. But for the one that always joined her in every quest for the Crow Clan…she couldn't help but break…and tear up. Her body started to tremble in anger…and even if she was reduced badly, an ominous aura started to rise up…before she fell completely. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The aura spread in her rage, as a dark energy started to surround her arms.

"W-What is happening!?" Sakura asked, starting to get agitated.

"I-I don't know! Be careful!" Ren replied. "This darkness…"

Nyx raised her head, revealing a deadly stare while tears fell from her eyes. "Truth to be told…I never cared much about the Crow Clan or Lord Yoshimatsu's plan. Being immortal was just fine with me. I'm a simple mercenary…and I go with whatever goes in my superior's mind…but…you took Joy away from me…you took…the only person that wanted to stay by my side…"

"Hold on! There has to be-" Ren tried to make her reason, knowing Nobuhito, but it was already too late…

"SILENCE!" Nyx's arms were already filled with her dark aura. "You wanted to be an example of good people? Then why did you kill the only person who ever loved me after I lost everything? I DON'T INTEND TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH YOUR VICTORY AFTER DOING THIS!" She pointed both arms at them, and the darkness turned them into two giant steel cannons with skull heads.

That sight alone was enough to make both the mage and the celestial spirit pale. "W-What!?"

Ren could immediately grasp the danger of the situation and dashed forward in an attempt to reach her. "DAMMIT!"

"REN, WATCH OUT!" Sakura tried to warn him…but it was too late.

"Kayaku no Ninpō – Death Cannon." In a very short time, the energy was charged and two massive beams were shot from the cannons at high speed.

"AH-" Even with his speed enhanced by lightning, Ren couldn't move in time and got fully blasted by the beam. And not only him…the beam passed through the samurai, reaching out for Sakura. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both of them were wiped away by the attack's immense energy, a thing that everyone else could see.

"W-What!?" Nobuhito asked in horror with wide eyes.

"What was that!? She didn't have that type of energy before!" Fern asked.

Somehow…Rokumon felt something familiar within Nyx at that moment. "Is her grudge over Joy…that strong?"

Naturally, the most panicked one was Hitori. Now that Ren and Sakura were out of commission, her road was clear. And she immediately took the chance by turning around and aiming at the shrine of the bone. That made the priestess quickly dash to pass beyond Quetzalcoatl and climb the mountain to reach the top.

She tried her best to get in front and prepare her magic. It was her ultimate risk. "STOP IT!"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Nyx didn't falter and immediately shot the two massive beams.

"AH!" Hitori quickly pulled out a magic spell to generate a barrier around her to defend herself. For a few moments, she was able to keep up, but somehow, even if she was reduced badly, Nyx showed superior magic…and the shield started to crack. "N-No…GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Inevitably, even Hitori got blasted away, and like with Ren and Sakura, the beam went through her and reached the shrine…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The small construction got completely wiped out in a large explosion, leaving only flames and smoke.

"NOOOOO!" Rokumon and Fern cried out. They tried to reach the top as well, but Quetzalcoatl stood in front of them and blocked them.

"Don't think you can be that lucky like that priestess!"

Nyx, in the meantime, came closer to the destroyed place…where she found what she wanted near the burning pieces of a small box. She knew that the bone couldn't get destroyed that easily, so all that she needed to do was to just expose it.

And she finally had it in front of her, what seemed to be a small yet large white part of a skeleton, similar to a ribcage. "This must be the body…" She quietly spoke. Her mission was cleared…but she didn't care honestly…not after what happened.

She grabbed the bone and then went to look at Joy one last time…tears flowed once again. She wanted to give her one last goodbye, but she also knew that Yoshimatsu wasn't someone to wait long. Those tears were all that she could share.

"Joy…I got the bone even for you. I'll make sure to become immortal for you as well and…make sure that they'll all pay once and for all. Goodbye…my friend." She wiped off her tears and looked behind. "LET'S GO QUETZALCOATL! WE ARE DONE HERE!"

"N-No…s-stop!" Hitori tried to raise a hand but once again, she was too harmed to do anything.

Quetzalcoatl immediately nodded, turned into a crow, and started to fly away.

"HEY WAIT!" Fern tried to catch him back with the flail, but he was too far.

"Don't worry. We'll meet each other again to settle things. I don't intend to leave this battle unfinished." With those words, Quetzalcoatl started to fly away.

Nyx turned around one last time with a cold stare. "Unfortunately, I have business to attend at first. But don't worry…next time I'll see you, I'll send you all to the Sanzu River. Be sure of it." And with those last words…she turned into a crow and flew away with Quetzalcoatl.

Nobuhito could look in the distance as they took the bone. "N-No…it can't be…"

"They…they made it…" Rokumon spoke, shocked.

"They got away with the bone…we failed?" Fern added.

Ren was getting back with Sakura, holding her arm with his shoulders. They couldn't help but look down.

And Hitori…could only scream as she saw the failure in her purpose.

"N-No…don't do this…COME BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Her wail echoed throughout the mountain…but there was nothing they could have done any more.

---

After some minutes of recovery, they all gathered back at the feet of the mountain…but even if they were all fine…there wasn't much to celebrate.

The enemy got away with what they wanted, and all they could have done…was to look down.

"…We failed. Even with our combined strength…we failed." Fern commented, getting more frustrated.

"I knew that this wasn't going to be easy but…I'll admit that I didn't think of this outcome," Rokumon added.

Sakura felt guilty over it. "I…I wanted to help out the lady and…with this…I probably disappointed her even further…I'm a horrendous celestial spirit…" She said, slowly kneeling down.

"No…" Hitori suddenly said, gathering everyone's eyes on her. The priestess couldn't help but cry and sob heavily. "This is all my fault. Even within my duty…I let my paranoids get the best of me and I've attacked you before even asking you why you were here, giving them time. I…I disappointed my ancestors, my whole lineage because I can't fucking control my paranoids…KH…what am I supposed to do!? I've failed at the very duty that I had been given ever since I was a kid! How am I supposed to look at everyone else after this!? I'm sorry guys…I'm…so sorry."

The others looked down in a silence of regret. They wanted to comfort her but…they couldn't find the right words.

"H-Hey!" Another voice suddenly called them out. When they turned around, they could see Nobuhito. He was wounded like them, but he could still stand…and he was holding Joy in his arms.

"Nobu!" Everyone came closer to him.

"Are you alright?" Rokumon asked.

"Y-Yeah, somehow I was able to come out of it alive and…got a little achievement," Nobuhito replied, looking at the fainted girl.

Fern looked at her. "So, you were able to win. Did you…actually kill her?" He asked.

"What? No! I feared for a moment but…I got to be non-fatal at the right point. She's alive, just knocked out." The other mage replied.

Everyone was surprised. To make sure of it, Ren touched Joy's wrist and could feel the pulsations. "He's right! She's still breathing!"

"Then…that girl got it wrong…" Sakura commented. After that, they quickly gave Nobuhito an explanation of how they lost the bone.

"…Is that so?" He asked. "Man…Joy here also told me how she got pretty attached to that girl. Heh…sometimes I forget that even bad guys can have feelings. This chick here gave me the proof." He then raised his head toward Hitori. "I'm…sorry about it. I think we all are."

"No, don't even mention it. The true culprit here…is me. It was my rush that made me a failure as a priestess. I should have known sooner that you had good intentions. And now…I can only regret about it." Hitori replied.

Nobuhito looked at her in silence. He could see that everyone had the same mood, and he was no exception. Yet…he found something to say.

"Well…maybe it's too soon to say that?" He asked.

"Uh?" Hitori raised his head toward him.

"I know how you are feeling right now, that's for sure. Failing someone's expectations isn't something you can just fly on that easily. And they had indeed taken the bone but…you know what they say! 'You've won the battle, but not the war!'" Nobuhito explained.

The other mages of the guild listened to him as well.

"What do you mean?" Hitori asked.

"That's quite simple, actually. I mean that even if this part failed…it doesn't mean that the whole mission didn't crumble. True, we are disappointed but…I'm sure that my guildmates here surely want their payback, right?" The samurai in red armor asked.

The other mages of Shogunate Pride looked in silence at first…but soon, they all nodded and found some confidence.

"Geez. I didn't expect you of all people to tell me. But yes, I'm definitely pissed off about this, sir." Fern replied.

"You're right, Nobu. We still have plenty of cards to play against them." Rokumon added. "Maybe the others won't be happy about it but…I'm sure we'll figure out something. We always did in the end."

Ren smiled. "You can say that again! I can understand the pain of thinking of losing someone dear, but they're still on the other side. I don't intend for them to get away with this. We'll figure out something."

Sakura was still a bit disappointed, but after hearing the others, she found herself more confident. "I surely want to make amends for my lady. We're doing all of this for her, let's not forget it!"

Nobuhito was happy to hear the answers. "That's right!" He then turned to Hitori. "As you can see, we don't intend to lose our optimism. We're doing this for a friend of ours, after all. So, what I want to say is that…even if you fail, it won't mean that it will be a complete failure. There's still something that we could do together. What do you think, Hitori?" He asked.

Hitori looked at the top of the Mount Yasahime, which was mostly cracked up after the clash. How long has she been there? How long has she guarded that bone relentlessly? She did her best to be a proper reference for her lineage. Yet…she failed.

But Nobuhito seemed to be right. Was that really all she could do? Just say that she failed?

Due to her duty, Hitori tended to underestimate herself. She could still fight, throw spells, and had a temper.

Maybe…she could have done something to remedy that failure.

In the end…the young fox priestess made a few steps beyond the others, looking towards the sea.

"…You're going back to your guild, right?" She asked.

"Hm? Well yeah. It's not like we can do that much for now." Nobuhito replied.

"…Take me with you, then," Hitori spoke before turning around. "…I'm to blame for all of this…and…I think I can still do something to remedy this mistake."

Rokumon already liked the idea. "I don't see why not. Having an ancestor of the priestess that contributed to sealing Jaquio will surely be of great help."

"I'm sure that you're not the only one that thinks of it, right?" Ren asked before looking at the others, who nodded. "Well, you heard them! Feel free to get in our boat, if you can bear us!"

Hitori made a small bow. "Thank you. Trust me, this time I'll do things properly. I know who my enemies are now!"

Fern took the chance to get closer as well. "Now that I think of it…even if they took the bone…I'd say that we still have a victory of our own."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

As an answer, the Devil Slayer looked down at Joy. "Her. I'd say we take her as well with us."

Everyone was a bit concerned by that answer.

"Are you sure? She's still our enemy…what if she tries to kill us as soon as she's awake?" Ren asked.

"Nobuhito just defeated her, so I highly doubt that she'll be able to recover forces soon. And we'll surely think about restraining her." Fern replied. "Unlike those two ninjas that attacked Hoshiko and Iku the other day, this one here is a main member of the Crow Clan. If we make her talk…we may hear valuable information about our enemy."

"It won't be easy though…" Sakura commented.

Nobuhito, on the other hand, was happy to hear about it. Maybe this could have helped her open her eyes. "Yeah, I think it's a great idea. Even if she tried to kill me…I could see that she went through a lot. So, I think that she'll need a bit of help from the rest of us."

"I assume that you'll explain that to us on the road, Nobuhito?" Rokumon asked.

"I wonder how my lady will react upon seeing a person like her…" Sakura commented. "Well…better than nothing. At least she'll get to talk properly with one of them."

"Man…trying to help out both me and her like nothing…I guess that you really are a legal guild…" Hitori commented.

"You had any doubts?" Ren asked her with a grin.

"No not really…but I do need a hug after all these consolations…" The priestess added.

A choir of 'awwws' followed up, and Ren and Rokumon quickly gave her what she wanted. The young priestess was surely moved by all of it.

Nobuhito wanted to join as well, but he had his hands busy. But he was fine with it. Even if they didn't accomplish what they came for, a small moment of tenderness was still enough to cheer things up, exactly as he always hoped for.

In the middle of the ocean

With everything settled on a sad note, the small group left the mountain and Fujin Island behind, got back at their ship, and departed to the sea.

"So…back to the guild, I suppose?" Ren asked.

"It's the least we can do for now, hoping that Master Dohko and the others will forgive us," Rokumon replied as he looked upon the horizon.

"Let's not forget that the others are still probably aiming at the other bones. Maybe they'll have a better outcome. What truly matters is that the Crow Clan doesn't get all the pieces of the bone." Fern added.

"Knowing the others, I'm pretty sure that it won't be easy for them," Ren said before turning to the priestess. "So, stay assured, Hitori! You'll have more people to rely on for your payback?"

"That's…wonderful to know," Hitori replied before looking at the horizon. "Now that I think of it…I've never been that much outside of the overseas. If anything…these will be my first times seeing something else apart from the mountains. Though…" She lowered her fox ears in concern. "Will people be able to accept me? I mean, I'm a girl with fox parts, maybe people would consider me a monster or try to use me as a lab rat, putting some spirit inside me or-" Once again, she started to get paranoid, but she interrupted herself with a slap. "NO! Calm down…"

"I mean, the people in our city got used to me and my siblings. And I'm a cat lady! What could happen with you?" Sakura asked her.

"Eh eh…fair enough," Hitori concluded with a drop of sweat on her head.

"Well, whatever will happen, only one direction to take, and that is forward! So, I hope that you'll sit tight and not make havoc!" Nobuhito exclaimed while standing at the helm.

"You're, the one to talk, sir!? I'm pretty sure that you'd be the same one who abandons a ship after making it crash on a rock!" Fern protested.

"N-Now, don't exaggerate…" Rokumon told him with a skeptical face.

"Nah, don't worry! I'm not that chaotic! I just like to make people laugh!" Nobuhito answered with a smile as he kept on driving.

It would have taken them a bit more to reach the main island of Caelum, but like at the start, even the return journey would have been chill, which surely helped to calm them down. They needed to have a mind clean, just like the third element of a samurai, if they wanted to deal with the Crow Clan, now that they had a piece of the bone.

And in all of that, Joy was put to rest in the cabin of the ship…still breathing.

When she would have woken up, she would have had a lot to deal with, but maybe with people who wanted to help her.

---

And we're finally done with this chapter as well! Surprisingly a bit shorter than usual, but that's actually better! I tend to exaggerate every time XD! With this, another part of this arc is done, and in a way that may have surprised you a bit!

Indeed, it may be out of order from someone like me, but I've decided to raise the tension a bit and make the bad guys actually win this time. After all, where's the fun in a story without a bit of suspense? Considering that it's already a lot since I was able to complete the true first arc of the story, I've wanted to make the story evolve further with the future arcs, which also meant adding things that may have been out of the ordinary even for Fairy Tail standards (besides, even if it's a fanfic, it's still a fic of mine and I want to add things of my own apart from Mashima's established elements), so I tried and went up with it, also to show off the danger that the Crow Clan can represent.

And speaking of which, I've decided to give myself even more liberties in blending the characters of both Nyx and especially Joy! Writing about the latter's battle with Nobuhito was a lot of fun! Not only because it was amusing to find out ways to make Nobuhito get his first one-on-one match, but also because I got the chance to show a more sympathetic and dramatic villain. As soon as I saw Joy, I said to myself "I want to give her some more time" and so I did (side note: like other villains of the Crow Clan, the three major members that appeared in these last two chapters were all made by Hoshiko's creator, zetsunaflames, and I thank him again for it)! I also took the chance to give some more space to Nobuhito and show his more human side, since I thought that I mostly portrayed him as only the prankster of the group.

Also yes, a little fun fact is that in the last chapter, I completely forgot about Sakura being in the group! And when I realized it afterward I said to myself "OH SHI-", so, I've done my best to find a way in-story, to justify her absence in the previous episode (still can't believe that I've got my "Araki forgot" moment _). And Hitori, too, will surely return! She's very funny to write and I have some plans for her role in the story one way or another.

But of course, as always, I leave the last opinion to you! Did you like the chapter? What do you think of the enemies that showed up? What are your opinions on Joy's fight and the villainous outcome? What do you think will happen to the rest of the groups? Let me know by supporting this story with a review! We're already at 60 reviews, so more of them are always welcome, and your opinion is important!

I'll surely have my hands busy now since, as many of you already know, I've started another SYOC of Fairy Tail called Round Table (if you want to submit an OC, you're still in time! You find the story in my profile), and as a new start with more people joining in, I'll surely have to give a lot of attention to that story, but I also hope that I can continue updating this story as well, as I can see that you are supporting it a lot, especially after coming this far! The adventures of the samurais are still at the beginning, after all! But yes, next time I'll work on chapter 2 of Round Table to make it re-appear on the surface and see if more people are interested.

Once again, I thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you in the next one, or the next chapter of another story of mine! And have a happy spooky month everyone! Halloween is getting close! From Bluestar here, arrivederci!