A Demon's Tale

Since the day she was born, Shiro had always surpassed the situations the world had put her in. No matter the age, she was able to perfectly form a plan in order to push past her obstacles. This was not to say that she had been perfect or invincible. There were times where plans could not even be formulated, as she was already past the point where her skills could strive. But there had been many times where she had searched the depths of her mind, and uncovered a hidden piece in the difficult puzzle ahead.

Her mother had remembered two different occasions where she herself had witnessed this. Before she had lost the man that she loved with all of her heart, and before she had lost the sight that allowed her to behold Shiro’s genius, she saw one of many overcoming moments for her daughter.

Out of the blue, Shiro had started helping her father with the gardening outside of their home. While she had made great progress for a beginner, she was ultimately stopped by a heavy task. There had been a wheelbarrow that was filled with soil which required the force of Shiro herself to push. She struggled constantly to try and push the wheelbarrow forward, but to no avail. Her father had insisted on helping her, but Shiro refused, stating that she had an idea. Airi watched as Shiro ran past her in the doorway, and quickly grabbed some pillows. She then grabbed some tape from a cabinet in the living room, and ran back outside as quickly as possible. She attached the pillows to the front of her body, and asked her mother to help tape them on. Giggling at the sight of her silly daughter, Airi obliged and tightly wrapped the pillows onto her. Afterwards, she watched as Shiro used both the softness of the pillows along with the slight added weight to push the wheelbarrow forward. It was such a simple and odd plan, yet it had surprised even the mighty Airi.

There had been another time, when the only residents of the house were Shiro and Airi, where Shiro had surprised her mother. She had once wanted to go shopping at a store, as an exclusive twenty four hour sale was being run. Airi however did not want her daughter to go spending her allowance money so carelessly, so she prevented her from going. Shiro had known that she could not sneak past her mother, nor could she exit through the window in her room. But then, an idea had reached out to her from within. Using a blanket, she sent part of her electricity to slowly move past Airi while she ran back to her room. Noticing the slow moving presence, Airi had immediately assumed that her daughter was trying to slowly walk out of the front door while she was not looking. She moved towards the blanket, only to realize that the lightning from inside had dispersed and Shiro had not been there to begin with. It had already been too late, as Shiro exited from the window in her room to go shopping. Of course, she was scolded by her mother once she had returned home. However, her mother did not force her to refund everything she had bought, as she viewed Shiro’s strategy as a perfect display of her talent.

No matter the scenario, Shiro would find a way out.

Silvia had once cornered her, but even then, Shiro found the path that radiated only for her.

This is what Shiro was truly capable of.

In this moment.

At this time.

Shiro shook in fear over everything that was unfolding within her mind.

Shiro…was powerless.

Her natural talent…no longer existed.

She could not move a muscle.

She could not speak a word.

She was now nothing but a husk of her former self.

As she sat there in fear, the others in the room began to speak to one another.

Nero: [I’m rather confused with your statement. You’re going to “get rid of me”?]

Daroma: [That is correct. The others of this party will not affect that which should not be touched. However, there is a difference in events when the perspective is changed to that of yourself. To be certain that we do not reach this point in history, I have taken the necessary precautions needed.]

???: [Come again, you spineless lazy piece of scum?]

Daroma changed his view from that of the boy in front of him, to the enraged girl an entire foot smaller than him who stood only a few feet away.

Nero: [Yoro…]

Daroma: [I’m rather surprised. I did not expect to see Deathly Sweet, Yoro of the Sands to be here. I believed it was safe to assume that you had focused on your own rule, instead of pointless connections with ones who should not be affiliated with.]

Yoro: [...You really better watch your tongue, Daroma. Out of the two of us, I think you know which is stronger.]

Her words raised an air of confusion to the people around her. Despite the fact that Yoro had spoken about Daroma as if he were a complete stranger, the two were conversing as if they were bitter enemies.

Nero: [Yoro, have you already met him before?]

Yoro: [No. But there’s plenty of lords and strong people who know each other. The tales that mention what we’re capable of get passed frequently enough that we’ll eventually hear of each other. Daroma, Kemono, Salazar. All of them are people I’ve heard about, and all of them have likely heard about me.]

Kōkatsu: [I see…So ‘s jus’ the simple flow of info like always…No matter the scenario, ya’ll always manage to find out ‘bout it…]

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu, please try not to move too much! These injuries aren’t very good!]

Kiyomi: [I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…]

Kaoru: [It’s alright, sister. I will not blame you for this, nor will I blame our Lady. It is just what will occur in a fight.]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah…Don’t go beatin’ yerself up…Kiyomi…Otherwise, I’ll beat yer cute cheeks up with my fingers for thinkin’ too much…]

While Yoro and Daroma spoke with each other, behind them were a trio of kitsune. One had been the mighty Kōkatsu, who was currently injured and required healing in order to return to her fullest. Along with her were her two daughters, Kaoru who had begun the process of healing her, and Kiyomi who had caused the very injuries she was now being affected by. With tears falling off of her face and onto Kōkatsu’s own cheeks, Kiyomi apologized relentlessly. Kaoru and Kōkatsu had made sure to provide comfort to her, as they did not want Kiyomi to believe that she was as worthless as her previous group had made her feel. To them, all that mattered was that she was another loving, and loved member of their family.

Yoro: [Nene.]

Nero: [Hm?]

Yoro: [Do me a favor. Move Shiro back to where the others are. On top of that, stay there yourself.]

Nero: [Yoyo. You know I can’t–]

Yoro: [Please. I’m begging you right now, Nero. I’m not exactly happy with the way you’re being treated by him.]

It was odd to hear his own name from Yoro without the cute nickname she had spun with it. Noticing the serious look that accompanied her words, he realized the exact way Yoro had felt at this very moment. He took hold of Shiro from under her own arms, and began to move her back.

Nero: [Apologies, Shiro. I will try not to cause discomfort while we move.]

Shiro: [Aah!....Haaa!....Aaaaaaaah!...]

She did not move a single bit. Not her eyes, nor her arms, nor even her legs. She remained motionless as small screams escaped her mouth while being moved.

Yoro looked back to face her disheveled friend, and felt angered over what little understanding she had. She did not enjoy Daroma’s comments to begin with, but her disgust towards him only grew as something he had done or said had caused Shiro to fall into the abyss of despair that she was now firmly planted in.

Yoro: [Let me ask you something. I’m sure you won’t answer with something good enough, but I don’t really care. What did you do to Shiro?]

Daroma: [The battle with that girl was futile for her. However, she did provide some effective attacks to my armor, such as cutting off one of the arms as well as my head.]

Yoro: [I see. I’m sorry, Shiro. I really should have informed you earlier. That was stupid of me.]

Kōkatsu: [Oi…The head and arm got cut off…The hell does that mean…?!]

Kaoru: [It’s a rather odd statement, but it’s true! Miss Shiro cut those areas of his body, but they had no effect!]

Yoro: [Dullahan.]

Kaoru: [Huh?]

Yoro: [Daroma. He’s a dullahan. Not the return the head kind that you might sometimes read about, but more so the wisp kind. The kind that has its very spirit wrapped in fire.]

Silvia: [I ssssee. Meaning the act of taking him down will be rather difficult.]

Yoro: [...Daroma. What’s your ability? That’s still something I don’t know. If I’m gonna fight you, then I’d like to know that.]

Daroma: [It is rather presumptuous to assume that your enemy will provide such information to you.]

Yoro: [Just speak, you sack of shit. I don’t really have the patience anymore.]

Daroma: [Very well. I will indulge you with what I am capable of. My ability is known as Everlasting Flame. With the correct path of conversion using my matōki, I am able to create a fire that both does not expire, nor will it ever reduce itself in quantity.]

Silvia: [Which meanssss–]

Yoro: [So basically, your element won’t run out.]

Daroma: [Precisely.]

Shock filled the faces of those who had listened in. Only Yoro and Shiro continued to show the same expressions they had moments prior.

Yoro: [You really are nothing but a titleholder. You’ll make the comments that you made moments prior, and then also decide to have such a boring but powerful ability. I think I might have found my new least favorite type of person.]

Daroma: [A titleholder is certainly one way to look at what I have achieved. However, the same could be said of you, Yoro of the Sands. Your very status as a ruler is high, and yet you have chosen to become a servant to a chaotic being such as him.]

Yoro: [...Don’t talk about him as if you know him. I won’t hold back even a single bit for just the very thought of him being in your murder-focused head.]

Daroma: [You claim I do not know him, but it is likely you do not know him very well either.]

Yoro: [I know him enough. I love every single bit of him to death. If Nero were to die, I would make sure that I’m dead as well just so I can be beside him all over again.]

Daroma: [It seems that perhaps we are both unworthy of our titles.]

Yoro grinded her teeth in response. Slithering behind her, Silvia stopped as she reached the same area that Yoro was standing in.

Silvia: [Yoro.]

Yoro: [...]

Silvia: [How do we deal with thissss?]

Yoro: [...I don’t want to put it on you after everything that happened.]

Silvia: [It issss alright, Yoro. We will find a lesssss violent method to deal with him.]

Yoro: [...That’s the problem.]

Silvia: [Hm?]

Yoro: [...His matōki ability. That was the only thing I was unfamiliar with. While that might be a pain to deal with, there is a means to beating it. The problem is what it would require.]

Silvia: [That would be?]

Yoro: [...He has an advanced ability. It’s not exactly what you’d expect, but it would give us the advantage we need. If he used it, we’d get the opportunity to fight him without the fire getting in the way. There’s several problems within this singular problem though. Firstly, we wouldn’t be able to team up. It would only be individual fights against him. Second, he’s quite skilled as is. Even without that fire, I’ve heard tales about the advanced ability that I’m speaking of. Third…]

Silvia: [Yessss?]

Yoro: [...It would mean that we’d have to kill him. Otherwise, we’ll be killed.]

Silvia’s eyes widened as Yoro finished speaking. Even after the disagreement that was reached within the previous room, along with the new found mindset Silvia had gained, a scenario in which the opponent must be killed had presented itself. Struggling to grasp this, she looked back to Yoro and hesitantly asked her a question.

Silvia: [Yoro. I am not entirely ssssure I would like to perform that action. Issss it possssible that you–]

Yoro: [No.]

Silvia: [...]

Yoro: [I’m sorry, Silvia. But I can’t do it either. If I killed him, Nero wouldn’t be happy. Along with that, I don’t think he’d be too happy if I died.]

Silvia: [Our sssstrategy then…]

Yoro: [We’ll try to beat him as is, even if there isn’t the slightest chance that we can.]

Their matōki auras built up around each other. A blend of pink and purple had started to mix together as they drew close. Following the fierce lights that shone around them, Yoro’s true appearance took form as her horns, wings, tail, and demonic tattoos appeared. Silvia prepared herself by grabbing the blade that rested by her the hip of her long coat.

Silvia: [To begin with, there issss no guarantee that we ssssurvive thissss.]

Yoro: [Yeah. But that adds to the fun of it, right?]

Silvia: [Hm. Ssssertainly.]

Nervous smiles followed as their courage built up. The two were ready to charge at Daroma within a moment’s notice. Daroma himself had begun to raise his hand, a small blue fire formed in the palm of it.

Silvia: [Are you ready, Yoro?]

Yoro: [As ready as I’ll ever be.]

Their plan now was a simple, yet not very simple one. They required the complete surrender of Daroma without the act of killing him.

The two quickly jumped from their spaces, and charged straight for Daroma. As the fire began to form, Yoro used the matōki attacks that she was skilled at using to block the oncoming heat.

Yoro: [Carawall! Mobile Version! Hell Tarts! Brownie Bricks!]

She provided both coverage, and a path for Silvia to slither through as Silvia herself began to draw close. Daroma had taken notice of her presence however, and moved the fire in a spiral motion towards her. Using her element of light as a shield, the fire was repelled and spread across like water hitting against rocks by the shore. She continuously tried to move forward, but was forced to repel the fire in front of her at every given moment.

While this occurred however, Yoro came in from the opposite side with her hands pointed towards Daroma.

Yoro: [You’re not just fighting her you know!]

Once again, a flurry of darts was sent directly towards Daroma. The same result as before had transpired, as the darts were washed away by the endless flames around him.

Yoro: [Damn it! There’s no end to this!]

Silvia: [Let’ssss ssssee how you enjoy a beam of light!]

Raising her hand towards the foe, Silvia shot out a bright beam of light that instantly moved past the fire. Due to the fact that she could not see her target however, the beam had instead attacked the upper cushion of his throne.

Silvia: [Damn!]

Yoro: [No, that was good, Silvia! He’s wide open from above! Brownie Bricks!]

A hail of large bricks fell downward towards Daroma. Inches away from making contact, a large hand of fire was formed in front of them. The hand perfectly caught the attack that had been thrown, and shattered the blocks to pieces on impact.

Yoro: [That fire really is a pain!]

Silvia: [And now, a clear sssshot.]

Focused on the enemy above him, Daroma had remained completely unaware of the second beam of light that was produced by Silvia. No longer did she have the disadvantage of her opponent being invisible to her, she made a perfect shot that seared into the armor. A hole now existed in the chestpiece which had not been there before. It was not enough to kill, but enough to cause a sufficient amount of damage to any being that existed.

Moving back in tandem, Yoro and Silvia gazed at the damage with surprise.

Silvia: [That wassssn’t it?!]

Yoro: [I was really hoping he was that kind of dullahan. I guess I was being too hopeful. It seems like we have to crush both the spirit and the armor itself. Although I guess in this case, it just means we have to find an attack he can’t possibly stop nor receive.]

Silvia: [That issss much eassssier ssssaid than done.]

Yoro: [Yeah. But it’s not like we have a choice!]

Already growing tired from the attack they had launched, Yoro and Silvia once again charged towards the mighty Daroma. Fire spread out across the field as the two continued to form cooperative strategies in order to force him into surrender.

While the rampaging battle continued on the other side of the room, Nero had attempted to speak with the motionless Shiro. She could not hear his words, nor could she even truly see him. Her mind had gone completely blank in fear.

Sitting in silence, the same thoughts repeated within.

Shiro: [There’s no….There’s no way….No…No….I don’t want to….Please…This…This is too much…Just make it all stop…Please…There’s no way it’s true…I…I don’t want to believe it….Should I.....There’s no reason I shouldn’t….There’s no reason I…should….Why….Why did I come here….Why did meet everyone…Was this what was always going to happen…Why me….Why was I chosen for this…Why was I born….Who…Who was that person…I’ve never understood them….I’ve never known them….Red hair….Bloodfire…Yoro….Ne…Nero…I….I sensed it….That one time….I sensed it…No….There was also…Was that…Or was it…I don’t understand…Please…Just have mercy on me…I didn’t mean to do anything…What have I even done to cause this…I don’t want my friends to die…I don’t want anyone to die…I…I don’t wanna die…Should I…I don’t know…I don’t want to…Or…Do I….Why…Why does this have to happen to me…Mother thinks I’m smart…I’m not…I’m not the slightest bit smart…I…I can’t do anything…I can’t be like her…She’s strong…and kind…She could fix everything…I…I can’t…Please….Just make it stop…Just make it all stop…]

In her state of pure fear, Shiro had screamed out the words that grasped at her mind.

Shiro: [JUST MAKE IT ALL STOP!]

Silvia averted her attention towards Shiro. Noticing the opportunity, Daroma used his fire to push her towards the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Silvia: [Ghnh!]

Yoro: [Silvia! Hk! Damn!]

Despite the noise that filled the room, Shiro only paid attention to the voice of her own mind.

Following her words, the scenery around her began to change.

See? I told you! It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

For some reason, Shiro was now at the top of a mountain. There was a large open circle that she and this mysterious figure were able to sit on. In front of her was what looked like an endless landscape filled with clouds and even more mountains.

It was the same as before. The same as the first trial. No, this was different. The first trial did not have a change in the world around her like this and was painful to start. Along with that, the warmth in her heart was much stronger now. Before, it had only filled the inside of her chest. Now, she felt as though her entire body was warm. Why? Why was this such a different scenario for her? She questioned the very scene she witnessed. A masculine voice began to speak to her. Much like before, she was unfamiliar with it. She turned to look at the figure, only to see a shadow of a man.

Shiro: [W-Who…are…you…?]

Oh, come on! Don’t be so bleak! You asked me to give you some creative ideas, so I figured climbing up and sitting to chat might be nice. You’ve always been the chatting type over something fancy after all.

Shiro: [I….I guess I have…No…That still doesn’t…]

Hm? You tired or something?

Shiro: [I’m…I’m kinda tired…I just…]

Hmmm. Making excuses for how much you want to sleep like usual? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised! Haha!

Shiro: [Usual…Do I usually…]

Hm?

Shiro: [What…]

That’s a weird question to drop out of the blue. Do you really want the answer that badly?

Shiro: [I…I guess…]

Hah. Alright. But only because it’s you. I don’t mean it in a rude way, but I don’t really like how often you put yourself down. You’re probably the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. Maybe a little bit too hard working. I don’t think any of the others can compare to you. Not even Kōkatsu, and she’s real crazy. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, no, I am not being biased towards you.

Shiro: [Kō…What does Kō have to…No…I didn’t even ask a question like…]

But you always kinda just put yourself down. It breaks my heart to see it. No matter what you do, or choose to do, all of us, and I mean all of us, will support you. I mean, of course there’d be a few exceptions, but I have full trust that you’ll never reach that point.

Shiro: [What…What do you mean…]

What?! I’m just saying! I think there’s a few things we probably couldn’t look past but overall there’s a lot more good ones, right? Anyways, my point is, it’s not bad to lean on a shoulder every now and then. I might not be the fighting type, but I don’t mind carrying you myself if that’s what you need.

Shiro: [Lean on a…shoulder…?]

Yeah. I don’t mind at all. I’m here for you always, Shiro.

Her eyes widened as she heard her own name called. The same had happened with the experience during the first trial, only now the confusing prefix had been removed.

Shiro: [Why…Why do you know…]

Hey! I gave a sincere answer! I don’t even smell that bad! I showered before we came here! You smell a hundred times worse!

Shiro: [What…What are you…saying…]

As the voice disappeared, it was slowly replaced by another.

???: [Shiro!....Shiro!...Shiro!]

Light had returned to her eyes, her jaw was no longer slacked. Shiro had regained her composure over her internal struggle.

Shiro: [Huh…Nero…?]

Nero: [Ah! You’re alright! Thank goodness! Are you injured by any chance?]

Shiro: [I….I’m fine….Hey, Nero…]

Nero: [Hm? Yes?]

Shiro: [We’re…We’re friends…right?]

Nero: [Of course! I suppose I cannot speak of Yoro’s status as she is a separate matter entirely, but I would argue that you are the closest friend I have!]

Kōkatsu: [Oi…Yoro!]

Shiro: [Why…]

Nero: [Why?]

Shiro: [Why…I’m…I’m not that good at doing stuff…I usually just get in the way…]

Nero: [Nonsense! You’re incredible, Shiro! I often worry that I was given far too much in terms of what I am capable of, and this leads me to believe that I cannot improve from where I am at. But every feat I have seen you perform has only made me realize just how high the limit is! Your skills have inspired me!]

Shiro: [I’m…I’m not that nice…I usually act in ways that might make others not enjoy my company…]

Kōkatsu: [Oi…Yoro! Stop!]

Nero: [That is untrue as well! You’re very kind! Along with that, you’re often very funny. Of course not in a laughing at sense, but laughing with. It’s odd to say, but you and Kōkatsu often feel like a comedic duo. You were even nice enough to allow us to stay at your home for a week, after only knowing us for a month’s worth of time.]

Shiro: [What…What if we become…enemies…]

Nero: [Shiro. That will never occur. I can promise you this.]

Shiro: [But…what if…what if we really do…]

Nero: [...In that scenario, regardless of what may happen to you or me…I will still view you as my friend. Nothing will change this.]

Shiro: [But–]

Nero: [Shiro. I truly mean that.]

She did not respond, but tears formed the words she could not speak. She was disgusted with herself for thinking about Nero in such a negative light. Yet, after the mysterious talk she had received, along with Nero’s words, she felt that her disgust should not have existed.

Kōkatsu: [Yoro!...Stop!...Damn it!]

As she looked on at him, she watched as his eyes turned to face Daroma. The expression on his face was replaced by a wave of fear.

Nero: [Yoro!]

Shiro turned her gaze to the girl who was called out, and noticed what was happening. Much like Nero before her, fear filled Shiro’s face.

A wave of endless fire attempted to move towards them, but was stopped by a see-through wall. The owner of this wall stood there, growing tired and writhing in pain as they continued to keep it up.

Kōkatsu: [YORO! STOP!]

Yoro: [I…I refuse! I won’t let any of you die!]

Kōkatsu: [Stop bein’ a damn idiot and move the wall down! My healin’ is basically done! Jus’ let me handle it!]

Silvia: [Yoro! Thissss issss not needed! We can fight!]

Yoro: [N-No…! I’m gonna protect all of you!]

Shiro: [Yoro…]

Her knees were inching closer to the floor. Her body continued to tremble. Her arms begged her to give up. Despite all of this, Yoro Kobi continued to keep the wall of matōki up, preventing the others from being hurt.

Yoro: [It’s not just about Nero either! I love him dearly…but I’m also fond of all of you! I might not speak with all of you much…but I care! I haven’t spoken to many people to begin with…So to see all of you interact with each other…I feel like I’m in a unique style of a family here!...That’s why…I won’t let a single one of you get hurt!]

Kōkatsu: [Oi! Ya’ve done plenty, Yoro! Ya can stop!]

Silvia: [Thissss issssn’t good! Thosssse flamessss are endlessssss!]

Kōkatsu: [Kaoru! How long until the healin’ is fully done?!]

Kaoru: [Just a moment, Lady Kōkatsu! I promise I will be finished shortly!]

Kōkatsu: [Hurry! As quick as ya can! That girl is startin’ to drain her lifeforce!]

Her skin began to grow pale as she continued to force the fire back. She did not surrender. Even if it would cost her life, Yoro had fully accepted her own self-assigned role in this scenario.

Yoro: [...Hhk!...Ghhuh!...]

Further and further, she began to lose her grip, but pushed herself to continue. If she was not careful, she would soon be a hollowed out corpse with no wall for protection.

Before this could happen however, Yoro had finally yielded to her body’s demands, and fell unconscious. At the exact same moment, Nero quickly grabbed her into his arms with his cape facing the fire. From within the cape came his right arm, which sent out a massive wave of matōki. An inch further, and he would have struck Daroma.

Nero: [Yoro…]

As Nero looked down at his now unconscious lover, Kōkatsu began to rise. She looked down at the sleeping Yoro, before changing her view to Daroma.

Kōkatsu: [Kaoru.]

Kaoru: [Yes, Lady Kōkatsu?]

Kōkatsu: [...Heal her.]

Kōkatsu’s cold voice echoed through the room. Furious stomps of her geta followed her words. It was a rare scene, but once again, the raging fox beast had been brought out. Kōkatsu’s face had shown anger like she had rarely ever displayed.

Daroma: [Seeing how well Yoro of the Sands had fared, it is rather peculiar that you plan on challenging me.]

Kōkatsu: [You should really fucking consider yourself unlucky. If she at least got you to surrender, it would be a whole lot nicer than what I’m gonna do now.]

Daroma: [You should know that it’s a futile effort.]

Kōkatsu: [Shut your fucking trap. That girl risked her damn life just so I, the person who always makes fun of her, could survive. I’ll kick your fucking ass for even causing that much pain to her. No… better yet…]

Kōkatsu reached for the blades at her hips, and pulled them out with a furious roar of steel.

Kōkatsu: [...I’m just gonna kill you.]

From the cloud of smoke behind her, another displeased figure began to move. Beautiful locks of purple hair pushed through, followed by a purple scaled tail with a ferocious rattle at the end of it.

Silvia: [I feel assss though my wordssss to Yoro from before will now become pointlessss. I musssst assssk for her forgivenessss later. I can’t help but feel that I musssst reduce thissss filth to nothing assss well.]

Kōkatsu: [Leave him to me, Silvia. I’ve been enough of a pain to Yoro without realizing it. I’ll do it.]

Silvia: [I have caussssed her and Nero ssssome trouble not long ago. Bessssidessss, it issss only fair that I pay you back for my sssselfissssh focussss on our tasssskssss.]

Their fierce gazes only made them appear as large monsters, even to Daroma. It was as if a great fox spirit and a great snake spirit were manifesting themselves in the very room they were in.

Daroma: [Your anger will bring you nowhere.]

Kōkatsu and Silvia: [Don’t get cocky, fucker.]

In complete linked unison, the same thought had occurred within Kōkatsu and Silvia’s minds, pushing past their lips without losing sync. Their rage was visceral. Yoro was someone that, like Yoro herself mentioned, they had not spoken to very often. However, it was clear with how much she listened to their conversations, and how much she assisted them that her words were true. They were not only angry with Daroma, but angry with themselves. If only they had realized sooner how much they had meant to Yoro, perhaps they would have opened up to her much quicker.

The two of them began to move forward to begin fighting Daroma, but they were interrupted.

Something moved past them, dividing the path between them as it moved.

A blast of some sort.

It was similar to that of Silvia’s blasts of light, but different.

It was shaped like a slash.

But furthermore, it had something being produced off of its light.

That very something curved around the light as it moved.

In each section of the light, it moved.

This was hard for their brains to even digest however, as it was moving quickly towards Daroma.

Causing an explosion on impact, Daroma focused his gaze towards his new opponent.

Daroma: [Despite what I have told you, your desire is to continue fighting.]

Loud taps of shoes could be heard as a figure moved past the smoke. What came from within was a color similar to that of light. A white aura had passed through. Accompanying this white aura was white clothing, that only shined brighter thanks to the glittering light. Atop the clothing was hair that was white. White like snow. It beautifully flowed down to the same level as the collarbone, while some of the hair was moved into a large ponytail on the side. There was one exception to the white light being produced. Green. A green sword was held in the owner’s hand. It continued to shine as it produced electricity around itself. Once their appearance could be gazed upon, the girl who’s shades of white not only represented her name, but her spirit, spoke.

Shiro: [Yoro. I’m sorry. I acted like a fool, and that’s why you got hurt. I was too weak. I couldn’t see everything correctly. But most of all, I made one mistake that stood above all of the others. I focused too much on the future instead of what’s right in front of me.]

Her red eyes gleamed with resolve as she stared back at the foe she had promised she would defeat. The dark circle around them creating a much scarier image to the girl.

Daroma: [I have already informed you of what shall happen.]

Shiro: [And yet, I don’t need to worry about that right now. If it’s even true anyways.]

Stepping past the two friends who had joined her, Shiro walked towards her opponent.

Shiro: [I was a little out of it when Yoro first talked about it. But that fire, it’ll stop if you use your advanced ability, correct?]

Daroma: [Proud Duel. That is the name of my advanced matōki ability. I shall exchange a large portion of my fire for a duel against only one individual. I will not use anything other than the very sword I shall create with my remaining fire.]

Shiro: [That works for me then. Activate it.]

Kōkatsu: [Shiro!]

Shiro: [It’s fine, Kō. I’ve got this.]

Despite the worried cry Kōkatsu had given, Shiro remained focused with the oncoming battle at hand.

Daroma: [This shall be the only time I will ask a question of you. Do you desire a duel against me, even knowing that one of us shall fall to our demise?]

Without a moment of hesitation, Daroma received his reply from the girl in a low tone of voice.

Shiro: [Yeah. I’ll fight you.]

Daroma: [Very well.]

Turning her head to face the two girls one last time, Shiro spoke to them.

Shiro: [Kō. Sil. Step back to where the others are.]

As she requested, the two moved back to where the rest of the group had been. Rising from his throne, Daroma began to walk towards Shiro while creating a large sword covered from top to bottom in flames. The moment the two were a few feet apart from one another, pillars of fire appeared around them with thinner layers tracing each pillar. A heated arena had been made for the two to engage in their match. Before the match could even begin, Shiro had requested something from Daroma.

Shiro: [If it’s alright with you, I’d like to take an extra step to prepare myself for this.]

Daroma: [Understood. Use your matōki ability.]

Shiro: [Heh. Glad you at least get it.]

Their battle was about to begin, when all of a sudden a shout occurred near the entrance.

Nero: [Ah! Yoro!]

While Nero continued to overlook Yoro’s treatment, he watched as she began to open and turn her eyes over to Shiro.

Yoro: [Shiro…Shiro is gonna use…her matōki ability…?]

Nero: [Try not to speak too much. You shouldn’t cause any extra pain to your body.]

Yoro: [Is it gonna be a move?…Does she plan on catching him…off guard…?]

Kōkatsu: [I’m not sure myself. Haven’t really seen anythin’ related to it.]

Nero: [It would not be smart to use it at the very beginning, correct?]

Silvia: [Thissss sssshould be interessssting.]

Kaoru: [Win, Miss Shiro!]

Kiyomi: [This lady…is on a completely different level of scary than Daroma is…]

While everyone continued to provide their own input towards Shiro’s actions, Yoro grew more worried with what she was doing.

Yoro: [No! Shiro! Don’t! If you use a big move to start, you won’t be strong enough to deal with Daroma afterwards!]

There was no sign as to what Shiro's ability would be. Despite this, Kōkatsu tugged at her own kimono, before calling out to Kaoru.

Kōkatsu: [Kaoru!]

Kaoru: [Right!]

Before any further movement was taken by Shiro, a large barrier had formed around the party. Though she was lacking in attack-based magic, Kaoru had been incredibly skilled with her support focused variants. Thus, she was able to create a soundproof barrier while also healing Yoro.

Slowly, Shiro began to move her right arm holding her Storm around the opposite side of her body. Her left arm crossed over her stomach, and pointed forward like an arrow with the index finger and thumb released. With her palm visible to Daroma, she began to trace the left side of her waist, then her stomach, then her chest, then her hair, before stopping right above. She held her sword down as it casted a shadow over her body, her eyes beginning to close as she opened her mouth once more to speak.

Shiro: [Now….Come to me…]

She took a deep breath, before screaming the next word as loud as she possibly could. Her eyes shot open with a powerful look as she did so.

Shiro: [...TEMPEST!]

What followed could not be heard at first by those who had lived many miles away from the castle.

To them, they merely saw a gargantuan sized lightning bolt striking down onto the castle where Daroma had ruled, enveloping it completely.

What followed around twenty seconds after however was a loud thunderous crash that shook entire buildings with its noise alone.

Fear had risen as innocent civilians wondered what was the source of such an odd bolt of lightning.

But they had been right to be scared. As if they saw what came of that bolt, their fear would only rise to a much greater level.

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