A loud explosion rocked the town, large pillars of fire and ice rising at the outskirts. He disappeared from her view again, a rain of rods targeting her. Esdeath had observed this move the first time, the burning gash on her right thigh the result of her poor judgement. She ran forward, the rods trailing behind her by a few paces.
There! She sensed the all too familiar presence and spun, swinging faster than the time she had noticed it took for the brief hallucinations to begin. The blades sparked as Oni was knocked back. Surprised, he looked up to find Esdeath upon him, her eyes shut and her leg dropping down in an axe kick. She stomped the empty ground, large icicle spikes shooting up from it. She opened her eyes, frowning as she spotted Oni a few paces back.
"I didn't think the resistance had fighters as strong as you two." Esdeath stated, raising her left hand to them, she continued. "Become my subordinates and I'll spare your lives."
Oni broke into a fit of laughter, his gravelly tone making it sound menacing. "To think you'd insult this much just because I am not allowed to kill you! Oi Balzac! It's ok if I break an arm or two?!"
Balzac's user approached him, resuming her fighting stance. As long as she doesn't bleed out, it's fine."
"GOOD!!" He chuckled ominously as he lunged, the ground shattering in his wake.
Oni darted from side to side, dodging Esdeath's volley of ice projectiles, a duplicate of himself appearing at her right.
Illusion?! She snapped her fingers, spears of ice materializing a few inches away from Oni's face. A loud screeching sound echoed through the field as slim metal sheets shot out of the ground encasing Esdeath and her projectiles.
"Got her!" Balzac's user yelled as Oni switched his blade to his left, his fist clenched tightly as he wound back for a punch.
Huh?! He leapt back, a large wall of ice ripping through the metal sheets as well as several dead bodies on the ground. The walls moved aside, a large cloud of fog coming from within the shredded metallic casing. The fog suddenly cleared as Esdeath dashed forward, a shockwave raising and scattering scrap about as Oni met halfway, their blades pushing against each other. She leaned left, twisting as she aimed a kick on Oni's unguarded left side. She frowned as his hand dropped to guard his side. Swinging her leg up, Esdeath planted a weaker kick on Oni's neck.
She glanced down, glaring at the cracked sheet of ice that coated her cheek.
"What the hell are you doing?! Her blood can't get tainted, remember?!"
"Shut up!! You think I don't know that?!" Oni growled, twisting his wrists.
To think he'd swing while tilting his head towards a kick I changed at the last moment, just so it wouldn't gain the force needed to damage him. Glancing at her sword hand, Esdeath raised a brow at the reddened tone her fair skin had taken. She wiggled her fingers, giving her blade a few experimental swings. Her emotions which was usually in check has been all over the place since the battle started.
Aside from the tactics they had used to reduce her stamina - which to her surprise was successful - she felt her opponent; Oni, was a troublesome adversary not just because of his immense firepower but because of his resemblance to Hijiri, a man who was yet to cease haunting her mind.
Inhaling deeply, Esdeath opened her eyes to see Oni before her, his swing halfway complete. Flicking her rapier upwards, she parried his blow, the faint whirring sound in the air distracting her. Esdeath leapt back, swinging her blade as arcs of ice shot from it towards Oni.
His sword ignited, beautiful bright orange flames coating and trailing after his katana as he cut through the arcs, charging. Oni froze as Esdeath glided past him, Balzac user's barrage of blades landing right before him.
Huh? Esdeath glanced down, startled as Balzac's user lunged at her. She rose her frost coated shin to block her punch, the ice cracking and crumbling as it clashed with the gauntlets. And him! Oni stomped down, the ground caving in as he swung his fist at Esdeath, "Survive this will ya!"
She gritted her teeth as she was knocked airborne, a sensation that Esdeath was sure she hated. Sliding to a halt, she frowned at the distance between them, sparing a glance at her unscathed blade which had taken the brunt of the attack.
The ground cracked open as several chains shot out at Esdeath. She leapt back and instinctively raised her sword, blocking Oni's fierce swing, crashing into the ground from the force of the blow. He's faster! The dust cleared at her right and she swung immediately, Oni parrying her blade and planting a kick on her torso. Her jaw clenched tightly as the frost coating shattered, heat spreading throughout her abdominal muscles. The chains shot out once more, locking around Esdeath's ankles and wrists, pulling her down.
Trump card: Tengoku no Kusari! Balzac's user clasped her palms tightly as blood dripped down her chin, "I…I've got her go." She stated weakly as Oni charged, the ground scattering in his wake.
Move! Move! Esdeath clenched her fist tightly, pulling against the chains in vain. …no, I don't need to move, they need to stop.
…
"So general, is it true you are unable to use your trump card?" Arata asked Esdeath as he approached her in the flower garden.
"I believe my imperial arm doesn't have one or at least the empire has no record of such." She replied, plucking out a beautiful white lily and sniffing it.
Arata sighed. "I thought that would be the case."
She turned to him, glancing from the folder in his hands to his cerulean eyes. "Hm?"
"So I looked into the files on your imperial arms in the records my family owns." He stated, handing to her.
Esdeath scanned through, pausing as she neared the end of the dossier, her slender finger tapping the highlighted word. "Makahadoma?"
"The ability to temporarily freeze everything."
She raised a brow. "I would have thought this to be a poorly planned prank but there's a lot of genuine information on here"
"I would like to believe my humor is far more sophisticated than that."
"So that brings the question – Esdeath shifted her weight to her right, holding up the booklet with her right arm as it rested on her left palm – how exactly did your family, the Arashi clan, get a hold of the complete information of the imperial arms that even the empire, its creators don't?"
Arata pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "I believed you would be more grateful than suspicious, it seems I was wrong."
"Oh, I am grateful, extremely. But I'm just curious." Esdeath replied.
He sighed…again. "The four clans were as invested in the creation of the imperial arms as the first emperor, so of course we would keep handbooks on our creation. And secondly – Arata held up his index and middle finger - we are not as careless as the empire to lose not just information but the creations as well."
"That's so like you, Arata-sama." Glancing back to the booklet, she asked. "What do you mean by temporarily freeze everything?"
"Exactly, the question that should have been asked from the beginning." Esdeath rolled her eyes lightheartedly at Arata. Closing the little distance between them, Arata opened his palm, a small ball of air gathering in it. "The dimension in which all things exist; Space and the progress of existence as affecting everything; Time. You have the power to briefly bring them to a halt." Esdeath's eyes widened at Arata's statement as the ball of air in his palm solidified. "However, like all power in this world, it does not come without a cost." He continued, noting the determination that burnt in Esdeath's eyes.
"And what is it?"
"You will lose a great deal of energy so you will be incapable of utilizing it more than once daily." Esdeath raised a brow. "Is that all?" Arata frowned, growing silent for a moment before saying. "While I am not entirely sure, I believe the trump card uses a bit of your life force as it is a blood based imperial arm and what is blood if not life?" Esdeath placed the edge of the folder on her lower lip, subconsciously lowering it.
"It seems I will need quite a bit of practice." Opening the files once more, she asked. "Is there a trigger to activate it?"
"Asides from the visualization and other things, there remains one last step. Call out the name…"
…
"…Makahadoma." Oni's katana halted, the bright orange flames taking on a bluish shade as they froze, presenting itself like an extremely detailed sculpture. It was eerily silent and the breeze ceased its flow. Esdeath stepped back, exhaling sharply. She glared at the unmoving Oni who was mid air and at the chain that shackled her. Not knowing how long time was to remain frozen, she spun her sword in her arm, plunging it into the chains that restrained her right, shattering them.
Turning to the others, Esdeath swung her blade, severing them all. Is it because of Makahadoma that I able to destroy her trump card so easily? After all, only a trump card would be able to hold me down like that. She sighed.
"As much as I'd like to kill you…I won't, after all I wish to crush you with my sheer power, but as for your ally…" Esdeath walked to the unmoving Balzac's user who crouched, her hands clasped. With two swift swings, Esdeath's rapier cut through her hands and head, the parts remaining in place.
It seems it'll take effect when time resumes…
She glanced around as the blue shade faded, the screams, the growls and nature's sounds returning as her ability was undone. Balzac's users body crumpled to the ground, blood gushing out of the severed paths. Oni turned around slowly, his eyes widening as Esdeath stood beside his beheaded ally, having seemingly disappeared from his sight.
How could she move that fast? He tilted his head at her baffled.
"Consider yourself lucky Oni, I wish to crush you with my sheer strength so I spared you unlike your ally." Esdeath stated nudging the head before her.
Kehaha HAHA! Oni burst out laughing. "Isn't this fucking awesome, Esdeath?! I'll crush you for the sake of my brave and wonderful ally!!"
"Oh please – Esdeath chuckled – we both know you never cared about her, so no need for justifications."
"And that was a fucking outstanding excuse…" The ground shattered and Oni was above her instantly. Her brows twitched as the blades clashed, the two sliding back from the force. "I'll make sure to kill you this time!" Oni growled, crouching.
The ground shattered as Esdeath was knocked back, a heavy blow which she instinctively guarded side the cause. She skidded to a stop, dropping her ice-covered left arm to guard as a kick launched her midair. Not again!!
Oni lunged forward, leaping from the ground to a tree, completely splintering it as he launched himself at Esdeath. She timed it and spun, her leg coated in thick layers of frost smashing into Oni's armored torso, hurling him down. The ground caved in, large plums of dust covered the area as Esdeath slid down an ice path, her sword gripped firmly at her side.
Bright orange flames burst out of the hole, a loud growl coming from within. Esdeath smirked and resumed her stance. "You shouldn't die so easily after all those claims of yours!!" He charged at her, swords covered in ice and fire locked in a battle of attrition. Esdeath leaned back, turning as Oni's weight caused him to trip forward, a large block of ice throwing him into the surrounding tree line.
Huh? She swung down instinctively, a wave of heat washing over her as she split the pillar thrown at her. He can create constructs?!
The trees parted as three more flew into Esdeath's view. She sprinted forward, dodging the first two and using her blade to guide the third up. There! She spun around to face Oni who was a breath away from her, his hands behind him as he prepared to swing.
A frost cast instantly clamped on his leg holding him in place as Esdeath swung her blade at him. She flinched, turning around and swinging down to split a pillar that flew at her, the two separate halves flying past her. Time seemed to slow down as her eyes widened at the igniting half of the pillar, a large blast sending tremors through the entire area.
Arata hovered in a distance, Black marlin – the water type imperial arm -clasped tightly in his palm. Sighing, he muttered. "I do hope you enjoy your battle, Esdeath...and hopefully, cure yourself of it."
Esdeath flew backwards out of the dust cloud, Oni appearing behind her as she turned back, barely guarding the blow with her sword as she crashed into the ground. He landed and dashed forward, a thunderous bang and shockwave clearing the dust clouds as he shot through.
Got her…huh?! An icy pillar slammed straight into Oni's jaw, his arm halting mid swing.
Esdeath lunged, her sword now sheathed, as her left hand held unto the scabbard, her right hand clasping the blade's handle tightly. Her left leg bent forward and her right slid back, parallel to her sheathed blade. Arata's eyes widened as he recognized the stance she took.
Arashi sword style: Inazuma no ya.
An eerie silence replaced the growls as snowflakes drifted through the clearing. Esdeath sheathed her rapier and gazed at her reddened and blistered palm, snow falling into it. She turned to Oni, a strange sense of peace settling in.
He burst laughing, growing quiet as he reluctantly touched the cut mark on his torso, flinching at the unnatural cold. "Ain't that a bitch…" His flames dulled then died out, the bright red marks on his armor and mask faded to a dark grey as his exposed skin grew pale at an unnatural rate.
"This feeling of clarity…it's satisfying. Arata-san would probably have a smug look if he was here…" "…and I do, after all I was right about the battle with Hijiri weighing heavy on your mind." Esdeath turned to Arata who landed behind her, his gaze moving from her to the deceased adversaries.
"Arashi swordsmanship huh? To think you would perfect a technique you've seen just once, I'm impressed"
Opening and closing her palm, Esdeath smiled. "I've been told that I am an intelligent, strong and beautiful woman, so of course such a simple quickdraw technique will be no issue to me."
Arata chuckled lightly. "I do not recall calling you beautiful but I believe a large portion of my clansmen would disagree on the term 'simple' being used on that technique."
Esdeath smiled weakly, swaying as she turned away from Arata. "…eh?"
Arata rushed forward, holding Esdeath close as he glanced at her worried. "It seems there is some of the poison of the demon in you. Let us head back, since we were unprepared, curing you will be a bit strenuous."
"…poi…poison…" Esdeath stuttered keeping her eyes open with visible effort. Could it be because the adrenaline wor…? She shook her head tiredly as her thoughts became murky.
"I'll…I'll be in you…r care, A-arata…" With a sigh, she slumped in Arata's arm, her breathing heavy.
"Very well. I do hope it is not potent."