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Ulvala, Outskirt of Yoshos Empire, Time: 8:30 AM
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"Enchant my blade with your magic, Rose!" Nolan commanded as he raised his sword, and Rose shot out an ice beam, covering the sharp sword edge in ice.
"Nice, Nice! Let's get this show started." The sword was coated in ice as a cold breeze emanated.
Nolan dashed toward James, "Eye of The Sun!" James's halberd roared in flame as he swung at Nolan.
"Ha! I was dashing while making a posture that will make any high attack miss!" Nolan slid under the attack, dashed past him, and targeted Mianne instead.
"Oh damn it!" James looked back to see Nolan going for Mianne. "Mianne, look out!" James yelled as Mianne prepared herself.
"Guardian!" Mianne summoned her guardian to block Nolan's incoming swing.
"Amazing! I never knew there was such unusual magic. Are you perhaps a summoner?" Nolan was surprised by this form of magic.
"Alright, Angel. Hit him where it hurts!" Mianne commanded Angel to stab Nolan with her spear.
"Superb!" Nolan seemed to have fun as he blocked and pushed her back a little.
"Never seen anything like that, but you still lack skill!" Nolan said as he dashed toward Mianne once more.
"Alright, that's as far as you can go!" James jumped in front of Nolan, his body shining a little brighter.
"Pathway of The Sun!" James's body blinded Nolan. Ace put sunglasses over Ezra's face so he wouldn't be blinded by it.
"Agh! The natural light...!" Nolan backed away, rubbing his eyes to regain his vision.
"This is our chance! Relentless Shine!" James stabbed Nolan with his halberd, critically wounding him.
"I need to do something! Icicle bolt!" Rose tried to shoot an ice bolt at them, hitting James's leg and freezing it.
"Whirlwind: Two Hand Special!" Nolan spun himself to create a mini-tornado toward James.
"I can't move my feet! Mianne, help!" Mianne nodded and put a barrier around James, taking the attack for him.
"Hehe! I think I started to remember it now!" James smiled at her, and she smiled back with an okay hand sign.
"Dammit! Rose, we have got to do that attack!" Nolan spat blood to the ground as he held both of his swords with both hands.
"Right! I think I could do it." Rose summoned a large amount of icy wind toward Mianne and James.
"Dazzling Angelic Gleam!" Mianne put her palms in front, and a massive white beam shot through, trading her mana for her friends.
The beam hit James, summoning a massive barrier around him. "Woah! Hey, I think I remember it now!" James dashed toward the duo, and the icy wind seemed not enough to break the barrier.
"Solar." A massive sun appeared behind James as he dashed toward the wind, his halberd roaring in flame, melting the blizzard completely.
"HAUUUGH!" James proceeded to hit Nolan right in the chest and then swung his halberd to throw them away to a nearby tree.
"WAAAAH!" Both of them screamed before hitting the tree, face first, and landing on the ground with swirls in their eyes.
"Duel over." The metallic bird stated, "James Woodheart and Mianne Softblight won." It flew back to Nolan's open palm.
"Yeah, we won!" James said as he celebrated in joy.
"I feel sorry for them," Mianne said with concern.
"Don't worry! The duel seekers will heal them right back up!" James said as he hugged Mianne.
The head of the duel seeker opened with a greenish macaron to force-feed both Nolan and Rose.
"Ugh... What happens?" Nolan said as he rubbed his chest, but it seemed to return to normal.
"Huh? Rose! Are you okay?" Nolan checked on her to see if she suffered any permanent damage.
"Yeah, I'm good... My mind is a little bit tangled, but I feel a lot better now." Rose said as she rubbed her head.
Nolan helped her up before looking at the Lucky Inquisitors. "Well, James Woodheart! This marks the beginning of our rivalry! We shall come back, stronger and better than ever! Mark my words!" Nolan said as he ran away back into the forest.
"I'm very sorry about him. He really wanted to achieve his goal to become an S-rank guardian." Rose said, worried that they would be annoyed that Nolan and she wasted their time.
"No problem! We might have to come across at some point." Mianne laughed a little as Rose smiled and followed Nolan.
"Well, that ended well. Good job, you two." Ezra said with a slight smile.
"Well, since that's done. Let's get moving." Ace said as he nudged Koras to alert him to lead the way.
"Ah, right! Let's get moving!" Koras said as he went in the direction they needed to head, and everyone started to follow him.
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Autumndusk, The COU Castles, Time: 8:30 AM
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In the heart of Gaia, the country of Autumndusk stood tall on the world stage. The breeze carried a cold yet calming touch as people bustled about. Amidst this, the grand landmark, The Congregation of Unity Castle, dominated the scene.
The castle, smooth and immense, dazzled the eyes. It housed many guardians, with its most formidable residents being The ArchSentinels. A gathering of new reporters clustered at the obsidian gate, eager to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary sight.
Suddenly, a black royal carriage rolled up to the gates, creating a stir among the crowd.
"He's here!" exclaimed one of them, and the crowd surged forward to get a better view.
The carriage door swung open, revealing a man with short black hair, shaved sides, and piercing black eyes.
He wore a simple yet elegant black suit with a white dress shirt and a black tie, complemented by black shoes, gloves, a gold earring on his left ear, and a black long coat draped over his back.
Stepping down, the man walked past the clamoring reporters, who bombarded him with questions:
"Mr. Bada, sir!"
"Sir Bada, over here!"
"Please, Mr. Bada, can we have your time?"
"Is it true that you are planning to marry Freya?"
However, Bada remained unfazed, surrounded by a group of people in black suits acting as his guards.
A tin can robot diligently kept the crowd at bay, ensuring none could breach the gate.
"Alright, show's off, folks! Go home!" the tin man announced, and the gate slammed shut, leaving disappointed voices behind.
"Man, this sucks..." remarked one of the onlookers.
"Damn, new reporters..." Bada muttered as he ascended the stairs to his office.
A lizard man in a black suit approached him, "Ssssssir, it seems the grand director requires your timeeee..."
Bada nodded, "Thank you for your assistance, Eddie. I shall go meet my father this instance." Continuing up the stairs, he left his black suit squadron to relax.
"Welppp, I am bust. Anyone wanna go to the hot spring with messsss?" Eddie suggested, prompting most of them to erupt in cheerful agreement.
At the top floor of the castle, an old man sits in his comfy chair, reviewing paperwork. "Donation funding for the orphanages..."
His short gray hair complements a full heart-shaped beard. Dressed in a black suit with a red jacket adorned with gold ornaments, he leans on a golden cane resting on his table.
Noticing the door opening, he says, "Ah, Bada. You can come in; I need to discuss a minor thing." Getting up, he grabs his cane. Bada enters, closing the door behind him with proper manners.
"What's the important discussion you want to tell me about, fathers?" Bada asks, standing beside a meeting chair, politely waiting.
"Something has been popping up on our radars recently. I want you to take care of these matters," the old man says as Bada helps him sit down on the chairs.
Bada sits down as well. "May you tell me what the problem is, fathers?" he asks, waiting politely for a response.
"Some of the scout teams have spotted unusual behavior in Ulvala. Most importantly, Gray Phoenix has been doing something behind our backs."
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