A Demon's Tale

A lone girl stood in an alleyway.

Without a home to call her own, she survived off of the scraps that were either given or taken for herself.

She was of little importance.

Yet a single woman who stood at the top had found her and spoke to the girl.

Child. What is your name?

A response was not given.

Though she understood what was said, she did not understand how to respond.

I see. You are a child who has learned from survival alone. You’re rather strong, but the radiant fire around you made such a thing clear to me from the beginning.

The girl grew confused.

There was not a single ember around her nor had she made anything appear.

According to the woman who stood in front of her however, it was as if a fire circled around her figure.

I shall carve your destiny then.

An extended palm as blue as the sea was shown to the girl.

From today onward you shall serve none other than myself, Devi Bloodfire. Your name shall be Sol. Do you understand?

Finally, the girl released a single word from her mouth.

Sol: [...Sol.]

With a bright smile, the woman took the girl’s hand.

On that day, Devi Bloodfire’s indomitable army was formed.

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Relentless drops of rain splashed down on the battlefield. The footsteps of many now created sounds of squelching as they rushed towards each other. However, a single individual did not provide any sound. They did not provide a single movement to begin with. Their clothes grew soggy, their hair darkened, and all the while they kept their eyes casted down.

Their gaze was focused on someone below them. A woman with silver hair and a midnight blue dress. The eyes that dazzled with the same silver had now lost some of the color they once had. That was not all however, as they had also lost the life that once resided within them. What now remained was a husk of the woman from minutes ago, who sacrificed her life in order to save the lady she served.

That very same lady now looked down upon their corpse. The rain provided the only necessary message for how she felt.

Beyond the body stood a man colored in jet black. In his gloved hands sat the handle of a cleaver-like sword. Much like a scythe, the blade tilted downward instead of outward. The edged side of the blade had a crimson red splashed across it. Pulling the blade up and pressing the elongated hilt against his shoulder, he looked towards his foe.

Ryuusei: [You don’t exactly have many left, right? At this point there’s about three of them or something around that, yeah?]

Moving the blade from his shoulder, he pointed the tip of his weapon directly at his opponent.

Ryuusei: [Well you don’t need to worry too much about it. You’ll be joining all of them soon.]

Without a single change in her expression, the woman of red and blue casted her scarlet eyes up to face Ryuusei.

Devi: [If it is alright, I’d like to ask a question.]

Ryuusei raised an eyebrow in response followed by a deep sigh. Moving the hilt back to his shoulder, he rested his other by his hip while giving a gesture with his head.

Ryuusei: [You get one. Go on.]

Devi: [If you don’t mind me asking, what is the purpose of your battle?]

Ryuusei: [Our battle or my own?]

With one of her index fingers, Devi pointed to Ryuusei himself.

Devi: [Your own. I would like to know the reason as to why you are fighting.]

Gripping tightly at the hilt of his sword, Ryuusei provided a cold glare while putting his fangs on display for Devi to see.

Ryuusei: [That’s a real rich question coming from you. Fine. To begin with, I don’t really want to work alongside that bastard up there. His cause is just as sickening as a certain something else, but I’ll get to that in due time. Other than protecting some of my family, I’ve got one thing that’s bothered me way more than anything else in the world.]

Once again, his sword was extended towards Devi.

Ryuusei: [You’re aware of the oni genocides of the past, correct? You’d have to be given that you were the previous ruler. If you didn’t, I’d probably hate your guts way more than I do right now.]

Devi closed her eyes off from the world around her and provided a response.

Devi: [Yes. It was a rather tragic incident and one that required the utmost priority once I was alerted of it. I apologize for the delay in extinguishing it.]

Ryuusei: [Hah! Utmost priority! What a joke! Don’t try and act like you can say whatever you want and get away with it. You're just a sick, old shit who's focused more on her status than the people dying behind her.]

Devi: [Despite what you may say about my own efforts, I can assure you that what I have said is the truth. From the very beginning, I was focused on abolishing such a genocide.]

Ryuusei: [Bullshit.]

Devi: [There is not a hint of a lie within my wo–]

Ryuusei: [You might as well write “Well Known Liar" over your forehead. Let's focus on the facts here, Miss former ruler. How many of us got killed?]

An answer struggled to move out of Devi’s lips. The only action she took was averting her eyes from the man before her.

Ryuusei: [That tells me enough. And how long did the whole thing last again? Do you understand why I’m asking these questions, Miss former ruler? Considering when the Bloodfire and Tensetsu generation before you died, and when you and that Tequi lady started competing for the throne, you could have definitely handled the situation there.]

Devi: [A situation such as that would require much more–]

Ryuusei: [“Devi Bloodfire the invincible!”, “The Braveheart, Devi Bloodfire!”, “Devi and her unstoppable army defeat another mighty foe!”. Those were some of the articles from the time. I didn’t really know about them myself. It was only thanks to my parents that I even found out. But you really created quite a name for yourself. So how does it feel? Getting all that spotlight while countless oni are being slaughtered behind you? Even if you weren’t the one doing it, you might as well have been. Now we had to live with that shit stuck onto our names. Even if we were the victims, it’s all thanks to that never ending hell and what little assistance you provided that only made things worse for us.]

Placing a hand against her forehead, Devi attempted to search her brain for something.

Devi: [...I believe at the time…I was busy…]

Ryuusei: [Oh! Ohoho! Real fuckin’ rich! Tell me, what the hell were you busy with that you couldn’t stop the slaughter of countless oni?!]

Devi: [I….I don’t remember…I’m sorry.]

A visible irritation started to show on Ryuusei’s face.

Ryuusei: [You what?]

Devi: [I’m…unsure of what it was, but there was something at the time that I had been busy with…What was…]

She could not recall what had happened. Not a single memory made its way into her mind. Only a fragment remained which felt like an eternity trapped inside a shard of her past. Days that blended into weeks that she could not remember.

With a firm grip on his blade, Ryuusei quickly swiped at the air in order to remove the blood from the weapon before crouching down.

Ryuusei: [Honestly, you were unfit to be a ruler from the very beginning. With how long this shit went on for, how many of our people died, and all the while you can’t even remember why you couldn’t help? The higher ups of this world really are shit.]

A loud thud erupted into the air as Ryuusei dashed towards Devi. Taking quick notice of his incoming attack, Devi grabbed the hilt of her own blade and prepared to strike. Once their blades would clash, she would focus on repelling the opposing sword.

There was a problem with her plan however. Though she was met with a sword, the owner was nowhere to be seen. The blade was thrown at her and continued to spin against the guard she held up with her own. Yet not a trace of her foe rested behind it.

Instead moving her gaze to her right side, she witnessed a slouched figure ready to strike with his body.

Ryuusei: [Yo.]

A left hook ripped through the air and headed straight for Devi’s chest. Before it could reach however, another loud thud exploded in the air as Devi’s foot met the very same fist. A clash on both ends had now started without either side breaking a sweat.

Though Devi’s positioning was awkward, she did not have the slightest bit of trouble in repelling the attacks.

Removing his fist from Devi’s heel, Ryuusei provided a spin as he took hold of his sword again and gave a slash to the guarding blade in order to gain some distance.

Ryuusei: [Even if I don’t exactly like you, I’ll give credit to your fighting capabilities. My strategy being only a minor inconvenience is what I’d expect from a ruler.]

Placing both hands onto the hilt, he crouched low again.

Ryuusei: [...Let’s get a little bit more serious then.]

Jumping forward, several heavy strikes were delivered to Devi’s sword. From below, above, the sides and what remained, not a single one pierced her guard. Each of the attacks Ryuusei provided were either taken in full by the blade with little to no results, or were redirected to a different location.

He attempted an attack from the same side twice, but was met with nothing. He performed a feint that was then chained into a real attack, but it was parried without any time in between.

He raised a leg and attempted to kick her in order to throw her off. In response, Devi gave a kick of her own to the very same leg. A sharp pain to echoed through Ryuusei’s body.

Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, he disappeared from her sight and reappeared behind her. Ryuusei then lifted his sword into the air and attempted to cut her in two. Before he could do so however, another kick was provided to his spleen. Taking several steps back, he attempted to regain his strength before he would move again.

Ryuusei: [Hk! Damn it! You can’t sense for shit and yet you knew I was behind you?! The hell is that all about?!]

Devi: [Your attacks are rather predictable. Even if I cannot sense them, I need only my mind to imagine where they will come from.]

Ryuusei: [Your mind? Are you imagining another me or some shit?]

Much like he had done before, Devi disappeared from his vision. Once his eyes fully caught up, he witnessed the same woman as before now standing below him. Her sword now back in its sheath and ready to launch towards him as soon as her arm moved.

Devi: [In a sense, yes.]

Ryuusei: [Shit!]

With a swift kick to the ground again, Ryuusei moved back in order to dodge the strike. However, the blade drew closer and provided a small wound under his eye. Ryuusei moved his blade over his head and struck the ground in front of him. He knew it would not hit her, but he needed far more distance than before in order to prevent any further injury.

He raised his sword to the side and prepared another attack. As he went to swing, Devi reappeared with a quick spin and kicked the moving blade with the back of her heel. The power of which caused Ryuusei’s eyes to widen in surprise while his arms were forced to move behind him.

Her blade once again drew near, and Ryuusei focused on his own safety before anything else. Kicking off the ground just like he had done before, he escaped the terror of her sword far better than he had before. Although he had thought that he was now safe, something followed close behind. An immense wave of fire was released directly behind the slash. Removing a single hand from his sword, Ryuusei attempted to block the wave in order to decrease the damage. It did not help him in the slightest and instead provided a fierce burn onto his arm. A bright red was now on display as he tried to bear the pain.

Ryuusei: [Ghk!...The hell was that?!...I’ve never dealt with any fire that strong in potency before!]

Devi did not say a word and only continued to move forward. Biting down on his lip, Ryuusei placed the painful hand back onto his sword as he charged forward to meet her.

Ryuusei: [It doesn’t really matter though! I’ll just cut right through it–GHK!]

Again, the fire came bursting forward. This time an attack did not set the stage for such a blast, but merely a singular release of it was given. A burn just like before was spread out across both of Ryuusei’s arms along with the right side of his face. Taking several steps back, he struggled to stand from the heated pain.

Devi: [From what I understand, you are not someone who is heartless in their actions. Surrender and I shall provide the protection needed. Following our battle, you may be questioned but I will do the most that I can to allow for a second chance.]

With a painful glare, Ryuusei looked up at Devi from his slouched position.

Ryuusei: [Surrender? Don’t make me laugh…I’m not out of this fight until I’m dead and buried. Besides, I said that I was gonna get serious earlier. While I wasn’t entirely lying, I was still holding back to an extent.]

An ominous glow illuminated his sword as Ryuusei moved it towards each arm and provided a small cut. He then moved the blade to his face where he did the same and placed both hands back onto the hilt.

Though she was often prepared for many things, the actions that Ryuusei had taken started to confuse Devi.

Ryuusei: [This is where the real fight begins.]

The two dashed towards each other. Another clash would soon occur, but before that would even happen, a second gust of fire would move towards Ryuusei. With a cocky grin, Ryuusei clutched his blade and slashed the fire before it reached him. What should have followed was another wave of pain placed onto his body. That was merely what should have occurred, as instead his body remained completely unharmed. The fire around Devi had lost something. She was unsure of what, but for some reason all of the ferocious roaring it had created seconds before had now disappeared.

Ryuusei: [Don’t get too distracted now!]

Snapping back to attention, Devi blocked the overhead strike aimed at her from above. However, the force behind it was far more than any attack that Ryuusei produced before. Devi’s heels dug into the ground as they moved back. The ground behind her had oddly started to crack. But the biggest change was an incredibly loud ringing that occurred upon both blades meeting, which was then followed by a much quieter echo of the same.

With another attack approaching, Devi gave another firm block to it with the same results being produced just like before. With the slash now entering from below, the force behind it caused Devi’s feet to kick off the ground. After landing and quickly adjusting her balance, Devi took a swift glance behind her to see the same cracked appearance on the dirt like the previous attack had caused. Finally, the ringing exploded into her ears as she blocked the attack. The echo followed close behind.

Ryuusei’s assault was relentless and he followed up his two previous strikes with a much faster flurry. With every slash, a great force was given. With every attack, a deafening noise blared out. Devi gauged that if too many were to be received, she would likely go deaf herself. Not to mention the possible damage she would receive should a strike make it past her guard.

However, an advantage was provided to Devi. Not only was she brave in her actions, but she was a woman who could quickly calculate a situation with very minimal evidence.

Devi: [I suppose your ability is sound related, correct?]

With a coy smile, Ryuusei continued his attacks as he tried to shout far louder than his blade.

Ryuusei: [Hah! You catch on quick! If there’s no sound to something, then I don’t need to worry about it! That includes a painful burn or even your fire that caused it! But when it comes to that very same sound, the opposite also applies by similar rules!]

Devi: [Understood. In that case…]

A large plume of fire erupted behind Devi.

Ryuusei: [Did you not hear me?! I said–]

Only for that very same fire to be absorbed into her blade. A white hot look now radiated against the metal while a vicious sound of something being seared could faintly be heard.

Confused but still confident, Ryuusei kept his smile along his face as he moved forward.

Ryuusei: [That’s a trick I’d expect out of some crazy old coot, not a middle aged lady! Regardless, it doesn’t mean shit!]

Providing a heavy strike onto each of their blades, the two clashed in the middle before either of them could advance towards the other. Just like what had happened to her fire, the sound was removed from her blade.

Ryuusei: [See? All I need to do is remove the sound and your attack becomes nothing!]

Devi: [If you believe that you have stopped it then I must say you’re far too green.]

The confusion that was on Ryuusei’s appearance moments before now took complete control.

Ryuusei: [What do you mean by tha–GHHHHHK! AAAAAAAAAAH!]

Far greater than the fire before, an intense burning pain now encapsulated his entire body. His body continuously staggered as he moved back and fell to his knees.

Ryuusei: [The…hell…]

Devi: [Your ability did in fact activate. You took the very force away from my strike. However, you merely took the force away. The flames that now reside within my blade are a separate matter from that.]

His eyes widened with shock as he now realized what she was saying.

Ryuusei: [Your fire and your sword…]

Devi: [Due to the suppressed flames, what you received was not only the power of my sword but my element at the exact same time. There’s a limit to how much you can silence at once, correct? There may not be a limit to what you’re able to suppress, but in a single moment that encompasses two separate attacks, your ability is only able to suppress one of them.]

Giving a pained grin, Ryuusei lifted himself off his knees and cracked his neck. Similar to what he had done near the beginning of their match, he lifted his blade towards Devi.

Ryuusei: [Don’t go assuming a little fire is all it takes to get rid of me.]

Mirroring his same pose without a smile to match, Devi aligned her blade’s position with Ryuusei’s own.

Devi: [The very same should be said of your sound. I shall not fall here due to a barrage on my ears.]

The battle between the former ruler of the world and a proud oni within Nero’s army had only just started.

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Among those who were fighting, there was a single goddess who remained far more confused than any other on the battlefield. The swift goddess dressed in white, Shiro Fuloreen, continued to stare at her opponent who had no longer paid her any mind. Instead, her opponent kept their gaze focused on their sibling nearby who was currently clashing with Devi Bloodfire herself. For several minutes now since their fight had begun, she did the very same. She watched as Sol attempted to battle Nero and now did the same for the one whom Sol had served.

Her patience was waning and there were many who were injured or worse among the battlefield. Shiro started to grow tired over the lack of a fight given by such a powerful foe and started searching for others to assist.

Her eyes then met a friend of hers in the distance. A kitsune of orange who decimated those around her but luckily would not mind an extra pair of arms and legs to help out with the fight.

Shiro provided a light smile for only herself to see as she attempted to move towards her. However, before she could, an arm was extended as if trying to stop her. The arm belonging to none other than the girl dressed in jet black.

Ryuka: [Woah now! Sorry about that. I got a little distracted seeing my bro fight, and I guess I kinda forgot about my own. But don’t worry, you’re my prey! I wouldn’t be able to forget that until the moment you keel over!]

Shiro’s joyful expression quickly morphed into a mix of caution and irritation. As soon as she attempted to move away from the girl, the oni girl took notice of Shiro’s sudden change in course and stopped her before she could continue.

Ryuka took several steps away from Shiro while also keeping her sword close to her face. Her terrifying grin was now reflected on her side of the blade.

Ryuka: [I’ve heard some good things about you! On top of that, I saw some real nice skills in that previous battle you had! If you haven’t run out of your stamina entirely, I’d like to get a taste of it myself!]

A tongue moved along Ryuka’s blade, followed by her top fangs.

Shiro moved Storm from the side of her hip back to beside her eyes while placing a foot forward. With her stance now in play, Ryuka widened her eyes in delight as she created a similar stance, only with her blade upside down rather than to the side and the hilt being held by a singular hand rather than two.

Ryuka: [Fuloreen or Shiro? Which would you prefer?]

Shiro: [Does that really matter at this moment?]

Ryuka: [Hah! Fair enough! I’ll go with Shiro then.]

A vicious aura emerged from the two and struggled to gain more space as they met in the middle.

Ryuka: [I have high expectations for you, so don’t go disappointing them…]

Far faster than many on the battlefield, the girl shot towards Shiro at lightning quick speeds. Her quick pace that could almost rival Shiro’s own caused a surprised reaction from Shiro herself.

Ryuka: [...SHIRO!]

An absurdly quick barrage of slashes was let loose onto Storm as Shiro repeatedly backpedaled in order to remain on guard. Her fight with the sisters known as Sena and Tari prior to this had been fast, but those two were slow enough that Shiro could keep up with them. This girl, Ryuka Ryoma, was not like those two. Her pace was terrifying, the power behind each blow was chilling and her aura displayed that she was unmatched to many.

This was a true warrior. Someone who Shiro had never heard of and yet the combined strength of each of her attributes made it odd that she had not known she existed.

From each direction in front of Shiro, Ryuka’s blade would appear and disappear along with Ryuka herself. She did not try to change her position nor take advantage of Shiro’s back but instead focused on the sword in front of her. To her, this was likely for the sake of providing a good challenge for herself. Her tactic was quite dangerous for Shiro however, who was familiar with opponents taking advantage of open areas. She believed that eventually Ryuka would strike a different side of her body. That reality never came true, as the strikes from directly in front of her only continued while Shiro rushed backwards to stop the advancements.

There was nothing Storm could do. She could not provide a slash of her own. She could not parry the oncoming attacks. Only the action of blocking was allowed within this deadly barrage.

Shiro: [I know that Kō’s smithing isn’t any joke. But at this rate, if this keeps up…Damn it! I need to find a way to get past this!]

Ryuka: [Hahahahahaha! Come on! Come on! Keep up the pace, Shiro! Hit me with your best damn shot!]

A sadistic laughter roared behind the sharp clattering of steel.

Shiro’s situation would likely soon grow worse given that there was only so far she could move until she would run into something, someone, or nothing at all beneath her feet. Acting on a fight or flight response, Shiro provided the only attack she could think of before her placement could worsen.

Shiro: [Yah!]

Ryuka: [Hk!]

Noticing the slightest of openings in Ryuka’s barrage, Shiro thrusted her foot forward towards Ryuka’s abdomen. Her well defined stomach took the kick in full, but the effects of which did not last very long. Though Ryuka was pushed back from the blow, she quickly jumped forward again and continued the rush.

Ryuka: [Is that all you’ve got, Shiro Fuloreen?!]

Shiro: [As a matter of fact!]

Ryuka: [Woah!]

Countering Ryuka’s flurry was a flurry of Shiro’s own. In the exact same manner as Ryuka had done, Shiro relentlessly met her blade with Storm and caused a scene of pure light in motion to unfold in the eyes of others. Their blades could not be seen but instead a quick glimmer like that of a star sparked across the two from every corner. While Shiro’s own face grew more upset, Ryuka’s expression widened in surprise as she struggled to deal with the counter attacks. Closer and closer, Storm forced Ryuka back several steps until eventually–

Ryuka: [Shit!]

–It grazed her cheek, causing a small wound to appear. Blood trickled down her face as she wiped it off her cheek with a thumb. Looking down at the smeared blood, Ryuka couldn’t help but smile.

Shiro braced herself for another mad rush of strikes. But instead, she was met with–

Ryuka: [Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Fuck yeah! This is fucking awesome! You’re fucking awesome! Holy shit! I’m so glad I chose you as my fight! You’re exactly what I was hoping for! Woo! Fuck! I’m so damn excited right now!]

Shiro could not help but loosen in bewilderment.

Shiro: [Do…Do you need a minute or…]

Ryuka: [Huh? I mean I don’t really wanna kill my mood right now but I guess we could take one! Or wait, would that be worse for me? Hmmmm…Shit. I don’t really know!]

Within the space of time that Ryuka pondered her next course of action, Shiro came to a thought of her own.

Shiro: [Oh! If you don’t mind me asking…Ryuka, was it?]

Ryuka: [Yep yep! Ryuka Ryoma! You should get it memorized seeing as we’re rivals now!]

Shiro: [Rivals don’t really work like that…We need to be completely equal as well as–]

Ryuka: [Oh, true! True! We haven’t even gone all out yet! My bad! I’ll put a pin on that for now!]

Shiro: [This girl is nuts.]

Snapping herself out of the insanity, Shiro set her sights on the thought she had in mind.

Shiro: [Ryuka. If you don’t mind, why don’t we take a minute just like I mentioned? I’d like to ask a question if that’s alright.]

Ryuka: [Ah, perfect! A good question will really get my blood flowing!]

Shiro: [...Strange comments aside, I’d like to know your reason for fighting.]

Ryuka: [Oh! Now that’s a good one, though it’s kinda simple. I’m not like the others on our team! Not in the slightest! Unlike them, a good fight is all I need! I just wanna fight strong people! There’s no point in fighting someone weaker than you! Otherwise you’ll only grow weaker! I like to chase after the biggest fish in the sea rather than the smaller ones! Get what I mean?]

Shiro: [I don’t necessarily think there’s no point in fighting someone weaker. After all, a fight isn’t decided from the get go. Then again…]

Shiro placed a hand against her chin.

Shiro: [Everybody that I’ve fought I’ve always considered at my level or higher…]

Ryuka: [See! You totally get it!]

Shiro: [But what you’re referring to is those who are strong to begin with.]

In response, Ryuka waved her hand in the air with a frown.

Ryuka: [No, no, no! It’s about striving! The weak ones aren’t born weak, they just don’t strive for something greater! That’s why I don’t care about them! They’re just gonna be little wimpy cowards who either go for the kill from the get go or run away while pissing their pants! The same goes for the two from earlier!]

Shiro: [That’s a rather rude way to describe them.]

A fierce glare was sent to Ryuka upon hearing the succubus sisters being mentioned in a bad light.

Ryuka: [But they still ran, right? I’m not running from this fight and I can’t tell you aren’t either! Well…you almost did at one point, but that was my fault so I don’t blame you for it!]

Shiro: [And tell me. With your endless chase to fight these “strong” people, what is your goal at the end of your path? Your dream, if you will?]

With a bright smile, Ryuka gave a quick laugh and provided her response.

Ryuka: [Hah! That’s easy! I’m gonna be the strongest in the world!]

Pointing her finger to the sky, Ryuka shouted her goal.

Silence.

There was not a word between the two shortly after Ryuka said those very words.

Only those around them and the wind could be heard.

Shiro Fuloreen was a woman who was kind to many. She enjoyed the chats she had with her friends. She enjoyed learning about the small things within the lives of those she did not know. Perhaps it all stemmed from her very simple childhood where she continuously watched the clouds in the sky. She was unsure of it herself, but it did not matter at the end of the day. She simply enjoyed chatting with others. Her favorite topic to speak about was dreams. The aspirations that many wanted to chase as an end goal for their life. An end goal that once it was fulfilled, would only be replaced by another. Perhaps in the midst of their chasing, it would already be replaced.

Regardless of who, Shiro loved to hear what many desired to do with their lives.

In response to Ryuka’s desire.

Hearing Ryuka’s dream with her very own ears.

There was only one thing Shiro could say.

Shiro: [...Are you stupid or something? I’m the one who's gonna be the strongest.]

In a completely monotone voice, Shiro gave her response. A visible fury now morphed its way into Ryuka’s appearance.

Ryuka: [Wha–The hell are you talking about?! I’m gonna be the strongest!]

Shiro: [No. I made that dream first. You can’t take it.]

Ryuka: [The fuck do you mean I can’t take it?! Two people can have the same dream, you know?!]

Shiro: [Sure, but being the strongest can only be done by one person. Therefore, it's mine.]

Ryuka: [You don’t get to decide that!]

Shiro: [Sure I do. I thought of my dream first.]

Ryuka: [That’s not how that works!]

Shiro: [How old are you?]

Ryuka: [Eighteen!]

Shiro: [See? You’re eighteen and I’m twenty six. I have a big lead on you. Therefore I get to be the one with that dream.]

Ryuka: [Don’t bring in some weird age logic into this shit!]

A ferocious Ryuka and a neutral Shiro continued to speak about their dreams to each other in the middle of the war.

Ryuka: [Anyways, I don’t have a reason as to why I’m with that guy up there other than the fact that he’s strong! I haven’t even fought him. But before he even fought that pink haired woman, I could tell he was strong.]

Shiro: [You’re with him because he’s strong?]

Ryuka: [Yeah. I like to live off a simple philosophy. Much like my view of what’s strong and what’s weak, I keep the strong close to me! It means they might provide a challenge every so often or maybe I’ll find someone good by going with them. It’s like that.]

A much more concerned look now rested within Shiro’s eyes.

Shiro: [If you need to serve under someone strong, I know plenty of people who would be willing to help you! I’m not sure about myself personally. You’re a bit of an…odd character. No offense.]

Ryuka: [Kinda felt like there was a hint of it there.]

Shiro: [But if need be, I suppose I wouldn’t mind assisting you either. It would certainly be a lot better than serving him. Which, honestly, is a statement I wish I would never have to say and yet now I must.]

A single fang pushed its way past Ryuka’s lips.

Ryuka: [Don’t get too full of yourself. I said I like working under the strong. Last I checked, we haven’t even gone all out. For all I know your strength up until now could have been a fluke.]

Shiro’s concern only heightened as she noticed something off about Ryuka. Moments earlier, she was excited to even fight Shiro. Now she had treated Shiro as if she was even less than a “rival”. It was certainly true that the two of them had yet to go all out. However, the reason for her sudden change was still unclear.

Shiro: [Is there something else? There has to be some sort of reason that you’d choose his force over any other army!]

A single person flashed through Ryuka's mind.

A girl with black bob haircut.

Her smile radiated an immense light.

Ryuka: [Oi.]

Unlike her usual mixture of an energetic and cocky voice, a far colder tone escaped Ryuka’s mouth. Upon hearing the sudden change, Shiro was lost in bewilderment.

Shiro: [Huh?]

What then followed was a glare from Ryuka displaying the same cold tone.

Ryuka: [...Don’t go prying into the lives of others for your own entertainment, bitch.]

Shiro: [But I wasn’t trying–Shit!--Ghk!]

With little time to react, Shiro braced herself as the barrage from before resumed. With more furious slashes being delivered, Shiro used what little space she had to effectively parry each attack. However, her parries only allowed for the chance to negate the damage she would receive. In the same manner as before, she was caught in a loop of attacks that did not allow for any space to counter with her own.

In the midst of fighting Ryuka, another question emerged.

Shiro: [Earlier you–Hk!–mentioned that you weren’t like the others with your reason for fighting! What did you–Ghk!–mean by that?!]

Ryuka: [That’s simple! Hmm! Our group was originally going to attack wherever our objective was at! Once that Nero guy found out that a village was nearby though–Hnn!–he used this place to his advantage!]

Shiro: [What’s that supposed to mean?!]

Ryuka: [Think about it for a second. Do you think their goal is to attack all of you, or is it something else entirely?]

Shiro: [It’s to attack us, obviously! Why wouldn’t it be?!]

There was not a chance that Nero was focused on anything else. From his eyes alone, it was clear what he had wanted. From the moment that they had entered the scene and with every second that passed, his eyes were set on Devi Bloodfire.

Shiro did not enjoy the thought of it, but it only made sense that he wanted revenge. Devi’s own troops were the reason that Yoro was killed. They were also possibly the reason that Varius had gone missing. All of this sparked the drastic change that occurred to Nero. Now all that was left for him was to rid the world of the woman he had gained an immense hatred towards.

Rid the world.

When Nero’s ship arrived at the scene, he made a claim about cleansing and purifying the world.

An act that likely involved the deaths of many given his sudden command to the soldiers.

The deaths of many.

Cleansing. Purification. Death.

Shiro’s eyes grew wide with horror as her mind reached a conclusion.

Shiro: [They…They’re not after us…They’re after…Hk!]

Ryuka: [Bingo. Hmm! They’re after that kitsune village back there!]

Shiro: [But why?! They’ve done nothing wrong! We’re the ones trying to fight back!]

Shiro’s voice started to tremble as she spoke.

Ryuka: [There’s a lot that determines who wins in a fight. The biggest factor among all is morale. Hnn! The group with far more morale–Yah! Ha!–are the ones more likely to win! I don’t like the idea of this plan, hell, I’m not even supporting them with anything other than fighting the big shots, but even I have to admit that the boss man up there knows how to come up with a smart strategy!]

Ryuka’s attacks only grew more fierce as she continued speaking. Shiro on the other hand struggled far more than she did moments ago as her mind was now scrambled with fear.

Ryuka: [If they focus on the village, it means the rest of you will get stressed out not just with the battle at hand, but protecting that village as well! When it comes to our guys though, they’ll have a significant boost in confidence as soon as they start taking down some chumps and rushing to the place! It’s basically a win-win for them! All of this just so they can survive in the new world!]

Though she digested Ryuka’s words, Shiro could not shake off the terrible feeling that now loomed over her body. She did not wish to have innocent people involved with a battle that was not their own. Pulling herself together from the fear alone, Shiro allowed her resolve to burn through her body once more as each of her newly formed slashes met Ryuka’s own in perfect synchronization. From the head, to the waist, to the legs and to the chest. Not a single one of Ryuka’s slashes touched Shiro’s body and were instead met by Storm.

With an explosive final slash from the two, they jumped backwards into the air and gained some distance from each other. A far more serious look was formed within their eyes, with Ryuka’s having a smile to accompany it.

Ryuka: [Not bad. Not bad at all. You really might be something else after all. I’m starting to have some fun, so I’ll throw you a bone. Let’s kick things up a notch, shall we? I’m using my ability from here on out!]

Moving her sword to eye level, Shiro placed a foot forward to enter her stance again.

Shiro: [Bring it. I don’t have time to waste anymore.]

Ryuka: [Haha! Perfect! I wouldn’t have it any other way! I hope you’re ready for what comes next, Shiro!]

On the horrific battlefield filled with blood and death, a pair of tense battles had now taken center stage amongst the others.

The terrifying power of the Ryoma siblings, Ryuusei and Ryuka Ryoma, was now apparent to any and all spectators.

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