"Jordan!" Headmistress Silvia shouted.
The boy called Jordan ignored her, facing the figure dressed all in black, only her eyes and the sliver of skin around them visible. "I thought I told you to stay away from this place," he said calmly. "This place is under her protection, and she's much more clever than you. She knew that someone would step up and guard it while she left."
"Cowardly," the girl hissed. "No matter how clever she is in planning her next move, you've already predicted every move the players on this chessboard will make. So in the end, who's controlling this game; her, or you?"
Jordan clenched his teeth together. "Don't talk to me about playing games. But in the end, at least I have a real reason for my game. It's all to protect this country, to protect its people."
"You have given up your own people to us. Who do you think you're trying to fool?"
"I've kept the people that matter safe! The Sun and Moon of Artemesa will never fall into your hands." Jordan looked below before clenching his fist.
"It's a Reaper's job to reap the souls of those who are marked for death. Those who are marked or whose names are written in the Book of Death must be reaped. It's the laws of the Otherworld."
"I already know talking isn't going to do any good against you," Jordan said. "You know, should you have helped me, we could have made one hell of a team."
"A reaper has no need for a team."
"Okay, then. If you team up with me, I'll make you my wife, and you'll be spoiled to your heart's content."
"I'm a Reaper; I don't have a heart. And why would I want to be your wife when you'll always have another woman on your mind? If I ever marry, I want a husband who will love me and me only. A two-faced bastard like you could never make me happy."
"Is that a challenge?"
Argo swung her scythe, carving a large gouge in Feed's chest.
Jordan jumped from Feed's back, landing on the electric middle head. The first head on the left was the light head called Bright, then the fire head called Ash, then the electric head called Spark, then the water head called Vapor, and finally the dark head called Shadow. "It's going to take more than that to defeat me," Jordan said, dodging the scythe. He glanced down at Feed before raising his right hand. "Darkness of despair, condense into half of the blade of my soul." Shadow's head vanished, a sword of black metal three feet long and an inch wide appeared in his hand.
"If you think your parlor tricks are going to be enough to defeat me, you're thirty thousand years too early."
"We'll just see about that," Jordan replied, blocking her next strike. "Isn't that right, Azrael?"
"Argo. And I warned you the next time I saw you I would take away everything precious to you."
"That's not possible," sniffed Jordan, pushing his hood back, running a hand through his hair, the black locks turning silver, eyes brightening from light yellow to gold. "I already lost everything I cared about long ago." He raised his sword and parried Argo's next attack. But then she spun the weapon and the other blade hit his side, drawing blood from the small gash there.
"I love double blades. One has to keep an eye on both, or they'll end up split from grin to groin," purred Argo.
Jordan just grinned. "You're not the only one with two blades." He raised his other hand. "Light of hope, gather into half of the blade of my soul." A white blade, identical except for color, appeared in Jordan's other hand. "Let's dance, Argo."
"A dance of death," she agreed.
∽
Amelia watched, awestruck, as Jordan and the figure in the sky fought. She was in awe, but she also felt something was... off. As if something greater than what they were seeing was present. She realized it. The way those two people moved was unnaturally quickly and gracefully, as if they were two partners sharing a dance instead of two people trying to kill each other. it was absurd, but... these two were not simple humans!
"This is amazing. Argo is the strongest person I know, and he's keeping up with her," Blyke gasped.
"You know her?" demanded Daniel.
"Barely. She tried to kill me the first time we met."
"Who doesn't?" Amelia muttered back. She looked up again. "That Amorai bugs me. Something doesn't feel right."
The dragon's mouths opened, beams of the three remaining elements shooting at the figure.
But then a large black hole appeared in the sky.
"NO!" Ethelyn moved suddenly, beams of light slicing through the ropes as she shot forward, propelled by large wings of light. until she was directly under the fight and directly above the school.
"What are you doing?!" shouted Rosaria.
Amelia reached out and grabbed the other half of the severed rope, keeping the other half from falling to their deaths.
"Ugh!"
"Can you hold us up?" Amelia called to Daniel.
"Y-yes... ugh..."
Amelia knew he couldn't hold on for much longer. Unlike her and Ethelyn, Tim, and Rosaria, Daniel built his body instead of his Amorai powers.
"Hey! Separate your power!"
Amelia looked down to see Blyke with his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice. She was surprised he wasn't screaming, because if her hand slipped from the rope, he would be the first person to splatter against the ground.
Daniel nodded and seconds later, four balls of light moved from his chest and flew into Tim, Blyke, Rosaria, and Amelia's.
Amelia winced in pain as it felt as if her back had been ripped open, but then she was flying. Something prickled her senses and she looked up.
A portal had appeared above Ethelyn, and it glowed a second before the attacks from before shot out of it.
"ETHELYN!" Daniel shouted.
"Scion of Light's power! White Tiger Light Ray!" Ethelyn thrust her arm above her, a huge, white beam of light shooting from her hand. The heat from it burned the cadre, until Rosaria put up a thin layer of water. The light hit the elements and the two attacks detonated in midair.
"Woo! She's awesome!" students cheered.
"Look closer," breathed Tim.
Amelia's eyes widened as she saw Ethelyn coughing into her hand, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She made to fly toward her. It took her a few seconds to adjust to the new muscles and bones sticking from her back, which frustrated her, because Blyke flew off to Ethelyn's side immediately. He was a land-based Amorai user. How was he better at this than her?
"Bitch," Daniel hissed, glaring up at the two fighting figures. "She deliberately aimed the attack at the school."
Amelia followed, along with Tim and Rosaria.
"Chances are high that she'll aim another attack at the school. I recommend we use our highest defense skills right now," Blyke said.
Amelia grit her teeth and looked away. Why was she getting so worked up about the fact that Blyke was more calm and collected than she was? "Snowlerd, Fifth Form."
"Fifth Form," the cadre echoed. "Guardian Shield."
The shields weren't actual shields, at least not this time, but instead were huge crests in the sky, symbolizing each animal.
Amora are the spirits of real animals that hold a fraction of the power the animal possesses. When a person meets their Amorai's host body, they can form another contract, one that makes the animal itself a familiar, increasing both's power. But it was rare for someone to meet their familiar, even more so for high and god-tiers, because their animals are rarer and more spread out. In fact, the final year of Luminine, students take a trip for a month to search for their familiar, and those who manage to find them are promoted and have the brightest looking futures.
"Ethelyn, go rest," Daniel said, flying in front of her. "You did well. You did not shame Luminine."
"I can't rest. This school is everything to me. Here it comes again!"
The cadre looked up to see Jordan's dragon attack again, that portal opening once again, swallowing it before spitting it back out at the school.
The first seal was Tim's, who doubled over and coughed blood as soon as the attack hit it. Another second, and it shattered the seal, sending Tim plummeting toward the ground.
"Tim!" Blyke dove after him as the magic attack hit Rosaria's barrier. Blyke caught her, too, as the magic splintered her seal, too, rendering her unconscious.
"Watch out," cried Daniel.
Blyke groaned as the magic hit his barrier, his wings faltering enough to send him and the other two twenty feet lower. Then he grit his teeth and forced his wings to beat, tossing the two at the nearest platform. "All three are Absolute Elements!" he managed to choke out before blood sprayed from his lips.
His barrier shattered.
Ethelyn was hit next, and she lasted nearly thirty seconds, before she, too was rendered unconscious.
Then Daniel was hit, and Amelia had to grab him to keep him from dropping from the sky. He was breathing hard, but he refused to let his barrier move even a little bit. But between the obstacle course and keeping the cadre in the air and this barrier, he'd exhausted his energy.
His seal splintered.
And then Amelia was hit with the attack. She nearly fell out of the sky like a weight right there, but she remembered how Ethelyn had taken two hits, how Blyke and Daniel were still struggling to stay conscious, and her resolve hardened. She strained against the massive weight of the attacks, so much heavier than even Asha's attacks.
Whenever someone attacked with an element, typically the element is tainted just a bit by other elements. But when there is no trace of another element, it's called an Absolute Element. Absolute Elements were some of the most dangerous attacks some could pull off, because not only do they negate elemental or field advantages, but they're also amplified in power, like upgrading a flashlight to a stage light.
Amelia could feel the magic wasn't going to just dissipate anytime soon, so she dredged up some more power. "Ice Transcendental: Frozen Field!" she cried. A light in her chest glowed before it shattered, sending a highly concentrated wave of cold above her. The ice hit the elements, driving them back a bit, before both attacks shattered into snow.
"You did well," Daniel said, now supporting her. "On behalf of Luminine, I thank you, Amelia."
Amelia just nodded, trying to keep her eyes open. "There's no way we'll be able to last against another attack."
"Here it comes," Blyke whispered. "Fifth form!" Both his and Daniel's crests appeared in the sky once again, but there were pieces missing and faded, evidence that they were just about out of power.
The dragon attacked again, the attack getting swallowed.
Then two things happened very quickly.
The attack blasted out of the portal, just like last time, but just before it hit Amelia's barrier, Jordan suddenly appeared between them.
"Common Transcendental. Revenge: Counter!" Jordan shouted, slashing his swords though the magic, sending it back into the portal. The fire head shot fire at its own attack, stopping it in its tracks, while the water and electric attacks were eaten by the electric head.
"What in the name of God..."
"Exclusive Ability: Evolution!" Jordan flew up to the dragon and landed on its back, the swords vanishing and the light and dark heads reappearing.
Amelia felt her stomach protest as she watched the middle head start to split down the middle, the flesh bubbling as it regenerated.
The head split like a zipper, flesh regenerating until a separate head, this one a clearish, light blue-gray.
"Did that thing just...!"
"Six Element Evolution Dragon," Jordan said.
∽
Jordan was starting to get serious. This was dragging on too long, and that ass was sending the attacks to the school on purpose. That Asha... she knew he wouldn't let the school be destroyed, because it was essential to his plans. He needed both the school and its students still standing for them to do their job in the end.
"Just give up. You won't win against me," Argo said. Her eyes softened. "If we were born on the same side of this world, then maybe I wouldn't be forced to take the lives of those dearest to you."
"If we're on the same side in our next life, then I will definitely make you my bride," Jordan blurted. "But that is not to be today."
"I will allow you one attack."
Jordan looked back at the Reaper. "A...zrael?"
"Hurry, now, little boy."
Jasper raised his hand. "Six Absolute Element Fusion Attack!" He jumped into the air, uncurling a pair of large, black feathered wings.
Seed vanished, leaving six balls of different color light that melded together. They glowed white before shooting a beam of power at Azrael.
Azrael looked at the light. She slashed through the air with her wings, the light bending around her until she was in a cocoon. When the light exploded, she was gone.
Jordan looked at where she'd been. He didn't kill her, not by a long shot. His mind went back to a time when he wasn't so manipulative, just a young boy in love.
Then he shook his head.
The past could never be changed. What happened would always play in his mind, for all eternity. Instead of the woman he loved now, he saw a different one. One who played with him when he was alone in the courtyard, who always knew when he was sad. She had black hair, and gray, silvery eyes like the moon.