The showdown was finally here...The one on one fight between me and Darkness. The atmosphere was tense. My life currently was on the line. As I looked at Darkness, I didn't see just another opponent. I saw someone I wanted to kill. Someone...I had to kill.
"If you aren't going to move...then I will," Darkness said then dashed toward me.
I braced myself as I watched Darkness rush toward me. I was immediately put on the defensive, barely evading and dodging each of Darkness's strikes. After his last attack, I found an opening and went straight for it. Darkness turned into a puff of black clouds then appeared behind me, kicking me toward the wall.
I recovered quickly, planting my feet on the wall then used my flames to propel myself toward Darkness. I bellowed as I went for a crescent kick, but Darkness blocked it with ease, a condescending chuckle escaping his lips. He pushed me back and dusted himself off.
"Heh...is that all?" He asked, a smirk playing on his face.
I glared at Darkness then let out a roar, awakening my Leo Drive Form then lunged toward him with swift strikes. Darkness maneuvered around my strikes with ease, countering each of my strikes with some of his own. All of his attacks landed true then he used his black clouds to slam me through the metal walls.
I grunted as I rolled on the ground, panting softly. Despite my fear, the fire within burned stronger. I couldn't back down as not only was my life on the line but the entirety of North Emerald depended on my victory tonight.
"You are still nothing compared to me. Just a fool who will die like his parents!" Darkness laughed as he sent his black clouds rushing toward me.
I grunted as I noticed his black clouds turned into tendrils and I dodged the first wave, watching them stick to the wall. I ran down the corridor, evading each tendril that rushed toward me. Darkness's laugh echoed throughout the halls as he made his way toward me with slow, intimidating steps.
I turned around and swiftly evaded two more tendrils. I inhaled deeply, my eyes flashing with a deep determination 'Zodiac Arts: Leo Assault Burst!'
I blew out a flurry of fireballs shaped like lion heads, watching them explode down the corridor, filling the hall with clouds of smoke. Darkness emerged from the cloud with a wide, sadistic smile and landed a powerful blow to my cheek. I groaned as I was knocked back, rolling down the stairs, but I quickly got up and ran down the stairs.
Darkness's laughed as he walked down the stairs after me. "You can run...but you certainly can not hide.."
I entered one of the rooms quickly, softly panting and concealed my energy, peeking out of the window and watching as Darkness walked by. I leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor. I looked at my hands, noticing them trembling.
"We need to think of a viable plan... because I don't know if I can win. I've grown stronger...but he's still in a league of his own.." I said quietly, trying to calm my nerves.
"The only counter we have is Mama Sephora and...The Tyrant but he's still not responding to you is he..?" Leona said, crouching down in front of me.
"He's not... I don't know what to do.." I said softly, covering my face with my hands.
Leona looked up at Sephora with a worried expression then looked back at me, gently taking my hands from my face. She gently held my chin, making me look up at her. "My Knight...you are not alone. I know how much pain this is causing you, but you mustn't give up.."
I stared into Leona's eyes, her gentle smile slowly calming my nerves.
"We are still with you...This battle has only begin. If no one else believes in you, I do..~ April does, Nina does, Lily does, Heifer does, Athena and Avery do, Sennie does, Amunet does..~" Leona said softly, gently rubbing my hair. "Even Nagini and Liao Ru...and especially Mama Sephora. We all believe in you..~"
"Leona is right..~ I, specifically, have the most faith in you, my dear..~ I know what you're capable of...and you're capable of taking down Darkness. I know you can...~" Sephora said, crouching down beside me. She leaned forward, gently kissing the top of my head. "Now rise..~"
I smiled at the two of them, slowly rising back to my feet. "Thank you...~"
Leona and Sephora smiled at me, seeing a new wave of determination in my eyes. Sephora stood up then noticed her Crest of Pleroma shining, three orbs of light returning toward her.
"Looks like some of my power has returned..~ August, do you want to learn a new technique?" Sephora asked.
"New technique?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"It's called Zodiac Fusion. I have enough power to successfully do it. It's a technique where you fuse two Zodiac Crystals together, creating one new one temporarily. It's a technique only I know and I know this could give you an edge in this battle," Sephora said.
"Wait, you're gonna combine our power into one?! That's freaking awesome!" Leona said, now pumped up.
"It's gonna take some time to complete...and total concentration is needed. We should prepare now and catch Ryoya off guard," Sephora said, a confident smile playing on her face.
Leona and I nodded, ready to begin this technique. I summoned my Solar Peridot and my Rainbow Fluorite then sat down, my legs folded in crisscross position. I closed my eyes then began to concentrate on fusing the two together.
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...
Darkness wandered around the corridor, looking for me. He checked every room, swinging each door open only to find empty chambers. As he walked down the hall, he felt a powerful energy then smirked. He turned around, his eyes landing on the room I was in then watched as I walked out of the room.
My Yaoke was activated, my hair slowly transitioned to whitish silver, and my eyes shined gold beneath my mask. Red eyeliner appeared around my eyes and white robes adorned with intricate fiery patters appeared on my body. White clouds began to appear around my body and my celestial energy surrounded my body.
"Oh..? Is this a new form? I expected nothing less from the Prince of Eyica," Darkness chuckled softly, crossing his arms. "You even wield the Clouds of Completeness now...Sephora must've regained some of her power!"
Darkness launched his black clouds toward me, but my white clouds protected me, deflecting his clouds. Darkness looked a bit surprised then a smirk played on his face. He noticed the new Zodiac Crystal in my gauntlets then rose an eyebrow.
"The Rainbow Peridot. This is currently the strongest form I have.." I said, my gaze landing on Darkness.
Darkness chuckled softly, throwing off his cloak then getting into his battle stance. "Show me this new power..."
I got into my battle stance then used a burst of newly found speed to appear in front of Darkness, catching him off guard with a powerful and calculated strike, launching him down the hall. He recovered then dashed toward me and we entered a fierce hand to hand combat.
Blow for blow, neither of us gave the other the edge. We clashed with rapid succession, then grappled each other's hands, going for a test of strength. Darkness was winning, his arrogant grin stretching from ear to ear. I roared as I began to push him back, using my white clouds to strike him and loosen his grip on my hands. I jumped, dropkicking him through the walls of the base.
I flew after him and roared as I summoned an orb of water energy shaped like a Lion's Head, slamming it against his body and launching him through more walls. Darkness crashed through a window, flying outside then he recovered, his black clouds forming into wings.
"Look!" April exclaimed, pointing up at Darkness then noticed my new form. "And...it's August!"
Everyone turned toward our direction, noticing my new form as well. A digital interface appeared in front of Rose, her eyes widening.
"What is that Zodiac Form..?" Rose asked in complete awe. "His power level...matches that of The Tyrant..!"
I roared with all my might, launching myself toward Darkness and clashing with him in the skies. We clashed, evenly matched as we zipped across the skies at high speeds. I managed to get the upper hand, letting out a powerful roar that knocked Darkness back.
"Looking sharp! Don't let him rest!" Leona roared.
"Rush him down!" Sephora hissed.
Darkness flew toward me then groaned as he was struck by my Future Clones then I appeared above him, kicking him to the ground. Darkness flipped backwards, recovering quickly then used his black clouds to fly backwards.
'That form is giving him an upper hand..' Darkness thought to himself as he evaded my serpent projectiles and white tendrils. 'I need to stop him!'
Darkness launched his black clouds at me as I flew toward him. I evaded the black clouds, somersaulting forward then landed on Sephora body while she was in her Serpent Form. Leona ran after us in her Lion Form then the two fused together, turning into a Griffin and I began to ride on their back.
"Dual Zodiac Arts!" I bellowed then cloaked us in celestial energy. "Griffin's Wrath!"
The body of the Griffin began to shine brightly then flew down toward Darkness, crashing down into him and causing a burst of light around a vast area. Leona and Sephora separated then grunted as they noticed a burst of dark energy surging to the sky.
Darkness laughed as he levitated in the air, his eyes shining brightly ominously. "Well done! You've managed to drive me toward using more of my power!"
Darkness chuckled then his Crest of Oblivion shined brightly then his black clouds rushed toward me at alarming speeds. I tried to use my white clouds to protect myself, but it was too late.
"Domain Creation..." Darkness smirked then closed his eyes. "Senyata Plane.."
I looked around and noticed I was in an empty void. I heard Darkness's laughs echoing in my head then felt slashes land on my body. I tried to evade the slashes, but each slash landed true on my body. The slashes only became more intense, my body being worn down from the onslaught of strikes.
"Domain Creation...A technique that grants the user absolute power within their domain. There is nothing you can do while you're in here.." Darkness said coldly, appearing and disappearing in thin air.
I tried to parry the slashes, but they were too fast for me to see...better yet, I couldn't see anything. My heart began to race, my ears rang and popped...I couldn't do anything but take the endless torment. After the last attack that struck my neck, I fell backwards, coughing a bit of blood.
Darkness chuckled softly, releasing his Domain then watched my body fall. "It's over, Prince of Nothing.."
"August!" April screamed, hurrying toward me with tears in her eyes. She grunted and used a burst of speed to catch me. Her eyes widened as she noticed how cut up and worn out my body was. "August! Stay with me!"
I could see my vision fading slowly, hearing April's screams and cries, but unable to answer. I slowly began to close my eyes, seeing a faint light.
"You can not die..."
"It is not your time yet, my dear son..~"
"Come on Ascea! Fight!"
"Prince Ascea!"
"Open your eyes!"
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"August Eyica...I will not let you die..."
"It is not your time yet..."
"Do you wish to wield my power at will?"
I do...I need your power...
"Then form a Link with me. Become my True Vessel..."
"Form a Sacred Oath with me. I grant you my power...in exchange, for each time you access my power you must convert all of your Zodiac Energy into Spiritual Energy.."
...I accept...
"Rise..."
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...
April continued to hold my body, softly crying before noticing my Crest of Conquest shining on my shoulder. Her eyes widened with shock and she looked at everyone who gathered around her. They all noticed I was still alive and their expressions lightened.
'He isn't dead yet..?! His power... He's—' Darkness thought to himself as he looked at me in disbelief and disdain.
My body began to overflow with Chaotic Spiritual Energy then I opened my eyes and smirked. I shot up in the air then summoned my bow then tossed it up. The Tyrant appeared behind me then caught the bow.
"Second Gate of Conquest: Conqueror!" I bellowed and The Tyrant roared along with me. We fused together then I transformed into The Tyrant.
Darkness stared at me in disbelief and began to sweat from my the chaotic energy my body exuded. 'No way...How...did he unlock that form..?'
I stared at Darkness, a cocky smirk now playing on my face. Without words, I appeared in front of him and struck him, blowing him back. I bellowed as I flew after him and struck his body with an onslaught of strikes.
"Yes! Yes! It's The Tyrant! He's here!" Rose celebrated, laughing with pure glee. "Kick his ass, August!"
Heifer watched in pure disbelief at the amount of power I was emitting. She softly panted, her gaze unwavering. "What is that power..?"
"That's The Tyrant...one of the Four Eternal Emperors. It's a pretty sight isn't it..?" April said softly, slowly standing up and noticing her Crest of War shining on her hand.
Darkness parried my next strike, countering with his black clouds and knocking me back. "I will not lose to a runt like you!"
He bellowed as he used his clouds to summon a Black Dragon. He commanded the dragon to fly toward me at high speeds to strike me down.
I chuckled softly then used my Yaoke to launch the Dragon away with Spatial Energy. I held my hand out toward Darkness, using my Spatial Energy to pull Darkness toward me. He grunted as he tried to resist, but couldn't and he was pulled toward me.
I laughed as I struck him to the ground then summoned my bow. "Burst Skill: Harmony Shot!"
I fired a large celestial arrow at Darkness then it split into waves of arrows that rained down upon him. Darkness used his black clouds to block the arrows then grunted as he sensed something behind him. He slashed backwards, noticing he only hit a Future Clone.
"Burst Skill!"
'Another one?!' Darkness thought to himself, turning around to see me behind him.
"Sacred Hellstorm!" I bellowed and bow shined brightly. I began to fire waves of arrows from both the divine and demonic sides of my bow, each arrow hiking in on Darkness with speed and percision.
Darkness blocked and deflected as many arrows as he could, still getting tagged by a few arrows and grunted as they left wounds on his body.
"Burst Skill!" I bellowed.
"Three Burst Skills in a row?! How big are his reserves?!" Sennie asked in awe as she watched.
"Hellfire Barrage!" I bellowed, unleashing a storm of flaming arrows toward Darkness, engulfing his body in a inferno of agony and despair as he was consumed by the flames of the abyss.
Darkness groaned in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching his body. He panted as he was getting worn down. He fell onto one knee and grunted as his body was starting to fail him.
"Burst Skill!" I roared, my bow shining brightly as I rose it in the air.
"That's four in a row!" Nina exclaimed in awe.
"Divine Judgement!" I bellowed, firing an arrow imbued with pure divine energy, unleashing a radiant blast toward Darkness.
Darkness's eyes widened then he groaned as he was hit and blown away. He groaned as he crashed into the wall of the base then fell onto one knee.
"I'm ending this now!" I roared then spread my arms out, forming two spheres of energy. I merged them together then began to charge up an attack. "Get ready, Darkness, because this attack can not be avoided nor blocked! You're finished! Conqueror's Flash!"
With a mighty roar, I unleashed a devastating blast of energy toward Darkness, leaving behind a massive path of destruction. The beam landed true, causing a ground rumbling explosion in the process. A pillar of dark light formed where Darkness was then disappeared, Darkness retreating from the battle to prevent himself from taking anymore damage.
"He retreated..! He actually retreated!" April squealed and hopped up and down. "We did it! We took back the base!"
"Yes!" Lily giggled, giving Nina a double high five.
Rose chuckled softly, collecting all of the data she currently needed. "Heh...August surely knows how to always amaze us.."
Liao Ru nodded and smiled at me. "He does. He outdid himself this time. I just know Nagini is gonna be pleased to hear the news.."
I stared at the night sky, a smile on my face and exhaled softly as I closed my eyes. 'We did it...We defeated Darkness..'
Leona tackled me into a hug, laughing happily. "Oh My Knight!~ You were so amazing! Like truly! Four Burst Skills in a row and an Ultimate Skill?!"
Sephora giggled softly, nodding in agreement to Leona's statement. "You really did it, and the display of your powers and ours...it was amazing. I'm proud of you, my sweet child..~"
I smiled at Leona and Sephora then closed my eyes, grunting as my bow disappeared from my body. I leaned against Leona for support and chuckled softly. "I need a rest..~"
"You've earned it, My Knight..~ Take all the rest you need..~" Leona purred softly, holding me as close as she could.
With the base now saved, North Emerald was on the path of becoming free from the clutches of Citrine. VI...Mina...Heifer...Edea...their kingdom will finally see peace again. All we had to do was wait for the perfect moment to strike and take back the kingdom they lost.