[Day: Wednesday]
[Time: Evening]
[Location: Sanctuary Central]
We all made it to the warehouse, each one of us being cautious and keeping our guards up. As we approached the doors of the warehouse, a sniper bullet was fired toward us, barely missing Naomi and landing at her feet.
Naomi looked up, noticing multiple snipers on the rooftops of the surroundings buildings of the warehouse. "Looks like we have company.."
[Alert: Love Demon Nearby!]
I looked at my watch then looked around, searching for the Love Demon that was around. Suddenly, a figure appeared behind me with a smirk on his face. I looked back, noticing a tall and elegant male standing behind me, his light brown hair cascading down at shoulder's length. As we stood back to back, cherry blossoms began to float around us.
"Shiro Moji, it is nice to finally meet the charming man that is said to threaten the livelihood of our organization. As soon as we caught wind of your arrival, I knew I had to get my chance at fighting you but that fool Lane cut in line before me. But since you're here, I can only assume he lost," The man said, his striking blue eyes looking back at me.
"Shiro be careful! That's Romeo. He has Romancia with him, but...where is she?" Lustie asked, searching around for her sister.
Romeo chuckled softly and walked forward, snapping his fingers and caused Romancia to appear beside him. We looked at Romancia and noticed she wasn't in such a good state. Strands of her long, wavy burnt orange hair shadowed her face, her emotionless orange eyes barely shined within the moonlight, it was almost like she was devoid of all life.
"No..." Lustie said softly, slightly covering her mouth in shock.
"What did you do to her?!" Talenta yelled, her eyes shining with rage.
Romeo chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "She was being disobedient so I had to put her in her place. Now she knows who runs the show between the two of us. Now Lustie and her sisters, you've all had your fun with Shiro...but it's time you come back to the winning side."
"Winning? Don't make me laugh," I said, stepping forward. "If my memory serves correctly, you all are currently losing right now. You might have the Central and Northern Divisions, but you won't be having it for long. Plus I will be taking Romancia from you."
Romeo laughed and took his hand out of his pocket, his Crest of Romance shining on his hand. "I would love to see you try..~"
My gauntlets appeared on my hands then I smacked my fists together. I looked back at everyone else, my eyes glowing with authority. "You all go ahead into the warehouse. I will deal with the lover boy."
Naomi nodded her head then led everyone else into the warehouse. "You better not lose or die."
I smiled at her words then walked forward, walking past Romeo. "Let's head to a more open space. I want to see what you're really made of."
Romeo chuckled softly then followed me. "Well well, now you have me all curious now. I've heard many stories about you, about how you killed Vance, how you defeated Axel, how you even defeated Lotus. You have some pretty great feats."
"And I won't stop there. I will make sure each one of you dies. This war will end one way or another...and I can promise that," I said, leading Romeo to a more spacious area. I looked around then nodded my head, turning around to face Romeo. "This is a good enough area. I don't want either of us hitting our allies with any friendly fire.."
Romeo chuckled softly, taking on his stance. "How thoughtful. I bet all the ladies love you, Casanova.."
I got into my stance, my expression serious and concentrated. "They do.."
[Remaining Stamina: 75%]
The atmosphere was tense between the two of us, both of us sizing each other up before either one of us made a move. We both lunged toward each other, our fists clashing and spiritual and esoteric energy rushing across the battlefield. We rushed across the area at high speeds, our movements faster than the naked eye and our clashing causing shockwaves around us.
Romeo went for swift strikes, but my movements were even faster thanks to my boosted senses. Each strike Romeo threw was met with the air, yet his lips had the same manipulative smirk since we first started. I didn't know what he was planning, so I opted to stay on defense until my Hyper Learning gave me all the information I needed.
"What's wrong, Shiro? Too scared to fight back?!" Romeo taunted, landing a clean punch to my face.
I grunted as I stumbled back, but quickly recovered and ducked under his left hook. I swept him off his feet with a kick, juggling him in the air with a Sanctuary Combo. Once the halo was completely formed, Luckie knocked him into the air with her hind legs. I sprang upward, going for the final blow but Romancia blasted me away with a burst of spiritual energy.
I grunted as I landed on my feet, dropping down to one knee. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath then exhaled.
Romeo dusted himself off, walking forward. "Hmph, finished already?"
"Maluhia.." I muttered before standing up, letting out a Tribal Howl and my tattoos began to shine brightly as I transformed into Tengoku Form.
"What is—" Romeo started then grunted loudly as a burst of wind knocked him away.
Romeo quickly recovered, noticing multiple fireballs flying straight toward him. He formed a barrier of spiritual energy, blocking each fireball and fortified his barrier to prevent the fireballs from damaging his defenses. He noticed Passion and Luckie running and flying around his barrier, wondering what they were doing.
Passion and Luckie formed a twister of golden and purple energy, causing the burst of energy to shatter Romeo's defenses then Luckie set her Fortune Zone. A field of golden energy stretched across the battlefield, granting me a future of miracles and fortunes ahead.
'He isn't holding back...This energy output...he plans on ending this battle quickly. I can't let that happen, I need to stall him for as long as possible. There's no way his crew is beating Feleti...' Romeo thought to himself, slowly breaking out in nervous sweat.
Romeo heard rumbling underground then looked down, groaning as a blast of superheated water propelled himself to the sky. I warped above him and slammed a Sigil Bomb against his stomach, blasting him back to the ground. The sigil bomb shined brightly then exploded, releasing red smoke.
Romeo slowly stood up, grunting as he was induced with Lust. He noticed a garden of flowers blooming around us, suddenly being put at ease. He was temporarily disarmed, lowering his arms and his expression softened as he was at peace.
"Euphoric—" I started, but wasn't able to finish my sentence as I was forced to block a large sphere of spiritual energy.
Romancia hovered beside Romeo, seemingly unaffected by my Garden of Bliss. She used her energy to corrode the garden, releasing Romeo from its effects. "I can not allow you to beat Master Romeo this easily.."
"Shiro, let's do this together! I sent the others to help Karma!" Lustie said, landing beside me and transforming into her Ascended Demon Form. "We don't have much time, I can sense they are losing. Ardor is inside that warehouse!"
Romeo shook his head, grumbling a bit and began to lose his cool. He looked at me with a vicious smirk, cracking his knuckles then loosened his tie. "To have induced me with Lust and Bliss...you are an annoying one, Moji!"
I got into my stance once again, my gauntlets shifting to Onmyodo Gauntlets. "Once we beat you, Romancia will be joining us."
Romeo let out a bellow as he launched two large roots at me and Lustie, but we quickly got out of the way and sprang into action. The four of us rushed toward each other with bellows and clashed, a massive shockwave blowing across the battlefield.
Lustie and Romancia took to the skies, the two rapidly clashing and flying swiftly around one another. Lustie weaved through the air, darting around Romancia to evade her spectral attacks. Romancia summoned multiple spirits and commanded them to attack Lustie at once.
"Romena! Listen to me! You don't need to listen to those bastards!" Lustie called out to Romancia to try to get through to her, swiftly evading her attacks.
Romancia grunted softly as she listened to Lustie, holding her head but the control Romeo had over her was too strong for her to resist. "I...must...listen..!"
Lustie watched Romancia, seeing her past self within her. Lustie swiped her hands, spears of demonic light crashing down upon the spirits and eliminating them. "Don't worry, Romena...Shiro will free you."
Romeo and I rapidly clashed, elements of fire and plants flying and dancing around the battlefield with intensity. I ducked under a sweeping vine, my gauntlets crackling with draconic energy as I launched a counterattack. I landed a powerful Dark Destiny Flash, launching Romeo away and I propelled myself forward.
Romeo quickly recovered and sidestepped, evading my follow up attack then roots wrapped around my body. Romeo chuckled as he prepared to sap the energy from my body, but noticed my Shadow Clone vanishing. I emerged from underground with an uppercut, sending Romeo flying in the air.
Romeo grunted as he looked down at me, wincing slightly in pain. 'There's no way I'm losing to this prick..! He's not even in Unleashed State, his senses are just that good now..!'
I launched vines around his leg and swung him in circles in the air before slamming him to the ground. Once Romeo stood up, I raised my arms, trapping him in a stone coffin. I surrounded my arms with iridescent energy, forming an orb of energy in both hands then combined the two.
Romancia, sensing the danger Romeo was in, flew swiftly toward Romeo but Lustie tackled get out of the sky. Both demons crashed to the ground with Lustie getting behind Romancia and placing her in a headlock, wrapping her legs around her waist.
"Let me go!" Romancia protested, trying to break out of Lustie's hold.
"Not a chance in hell, Romena! You're not about to stop this!" Lustie bellowed.
I gathered my strength, focusing every ounce of my power into my gauntlets. The air around me crackled with energy as I prepared my ultimate move. Iridescent lightning crackled around my entire body and I bellowed as I prepared the strongest attack in my arsenal.
Romeo grunted as he tried to break out, not wanting any of what I was preparing. He tried to use his roots and vines to break out of the stone hold. Once he noticed Garden of Bliss reactivating, all of his worries suddenly disappeared...but his eyes remained on me.
"Destiny Overdrive!" I bellowed, unleashing a fully charged Destiny Flash. A blinding beam of iridescent energy shot forth, tearing through the battlefield with unrelenting force.
Romeo's eyes widened in shock as the beam struck him. The beam of energy engulfed his body, his pain yells fading away in the sound of the explosion. Once the smoke cleared, Romeo was revealed to be on the ground. He laid there, barely alive, the fight knocked out of him.
Romancia, witnessing Romeo's defeat, sat frozen. Her apathetic facade cracked, revealing a moment of vulnerability. 'Such power...'
[Warning: Stamina has fallen to 25%]
I panted softly, falling onto one knee. I took a moment to catch my breath, my Destiny Overdrive depleting a hefty chunk of my remaining energy. "E...I need to go into Recovery State. If I go to the warehouse like this..."
Lust-E changed into her Dragon Form, manifesting my Crest of Passion and activated Desire Manifestation. She closed her eyes then held her hands out at me, a silver ethereal energy surrounding my body and fully recovered my Energy.
[Notice: Stamina has recovered back to 100%]
I smiled at Lust-E's action then stood up. I looked at my hands, balling them around and rolling my shoulders, feeling I had full mobility again. "Or...you could do that~ Thanks..~"
[Bond with Lust-E greatly increased.]
Lustie hovered toward me with Romancia's hand in hers. "That was amazing!~ Destiny Overdrive...I believe that's the move you used against Lotus right?"
"Yeah...it takes a least 50% of my stamina to execute so I have to use it sparingly," I answered, turning my gaze to Romancia. I walked toward her, holding my hand out toward her.
"Romancia, come with us," I urged, my voice gently but firm. "You don't need to stay by his side and suffer anymore. I'll take care of you.."
For a brief moment, Romancia hesitated. Then, with a nod, she gently took my hand, aligning herself with Lustie and I. As she held my hand, the cursed mark on her neck shattered, setting her free from Romeo. The Crest of Romance shined on my arm, granting me access to Spiritual Source and her Signature Ability.
[Obtained The Crest of Romance!]
[Skill Obtained: Bond Control.]
[Max Level has risen to 100!]
I turned to Lustie, urgency returning to my eyes. "We need to go. Everyone needs us."
"Right!" Lustie said, nodding her head.
Without looking back, Romancia, Lustie, and I sprinted toward the warehouse, leaving Romeo behind. The clock was ticking, and we couldn't afford any more delays.
As we ran, I glanced at Romancia, a sense of determination in my gaze. This battle was just the beginning. With every step, we were one step closer to reclaiming their world.
--------------------------------------
Feleti looked down at the beaten Karma members then looked at Ani, who was standing up with determination in her eyes. "You should stay down if you know what's good for you. Haven't you had enough..?"
Ani clutched her side, glaring at Feleti and memories of their shared past flashed in her mind. "Why..? Why?! You...heartless...prick! Why are you on their side?! Why did your father have to kill Papa Moji..?"
Feleti walked toward Ani, grabbing the handle of his sword. "The role of Tribal Leader belongs to my side of the family. Besides...Shiro hasn't been around for 12 years. We don't need another deadbeat as Tribal Leader...We could've killed his mother as well, but my father had a soft spot for her."
Ani took a step back, grunting softly. Her body began to tremble with fear, but her expression remained tough. "You wouldn't dare hurt Mama Moji!"
"Oh but I would! A bitch like her doesn't deserve to be anything except ten feet under!" Feleti yelled, swinging his sword at Ani.
Ani flinched, seeing her life flash before her eyes but the sound of a clash echoed across the warehouse. She opened one eye, noticing Phoenix had protected her with her shotgun. Phoenix grunted softly as she began to push Feleti back. Feleti smirked at Phoenix and applied more pressure, getting her down onto one knee.
"Phoenix..!" Ani said, a state of panic in her tone.
"You're not different from me, Sargent. A traitor to the ones you claim you love. The ones you claim to always cherish! You sought after a bigger power and I respect that...but you chose the wrong side.." Feleti chuckled darkly, his sword starting to cut through her shotgun.
Phoenix grunted softly as she struggled to push back. Her hair began to glow, Phoenix beginning to awaken the Philosopher's Stone within her chest out of desperation. She closed her eyes tightly, her arms starting to feel weak.
Feleti heard the doors being kicked opened and he looked back, noticing me walking inside. His eyes shined brightly, his focus now on me. "So you actually showed up. I was getting ready to kill all of your allies.."
Ani quickly hurried to Phoenix's aid, bringing her back to safety with my Love Demons. She watched me and Feleti, her heart breaking at the sight of us now being enemies.
The tension in the air was thick as I stood in the room, my eyes narrowing at the sight before me. Dead alchemists littered the ground, their lifeless bodies a grim testament to the violence that had unfolded. My allies lay scattered around, bruised and battered, their forms protected by my loyal Love Demons.
My fists clenched with fury as I took in the scene. Feleti stood before me, a smirk playing on his lips as he surveyed the chaos he had wrought. The air crackled with animosity as we locked eyes, the weight of our shared history hanging heavily between them.
"I still haven't forgiven you," I spat, my voice laced with venom. "For everything you've done, for all the lives you've destroyed. I want you dead, Feleti. I still hate you for what your side has done to the Tribe!"
Feleti's laughter echoed through the room, a mocking sound that grated on my nerves. "Your words means nothing to me, Shiro," he sneered. "I couldn't care less about your petty grudges."
I began to clench my fists even more, my nails digging into my hands and veins slowly growing on my arms. I let out a bellow and launched myself toward Feleti. Feleti chuckled and launched himself toward me with a wicked smirk on his face.
The air crackled with energy as Feleti and I clashed, our movements fluid and precise as we exchanged blows. Each strike reverberated through the room, the sound of our battle echoing off the walls.
Ardor leaned against the rails on the top floor, watching our battle with her tail swaying with genuine interest in me. She stared at me with a hungry smile and showed no interest in assisting Feleti, her gaze focused solely on me. 'He has gotten a lot stronger than before...very quickly at that..~ He's been harnessing the power of his Crests, hmm..~'
As the battle raged on, emotions ran high between Feleti and I. Years of pent-up anger from Feleti and resentment from me fueled our attacks, each blow carrying the weight of our shared history. Despite our evenly matched skills, neither was willing to back down, our determination driving us forward.
Feleti managed to evade my next strike then swiftly slashed his sword, landing the blow and knocking me toward a pile of metal containers. He chuckled then laughed, stomping his foot down. "Now do you see who's more fit to be Tribal Leader?! It's never going to be you, Shiro!"
"Shiro!" Lustie called out, hurrying toward me and noticed a huge wound on my stomach from Feleti's sword.
Ani watched with wide eyes, her heart thumping hard against her chest. "Pepe...Pepe!"
Feleti felt a massive spike of energy and froze in place. He looked back and noticed red energy flowing around Ani's body, raising an eyebrow. "Her...power level is rapidly rising.."
"Kaua!" Ani screamed, her voice echoing and bouncing off the metal walls of the warehouse and alerting everyone. Ani yelled with anger in her tone, her tribal tattoos shining a deep red as she tapped into Jigoku's Power out of pure rage.
Ani launched herself toward Feleti while in a berserker state and threw a rage filled strike, forcing Feleti to block and he grunted as he was pushed back. For Ani, this battle was personal. She couldn't forgive Feleti for the pain and suffering he had caused her and her tribe. With every strike, she channeled her anger and frustration, her blows landing with a force that spoke of her determination to see justice served.
Feleti tried to recover, but couldn't handle the onslaught of attacks that Ani dished out. He tried to block and evade, but Ani's strikes were beyond unpredictable. 'What the hell..?! When did she unlock his power?! I can't even read her anymore..!'
Ani roared, launching Feleti away with a powerful roundhouse kick. She stomped her foot down, forming an orb of Heavenly Energy in her hand. "Heavenly Explosion!"
Ani let out her Tribal Howl, launching the sphere of energy at Feleti at high speeds. The orb of energy connected, causing a massive explosion and forming intense winds around the warehouse.
Ardor watched with a bit of surprise in her expression. Her tail wagged even more and she chuckled softly. "Hmm..~ Even she's grown stronger..~ That Goddess's Maiden...very interesting.."
The smoke slowly cleared and Feleti was shown still standing, panting heavily. He grunted as he fell onto one knee, sticking his sword into the ground and leaned against it.
"That second wind...was mas que loco..! She got him down on one knee.." Mariana said, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief.
Dante looked at Ani then glanced at Feleti, keeping Mariana safe in case Feleti tried something new. "Yeah...she went berserk.."
Charlotte protected both Eliza and Alice, her gaze focused on Ani and her heart went toward Ani as she could sympathize with her a bit. She looked over at me, noticing me getting up. Naomi watched the scene as she protected a knocked out Chloe, a beads of sweat rolling down her face.
Feleti stood up slowly, holding his side then glanced between Ani and I. He scoffed and closed his eyes. "Pathetic. A random second wind because I hurt your precious boyfriend. You're lucky I didn't kill him...I could've cut him in half like my father did his!"
I glared at Feleti then was about to lunge toward him again for his comment but Lustie stopped me, holding me back. I held Lustie's hands, my emotions still running rampant. "Don't you ever mention my father again, bastard! You don't have the right to even speak about my Tribe!"
"Your Tribe?" Feleti scoffed, shooting a glare at me.
"Yes, bitch! Did I stutter?! You hold no place in my Tribe, not anymore! I hate you! I hate you and your fucking family! I wish your father would die the same fate mine did so you can understand how it feels!" I yelled, tears welling up in my eyes as the thought of my father appeared in my head.
{Golden Tongue Activated (1/10)}
{Desire Manifestation Activated.}
Ardor heard my words then smirked, closing her eyes. She got off the rails then teleported beside Feleti, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, show's over. I've gotten my fill of entertainment..~"
"Also, your wish...will be granted.." Ardor said to me via telepathy.
I stared at Ardor, watching as she teleported away with Feleti. I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh and leaned against Lustie, tears streaming down my cheeks. Lustie smiled at me, gently comforting me then looked over at Ani gesturing for her to come over to us. Ani walked over to us, tears welling up in her eyes as well then she joined in Lustie's embrace.
The mission was now complete, and we had Alice and the new equipment with us. Although my second encounter with Feleti was rough and Karma was beaten by him alone, we all made it out alive. Now all I could think about was Ardor's words about my wish being granted. I didn't know what she was planning, but I tried my hardest to not think too much about it...