The buzzer rang loud in the air, the crowd within the large arena cheering for Selene and her team for winning the Senyata Avar. Selene waved at the crowd with a smile on her face as the referee placed gold medals around her neck and her teammates necks.
Lamed glanced down at his watch then looked over to his sister, gently nudging her with her elbow. "Selene, Lord Nox contacted us."
"Hmm?" Selene hummed with curiosity, leaning over to look at Lamed's watch.
〘Lord Nox: We shall be arriving at St. Gethsemane in two days. The Mazzaroth Event is over now, and I will be coming to you with my best. Also, congratulations on winning the Senyata Avar. Prepare yourself for the best five days of your lives.〙
Selene crossed her arms with a smirk, her gaze lifting up to meet Lamed's as they both nodded to one another. "I suppose Sayu's little visit worked. I wonder who he's bringing here for the Penta Crown..."
"I suspect that he'll be bringing Hyeon Bae for sure as she's the chosen leader. If anything, I am sure he's going to bring his best as he said," Victoria spoke up, glancing off at their academy's dean standing in the crowd.
"I wonder if Sayu is actually going to show up on time. She has a knack of being late, even if it is fashionably late like she says," The young woman in navy blue winter clothing said, her hair flowing gently in the cool breeze.
Selene chuckled softly at her friend's comment and began making her way from the field. "I already know he's coming with his best. I do hope that they can prove to be some completion here."
The four walked off the field together and made their way to the parking lot, each of them stopping at the car as they noticed the Holy Dove perched upon the hood of the car. Selene tilted her head slightly at the Dove, curious about His presence and took a step forward.
"Wielder of Kuroana, Queen of Nyxstorm, Sargas," The Holy Dove spoke, yet His beak did not move.
Selene glanced around as she was the only one who could hear His voice at the moment. She pointed to herself in confusion. "Mmm?"
The Holy Dove nodded. "In two days, the Star of Noxius shall be above your skies in St. Gethsemane. Join his army...you're the one piece he's currently missing on the board."
Selene took a pause to process His words then placed her hands in the pockets of her battledress. "I would love to, but...There is still business we have to tend to. Can Lord Noxius lead well enough for me to follow his kingly authority?"
"Yes," The Holy Dove answered nearly immediately, one flap of His wings lifting him into the air. "If Noxius could change even Claudio's heart, he can surely bring you to The Way, the Savior of all things."
Victoria hummed softly at the Holy Dove's wise words then looked over at Selene. "He does have strong influence and always points higher than himself. Qutsade is divinely protected as well...it wouldn't hurt to at least try to unite with the other Districts."
Selene nodded at Victoria's suggestion, a small, gentle smile forming on her face. "Alright, I'll give it a chance. But! I do wish to see what kind of people he's training up before I make my final decision."
"Very well. The Penta Crown lasts five days, in five days you shall have your answer. The Little Marchers shall earn four crowns from your allied nations before challenging St. Arcania. Have your academies ready and dressed," The Holy Dove said before flying off with great speed.
Lamed watched as the Holy Dove ascended into the skies, disappearing into the clouds then closed his eyes. "What four academies should we prepare? These meets are rather different from the other academies around Exzodia."
"I dunno...I kinda have to plan around just Hyeon Bae since I don't know who exactly Lord Nox is bringing," Selene said in a thoughtful tone, stroking her chin slowly as she began planning. She snapped her fingers and smiled brightly. "How about we get something to eat while we think, hm? Whatcha thinking Miyuki?"
Miyuki adjusted her winter hat above her head and hummed. "Maybe something meaty..? There's a good restaurant around here I think we'd like."
"Alright, that settles it. Let's go!~" Selene hummed, marching toward the car and walked over to the passenger side while tossing her brother the keys.
Lamed caught the keys with a soft exhale, not wanting to drive but begrudgingly got into the driver side. "Everyone strap up."
After putting their seatbelts on and getting the engine turned on, Lamed drove off quickly, smoke rising from the wheels as he sped off. He darkened the tint of the windows with a press of a button, blocking Selene's image from the paparazzi outside waiting for them.
----------------------
I looked down at my watch and got Selene's message from her, smiling as I tapped on her message to open it. "Let's see what she said..."
〘Stella 2.0: Challenge Accepted! We will have our top five academies prepared for your arrival in two days. You have better bring your A-Game because we are fired up! Prepare for the Five Pillars ٩(๑´0`๑)۶〙
I chuckled softly at her message then lowered my arm, looking ahead at my students with determined eyes. Standing before me was Hyeon Bae, Reene, Song Jae-in, Sang So-Yi, and Jiahn Wa, each of the Valkyrias standing in Deneb Algedi's training grounds waiting for instructions.
Luciel sat upon one of the benches, one leg crossed over the other as she sipped on her cup of tea. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up, noticing Su-Yun coming around the bench to sit beside her to watch the students then slid over to make space.
"Alright, girls. In two days, you will enter the most grueling Meet you've ever been in. The Northern Gethsemane Meet is called the Olive Press. Peace, Perseverance, Faith, Patience, and Long-suffering...you will struggle against these Academy Students, but remember..." I began, placing my fist against my chest, my Holy Fire erupting from my chest.
"The Lord is with you, win or lose. You will bring St. Goken great honor no matter the decision," I edified, giving each of the girls a smile.
So-Yi crossed her arms and glanced behind me, noticing Simcha, Leo, and Gila all watching from another bench. "Mr. Nox, I don't want to sound rude or anything...but is there a reason why they are here too?"
"Yeah, those three literally beat our asses two days ago and now they're here overseeing our training? They're lucky Woo-Chi, Kim Eun, and Ha-Rin aren't here as well!" Jiahn barked, pointing a fiery finger at the three men.
"Come on... that's in the past now! It's forgive and forget right?" Gila asked, sitting in his Rebirth Clamshell with his legs crossed and an innocent smile on his face.
I sighed softly and chuckled at them, holding my hand out then snapped my fingers, calling upon the Veil Facility, a translucent curtains falling in front of Simcha and his friends. "Is that better?"
"Come on, Pops! We want to see the training too! That girl in the oversized white hoodie is literally an Elonun!" Gila called out, smacking his hands against his knees.
Hyeon Bae and the others paused for a moment then looked at Reene, each of them raising an eyebrow. I lowered the Veil Facility and glanced back at Gila, his words finally confirming my suspicions about Reene.
'I had always felt something since the Redemption Cup, but now another witness speaks up. Reene is one of my children...' I thought to myself, a plan hatching in my mind after getting the confirmation I needed.
Reene felt all eyes were now upon her and began to shy away from the group, her body slightly tension up. She wanted to instinctively call for Ko'rai but realized he wasn't there to comfort her. "Uhm...did I do something?"
"How did I not piece this together when I saw your abilities? You're the daughter of the previous Elonun of Death, Rebecca?! You've been this gifted since the beginning?!" Hyeon Bae asked excitedly, grabbing Reene's hands with sparkling eyes.
"Uhm...I-I...uh. Yes?" Reene replied awkwardly, giving Hyeon Bae a crooked smile.
"So you're like a Judge of Death? How does that work? What can you do?" Song Jae-in asked, drawing closer to Reene and looked up at Hachi, her Risen Resident. "Is she one of your constructs?"
Hachi rose an eyebrow at Song Jae-in's question then lowered her face into her hand, letting out a soft nose exhale. "No, I am not a Death Construct. I am a Living Stigmata..."
"O-Oh, I didn't know that," Song Jae-in chuckled nervously, backing away from Hachi with an awkward smile.
I clapped my hands together, gaining everyone's attention once more and smiled at them. "Alright, alright. Let's focus now. I know you all are excited, and I'll gladly explain to you what you wish to know. Luckily for us, this works perfectly for us."
"How?" So-Yi asked, looking over at me with curiosity.
"As you know Death is a necessary process of Life, and it's been here since the moment sin entered the world. The Elonun of Death's job is to govern death, but also they are not permitted to take a life if it does not preserve the greater good or life," I began, showing the Crest of Death upon my hand.
"They are commanded to govern, judge, and correct the Undead and Spirits. However, taking a human life comes with consequences, just as reversing ones death does," I continued then heard Simcha's skeptical hum behind me.
"Isn't this just like... Necromancy? I'm not seeing how we need an Elonun for Death," Simcha said, shaking his head and crossing his arms.
"Imagine if Death had no limits, no one to oversee it, no one to stop it and no ending. The Undead Monsters, the Disembodied Spirits, Demons, they would all corrupt Qutsade and cast lots over her," I said, glancing back at Simcha.
"Also, The Elonun of Death was formed to specifically combat the Necromancers and to show the Arcanites that only God has true control over death and life. The Elonun of Death is the only counter to St. Arcania," Luciel added, setting her tea cup down on the bench.
"Exactly, thank you for the assist, Luci," I said, looking over at Luciel with a smile.
Reene looked at her hands, particles of Rebirth Energy flowing up from her palms. "So...I can control death?"
"To an extent. You can judge and communicate with the undead and spirits as well as those who abuse Death for their wicked gains. However, you also uphold two divine commandments, Thou shall not Murder and Thou shall not Steal," I answered, holding up two fingers as I recited the commandments.
"So what I'm hearing is St. Gethsemane has Necromancers amongst their ranks?" So-Yi asked, tilting her head to the side with a sharpened gaze.
"Not Selene and her family, of course. However, her allies does have a few who are high leveled in Death Magic. They are the Thanatites, extensions of the surviving Necromancers of the Arcanites," I answered, crossing my arms and giving a hum as I saw their understanding.
"Alright, since we have a slight understanding of what's to come, let's get on with this special training. I will be overseeing the training, but I have a special partner ready for you all," I said, walking off to the side and looking over at Alshat.
Alshat, who was distracted by her pet goat, suddenly glanced up after feeling my eyes land on her then whipped her head toward me. "Huh? Oh, am I up now?"
Dabih pressed her hand upon her face with a sigh. "Yes, we went over the plan three times already, twice not even 30 minutes ago."
"Oh, okay! Let's get to it then!" Alshat beamed, springing onto her feet and clapped her hands together, light blue-green energy flowing around her body.
"Alright, since Alshat is a Junior Mazzaroth Champion, you five will face off against Alshat to work on teamwork. You'll have ten minutes to subdue her," I said, snapping my fingers and called upon the Arena Battle Room.
Eight golden walls lowered from the heavens, surrounding the six combatants and keeping the chaos within the arena. Once the eight walls settled in place, Alshat immediately stomped her foot on the ground, causing sharp stones to burst from the ground and rush toward the Valkyrias.
"Eek! What the heck is that move?!" Song Jae-in squeaked, her eyes widening as the stones rushed toward them from the ground.
The five girls each split apart and began running away from the stones, fearing even one of them touching them. Soon, So-Yi pivoted around and leaped over one of the stones then warped toward Alshat with an spinning taekwondo kick.
Alshat leaned back to evade her kick then shifted her E Cells into H Cells, her earth energy shifting into water then she rushed toward So-Yi and knocked her back with a palm strike to her stomach. So-Yi grunted as she landed onto one knee, looking up to see jets of water flying toward her.
Jiahn rushed forward and deflected each blast of water from So-Yi then launched Ji-MAN toward Alshat like a rocket, but Ji-MAN missed due to a subtle shift of the ground. Ji-MAN's eyes widened as she headed straight for a crash landing against the wall.
Ji-MAN grunted heavily as her tiny face smashed against the golden wall, ripples forming against the ergokinetic wall. "Ugh...Error Code 40090... Droid Down...I repeat Droid Down...a real one crash landed..."
Song Jae-in felt the shift first, her hand coming to her chest as she felt a slight conviction. "The Earth shifted..? No, impossible...the sun is still in the same position. The ground shifted..."
"What? Did you say the ground shifted?" Reene asked, looking over at Song Jae-in then looked down at the ground, noticing the stone spikes were now two inches to the right. "What..?"
"Surprised by the abilities of the future Gedi Champion? We have Geologics which grant us control over Geological Phenomena. Right now, I've mastered Earth and Water, but all I need is Wind," Alshat said, weaving her arms before getting into a stance.
Song Jae-in looked down at her feet, tapping her foot against the ground and felt the ground respond to her rhythm with soft beats against her foot in response. 'One and two and three and four...when the ground shifted, it skipped three. She can also disrupt rhythm as well..? My entire combat style revolves around this...'
Tempo Break...
Song Jae-in heard the voice of the Holy Spirit speak to her with just those two basic words, her attention now brought up to the sky. 'Huh..? Tempo Break? What do you mean?'
Silence followed Song Jae-in's question, forcing her to figure out what Tempo Break meant while sparring with Alshat and her power. "Tempo Break...Tempo Break...what is that..?"
"Alright! Get ready for this is one!" Alshat laughed, holding her arms out and formed two rings of stone around her before launching them at the Valkyrias.
Song Jae-in panicked once again and quickly ducked to evade a few stones then So-Yi warped behind her with a dropkick to push her forward into a roll. Jae-in squeaked in fear as she spun toward Alshat, and as she rolled, Hyeon Bae planted a Low Omba onto the ground.
As Alshat prepared her Geologics once again, Jae-in rolled onto the Omba and sprang into the air then Hachi flew up to Song Jae-in to spike her toward Alshat like a volleyball. Alshat yelped in shock then ran off quickly, avoiding Song Jae-in's balled body as she crashed to the ground.
"What the heck..? A Human Volleyball technique? What the heck are these academy people on?" Alshat huffed, blowing a few strands of hair from her face.
"I've got you right here!" Jiahn called out, riding toward Alshat upon her hoverboard and drifted around to strike her with the tail of her board.
Alshat slammed her hands onto the ground, creating a shockwave to bounce in the air then formed a stone clone of herself to grab her leg and swing her around. Jiahn gasped and ducked under Alshat's body then rose back up, sticking her tongue out at her then grunted as a second stone clone struck her with an uppercut, causing her to bit her tongue.
Jiahn moaned in pain as she held her hand over her mouth, too distracted from the sting on her tongue to notice Alshat had come behind her with a chop to her neck. Before her hand landed its target, Reene rushed behind Alshat and grabbed her for a german suplex.
"No you don't!" Alshat called out, planting her hands on the ground and flipped her body around to throw Reene off her.
Reene grunted as she hit the ground and rolled over onto one knee, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand then smirked. "Alright, time to speed it up!"
Reene rushed toward Alshat with a swiping chop which was parried then she evaded Alshat's right hand to counter with an uppercut. Pushing her fist down, Alshat answered back with a one two jab combo then went for a right hook, but Hyeon Bae called upon one of her Shining Bunnies to intercept.
"What the heck?" Alshat said in disbelief as she watched a bunny clash with her. "A bunny?!"
The bunny began scaling up Alshat's arm, striking her face with three kicks then followed with a Rabbit Kick, causing Alshat to stumble backwards for Hyeon Bae's Willful Bull to rush in at high speeds and crash into Alshat before she could use her Geologics.
"Nngh!! What is...this chick's ability..?!" Alshat grunted, coughing lightly as she staggered backwards.
As Alshat caught her breath, Reene balled her hand into a fist, a skeleton hand rushing out the ground and clasping onto Alshat, but immediately exploded into bone shards as Alshat released her incandescent energy, a sudden wave of heat washing over the lands.
Reene immediately held her hand out, activating Bone Armor and covering each of her allies in Bone Armor to block the sudden wave of heat from touching their skin. The bone began to melt slowly as the wave of heat flowed through the arena, the golden ceiling opening up to release the heat wave and expel the hot air with a cool breeze.
I held my hand up, lowering the walls and smiled at the girls. "Hmm... something is missing here. Something important, but I can't figure it out..."
"While you figure it out, can we take a twenty..?" Jae-in asked groggily, holding her finger up in the air before letting her hand fall.
"Sure, you all can take a break," I nodded, crossing my arms as I walked off to think about what was missing with the group.
Luciel stood up and followed me as I made my way toward Deneb Algedi's Temple. "Nox? What's on your mind?"
"I feel as if the combat training isn't going to be enough. They know how to fight and use their abilities, but if I want to have Reene be our secret weapon...We need to find a new method of training," I said, stopping at the temple's staircase. "I'm going to pray over this one...I need a higher opinion."
Luciel watched as I walked up the stairs into the Temple and hummed curiously, wondering what was missing from the training session. She looked back at the training grounds, holding her arms and began to hatch a plan herself.
Meanwhile at St. Gethsemane in St. Arcania Academy, Selene sat at the head of the student council table and listened to her council's conversation. She heard her phone buzzing on the table and glanced at it, noticing I sent her a text message.
〘Lord Nox: The Lord told me to ask you for advice. What training methods would you advise to help with Long-suffering?〙
Selene's eyes sparkles as I came to her for advice and covered her mouth, containing her excitement as she picked up her phone to text back. 'The King of Qutsade is asking me for advice? What do I even say to this..?!'
Lamed looked over at Selene, noticing her face buried into her screen and rose an eyebrow. "Sis? Earth to Selene?"
Jin glanced at Selene, adjusting his black mask over his mouth and cleared his throat. "Lady Selene, this is urgent. Our meeting is yet over."
"Uh-huh..." Selene said dismissively as she texted me with a smile on her face, giving me every idea she had in mind. "Pillars and stuff..."
"She ain't even listening yo!" Amina called out, tossing a ball of paper toward Selene.
Selene subconscious activated Kuroana, a powerful attractive force spaghettifying the paper before dragging the stretched sheet into the black hole in her eye. "I'm listening...we were talking about...No, wrong letter..."
Nu'ma crossed her arms and leaned back against her seat and looked up at Lesath who was standing next to her. "Miss Lesath, do you know why she's distracted?"
"Probably texting that King of Exzodia. She doesn't answer this fast for anyone else unless it's Lamed, but that's her brother. You know, you wouldn't ignore Lord Antares like this!" Lesath said, tapping the stinger of her tail against the table.
"Yes I would..." Selene said softly, her thumbs working on the screen as she continued to text me her plans. "And...there!"
Lamed took Selene's phone and placed it inside the inner pocket of his jacket. "Now that you're done giving our opponent strategies, can we focus?"
Selene giggled softly and leaned back in her seat. "Alright, alright... Let's start the official meeting."
"The Five Pillars of St. Gethsemane, of the Scorpius Kingdom we have Nu'ma. Of Wadakata Academy, we have Jin Yuzuka. From West Maanga Academy is Amina. From Adrestia Academy, Weiss. Finally, St. Arcania Academy, Queen Selene. These five locations will be where the Meets are held," Lamed began, interlocking his hands together as he leaned forward against the table.
"We know Lord Nox is bringing Hyeon Bae, the wielder of the Ten Passing Living Gardens and now an S Rank Threat in Faith, Perseverance, and Long-suffering. Lord Nox will not be on the battlefield so we don't have to plan for him, but he is bringing So-Yi and Jiahn with him," Lamed continued, his gaze turning to Jin as he rose his hand.
"So-Yi is the Silver Mercenary and Jiahn is the top Valkyrian Shopkeeper correct? What about the other two?" Jin asked, lowering his hand and waited for his answer.
"He's bringing the Little Marchers. Along with Hyeon Bae, he's bringing the Swooping Eagle and supposedly an Elonun. His team is a hard counter for us, but I believe we still have a chance through experience," Selene said, closing her eyes with a smile.
"As long as the Thanatites do not interfere like they did in St. Goken for the last week," Selene added, opening her eyes to look directly at Nu'ma and Lesath.
Lesath cleared her throat, lowering her head and sighed. "Jeez, we already told you it was Lord Antares' idea. Besides, we've learned our lesson having losing to the King and Queen. I am not too sure about about the others in the kingdom..."
"Just don't let your desires cause you to overstep. If Lord Nox had not answered to the Kaus Tekoah Avar, you would have caused another Zodiac War, the fifth one in history. So, to make sure our Meet runs smoothly, I will have Victoria monitor you all when the Little Marchers reach you," Selene said, her gaze meeting Lesath's.
"Objections?" Selene asked with a gentle smile, but her smile carried a secret promise of annihilation if they stepped out of line. "None? Good because it would be better to be judged by me than to have you fall into the Hands of God."
Nu'ma shrunk in her seat, nodding shyly and cleared her throat as well. "Yes ma'am..."
"Now...we have to talk about something more important. The Star Valkyria, Song Jae-in. She has been recently linked to Vega, which makes her hard to track. If we want to win, we have to take down their moral girl," Lamed said, looking over at Weiss as he chuckled.
"Taking this a bit too seriously, Selene's younger brother. You sound as if you're cautious about this Song Jae-in, yet she rarely as any feats other than being a bit of a perv," Weiss said, tossing documents on table with a grin.
Amina leaned forward with curiosity and looked at the photos scattered on the table. "A perv? I mean yeah, the secret pictures of shirtless hunks is a bit outlandish...but if she's linked to a star... especially one like Vega and the Lyre, uh...she's a problem."
"How? An 18 year old girl who just recently touched the domain of stardom is now a threat?" Weiss asked, looking at Amina with a scoff.
"Vega's temperature is at least 8,910 K and that's just the equatorial energy. Just imagine how hot Song Jae-in's Spirit burns. Up in the tens of thousands. She's a threat," Jin said with intelligence, adjusting his mask over his mouth as he spoke.
"Tens..? No way this girl can be this impressive," Weiss said, shaking his head and exhaled softly.
----------------------------
Hyeon Bae and her friends walked down a neighborhood within the Border, following my Sovereign Butterfly through the empty streets. They began to wonder where I was taking them for their training, a mix of excitement and curiosity welling up within them.
Soon, a large temple came into view which immediately caught their eyes. They stopped in front of the large marble building, their gazes lifting up to read the sign above the entrance which read, The Infinity Chamber. They each mustered up the courage to walk into the Temple, the doors slowly closing behind them.
"Uh, girls?" Song Jae-in bleated, hurrying to the locked doors and placed her hands upon it. "We might be locked inside..!"
"What?" So-Yi asked, looking back in surprise and noticed an energy wall forming against the door and repel Jae-in back.
"You made it. I have noticed that the usual methods of training have become...stale," I began, my voice sounding behind the girls.
They each turned around to face me, noticing me in my Elonun Form and paused. Suddenly, my Elonun Crest began shining upon my shoulder, black chains emerging from my lower back calmly and wrapped around my arms to conceal my energy.
"Mr. Nox, what's the meaning of this? What are we doing? And where are we?" Hyeon Bae asked, her voice echoing out into the white void around the chamber.
"Be not Afraid, Star Valkyrias. This is the Infinity Chamber where the rules of the Border are now inverted. One full day in here is five minutes on Earth. The conditions here are harsh, rarely unforgiving, yet perfect to mold iron into the finest steel," I said, holding my hand out toward them.
"You will learn Peace, Patience, Faith, Perseverance, and Long-suffering here! I will be the teacher you now need," I added, snapping my fingers and called upon my Elonun Zone.
Suddenly, nine facilities began filling the void, each with their own weather terrains, Monsters, and Risen Residents within them. On the other end of the zone rested the Elonun Room, a beautiful room adorned with a throne made of moonstone and radiant emeralds with a Rebirth Crystallux sitting behind the throne.
"How far does this expand?!" Jiahn asked in awe, a hint of fear cracking into her voice.
"This Zone, unlike the ones I call upon in cities, expands across the entire St. Goken Region. Temperatures fluctuate between -5 degrees to up to 130 degrees, and the gravity here is three times the Earth's," I answered, crossing my arms and looking behind me with a smile.
"I'll give you all a heads up, Gila and Gemma are here as well as a few Saints the Lord allowed me to call upon for this session. This will certainly prepare you for whatever St. Gethsemane has to come. This is called the Trial by Fire," I said, my gaze returning to the girls with a confident smile.
Reene could feel the vast Rebirth Energy roaming across the Zone and placed her hand upon her heart. "I can tell this is going to be such a pain..."
"We've never trained this hard before... Will we have any assistance here?" Hyeon Bae asked, looking up at me with hesitation.
"You have all the tools you need. You have an Elonun, a Beat, the Holy Spirit, the Unseen Eye, and every tool you want with Jiahn. All you have to do is reach the throne room, and you pass," I said, lowering my arms and slipping them into my pockets.
"With that...let's begin!" I said, snapping my fingers and the area began to morph and shift.
The girls quickly checked around themselves as reality began to ripple and shift, each of them ending up in the first room of the Elonun Zone. The weather was stable and normal, the wide plains clear with no visible danger ahead. Without wasting a second, they began to charge in a random direction to start.
"What's the plan? We have no idea what to expect right now!" Song Jae-in asked with quick pants, looking over at So-Yi to her right.
So-Yi shook her head and continued running. "I don't know. Right now, everything seems calm so there's—"
"Attention ahead! Lizardman Army ahead!" Ji-MAN warned, pointing ahead at the charging Lizardmen.
The girls stopped in their tracks and prepared themselves to face off against the first set of monsters while a Sovereign Butterfly kept watch from above while fluttering across the air. The Lizardmen laughed as they surrounded the Valkyrias, each with a sword ready in hand.
Song Jae-in tried hopping up and down, grunting as the gravity pushed her back down, but she continued to muscle through it. "O...okay...I got this..! One and two and three and...four!"
Song Jae-in began moving her feet, shuffling in place and creating a steady rhythm with the ground pulsing on beat. Two Lizardmen charged forward with swift slashes, but Song Jae-in evaded the attack and grunted heavily as she threw her foot around for a hook kick, landing a strike upon the snout of the Lizardman.
The Lizardman chuckled as he took the attack then launched a counter strike, swinging his sword down toward Song Jae-in's leg, but his sword warped out of his hand. He looked back, noticing So-Yi now had the sword in hand and landed a decisive slice upon his back.
"You got him!" Song Jae-in cheered, pumping her fist into the air.
"Jae-in! Look out!" Hyeon Bae called out then pointed her finger at the Lizardman behind her. "Oriel! Get him!"
Oriel summoned her sword and shield before flying toward the Lizardman at the speed of light, cutting him in two and triggering an explosion. The Lizardmen began focusing their attention upon Hyeon Bae and her Guardian Angel, each of them rushing toward her at high speeds.
Hyeon Bae set all six of her Ombas in front of her and took on a power stance, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, the Rauch Hakodesh stigmata glowing upon her hands. "Rapid Fire!"
Gaining the power to move quickly through the power of the Holy One, Hyeon Bae began rapidly striking her Ombas and firing a volley of light arrows toward the Lizardmen charging her. Oriel flew in between the arrows and launched her shield forward, the spinning projectile cutting through multiple Monsters while multiple arrows struck others.
Once the final Lizardman was defeated, I crashed onto the ground and launched all five girls away with a burst of wind. Each of them groaned as they were blasted into different areas, Hyeon Bae flying west while Song Jae-in and So-Yi flew east and north. Jiahn couldn't stop herself from going south, leaving Reene alone with me.
Reene grunted as she immediately got into her stance, gulping lightly as she looked up at me with my own Guardian Angel, Henosis. "Even though this is training...I can already feel the pressure rising, but I know I've got this!"
Reene charged forward and leaped forward with a palm strike, but a lean back caused her attack to meet the air. She landed on the ground and thrusted her hand back, a skeleton hand rising from the ground to grab me. I caught the band and pulled the entire skeleton from the ground, tossing him toward Reene.
She caught the Skeleton and transmuted him into Bone Armor then began firing bone spike toward using punches and kicks in the air. I dodged the spikes then caught come and summoned Al Kaus, forming the bone into a Shadow Arrow.
Reene's eyes widened in shock. "That's Mama's move!"
I smirked at Reene and aimed at the sky, firing the arrow then snapped my fingers, the arrow dispersing into a volley of smaller arrows. "You should pay attention and use one of your abilities!"
Reene snapped back into focus and looked up in the air, gasping as the arrows crashed down toward her before she could properly react. The crashing arrows formed dust and smoke clouds around Reene, one nearly piercing her chest but a Reaper appeared in front of her to take the arrow before diapering into energy particles in defeat.
So-Yi grunted as she rolled backwards into a desert zone with Sand Wyrms leaping up from the sand piles before diving back into the sand. She recovered onto her feet then tensed her legs, rushing forward at high speeds and noticed two piles of sand racing beside her.
She looked ahead, digging her toes into the sand to begin her first spurt and dashed ahead then began evading blasts of sand being fired toward her. She looked ahead to see a massive crater in the ground and grunted as a massive Sand Wyrm erupted from above with a pillar of sand following.
"Come on... seriously?" So-Yi groaned with light frustrating, looking around her to see she was surrounded by three Sand Wyrms, each with the intent of swallowing her in one gulp.
So-Yi closed her eyes and exhaled softly, awakening her Silver Mercenary battlesuit and immense pressure began flowing from her body. She opened her silver eyes and summoned her Woldo, gripping it tightly and getting into her stance under the great heat.
One Sand Wyrm roared and rushed toward her with a wide chomp, but So-Yi warped in the air and came crashing down with a stab against the head of the Wyrm. The Sand Wyrm screeched and thrashed about, throwing So-Yi off his head in the air then a second Wyrm slammed his tail against her back.
So-Yi grunted as she went flying forward, but quickly recovered and awakened her Beshin-Keh, noticing a Winter Pegasus coming into view in front of her. "What is that?"
The Winter Pegasus neighed loudly and flew toward So-Yi, swooping down and catching her on her back and stood in front of the three Sand Wyrms. With a powerful bellow, the Winter Pegasus used a flap of her wings to blow chilling razor winds toward the Wyrms.
The Wyrms avoided the cutting winds and the battle took to the skies while So-Yi held onto the pegasus with her life. The four monsters fought in the air, the Winter Pegasus outnumbered yet still persevering against the sand beasts. So-Yi could do nothing but stand firm in faith that the Winter Pegasus would bring her to safety.
"Look out from above!" So-Yi called out, pointing up at a Sand Wyrm descending from the skies above.
The Winter Pegasus bleated and dodged the Sand Wyrm and flew off at high speeds, racing the giant Sand Wyrm through the Desert Room, both monsters neck and neck in velocity. The Sand Wyrm snapped his sharp teeth at the wing of the Pegasus, catching her wing and causing her to lose balance.
"No!" So-Yi gasped, grunting heavily as the Winter Pegasus began wobbling and losing balance.
The Winter Pegasus neighed in pain and began bucking, throwing So-Yi off her back toward the exit as the Sand Wyrm launched his final attack and chomped down upon the Winter Pegasus. So-Yi grunted as she hit the ground, rolling through the exit and standing up quickly to rush toward the Desert Room.
An energy wall blocked So-Yi's path, keeping her away from the Sand Wyrm who was now devouring the Winter Pegasus. "Nooo! Stop it! Let her go!"
The Sand Wyrm began quickly burrowing underground, the echoing sound of the Winter Pegasus filling So-Yi's ears with a weak noise. So-Yi slowly dropped to her knees, gripping the soft grass as rain droplets began falling upon her. She lowered her head, gritting her teeth and slamming her fist against the ground.
-----------------------
Song Jae-in grunted as she slammed into a massive metronome tower, her hand reaching to the back of her head to check for any bleeding. She slowly stood up and looked around, noticing nothing around her but the tower and the clicking sounds of the metronome.
She heard a snap coming from her left then looked over, noticing no one there. A second snap sounded to her right and when she turned, she noticed me walking out from the shadows with my hands in my pockets.
"This is very interesting and different from how you usually train us...but I've got to say...after flying back for a good two minutes, I've gotten a hang of this new gravity!" Song Jae-in cheesed with confidence, fixing her glasses and getting into her stance.
I walked around Song Jae-in and chuckled softly at her. "Really? My students are known to be quick learners and adapters. But, how can you handle marching on beat?"
Song Jae-in watched me closely and upon the third click, she rushed toward me and stopped on a dime for a side kick. I dodged her kick then phased through her next two before countering with a Fluttering uppercut, my strike landing on beat and dazing her for a second.
Jae-in staggered, nearly dropping onto one knee but stood firm and immediately countered with three sweep kicks which I evaded into a Left Twist, shuffling my feet in rhythm to the metronome. I leaped over her low grapple into a double corkscrew kick, my foot hitting the back of her head.
"You're too hyper and need learn some patience!" I called out, striking her jaw with a back fist and caused her to twirl around.
Song Jae-in recovered and grunted as she launched an immediate head kick, but I fell back into crab position then lifted myself onto one hand, striking her head with a NY Flare followed with a spinning windmill kick. She grunted as she finally fell onto the ground, huffing heavily and holding the back of her head.
I landed on both my feet and looked down at Song Jae-in, dusting myself off and humming softly. "You're trying to follow your own beat without realizing there's already one for you to follow. If you want to march to a unique beat...you should consider Tempo Break."
Song Jae-in slowly stood up onto her feet, a glow forming where her heart stood and her Holy Fire emitting from her chest. "Tempo Break...I heard the Holy Spirit say that to me earlier. I think I know what it is now..."
I stared Jae-in closely, watching as she charged toward me with a spear hand which I dodged then followed with an elbow strike. I blocked her elbow and countered with a tiger claw, but she slipped through my attack and launched an uppercut then stopped.
I tilted my head up slightly from her pause then smirked, blocking her Flutter Strike and chuckled softly. Song Jae-in launched another feint, a pink silhouette flickering in front of her then she launched a Fluttering hook kick.
"Good! You're learning! Keep that up!" I coached, blocking each one of her attacks before pushing her back with a frontal kick.
Song Jae-in slid backwards then rushed forward once again then purposely tried an impossible move as she drew near, the Divine Monarch Butterfly causing her to Freeze for a second in place. I lifted my guard in anticipation, not knowing this was Song Jae-in's plan.
"Gotcha!" Jae-in called out, sliding forward and launched a Flutter shovel hook.
I caught her fist and smirked at her, closing my eyes and chuckling before pushing her back and walking away. Jae-in stumbled backwards and held her hand up, wondering where I was going.
"What? That's it? Mr. Nox! Where the heck are you going?" Song Jae-in called out, groaning softly as I disappeared into the shadows.
Song Jae-in sighed and looked around once again, noticing the metronome tower had stopped with the hand now pointing right. She looked to her right, noticing the exit from the Rhythm Battle Room then immediately ran a run for the exit.
Hyeon Bae wandered around a dark zone alone, using her windup flashlight to light up specific areas of the whispering darkness, her movements jolting with fear with every turn. A piercing scream sounded behind her, causing her to cry out and run off away from the scream.
She grunted as she hit an invisible wall and quickly turned around, shining the flashlight into the void ahead, a wide grin forming in the light. Suddenly, a Spirit rushed toward her with a ghoulish laugh, Hyeon Bae screaming in fear and sinking to the ground quickly with her hands over her head.
"Bad Spirits...Bad Spirits everywhere...Too many Strangers!" Hyeon Bae cried out, her body shaking with uncontrollable fear as her Delirium began to activate at full force.
Multiple Imps and Gargoyles began to rush out of the darkness toward the defenseless Hyeon Bae, but her Rauch Hakodesh stigmata began to shine brightly. A pulsing burst of light struck the Imps and Gargoyles, defeating each of them in one massive blow.
Hyeon Bae slowly looked up, noticing a glorious light as a Divine Eagle began descending from the heavens. As she looked up at Ascea manifested as an Eagle, she watched as He slowly flew off to the west.
Keep your eyes on Me....
Do not let your eyes wander in the darkness...
Hyeon Bae heard God's voice echoing in her head, a wave of peace filling her heart as she stood up on her feet. She began following the Divine Eagle quickly, His light creating a clear path for Hyeon Bae to follow while He guided her out the darkness.
Dark laughter echoed in the void, a Mummy rushing out of the void and catching Hyeon Bae's attention, but the Divine Eagle swooped around and struck down the Mummy in one attack. Hyeon Bae's gaze realigned to the Eagle, her mind becoming more peaceful once again.
"I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold," Hyeon Bae softly recited, cupping her hands together as she continued to follow the Divine Eagle.
More screams sounded in the void, but this time Hyeon Bae did not feel compelled to look, her gaze remaining on the Eagle. The Monsters crept from the darkness, but did not attack since Hyeon Bae did not acknowledge them, the Eagle's gaze keeping them away from the praying girl.
The Monsters began to slowly walk back into the void, avoiding confrontation with the Divine Eagle and Hyeon Bae. Soon, a light began to shine at the end of the Endless Void Facility, the Divine Eagle letting out a call and warping the void around them.
Hyeon Bae gasped as the ground beneath her began to shatter, causing her to fall into the sky and the Eagle caught her by His talons to keep her in the air. She quickly looked around, noticing 99 Sheep leaping in the skies then noticed me standing upon the back of the leading sheep.
I glanced over at Hyeon Bae and Ascea, smiling at them before boosting ahead toward the center facility. Ascea watched as I flew toward one of the main strongholds of my Elonun Zone then followed behind me with Hyeon Bae in His grips.
Gila looked up at the sky, noticing me approaching and landing on the ground. I smiled at Gila and rushed toward him, patting him on his back before warping off and granting him the Chosen One Elonun Ability.
Gila smirked and looked ahead, noticing Hyeon Bae and Reene reaching his stronghold then chuckled. "Well! It seems you've made it to me! Nicely done! Hopefully, you've learned something while approaching here."
Without hesitation, Gila launched a Deep Sea Spear toward the girls, forcing the two to split and flank him from both sides. Reene rushed in with a roundhouse while Hyeon Bae rushed forward with a speeding jab.
Gila vanished at high speeds, causing the girls to strike one another and stagger each other while Gila reappeared behind them and dashed ahead with a double lariat. Both girls grunted as they were knocked backwards, but recovered onto one knee.
"Okay...I don't know what we are going to do against Gila. We could barely beat him without Mr. Nox's help the first time," Reene said, standing up on her feet and looked at Hyeon Bae.
Hyeon Bae stood up as well, placing her hand over her chest then looked up at the Divine Eagle in the sky. "Lord? Can you guide us with the Divine Monarch Butterfly? We'll follow whatever path you give us."
The Divine Eagle looked down at Hyeon Bae and Reene then flew into the skies quickly. While God prepared His Divine Monarch Butterfly, Gila chuckled at the two and looked up at the sky as well with an intrigued hum.
"It's gonna take some time, so I hope you've learned a lot of Patience and Faith during your trails. Until then, show me what you've got! Let me hear you roar!" Gila laughed joyfully, letting out his roar with his pulsing aura.
Hyeon Bae and Reene looked at each other then back at Gila, the two of them nodding then took a deep breath. The both of them began to roar, their Holy Fires beginning to erupt from their chests as their aura began sparkling around them.
"No, no! Louder! Cry out to the Lord! Let Him see that fire you have for him!" Gila roared, his roars only growing louder as his Chosen One ability activate and began expanding his energy. "Let Him power you!"
Hyeon Bae let out a powerful scream, her Ten Passing Living Gardens stigmata shining brightly upon her leg due to her sudden spike in energy within. A deeper bellow of a Lion filled the stronghold, a great amount of heat slowly causing the air to thin and the weather to become a drought.
Reene let out her loudest roar as well, her Elonun Crest shining brightly upon her forehead as shadow energy began surrounding her and forming a Reaper's Cloak around her body. A skeleton hand slowly began reaching out of the ground holding Reene's Rebirth Skull.
Gila grinned sharply, his heart pumping with excitement as he began to see a glimpse of both Valkyrias' true power. 'No way...Hyeon Bae has the Lion of Judah within her kit, and Reene has Rebecca's Death Skull...oh yeah, my Lord! You have brought me my greatest challenge yet!'