"That's it! You three better keep up however you can!" Chimin called out to the girls as she raced down the street on her motorcycle, her hair whipping behind her in the high winds.
Sang So-Yi controlled her breathing as best as she could as she ran down the offroads, watching as Chimin began disappearing down the road. Jiahn surfed through traffic upon her hoverboard, calling one to her and tossing it to So-Yi so she could ride upon it. Hyeon Bae rode upon Gimatet-Hey's back as he soared across the sky, humming softly as she began to check her ValkyMe App for updates.
"From Seolhart to Grushia City before classes begin? Even Nox didn't train us this hard," Eun-Song said as she drove behind the girls to keep watch of their safety.
"Well, Chimin is preparing them for the new wave of tests that come around each year. The Northern Gethsemane Meet is happening in a month," Moon-li said, checking herself out in the mirror as she fixed her hair.
"Oh? The Gethsemane Meet? Valkyrias and Heroes from there are said to be extremely powerful if I recall. Now that I think about it, nothing about them is actually known..." Mi-sung said with slight hum, looking out the window to watch the scenery fly past her.
Jiahn and So-Yi raced through the traffic on their hoverboards, watching as Chimin soared down the road on her motorcycle. As they raced, ACU sirens began to blare in the air, enforcement units racing down the street to catch up with the speeding girls.
Chimin fixed her sunglasses, smirking as she saw the ACU after her through her sideview mirrors. Her red hair flowed behind her in the wind, a single fiery wing emerging from her back with beautiful flares spiralling around her wing.
"Tch, the ACU...I have personal bad blood with these guys," Jiahn said as she glanced behind herself, sucking her teeth with disdain.
Hyeon Bae glanced down at the ground, her gaze catching sight of Haru on the top of a speeding unit then gasped. She quickly put her phone away then stood up upon Gimatet-Hey's back, leaping down from the skies and exerted her body to flicker forward into a sweeping side kick to Haru's side.
"What the—" Jiahn began, a smirk forming upon her lips as she felt a shift in Hyeon Bae's energy. "What is this..?"
Haru grunted as she rolled backwards along the ground, but recovered onto her feet and began sprinting forward, glancing to her side to see Hyeon Bae standing on the top of her unit. "Code Yellow?! Tch, no way I have to deal with you Grushia chicks again!"
Haru took out her grappling gun from her holster, firing it at her unit and latching it into the side of the van to pull herself toward it. She launched herself onto of the van with an overhead kick, but Hyeon Bae dodged her attack to counter with a straight.
Haru parried her punch to the side then launched a knee which was blocked by Oriel's wing as she flew on the side of the van. The van hit a bump in the road, causing both young women to lose their balance on the roof of the unit, but they steadied themselves to reset their duel.
Hyeon Bae felt a gentle tug at her chest, her eyes beginning to study Haru then she relaxed her body, ducking under Haru's punch and leaving behind a pink silver silhouette. Haru rose an eyebrow with confusion, wondering how Hyeon Bae phased without a butterfly.
Hyeon Bae closed her eyes as the gentle tug continued, effortlessly dodging and evading each of Haru's strikes while pink silver silhouettes trailed behind her. She opened her eyes and caught Haru with a 12-6 catch, an invisible strike catching Haru upon her face then The Echo warped toward Haru with a dropkick to her stomach.
He rolled forward, using his golden chain to catch Haru to prevent her from falling onto the road. The girls each gasped as they noticed The Echo, his Sovereign Butterflies fluttering around his body and happily landing upon Hyeon Bae's body.
"Whoa...A new Spirit..? Who are you?" Hyeon Bae asked with pure curiosity, watching as some Sovereign Butterflies shifted to become pink silver Monarchs.
"Rauch Hakodesh," The Echo answered, pulling Haru onto safety then looked back to see a Captain Squadron chasing after Chimin, So-Yi, and Jiahn. "Leave Haru, we save your friends then get you all away from here. Seolhart is dangerous at the moment.."
"O-Okay," Hyeon Bae nodded, scratching her head where her stitches rested, not knowing if what she was witnessing was real or if she was being delirious.
Chimin swerved around the multiple energy bullets behind fired at her, one bullet grazing her cheek yet it only excited her more. Reaching the exit to enter into Grushia City, she Akira Slid down the street and stood up on the top of her motorcycle.
"Chihye!" Chimin roared, her voice echoing down the highway. She took her sunglasses off slowly, her eyes glowing with pure Willpower. "I know you're here! Show yourself and face me like a true Valkyria and not some coward!"
Jiahn and So-Yi stopped behind Chimin, watching as the squad cars stopped and ACU Officers and Captains began to step out of their units. Amongst the Captains, Chihye stepped forward with Ha-Rin and Nu So-Hee following behind.
"Can you speed up the theatrics? You're making us all late for work and school! We have a big meet to be training for!" Nu So-Hee scoffed, tapping her foot against the ground then took a good look at Chimin then grunted softly. "Wait, is that—"
"The Burning Precipice, an S Rank Valkyria. She works for Randall United. Wasted potential in my eyes," Ha-Rin said, crossing her arms and looking down at her watch.
Chihye looked at Chimin with a bitter expression, placing her hand upon her sidearm. "It's time you stop with the fairytales, Chimin! It's time you face the truth..!"
"The truth about what? That Sa Nu Rim was telling the truth? Ascea is real, and your face tells me that you met him! Face the facts, Chihye! You're living in delusions, and I love you enough to say you will be damned if you continue!" Chimin called out, pointing her finger at Chihye.
"Tch!" Chihye scoffed at Chimin, her eye twitching with annoyance. "It's because of that name that got our parents killed! How can you sit in front of me and continue worshipping and giving praise to a curse?!"
So-Yi's eye twitched as Chihye called Ascea a curse, her blood flaring up but she kept a calm expression upon her face and stepped forward. "Ascea didn't just die for the people beyond these walls, but came here to die for us Exzodians to save us from our wickedness!"
"If it wasn't for Yesha, Luca would have ruined Eyica AND Exzodia with pure tyranny, the same Tyranny that still roams around...Why? Because of people like you and I," So-Yi continued, clenching her fists tighter.
"You really believe in those fairytales?" Nu So-Hee giggled and sneered, letting out a sigh and looked up at So-Yi. "A child will always be stuck in a child's place."
"Unless you become like little children, you will never be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven," The Echo's voice rang out like a soft whisper in the wind.
The Captains looked at The Echo, having a kill on sight order from The Overseer and began firing lethal bullets at him. The Echo simply walked through the bullets, each deadly projectile phasing through his body. They ceased their fire, too stunned to even react to him walking unharmed.
"That applies...to even Dark Lords, the Elonun. The Chronicles isn't scripture, but it is a history book and a guide for this land," The Echo said, looking back at the ACU Units, his amber eyes glowing behind his hood.
Haru stared at his appearance, her breathing becoming irregular as verses from the Book of Origin appeared in her mind. 'Chains...Rebirth Energy...Stigmata...hints of divine wrath inside him...'
"You...you just said your name is Rauch Hakodesh to Code Yellow earlier, but I have a feeling that's not it. Who are you truly?!" Haru yelled out, her flesh crawling with an uneasy tingle.
Pharaoh, who stood back in the crowd, watched with his arms crossed, his heart beating irregularly as he anticipated the answer. He gulped lightly, trying to see if the voice that spoke to him was The Echo or not.
Hyeon Bae looked up at The Echo, gently grabbing upon his cloak and stepped closer. "Echo..?"
The Echo smiled lightly under his hood, closing his eyes and exhaled softly. "Some know me as the Last Hero of Origin. Some call me The End. Some call me The Unifier. Some call me the Passing Gardens. Some call me The Phantom. But...even Luca the Tyrant had some good in him...as I am...his son through bloodline."
"I am, The Second Chance," The Echo finished, opening his eyes with rebirth energy flurrying around his body.
Chihye gulped lightly as she noticed The Echo looking directly at her, a nervous sweat rolling down her cheek. 'August...Stella...Ryoma... Hisumi...Misaki...and Luca the Tyrant..? How? How can he be Luca the Tyrant's descendant? Born from the line of Luca who were all evil..?'
"Now that's out the way, if you all wish to test Ragnarok's might, be my guest...but be assured, I will use full power if you do," The Echo said, holding his hand up and commanded Oriel and Gimatet-Hey at his side.
Hyeon Bae's eyes grew wide as she watched her Stigmatas fall under The Echo's command and gasped softly. She grunted lowly and held her head, her mother's words echoing in her head about finding the Holy Spirit and bringing Him to her.
"Be still, Hyeon Bae," The Echo said in my tone, causing her to look up at him to meet his eyes. "I've got you..."
"Do not fall for his tricks, fire and take down The Usurper and his followers!" The Supervisor commanded, pointed at The Echo and the Valkyrias behind him.
Missiles flew toward The Echo at high speeds, but they transmuted into snowflakes, each flake falling upon the ground gracefully. Haru and Chihye's eyes widened in disbelief, their bodies suddenly freezing in place.
"Sigh, how bothersome. Can't go a day without persecution?" A familiar voice said, walking forward with her hands in her lab coat.
"It seems he can't, but that's why we protect him, Laneret~ His personal legion," Another familiar voice said, descending down from the sky to land next to me.
A third figure began walking forward with a light brown cloak around her body, phoenix feather flowing around her body. "The stage is being set...similar to how it was in 30 AD here.."
So-Yi, Jiahn, and Hyeon Bae couldn't believe their eyes as three powerful beings appeared to defend The Echo, each of their auras being so powerful that they could not sense it. Chimin smirked and chuckled lightly as she knew the ACU were in for it, standing behind to watch the demonstration of true power.
"What are you doing? That is nothing beyond normal alchemy! Do not hold anything back!" The Supervisor commanded, watching as a Captain with Dagrax Gauntlets stormed forward.
"Yang Ru, you've got this one," Laneret said coolly, watching as the Captain charged forward.
The cloaked woman relaxed her stance, her body flickering forward to clashed with the Dagrax Captain, her power nullifying the Multi-Strike ability of his gauntlets. He grunted as he was pushed away then rushed forward with a straight, but Yang Ru rolled through his attack into a searing gut blow.
The Dagrax Captain succumbed to the single blow, falling upon his knees and coughing lightly while clutching his stomach. He remained determined, grabbing Yang Ru's ankle and pulling himself up into an uppercut in which she dodged, but a second strike caught her off guard upon her ribs.
"Oh no..!" Hyeon Bae gasped, but felt my gentle touch upon her shoulder.
"She's fine," I said, continuing to watch Yang Ru with a smirk.
A group of Captains began rushing Yang Ru to subdue her, but she was light on her feet, none of their strikes landing. She countered a captain with an elbow that landed flush upon her nose then leaned back to dodged an attack from the right. She grabbed onto his arms, taking him down with a hurricanrana and blasting him with a Pyro Stream.
Oriel set a barrier around the explosion to contain the rushing flames, but the flames erupted through the top of the barrier as a phoenix screech echoed in the skies. Inside the barrier, the Dagrax Captain roared as he used his Multi-Strike ability to rapidly strike the flames to push them back.
"These guys are more resilient than I'd like to admit!" Yang Ru said as she dodged a flurry of strikes from two Captains then countered then a side kick to the first captains stomach.
She vaulted over his body, rolling into a crescent kick atop of the second Captain's head then strike her with an uppercut. The first captain summoned his sword, wildly swinging backwards toward Yang Ru but her raw aura blocked the attack as she transcended into her Super Form.
"Well, well! The great Yang Ru from Liao Ru's line has to use a technique from my and Nagini's legacy?" Laneret bantered with a laugh, enjoying the solo demonstration of power before her.
"This is nuts! What kind of power is that?! It feels even stronger than my Holy Form!" Jiahn exclaimed, guarding her face from the high rushing winds Yang Ru's aura produced.
"This power is exactly what I want to achieve! This level of heat!" Chimin laughed, exclaiming loudly in the sky.
"This is only a fraction of Yang Ru's power, and the level of power the Gethsemane Valkyrias and Heroes achieved. This is the goal, to have a Holy Fire...like hers. Do not become complacent in where you are," The Echo said, looking back at Jiahn and So-Yi with a smile.
"Fine, I guess I have do do everything myself!" The Supervisor said, walking forward with a large sheathe with three handles sticking out of them.
The Echo grunted softly in slight shock, recognizing the weapons immediately. "Father...those weapons, they come from the Garden of Exzodia..!"
The Supervisor unsheathed Dandelga from his side and held it out, absorbing Yang Ru's flames into his sword and encasing his blade in Phoenix Fires. "This...this is true Divine Power! Randall United knows nothing about the power of a true God!"
Yang Ru looked at her aura, noticing her Phoenix Feathers had disappeared then closed her eyes and summoned her Phlogiston Gem in front of her then grabbed it, transcending into her Ruler Form. "I'll end this quick!"
"No, I'll do it," The Echo said, walking forward slowly then slowly took off his hood to reveal himself to be Cipher. "He has infiltrated The Garden! The Supervisor is not human!"
The Supervisor grinned widely as he saw me rushing forward and evaded my first strike then slashed downward toward me to only strike an afterimage. I appeared behind him with a Stealth Strike then warped in front of him with an elbow to his stomach, causing Dandelga to fly in the sky.
As I tried to grab it, my focus being on the sword more than The Supervisor, the Supervisor rushed forward with a deadly kick to my stomach. I groaned and coughed heavily, flying backwards into the railing and fell onto the ground.
"Echo!" Hyeon Bae exclaimed, hurrying toward me and getting down beside me then looked over toward The Supervisor. "Who is that..?"
'My mind was distracted...I can't let him get away with them...Dandelga, Lexida, Dreden, Berechiah, Uriah, Judecca. He broke into The Garden...I can't...' I began, grunting softly as I gripped my head, my fingers clasping my hair.
"So this is The Second Chance? Looks like you've used up that chance as well...I expected more from someone who dares to use names from Exzodia and Utalia's divine leaders and legends! Even then, if you are who you say you are...why don't you have these?" The Supervisor taunted with a laugh, looking down and stopped laughing as he felt intensified pressures in the air.
"How...did you get into The Garden? Why do you have the Keys of Exzodia..?" I asked, my Iridescent Aura darkening into Rebirth Energy, my golden chains wrapping around my body to restrain my power.
"Oh? I see I've struck a nerve...it was quite easy since the land is ridden with Daemon and Fallen Beasts. After all, Exzodia's supposed King likes to play hero behind masks and family man with Ascean women," The Supervisor said in a sneering tone and chuckled.
"And while I was there, I was able to stroll around and happened to find Eva's body and grave. The legends said she held divine power within her...so I took it in the best way I knew how," The Supervisor laughed, grunting softly as an invisible energy blast knocked him backwards.
I took off my mask and looked up at The Supervisor with pure anger, lightning crackling around my body as my Rebirth Energy began to swirl powerfully around my body. I couldn't speak, knowing I could have cursed him into damnation. I let out an angered roar, my aura spiralling upward into the skies and pierced the clouds.
Everyone around me froze in a mix of fear and awe, hearing thunders booming in the clouds and the distinct sounds of Angels in the air. I could feel the Spirit of Addis's rage boiling within me, the fact The Supervisor not only stole from their home but also defiled his late wife.
'His energy just keeps rising...how much power has he truly been holding back..?' The black serpent around The Supervisor's neck thought, watching as my aura began to flash northern light colors.
The Supervisor noticed my aura vanish, my body taking a sluggish stance then he charged forward to take the chance to strike me down. He thrusted forward, but his blade phased through my body but he kept on the offensive, each slice phasing through my body.
So-Yi awakened her Beshin-Keh, watching my movements and noticed I was moving so fast the naked eye could only see me moving in normal speed. 'What is this..? Without my Beshin-Keh, I wouldn't have even noticed this...'
"Wow, this guy has no aim! He's missing everything!" Chimin said, in slight awe and scoffed with amusement as she watched The Supervisor struggle.
"Impossible! I'm hitting every strike! The blade is touching you!" The Supervisor roared, slashing down and grunted as he noticed me warping in front of him with my foot down on Dandelga. "Just who are you truly..?"
I looked down at Dandelga, hearing his pain and tilted my head to crack my neck and transformed into my Super Form, my hair shifting from black and white to silver and blue silver. "Normally, I'd introduce myself as Ascea...but right now, you're speaking to Nox Winters. You fake Asceans think you're fighting the right battle..?"
I took my foot off Dandelga, blitzing The Supervisor with a gut blow then awakened the Dagrax Stigmata, Vapei, a second blow sending the Supervisor backwards. I awakened another Stigmata, Hhequph, reducing the space between us to pull him back toward me.
As he flew toward me, he tried to catch me off guard with a shovel hook to my face, but I caught his fist and struck him with a knee to his stomach to disarm him once again. He quickly recovered to grab the sword and sliced upward, but I phased through it with a scoff.
"This is another lesson before I send you off to Luciel, corruption like his...has a place for him. I know I told myself I wouldn't curse him, but there will be no woes for your desecration and unrightful infiltration of the Garden...it will only be Judgement," I said, catching his blade as he attempted a blindsided slash.
"I haven't seen this much power from him before...he's really mad now," So-Yi said, grunting softly as she could no longer sense my energy.
"Yeah, this is really intense..." Jiahn said softly, standing her ground against the high winds.
"If you don't want to get caught in judgement, be like Lot and dip!" Chimin said, racing away on her motorcycle.
"Hey, wait for us!" Jiahn grunted, hurrying off behind Chimin on her hoverboard.
Hyeon Bae hurried over to Ha-Rin and Nu So-Hee, grabbing their stubborn hands and dragging then with her classmates to safety. Despite their resistance, Hyeon Bae's resolve outweighed them, successfully escaping judgement.
"You think a Super Form is enough to beat me? I absorbed a Ruler's flames! I control Law with Lexida! I control light with Uriah! I'm the Supervisor of Manaport for a reason!" The Supervisor boasted, holding his hands out with arrogance.
I looked at my gold and silver aura around my hands, curling them into fists and closed my eyes then took it only a step further into Hyper. "You aren't even worthy of seeing my Dark Lord or Messiah Forms...I don't even need them to beat you. Hyper is just enough...no more no less..."
The Supervisor growled as he sensed my disrespect and charged toward me with another wide slash, but I blinked behind him, a flurry of invisible strikes landing upon his body and staggering him. Once he regained consciousness, he pivoted around into another wide slash, but I ducked under with a blink.
Four flashes of light flicked upon his body, each one a point of landing for my invisible strikes upon pressure points. The invisible strikes landed upon his body, disabling the left arm and the nerves within his sides. He groaned softly in pain, holding his shoulder and falling upon one knee.
"This is something new...none of the previous Heroes of Origin moved like this," Laneret hummed with amusement, watching me with amusement.
"That's because he's drawing deeper, he's pulling from Henosis's power, Exzodia's Unifier. Yuvah's gift to Exzodia just as Yesha was Earth's gift in 1 AD," Abylon giggled softly and hummed softly, floated a safe distance away with her wings wrapped around her body like a cloak.
I leaped backwards a few steps then leaped down off the highway, The Supervisor giving chase as he vaulted over the railings with a Phoenix Crash toward me. I closed my eyes and dodged his attack in mid-air with a flip, four flashes of light flickering upon his body then invisible forces began their onslaught.
I landed on the ground in a sluggish stance, exhaling softly as I reverted to my normal form. Two Captains charged toward me from my sides with thrusts with their bayonets, each attack missing as I phased through them. I wrapped my arms around their weapons and disarmed them, knocking both of them off balance.
"I've got you right here!" The Atren Captain roared, launching a punch aimed at my jaw.
I leaned back to dodge his overcommitment to his attack, countering with a swing of his bayonet, the butt of his gun striking against his side. I struck his partner with a backfist as she pursued a flank, her hand clasping her face as she staggered backwards.
"This is the man you all want to fight against?" Pharaoh asked, walking forward and watching the battle from the railing of the highway. "He's way too strong, too reactive, too smart...there's no way to defeat him."
"This just isn't real... He's just some random guy masking as Exzodia's Messiah! He is not Ascea!" Chihye denied, gripping the railing of the blocked off highway and grit her teeth. "And even if he is, Ascea is nowhere close to being God so what is he other than an Usurper!?"
The Supervisor grunted softly as he looked up, watching his main squad get wiped out by me with ease. The last Captain fell unconscious, my gaze shifting from the pawns to the current king of this chessboard with a slight glare. My glare sent chills down his spike, his movements now slightly hesitant to act.
My body became a blur as I charged forward with a strike that landed clean against his face, sending him rolling backwards for recovery. As he recovered onto one knee, I appeared in front of him with an uppercut to send him airborne then a spinning crescent kick to plant him back down into a Heavenly Impact.
'Nngh..! Each strike feels like a magnitude earthquake..! He's only in his normal form, so how is he still so strong..?' The Supervisor questioned, landed on his feet and sticking Dandelga into the ground for support.
I placed my hand upon my shoulder, rolling it slightly and opened my eyes, the once amber glow becoming an angelic silver as the Crest of Conquest shined upon my shoulder. "You're bold enough to enter the Garden, so be bold enough to face me at my best. You're equipped with the tools that can kill me, so use them..."
"Use them...and meet your Judge," I said, slouching down my stance, my chains slowly reverting to black as Rebirth Energy flowed through them. I exhaled slowly, shifting into my Dark Lord Form with smoke leaving my mouth.
The Supervisor grunted softly under the pressure of my Rebirth Energy, his body tensing up from the raw power my energy produced. There was no hint of mercy within my aura, yet my chains stayed wrapped around my body.
"Come on!" I roared, Sephora's eyes glowing brightly as her Battle Spirit flared up, her body staying coiled around me. "You obviously can box with God, so prove it! It's only man vs man here, I am now your Judge, so come prove to me that you are worthy of your Arms!"
I charged toward him, feinting a right only to strike him with a windmill kick to his jaw, a burst of wind sending him flying backwards throughout the highway support poles. I warped after him, sending him crashing to the ground with an axe kick, following it with flinging a chain toward him to wrap around his leg.
Pulling him back up, I landed a crushing blow to his already bruised stomach, releasing him so he could fly further backwards. Landing on the ground, my body vanished with dust circling where I once stood, streams of light chasing down The Supervisor with pure accuracy.
The Supervisor recovered in the air, unsheathing Uriah and began deflecting my Lightspeed Strikes, grunting as each of my attacks broke through his guard. I came toward him with a telegraphed kick, allowing him to land a counter only to reveal it was an afterimage. During his moment of shock, I cut an angle behind him to deliver a brutal elbow to his back, sending him crashing to the ground hard.
Yang Ru walked over to the railing of the highway, noticing her Phoenix Feathers floating around Dandelga with a bitter expression upon her face. "I'm not letting him keep Liao Ru's legacy!"
She vaulted over the railings and landed on her feet, dashing forward to grab Dandelga, but The Supervisor used a force of energy to push her away. She grunted softly as she slid backwards, looking up to see The Supervisor standing up on his feet with Dandelga in his hand.
"It's over for you all! I have The Divine Keys, the true Divine Keys! With these weapons, Zodiacs, Rulers, Guardians, they will all fall under my rule!" The Supervisor boasted, letting out an furious roar of sheer pride.
I stared down at The Supervisor as I descended to the ground, planting my feet upon the ground and closing my eyes. "While you do have The Divine Keys of Exzodia, power like that in your hands is worthless. It means nothing when it's tainted with darkness and unholiness."
"What good is a storyteller if all he promotes is sin? What good is a tax collector if all he embodies is a crook? What good is a pastor if all he embodies is a thief? What good is an angel if he falls from grace with dishonor?" I asked, opening my eyes to look up at The Supervisor with glowing eyes.
The Supervisor grit his teeth at my question, taking on his stance and holding his sword in a high ward position. "What good is a Messiah if all he truly is, is a Dark Lord? You're supposedly Exzodia's Savior, the I Am for Exzodia and Eyica? Genesis and Ragnarok's chosen?!"
"Manaport is made to strike down false voices like yours! There's a reason why people hate August, Ryoma, Shiro, they were all blasphemers! Respected for what? They saved the planet from doom? Anyone can do that!" The Supervisor spat, his voice echoing out into the open.
"Ha! Say whatever you want about August and Ryoma, but one thing you won't do is disrespect my ancestor," Another familiar voice called out from above, The Supervisor glancing up to see Claudio watching from above.
I smirked as I watched Claudio descend from the highway then rose my hand to dismiss Yang Ru. "You made your mind up that fast?"
"I had to. I've used my power for wrong once, but not again...but I'm still in this for me! He disrespected one of mine, and I won't take that sitting back!" Claudio howled, red energy flowing around his body.
I chuckled lightly and reverted back to my normal form, glancing forward at The Supervisor and relaxed my stance as my chains unwrapped around my body. "Find yourself lucky today, as you will be granted another day to live...but not by my own wishes."
The Supervisor watched the two of us, the current Mojisolan Savior and Exzodia's Savior, standing side by side with only one goal in mind, defeating the actual Usurper of St. Goken. His eyes widened as he watched us transform at the same time, the power of our energies releasing a powerful shockwave to send him backwards.
Claudio let out his Tribal Howl as he tapped into his Jigoku Form while I let out a calm breath as I shifted into my Messiah Form, silver and red energies merging together with a duality of peace and war. The battlefield seemed to stop to admire and witness prophecy being fulfilled before their eyes, the Mojisola returning home to Exzodia.
"What...what is this..?" Chihye stammered lightly, falling back slightly with Pharaoh catching her fall.
"This power transcends anything else I've felt before, I can't even sense their energies anymore...and the war is only just beginning. We have to ask...if he's trying to save us, are we on the right side of the field?" Pharaoh asked as he helped Chihye back onto her feet.
"Hey, where did they go?" Haru asked, glancing around to see even the Infinity Council had gone missing. "What the heck..?"
"They must've relocated...after all, he isn't here to destroy I suppose," Pharaoh said with light introspection in his tone, looking around to see the other Supervisors had arrived to get them to safety.
The Supervisor parried Claudio's cross with the flat face of Dandelga's blade then used a burst of wind to propel himself backwards to avoid my descending kick. He looked back to see an abandoned building behind him, tucking himself in to slip into the window and threw Dandelga just as Claudio followed him inside.
Claudio swiftly tapped into Tengoku's power and autonomously dodged Dandelga then charged forward with a roundhouse, dodged by The Supervisor's quick instincts. He tried to follow with a right, but The Supervisor shelled into himself then went for a counter at Claudio's opening.
"Too slow!" Claudio called out, parrying his arm down then feinted a right.
The Supervisor guarded high only for me to come crashing forward with a Velocity Devastation, my roar echoing through the building as I rammed him through multiple walls. I pushed him backwards then warped forward with a Lion's Barrage, following it with a Crab Shell Smash, a flood of water washing him away onto lower floors.
As he fell down to the next floor, I warped above him with an Orion's Bomber, five exploding arrows sending him crashing even lower down the high story building. Warping after him once more, my Scales shifted toward Ragnarok, activating Ending Slash, my figure flickering to the floor as multiple delayed slashes struck The Supervisor repeatedly.
"You think the Zodiacs are all that I command? Let's change it up..." I said, awakening the Crest of Silencer and Phantom versions of myself began to form around me. "Use those stolen swords! I'm not even breaking a sweat yet!"
"Yeah, and you wanna talk down on Bloodlines? Allow me to show you Shiro's power!" Claudio howled, his body flashing forward to strike The Supervisor with a Destiny Flash to send him down toward me.
I gave each of my Phantoms the power of the Ophiuchus, each one of them repeatedly using Astral Chain to lock The Supervisor in place with repeated attacks. "This is Ryoma's power, the Perfected Silencer! Now witness, the power of the Crest of Asura!"
I awakened the Selum Crest, my battle aura strengthening by tenfold then a surge of red energy formed around my body. I flew forward with a right that landed flush against his cheek, causing his scabbard of sword to fly off his waist then gave chase with Claudio.
The two of us pummeled The Supervisor with synchronized attacks, not a single attack allowing him to catch his breath. I struck him with a staggering knee to the stomach, Claudio following with a double axe handle to send him flying to the ground.
"Asura, Boost five times!" I bellowed, the Crest of Asura pulsing upon my hand five times then I warped to the ground, launching a boosted Heavenly Impact at the Supervisor
The shockwave of my strike rushed past him like screaming winds, clearing out the abandoned city behind him whole in one blow. Claudio grunted in shock as he watched from above as I cleared out the entirety of Old Bulan City with just a shockwave, his gaze slowly turning toward me.
The Supervisor froze in place, slowly falling onto his knees and looked behind him to see the pure destruction. "What—"
"The Lord forms the light and creates darkness, He brings prosperity...and calamity. Let your pride not blind you from who your God truly is. Yuvah will not be mocked! Do you understand me?" I asked, staring down at him with a blazing gaze.
"S-Show mercy, Lord—"
"I am not your Lord. I am the Lord of Exzodia, not your Lord. You should be begging my Father, YOUR Father for mercy and forgiveness...but what you have done to Eva," I said, red lightning crackling around my body as my chains began to raise over The Supervisor.
I gripped my head and closed my eyes, gritting my teeth and took a step away from The Supervisor, the urge to take his life then and there becoming too much to bear. "It makes me sick...you, and your people...make me sick."
Claudio glanced up as he began to sense immense holy energy in the sky, his skin beginning to crawl as true fear began to settle into his heart. He glanced back down at me, his gaze watching as I struggled to hold back my Vengeance.
"You constantly, CONSTANTLY, deny Him, you talk bad about my Father, you tarnish the names of holy and respected Heroes and prophets! You deny Ascea's existence, you call Yesha's people brutes and barbarians!" I yelled, gripping my hair and fell onto one knee as the voice of Lament began to fill my head.
Succumb, Noxius...
Do it, kill him...
Kill The Supervisor, and let the world know of your true power...
Release it, and I will handle the rest...
The Supervisor watched as I struggled internally, noticing a moment of weakness within me. He summoned Dandelga in his hand, dashing toward me and thrusted his blade forward. Before his sword could reach me, a cross slammed down upon Dandelga, jamming the blade into the ground.
"Hm, even when mercy was given onto you...you decide to be a fool. Seems like Solomon was correct, fools hate correction..." Abylon said with a gentle smile on her face, a white veil forming over her face as her cross shifted into a claymore.
"Lord Nox is currently struggling internally, and you take advantage of his weakness with ego and pride? Now, The Council must act..." Abylon said, swinging her sword directly at The Supervisor's neck.
"No," I said, closing my eyes and exhaling softly as my Holy Fire formed upon my chest. "Killing him here won't do any good...and taking the Keys back won't do any good since they've bonded to his will."
Abylon stopped her attack just before the blade could fully hit The Supervisor's neck, the sharp edge leaving a precise cut upon the head of the black serpent. "By his will...you mean Cetus correct, not this gutless nobody?"
"Yes, Cetus has come back and I know this... because I met one of his little puppets a while ago. The Witches set them free, The Queen of the South is on the loose, and now...the Garden was infiltrated. Cetus is in St. Goken," I said, standing up on my feet and panted softly as Lament screamed in my head.
I gripped my head, clenching my teeth as I began to grow annoyed then let out a bellow. "WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"
Claudio, Abylon, and The Supervisor all grunted as my Iridescent Aura flared powerfully around my body, the entire area growing silent even the wind. Lament went silent as well by my outburst, her haunting tone finally disappearing. My aura began to calm down, my panting showing signs of slight exhaustion.
"We can't undo what's already been done...and what you have done has cost you dearly. Six Valkyria will rise up...and a Guardian will emerge with them and strike you under their wings. Seven beings, that's a full Aetherian family," I said, standing up straight and stared at The Supervisor.
"And the Guardian will be amongst your own. Your kingdom shall fall, and you will know what my Lord has in store! The One I Serve! His Kingdom is beyond this fallen world! I am merely His vessel, His Reminder, His Echo," I said, looking up at the sky and formed a smile upon my lips.
"Exzodia is my Gethsemane, and I've grown to understand that and Eyica is where my true inheritance lies...where my sheep you've destroyed are! I will take back what is mine as your years of oppression are over! Merin!" I roared, my Holy Fire growing into a Holy Blaze.
The Black Serpent's red eyes began glowing brightly as I called him out, his form slithering down from The Supervisor and taking form into a man cloaked in black. "So, you believe in this Prophecy of yours? The Aetherian Prophecy has been lost, the Valkyrias of that Lost Land hold no weight!"
I held my arms out and closed my eyes. "My Father's people will always be relevant! My Lord's people will always be remembered! I will never forget those who have radically kept His Words alive, unforgotten!"
"Merin...I swear it unto you...I will have you struck down, once and for all. You think your little season has happened? Your season hasn't started yet, and I'm here to remind you of your place. Not now, but when He is ready...you will know what a God truly looks like," I said, warping away with Abylon and Claudio.
The cloaked man chuckled softly, taking Dandelga out of The Supervisor's hand then turned toward him. "And you had so much promise..."
"Wha— That's not fair! You set me up against two divinely powered people! You can't kill me, you heard his prophecy!" The Supervisor said, cowering away from the cloaked man in fear.
The cloaked man looked at his sword with a smirk then charged forward with a thrust of his sword, but his attack was parried by me as I warped in front of The Supervisor. The cloaked man laughed as he began swinging wildly, aiming for at least one cut.
"You are nothing but a fool!" I said as I phased through each of his attacks, countering with a powerful back fist against his chest then stomped on the ground, a pillar of stone rising up to strike his chin.
"So, here's the correction!" I exclaiming, striking him with a roundhouse to send him flying backwards.
Dandelga flew up in the air then Yang Ru rushed forward to grab it, reclaiming her Phoenix Flames and transformed into her Phoenix Form. She rushed forward with an upper slash, only slicing the man's cloak in two. She looked around, seeing we were alone in the empty lands as the other two escaped.
"It's alright, we have one of the Six Keys back...that's all we need for the first Valkyria. I have to get back to Do-hari, so I'm tasking you with finding the first Valkyria. I hope you enjoy being a Professor," I said with a light hum, patting Yang Ru's shoulder.
"What..?!" Yang Ru grunted softly then sighed as I warped away, looking down at Dandelga with a slightly disdained expression. "Let's just get this over with so I can get rid of you...I know you stole my flames on purpose."
Dandelga pulsed with an equally disliking flare, the history of Liao Ru and Dandelga's rivalry carrying over to Yang Ru. While their rivalry carried unsolved heat, in the hands of Yang Ru they had near perfect synergy.
-------------------------
The sun shone brightly over Grushia High School, the students of Class 12-A arriving on campus with gentle breezes to accompany them. Jiahn, So-Yi, and Hyeon Bae arrived moments after them with Ha-Rin and Nu So-Hee, the five of them rushing to make it to class before the bell.
"Tch! I can't believe you all got caught up with a bunch of criminals! Chimin is a criminal just so you know!" Ha-Rin scoffed, slipping through the sea of students as she bursted forward.
"And Chihye isn't? She's actively working with Manaport to silence Heroes and Valkyrias!" So-Yi called out, warping forward via her butterfly and rushed up the stairs.
"Ha! Like you'd know what Manaport is truly doing since all you do is listen to propaganda! You followers of a false deity only know hate! There's no such thing as hate like Ascean 'love' huh?" Nu So-Hee scoffed, riding up the floors upon her golden floating platform.
Hyeon Bae frowned at Nu So-Hee's claim and raced up the stairs, skipping a few steps to beat Nu So-Hee to their floor. "And what do you suppose you are huh? You aren't Ascean, you don't follow Him. You're Esorian and there's no other way to deny it!"
"And if I am? Isn't it in your Biblos that you can't judge when you yourself have a log in your eyes? You sound hypocritical, dear Hyeon Bae," Nu So-Hee hummed, landing in front of Hyeon Bae and intercepted her path.
Jiahn walked up behind Hyeon Bae with her hands in her letterman jacket, scoffing at Nu So-Hee. "Oh yeah? What log does Hyeon Bae have? You seem to know so much, but in truth...you're just Ha-Rin's toy until she gets done playing with you."
"Alright, girls, that's enough," Luciel said with a soft chuckle, walking down the hall with her binder in tow.
Su-Yun followed behind with a soft hum, her cat ears flicking with amusement. "What's gotten you all so pumped up this morning?"
"Nothing. Let's go, Nu..." Ha-Rin said with a sour attitude, walking into her class with cool elegance.
Luciel and Su-Yun watched as Nu So-Hee followed her A Rank superior into the class, the two glancing at each other with slight confusion then shrugged their shoulders. Entering inside the lively classroom, the two took their positions at the front with Li-Na leading the morning greetings.
"Alright, everyone! We have important months ahead of us as this New Years, the Northern Gethsemane Meet is happening and we should prepare to bring St. Goken a good name," Luciel began, her gaze shifting over to Kim Eun with a light smile.
Kim Eun averted her gaze with a light scoff and blush, closing her eyes and leaning back in her seat. "Each Meet, we need five people for each category. How will we decide this?"
"Right, and this Meet focuses on different categories: Peace, Perseverance, Faith, Patience, and Long-suffering. We only focused on our warrior traits for years," Ko'rai questioned, tilting his head with confusion.
"Easy, the Ranking System has updated last night and I wanted to name two potential Captains for Grushia, both of them being A Rank," Luciel said, opening her binder and hummed with delight at the name she saw.
The class began to murmur with curiosity, wondering who the second mysterious A Rank could be. Mul Ir-Wol glanced around the class, scanning each student's energies to find the second A Rank, but her own sight could not find it.
"The first Captain, obviously is Kan Ha-Rin, the A Rank Class President. However, the second A Rank is...Hyeon Bae, the second potential Captain. The Main Event of the Meet is Long-suffering, and the captain will be our representative," Luciel announced, looking over at Ha-Rin as she shot up from her seat.
"I...I can't accept this. She doesn't deserve the uplifting she's been getting ever since you joined this administration!" Ha-Rin yelled, looking up and turning around to face Hyeon Bae. "You're ruining everything just like Woo-Chi did! I won't have you stealing what's mine!"
"What's yours?" A judging tone asked, Ha-Rin's gaze whipping toward the tone and recoiled back slightly.
Luciel and the others glanced over at Hyeon Bae to see The Echo standing behind her seat, his hand placed upon the back of her chair. Luciel hummed softly as she knew who he was, but remained silent and shifted her gaze over to Ha-Rin.
"Did you forget our stipulations, Ha-Rin? The least of these shall be first, and amongst all in the room...despite her overwhelming amount of tools, she is the least of you all. If you want her spot as Captain, take it. That's the rule of Go-Goken right?" The Echo asked, looking down at Hyeon Bae then back up at Ha-Rin with a challenging posture.
"If I have taught you anything, it is to choose your battles wisely. Stay in your lane," Luciel said, her firm tone protecting Ha-Rin from making a foolish mistake.
Su-Yun's ears flicked lightly, her gaze fixated upon The Echo as she began to feel as if she's seen him before, before everything fell apart. 'Where have I seen that cloak before..?'
Hyeon Bae looked up at The Echo, tugging on his cloak lightly with a smile. "It's okay, Echo...if I get Captain position, I want to get it fair and square. Besides...I feel like it's fate that I face off against my own best friend...or who I thought was my friend."
Hyeon Bae stood up and pointed her finger at Ha-Rin. "I accept your challenge for Captain! Whatever I have to do to get it, I'll do it! No matter the challenge and this is for more than me, this is for Woo-Chi as well!"
Ha-Rin tilted her head up with slight arrogance, a cruel smirk forming upon her lips. "Hm, is that so..? Then let the challenge begin... We have three months to prepare, so I hope you're ready to be trialed and tested..."
"I'm never alone during my trials, I have my friend and Rauch Hakodesh with me! The Holy Spirit fills me and that's all I need!" Hyeon Bae declared, her Holy Fire emitting from her chest with a determined expression on her face.