I stood outside and looked at my mask, smiling at it then closed my eyes as I put it on my face. I opened my eyes and adjusted it with one hand, looking back and noticing everyone walking out the academy building. They all looked at me, a smile playing on their faces.
"Oh?~ And who's this terrifying presence..?~" Maliz giggled softly, biting her lip gently as she slithered toward me and hummed darkly. She gently ran her fingers down my chest. "Is this...the Cipher I've been hearing so much about..?"
I looked at Maliz then adjusted my mask, my long coat flowing in the breeze. "It is me, Maliz. While we are on this mission, I'll be going in as Cipher, not as August. Cipher is one of my aliases, possibly my strongest one. I don't use this alias a lot, but when I do, it usually means the situation is dire enough for it.."
Maliz heard my slightly deeper and rougher tone, her body shuddering with excitement and dark desire. "You're...just so full of surprises..~ No wonder I chose to walk beside you..~"
"Alright, enough flirting with our boyfriend. That can wait for after the mission!" April said, pulling Maliz away from me.
Misao walked outside wearing her Battle Miko attire, carrying both a tachi and a katana. She adjusted the red armor upon her right arm then exhaled softly, her eyes glowing with pure determination. Nagini and Liao Ru followed behind her, all three of them looking determined to complete this grueling mission.
"It's time we set out to save Maiken and bring her and my Sacred Arms back home. There will be no mercy for our enemies. Our enemies...must be Sanctified," Misao said, a Shinto Sigil shining on her forehead. The Amateratsu Sigil shined brightly, giving her the abilities of the Shinto Legend. "Let us set out. We don't have any time to waste.."
We all nodded then hurried off to the Capricorn Kingdom to save Maiken. Our steps were quick, urgent, and hurried, each of us diligently traversing the forest toward the kingdom.
As we traversed the forest, I sensed an attack then rushed forward, deflecting a barrage of dark energy blasts and summoned my Origin Blade, launching a horizontal slash, releasing a cutting wave of light energy. The woman ahead summoned her scythe, blocking the cutting wave then grunted softly as she slid backwards.
Once she managed to dispel my attack, she twirled her scythe and got into her stance, the Crest of Death faintly glowing upon her hand. Her light blue eyes glowed dangerously, her gaze lingering onto mine. "My brother warned me about your soon appearance. It is my job to stop you from progressing."
I noticed the Crest of Death in her hand then met her gaze, my aura slightly spiralling around my body and causing my coat to flutter. "Stop me huh? I take it that you're Pendela aren't you? I guess it should be obvious taken I remember seeing you when Darkness killed my family back in Utalia.."
Pendela stared at me for a moment, a faint memory of the attack in Eyica playing in her head. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly. "Although I don't agree with what my brother did your bloodline, I still can't allow you to pass by. You've done enough to stall him already. You won't foil this plan also."
I looked around at my team, gesturing for them to go ahead. I watched them hurry off, leaving me alone to deal with Pendela on my own. I pointed my sword at her, my hood casting a shadow to hide the upper half of my face, my eyes glowing ominously through the shadows.
"I can not forgive what Darkness did to me and my family. The scars he left upon me. Now his sister stands in my way...eight years later," I said, my tone firm and cold, tinged with disdain and spite. I circled around her, readying my sword, the blade shining brightly. "The Reaper...The Lady of Death. You could use your power for much more, and yet you decide to use your power...to harm the innocent and bring forth destruction to Earth."
Pendela circled around me as well, her cloak flowing behind her. "If anyone actually benefits off this, it's me. I grow stronger from Death, I Am Death. You will not stop The Fallen...from bringing forth the End of this accursed planet. With one less barrier gone, we will be able to allow the Underworld to evade the Human Realm and bring total domination. Earth is the last barrier we need to take down before our plan is complete."
"What you're all doing is just trying to start another Sacred-Demon War! The Human Realm has already suffered enough. Even if you succeed...it will all be for naught as Hades and his army will just kill you as well.." I said, stopping in my tracks then got into my stance.
Pendela stopped as well and scoffed at me, taking on her stance as well. "Enough talk...it's time to start our fated battle, Ascea."
I glared at her and scoffed. "It's August to you, Pendela.."
Pendela lowered her stance, dashing toward me and used the trees around to gain a boost of speed then propelled herself toward me with a slash. I adjusted my mask and swiftly parried her attack then kicked her back, knocking her away. I rushed toward her then leaped forward with a jump slash, slashing down toward her.
Pendela blocked my attack and pushed me back, launching another slash toward me. I clashed with Pendela, entering a fierce battle of the blades with her. The sounds of our weapons clashing rang out, each slash carrying the weight of our determination behind it. We clashed once more, entering a blade lock before pushing each other back.
Pendela smirked at me, hurrying off into the forest. "Hmph! You're not half bad, Tyrant. I must applaud you for being able to actually keep up!"
I rushed after her, making my sword disappear then summoned my Solar Peridot. "This battle is only just beginning, save your praise for when I destroy you."
Pendela slid forward, turning toward me and launching shadow hands toward me. I evaded each one, getting closer to her with each evasion then landed a swift double leaping kick, launching myself and Pendela in the air. I let out a roar as I kicked her away, landing on the ground and transforming into my Leo Zodiac Drive.
Pendela recovered onto her feet, staring at me and feeling the intensity of my fiery energy. I opened my eyes, my eyes shining a fiery red beneath my mask. I summoned my gauntlets and got into my Lion Stance, my gaze focused and my senses much sharper.
'His Zodiac Form...one of two of them. At least my brother gave me tips on how to deal with a Zodiac. He's not as fast as any of the other speedsters, so I can easily—' Pendela thought, her eyes widening as she noticed me disappear at near invisible speeds.
I appeared at the side of her, landing a powerful Lion's Fist to her chin, knocking her away. Pendela grunted as she slammed into a tree, landing on her feet. She wobbled a bit, feeling a bit dazed after my Stealth Strike.
'I forgot about his Stealth Mode...a 200% increase in speed is no joke, and even in Stealth Mode, he still hits insanely hard...I need to be careful of those attacks,' Pendela thought, regathering herself then got into her stance.
Pendela made her scythe disappear then tossed off her cloak, getting into her martial arts stance. "I will have to deal with you in a language you know how to speak. Martial Arts seem to be your strong suit, so I will match you with my Death Arts."
I stared at Pendela, taking off my long coat and turned it into flames, the embers flowing in the wind. "Death Arts huh..? I'll easily match that with my own Zodiac Arts. You stand no chance..."
Pendela smirked then rushed forward, throwing two swift strikes at me, but I evaded both of them countering with sweep kicks. Pendela jumped over my sweep kicks, land a spinning kick to my face, causing me to stumble back. She rushed forward with a side kick, but I caught her leg and spun her around, tossing her aside.
Pendela flipped backwards, landing on her feet then propelled herself forward, cloaking her hands in Death Energy. I weaved my arms and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and dodged her rapid strikes, watching her movements carefully. After evading her next attack, I landed a powerful Lion's Fist to her torso and knocked her away.
Pendela grunted as she rolled backwards, rising to her feet and noticed I was gone. She looked around for me, sensing my energy racing around her from each direction. 'Where are you..?'
Pendela kept searching around, growing increasingly impatient then let out a battle cry as she struck the ground, dark energy erupting to the sky around her. She sensed my energy above her then smirked. "I've got you now..."
Pendela stood up and groaned loudly as she felt a powerful blow to her midsection. She looked forward, noticing me then grunted as I knocked her in the air with an Upper Lion Fist.
"Zodiac Arts: Sol Barrage!" I bellowed, my fiery energy rushing around my body.
I knocked her down with a downward chop, staggering her as she landed on her feet then rushed her with a barrage of Lion's Fists. Pendela stumbled back and tried to parry my next attack, but I entered Stealth Mode, rushing her with another barrage of strikes in every angle at blazing speeds. I let out a roar, a fiery vortex knocking her in the air once more.
"Zodiac Arts!" I bellowed, forming a fireball in my hand and charged it up, the flames turning white. "Regal Whiteflame!"
I pressed the fireball against her body with a roar, the fireball shining brightly then exploding, knocking her away. Pendela grunted as she rolled along the ground, recovering onto one knee. She looked up, panting softly and wiped her lip. I adjusted my mask as I looked at her, my gaze meeting hers.
A hint of respect shone in Pendela's eyes as she stood up onto her feet. "Hm... interesting, very interesting. Something about you... really intrigues me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the feeling is there.."
I watched her and noticed her walking off, lowering my stance. "Where are you going?"
"My job was just to slow you down. There's no need in me fighting a losing battle. Our real battle has yet to come. When the time comes for us to actually fight to the death, I hope you're prepared," Pendela said, walking off into the shadows.
I watched her disappear into the darkness of the forest, reverting to my normal form to conserve my energy. 'What a strange woman...'
I turned around and hurried toward the Capricorn Kingdom without a second thought, rushing to assist my allies while I still had enough stamina to do so.
--------------------------
Misao and the others made it to the St. Garnet Cathedral, storming inside and looking around for Darkness and his allies. Misao gave the order to split up into groups to search around and find the entrance to the dungeon. With a nod, everyone split ways to search inside and outside the cathedral.
Ashina took Garnet with her to search deeper in the back of the cathedral. She and Garnet stuck closely with each other, searching every crevice and corner, leaving no stone unturned. It seemed like Darkness and his team had made their grand escape without a trace.
After searching for a moment, the two decided to take a slight break. Ashina sighed softly as she sat along a wall, running her fingers through her hair. She let out a soft sigh and looked at the ceiling, closing her eyes.
"Hey... I'm sorry for losing my temper yesterday. It was out of my character and I know you were just giving your truths, but you didn't need to sound like a complete...bitch while saying it..." Ashina said, looking over at Garnet.
Garnet chuckled softly, sitting beside Ashina in criss cross position. "I don't think I sounded that rude. Sometimes the truth stings...sometimes you need a reality check and it seems you've got just that. I don't ever provoke you just for the fun of it. I do it so you can actually see your own flaws."
Ashina nodded, looking down at the ground for a moment with a soft sigh. "I know...I just wish I could go back in time and do it all over again. Prevent the fight from even happening.."
"What's done is done. All we can do is move forward and hope to grow from our mistakes. I mean, we all have something we're not proud of when it comes down to our past...but our past is what gives us our most powerful lessons. Our past teaches us how to prepare and plan for our future," Garnet said, closing her eyes with a soft smile tugging at her lips.
Ashina smiled at Garnet's words then leaned her head back against the wall. "Thanks...I'll be sure to keep those wise words in mind.."
Garnet giggled softly, looking at Ashina. "You better. I don't just make wise quotes for nothing. We should probably get up though. We still need to find Maiken."
"Yeah.." Ashina said, standing up then helped Garnet onto her feet. "Let's go find Maiken again.."
Garnet nodded then the two began to traverse the cathedral once more. With their bond anew, they began to work more diligently than every, using their combined efforts to search for cleues.
As they searched around, they found a secret underground entrance to a dungeon then Garnet got a call from Nagini. She took out her Z-System and a holographic screen appeared above the device.
"This is Garnet speaking," Garnet answered, looking at the holographic screen.
"It seems like you also found your way into the dungeon. I'm calling everyone to let them know that there were multiple entrances to the Dungeon that keeps Mariella captive, but only one entrance actually leads to Mariella herself. If you happen to run into any members of The Fallen, contact us and we will find our way to you," Nagini said.
Garnet nodded, understanding the weight of Nagini's words. "I understand, Dr. Noxius. I'll be sure to give you the word if anything comes up."
Nagini nodded back, ending the call. Ashina and Garnet pushed forward, traversing the corridors of the Dungeon carefully and keeping a watchful eye. As the corridors darkened, Ashina summoned a Teal Flame, using it to illuminate the caves.
"The Teal Flame. Where did you learn to manifest that?" Garnet asked, glancing at the flame that hovered around the two of them.
"It's purified Azur Flames. I began harvesting Azur Flames and using my Holy Magic to sanctify it, thus making them Pure Flames. Teal Flames are not as hot as White Flames like what the Leo Zodiacs can produce, but it's up there and it also can be used for healing purposes as it works better than Verde Flames, the Green Flame," Ashina explained, carefully searching around her surroundings.
Garnet seemed intrigued by her explanation, humming with clear insight. "I see. That's really neat, I suppose."
The two continued forward until they reached a dead end and looked around for any other entry point to go deeper into the dungeon. Suddenly, a swarm of black clouds formed around them, summoning Zombies around them.
Ashina squealed with terror as she noticed the Zombies, quickly summoning her katana and taking a step back, pointing her weapon at the swarm of mindless zombies. "No...no no no! Zombies is where I cross the line! I can deal with Yokai Spirits and Demons, but I can't do the Undead!"
Garnet used her Sea Garnet to transform into her Zodiac Drive, her hair shifting into a vibrant shade of green and her eyes becoming a blend of blue and green. Large, dark, and curved horns adorned with delicate green vines and small leaves began to protrude from her head, finishing off her look.
She summoned her spear, getting into her stance and looked at the Zombies. "Shit...we've walked into a trap..."
The zombies groaned and began to make their way to the duo, activating their fight or flight mode. Garnet and Ashina watched the zombies carefully, taking thick gulps and readying themselves for battle.
The zombies lunged toward Garnet and Ashina, swinging at them to strike. Garnet blocked the attacks of the zombies, slashing in a wide arc to slice each zombie in front of them in half. She leaped forward, slamming get spear into the ground, a rock spikes protruding from the ground, impaling the zombies.
"Ashina! I'll handle the zombies! You find an exit! Hurry!" Garnet called out, defending herself and Ashina from the zombie attack. She got into her stance and let out a battle cry, red aura emitting from her body which caused the zombies to focus on her. "Come at me, Zombies!"
Ashina watched as Garnet began to deal with the zombies by herself, a mix of worry and admiration showing on her face. She hurriedly tried to find an exit to the trap they were in, searching every crevice of the Dungeon room they were in.
As she searched, she heard a click, looking around and noticing contraptions wielding bows appearing around hers and Garnet. She noticed a volley of arrows being shot at her, flashes of lightning appeared around her and Garnet, protecting them both from the attack.
Garnet noticed the zombies being killed of one by one at lightning speeds and took a step back, her back now against the wall. She looked ahead and her eyes widened as she noticed who it was. "Maiken..."
Maiken stood up straight, lightning crackling around her body and her dark energy was dispelled from her body. She turned around to look at Garnet and Ashina. "Hope I wasn't too late.."
Ashina stared at Maiken in disbelief, walking toward her then rushed over to hug her. She held her close and gripped her hair gently in her hand. "Maiken...you're okay...you're really okay.."
Maiken looked at Ashina, reluctant to reciprocate her affection, but closed her eyes then wrapped her good arm around Ashina. "I am...I managed to escape their clutches, but they still have the Sacred Arms. I heard you and Garnet and knew you all had came to find me.."
Ashina let go of Maiken, holding her at arms length. "Maiken...I'm so sorry for what I did to you all that time ago. I never wanted to hurt you truly...I just—"
"No, I understand. You just wanted me to fall in line and if I had just listened...we wouldn't be in this situation. Being kidnapped really made me realize that...I don't want the Will of the Warrior as much as I thought I did. It isn't worth it if I can't obtain it on my own. I forgive you, Ashina..." Maiken said, smiling at Ashina.
"This reunion is nice and all, hut we need to get out of this room before more Zombies spawn in. Maiken, you seem to have a bit of knowledge on this dungeon. Can you lead the way?" Garnet asked, glancing at Maiken.
Maiken nodded. "Follow me. I know a few ins and outs of the dungeon."
With that, the three hurried off to find an exit and hopefully rendezvous with Nagini and the others. Ashina felt a weight lift off her shoulders now that Maiken was back with them and the disdain between the two was not as prevalent as before. The three traversed the dungeon together, hoping to find their way out of the dangerous maze.