A/N: Hey, glad to see you guys really liked the last chapter. For those of you hoping I was going to get straight into the action, uh, sorry, but I kinda want to set up everything, y'know? There were some scenes I wanted to include from the game too. You're going to have to go to the end to see the Leon v Minoru fight.
Also, some people can't see my images on Ao3 still. So here is the link to my pixiv: en/users/26450166
Currently the only thing there is the CGs with my icon and some OC stuff. I do think you need a pixiv account to see the r-18 stuff, but honestly as much as I do want to share everything for this fic with you guys at some point it kinda becomes not worth it. If the issue persists at this point, I'm just going to move on. Sorry, I hope you can understand.
Oh and I think my bookmarks are public on Pixiv, like I'm unashamed, but I'll just warn you now that you're going to see a bunch of R-18 stuff if you look there.
Leon Fou [now Rapha] Barfort: Renowned adventurer and current crown prince. / previously: Hiro (pre:isekai)—Lea of Bart's Fort (The true founder of Holfort and lover to the Saintess Ann and Mary)—JOU_MOU_ (someone who used to work in Luxion's facility.)
Angelica Rapha Redgrave: Daughter of Duke Redgrave and ex-fiancé to Julius/ Previously: Ann of Bart's Fort (aka Saintess Ann and lover of Lea of Bart's fort). / Also goes by Angie to close friends and loved ones.
Olivia: Commoner from the Kagenou Barony. / previously: Mary (lover and companion to Ann and Lea. What happened to her is a mystery). / Is also known as Livia by her close friends and loved ones.
Cid Kagenou: fiancé to several famous elves but just a regular mob you'd find anywhere / previously: Minoru Kagenou (Pre:isekai and possibly post[this fanfic only, details on that to come]) / Also dons the secret identity of "Lord Shadow." Leader and founder of The Shadow Garden.
Alice [Kagenou]: Cid's personal elf servant, lover, and childhood friend / previously: Beatrice (this is non canon, but all of Shadow Garden had identities before joining so I made a name up for her.) / Dons the secret identity of "Alpha" or "Lady Shade." Co-leader and second founder of The Shadow Garden, first of the Seven Shades. The name "Alpha" is only used by those in Shadow Garden.
Other Shadow Garden Members: All of the seven shades have secret identities. They see their Shadow Garden names as their true names and will use that in their own thoughts. But to everyone not in Shadow Garden that sees them as their secret identities will use those names.
Beta: Natsume Kafka, renowned writer.
Gamma: Luna of Mitsugoshi, owner of said store and many others, richest Woman in the world.
Delta: Sara, certified good girl.
Epsilon: Shiron, amazing musician known internationally.
Zeta: Zetan. Previously known as Lilim, named after the therianthrope hero, who was Lili.
Eta: Goes by Eta Lloyd Wright, renowned Architect.
Disclaimer: I don't own Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, nor The Eminence in Shadow. The only Beta reader here is the elf.
-P2W/Cid-
I'm not the picky type. Thinks Cid as he begins to disrobe. I don't care too much when it comes to most things. But there are times when even I get finicky.
Cid folds his clothes neatly, placing them in the basket on top of Alpha's, and then closes the locker. Alpha had spent her time marveling what Zeta had done to Cid the night before already, so now she can't help but laugh at all the scratches and bite marks still left on him.
Cid ignores this and continues his internal dialogue while wrapping a towel around his waist, It may not be anything important, but I like what I like and dislike what I dislike.
Cid opens the door to the outdoor bath for a now toweled Alpha, she bows in thanks before going out.
These interests are trivial… thinks Cid as he begins to clean himself, Alpha mirroring his every action, whether I enjoy them or not. This is one of those guilty pleasures. Hot springs.
As he and Alpha take off their towels, Cid slowly emerges himself within the hot spring, enjoying how the water encompasses his body and rejuvenates his very soul. Cid has his eyes closed the entire time, but they close tightly with pleasure as he sighs contently, "Phew…"
Alpha maintains a respectable distance away from Cid… which is to say roughly two inches to his right, so they can both properly enjoy the hot spring. However, as she is now the only one near Cid, Alpha can't help but hum contently, "Hmhmm, hmm-hmm"
However, roughly 2 feet away from Cid and Alpha was one white haired princess who had blended in with the white steam of the bath. She had managed to catch a glimpse of Cid's body and was driven to a mixture of enticed, horrified, embarrassed, mortified, and every other possible synonym.
Unable to utter any words, Alexia merely gasps at the sight before her.
Alpha hears this and stops her humming to look at the woman in their vicinity, now staring at Alexia with the same stare she would Delta to tell her to 'stay.'
Cid of course just lets this happens and continues the song from where Alpha left off, "Hmhmm, hmm-hmm."
"Wha…!" squeaks out Alexia.
Cid assumes that Alexia is talking to someone else and continues his little song, "Hmhmm, hmm-hmm"
As Cid is unbothered and properly moisturized he decides to zone out while staying in his own lane, recalling that There was a period in my past life where I didn't bathe at all. Time spent soaking was time wasted in my eyes. I still had to keep up appearances as an extra though, so I did spend three minutes in the shower every day. But time in the tub was time that could be better spent on training. That was right around when I came up against the limits of the human species.
Alpha stares Alexia down like a king cobra would a hamster, as if daring her to move her eyes southward.
To put it simply, I was losing my mind. Recalls Cid, Like, I'm talking seriously considering ways I could repel a nuke with a right straight. Anyway, a bunch of stuff happened, and I realized how out of whack I was, so I got back in the habit of bathing. It was a hot spring that got me back on track. Soaking in hot water fosters composure in the soul. Which ties directly to the quality of my training and fostered the idea of magic and auras.
Alexia begins to shake as though she's in freezing water as her will is being shook, both in the sense that she can't help but want to look down at Cid's body but also that she feels like doing so would spell her death. And frankly she's debating how worth it that would be.
Cid continues to hum and smile as he thinks, Lindwurm here is famous for its hot springs, so I've secretly been super-excited about it. It's early in the morning—my favorite time to hit the springs. That doesn't mean I wouldn't go at night, but mornings are best. There are usually fewer people around. Sometimes, I even get the whole place to myself… I suppose that last bit will be an impossibility now, but at least I can trust Alpha to respect that the sacredness of hot springs.
Cid then opens one of his eyes to see Alpha's hair all but flowing up through mana as she stares Alexia down. I came today hoping to get some of that private time, but it seems someone had the same idea and beat me—or rather us—to it. And to make it worse, that someone is none other than Alexia.
Alexia has her long white hair bundled up, her red eyes going wide as they momentarily meet with Cid's. They both quickly look away, but Alpha continues to glare at Alexia. Cid meanwhile, believes that Alexia finally looking away is her choosing to agree to a policy of mutual nonintervention in which they act like they others are not there.
The spring is reserved for nobility, so it makes sense that there'd be a few guests early in the morning as that's the main time nobility would have free. However, as it is this early into the day, there are no dividers put up, making it so this time is opened to mixed bathing. It is a spacious bath, steam covering everything below eye level. The sun starts to rise.
Cid continues to bask in the sunrise and water, thinking about how awesome it would've been to have the bath all to himself. In all honestly some part of him is grateful that Alexia is there with him and Alpha. As had it just been him and Alpha it is likely they would have needed to clean themselves again.
As it stands Alexia scooted away from Alpha and now sits on an opposite end of the open-air bath. She does her best to enjoy the view as Cid is, although there is a rather uncomfortable silence in the air.
From the corner of their eyes, Cid and Alpha see Alexia's pale skin shift, creating ripples in the air. Cid briefly thinks about just getting out of the bath earlier than he'd like but Alexia decides to break the silence.
With one last glance/glare in Cid's direction Alexia sighs deeply, asking, "Are you okay?"
"Hm? What are you talking about?" asked Cid curiously.
Alexia points to his neck and shoulders, "Your injuries, It looks like you were attacked by a wild animal."
Cid recalls the events of the other night with Zeta and Victoria. Zeta in particular had been rather insistent about leaving her mark on Cid, using some sort of magic as to prevent him from removing them any time soon. This of course means that Cid's shoulders, back, neck, and chest are all covered in bruises, bite marks, and scratch marks.
"oh, it's all healed up, don't worry. Just gotta clean it a bit before healing the scars, you know?" said Cid.
"I see…" said Alexia as she continues to talk in an attempt to keep Alpha from murdering her, "You heal rather quickly don't you?"
Cid nods, "Yup, wouldn't have been able to survive the time you sliced me up otherwise."
Alexia flinches and looks away from Alpha's position.
"Er, yeah…." Adds Alexia, "I'm glad."
Cid meanwhile merely laughs to himself, as he knows this is really the best he could get as an apology from Alexia. Part of him wonders if Alexia was ever taught the words 'I'm sorry' or 'I apologize.'
Seeing as how it'd be in poor taste to let the conversation die there, at least as part of his mob-role, Cid continues the conversation. "Any plans for your stay at Lindwurm?"
"I'm a VIP guest at the Goddess Trial, so I'm going to be busy with that all day, what about you?" Said Alexia to Cid and only Cid.
"Probably the same thing." Said Cid.
Alexia nods, "Right, Rose did enter you in it after all."
The silence returns.
"…What?" asked Cid, turning to Alpha who looks away. "Did you know about this? Because I don't even know what the Goddess trial even is, so how could I be participating in it?"
Alexia sighs, "Rose just told us last night, saying that she signed you up so you could prove yourself. But I suppose I'd be a bad friend if I just let you go in there blind, so listen up. The Goddess' Trial is a battle held once a year when they open the door to the Sanctuary."
"A battle…?" asked Cid.
"Memories of ancient warriors are awoken from within, and challengers come to fight them." Explained Alexia.
Cid scratches his chin, with his own memories of Lea and Ann, the spirits of Holfort's true founder and the Saintess that resided within said woman's necklace. "So… they're fighting ghosts?" he finally asks.
That sounds pretty fun actually, Lea was pretty strong and he was held back by being in Leon's body most of the time. Thinks Cid.
"You know, usually you have to sign up early to be able to participate in it. I have no idea how both you and Prince Leon managed to get spots." Said Alexia. "Not to mention, the ancient warriors will only answer the calls of worthy opponents. Usually, the warrior is a little stronger than the challenger. Several hundred contestants enter each year, but only ten or so actually end up getting to fight."
Alpha nods, "Right, I remember that a couple of years ago there were clamors due to when Venom the Wandering Swordsman called forth the hero Olivier."
This interests Cid a bit, so he asks, "Did he win?"
Alexia shakes her head, "Apparently not. I didn't actually see the battle though, so I'm not sure exactly what happened… There's also the possibility that the warrior he summoned may not have really been Olivier."
Cid looks to Alpha whose face is turned so that only he can see just long enough for him to flash him a wink.
Hm… I wonder if Alpha could summon Olivier. It'd be a blast if she did. Although it would probably be bad for our covers.
"You said Leon's participating?" said Cid.
"Right, Lady Redgrave had signed him up, even making it so he could bring his armor in. So hey, no matter what you end up summoning should be able to be made up for thanks to him. Don't you have the best friends?" taunted Alexia. Alpha doesn't glare, but her stare is enough to make Alexia feel like she needs to keep talking, "By the way, this hasn't been made public news yet, but word is that there was an attack on the church. The current archbishop of Lindwurm's cathedral has gone into hiding, and his replacement will be here shortly to continue the trials."
Not very interested Cid just lets out a small, "Huh."
Taking a few risky glances while stretching to try and hide them, Alexia continues, "Unsavory rumors about the archbishop have been circling for a while, so I'm joining the investigation. Oh, but I can't tell you anything else because you're not involved. If you want to know more, join the Crimson Order."
Hint, hint.
As Cid catches onto said hint rather easily, he immediately denies the offer, "No thanks."
Alexia doesn't give up though, "Then after you graduate."
"No thanks." Said Cid.
"I'll submit an application for you." Insists Alexia.
"Please don't." said Cid, patting Alpha's head to keep her from causing any trouble..
"…" Alexia pouts. "You're so stubborn."
The conversation breaks off there, and the trio spends some more time together in silence. The atmosphere isn't so awkward this time.
Alexia moves out of Cid's periphery, her long legs float on the surface, causing a succession of ripples.
Doing her best to strike a subtle (read: obviously) sexy pose, Alexia posits, "I had expected more ogling, but I guess I was wrong."
Although Alexia didn't explicitly state what she thought Cid would be staring at, the way her mermaid like pose points her rear (that she is confident in the shape of) to Cid and one hand resting upon her busom, Cid can tell what she really meant. As can Alpha who chuckles a bit.
"Someone's confident." Taunts Alpha.
Because of the heat and the comfier atmosphere, Alexia feels a bit more daring, replying, "When you're a perfect beauty like me, it's annoying to constantly put up with lusty gazes."
Yet here you are wearing nothing. Even Alpha's still got her towel on, thinks Cid.
Cid closes his eyes missing Alpha's smirk and Alexia's second pout as he says, "I try not to look at others when in a hot spring. That way, we can all use them in peace." Cid then looks straight into Alexia's eyes, but doesn't meet them thanks to where hers are pointed when he says, "So on that note… how about you stop stealing peeks at my Excalibur?"
Alexia, who doesn't move her gaze in the slightest but can feel Cid and Alpha's judgment defensively taunts Cid by laughing, "Heh. THATis 'Excalibur?'"
Alexia begins to laugh like she is mocking Cid wholeheartedly.
Alexia glares at Cid mockingly, as though she doesn't have a blush on her face that makes her look like a white-chocolate covered strawberry, "You sure you didn't mean 'Earthworm'?"
Alpha laughs like she just heard the funnies joke in the whole world.
"What? Got nothing to do but laugh?" jeers Alexia.
Wiping a tear from her eye, Alpha counters with, "Well I'm sure that's all you could ever get Cid's Excalibur to look like."
Alexia grits her teeth from the jab, but Alpha doesn't stop.
"See what it is supposed to look like," said Alpha as she grips the towel covering her body, "is something like this."
Alpha throws the towel off her body, giving both Cid and Alexia a full view of her body. And Cid, who stood up to catch the towel Alpha threw, gives Alexia a full glance at Excalibur in it's full unsheathed glory, standing tall for all the world to see.
Alexia looks on in awe and horror, her whole body looking like it was as crimson as her eyes.
Cid who had his goods put on full display due to the circumstances beyond his control, known also as having an extremely hot girlfriend that he loves dearly, turns to leave.
Alpha stands up as well, showing the body that she is also very confident in.
"…" Alexia can only gape as she watches as closely as her hormones demand.
Although Cid did have something planned to say in response, he actually feels a bit embarrassed at having gotten turned on by Alpha in a public place. So, he finishes his ritual of bathing in a hotspring by snapping a wet towel between his legs to clap loudly against his butt.
I always liked how old guys do that when they get out of the bath. Thinks Cid as Alpha mimicks his action and he fights his blush down harder than any opponent he's faced in the past, there's no particular reason why, but the experience isn't complete unless I do it too.
As Alpha and Cid get dressed he looks in her direction.
"Oh?" said Alpha as she notices the blush on Cid's face, "Did the heat get to you Cid?"
Cid stays silent.
"Cid?" questions Alpha.
"…not cool." Murmurs Cid as he exits the room.
"Eh?" shouts Alpha, "Cid? Wait, Cid, hold on-"
A loud slapping noise can be heard from the bath, distracting Alpha momentarily before she goes back to following off of Cid who is rushing towards the vendor to buy a cool drink to rub against his face.
-Leon-
"I'm going to what?" I ask my beloved partner Angie.
"Since you like fighting by yourself so much I've arranged for you to participate in one of the biggest battles known worldwide." Said Angie as she hid her smirk behind a fan she borrowed from Deirdre. I know Angie owns a couple like that too, but she usually only has them to accessories extravagant outfits, compared to Deirdre who always has at least 3 on her.
"…It's not like I'm trying to exclude you from anything. I let you know what I was doing." I try to excuse myself.
Livia however pouts at me, "Just because you let us know doesn't mean we won't get worried! You told us everything, but the fact is that you were still in danger! It hurts us to think of you out somewhere we can't see getting hurt!"
"So, you sign me up to get shit beat out of me where you can see!?" I ask incredulously.
Angie nods and snaps the fan shut, pointing it at me, "Glad you understand. Now, you did manage to get the staff, correct?"
I sigh but pull it out from where I hid it in the wall, I believe this hidden compartment—that makes Angie and Livia's eyes light up upon its reveal—was originally intended for some kind of hidden rifle or something, but the staff managed to just barely fit.
I hold it in front of Livia, who has her arms out ready to grab it, but then I pull it away.
"Huh?" questioned Livia.
I purse my lips, "It's… It's not complete." I explain while pointing at the missing gem in the top, "and I'm unsure of giving it to you while it's like that."
"Oh?" said Angie as she put her hands on her hips and raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
I sigh and scratch the back of my head, gesturing for all of us to take a seat. Luckily, my bedroom does have a sofa and a recliner, so I sit in the recliner and wait for the girls to sit on the couch.
Only for both of them to sit on one leg each, and staring at me like this isn't something they usually do to seduce me.
"Well," said Livia with a teasing grin, "We're listening."
I swallow a retort forming in my mouth and instead go on to explain that the night we had gotten into Lindwurm's territory I had a dream. Said dream was very likely a memory of Lea's. I had no idea how to make any sense of it at the time, the only thing I could do was try to cope with the pain by grounding myself by taking in my surroundings and then having Livia help me forget how to think.
"Anytime." Giggled Livia.
Angie put a hand to her chin, "I believe that Livia used to have similar dreams, no? When she first had gotten the necklace from you and Lord Shadow."
Livia nods, "Right, I used to have dreams all the time because of Ann. Have you never experienced anything similar Angie?"
"No," answers Angie disappointedly with a shake of her head, "Unfortunately, I had merged with Ann at the same time I came into possession of the necklace. While I can still somewhat feel her, it's… it's more like she became a part of me, with her memories and voice specifically only appearing when triggered by something unique to her life. Is this the case for you as well Leon?"
I nod, "When I first saw the necklace in its broken state, I could practically feel Lea screaming about how he had put so much work into the staff only for it to have that done to it. Apparently, it wasn't even fully maintained, Luxion spent the better part of last night and this morning helping me do just that."
"Oh… that's a little different than how I felt when Ann was with me," noted Olivia, "When I had the necklace it did feel like we were the same, but less like we were the exact same person and more that we were two people who wanted the same thing."
Right, Livia used to be a bit more… forceful in her approach of me. It had worn off a little, only really popping up in the bedroom but I think that's less of Ann's influence and more Livia being herself.
"But the contents of that dream… for you to receive it now, either it's related to the events of this land, or something much more foreboding." Said Angie.
"Right, it's way too strange that the exact night I was arriving in the land that was the sight of a battle with diabolos I had Lea show me a memory in which he fought on a battlefield." I said.
"Could we maybe ask him why?" asked Livia.
I shake my head, "Unfortunately I sorta lost the ability to directly talk with Lea when he merged with me. I can feel him, but it's more like he's another part of my body than a separate person… no, I think it's more accurate to say that he's like a different pool of mana I have access too, and when I use it I can use all the stuff he learned as well."
"That's much the same for me as well," said Angie, "Ann bestowed upon me her talent with healing and… *cough* some tips before she ultimately disappeared from my consciousness."
Some tips huh.
"Wipe that smile off your face, we both enjoyed them." Grumbled Angie.
Can't, that sentence just makes me happier.
As I nuzzle Angie's pouty face, Livia stared at the staff.
"You know… I can feel something from the staff." Said Livia, making us both stare at her in expectation. However, her next few words worried me a little bit, "It's… sad. There's some kind of great sorrow coming from it."
I hold the staff with both hands, a bit awkwardly since I have to reach around the girls, but when doing so, I… don't feel the same thing as Livia. Instead, I still feel holy power emanating from it. The same energy I felt last night. Then again, Livia is way more talented when it comes to holy magic than me. So, I relay my feelings to Livia, causing her to ponder it a bit.
"Leon, what exactly do you feel when holding the staff. Like what emotion?" asked Livia.
I do my best to concentrate on the feeling. Letting the faint glow course around my hands. The feeling is familiar, but… I can't place an emotion. "I don't think there is an emotion, I just feel like I do when you heal me."
Livia beams, "Then Mary was totally me!"
Confused, Angie asks, "Pardon? What do you mean?"
"When I heal, I always have some kind of chant or feeling in my head. The idea that I want to help someone, some kind of prayer to the Saintess to give me the power to help people. But… when I heal Leon specifically, I… the chant in my head, the emotions I feel, they change a little bit." Livia smiles at me dearly with her hands resting above her heart, "I think 'please let me help the person I love the most.' And my heart is filled with love. So, so much love."
I can't help but blush. Angie's smiling cheekily at me and since I'm still holding the staff I can't hide my face. Livia kisses me on the cheek, and I feel my face starting to get really hot. Angie mirrors the action and I just melt while they giggle victoriously.
Damn it! What have the girls done to me!?
After cooling down a bit I try to salvage a bit of my dignity and clear my throat, "*Ahem* anyway, I think that maybe we should try to see if we can talk to our past selves. After all they may know a lot of important details that seem to be becoming relevant one way or another. Plus, I don't like how my last dream ended, it seems too vague and ominous."
"Hm… but how would we do that?" asked Livia.
"The main way they have been communicating with us is through our dreams, and unfortunately, we can't exactly go back to sleep when we all just woke up not too long ago." Points out Angie.
"Well, since Leon is going to fight in The Goddess Trial maybe we can jolt something then? After all he should be able to summon something from ancient times at about his level, right?" mentioned Livia.
As that is as good point as any, we decide to just leave things as they are for now. Although I can't help but wonder what Mary is going to be like considering what Livia had to say about the emotion behind the staff.
Plus, there's one thing that always confused me, how did they manage to put their souls, or memories, or whatever it is into the items in the first place. And why?
…I feel like the answer has to do with the stuff we were looking for anyway. Plus, I feel like there's more to the reason why Livia had that one memory of our past lives looking sad without the others besides a possible death. That also might explain what happened to Lea after.
-P2W/Alexia-
As the archbishop of Lindwurm had gone into hiding, another had taken his place. Jack Nelson, a portly balding man.
"In ancient times, the Goddess Beatrix…" said Nelson to the crowd of people awaiting the start of The Goddess Trial, "bestowed power upon the hero, Olivier, so that he might defeat the demon, Diablos. With the help of the Saintess of Holfort to facilitate the meeting and then channel the power, Olivier would meet Diablos in battle with dauntless valor and is said to have sealed the fiend's left arm within the Sanctuary before it could vanish. Even now, the warriors of old who stood beside Olivier in this most holy conflict await you all beyond these very doors!"
The warriors who showed up to participate raise their arms and weaponry in unison, letting out a battle cry, "YAAAH!"
Nelson smiles at the hundreds of participants, "You all know what it is these brave souls seek. Yes, the path of righteousness…"
Alexia who sits in the VIP area alongside Rose, Clarice, Deirdre, and Natsume Kafka (Beta in disguise), can't help but think that she doesn't like Nelson.
The archbishop Jack Nelson… contemplates Alexia, wondering about the man in question's character.
However Alexia doesn't let it show on her face as she is seated between Rose and Natsume, as the three are the guests of honor. They are obviously being used to draw a larger crowd by being pretty girls on display, something made clearer by how Clarice and Deirdre were asked to seat on Rose's right and Natsume's left when they arrived, but that isn't really the issue.
No, there are two things that Alexia finds irksome as she turns to her left. The first- She does not like Nelson, the acting archbishop, who is droning on so pompously in the middle of the arena.
Didn't you get here a little too quickly? Thinks Alexia. The other archbishop had only left the other night, rather, in the middle of the night, yet somehow Nelson had been ready to fill in this morning. If it was a regular bishop who performed the opening or something else, that's one thing. But for another archbishop to be here and ready to give the speech?
In fact, after Alexia had left the bath that morning she went on Official Crimson Order business to speak with the archbishop, yet Nelson had adamantly refused to let her investigate the incident from the night before. What's worse is that Nelson had said that since the only thing that really happened is that the intruders broke a window and a single nun went missing, there was nothing to worry about.
Alexia had diplomatically told Nelson that he was a fool for not seeing that was extremely suspicious and the missing woman should be reason enough for an investigation. But the acting archbishop had held fast to his demand she get her request reapproved.
Nelson merely replied that they should let the church handle church matters, as they always have.
But even if I were to rush back to the capital and persuade Father to grant permission for another Crimson Order investigation… thinks Alexia angrily, Does that dolt realize how many days that would take round-trip?! Every crucial piece of evidence would go missing in the meantime, I just know it! …and that lady! Still, I can't very well risk worsening relations with the Church by forcing the inquiry to go through… Any strong-arm tactics here could result in pressure from neighboring lands, too.
The biggest issue would be the loss of support among the masses. Religions make useful allies, but also the most grievous of enemies.
Alexia subtly glares in Nelson's direction, That bald creep is so obviously suspicious! Ugh, I REALLY don't like this!
Alexia then looks directly to her left, as the crowd cheers for the elven woman beside her.
"Natsume!" cries the crowd, "We love you Natsume!"
Natsume who has changed her hair to be in a ponytail with her bangs framing only one part of her face, displaying her left ear proudly. Round glasses on her face and matching blue earrings and a necklace make sure to draw attention to Natsume's face… however, her dress, possessing an unique design of a shoulder cover and very deep and wide v cut dress that shows off the bust and stomach also remind Alexia of something else she doesn't like.
A/N: I'd recommend looking at Natsume's Beta outfit from the anime, it's actually kinda cute and sexy.
Alexia lets out a long sigh, giving Natsume the side eye. See, Alexia understands that she needs Natsume's approval, she does. In fact as they had sat down together before the rest of the public could fill the arena, Alexia had attempted to make a good impression.
However, despite Natsume's current standing as the all but belle of a literary ball, the way she had spoken to Alexia earlier…
*1 hour ago*
Guided by a staff member Alexia had sat down in her seat, accompanying Rose whose mind had been occupied with thoughts of Cid. Alexia briefly glanced in Rose's direction, noting how it had been the first time Alexia had seen Rose's hair not in their standard drills, given that they were braided into an over the shoulder ponytail that reached her stomach.
However, what really interested Alexia was when Natsume had arrived.
Alexia hadn't really been interested in literature, so she had no idea about Natsume, nor any of her stories. However since she met her at the previous celebrations thrown by Leon and Luna, Alexia's gotten the impression that Natsume didn't like her very much. Alexia didn't care at the time, but with the mission given to her by Alice, Alexia figures she has to change that.
"Ah, you must be Natsume Kafka," greeted Alexia with a smile, holding her hand out for a handshake given that it's a bit awkward to curtsy while seated.
Natsume, wearing her similarly fake smile, takes Alexia's hand, and then drags her into a hug. Alexia momentarily assumes that is a good sign, but Natsume's next few words whipsered into her ear prove otherwise, "I know what you've done to my lord. I know how you treated him, you [Elven word that Alexia doesn't know but assumes is bad] and I know what Alice told you. *Chuckle* well consider that you failed already. After making my lord and love pretend to be a dog how could I ever approve of a bitch like you."
"My lord?" questions Alexia.
"I'm his little mermaid princess and he's my beloved lord. It's something a [Elven word that Alexia doesn't know but assumes is bad] would never understand." Said Natsume, her words all but incomprehensible to Alexia, but damn did it fill her with jealously as 'mermaid princess' was a lot cuter than the 'oh, you' Alexia normally got from Cid.
Natsume then lets go, leaving Alexia dumbfounded as they wait for the event to start.
*Back in the present*
Alexia watches as Natsume happily greets the crowd. She feels sickened by how well Natsume can put on an act. It's something about how Natsume so perfectly plays the part of a 'princess' reminds Alexia of herself. Afterall, Alexia also behaves impeccably when greeting the general public. She has lived her whole life suppressing her inner self and playing the part of the perfect princess.
Everyone at the top has a role to act out, big or small, but few have it in them to hold back their true nature while doing so. Take his highness Leon for instance, someone who acts like the champion of the common man but in the end, he was just another person who had to thank his ancestors for his success… at least that's how it appears from Alexia's point of view.
"Ahaha!" joyfully laughs Natsume as she waves to the crowd.
She's so fake… growls Alexia within her head.
"…ehehe!" giggles Natsume, leaning down to supposedly greet the people seated directly below her but instead giving everyone a strategic view of her cleavage.
The sight of Natsume's Kafkas send the crowd into a uproar, with anyone attracted to women immediately going "UWOOAAAAH!"
This makes Alexia, who had been sneaking several glances in Natsume(bust)'s direction, feel a bit subconscious and attempt to fold her arms underneath her chest to make it stand out a bit.
Some audience members notice Alexia again and cheer, "Princess Alexia is the best!"
Not one to not capitalize on an opening Natsume raises her arms, showing that her outfit also displays a healthy (read: down right scandalous to the medieval people) amount of underboob as well, and shouts happily "C'mon, everyone!"
This makes Alexia, who had still been sneaking several glances in Natsume(bust)'s direction, feel a bit subconscious and gape with a "Huh…?!"
"Let's cheer everyone on together, okay?" Natsume said to the crowd.
The crowd goes into a frenzy, answering with a "YAAAAHHH!"
That's when Alexia sees it—one of Natsume's cheeks twitches upward in a smirk.
"Heh." Laughs Natsume as she gives Alexia the side eye.
Something snaps within Alexia and she growls while coming to the conclusion of, Screw it.
Alexia immediately attempts to crush Natsume's foot by stomping down on it discreetly only to find herself tripped by Natsume who saw through it, moved faster than Alexia could track, hooked her foot under the one Alexia hadn't raised, and tripped her… in front of the entire crowd.
As Alexia picks herself up from the ground, ignoring all the startled gasps and Rose who tries to help her hup, she stares straight in Natsume(bust)'s direction, feeling an anger and resolve.
She won't get Natsume's approval, this much is clear. But instead, Alexia has resolved to get everyone else's and perhaps within time, remove their approval of Natsume.
While this silent war goes on, Rose smiles happily as she watches Nelson begin the ceremony proper.
-P2W/Deirdre-
If one were to ask Deirdre as to whether or not she enjoyed the sight of battles, she'd respond "Does a rose have thorns?"
Yes, as her last name Roseblade would suggest Deirdre is a woman who can enjoy a suit of armor as well as she could a glamorous dress. As such, The Goddess' Trial is something she had always wanted to witness if not participate. However, Holfort only ever sends people from the academy as witnesses, given that the Elven city of Lindwurm is rather exclusive most of the time, especially towards humans.
But Deidre is rather familiar with how things work. First, the venue bursts into glorious light, and an ancient script appears on the floor of the stadium. For most people said script would be undecipherable but for Deirdre who had chosen ancient language studies as an elective she can make out 'barrier' 'past' 'data-battle' and a few others.
In any case, the letters then glow white as they expand into a dome which only further electrifies the cheers of the crowd. Then the challengers step into the dome, and then a suitable opponent is chosen by the Sanctuary. Once the fight is underway, there is no outside intervention until one side is unable to continue.
Deirdre licks her lips, enjoying the sight of all the poor saps that had paid 10,000 dia for the right to participate in an event that will see them humiliated in front of hundreds. She can recognize the honor that would come should one succeed, something commemorated with a medal, which for many commoners will mean they can take their pick of a job anywhere at anytime.
But the thing is, not everyone who steps onto the field will get a response. Deirdre sadistically delights in how one Dubelay Batterieze from Oriana readies himself, asking for a warrior of the past to appear, only to stand waiting and ultimately be dismissed. This continues on for a bit, and Deirdre finds herself no less entertained.
But what Deirdre truly looks forward to is when her own lover shows up. Afterall, what could be more thrilling than what ever he could conjure up? Not to mention that Deirdre would also be able to enjoy the sight of Leon damaged, blood poring down his face, possibly the addition of a few scars, his chest heavily heaving…
*Slurp*
"Eugh."
Not expecting the sound of her licking her lips again to be so loud Deirdre turns to apologize, only to find Cid.
"Oh, Cid. I hadn't noticed you," said Deirdre before noticing something, "My apologies, but without Alice I hadn't been able to differentiate you from anyone else here."
Deirdre realizes her statement was a bit rude, especially for a statement directed to her lover's best friend, but Cid flashes her a smile "Aw thanks. She's busy with something, so I thought I'd try to sit with Natsume before she showed up, do you mind?"
Wanting a better view of the arena to see the saps who don't summon anyone cry, Deirdre gets up and let's Cid take her seat.
I wonder what Alice is up to, it must be important for her not to be with Cid. Thinks Deirdre.
-P2W/Alpha-
Under the cover of the night, Alpha watches as a few cultists scurry about. Clad in the coat her lover and lord and bestowed upon her all those years ago, under the name of Lady Shade, Alpha grins.
"The cult's mission…" remarks Alpha as she summons her sword, "the truth behind the possessed…"
Alpha gazes to the moon, as if it could hold all the answers.
"I…" Alpha moves her stare back to the cultists, looking at them as one would insects. "Will accomplish what I set out to do."
Alpha then leaps from the rooftop she had been stepping on flying through the air. She draws her arm back, aiming, then with a slight exhale she throws her sword at full strength immediately flying into one cultist, impaling him through his spine and ending him with a small splatter of blood.
Before the cultists can even understand that they were being attacked, Alpha lands, takes her sword out from the cultist she murdered and levels a glare at the remaining ones.
"We'll make it quick and painless, although you don't deserve either." States Alpha.
She then quickly moves in, impaling another cultists and then lifting his dead body and tossing it another, breaking his neck. Two others attempt to try shooting at her with their pistols, but Alpha dodges in between each bullet, her after image being the only thing that gets hit, and her slow approaching the two cultists more of a taunt meant to torture them than any mercy.
When she finally makes her way to them, she immediately slashes them both in half, the last cultists tries to get a surprise hit only for Alpha to guard his strike with the pommel of her sword, grab his throat, and then crush it, leaving him gurgling as he falls before she stomps his head in with the heel of her foot to end his suffering.
Using some mana to clean herself, Alpha states, "The Sanctuary and its secrets… We will uncover them while lurking in the shadows."
Alpha then leaves the back alleys she had been in. With a snap she summons the others not looking behind her as Epsilon and her subordinates clean up the mess Alpha left behind as she—ironically—dons her maid outfit once more and heads towards the stadium.
Smirking, Alpha thinks to herself, Let the lost king cast light so we may lurk closer to its source once more…
-Leon-
After witnessing that one swordswoman, Annerose I think, fight the past warrior… Borg. I got a good idea of what I would be expecting from here. The fight itself wasn't that interesting. Not to say Annerose wasn't impressive, she was, but after everything I had faced the last couple of days it was… refreshing, I guess.
I mean the other guys weren't bad either, but Annerose was the only one to win, so she's the only one whose name I remember. But in the end, the shield activating, a brief flash of light, some orbs if they were someone that summoned a weapon. But that's nothing compared to a giant sky whale with a ship on its back coming from a cloud honestly.
[Careful not to 'trip any flags.']
I glared at Luxion as I began to put on the rest of my armor, "I thought you didn't believe in superstition."
[I do not. Yet you seem to be living proof of how bad things can go.]
I flip Luxion off. "You saying that stuff doesn't help either dumbass."
[Fair enough I suppose. Now, just to make sure you do not get killed for the amusement of others, let's do one last recap of your inventory.]
I nod, looking at the several places I manage to store things away, it's actually underneath the armor rather than in an outside pocket, but manages to keep both me and the glass bottles safe. Honestly Luxion says it's not magic and that it's insulting for me to call it such, but I feel like I'm using some kind of hammer space to keep all the health, stamina, and mana potions. Not to mention My sword, knife, spare sword, mecha-shift guns and some other combat items, like the elemental gems.
I give Luxion a thumbs up, and he disappears. Likely going to where Angie and Livia had been sitting. I think I saw them with Alice and Cid. Though that was before they took their seats so as I started to walk out, I decided to try and find them.
Looks like Cid's sitting with Alice, Livia and Angie in the VIP area, well the seats literally right behind the VIP area anyway. If I remember correctly Claire is with Milaine and Himawari, something about how needing to beat up Julius and his motley crew so they wouldn't cause problems during The Goddess Trial. I guess they heard about how I was going to participate and wanted their own turn, not knowing that Angie had only managed it due to the incident I caused last night. In any case I did ask Luxion to broadcast everything to them through a TV if they get the chance, if not they can watch a recording.
A good distraction would be needed from a church getting broken into, and the crown prince and hero of Holfort showing up to The Goddess Trial? Yeah, they couldn't overlook that. Plus, with how Rose somehow managed to sign up Cid I need to make sure to get a good look at what to expect and then maybe loan him my armor, so he doesn't get the shit beat out of him.
I wave towards my friends. Everyone waves back, even Alexia. +1 Little sister for me I suppose.
I look to the arena, it's a big circle with a bunch of torches on the outside to help light it. Normally it'd still be a little dark but thanks to the runes found everywhere they brighten up the place.
Okay.
No more stalling.
I float onto the arena, and seeing as how nothing happens, I make contact with the ground and pull out a sword. For a second, I feel like nothing is going to happen, making me doubt my strength. But-
*VRRR*
Like a generator losing its power I hear the hum of electricity shutting off, the entire arena going dark, even the torches somehow going out.
"What the fuck? What made the lights go off?" I utter in confusion before realizing that this is a very public event with a lot of noble kids present, "Luxion, is everything okay with the others? You have a body watching them right?"
[Affirmative. I detect that everything is okay on their end, but look alive. I'm detecting…something coming from the arena.]
"Something!" I shout in panic, as Luxion is almost never that vague, demanding he explain himself more. "What do you mean by something!?"
But before I can continue that discussion, However I immediately find two bright lights be pointed at me. I face the front and what I can see from the hud of my helmet… is that the lights of a truck? No, they're orbs of light, the same ones used by all the other heroes when they summoned their weapons.
*Twirririririririrl*
Suddenly the lights start to flicker as two things spin before them, making the lights disappear the more the objects spin. I can barely make out what the objects are, but they have to be metal based on the way they sound as they spin. Finally the spinning stops and the lights disappear entirely.
*Fwoosh!*
The nearby torches the lit the arena before are relit, but this time with a purple flame, bathing the arena in indigo light.
And before me lies a boy in a white blazer and shirt, black slacks, and unkempt hair, holding two crowbars.
"Cid?" I question confused.
"Minoru?" asks Lea from within me.
Minoru doesn't answer. He points one crowbar towards me, and smiles…
I take a deep breath as I ready my sword.
In.
Out.
I have so many damn questions, but if all this thing is, is a memory, then it can't answer any of them. None of the other warriors had been able to speak after all. Best I can do here is put up a good fight…
…
Wait, isn't he supposed to be as strong if not stro-
I don't have the time to explore that train of thought as Minoru immediately starts to charge at me, dragging his crowbars along the ground and giving off sparks. I decide to fly up to snipe him from afar.
Transforming my guns from pistols to rifle I aim and start firing out Minoru who is just running around on the ground.
*Bang!*
Now I should say that the average sniper rifle can fire at about 2,000-4,000 ft. per second, and theoretically this gun should fire even faster than that. However,
*Ting!*
Somehow this motherfucker hit the bullet like I threw a baseball at him.
[Master, this must be a fluke, try again.]
"Yeah, yeah." I say while cocking the gun.
*Bang!*
*Ting!*
"This little shit." I can't help but utter. "Okay, so if normal bullets don't work…"
[Lightning shot, loaded.]
*BANG!*
I see Minoru try to hit the shot once again, but since he's using two metal crow bars when the lightning shot hits them, he gets shocked. But before I can celebrate, I see him twitch once, like I just shocked him with a joy buzzer, before looking up at me.
[I have decided I do not like this version of your companion.]
"Yeah, he's not winning me over either." I say while shifting my guns to dual pistols. "We're going for the rapid-fire approach."
[Understood, elemental shots, Fire, Wind, Ice, Water, loading.]
I aim both guns at Minoru and start firing.
*Ratatatatattata*
Minoru tries to block, swinging his crowbars rapidly before he eventually decides to roll and begin running to dodge my shots, however once I go to elemental versions of the guns, he has to jump to really get out of the way. With fire he's blown across the arena as they hit the ground, wind forces him to keep rolling, ice forces him to skate, and the water manages to hit him dead on.
[Master, I don't believe that firing from afar is going to work, we only have so many bullets left.]
Right, unlike in a game I do have to watch how many bullets I have. Technically I can fire magic shots on my own with it only costing my mana, but I'd have to be smart about that.
I nodded, put away the guns and took out my first sword. What's cool about this one is that to fit on the armor it actually folds up, so with a flourish I take out what Claire refers to as my jumbo box cutter. Livia thought it looked cool, at least. Especially with how it's technically a lightsaber. Unfortunately, it's less Star Wars and more regular sci-fi with how there's a metal part all along the back of the light blade.
"Let's try diving in quickly." I say, thing about crowbars is that they are pretty heavy, so chances are any clashes with this guy might end up chipping my weapons over time.
[Understood.]
Bringing my blade behind me as I stare Minoru down, I feel my 'wings' thrusters turn on, quickly moving my body in Minoru's direction. With the loud scream of my armor cutting through the air I feel myself go from one end of the arena to him within seconds and I swing with similar haste. Minoru meets me, somehow, with a loud *KRSH* coming from my saber meeting his crowbars held in the shape of an X to guard his face, however with momentum on my side Minoru ends up sliding back as a result, his heels digging into the ground to try and stop himself.
[I recommend moving in]
At Luxion's suggestion I keep going, swinging my saber over and over at Minoru who guards it all, I can see my saber leave hot red marks on his crowbars, but they disappear just as quickly as they show up. I guess that has to mean the things are either blessed by the arena, or something else is going on.
I make one last swing only to find myself completely blocked. I look straight into Minoru's eyes. He's smirking.
"My turn." Said Minoru as he pushes back, managing to use wind magic to blow me away. He then uses fire magic to close in on me and unleashes two water blades with crowbars, I stay still as they hadn't been aimed at me, but that was my mistake. As he throws both his crowbars coated in ice magic, I realize his target was my wings.
With a loud *CRACK* I find myself stop floating and on the ground, with no time to spare Minoru tries to hit me but I unleash an 'Impact' on his stomach, forcing him across the arena. Minoru lands perfectly on the ground, rolling to his feet and resummoning the crowbars.
He returns to the stance he took at the start at the fight, with one crowbar pointed on me and a smirk on his face.
Okay, round two it is then.
-Cid-
THAT
WAS
SO
COOL!
I had once thought I had mastered the way of the crowbar but clearly past me had some other strategies I never thought of! What a dumbass I am! Merging crowbars with mana, it should have been the natural conclusion! I should take notes. Thinks Cid, Quick, a notebook, notebook…
Cid then walks over to Beta who's sitting in front of him, getting her attention as he reaches over her seat.
"C-Cid what is iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-!?" Beta shrieks as Cid starts to dig in her cleavage. Although shocked, Beta makes no move to stop Cid, instead letting him do as he pleases while her ears wiggle at maximum speed.
"Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing!?" roars Alexia as she tries to force Cid off of Beta. Rose, meanwhile, stares at her own outfit and thinks that maybe she should've worn something that exposed her chest.
"Kagenou, isn't there a time and place for this?" silently shouts Angelica, trying not to get the attention of Nelson and the other clergy members.
"Woo! Didn't know you had it in you!" teases Clarice as she stares at Cid who started using both hands.
Deirdre who also sees this starts to fan herself, "My-my~ I wonder if I wear that scandalous outfit as well my Leon will act in a similar way? Natsume, could you tell me where you got it?"
"C-could you tell me too?" shyly asks Olivia.
"It's—ah—not scandalous! Mm, it's—oh Beatrix—cute!" protests Beta as Cid continues, "But I'll—oh my gosh—talk to Luna if—mm…you want!"
Finally, Cid stops, "Got it!"
Cid then pulls out the notebook Beta hides in her bust, with her current outfit being the way it is, she had to hide it in a pocket on the left side of her chest rather than in the middle this time. Cid then decides to not even bother getting up and writes in the notebook where he is. Alpha, who had witnessed all of this and got curious decides to lean on Cid, comically stacking Beta, Cid, and her heads.
From what Alpha and Beta can see, Cid is writing notes very quickly, putting Beta's own writing speed to shame. However, they can't make out what Cid is actually writing given that like any true speedrunner, he switched to using Japanese.
Cid, who had been watching the fight the entire time without breaking his line of sight notes: The art of the crowbar fight is just as I remember, although this time past me had clearly fine-tuned it to fight swords and other similar weaponry, magic appears to be used to try and properly wield them as tonfas when guarding or attacking. Sometimes used to throw and recall them as well. Or is he making new ones each time while destroying the old ones? My build is just as I remember it being when I wasn't going all out, but there's some moves that seem a bit stiff, scars and injuries maybe? Also, my past self's use of magic is nowhere to the level that it is now. Why?
"…I guess we should focus back on Leon." Mentions Clarice after having her fun at the sight of the elf human elf kabob.
"Right, I wanted to ask Cid about what he thought of the person who showed up since he resembles him quite a bit, but I suppose…" said Livia as she stared at Cid whose eyes were shining like they never have before as he wrote furiously, "I guess that isn't going to happen."
Alexia would then offer, "You all once mentioned that your ancestors had fought alongside the three heroes, perhaps this is Cid's ancestor from that time?"
"You know…" said Deirdre as she pursed her lips, poking them slightly with her closed fan, "Claire often did say that Cid had lots of potential, perhaps this is what she meant."
"…man." Said Clarice, "She is going to be so damn smug."
Everyone chuckles, knowing what kind of response they should expect when they get back to the hotel.
"Pardon," said Rose, "But aren't you all a bit worried? The way the lights shut earlier had me rather surprised, and this ancestor of Cid's seems rather strong."
Angelica looked back to Leon, who had been using his jet powered boots to try and meet Minoru's quick assault. Each time Leon would try to strike Minoru, Minoru would use light magic to circle around to Leon's back, forcing Leon to dash forward to dodge before he could be struck from behind. As Leon dashes forward, he'd shift to face backwards and begin to fire with his gun, only for Minoru to block the shots as he runs after Leon.
Angelica would then put her hand over her heart, "No… something tells me… something tells me he's just having fun."
Yeah, I don't think he's trying to kill, but he also hasn't gotten started. Thinks Cid. From what I can tell my ancestor or whatever he is has been building up magic… oh, now I get it, he doesn't have his own magic so he's trying to build it by letting Leon hit him! Smart!
-Leon-
After dipping, dashing, and dodging I've all but exhausted myself.
"Luxion, use one of the stamina potions." I order.
[Right away.]
Feeling the energy return to me I see Minoru grin, but this time it looks less… calm compared to before. No, this seems a lot more confident. Oh, okay, this was just the warmup wasn't it.
"Are you ready Lea?" asked Minoru. He then swung his crowbars above his head, clashing them so hard it sends out some kind of wave of energy. As my wings doubled as a shield, I pull them in front of me to try and block.
[Master! Watch ousihodgiahsdlhsotih-]
"Luxion?" I ask, worried about what the wave of energy could have possibly done.
But then I notice. The wings are gone. And the arms I held in front of me don't have armor on them anymore. In fact, when I look at the rest of my body, I see that I'm only wearing the plug suit I have for whenever I wear the armored angel set.
a/n: either look up what Julius and his crew would wear under their armor or the Chaldean combat uniform from FGO, same thing really. Leon's normal armor doesn't fit underneath the armored angel set.
Glancing behind me I see that my armor was torn off of me and seems to have lost all of its power. I grabbed my sword and turned to Minoru who seemed to be waiting for me.
"Oh, okay!" I yell as I ready myself, "So you wanna fucking go!"
Minoru's eyes glow as he rushes towards me, his sword glowing the same violet blue as the torches lining the arena. His moves seem to be much quicker than before, so I try to parry his strike but the second my sword meets his glowing crowbars-
*SHINE!*
Five pillars of violet blue light explode from the union, and to make matters worse while I back up so does Minoru who I can barely fucking see anymore, with his glowing eyes and sword being the main thing I can see, and that's only momentarily. Because Minoru then starts to swing his sword, shooting more pillars of light my way that I have to dodge the old fashion way because my jet boots were also shot off, and then as the third one passes by me Minoru closes in, trying to hit me.
*SHINE!*
And again, another five pillars of light explode from our weapons meeting, and Minoru dashes away while shooting more pillars of light at me. I can't just continue like this; I need to get the bastard to stay still somehow. But none of the spells I know right now will do anything, he just deflects it, and given that he's using light magic right now…
Wait, is this even light magic?
Deciding to test something, when one of the pillars starts to get close, I hit it with my sword, and find myself pushed back like I hit something solid rather than just having my sword burned in some way.
This isn't light magic, this raw mana! How in the fuck did he…
Wait, if Minoru is from the time of the ancients, when people were just finding out how to use mana, then maybe I shouldn't be trying to beat him with what I know now. Maybe I should try to beat him like Lea would… But what would Lea do?
As I'm distracted, Minoru closes the distance between the two of us by deploying four light pillars, leaping high into the air, and performing a spinning slash while the pillars of light cut off any way for me to dodge. I try to block with my sword but because Minoru had spun so fast he had been able to hook onto my sword pull it forward and then kick me in the face, sending me flying. I hit the ground hard, skipping like a rock on the surface of a lake.
I do my best to roll to my feet, but when I do I realize that Minoru had pushed me back to my armor… come to think of it, if this arena is able to interact with the memories of ancient warriors, using strength as a catalyst, what says I can't take advantage of that.
I fire a quick 'Mabufudyne' to create a wall of ice between me and Minoru. He quickly starts chipping away at it with his crowbars, likely trying to conserve his mana. I take a second to recall the scene of a endless field of flowers once more, and as I do I see Minoru seemingly transform behind the ice. He grows from the swimmer's build he and Cid share to something closer to the incredible hulk… yeah, I better be quick.
I place my hand over the remnants of my armor, which are relatively still intact. "Lea lend me your power!"
*CRASH!*
I see the hulked out Minoru, who's face is comically the same as it was before, start to head towards me, and as I raise my sword to block an incoming blow, I see the laser sword raised, a dark red light emanating from it.
(Bow down.) I hear Lea say from within my head.
Suddenly a dark orb falls on top of Minoru, forcing him down to his knee. I smile wildly as I see the armor beside me get up on its own sword in hand. With the other, Lea helps me get to my feet. We stared down Minoru who has gone back to his normal appearance, and he returns a gleeful expression.
"You always liked cheating in our fights, Lea." said Minoru, his voice strained due to the force of what I recognize as gravity on him.
(You either fight with strength or fight with smarts, and since you fight with both I have to cheat.) responds Lea. I don't know if Minoru can hear him, but he starts chuckling. Lea turns to me (Let's finish this.)
I nod and ready my sword as I turn to Minoru who appears to be entering his final phase, at least given how his entire body is glowing with that violet blue magic. Minoru immediately tries the jump spinning move again only for Lea to point his sword again and this time have the dark orb move upwards, catching Minoru and leaving him in the air. Minoru doesn't waste any time and decides that if he's going to be stuck in the air, he's going to make it count.
"TAKE THIS!" roars Minoru as he points both crowbars in the air, coating the entire arena in dazzling vein-like array of ultra-thin strands of blue-violet light. "I AM BECOME DEATH!"
(Whatever you do, don't stop moving! He'll tire out eventually, but you need to survive until then!) orders Lea before he raises his sword above his head like a King about to order his troops, (Luster Candy!)
I feel just about everything in me improve and when I see a circle form underneath me I immediately dash forwards, and although I don't look back the other pillars of white light that appear to be burning through the arena floor and leaving a small crater with every hit. Lea and I run in circles around Minoru, doing our best to not run into each other or any of the pillars but that's not an easy feat as every time one of them hits I can feel the ground shake.
Keep running, just keep running.
I don't know what it is but the more I run the faster I start feeling, like nothing else matters but living, like I'm seconds away from death—which is probably true—but somehow I can't care. I'm running on a terrain constantly being changed by a force I don't understand and everything is starting to burn, but I keep running.
Eventually Minoru starts screaming, and a quick glance up shows that the threads that coat him like veins are pulsing. He's in pain. "UWOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
Now's our chance!
"Lea with me!" I order.
Lea flies up to me and starts running up the side of the dome, so that eventually we are straight above Minoru. I look at Lea who nods at me, I grab his arm and start spinning.
"Graviga" I chant, sending Lea quickly plummeting towards Minoru at Mach speed.
With a loud *BOOOOOOOM!* Lea slams both legs straight into Minoru andbreaks the array he created. I then begin to fall as well, but I don't aim for Minoru, instead I aim for the floor right before him, causing the arena to break and send Minoru into the air.
I feel my mana, muscles, and soul burn.
"Prison of blades," I chant as I jump off a broken piece of the arena to meet with the falling Minoru, "I WILL BREAK YOU!"
I surround Minoru in magic circles, using them all to propel me as I slash at Minoru with everything I have, each time I swing my arms back I either use one magic circle to either coat my sword with another element or propel myself once more. Halfway through Lea joins in, making sure that every second I don't swing he does. I have no idea how long we go at it but eventually I see a hit finally make Minoru cry out in pain and so Lea and I drop to the ground.
I smirk at Lea, and through the armor I can somehow see his scarred face return it. We bump the pommels of our swords before we jump back and ready ourselves for the final strike.
Minoru drops before us, so Lea and then slash at him.
With my back to both, I can't tell if the deed is done at first. I look before me and see my sword fall apart into hundreds of pieces. I don't move though. It's like I'm frozen in place. If I so much as breathe I feel like I'll fall.
Then, Minoru groans out one last sentence, "This…is where my… ideals ended…"
And the lights go out once more.
Or that's just me since I fell to the ground.
-Olivia-
When Minoru falls to the ground, my Leon does as well soon after, so Angie and I immediately get up to start running towards the arena's entrance, with Clarice and Deirdre not far behind. This does leave most of our seats empty now since when Leon's armor started moving Cid and Alice left, saying that since Leon was probably going to win they wanted to go to the restroom before Cid was forced to go out there. I know that Cid and Alice can probably get Leon, if not the actual medic staff but I need to see him for myself.
Some part of me wants to just vault over the seats and float down but with how the archbishop—who's been weirdly quiet—is sitting in front of us we feel like it's a better idea to just go the normal route.
But before the dome can start to dissolve a loud *CRASH* echoes throughout the arena, as though something glass had broken. I look back, and I see someone who spells trouble in the arena.
It's Lord Shadow, and he stands opposite Leon's collapsed body, with Leon's armor being the only thing standing between Leon and Lord Shadow.
.
.
.
A/N: Okay, ending it here. I originally planned on at least going halfway through the actual sanctuary at this point, but the chapter felt too long. So next time, Aurora fight, then sanctuary shenanigans.
Oh, and before anyone asks. No, Leon can't beat the current Cid. He beat Minoru, who had no access to magic naturally and didn't do the whole "giving myself magical overload every second of everyday to train" thing. So like, it was a tough fight but also if he didn't call in Lea, Leon probably would have lost… and that hulked out thing is a reference to the manga, as Minoru looks ridiculously buff there when he stops holding back.
So, like I said, I took some inspiration from Kingdom Hearts for this section. Namely three things, Data Roxas and Xion from KH 2&3, and some spells that didn't have an equivalent in SMT. To be honest, I only started using the SMT spells since I'm currently playing Persona 3 Reload. Recently I saw some streamer's compilation of playing through Kingdom Hearts for the first time and got inspired by that though.
Also, some people had some confusion, this is the Minoru that the cult knew, from the war era. That's kinda why I had the starting scene last chapter. And if you guys forgot since it has been about 10+ chapters and probably about 100K words since, Minoru and the other ancestors of Shadow Garden had been cloned several times by the cult, Lea and Ann were familiar with Minoru clones running around… and having to kill them. That's why Nelson didn't react this entire time, he was familiar with Minoru in the same way he was Olivier and the other heroes. So no, Minoru hadn't been summoned to current times. This is essentially a Data Minoru fight.
Whether Minoru was summoned in the past during the time of Holfort and Midgar's founding, however, is another issue… I mean it's kinda obvious but still.
Oh, and that "prison of blades" thing is technically Leon's unique skill. It's based off the skill Ragnarok from Stella Glow. If anyone recalls I based Leon and Lea's dynamic off of Alto and Elcrest from Stella Glow.
Now, let's answer some comments.
Ao3:
Wolfpaladin:
It was hilarious in the manga when Cid was just glaring at Beta while thinking "what the fuck are you doing," so I wanted to channel that a bit. Alpha's M is always there, waiting for her lord and lover.
I don't think that counts as being cucked, more like blueballed. Glad you liked Erica.
I originally planned for Zeta to go last, but saw an opportunity to do it there, so that's what I did. I have an overall plan for the story but sometimes the characters write themselves I guess. Oh and Cid didn't go all the way with Victoria, he only rubbed it against her.
Yeah, the idea made sense, so thanks for that. Lmao Eta when presenting the Sherry-Stephanie-Carla bundle "These are frequently… bought together… do not… separate them."
I do like Lambda and Yukime, so they're probably going to be added.
Anisomeone: You're technically right about Minoru. Hope you liked the fight.
I haven't gotten far in Master of Garden, but I do like Iota's design, so I'll definitely consider it. Hopefully she becomes part of the gacha and I get her, that's what really decides if I can add someone, since that's how I learn their romantic dynamic with Cid. Omega is cool, don't know anything about Mu though, besides that she exists and has a cool ninja inspired outfit.
DivineDemonDragon: Lmao, yeah. I'm honestly surprised no one commented on his hair going white though, guess not many played the game.
That family tree is so complicated.
You know what, I didn't think about that contrast for Epsilon and Beta but damn you're right.
I was smiling, even if I wrote it I thought it was cute.
Eta will dissect Leon if she ever found out, and that's like Cid's one guy friend, lol.
Shadowyguy: That's a neat fact. I had read the web novel at some point, I remember dropping at the prison arc. But that does seem neat.
Also, in general, I don't emulate but I have heard good things about those games. I might watch a playthrough.
BOY4_GOW: I assume you mean Lea's flashback? Yeah, I've been waiting to go back to it.
Lol yeah, those damn AI's are way more than sadistic.
Wouldn't it be pre-reincaration? In any case, the reason Marie's favorite flowers are sunflowers is because she named her daughter Himawari in her past life.
Yeah Roland sucks.
It was Lea, who is living in Leon's soul kinda. I hope I did a good job explaining it this chapter.
Leon will figure some stuff out, after he regains consciousness though.
Rrnnrnr(Guest): I do plan on having them talk about that with the entire harem later, but that's going to have to wait for now.
I mean, they aren't done fighting each other, don't worry. This is just somewhere they worked together.
Deathfang1920: I might kill him, but he is also a convenient punching bag, so I might keep Roland around if only for that.
Totntotbt: Lmao, I got that reference. But yeah some stuff will be explained later, right now is the eminence in shadow's time.
Yup, there's a reason she was trying to avoid Marie for now.
Here is a link to each individual image, I think pixiv requires an account.
SFW, the scene with Leon, Lady Shade, Lord Shadow, and Mylene. en/artworks/121170388
NSFW, Alpha x Cid lemon en/artworks/121316299
NSFW, Leon x Deirdre and Claire lemon en/artworks/121316324
SFW, Leon temporarily joining shadow garden en/artworks/121316341
Honestly, I hope at this point that you just didn't set your expectations too high. I'm pretty good, but still have my limits.
(there's only one this time, I wonder if people aren't reading here anymore or just are abandoning since I heard it might go away.):
Guest: I had planned for Zeta to be last but with the way the story went things went differently, it happens.
Hope I explained what was going on well enough in the chapter.
SB:
MWKillKenny84: I mean, she has an inkling of who Leon is I think. But still, better than Roland at the very least.
Lmao, technically I think the *thwip* sound effect is used by Atuls in p5r when you use the grappling hook, so no, Cid's gotta worry about them lawyers from Atlus. I could be misremembering that though.
Hneter81095: Nice, that made me laugh.
28th00: Thanks for the long comment as always. You are correct that it's a bit of an imperfect copy (part of the reason Leon could win, ignoring Lea). But I feel like you're ignoring why Cid wanted magic so desperately, it's because magic technically is something above his mortal means of fighting. Yeah, Minoru was a freak of nature, but he wasn't atomic yet. In this chapter him attempting to be actually hurts him, since he didn't have the training Cid does.
Claire's going to be so damn smug though…
So I feel like those reactions would be in character, but with how their lives are, them reacting the way I had them also makes a little sense I think.
I have plans for the Olivier scene. Don't worry about that.
Hope you liked the hot springs scene with everyone here.
I felt like Beta's approval would imply she didn't see Cid acting like a dog all those chapters ago. So yeah, that's never going to happen lmao. At least not yet.
Cid just lets the girls dictate the relationship since he's busy being an eminence in shadow.
I forget how true that is, I know he extended it a bit, but hadn't quite figured out immortality yet.
Someone ani: Your comment of thinking of the chapter 10 hours later made my day, thanks! I hope I delivered on some of the expectations.
Yeah Minoru is strong, but this is a data copy, I feel like if it was the legit one Leon would have either won or lost a lot quicker. Dunno.
Zeta is the master of espionage but never changes her hair in canon, even when the other girls might with slime. I figured there had to be a reason for that and used it in my fanfic.
Bladist: Glad to see I delivered on the phantom thief stuff, I was worried it was too straightforward to be interesting.
I mean, wouldn't Livia be screaming "Get me pregnant"? Or is she that much of a freak in your headcannon, lmao.
Victoria is the most weak towards any affection based on what the game says, any mentions of them maybe being friends will have Victoria say she is unworthy and blushing.
I might draw that, or I might draw Livia in the outfit. Honestly I wasn't feeling too much motivation for drawing this week though.
I did that on accident, I just used 665 because rose was in the scene and I didn't want to use 666.
Hopefully I cleared up the confusion with Minoru a bit. But crowbars are his favorite weapons, so I feel like any incarnation of Cid that has access to them, would use them.
Zackman2k12: The latter was also correct, kinda. Minoru doesn't have mana but adapted to be able to use it.
Dragon_cloud16: thanks for the comment, I don't know if this is the first time I've gotten one from you or not.
I think I commented to doing such, as in the beginning Leon was doing it with two girls at once while Cid was working his way though one on one's with the shades.
I feel like because Erica got to her age that she'd be much more supportive of someone she saw being so miserable.
Yumeria may be a holy woman in this fic, but her body was clearly made for sin, hence why Leon's eyes were being covered. More on the Saintess's staff this arc.
So in the writer's room chapter, I explained that it's the same earth but later, at least I think I managed to do that. In any case it's what made the most sense to me to do when I was going to have a focus on the past and incorporate both stories.