"Sphinx, Chimera, Zouyu, Cath Palug, Nekomata, Bakeneko, Schrödinger's Cat. Though the last one isn't legendary like the others, you've taken different forms for many centuries, not just the ones I listed. You don't even remember a thing. The most interesting problem is that no matter what form you take, you still have the power to beat gods."
Aden-Lada said, smiling at Kuroha.
The girl looked back. She did not reply. Since it was as the woman said.
Kuroha has zero recollection of previous forms and incarnations. Though, she had knowledge that was beyond her. Things that no one knew about. She had an instinctive feeling that she was not merely an experimental subject.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Aden-Lada's vision turned black. She was in an unknown world. It was all black. Her senses were all cut off, all except hearing.
"Ghn!"
She grunted as something hit her face. Again, Aden-Lada suffered a flurry of swift attacks, with each hit, it felt like a sledgehammer was being swung at her.
The Mortal Sin noticed what it was.
When she swiped her arm, the shadows unravelled, revealing the original space.
"You fucking bastard!"
That insult was for Shoya. When she looked over at him, Kuroha was standing in front of him. She was facing Shoya.
Again, she was caught in the same spell and attacked multiple times. When Aden-Lada ripped it up again, another one came. Over and over and over again.
It took a little while but she had gotten to the last wrap.
When she ripped open the final one, Aden-Lada looked at herself.
There was not any damage on her other than the hit that Kuroha gave her. In other words, an illusion. A distraction. A distraction from the real intention.
She looked over at the two of them and dashed toward them.
Both Kuroha and Shoya had a faint gold glow about them.
"Will you accept?"
The boy gave a slight nod.
In a second, a fist was driven at Aden-Lada's face. She was shot backwards; Aden-Lada dug her feet into the ground to stop her from getting blown away.
"You..."
She glared at the boy.
He had fully recovered. The wounds on him disappeared and his broken bones healed. There were newly made scars on his abdomen and waist.
Shoya made a full recovery.
"How?"
Aden-Lada's eyes turned to a slit in abhor.
Though she asked, she knew the instant a black tattoo appeared on the top of his hand.
Well, it was not a tattoo as much as a sigil. A familiar sigil.
The Black Emperor's Sigil. In this case, it appeared as proof of the contract made between a master and a familiar.
---
A little bit before when Shoya silently put Aden-Lada in a shadow orb, which acts like an illusion. Though, this is also due to the effects of Kuroha's ability.
"You're worse for wear."
Shoya was in too much pain to be able to speak. He could only groan and make slight movements with his body.
The boy's throat had caved in. It would be only a matter of time before he would die from suffocation, of course, this would only be the case if he did not die of blood loss first. Blood leaked from his mouth and two, slightly larger, cuts on his waist and abdomen. He had also broken two ribs.
Kuroha did not know what to do.
She looked over at the shadow sphere.
"She's an Emperor... isn't she?"
There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. Kuroha gave a soft smile.
The girl began thinking about what Aden-Lada had mentioned earlier.
(Me? The power to beat the gods?)
She knew something about her was special but she had not known what. Then, she had come to conclusions about her 'birth.' The first memory she has of waking up in a lab.
Suddenly, she saw Shoya cough up blood.
"Shoya!"
"You fucking bastard!"
Kuroha turned around, hearing Aden-Lada, however, when she had turned, she was back in the shadow sphere.
Shoya coughed up blood again.
(Shit! I shouldn't be thinking about myself! Shoya's about to die! What do I do?! I don't have an affinity for Light Magic! I can't heal him! He's holding back the Emperor too... I may have been able to get a decent hit on her but that won't happen again if she's on guard. There'd be no point in escaping since Shoya will die in a few minutes if I don't do anything. I want to do something. I need to do something but... what do I do?!)
Kuroha was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If she went to go get some sort of healer then he would definitely be killed.
What could she do?
When Kuroha thought of all of the possibilities, she thought back to her classmates.
[Familar?! Disgusting inhuman!]
[Why was I ever friends with such a lowly familiar?]
[Familiars exist to be the servants of Streia. How dare you make you think that you were a human?]
She remembered the negative remarks of her former friends. It was not the insults that she was focusing on but a certain word. 'Familiar.'
Familiar.
Master.
Contract.
She then thought back to her Summoning Arts lesson with Maria Frister.
[There are many paths which could lead to forming a contract but most contracts are formed in the same way.]
[Even if you accept or initiate a contract when you're on the brink of death, you'll be healed within seconds.]
That was it.
A cheat to guarantee life. Making a contract. If she was some sort of animal and not a human, then her contract would be valid. As long as Shoya accepts.
The girl took a deep breath. In and out.
Then she thought back at the example that Maria Frister gave.
"I would like to request a contract with Shoya Sasaki. A contract where the receiver is the master and I, Kuroha, am the servant. 100 to 0 going Shoya Sasaki's way."
Abruptly, the necklace began floating and the red gem began shining.
With a slight nod from Shoya, a faint golden glow enveloped the both of them.
"The only condition I ask for is that you will never abandon me."
Another faint nod. Now, the final stage. The finalisation.
"So, Sh--Master, will you accept?"
Suddenly, it looked as though his body went back in time. In the time span of three seconds, Shoya got up and cast Shadow Gauntlet Overdrive and swiftly punched Aden-Lada in the face, sending her flying.
"I accept."
And thus, the contract was complete.
On his left hand, a black sigil formed. Almost as if it faded into reality. It was the same for Kuroha but it was not on her hand.
"You..."
Aden-Lada grit her teeth.
"I'll fucking kill you!"
She dashed toward them while Shoya breathed outwards.
"Altair Marrow Crestfallen."
.