{Month: Sunflare}
{Date: 1/7}
{Time: Afternoon}
A beautiful woman with long snow white hair stood atop the curtain walls surrounding the main square of Fountaine, her cold eyes shimmering a hazy mix of gray and red with inner focus. Her white kimono flowed gracefully with the howling winds, her stance as still as an ice wall.
Her familiar, a bipedal aquatic ninja otter, stood firmly beside her with a sharp gaze. With his sharp gaze, he spotted a shadowy figure striking down the Royal Barons and Mages with relative ease with Fox Ninja trailing behind. He cried out to his master, looking up at her and waiting for her command.
The woman looked down at her familiar, crouching down to meet his level and gently rubbed his head. "That's her...Queen Yomi of North Wadataka. I don't know what she's here for, but we will stop her. Now go, strike them down Ronin."
Ronin nodded and looked forward at Yomi, locking onto her hooded figure then cloaked his body in water energy. With a battle cry, he propelled himself toward Yomi at high speeds, missiling his body at her torso.
Yomi quickly used a Substitution Ninpo, Ronin's body slamming into her cloak and her figure appearing in the air. Her short purple hair flowed with the winds, her hardened magenta eyes looking down at Ronin wrapped in her cloak before coming down with a powerful stomp upon his chest.
Ronin groaned as he crashed onto the ground, huffing heavily as Yomi added more pressure to his body. Yomi took her foot off his chest then turned to look at the woman at the top of the wall, their eyes meeting and locking onto one another.
"Natsume Reine...The traitor amongst our allies. Choosing the elven ways over your own people!" Yomi confronted, her voice as harsh as the violent winds around them.
Natsume hummed softly in response, adjusting the pin keeping her bun together then placed her hand upon the handle of one of three of her katanas. "I didn't betray anyone. I simply chose a way out, your brother gave me the choice and I chose peace. This...fued you have with your brother should've stayed in Wadataka."
"Well, this invasion isn't for no reason. Sylvannia has the most potent magic gems in all of the Cynthian Region. I need that magic to transfer into Fox Power to awaken the ancestors to Vexin and Marie," Yomi said, placing her hand upon the handle of her katana.
"You're still trying to awaken Rin and Tsumamo? I already told you this, I will not abide by your plan to awaken the One Tail and Nine Tail Foxes! I already gave up my role as a Miko, and with that, broken my connection with them. You have no way to awaken them!"
"Give it up, Yomi! Lord Jin already beat you in the past for the throne. He is the King of Wadataka, and you are still the same bitter princess who can't get past her own bias!" Natsume called out, unsheathing her sword and generating water energy around her blade.
Yomi scoffed at Natsume, powerful wind energy flowing around her body as she prepared herself for battle against Natsume. "You will die for your blatant disrespect!"
Natsume calmly rushed toward Yomi at alarming speeds, catching Yomi slightly off guard, but her body still reacted fast enough to block her slash. Yomi pushed Natsume back, shifting forward for a kick at her legs, but Natsume hardened her leg with Earth Energy.
Yomi dashed around Natsume, sweeping her up with rushing winds then kicked her upon her chest with a leaping dropkick, sending her crashing toward the curtain walls. Natsume flipped backwards, recovering with her feet against the wall before propelling herself toward Yomi once more.
"It's gonna take more than that to keep me down, I thought you knew this!" Natsume taunted, clashing with Yomi and matching her boosted speed despite the howling blizzard.
"I'm just gauging how far you've grown before I absolutely destroy you!" Yomi bellowed, parrying Natsume's next attack then sliced through her body.
Natsume's body turned gradually became covered in frost before cracking slowly and shattering into snowflakes. Yomi turned around to see Natsume missing and Ronin hurling toward her with a spinning 360 slash with a sword made of water to her stomach.
Yomi groaned as she as blown away from the main square of Fountain, crashing through a market stand and rolling along the ground. She grunted softly as she rose to her feet with staggering movements, looking up to see Ronin charging straight toward her.
'Who the hell is this otter?!' Yomi thought to herself, dodging Ronin's swift close combat strikes and slashes before launching a heavy wind infused counterstrike.
Ronin dodged the bursts of wind Yomi launched with his quick speed, summoning two auger screw shells and encasing them with water, quickly deflecting Yomi's rapid bursts of winds with fast, wild swings. Once the bursts stopped, Ronin taunted Yomi with an arrogant smirk then turned around and began wagging his tail.
Yomi fell for the taunt. Her cheeks flushing into a deep red and her eye twitching with annoyance and anger, her concentration momentarily lost and her aura flow becoming unstable. 'This...this stupid—'
"Ice Assassin Technique: Freeze," Natsume's cold tone sounded beside Yomi, catching her off guard and leaving her no time to react.
Within blinks, Natsume began striking Yomi with rapid slices, each strike inflicting frostbite along her body. Yomi grunted heavily as she tried to defend herself, her dark energy bursting around her body to push Natsume away. She tried to summon her wind, but her body denied her access.
Yomi began scanning her aura, noticing it had become frozen due to frostbite, preventing her access to her abilities until her aura thawed. 'What have these elves been teaching her..? Jin nor I know these techniques...'
Ronin let out a happy cry, hopping up to high-five Natsume for their successful tag team to halt Yomi's path forward. The two glanced back at Yomi, noticing her retreating back toward the north square and letting her leave so they could tend to their fallen allies.
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{Time: Afternoon}
Hayate and Ren swiftly rushed through the market area along side Leo and Izumi, the four chasing down Ugachi and Tansuke to prevent them from reaching the main square. Izumi let out a battle cry, purple lightning surging around her body as she bolted forward, surprising Hayate and Ren.
Ugachi looked back as he sensed lightning energy approaching them, looking back and grunting in shock as he noticed Izumi's foot crashing into his jaw and sending him flying. Izumi landed on the ground and summoned her bow, firing five lightning arrows toward Ugachi.
"Not so fast, Young Priestess!" Tansuke called out, dashing ahead and using his bulky size to absorb the lightning arrows into his body, transmuting the energy into Storm Energy.
Izumi grunted softly as she watched her lightning arrows become fuel for Tansuke's Kokou Cloak. 'He absorbed my attack..! I thought only Earth Elements were immune to Lightning..!'
"Izumi look out!" Leo called out, rushing forward and tackling Izumi out of the way of a Fox Ninja's Stealth Strike.
A Lunia Knight rushed forward on his horse, blitzing the Fox Ninja with light speed movements and impaled the Beastkin with his lance. Tansuke calmly evaded the raging horse's charge, looking back with intrigue as the soldier began running through a group of Fox Ninja with ease.
"Well, I expected Lunia's Army to be this formidable, but you've exceeded my expectations. However, Wakai Izumi, you lack mental clarity. If not for Prince Leo, the Fox Ninja would've take your life," Tansuke coached, holding the belt of his kimono with a veteran gaze at Izumi.
Izumi grunted softly as she stood up with Leo's help, looking up at Leo with a mix of curiosity and concern. "Leo...he absorbed my lightning, but his Affinity is Wind. How did he do it?"
"Tch, this girl is just as clueless as Aname. Bringing airheads on missions is what gets them killed," Ugachi growled lowly, dusting himself off as he walked back toward the battle.
"Now, now, Ugachi...there's always time to train a few rookies. After all, we aren't here to kill. Only stall, so why not see what Lunia is all about! Hayate, Ren! I hope you can sit this one out!" Tansuke requested, meeting Hayate's and Ren's Karma filled eyes with a cool smirk.
Hayate and Ren glanced at each other, silently communicating on if they should play along or strike them down while their guards were down. Ren let out a soft sigh and began giving the four some space, Hayate falling behind on standby on the rooftop of a building.
Leo gently held Izumi close, looking at Tansuke's five tail cloak with an analytical gaze. "He's a Mastered Wind User, a Storm User. Storm is stronger than Lightning, but his cloak has a special property... absorption of some sorts. It's a passive ability for sure."
"Heh! The young prince is rather bright for his age. You are 100% correct, Prince Leo. My Kokou Cloak gives me the ability Storm Control, mimicking the properties of a Thunderstorm," Tansuke began, his tails swaying with readiness as he slowly got into his stance.
"But instead of me telling you, how about I show you. Ugachi, sit this one out. Two Cloaked Beastkins us overkill, and we don't need any accidents," Tansuke said, glancing back at Ugachi with a calm gaze.
Ugachi scoffed at Tansuke, taking a step back and standing on standby. "Right... get this over with so we can move on."
Tansuke chuckled softly at Ugachi's impatience, his gaze landing on Leo's and Izumi's once more. "I hope you both are ready. This old fox is dusting off some old rubble from his windy fur!"
Leo and Izumi readied their weapons, their bodies cold due to the blizzard, but their minds affirmed by the same blizzard that weakens the Wind Affinity. Together they stood firm, preparing themselves for what Tansuke had planned.
Tansuke dashed toward Leo at high speeds, launching fast and blitzing strikes toward him, but Leo used his smaller figure to his advantage, barely evading each of Tansuke's blows. Tansuke chuckled softly, gliding backwards with the wind then thrusted his tails forward and released a burst of wind toward the two.
Leo and Izumi grunted heavily as they tried to resist the high turbulence winds, the wind knocking the two off their feet with surprising force. Leo quickly recovered in the air, catching Izumi's hand before creating a pillar of ice to land on.
Tansuke crossed his arms as he looked up at Izumi and Leo, humming softly and using one of his tails to rub his chin. "You're quite nimble for someone of the Water Affinity... makes me believe your main isn't truly Darkness, Prince of Lunia!"
Leo stared down at Tansuke, holding Izumi closely to him by her waist, his eyes flashing with a rich brilliance. "It isn't that there's any secret to my main or secondary Affinities...I work myself to the bone to catch up to the one person who motivates me the hardest—my sister! But...now I have something more to work hard for!"
"Our kingdom was taken from us because of a selfish, poor excuse of an older brother and Lunia has been nothing but peacekeepers between the Cynthian Region! Now...we will get back what we lost!" Leo howled, summoning his Lunar Arms, Selenoath.
Selenoath's blade shone an icy blue bleam, the tip of the lunar halberd a glowing sapphire, boosting Leo's prowess and parameters even further due to its Water Affinity. Chilling blue energy began flowing around Leo's body, an ice crown and cape forming upon his body.
Tansuke's grin widened as he watched Leo activate his Royal Crest and awaken his Prince Forme, his tails swaying with higher anticipation and excitement. "Oh-hoho! Now, we are getting serious! You also possess one of Lunia's best weapons, a Lunar Arm!"
Leo gently let go of Izumi, keeping her atop of the ice pillar then leaped to the ground, landing upon one knee. He began to slowly rise to his feet, meeting Tansuke's gaze head on. "Her name is Selenoath, a Twilight Dragon turned weapon from the bond between Beast and Master..."
"With our bond, we will turn the tides!" Leo declared, getting into his stance as Dragonic Energy began flowing around his body, scales slowly forming upon his cheeks.
Izumi's body shuddered as she felt Leo's true power, sensing a drastic change in his demeanor in his Prince Forme. 'Leo...this power...'
Ugachi grunted softly as he watched a Dragon Cloak form around Leo's body, his attention now caught and alert. "A Dragon Cloak..?! Where could he have found a Dragon around Lunia..?!"
"He didn't," Tansuke said, staring at Leo with pure interest in his eyes. "He was blessed with one...Dragons aren't native anywhere around Arcania nor Eyica other than bordering mountains and temples near Uthea and Genten."
"That dragon energy Prince Leo wields is Divine Beast Energy, and he has a good five minutes before his body shuts down due to how powerful Divine Energy is," Tansuke explained, getting into his stance once again.
"And you're going to fight him again? He has Dragon Energy, that's stronger than a Five Tail Fox!" Ugachi warned, grunting softly as he felt the nimble air become colder due to Leo's aura.
Tansuke heard Ugachi's warning, understanding the dangers to his current match up, but deep inside he wanted to test his strength against a Dragon. "I hear ya, Ugachi...but I have to see how well my Kokou Cloak can handle the pure might of a dragon."
Leo stepped forward, his cape flowing behind him and his body becoming a light blue blur as he dashed toward Tansuke with a leaping slash, but Tansuke blocked his attack with one of his tails, using the other to knock Leo away.
Tansuke went on the offense, rushing Leo with strikes at the speeds of flashing lightning. Leo held his ground, using the icy wings of his cloak to block the Storm Fox's flurry of blows. Leo let out a powerful roar, a burst of chilling winds pushing Tansuke away with great force.
'Stella...! I'll catch up to you, and protect Lunia at your side! For you, Stella!' Leo declared mentally, his eyes shifting into a cryo blue hue as he awakened Selenoath's power, the sapphire tip of his pole arm shining brightly.
"He just got stronger..!? Just how strong is this prince?!" Ugachi grunted heavily, guarding himself from the blizzard's high winds, the flames of his cloak slowly teetering out.
Hayate's eyes sparkled with wonder as he witnessed Leo's true power, a sound of excitement leaving his mouth as he held onto his thrashing scarf. "Whoa! Prince Leo's been holding back on us the entire time?! He's a Dragon Master, Ren!"
Ren studied Leo's immense aura, sensing the absolute strain Selenoath's Aura was putting on his body. Despite that, he felt Leo's will, a strong resolve identical to Jin's. "Leo is quite impressive at his best...a Twilight Ice Dragon. Who knew Lunaris blessed Leo.."
Tansuke laughed proudly at Leo's burst of energy, cracking his knuckles then summoned his katana and nagitana, tossing them in the air and using his tails to catch them. "Now we're talking! Finally, some true competition!"
Leo and Tansuke dashed toward each other, their weapons clashing and echoing with the howling winds, the two of them seemingly now evenly matched. Tansuke slashed near Leo's neck with his katana, but Leo evaded it quickly, his eyes catching Tansuke's sneaky thrust of his naginata.
Leo pushed Tansuke's naginata to the ground, freezing his weapon and tail solid to the ground. Tansuke's eyes flashed with impress, watching as Leo cut off his tail without a second thought.
"Tansuke!" Ugachi yelled out in distress, his mouth agape as he witnessed Tansuke's tail severed off his cloak.
Tansuke gazed calmly at Leo, meeting his cool, aloof gaze and chuckled softly. He turned his gaze to his cut tail, watching as his personal storm clouds began reconstructing his tail. 'His mind his completely calm...that was a conscious decision. He's a natural warrior just like his sister...'
"Tell me something, Young Prince...That power of yours, it's very interesting. In my lifetime, I have yet to meet any dragons aside from yours. How can your body handle it?" Tansuke asked with genuine curiosity, crossing his arms and lowering his guard.
Leo stared at Tansuke for a moment before glancing down at his halberd, its handle becoming colder to the touch, resonating with Leo's energy. "It's because we share a Perfect Link. I was blessed with Selenoath since the day I was born, and together we've grown through the toughest battles."
"Challenged my sister to countless duels, won countless skirmishes, and we fought each other on numerous occasions. Our bond is something more than just Beast and Master, it's a Partnership. That's why I can handle it! My body...is a Dragon at this point!" Leo bellowed, twirling his halberd and getting into his stance.
"I am Prince Leo Bushido of Lunia, the Cryo Dragon that protects his Guardian, Queen Stella! All will know our name!" Leo finished, his wings spreading with an aura of dominance and perfect resolve.
Tansuke grinned widely at Leo's second declaration, unfolding his arms and taking on his stance once more. "Well...Allow me to introduce you to my own Beast, Kokou of the Wild Storm! You've seen my true speed, my raw might! Now allow me to introduce you to the Wild Storm!"