Arc 4: What families entail
Mount Yelira loomed over its shattering land.
The Northeast was filled with explosions, magic, death, and shockwaves of force. From all of the Gravestone Pirates, Red Arrows, Spartans, and especially Edward and Soku. But the heart of this country was facing a far, far larger threat. The effects of the Red Arrows base' destruction had seemed to end, with the last few homes shattering or falling over. But the settled debris were all opened again, causing the splinter line cracks all over the central part of the city to fill with air pressure. It all came from the torrent in the dead center, pushing back the rubble, the many Warriors and Red Arrows. Raylice, screaming for the Valentines through her broken armor.
Leo was surrounded by Top Elities, Toll faced Frank Will, Rosemary and Gray traveled over the towers together, and an ocean of Red Arrows and Warriors clashed, but they all froze. Gray felt like he was gonna puke from panic, Rosemary had a look of death in her eyes, Toll couldn't help but curse for the great Dragon in her mind, and even Julius began to sweat. Yet out of all of them, their strongest fell the greatest. Leo looked like a child facing a nuclear blast. All of the pain, rage, will, even mana, all stopped. When he heard her bleeding, broken, bloodlusted voice shout to the heavens for the death of the Valentines, his soul sunk into itself.
Leo {...What did we do, what did I do, to deserve this…Great Dragon?}
After the fear left the Warriors and Elities, all that came were cheers louder than the roars. Along with stone coated arrows, a large spiraling cylinder of slashes made from wind, a hefty weight was about to be placed on him by the Spirits, a quick spiral blast with a construct thorn inside, and the earth all around him was about to melt down. Loraine, Olivia, Hartly, Gracey, and Kacy. The Top Elities, all ready to kill Leo in his moment of an infinite, primordial fear. Raylice was moving faster than it all, through that ocean of soldiers no matter the side they were one, pulling wind as she rapidly kicked herself forward. More and more, a massive stream of pressure that could be seen extremely clearly, and she was about to close the distance in a few seconds. It left him in a dead end. Lost to thought instead.
Lincoln: "Fight harder dammit!"
Leo, in his teens, far younger looking and without any facial hair to be seen. Just some longer, wild yellow hair, a smiling slender face, and a dense but small build. He laid on the ground about to cough up his stomach, still trying to force out his lighting. Toll, far less bulky, had attempted to hit Lincoln in the back of the head before getting instantly thrown into Leo, stopping his lighting. Ending the training by hitting them both back in an instant.
Lincoln: "How can you be Elite Warriors if you freeze to a God of War! If you can face the strongest dude in the world without fear, you can do anything! So get up and do it!"
The Leo of old wiped the blood from his mouth and stood with Toll. Ready to fight Lincoln, to lose to his dad for the millionth time, smiling, and Lincoln smiled too. His fathers memory, his inspiration, no. It was his past, the mountains he's fought to overcome, with his family always at his side. He had stood forever, and he would stand now. But it still took the voice of the most inexperienced guy here, maybe the most scared here, the most out of place here, to pull him back in.
Gray: "DON'T STOP TO BREATHE!!!"
Gray screamed from atop an overlooking tower, standing over the head and roaring down toward the street a few stories down. All while Rosemary watched on, the fear slightly settled by watching Gray stand and act, but it only reinforced her will to stand and fight even harder.
Rosemary {This battle reached its mid-point, I know it. We'll win, and then it's my turn. For the Tower, for Calgary, and to end this war once and for all.}
Like an explosion had gone off inside him, Leo stood toward Raylice with complete resolve. Tightening his head band full of rage while sending off a massive wave of lighting in a dense dome. Repelling all of the Top Elites with horridly painful, burning, nerve damaging surges of lighting that sent them flying back with every Warrior with them. Clearing the small circle, and opening up the clash.
Leo: "I KILLED YOU!!!!"
Raylice: "YOU'RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO EVEN THINK ABOUT HURTING ME!"
From each of her leaps small and stacking craters sunk through the streets, disturbing every battle she had just flung through while collapsing the broken buildings on her way. Covering the street in blood, debris, massive rubble from the buildings, to form a grave of hundreds by just going to hit Leo.
Leo {IF I CLASH I'M DEAD! I HAVE TO FIGHT LIKE THEY SAID GARLY DID, WITH SPEED, WITH MY ABILITIES! I'LL FRY HERRR!!! BUT IF I GET HIT, ONE BIG BLOW, I'M OUT OF THIS WAR, I'M DEAD! SO GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND -
He was pulling that wave of lighting into as dense of a lair of lightning as possible, pushing his Mark to a state of striking pain. Inside of his body, around his body, around around inside throughout over and back. Like his Dragon Arts, his lightning was one with his body and growing with control every day of his life he spent fighting. His body began to glow from the inside from the spirit mana, a bright yellow constantly cracking with his aura. His eyes flowed like horns, his hair and mustache lifted, and the moment he came head to head with the impossible pressure that was Raylice, he vanished. Not away, he could let the massive strike that she was going to unleash anywhere near his people or this capital, so he moved right under her. Throwing out everything he could into his palm, before unleashing the largest bolt of lighting he's ever let out without the Dragons fist.
Raylice {He's evolving! You damn Valentines!}
He sent Raylice straight up into the air. Forcing all the build of wind to release as she flew. The bolt of Lightning lit the streets, around her cracked Dragon stone armor, through her body, stacking the heavy damage she took in the base' collapse, and yet she had absorbed almost all of it. Holding her large blade like a shield, using its enchantment to absorb as much lightning as she possibly could, and then aimed her blade forward. Unleashing a slightly smaller bolt of lighting into a crowd of Red Arrows behind Leo, destroying the street and the thirty Red Arrows it hit.
Leo {DAMMIT! NO, DON'T THINK, HOLD OUT FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! I DON'T HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO STOP MY BROTHER, END THIS BATTLE, BUT I AM THE ONE THAT HAS TO KILL HER ONCE AND FOR ALL! FOR ATHENS, FOR GARLY! I'M A WARRIOR DAMMIT!}
He shot lightning down with his hands, flying up to Raylice with pinballing through the air like a continuous winding bolt of lighting. Stopping Raylice from falling and charging another strike before she could even start, send flying once again. Leo used both his palms to create another large discharge of violently and blinding lightning. The roar of the strike wasn't anything to the roar that followed; Raylice had collapsed an entire tower on her from the blast, and looked up to see Leo right in front of her.
Raylice {I CAN'T KEEP UP! STOPP IT! I HAVE TO STRIKEEE!}
In the distance Gray and Rosemary were thrown back by the wind pressure of their battle, forced to look out for what to do. Rosemary was ready to fight any battle, but Gray couldn't help but desperately search every corner he could for somebody in need. It was like a poison inside, something forcing him to act even if he always did the other. His consensus, trying to undo all the death and destruction he swears he caused by saving as many people as his body would let him.
Gray: "We should go to the Capitals entrance, it's away from these fights and probably filled with civilians trying to get to safety. It'd save our strength, and protect you."
Rosemary: "I don't need to be protected. The people who stayed didn't evacuate over the days we've been trying, and if they've made it to the gate then they're home free already. I get it, and I want to do everything I can for them too, but…it isn't our job right now. It's fighting."
Gray didn't know why, but it felt like Rosemary had just lied to him. That Rosemary would never say that. So much so it made him a bit angry, and got the Cloak to stand on end.
Gray: "Our job is to win, and we do that by saving people. Maybe fighting is saving people, but I don't know how many people will die between that. And I can't live knowing I let that happen. If you can, go for it, but I won't let a single person die. I could have been saved."
Gray instantly realized just what he said, once again letting his mouth speak before his mind could even think. He didn't mean to push so hard, but his biggest problem has always been talking and acting before he could think. It caused Rosemary to choke up, the idea of fighting over a single person in need flashed like lightning. Everything she left the GoldenKnights for. So she swallowed that panic, and forced a focused face. Trying to get Gray to do the same, but he was too busy trying to explain himself. But she had her hand up, right with a flash into the third stage.
Rosemary: "...You're right. Fighting doesn't matter. But to save, that's what I'll do."
Gray: "Sorry, really."
Rosemary: "I told you, we can talk later, but please don't compare me to them with such a tone."
Gray: "Sorry!!!"
Rosemary: "I said talk later!"
Rosemary was tugging at Gray's arm to pull him back over a roofs edge, and leap. Gray squealed while she held his hand tightly, soaring briefly over the street before Gray sent out his Cloak. Using a Low-level flow of mana to support them both with a single arm without ripping it straight off, and swung right over the street and into an alley filled with Warriors about to ambush. Quickly ended by Rosemary, who charged up a fourth stage punch and instantly sent it off, throwing them all back into each other. Allowing the Red Arrows above to fire down, arrows and beams of flame, all while Gray looked back and ducked a Warriors blade.
Gray: "EEK! There everywhere man! GET BACK!"
Gray stepped back, back, and almost tripped over the Cloak. But it pulled itself out of the way, allowing Gray to slide back and push his arm to a half-power flow. Striking his stomach, crunching his dense leather armor, and throwing the Warrior back into two others trying to rush Gray.
Gray: "Maybe we should hit the Tower! Or go help Leo or Toll! We could probably save a bunch of Red Arrows that way!"
Rosemary ducked, upper cutting one Warrior before sliding to the side and liver kicking another, spun once again with a duck, and smacked her palms on the Warriors head. Leaving them all on the ground, with a few more coming on both sides.
Rosemary: "If we go to Leo we save, if we go to Toll we help fight, maybe the Top Elites are a better choice!"
But their choice was made by the woman glowing bright green above, making Gray mistakenly look up like it was Soku. However Rosemary didn't need to look, just feeling the pressure suddenly appear made her legs move, and she'd grabbed hold of Gray to slide out the alley and dodge a dense wind blade.
Olivia {If I can stop Leo then these are my next choice! I'll make it so he's the only one who can fight back, so when Raylice kills him in a second it'll be over!}
Olivia wasn't happy, just focused, ready. Charging to her mission, until she heard a muffle under the rubble in that alley. She stopped, about to kill them thinking they were sneak attacking, but the moment she saw a little Demi-human girl covered in the blood of her family, she froze. A cat Demi-human just like Ophliea, with dark brown skin, facing what should be death. Gray and Rosemary were about to run, but seeing a Top Warrior beside the exact people Beauregard hunting, seeing a child in harm's way at all, caused them to run like hell. Until Olivia took out her hand, and jumped away to take her to safety.
Gray: "Uh, did she just save her?"
Rosemary: "Wonder if it's because it was a child, or maybe the Warriors aren't as loyal to Beauregard as we think. Even the Top Elites."
Mid-conversation Toll was sent flying through the wall in front of them, then into the one behind them, and Frank followed. The force sent Rosemary and Gray back, unable to catch up. Toll had blocked a hefty blow from the hulking monstrosity coated in whittling Dragon armor, and recovered as fast as she could. Finding herself inside a two story bar, where she could jump forward and spin like a wheel. Picking up enough pressure, before sending it down with all her might. Hitting Frank on the head the second he leapt into the bar, smashing his skull against the stone floor. Frank just roared with inaudible words, swinging widely and building up enough force to put Toll on the back foot. She moved side to side, all around, landing kick after kick. Letting out small barrages over and over, crushing bones and organs with each mighty blow. WIth each cannon-like strike the bar cracked, cracked, cracked.
Gray and Rosemary went to move in, until they saw the shadow of Loraine moving above them. So Rosemary jumped straight up while Gray snagged onto the rooftop with his cloak and yanked forward. Both rolling across the flat roof to face a few arrows whistling to their heads. Cut instantly by a short pink burst and his rapier.
Julius: "Things are beginning to crumble, I suggest we move toward the castle as fast as possible. Red Arrows are holding the line, but as it is we are distracted, and if it stays like this we will be overrun in an hour or less."
Gray: "Then let's move it! But first -
Rosemary ran forward with full focus at Loraine, past Julius before Gray could finish, and answered for him when she was ready to close the distance.
Rosemary: "We'll clear the path!"
Lorain slipped around her, smirking with mana leaping out.
Lorraine: "El-Dignal!"
The quaking roof' stone top curved and swirled into an old white dome dense enough to hold the others back for a moment. But Loraine wasn't fast enough to cast another spell, hit with her blocking arms and bow by a swift kick from Rosemary. Right into the pink flash once again, this time cut at the back of her leg, right before he went for her neck.
Lorraine: "WAIT!"
As everybody moved Raylice and Leo dashed overhead, flowing into the back streets behind them. Leo dashed past a tower just in time to trick Raylice into crashing head first into it. Leapt over another building to blast her down into it. Forcing Raylice to swing near her ocean of Warriors and Elities, getting closer or moving through the dense crowds of them that Raylice cut through without worry. Like water fountains air pressure exploded into the sky, leaving Warriors and Elites screaming and falling to their demise. She got angrier and angrier, all while Leo tried his best to conserve strength while wasting as much of hers as possible. Zig zagging through the city, mostly with Leo getting sent flying by air pressure or hit in his back. Slowly chipping at his dragon stone while also cracking his bones.
Julius stopped with the blade by her throat, only because Rosemary stopped him with her hand. Right after Gray tore off a section with the Cloak, ready to jump into battle.
Lorraine: "If we really aren't gonna win….then I won't lose."
Rosemary burst forward, clamping hold of Lorraine's neck in an instant. She wouldn't risk their lives, but she wouldn't kill somebody who had completely given up. Although, if she had to, Lorraine wouldn't live much longer. Especially surrounded by Julius and Gray.
Rosemary: "What are you talking about!?"
Olivia: "She means you guys."
Olivia was injured, but not hostile. Standing right in the hole Gray had made with a serious look piercing them all.
Olivia: "This war has only destroyed Athens. And Raylice is going to finish the job, before Beauregard rebuilds it all. I've lost a lot of my friends, my neighbors. Demi-humans made up so much of Athens, built so many of our cities, and now he just has it all to burn."
Gray: "Yeah we know that obviously! That's why we're fighting to stop him!"
Olivia couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by rage. Watching the protests, the mass captures, the death along the streets for years before the Demi-humans finally started to fade forever. Now, finally at the rank of a Top Elite, and only because everybody above her including her fellow Elities were filled by even stronger people. Athens, the one crumbling to ash, exploding with so much magic and wind pressure every second, this wasn't it. Maybe Athens was when the Valentines and the Arrows first met, maybe it was before it had the name Athens, maybe during Lincoln's reign. But now? Now was inarguably the darkest point in Athens history, and its people weren't too far gone to stay oblivious. To let it happen. Maybe some of them, maybe most of the people left were the types to fight for this horror, but at least there were a few who were willing to make a stand.
Even if she had to scream out that anguish to take that step, to inspire the quivering Loraine to do the same.
Olivia: "BUT YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE! YOU DIDN'T SPEND YOUR LIFE GETTING TOLD THAT THE WARRIORS, BEING AN ELITE WAS ALL THAT MATTERS! YOUR KING, YOUR LEGACY, YOUR GREAT DRAGON! I'M WILLING TO BURN THAT ALL AWAY TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT! WOULD YOU LET WALGONIA BURN!? IF IT -
Gray: "I won't let anywhere burn. Destroying, purging, it's useless. War is inevitable, but the deaths, the destruction, that's our choice. So chose. Lose Athens and build it up for your King, or get the old Athens back, and help the Red Arrows."
Olivia repeatedly gripped her hands, took hefty breathes, and looked straight into Lorraine's bang covered eyes. They were both cut, bleeding, bruised, running out of mana. Power. The ability to fight at all, to save.
Rosemary: "And you? Do you feel that way!?"
Rosemary pressed Lorraine down harder for just a second, and stopped the moment she nodded.
Lorraine: "My family was always obsessed with being the strongest archers in Athens, but this war took them, and it took that legacy with them. I just want to live, nothing else."
The second she surrendered Rosemary immediately backed away, with her hand out to take hers.
Julius: "And how would your other Top Elites feel about this? Would they agree, kill you, wait for you to ambush us after tricking us?"
Oliva: "No. Gracey, the Thorn family's prodigy, would help. But Hartly, Raylice, Frank? All monsters beyond belief."
Julius: "And why are you different? Why should we take the risk?"
Olivia: "Because if Raylice kills Leo then you all can do nothing but run. Don't trust me, trust me, it doesn't matter. As far as I'm considered, the Warriors are over. It's just war now."
Gray: "Then go, stop them. Save people. Save your people, by using your strength. Be a real Warrior!"
He forced out a smile, causing Olivia to raise one as well. Finally forcing Loraine to sigh and give in. And just as they did, the building shook harder than ever. The constantly shaking and cracking building they stood on finally collapsed, sending them down and down through the rubble, forced to spike mana and slashes to clear the way. Julius jumped between the snapping floors on the stone with Lorraine, Rosemary took hold of Gray and simply landed while he used his Cloak like a parachute, and Olivia managed to seep through the destruction with sheer skill. And when they hit the ground, they faced a shock wave that knocked them all away.
Toll: "I've got this brats! Go to Leo, or the damn Castle! When I'm done the Warriors are next!"
Toll ducked, over and over again. Trying her best to always out move Frank no matter what. But his crazed jerking movements had him snapping around without any way for Toll to predict it. Landing large blows to her side, against her only arm. Crushing the side without one, and sending her against the rubble. Something she used as a now shattered launch pad, spun and spun like a missile, and landed a drop kick into Frank's chest. She soared out of the collapsed building, into a crowd of Warriors on the streets, and right into another building.
Olivia: "Well, you heard her! Let's go dammit, let's go!"
Gray wanted it all to work out, Rosemary wanted to trust them so badly, but Julius? He watched on with his smile, looking on with the pretty face Gray always saw. But Olivia and Lorraine, just like for every other person in Athens that wasn't from Walgonia, saw a face of sheer pressure. One they had to always watch out for. As his blade had yet to sheathe them, but they'd have to prove their worth and actually fight against the Warriors as they said they'd do.
Olivia: "LET'S GO STOP THAT MONSTER!"
Lorraine was heavily resistant, but she cared about living more than her family. She always had. So they all stood together. Before they moved out. Back into the fray again and again.
And from the large, incredibly dense window at the top of Athens Tower, stood Beauregard scratching desperately at his arms. He watched with so much bleeding rage at each tower and shop breaking. All of the Warriors the Demi-human Pirates overwhelm. He almost had tears from watching them fly over, leap, cling to walls, and dare to use magical effects. Behind them Leo's lighting burst through buildings, along with himself, desperately zapping across the street to avoid Raylice's constant pursuit. Then came the wrath of Kacy's Mark of Providence. Lighting up entire city streets with her all engulfing blast of fire, consuming the many Warriors and Red Arrows alike ahead of her. Sacrificing over and over again, like forcing homes to melt down like lava, dropping large meteor-like balls of earth down against towers and streets to block them, or the tsunamis' drowning alley ways. A Mark of Providence that allowed for such a control of all the elements, that's something that could create a God of War level fighter by itself. A natural disaster, given to somebody who desperately relied on it.
But being a true God, or Elitie, your abilities won't matter. It's your durability, your might, your speed, your skill, control. Unleashing grand power worked for many people in this world, who could kill so many people at once, would always be brought down by a real master of their arts. From Kioshi to Ryo, to Rosemary and Gray, adaptation control and resilience with a grand amount of power to control. It was a threshold somebody like Kacy still hadn't broken through yet; she hadn't become one with her strength. When her Mark completely shut off, as it was getting closer and closer as she unleashed it without control, it would be over for one of Athens strongest Pillars. Raylice, Kacy, and Calgary were the biggest worries due to how much damage they could do before being put down. Yet, with Olivia now sending out slashes into Warriors, or Loraine snapping Arrows through the throats of her own Elites, the tide of power was quickly changing.
Beauregard: "DAMMIT RAYLICE! DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN DESTROY MY CITY! WIN FUCKING WIN WE NEED TO WIN! UGH! BUT IT'S OVER ISN'T IT!? NOOO! NO! WHY!? JUST!!! UGHH!"
Everything he could break or throw had already been done. He was bleeding, crying, holding his heart in a bleeding fear. Like Beauregard was melting away into the ash of Athens. Irsa sat behind his dragon stone door, staring out at the crumbling Capital with a hand over her missing eye. Her tears were held back by iron, with only rage left. Fear, inability, and the chain holding her soul to this tower. Ordered to protect the King no matter what, especially after the last attack on the Tower, which she spent in the home of the Thorns without any knowledge of the attack until it was already over.
Calgary: "If it comes to a final battle here, that'll mean we basically lost right? We'd have to fight whoever's left, and we're not strong enough to keep that up forever. If we want to claim victory, then we have to go out right now. Clear the field with everybody else."
Calgary watched right in front of the window a bit away from her, still bandaged from the battle in the Tower a few days ago under his now chipped Dragon stone gear. Even his helmet was broken, showing off his heavily scared, stitched, bruised mouth. Quivering with confusion, like he was watching the Golden Knights being wiped out all over again. His words made Irsa's eyes widen just a bit, and her OD to pound.
Irsa: "If they get to the grounds, or inside, I'll lead them away. I'll fight. But I won't let my last act before death be defying our king. No Thorn would ever do such a thing. Since the first Thorn was born with our mana trait, to my parents, my little sister. If the name ends with me, then I'll make sure it ends right. I'll stand till the end of the line, and do anything it takes to win."
Calgary: "Well then. Shouldn't be too long now. Either Raylice wins, or we gear up."
Red Arrows continued building together, clearing past the alleys, running down the wide and broken streets, to push those damn Warriors and Elites back. And now, with Lorraine's earth coated arrows and Olivia's blades of wind crashing down, they only picked up the violence. Warriors had spread out to close them off, to stop their city wide approach, but that only left those Warriors getting grouped up and slaughtered. Either by magic, blades, the claws of Demi-humans. The Elites tried their best, roaring and cleaving past Red Arrows with their Dragon stone weapons. Or used the crystals embedded into their armor to create shields, walls, blasts, or other constructs. Managing to take down at least ten Red Arrows per Elite. The majority of the forces had passed Kacy's wall, while the many Red Arrows still pushing toward that battle were blasted away by Kacy's Mark. Caught in the cross fire of Raylice. Or simply died before they could arrive.
The Tower's front grounds were damaged by a crate of explosives, held tightly by many, many Elites and Warriors. And in the center should have been Caesar, who was captured at the very beginning of this battle. And yet those chains were now empty, with a pool of blood where he used to sit. The skin he tore, the neck and feet he had to cut off, any bit of himself he destroyed to flee had faded. Having run through all of the Warriors no matter what they hit him with, only because he'd heal and take the next hit, next next next, and make it out. It was the only explanation to why all of the Spartans, at least half of them, began to fade away. Not dead, but not fighting. Completely gone from the battlefield, with only the low ranked left fighting with Red Arrows.
But still the Red Arrows, the soldiers swung. Gray, over the battlefield to land with kicks, or snatched Warriors into the air. Using his Cloak and as little mana as possible to hold out. Then came Rosemary, running down below with the Red Arrows and Spartans to clash toward Elites. Using her third stage to dodge, dodge, and hit them in a way that set up another Demi-human or magical blast. Julius from above, slashing past the many archers and mages atop buildings. This time aided by the arrows of Loraine, even if he didn't trust her at all. And all while violent forces rampaged far behind them. Blitzing down streets, through the sky, cleaving towers and lives to sunder.
Raylice: "ACCEPT YOUR DEATH!"
Raylice was panting, pushing herself as hard as possible to make up for failing at the start of the battle. But the damage had been done; she was slower, burnt, bleeding, losing stamina to her body's small healing factor, and constantly draining due to the level of power she was unleashing. To take hold and weaponize the air, you needed a mastery over your body, a mental connection with your mind, body, and soul, but also a lot of sheer might. For a Demi-human, her body was filled with far more mana than a human, but she couldn't let out or use her mana at all. Without that aid, it took even more control to achieve the level of strength she always let out. But then came her Mark of Dominance, something that might stop Leo in his tracks. It was one of the reasons he was running so much, but Raylice would only use it if she absolutely needed to.
Like a beast she rampaged. Consumed in air pressure, her eyes white with fury, her mouth constantly flashing her bleeding razor sharp teeth. Huffing and puffing, crashing and crushing, hurting and roaring. All while her wild, spiky long brown hair beautifully flowed with her immense mastery. And Leo looked on with fear, will, and lighting. Zipping from tall roof to low shop, across streets and between groups of Warriors, constantly throwing out bolts of lighting and his own spear as often as he could. Some missed, others got caught in another torrent of wind from a slash, or simply absorbed into her blade so she could shoot it back at him. When it came to his spear, she ensured she bashed it away with her sword to make the time it took to return as long as possible.
Leo {She's hardly slowing, and at this rate I'll run outta gas way quicker! I can't break an opening! I can't do anything! Can I do anything!?}
But all around him were broken, burning, piles of rubble and blood. Growing and growing, to become the same flattened field that Panzer had. A waste land further removing Athens history, its legacy. He had to stop, to look back as a flashing star, and skid across the stone to halt himself. To ground himself. And face this Demi-god of War. Pounding his Dragon stone chest, condensing and condensing his lightning, pushing his Mark to evolve. His fighting spirit evolved.
Leo: "LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A VALANTINE!"
Sheer hatred toward that name, sheer hatred toward Lincoln's blood, she had anguish for it all. And yet, she smiled, and kicked even harder than she had before.
Raylice: "GOOOOD!!!"
Throwing back the collapsing buildings beside her to almost instantly close the distance.
Leo: "RAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Both roaring, Leo dodged her swipe. Missing a dense slash of wind pressure that would have ripped him to pieces by just an inch, and pulled his fist back just as it left. Smashing his knuckles against her face, before sending out as much lightning as possible from his entire body. All directed toward her.
Raylice {NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!}
With her blade held forward she took that blast, and still the discharge wrapped around. Coated her body, violently tearing and scorching her. Digging into her nerves, her organs, before she stomped her foot hard enough to throw Leo back. In that second, like a baseball bat, she swung that lightning back into him. Although he grabbed hold of the lightning and his spear that had just returned spinning like a tornado of electricity that he sent right back. Tightly formed around that spear.
Raylice: "AWAAY!"
Again she smashed it back, but the force pushed her down into the ground. Her blade struggled to constantly absorb the lightning, letting more and more unleash back around her. Like a fire turning her power to ash, burning her down and down until she would be weak enough for Leo to win. Far, far easier said than done. As she just threw her blade away with the spear and thrust her hands together. Grabbing Leo just as he tried to bolt into her by the face, and ran. Running and running, dragging him face first across the ground, before flinging him up and jumping just in time to punch him toward the ground. His lair of lighting had protected him enough, but he was still covered in cuts and bruises. Holding his quaking body, his chipping Dragon stone, before looking up at Raylice jumping off the sky.
Leo: "STOOOOP!"
He threw out his fingers, and like the screams of a dragon instant bolts of lighting violently tore through the sky. Smashing into her shoulders, stomach, side, her face. Leaving building and building damage that slightly slowed her, but didn't stop her from jumping forward. Pivoting to the side, then behind, and then bashed him so hard he bounced across the street. Then managed to slash her hand forward, throwing out a supreme blast of wind pressure to smash him even further back. Then again, with a heavy downward elbow, then jab, step kick, another jab, spin with a backhand. She was just punching the air, sending forward enough focused pressure to keep breaking the world. Sending the street, the buildings, so much rubble and bodies back toward Leo.
Leo {Chipping away isn't fast enough, I need to land something debilitating! I NEED TO BREAK HER TO PIECES! HER ARMS, HER THROAT, HER HEART! IF I CAN OPEN HER UP I CAN FINISH HER! THE RED ARROWS, ATHENS WON'T DIE HERE! I'LL SEE TO IT THAT WE WIN, I'LL LEAD US! I'LL CLAIM VICTORY! YOU CAN'T STOP ME JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE STROONGERR!!!}
He was running on pure adrenaline since this battle began. Like he had a Warriors Spirit of his own, a real super human will. He rushed, between the blasts. Side to side, building to building, air to air, to get face to face once again. And like Garly did, like Lincoln did, Leo had to out maneuver, overwhelm, take hold of this battle to turn the tide. So he punched her gut, vanished, kicked her side, vanished punch vanish jab vanish kick. All around, flashes of lighting, keeping her trapped in a constant cycle of dense charges of lighting. And when Raylice went to slam her foot, he pulled her hair as hard as possible. To climb, to grab hold, and roar like the Dragon he was. To send so much lighting, pushing his Mark to bleeding, his bright yellow electricity to get bright and brighter. And then, when his spear returned again into his hand, he prepared to force it through her skull.
Leo: "FOOOR ATTHHEEENNNS!!!"
Before his internal mana could bit lit aflame, she pulled her hand back. Her claws aimed straight like a chop, before attempting to plunge into Leo's chest. The might of her attack sent him back, left him bleeding and gashed, but he had survived. A large crack in his Dragon stone left to show just how close he was to dying. But Raylice wasn't done. She moved to win, to finally slay a Valentine. And unleashed her Mark of Dominance.
Leo {Oh no, well, I guess I'm dead.}
Like a flicker of despair, an instant acceptance that Raylice chose to end their fight, and he laughed at himself. The piercing sound of whales, of screams, of flames in a massive wave of bright red and black mana. Every Warrior, Elitie, Red Arrow, and Spartan caught in the blast instantly fell unconscious. Those half-dead had their eyes burst with blood as their hearts combust. And the thousands of fighters in the Capital outside of the radius looked on in fear, including Gray and the others. But in the center of that nuclear wave of dominance, was Leo Valentine, laughing just as loudly.
Raylice: "...no…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
His eyes were bleeding, his nose, his mouth, all of his wounds. The immense pain got almost maddening. But he could still move. Raylice however, because Leo resisted, could not. It only served to weaken him, but it still gave him the opening he needed. To unleash his Mark as hard as possible, to unleash his internal mana, and cut. Her. Down.
Leo: "NOOW DIIEE!"
At the final moment, his lighting surged a blinding sky blue, just as he used the Dragon Arts to empower his slash. Evolving, and cutting through her Dragon stone armor. Her stomach. And leave her holding her stomach in her hand.
Leo: "FOREVER -
Until she bashed Leo in the face, leaving it further bruised on top of his swollen eye, cut lips, broken nose, and constant bruising. Once again sending him flying, to look on as Raylice moved like an undead force. She could hardly move, hardly breathe, hardly think. In her soul she had lost. She was gone. And all that moved now as her forever lasting hatred. For Demi-humans, for the Valentines, for the world that made her this way. Leo tried to move but the pain wouldn't let him. At least for the time being, that blast of lighting he unleashed left him completely imobile. On top of that, the use of his internal mana broke his right arm, and his Mark had been pushed past its limits. Likely unusable for the next few days.
Raylice: "...Death…not…the…end…only, yours."
Leaking blood, hardly able to stare forward from the bruising and pain, forced to remove the far too heavy Dragon stone, and yet he still had a look of complete focus. Of rage.
Leo: "Come and try it."
She took a stance, ready to stab her blade through the crack she made. To pierce his heart. But with a snap of his fingers his spear returned, slashing the side of her neck open on the way into his hands. Leaving her open, for Leo to push himself back to his feet, and lunge. Bashing her blade away, and grabbed hold of her leaking guts. With a single tug she was on the ground, and allowed him to hold her throat. Tighter and tighter, while his knee went into her stomach. Coating each other in their own blood, smoking from his lighting's steam and ash. In complete silence. Nothing but their hard breaths of agony, of wrath. Leo held harder, as tight as he could, screaming down at her for all the pain she had caused.
Leo: "ALL OF THE PEOPLE YOU KILLED! MY PEOPLE! OUR PEOPLE! YOU SLAUGHTERED GARLY! SHE WAS YOUR LEADER! SHE WAS YOUR FAMILY! YOU THREW IT AWAYY! ATTACKED MY FAMILY BEFORE I WAS BORB! AND YOU THINK YOU CAN TRY AGAIN!? YOU CRUSHED PANZER! SO MANY DEMI-HUMANS! FOR WHAT!? FOR WHAT!? WAS IT WORTH IT! WAS IT WORTH KILLING SO MANY!? DESTROYING ATHENS! HUH! HUUUH!!????"
She bashed his side, but it carried hardly any pressure. Then she tried again, again, but he didn't stop. Those punches got slower immediately, weaker, before they struggled. And hit the stone. Raylice looked up at the rain, the dark sky, and watched as it turned into her life. She was born into a rich family, joined the Elites as early as she could, became Athens second strongest in their time of war. In those memories, she saw the sun.
She says Lilith, her love. Somebody with power, who carried herself with intense pride, who never wavered in the face of anything. She stood proud, she struck hard, she led. And she was beautiful. But then there was Lincoln. Somebody from the slums, without a family name, who managed to stand right beside her. To take the eyes of Lilith, in every way. From just a distraction that was always in the right place, always said the right thing, while Raylice couldn't speak. She just fought, she tried to be the best, a light for the world that nobody ever saw. Everybody was better than somebody at something, from something as small as talking to singing to punching the sky so hard it blasted a street in half. But people are so much more than just what they think they're good at. It's what they do, how they live, what they think. And hers always involved hatred, blood, training for more.
In the end, Lilith lost her best friend the second she attacked the Tower. Lincoln lost his oldest friend. Stern lost a friend. Garly is a student. Athens strength. Lost to her anguish toward the Demi-humans, to Lincoln, to bear her failure of a life. The memories were fading, into the twenty years of pure darkness she spent under Panzer. And all she did for the few weeks she was out was fight, kill her captain, and die to Lincoln's son. She tried to strike her hand and threw the gash in Leo's armor, but she just couldn't breathe. She couldn't for a while now. All the damage to her throat from Lincoln's battle, a harsh twenty years, from Garly, it had been bleeding so much. Now all of it, her face, her body, her spirit, was all sinking in on itself. Away, forever.
Leo: "JUST GOO! JUST STOPP!!"
She tried to use the only thing she had left. Her sharp teeth, her Demi-human side, and tried to bite Leo's throat out. Only for him to stop her with a hefty headbutt, opening a small but deep gash under his headband that quickly drooled with blood. Breaking Raylice' already destroyed Dragon stone helm, to show Leo her face. Torn, covered in stitches and scars, a lot self inflicted. Along with her bashed in nose. She struggled, she gasped, but she finally laid flat on the stone. Her eyes finally went blank, and rolled away. And like that it was finally over. Leo Valentine had brought down one of the strongest people alive in Saga. One of the physically strongest people in the world. It took the complete destruction of their base, so many lives, all the Red Arrows that worked to help him. Her past loss to Lincoln decades ago put her in this state, Garly pushing her even more just a few days ago. No matter the storm of effort, of failures, it had ended in her death. And the biggest step forward in the battle for Athens. Before he almost fell unconscious, and was caught.
Caesar: "Common, you haven't beaten Beauregard just yet have yah?"
Reality, it wasn't ever real. Leo laid in front of somebody he could have never defeated. What they did to achieve it, what he did, it had to be a lie. The blood on his hands, the body that laid flat and lifeless in front of him, the history. What it all meant. There were stronger people in Athens' history than Raylice, and Lincoln was far stronger than all of them. But Leo? He knew he wasn't. That this victory was his Marks, was fate, luck. He couldn't breathe. He had tears draining down with his blood. Before he finally let it all out.
Leo: "DAMMIT!"
The pain, his pain, his hate for it all around him. He screamed and screamed at the ground. Holding his broken arm with his broken body. On a broken street, surrounded by broken houses, surrounded by a broken country. The Gravestone Pirates were fighting, the others were getting closer to the Tower, the waves of Warriors were filling with Red Arrows. His brother watched over it all, broken, but untouched by this war. The curator of four long hellish years.A man Leo hadn't stopped yet. So he used his spear, and stood. Broken, bleeding, unable to use his Mark, but he had his spear. What was left of his strength. Because if anything was true, it was that Leo was stronger than Beauregard from the moment he was born.
The waves of Warriors and Red Arrows were now dense, surrounding the Towers front Gate. Frank and Toll were still fighting, as Toll was spending half that fight trying to face the Warriors and Elites in her path. Leaving Rosemary, Gray, and Julius to arrive alone. Ahead of the soldiers, atop a tall tower overlooking the swarm of Warriors waiting at the entrance of the Tower. Who knew how many more were within the Tower itself, who knew what Beauregard had. Gray looked on with fear, without his mask and his hair flowing in the slowly dying out rain. The harsh winds. He was cold, sore, but had most of his mana left. Rosemary had a majority of her strength remaining as well, but she weighed lower. Looking up at the Tower, at wherever Calgary may be. But looking at Gray, quivering in fear while holding as confident as a face as possible, she couldn't help but do the same.
Rosemary {You hold so much hate against yourself, you explode again and again, but every time we're in a situation like this, you always shine. How? How are you so sure of being unsure? How do I even ask you, how do I get you to reach out your hand to -
She loved Soku, Edward, Ophelia, Dema, but Gray was her person. The first person she ever met that would just talk, whether it be nice or ugly, it was true. And that truth was comfortable, warm, and kind. It had always been. But the small gap between them they seemed to close, it was growing and growing, getting harder and harder to pull back over as the war grows. She could see it, and she had always hated it, but Gray saw nothing. Any gap was because of himself, it had to be, his own anxieties or errors. Rosemary was the sun, somebody who could never do wrong, who always acted the best way possible. She was a Hero, his Golden Knight, but he pulled himself away. From fear, from his hate, his seemingly unstoppable sickness toward himself he could never throw away, only blinded him. From the world around him, from the people he tries so hard to save.
However, they had been trying so much harder than they had when they first met, for everything in their life. So they took each other's hands, trapped in their own domains of fear, and looked forward together. Until Julius poked his head between them and scared Rosemary. Gray just rubbed his head against Julius, trying to joke and spook Julius, until Julius just stayed there like nothing was wrong.
Julius: "Irsa Thron, Calgary Goldenwind, Elites and Warriors, the King himself. If we group up we may get cornered, split up and they could be too much. They know the area, they have prepared while we have been rushing here. Do we wait for Toll, go get the Wind and Archer Elite? The battle with Leo and Raylice seems to have ended, so we will need to act now before Raylice appears to kill us. I would like to leave if that is a choice, but it is up to you all."
Before Gray or Rosemary could answer, Julius' thoughts were silenced. Stepping forward, held by Ceasar, was the true leader. And he had his own solution.
Leo: "Raylice isn't coming. Rosemary, you target Calgary. Julius, Irsa. Gray, -
And yet again they were silenced. They were a little distracted by just how badly Leo was beaten, but they couldn't help but look into the sky. In complete fear. As the Sects crest lit up with fire works, a deep red looking over them from the west of the city. Even Beauregard saw it, and collapsed. Because they all knew what it meant. For Beauregard , he knew it meant it was over. But Gray, Rosemary, and Julius? Along with everybody else in this capital? All they could do was utter a few words, soaked in more fear than they had felt since Raylice returned. For the three Knights, it was worse. The only person who could speak on that rooftop was Caesar, maybe the only man in the capital without any fear.
Caesar: "It seems the Sect of Anarchy has arrived."