I set Moira free from the prison and deactivated my Domain, the dungeon around us disappearing and the usual forests around us returned. Moira look at me, Nagini, and Maliz, a rather shy and wary expression on her face. She gulped lightly, watching as I stepped forward to check on her.
I reverted to my normal form, my long coat and Lion Pauldron returning to my body once more. I crossed my arms and looked at Moira, studying her for a moment. Moira's gaze followed mine, her breath slow and soft.
Finally, what seemed like eternity to her, I spoke. "Are you alright?"
Moira gave me a slight nod, holding her hands in front of her. "I'm...fine. Are you...a Dark Lord?"
I took a moment to access her question then closed my eyes, clearing my throat. "I am part Dark Lord, yes. I am also the Leo Zodiac Knight, The Tyrant, and this generation's Hero of Origin. I'm quite literally playing all roles right now, not only for myself...but for the greater good of Earth and the Human Realm."
Moira stared at me for a moment, thinking about what to say. She fidgeted slightly and lowered her head. "Hero of Origin...I remember hearing about you. Cetus spoke about you. I don't know much about the line of Heroes of Origin, but I do know that you and Cetus are... enemies for life, no matter the incarnation or reincarnation.."
I stared at Moire then closed my eyes, a soft smile playing on my lips. "You aren't corrupted. It doesn't seem like you are, but you were working with The Fallen..?"
"I...I didn't want to. As you maybe already know, I am a Shaman and I can basic perform rituals to awaken relics, artifacts, and communicate with Spirits. That's the most bare bones description I can give you. Other than that...I am not really used for much of anything else other than for amusement and pleasure," Moire said softly, looking down and closed her eyes.
"Since she's not corrupted, what are you going to do? Will you corrupt her?" Maliz asked, looking at me with genuine curiosity.
I looked at Maliz then turned my gaze to Moira. I let out a soft exhale then shook my head. "Nah...I see no reason to, nor do I see a benefit to corrupting her. Not only will she lose her abilities as a Shaman, but she will lose that purity that I seek from her."
Slightly disappointed, Maliz just nodded, understanding why I didn't want to corrupt Moira. Nagini smiled at my decision to not corrupt Moira, letting out a soft exhale then looked at the tablet in her hand.
"Alright, you two better get some rest. I'll take Moira back to my lab and do a few tests on her. The fact that she's able to even touch the Demon Statue intrigues me. I'll let you know if I've found anything noteworthy," Nagini said, looking at me with a smile.
I nodded, slipping my hands into the pockets of my long coat. "Alright. Take care of her, she seems fragile."
Nagini chuckled lightly, summoning a rift beside her. "Don't worry. You just worry about getting some rest. Oh yeah, and also, we will be storming North Emerald in a month. It's time we save the Taurus Kingdom from the hands of The Fallen and the Scorpio Kingdom."
I nodded toward Nagini, watching her and Moira enter the rift. Once the rift closed, I turned to Maliz and smiled at her. "Let's go back to the HQ. I know April and the others are worried about us and where we are."
"Yeah and it would be nice to just rest after an eventful night," Maliz agreed, stretching and yawning.
With that, Maliz and I began to make our way back to The Pride HQ to rest and regather ourselves, planning to take the entire morning to relax and rest our minds and bodies.
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Maliz and I made it back to our HQ and walked inside, immediately being swarmed by April, Nina, Lily, and Raven. We were slightly caught off guard, freezing in place and glancing at each of them.
"And where have you two been?! We've been worried sick about you two! You could've at least called to let us know that you were gonna be gone all night!" April asked, placing her hands on her hips and puffing her cheeks at us.
"Yeah! We almost sent out an SOS for you two!" Lily added, puffing one cheek cutely, frowning at us.
"Hey, I was dragged out of my room by Nagini. Anyways, we were training with Nagini in her Infinity Realm and going over some plans with her. Since I'm a Demon, I was helping August improve on his Demon Form and Nagini was helping August improve," Maliz said, bending and twisting the actual truth to make it sound believable to the girls.
"Really? Is that true?" Nina asked, glancing at me with her arms crossed.
I nodded and smiled at each of them. "It's true, I promise. I was also at the St. Meishi Academy to see if Mama Dahlia was there, but she wasn't at the time I went. That's when I just decided to see if Nagini was available."
"While we're on the topic, Nagini said we were to storm North Emerald in a month, so I was thinking we could get some training done after Maliz and I get some rest? Maybe grab a bite to eat at Zodiac Square before starting with our training?" I suggested, glancing at each of them.
"Yeah that sounds nice. It would be nice to get some training done and whatnot. Plus it would be nice to see Zodiac Square again~" April hummed then stepped forward, holding my arm and giggling softly.
I chuckled softly at April, feeling her pull me toward the living room. "Alright, alright..~ I can walk on my own, babe.."
April sat me on the couch then snuggled up next to me. "Since you were out all night, it's only right I let my obsession for you actually take over this once..."
I smiled and wrapped my arm around her gently, letting out a soft exhale as I began to relax. I noticed Leona approaching me in her Lion Form, purring and hopping on the couch to lay next to me also.
Everyone else began to lounge around the living room and relax for the morning, taking in this moment of peace that we had. Anytime there were moments of peace, we took full advantage of it, simply enjoying each other's presences and company.
As the morning went by, the sun began to reach its zenith, signalling the start of noon. We all got ready to head out to Zodiac Square, each of us boarding up into the van and I drove us to the city. The drive there was peaceful, filled with the gossips of the girls and their giggles and laughter.
I parked the van at the Zodiac Square Plaza, getting out and fixing my sunglasses. "Alright, girls. What do you want to eat?"
"I could really go for some Japanese. It's been a long while since we've gotten some," April said, stretching her arms and smiled at me.
"Oh, we can try that new hibachi that opened up earlier. I saw that everyone's been rating them pretty high on the scale," Nina suggested, walking forward onto the sidewalk.
"Japanese does sound really good right now," Lily said, smiling at each of us.
"Yeah, I don't mind some good japanese. Some shrimp and teriyaki chicken, mmm~ I can already hear it calling my name," Maliz chuckled softly, holding her arms under her chest.
Raven look at the girls then shrugged her shoulders and smiled, closing her eyes. "I guess I'll join you all for some Japanese food. I could eat anything honestly."
With all of them agreeing upon wanting some Japanese, I nodded and began to lead each of them down the plaza to the hibachi that Nina mentioned. Once we made it to our destination, we stepped inside and lookedaround, the delicious aroma of fried rice and noodles assaulting our noses immediately.
I stepped toward the front counter and got a table for the six of us, the waiter leading us to a booth and we took our seats. He gave us a menu and we started with getting something to drink first, the waiter writing down what we wanted then walked off, allowing us to look over the menu.
"So, North Emerald. We're striking next month huh? Did Dr. Noxius manage to find a suitable way for us to infiltrate?" April asked, looking at me from across the table.
"She didn't say. She just let us know to be ready. I suspect that she's maybe going to do some recon around the kingdom to find the best course of attack. That's my guess anyway," I answered, skimming over the menu.
"Speaking of North Emerald, where's Heifer?" Maliz asked, looking at the girls.
"She went out with Georgia, VI, and Mina. Something about doing some training on their own and catching up after they've been apart for a month," Nina answered, flipping through her menu.
"So since we're preparing to move toward North Emerald, should we pack up and prepare to go back to St. Nova again? It would be nice to see Rose and Headmistress Annalise again," Lily said, her gaze meeting each of ours.
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders a bit. "I guess we'll see when Nagini gives us an update."
The waiter finally came back with our drinks and began to take our orders. After writing down what we wanted, he took our menus and walked off. We began to engage in small talk, watching the cooks work the grill and perform their tricks and show off their skills.
Soon, our food arrived and we began to enjoy our meal, each of us savoring the taste of what we ordered. Conversations flowed smoothly, our booth filled with chatter and laughter, our bond palpable with how close-knit our group was.
After a while of hanging around, I paid the tab and we got up to leave. Not wanting to train right after we just ate, I took the girls shopping around the plaza and mall, spending most of my afternoon with them in Zodiac Square.
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We made it back to St. Meishi after spending an hour shopping at Zodiac Square and dropped out things off at HQ. We decided to go out training and I led everyone toward my old training grounds as it was a rather spacious and open area.
As I stepped out onto the training grounds, I felt a wave of nostalgia hit me as this was the place I first met Leona and bonded with her to become the Leo Zodiac Knight. April smiled as well, this place being rather significant to her as well.
"Wow, so this is where you used to train huh? It looks like a massive arena honestly. I also can't believe how close this place is to the Leo Temple also. We are quite literally on the border between St. Meishi and St. Nova," Nina said, looking around and smiling.
"So what are we going to do for training?" Lily asked, curious about the training methods.
Sephora appeared in front of us and gathered our attentions. She smiled at each of us and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll be helping you all train from today until its time for us to leave to go to the St. Nova District."
"What are you going to do?" Maliz asked, tilting her head curiously.
"With my Crest of Pleroma, I can create beings for you to fight. Just like you have The Fallen, us Heroes of Light have a faction called The Risen or more commonly known as The Ascended or Redeemed," Sephora explained, white clouds forming around her body.
"The Ascended are a group of heroes that were Purified from the corruption of The Fallen. For now, I'll only pit you all against normal difficulty Risen Heroes. That's until I know you've grown enough to reach higher difficulties," Sepbora continued.
We all nodded and watched as Sephora hovered backwards. She expanded her white clouds around the area, building a mock fortification that resembled North Emerald, equipped with Strongholds guarded groups of Risen Heroes.
We looked around, admiring the grand creation that Sephora made. We couldn't help but be in awe at the fact that Sephora created a mock North Emerald fortification so we could learn the layout and train at the same time.
"Don't get afraid of going all out! This is for you all to train and grow stronger! Your main goal right now is reach the main stronghold and defeating the Leader, the Knight Captain," Sephora called out to us.
We glanced at each other, nodding and bracing ourselves to begin our training. I stepped forward, taking my place as the leader then equipped my Lion Pauldron with my Solar Peridot, a fiery energy spiralling around my body.
"Alright, The Pride, let's begin our training!" I said, my eyes flashing with determination.
I rushed forward then April and the others followed behind, each one of us hurrying toward the first stronghold. We took down the first group of Risen with ease as they were rather weak. I used my O-System to display a holographic screen with the layout of the Mock North Emerald City.
"Okay, it seems that the main stronghold is locked and we need to disable two switches. There's one on the left path of this stronghold at the Aldebaran Stronghold and the second one is on the right path at the Hyades Stronghold," I said, looking at my team.
"Nina and Lily, you take the Aldebaran Stronghold. Raven and Maliz, you take the Hyades Stronghold. April and I will capture the Lambda Stronghold and the Theta Stronghold as those two have Magic Towers the Witches and Mages can use strike us from anywhere in the fortification," I continued, looking at each one of th girls.
"Got it. We'll get right on it!" Lily nodded, hurrying off with Nina toward the Aldebaran Stronghold.
Raven put on her hood and nodded. "Understood."
Once Raven and Maliz left for the Hyades Stronghold, April and I hurried off toward the Lambda Stronghold, taking down a group of Guards and Witches along the way. We made it to the stronghold, but noticed the gates were closed and the stronghold being guarded by a Gatekeeper, a Royal Guard Unit.
I walked forward and adjusted my gauntlets. My Solar Peridot shined in the mouth of my lion pauldron then I transformed into my Leo Zodiac Drive. "Let's do this, April.."
April smiled and transformed into her Zodiac Drive and got into a running start. "Yeah! I'm ready!"
With a roar, April launched herself forward, aiming to ram into the Royal Guard, but she blocked April's attack, deflecting her attack. She grunted as I appeared at her side, delivering a powerful strike to her jaw, knocking her away. April ran forward and leaped forward, landing a powerful Fury Strike upon her stomach, red lightning flashing upon impact.
The Royal Guard landed on her feet then light energy began to surge from her body. She rushed forward and thrusted her spear at me, but I evaded her attack, grabbing the handle of her spear. Pulling her toward me, I let out a roar and landed a Burning Lariat, sending her flying toward the gate of the stronghold.
April whistled and giggled as she hurried toward me, watching the gate open. "It never gets old watching you fight, babe~"
I glanced at April and chuckled softly, walking forward then rolled my shoulder. "Thank you, babe. Now let's capture these strong holds for the others."
April nodded, following behind me and noticed the group of Witches waiting for us to approach. She had red lightning crackling around her, an excited smirk playing on her lips. "Let's do this~"
Nina and Lily dodged the strike of a Risen Berserker Unit, dodging her axe strikes and wild swings. Nina fired two orbs of energy toward the Berserker, but she deflected the orbs of energy, causing them to explode in the air. Lily rushed forward to try and land a slash upon the Berserker, but the Berserker blocked the attack then knocked her away.
"Burst Skill: Trial of Power!" The Berserker yelled, rushing forward and palmed Lily's stomach, marking her with the Mark of Power.
'Trial of Power..? What—' Lily thought then grunted as her body began to grow weaker suddenly, a surprised expression playing on her face.
"Lily! The Trial of Power is a comparison between you and the Berserker! If you're weaker than the Berserker, you will have your power drained!" Nina called out, warning Lily of the effects of the Burst Skill. "You need to transform!"
Lily summoned her Holy Sapphire and the Virgo Sigil began shining on her hand. She let out a bellow and transformed into her Virgo Zodiac Drive with a roar, reversing the Trial of Power effects back onto the Berserker.
The Berserker grunted as she stumbled back, feeling herself becoming weaker. She tried to raise her power level, but groaned as Lily landed a clean slash upon the Berserker's midsection, knocking her back and marking her with the Mark of Light.
Lily walked backwards and pat Nina's back, marking her as well. "Are you ready to finally capture this stronghold?"
Nina put on her fingerless gloves, a smirk playing on her face as she stood beside her sister. Her chi energy spiralled around her body then she transformed into her Libra Zodiac Drove. "Yeah, let's take down this Berserker."
Lily and Nina rushed forward together, Nina falling behind and allowing Lily to run forward. The Berserker rushed toward Lily, swinging her axe toward her, but Lily warped behind her, causing the Berserker to miss the attack.
"Zodiac Arts: Kuretsusen.." Nina said calmly, the Libra Zodiac Symbol shining in the middle of the stronghold and a dome of wind energy expanded across the entire area.
The Berserker looked around and noticed Lily and Nina on either side of her. She smirked then her red aura began to outline her body, the Mark of Power shining brightly on her hand. She increased her power level then watched at the two rushed toward her.
The Berserker roared as she slashed in a circle, but Nina and Lily evaded her attack. Nina kicked the Berserker away, snapping her fingers then a barrage of wind slashes struck the Berserker, causing her to groan in pain.
"Lily, strike her while she's weakened!" Nina called out.
Lily warped toward the Berserker, clocking her with a powerful uppercut then warped toward her and knocked her higher into he air. She began to land a barrage of Warp Strikes, sending the Berserker higher into the air. She warped above the Berserker and swapped placed with Nina.
"Zodiac Arts: Justice Gale!" Nina bellowed, striking the Berserker's back, a powerful blast of wind knocking her to the ground at high speeds.
"Angelic Arts, Fourth Stage: Heavenly Hand Force!" Lily bellowed, rushing forward and double palming the Berserker's torso as she came down, a powerful pulse of light energy crashing over the Berserker and launching her away.
The Berserker crashed into a wall and fell to the ground. Once the Berserker was defeated, a blue light shone around the stronghold, signalling that Nina and Lily had captured the Aldebaran Stronghold. Lily hurried toward a mechanism and pulled the lever, unlocking one of the locks of the main stronghold.
"Alright, let's keep it pushing and see if anyone else is up ahead," Nina said, looking back at Lily.
"Yeah," Lily nodded, hurrying forward with Nina.
Maliz and Raven noticed bolts of lightning crashing down toward them within the Hyades Stronghold, dodging the bolts of lightning while also evading the swift strikes of the Risen Assassin Unit attacking them. While Raven remained calm, Maliz was becoming frustrated due to the magic attacks crashing down and the swiftness of the Assassin.
Raven's teal lightning crackled around her body as she aimed a lightning arrow at the Assassin. "Zodiac Arts: Sharpshooting Starfall!"
Raven launched the arrow in the air then it exploded into a large orb of lightning, bolts of teal lightning crashing down and hiking toward the Assassin. The Assassin began evading the bolts of lightning then flipped backwards, entering Stealth Mode and hiding her presence.
Raven used her Omni-Vision to track down the Assassin, moving around to dodge the bolts of lightning while Maliz began quickly chanting to herself, dark energy spiralling around her body. Soon, Raven noticed two pillars of blue lights, signalling both the Lambda and Theta Strongholds were captured by me and April.
"Maliz, they've captured the strongholds! Go the center and release whatever spell you're generating!" Raven commanded.
Maliz chuckled darkly and warped toward the center of the stronghold. "You might want to leave this stronghold if you don't want to get caught in the middle of my attack!"
'The hell..? I'm not even gonna stick around to find out what she's about to do,' Raven thought, swiftly darting out of the stronghold.
"Burst Skill: Chaotic Explosion!" Maliz bellowed and laughed, a massive blast of dark energy bursting around the stronghold, forming an expanding dome of dark energy around the area.
The Assassin groaned as she was hit, yelling out in pain as the explosion blasted her away through the wall of the stronghold. A blue light shined as the Assassin was defeated, signalling Maliz captured the stronghold.
Nina noticed the explosion and rubbed the nape of her neck. "I know Mama Sephora said we could go all out, but that's just overdoing it for one Stronghold Captain..."
Lily nervously giggled and scratched the side of her face. "Yeah, she got a little carried away huh?"
The second lock of the main stronghold was now unlocked, the gates to the stronghold opening and Raid Captains began to march toward our location to stop us from progressing and capture our strongholds.
"Leave the Elnath Stronghold to me! You all just stop the Raid Captains!" I said, rushing forward and summoning my Origin Blade and the Crest of Conquest began shining on my hands.
The girls agreed to stop the Raid Captains while I rushed ahead, cutting my way through Elite Knights and Royal Guards. I mixed my Conquest Form with my Zodiac Drive, allowing me to gain the boosts from Conquering strongholds, increasing my power level.
I rushed forward and dashed toward the Knight Captain, lunging forward with a slash and clashing with him. We began clashing and blocking each other's attacks, entering a fierce sword battle. He pushed me back then slashed in an arc motion, but I parried his attack, knocking him off balance then swiftly slashed upward, knocking him into the air.
The Knight Captain recovered in the air, coming down with a quick slash. I evaded his attack then knocked him back with a kick. I gripped my shoulder and turned to the side, my lion pauldron facing him.
"Zodiac Arts: King's Roar!" I roared, the eyes of my pauldron shining and the Solar Peridot shone brightly.
The lion pauldron let out a powerful roar, unleashing a large fireball toward the Knight Captain at high speeds and caused a fiery explosion upon impact. The smoke cleared slowly and the Knight Captain fell to his knees, defeated thus allowing us to capture the entire fortification.
Sephora watched from above and smiled at our work, noticing from above the fortification looked exactly like the Taurus Constellation. "Well done everyone! You've completed today's training session! Tomorrow we'll come back here at the same time for the next training session!"
I let out a soft exhale and smiled, reverting to my normal form. I turned my attention toward the entrance of the Elnath Stronghold, seeing April and the others approaching me.
We began celebrating our successful win, each of them giving me a joyful hug. We decided to head home for the evening and rest up after a hard-earned victory.