{Date: 10/15 - Saturday}
{Time: 2:55 PM}
The Black Cerebral and I rushed around the vast forest, our blades clashing and ringing out through the entire forest. While we were in a ferocious duel to the end, Orika, Yusa, and Charlotte cleared the area of the Judged Angels, ridding any distractions from the battle.
The Black Cerebral evaded my next slash, kicking me back then performed a hand seal, a houndish smirk stretching upon her lips. "Come out, Black Tiger!"
Suddenly, large amounts of Death Energy began to form in front of the Black Cerebral, taking shape into the form of a black fur tiger with menacing orange stripes. The tiger growled lowly at me, taking upon a pounce stance to get ready to strike.
'What the hell..? That isn't a Fell Beast... that's...' I began mentally, caught off guard by the Black Tiger that stood before me.
"As the last of the Nomura side of the family, you are the only one who now possesses the Nomura Technique: Ten Passing Shadow Gardens," The Black Cerebral said, fixing her posture and walked forward to stand next to her Black Tiger.
"This Technique is boosted by your Vow of Death, giving you complete command of the Ten Grim Beasts of Passings. With this technique, I'm unstoppable and there's nothing stopping me from finally corrupting you...and taking your body completely!" The Black Cerebral laughed maniacally, her eyes glowing with growing insanity.
"Then after I take over your body, I'll start by killing those traitors...then the Commander, then from there I'll only grow stronger. And stronger. I don't need anyone if I'm the strongest!" She continued, giggling and hugging herself, digging her nails into her skin.
"To think this is Hisumi's inner mind. Yet...not once did she ever mention hurting us," Charlotte said, putting her hat back on and dusting herself off.
"That's only because we're not directly in her way or a real threat to her. Seeing this part of Hisumi does hurt me, but...this is the broken part of her," Yusa said, her white lance disappearing as she watched the scene.
I watched as the Black Cerebral began to grow more insane by the second, feeling the volatility of her energy. 'Just using the technique still haunts us...but it's only because we haven't tamed any of the beasts they forced into my body.'
"I understand your pain, Cerebral. You are me after all and I am you, but this is not how I want to get my revenge! Like Cherry told me before, there's no way we can fulfill that goal, not as we are, and not alone!" I said, standing strong as I spoke and met her gaze directly.
The Black Cerebral growled lowly at me, her eyes sharing the same predatory gaze as the Black Tiger. "That's because you're too weak..."
"Or maybe you're too blinded by hatred to see. We barely survived the attack against the Templar and that was my true eye opener that Cherry was right. But we can change that if we can work together. We can get revenge the right way," I retorted, my tone absolute and filled with determination.
The Black Cerebral chuckled softly, closing her eyes then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She stepped away from her Black Tiger, taking off her cloak and letting it flow in the wind.
She held her hand out, turning the Black Tiger into Spirit Energy, the energy entering her body then a Tiger Sigil began glowing on her chest. She took on a martial arts stance, opening her eyes and meeting my gaze directly. "There's only one way this can end...and there can only be one winner."
I sheathed my katana, red energy flowing around my body as I shifted my Valkyrie Type into Attack Type. I took a deep breath as well, my exhale slow and steady as I cleared my Mind and Heart. "You're right, there can only be one winner and that winner is me."
The Black Cerebral watched my movements carefully, studying my body language to predict how I would move. I studied the Black Cerebral as well, keeping my expression neutral to mask my intentions. As we stood off against one another, a leaf began descending to the ground.
Once the leaf landed on the ground, the Black Cerebral vanished at near invisible speeds, appearing in front of me with a powerful Tiger Fist. I swiftly blocked the attack perfectly, a pulse of energy repelling her back.
The two of us began moving around at high speeds, clashing and swiftly evading each other's attacks. The two of us moved like blurs of light and darkness, each clash sending shockwaves around the forest.
Charlotte whistled, holding onto her hat as the winds began picking up from our battle. "Wooo! Now this is a battle! I haven't seen such movements since Shiro fought against the Syndicates 20 years ago!"
'Rush! Rush! Rush! You've got this Hisumi!' Yusa cheered mentally, watching our high speed clashing with anticipation.
"I can't keep up...they're moving too fast for me to see..!" Orika exclaimed, shielding herself from the powerful winds.
Genesis watched as I clashed with the Black Cerebral, knowing how much weaker Orika was than me and the Black Cerebral. "Don't worry about sight, Orika. Let me be your Mind! Just wait a bit longer...wait for the moment to strike!"
I evaded the Black Cerebral's next strike, flipping backwards then sprang myself toward a tree branch, landing on the top of it. I launched myself toward her, surrounding my hand with powerful light blue lightning.
The Black Cerebral watched me with sadistic excitement, dashing forward, surrounding her hand with death energy. "Phantasma: Ruin Tigress Roar!"
"Valkyrie Arts: Raikiri!" I bellowed, the lightning around my hand flashing white for a split second.
The two of us clashed once more, waves of powerful energies surging all around us. We let out a battle cry, the two of us in a challenge of strength to overpower one another. Our auras began to shine brightly, a powerful shockwave knocking the both of us away due to being equally matched.
"Orika, now!" Genesis commanded, holding her hand out toward the Black Cerebral.
Orika let out a yell, hurling a perfect Soul Blast toward the Black Cerebral, the snowball striking her face and detonating into an icy explosion. The Black Cerebral grunted softly from the explosion, part of her cheek becoming covered in frost.
She turned her head slightly, glancing at Orika with an annoyed expression. "So the Snow Bunny wants to play... alright, let's go for a hunt..."
Orika shivered slightly at her words, now the primary target of the Black Cerebral. "Shit..." She squeaked, her body emitting an even chillier aura than before.
"Don't panic! Remember I'm your eyes, all you have to do is follow me!" Genesis said, hovering beside Orika like a Guardian Spirit.
The Black Cerebral grinned at Orika, smelling the fear radiating from her body. Leaning forward, her body flickered in and out of view, using a burst of raw speed to appear in front of Orika.
"Start evading!" Genesis yelled, moving out of the way of the Black Cerebral's wild Tiger Style strikes.
Orika began evading and sliding out of the way of the Black Cerebral, hastily getting up after every slip to evade her strikes. Her heart began racing quickly, her fight or flight response awakening, tears of fear and determination to survive forming in her eyes.
"I've got you little bunny, the game is over future Diamond Storm..~" The Black Cerebral sang in a chilling tone, looming over Orika like the Grim Reaper.
Suddenly, waves of memories began flashing before Orika's eyes, her heart stopping in the presence of the Black Cerebral. The icy winds began whispering to her, her skin growing more cold by the second.
"You can't die..."
"You can't die..."
"Won't die..."
The Black Cerebral went for a heart stopping Tiger Fist, but her fist began to become covered in frost rapidly, slowing down her momentum greatly. Her eyes widened slightly, noticing her arm covered entirely in frost.
Yusa looked amazed at Orika, noticing she had unconsciously entered Burst Mode out of fear. 'She's not even conscious...yet her body reacted to her attack. Wait...'
The Black Cerebral grunted as an icy force struck her with a Spirit Flash, snowflakes sparkling around the area, the impact of the strike sending the Black Cerebral crashing backwards. Trails of ice followed her body, stopping once she crashed into a tree.
Orika opened her eyes slowly, her eyes faintly glowing an icy blue, her skin as pale as a snow princess, her aura was a chilling snowy white, beautiful snowflakes sprinkling down around her. Behind Orika was her Valkyrie, a gentle yet dangerous Ice Maiden, a Spirit known for her Snow Prowess.
"Is that...Yuki-Onna..?" Charlotte asked in awe, admiring Orika's Burst Mode, her body shivering due to the rapid decrease in temperature.
"It is..." Yusa marvelled, stepping closer to Orika as she witnessed her first Burst Mode awakening.
I couldn't help but to admire Orika, my eyes unable to leave her chilling beauty. I stood up straight, feeling my heart beating harder for her.
"Release..." The Black Cerebral said softly, causing the Black Tiger to exit her body and return to the 5th Passing Shadow Garden.
Orika looked at her hands, feeling her Spirit Energy flowing all around her body. She couldn't believe the fact that she had awakened her Spirit Energy into Burst Mode, her mind racing with thoughts on how to process this moment.
"Such a weak little prick... Weaklings disgust me! You don't deserve the power you were gifted! I'm ending this right now...even if it kills me in the process, I'm taking the Vow of Death with me!" The Black Cerebral roared, her hair becoming more frenzy and wild similar to her mental state.
I noticed the Black Cerebral perform a hand seal, my heart thumping at the recognition of the seal. "Cerebral! Don't do it! Don't summon her!"
"From the void of the Ten Gardens, I call upon thee, O Aermyth, Bringer of Death's will, Guardian of the White Veil. With this offering of my essence, I summon thee to rend the veil of fate!" The Black Cerebral chanted, her voice echoing out around the forest.
Silence followed her chant, the wind howling it's final warnings before most of all of the Death Energy within the Black Cerebral escaped her. The sphere of Death Energy began to float in the air, taking shape into a dragon, manifesting into a beautiful white dragon with a silver underbelly.
Aermyth landed on the ground, her heavy body causing the ground to shake lightly. All of us looked at the mighty dragon before us, the strongest of the untamed beasts of the gardens, Aermyth.
"No way...that's the dragon Shiro defeated 20 years ago. It's back...?" Charlotte questioned with disbelief, seeing one of Earth's greatest threats resurfaced in front of her.
The Black Cerebral panted softly, chuckling lowly as she looked at Aermyth. "This is it...your doom. Try defeating this Monst—"
Aermyth used her tail to swipe the Black Cerebral with vicious force, sending her body ripping across the forest into a lake. She turned toward me, Orika, Yusa, and Charlotte, letting out a hostile roar.
"Now that Aermyth is loose...we have no choice but to stop her before she causes any mayhem! We can't sit by and watch anymore! We finish this now!" Yusa commanded, summoning both of her lances and got ready to battle.
Charlotte nodded, adjusting her hat and readied herself for combat against the dragon. "Yeesh...all in day one. I wonder what other surprises we have in store..~"
I stood beside Orika, looking up at Aermyth with determination, but a hint of fear lingered within as Aermyth was not only the strongest of the ten Grim Beasts but the most dangerous. Suddenly, I felt a hand grab mine, breaking me out of my thoughts for a moment.
"No matter what happens...just know I'm always right next to you," Orika promised, looking up at me with a soft smile.
I met her gaze, a soft smile playing on my lips as well. "Thank you...and the same goes for me. Now let's defeat Aermyth, together."
{Warning! Warning! S Rank Threat nearby!}
{New Objective: Defeat Aermyth and Cerebral!}
Aermyth let out a powerful roar, summoning bolts of lightning to rain down upon us. Yusa rushed forward, using her black lance as a lightning rod, attracting each bolt of lightning to her point. Each bolt began to convert into Death Energy, entering Yusa's lance and powering it up.
Charlotte ran forward, using the trees to elevate herself into the air. She used her aura to summon her katana, slashing down upon Aermyth's head, the blade crashing down upon her scaly dome. Aermyth growled lowly, her eyes glowing brightly with power as she resisted Charlotte's attack.
With a powerful roar, she spread her wings wide, summoning a blast of cold wind to knock Charlotte back down to the ground. Charlotte swiftly recovered then heard a sniper fire, a platinum bullet ripping through the skies at top speeds, striking Aermyth and piercing her scales.
Charlotte turned around, her eyes slightly widening as she noticed her Agents had arrived on the scene to assist us against Aermyth. "Alice? Wendy! Eliza! Rhea!? What the hell are you all doing here?!"
Alice, clad in her black suit and tie, stood up from her position, walking forward with her bolt sniper in tow. "You cancelled on us, so we knew you were in some deep shit and looking at it...Yep, you're in some very deep shit."
"Are you serious? This behemoth is back after 20 years? I thought this dragon died with the Syndicates..." Eliza sighed softly, hunching over in exasperation. "We're supposed to be on vacation...not battling against Aermyth for a second time."
Rhea chuckled softly at Eliza, adjusting her brown hat then placed her hand on the handle of her katana. "Could be worse...we could be fighting against Lotus again, and we all know that the only one immune to his alchemy is Shiro."
Alice, Wendy, and Eliza agreed with her statement, nodding their heads and murmuring amongst one another. The moment of levity was suddenly interrupted by Aermyth's roar, her body glowing red with wrath then she began firing large fireballs from her mouth.
"Leave this to me!" Wendy called out, dashing forward, her inhibitor bracelets shining brightly with power as she began to awaken her energy points within.
Using a burst of wind, she propelled herself in the air, weaving her arms to create a powerful whirlwind in the air to block the fireballs. Aermyth noticed the whirlwind, her gaze meeting Wendy's with competition. She took a deep breath, black flames escaping the corners of her mouth then she began breathing out powerful black flames.
Wendy grunted heavily as the black flames began overpowering her wind energy, corrupting them and causing them to become toxic fumes. Wendy held her breath, preventing herself from breathing in the fumes, but the black flames continued to weaken her guard.
Suddenly, a burst of life energy began to rise to the sky, purifying the winds and rejuvenating Wendy's energy. Wendy looked down, noticing Yusa in her Burst Mode, an appreciative smile curling on her lips.
"Gale Arts: Dragon's Scream!" Wendy bellowed, thrusting her hand forward against the whirlwind, causing a powerful force of wind to blast away the black flames and knock Aermyth back.
The recoil of her attack sent Wendy crashing to the ground at high speeds, but Eliza used her blood magic to construct a platform for Wendy to safely land on. Wendy let out a relieved exhale and panted softly as she revelled in her safety.
Orika and I were in awe of their ability to deal with Aermyth the way they did, but we were more amazed by Aermyth's strength. Aermyth's ability to withstand and deal with multiple S Ranks was truly terrifying, a beast that made me doubt my ability to tame the beast within Ten Passing Shadow Gardens.
The Black Cerebral laughed lowly, walking forward with her eyes glowing in the shadows like a hellhound. Her sights were immediately set on only me, not caring about the other combatants. "Cerebral Hounds, arise!"
The Black Cerebral let out a howl, using the rest of her reserves to summon four hounds at her side. She walked forward, her body shifting into her true form, the leader of pack of hounds, the Black Hound.
I noticed Cerebral and her hounds in the distance, hearing their howls of unison. Immediately, I got ready for battle and readied my katana, lightning crackling around my body powerfully. "Orika! Genesis! Let's go!"
"Right!" Orika nodded, readying herself for the last stand ahead against the Black Cerebral.
Genesis hovered between me and Orika, readying her harp and began strumming a melody, using her Spirit Energy to boost our attributes. "Charge!"
With a battle cry, Orika and I charged forward toward the Cerebral Hounds, Cerebral and her hounds charging in as well. Cerebral pounced forward, shifting back into her human form and slashed down at me with her scythe, but I quickly intercepted with my katana.
We all clashed against one another, the battle total chaos as it was a five against three, the sheer numbers of the Grim Beasts overwhelming both me and Orika at the moment. Cerebral and I clashed rapidly, our battle reaching new heights in intensity.
Orika continued to evade the other Hounds, countering each one with calculated strikes. She looked around herself noticing she was surrounded by each Hound. "I won't disappoint my Soulmate! Yuki-Onna, send them flying!"
Orika's Valkyrie responded to her, the Ice Maiden spreading out her arms and let out a chilling scream, summoning a powerful blizzard around the area. The Hounds yelped at Yuki-Onna's overwhelming power, their bodies becoming encased in ice and freezing them solid.
Cerebral noticed her hounds were frozen solid by Orika, an impressed expression flashing on her face. 'She dealt with them that easily..?!'
I rushed forward while Cerebral was momentarily distracted, landing a Quick Attack upon her then began rushing her with a barrage of strikes. Upon my last strike, I landed a thunderous uppercut upon her chin, knocking her in the air.
Aermyth flew higher in the air, evading the strikes of Charlotte and her Agents, firing shards of ice toward them. Yusa bellowed, manifesting her wings and flew on the air, her unrivalled Spirit Energy breaking through the volley of ice shards.
"It's pointless to think you can tame me! Once I strike you down, you'll be one with the garden and have no choice but to fall in my line!" Cerebral snarled, releasing her Hounds to regain her Death Energy to manifest a single black wing.
"That's what you believe, but if I can tame you...That proves I have the potential to tame the rest of the Gardens and fully realize my technique! Once I tame all of you, we all can bring justice upon Judgement once and for all!" I retorted, casting aside the rest of my self doubts, awakening my Valkyrie Form and manifested my wings of lightning.
It was time, the last phase against the Black Cerebral and Aermyth. The battle now took place in the skies with me and my mother teaming up against two of our greatest opponents respectively. It was all or nothing, everything rode on this moment, it was now life or death.