Moon-li sat upon her motorcycle, leaning upon the handle bars as she waited for one of her friends to show up at the park they told her to meet her at. Eun-Song sat on the hood of her car, looking out in the distance while blowing bubbles in the air, wondering who they were waiting for.
Mi-sung giggled to herself as she listened to a new release from the Gethsemane Valkyria Girls, catching the vibe of the marching beat. She nodded her head to the song as she watched the choreography, her gaze captured upon the lead artist and dancer.
"Wow, these Gethsemane Valkyrias are incredible! I can see why Kaguya is training everyone so hard now. Their influence, the message in their songs, and the lead behind it all," Mi-sung said with light praise, her shoulders moving up and down as she continued to listen.
Moon-li glanced back at Mi-sung with intrigue, letting out a light hum then exhaled through her nose. "Who's the lead Valkyria? She's gotta be insane if she's making a reach throughout Exzodia."
"Her name is Selene Arcania, and unlike the other Senior Valkyrias and Heroes, she's placed in S Rank," Mi-sung answered, flipping her phone back to vertical and clicked on the RUI app, Randall United of Institutions. "Going through her records, her abilities are the exact same as her ancestor...just refined."
"Arcania..? As in named after the country Stella Bushi once ruled over? She's a Gethsemane Valkyria..?!" Moon-li sputtered, turning her gaze back ahead and exhaled softly. "I'm not gonna lie, I think our Institution is cooked in the Meet.."
"I don't think it's all as one sided as you think, Moon. Hyeon Bae is rather gifted and has access to her Tenth Garden, Qutsade Passover, which is the strongest Tenth Garden in the Yuta Lineage," Eun-Song said, closing her bubble capsule then looked over at Moon-li with a smile. "And that Garden summons The Echo, Ascea."
"Yeah, but what are they going to do to Kuroana? Or, what if Selene has access to her Elonun Form like Stella did and gains access to her judgement abilities? Those two are actually neck and neck," Moon-li asked, shuddering at the endless possibilities of what Selene could do.
Eun-Song chuckled softly at Moon-li's worry and crossed her arms, staring back out into the afternoon sky. "Yeah, but what is an Elonun doing to the literal Echo of Yesha? Now, with The Echo being tied to Nox, Nox does have to be within the same place as Hyeon Bae for Qutsade Passover to work."
"It's a literal triumph card since her Ten Passing Living Gardens' full potential requires Nox's presence. If he's not anywhere he can't reach her, the Tenth Garden remains closed," Eun-Song said, exhaling deeply as she began reflecting upon the information I had given her. "It sounds symbolic, yet I can't help but take it literally."
"Maybe it is literal..? You never really know with Nox, even when he makes things clear it's still confusing sometimes," Mi-sung huffed lightly, tapping her chin gently and tilted her head.
As the three chatted with each other, a black converter parked next to Moon-li, the hum of the engine catching the three girls' attention. The driver side door opened, a male with black and orange hair stepping out of his car and covering his eyes from the sun.
"Just when the relaxing was getting good... Couldn't this wait any other time, Moon-li?" The second man said as he got out of the car, adjusting his sunglasses upon his face and moving strands of his platinum hair from his eyes.
Moon-li leaned back against her motorcycle and scoffed at the two, slipping her phone into her pocket. "Well, with the ACU going crazy now, we need some help out there. Besides, you two are high ranked in St. Goken Academy."
"Hi, Satoshi! Hi, Lei!" Mi-sung greeted with bright smiles and giggled at the two, making her way toward the two men and crossed her arms at them. "Where's Bona? Did she not join you?"
"Nah, she ditched us to go join Dr. Anna in some science projects. Y'know, your forensic, chemist, astrologist, biological scientist?" Satoshi said with a light chuckle, ruffling her hair as she walked by her then looked around the park.
"So, what is the issue here? What did you call us for?" Lei asked, looking over at Moon-li with a raised brow.
Moon-li got off her motorcycle and walked toward Satoshi and Lei with her hands in her jacket pockets. "The girls and I accepted an Odd Job from the Institution's Job Hall, and we bit off more than we can chew. It's an Exorcize Job, meaning there is a Demonic Spirit here."
Satoshi whistled with interest and placed his hands upon the back of his head with a relaxed demeanor, chuckling lightly and keeping his gaze upon the families at the park. "In this peaceful area of Pochon Park? What rank is this Spirit?"
"B Rank based on the reports. It's not a Principality, but a preying foe. This demon specifically preys on men by luring then using a beautiful song and a pleasing appearance," Eun-Song answered, getting off her car and walking to the group.
"A Succubus. So that's why you called us? You need lures and bait," Lei said with disapproval of the idea, glancing at the girls with a questioning gaze.
"I-It's not like that! We know you two are powerful Heroes, that's why we called you. Plus, we called Nox but his line was busy...or more so he didn't answer back," Mi-sung sputtered, waving her hands in front of herself in reassurance.
Lei hummed skeptically at Mi-sung's explanation, placing his hands in his pockets then glanced into the park once more. "Alright, let's just say that is true. We get half of your spoils from the mission if we succeed."
"Wha—" Moon-li began, her words becoming muffled as Eun-Song covered her mouth.
"That's fair! We need all the help we can get!" Eun-Song said with a bright smile, chuckling softly as Moon-li groaned against her hand.
With that, the five set out into the park and began walking the trails of the park, the breeze gently hitting their face with a deceptive peacefulness in the air. The sounds of families laughing and enjoying their weekend filled the air, the sun kissing the ground with her gentle rays, the trees shuffling with the wind to whisper their secrets.
As they travelled deeper into the trails, they noticed a group of college men walking around the trail, laughing and roughhousing with sticks in their hands. Keeping watch of them, they noticed one friend had stopped moving, his attention set on the woods to his left.
"Yo, Soel-na! What are you looking at?" One of his friends called out, noticing his friend had stopped walking.
The other friend followed behind the group leader, wondering what had his friend's full attention. "Yo, dude? You alright?"
"You all don't hear her or see her?" Soel-na asked, pointing into the woods at the beautiful woman in the distance, her alluring songs tugging at his heart.
"You see that, Lei? His buddies can't even see Spirits. The asleep always seem ignorant to the dangers around, yet it's always the awake that get taken first," Satoshi said, watching the scene with his hands in his pockets.
Lei hummed softly and didn't step forward yet, patiently waiting for the proper time to act. "We can't act until she does...shroud your energy so she won't be able to sense us."
Soel-na slowly became more and more attracted to the woman in the woods, his body heating up at the temptations of going to her. His friends tried to snap him out of his trance, but nothing seemed to work. He was trapped in a Ghayin, a spiritual illusion, with no way to escape it.
His friends decided to leave Soel-na where he stood, thinking he had gone insane and continued down the trails without him. Moon-li watched with disgust, scoffing at the two men then returned her gaze upon Soel-na, feeling pity for him.
"Come to me..~ Your friends are here as well..." The Succubus said in a sultry tone, waving her fingers at Soel-na with a seductive giggle.
Soel-na saw the illusions of his friends ravaging the woman's body, indulging in their lustful desires and took an unconscious step forward. Before he could take another step forward, an attractive force pulled him away from the woods by his collar into Satoshi's hand.
The woman grunted softly in surprise, looking ahead to see Moon-li and the others in the distance, her expression shifting into a glare. She let out a scream, unleashing blasts of wind toward them that ripped through the bushes and trees with violent force.
Eun-Song evaded the wind blasts then dashed toward the woman, Super Logos appearing around her body as she warped forward with a spiralling roundhouse kick. The woman blocked the kick with her forearm then thrusted her bladed tail forward to stab Eun-Song's stomach, but Eun-Song caught her tail then spun her around.
"Mi-sung!" Eun-Song called out, launching the succubus with a dragon throw down the trails.
Mi-sung dashed forward as high speeds, catching the succubus with a Spirit Flash, Marvelous Dream awakening her passive ability and applying the damage of Spirit Flash tenfold. The Succubus groaned as she was ragdolled through the forest, her body flailing as Mi-sung rushed her with an onslaught of Spirit Flashes.
The Succubus grunted as she bounced off the ground and onto her feet, roaring as she began amplifying her W Cells in her body, evolving her wind energy into lightning. She let out a powerful scream, discharging streams of lightning around the area.
Lei opened a rift in the air, a stone wyvern rushing out of the rift and circling in front of the girls to block the dreams of lightning. While the stone dragon conducted the electricity, Moon-li somersaulted over the stone dragon toward the succubus and pulverized her with a Burning Hammer, her punch sending the Succubus crashing through multiple trees.
Moon-li rolled forward along the ground and recovered onto her feet, charging forward with her adrenaline pumping as her battlesuit, Burning Crescendo, continued to empower her. "Let's get her!"
As Moon-li chased down the demon through the forest, she noticed she ended up in a public area of the park and glanced around. Searching around for the succubus, she noticed the same two friends who abandoned Soel-na were making their way to a snack stand and grit her teeth.
Suddenly, a woman in a beautiful black dress and a fancy feather hat began to approach the two men, placing her hands upon their backs. The two men spoke with the woman, enjoying her seductive rubs upon their backs and each bought her something to woo her.
Satoshi slid down a hill toward the food stand, propelling himself toward the woman. "Do not give her those offerings! She is a demon!"
The two men looked over at Satoshi, but before they could process his warnings, both men were drained of their energies and possessions of their bodies. They began rushing toward Satoshi with wild punches, each of their strikes stopping before reaching his body.
The woman rose a confused brow, wondering what was going on. "What happened..? Why aren't they hitting you?"
"Oh this? It's just my ability Vaquph. I can infinity add or divide the space between myself and anything I deem a target. That's just one of my abilities, the second revolves around Attraction and Aversion," Satoshi said with a smirk and released a burst of energy that repelled both men into benches on either side.
The succubus scoffed at Satoshi and glared at him. "It's just like that Infinity Council member, Laneret...so she wasn't lying. Nagini did create that ability with Ascea."
She glanced around the park, noticing a few onlookers spectating the scene then adjusted her hat to cover her face. Her lips formed into a deceiving smirk as an idea hatched in her head, the ends of her dress releasing demonic energy and formed tentacle-like appendages on her dress.
One tentacle launched toward a man behind her, piercing his stomach and draining his spiritual energy with quick efficiency. The public in the area began to spiral into chaos and discourse as they rushed to escape the area, the area filled with screams and panic.
"We have to end this quickly or else another casualty will happen!" Moon-li called out, rushing toward the woman and launched a ball of fire toward her.
The woman evaded the fireball and launched a tentacle toward Moon-li, the tentacle barely missing her head and leaving a cut upon Moon-li's cheek. She grit her teeth, phasing through the next onslaught of tentacles then warped ahead with a Blazing Dropkick. She rolled forward and warped into a Flare Kick, catching the woman with a sweep.
The woman launched a blast of wind at the ground and launched herself into the air, raising her dress and allowed a large carnivorous fish to fly out from her dress like a speeding bullet. Not expecting such a vile image, Moon-li froze up as the water based beast flew toward her with the threat of biting her face off.
Eun-Song warped to Moon-li's aid, summoning the Shield of Faith and bashed the fish into the lake in the distance. She landed on the ground and rose her shield, blocking the onslaught of tentacle strikes raining down. "Nngh!!! A water and wind based succubus..?! Is she a corrupted Capricorn Maiden?!"
"It could be, but there's no time to think about that! How are we getting out of this situation?!" Moon-li asked, using her body to keep Eun-Song forward.
Eun-Song began to break out into sweats, her shield cracking as her faith in escaping the dire situation began to wan. She grunted and tried to reinforce her shield, but the Succubus's attacks only grew stronger against her defenses.
"Come out, Mithril Falcon!" Lei called out, opening a silver rift and grunted as the falcon flew out of the rift, the winds pushing him back with recoil.
The falcon shrilled with power, using his wings to slice the tentacles of the woman's dress then spiralled upward into a Crystal Crux, knocking the woman upward. He swooped back down, using his large wings and strike the woman's back with a Crystal Dive and send her crashing into the ground.
The woman rose onto her feet as the smoke cleared, lightning crackling around her body due to her frustration building. She scoffed lightly at the five, the tentacles upon her dress combining into one and shifting to her lower back. She formed multiple wind orbs around her, the orbs orbiting around her body awaiting to be fired.
She tossed off her hat, revealing the face of a Corrupted Valkyria, her black wings stretching out wide with power. "It has been a while since I've been challenged like this...this is getting fun!"
Moon-li grunted as the woman rushed toward her at high speeds, forcing her to block but that woman's tentacle broke through her guard in one strike, opening her for the woman's savage uppercut. Planting a wind orb against her stomach, she sent Moon-li flying through a food stand and into the basketball court.
"It's time we take you down!" Eun-Song roared, launching herself toward the woman and clashed forearms with her, struggling to overpower her strength.
Mi-sung dashed toward the corrupted Valkyria from behind, launching a Spirit Flash at her back which was blocked by her tentacle. "This is a B Rank Mission?! The task seemed easier at first!"
The woman chuckled softly at the two, detonating her wind orbs around her body and launching both Eun-Song and Mi-sung backwards with a violent blast of wind. She turned her gaze over to Satoshi, watching as he placed a blindfold over his eyes with curiosity.
"Man oh man... I've been waiting for a threat like you to show up! These lesser Daemons and Commander Daemons are fun and all, but battling against an actual Valkyria of Darkness? This, this is what I've been training for!" Satoshi said with excitement, stretching his arms and legs and got into his stance.
"Alright, and...go!" Satoshi said, his body becoming a blur as he rushed toward the Valkyria at alarming speeds.
The Valkyria barely blocked the first attack then leaped backwards to create distance, Satoshi closing the gap nearly instantly with a gut blow then sent her flying backwards with a roundhouse kick. He held his hand out toward her, a cerulean energy flying toward her and pulling her back into Satoshi's grip.
He formed an orb of cerulean energy in the palm of his free hand, the orb of energy attracting the nature energy within the park into the orb until it shone a bright nature green. "You have ENA within your system, a rare phenomenon...but so do I, and allow me to show you real Affinity Manipulation!"
Satoshi pressed the orb of energy against the woman's stomach, the orb glowing brightly and within the instant, roots impaled her body coming through her back with her core hanging off an end. He concealed his aura once again, taking off his blindfold and gave Lei a snarky grin.
Lei let out an exhale, placing his hand upon his hip and looking off in the distance. "Always have to show off huh? Well, the battle is done so we can—"
"Not yet..." The Valkyria groaned, grabbing the small aura protecting the space between her and Satoshi's wrist. "I'm not done yet! I need energy!"
Satoshi smirked at the Valkyria, unleashing his aura once again and repelled the Valkyria with immense force. She landed on her feet and let out a ghoulish scream, unleashing streams of lightning from around her body to electrocute Satoshi.
He stood calmly in the face of danger with his eyes closed, the streams of lightning bouncing off his autonomous defenses. He performed a hand seal with one hand, taking a soft breath then exhaled slowly the cells in his body becoming W Cells.
"What is he doing..?" Moon-li asked, walking toward her friends while rubbing the back of her head.
"I don't know, I've never seen such combat before...but he said something about ENA. I don't think we've learned about ENA in biology class yesterday," Eun-Song said, crossing her arms and watching Satoshi with curiosity.
Satoshi chuckled at the girls, hearing their side chatter and opened one of his eyes to look at the Corrupted Valkyria. "ENA is like DNA, but for Affinities. Not everyone possesses ENA which is Elemeribonucleic Acid, a structure only few vessels naturally possess. ENA is the reason she can possess Wind and Water."
"However, that is only Level 1 ENA, manipulating one Affinity Cell into another. On the other hand, wielders of ENA such as me and Lei, ENA can become much more powerful. ENA is a God ordained Biological System originating in Arcania even before Stella Bushi," Satoshi said, enhancing his W Cells into X-W Cells to form weather clouds around his body.
The woman grunted softly at the immense winds that formed, the thunders booming above as rain began to fall abruptly. She glanced up at the sky, her body hesitating for a moment as she realized an Academy Student managed to manipulate the weather.
"What is this..? How can someone like you obtain such powerful ENA?! You should be at my feet, indulging in me!" The Valkyria roared then groaned out in pain as she was struck by a devastating bolt of lightning, her body falling onto her knees then face first.
Satoshi released his hand seal then opened his eyes again, his aura vanishing as the threat was eliminated. As the weather settled again, he heard the sounds of sirens and emergency services heading into the area. "Mission complete."
--------------------------
Yang Ru wandered the streets of Grushia City, her cloak covering her form and Dandelga resting around her shoulders. She scanned the busy streets for a worthy wielder, yet Dandelga was disinterested in any nearby person. The two found themselves at a fast food chain, Yang Ru's stomach growling with light hunger.
Yang Ru reached into her back pocket, taking out her wallet to see how much money she had currently. Inside was a few zodia and some change, most of her money being inside her saving account. Shrugging her shoulders, she made her way inside the restaurant and looked around, noticing three familiar faces at a booth.
Moon-li grunted lightly as she held her arm, shifting in her seat with an expression of discomfort. "Geez...that damn Corrupt Valkyria did some damage to me. Stupid Affinity Disadvantage..."
Satoshi chuckled softly at Moon-li, leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of his soda. "Well, if you mastered your Fire into Plasma, you could've neutralized her Water Affinity, or neutralized it by creating Steam, an Alchemy alternative to ENA."
"Ha, boy bye. You're a little prodigy in your family and get a homegirl who's smart scientifically and think you're Will Nye or someone," Moon-li said, letting out a scoffing laugh and turned her gaze outside the window.
Eun-Song chuckled softly at Moon-li's reaction, shaking her head and turning her gaze over to Satoshi. "She's never really been a science or chemistry type of girl. She's more sentimental than anything these days."
"So not true, we're spreading lies on each other now? If anything, I'd say I'm more mature than what I was a few months ago. But, that Corrupt Valkyria really made me think about something...she could have never really be of us if she's willing to turn her back to join the Kingdom of Darkness," Moon-li said, her eyes shifting to Satoshi and Lei.
Lei crossed one of his legs over the other, moving his bangs from his face with his eyes closed. "And it also shows her the failures of her choices. Women do not become Valkyrias just for fun, and a Valkyria like her is only just a moving piece, not one that will reach the end of the board."
Mi-sung held her arms, her mind constantly reflecting upon the Odd Job and the look of the Valkyria. "She was probably already dead...what we fought was a demon, our first interaction with a demon..."
Yang Ru overheard their conversation as she stared at the menu in front of her, lost in thought as she began reflecting over what she had heard. 'Moon-li and Eun-Song...they fought a demon and it sounds like the girls barely made it out alive..'
Yang Ru listened to the hums of Dandelga, the crystal upon the pommel of his blade glowing with high interest in Moon-li. She glanced behind her with a curious gaze, her eyes locking onto Moon-li. 'Moon-li?You want to choose her because of her Battlesuit, Blazing Crescendo? I suppose I can give her a test run...'
Yang Ru ordered her food and began to find a seat close to the Academy students, taking a seat and raising her hood over her head. She set Dandelga next to her purposely in view of Moon-li, leaning back in her seat and taking a bite of her chicken nugget.
"So what happens now? We should probably visit Pochon Hospital for Soel-na and the father that demon had nearly killed. It's by God's Grace that man survived," Moon-li said, taking a sip of her soda and looking around the table for suggestions.
Lei hummed softly as he checked his phone, going over the GER Stats, Goken Extraction Reports, on his screen and let out a deep exhale. "Something's off. The Valkyria that we defeated wasn't extracted from the park and the Extraction Team is saying she's not there."
Satoshi set down his cup and looked at Lei with a raised brow. "You're saying my Thunder's Arbiter didn't work against her, even though it was super effective damage?"
Lei shook his head and read over the reports he had received, clearing his throat lightly. "The Valkyria we are dealing with seems to be smarter than we imagined...I should've known there was a reason why the Administration didn't check off the job. It's not complete, she's still alive."
"Even without a core?" Eun-Song asked, vividly remember seeing Satoshi remove her core with his nature orb.
"This Valkyria might be similar to Nox's Monster Daughters, a Special Grade. You'd need Special Grade abilities or a Special Grade weapon to beat an SG Tier enemy. Special Grades have multiple cores," Lei revealed, looking up from his phone with a serious expression.
Satoshi groaned softly and leaned back against the seat, looking up at the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. "Geez, as if the weekend couldn't get any more chaotic. This was supposed to be an easy exorcize and leave mission."
"If she isn't at the park, where is she?" Eun-Song asked, leaning against the table with a gaze that demanded answers.
As Lei prepared his answer, the bell on the top of the door chimed, a beautiful woman with blonde and blue hair walking into the restaurant. Her cool blue eyes scanned the store, her full lips curling into a smirk as her gaze landed upon the Academy students.
Yang Ru stared at the woman, watching her every move closely like a bird watching from above. She recognized the woman, the lustful energy radiating from her body unmistakable. 'Dahlia...you're here as well. So you're posing as a Valkyria huh..?'
Dahlia made her way to the front counter as any other would, placing an order and recieving her food. She began making her way to the table behind Moon-li and her friends, taking a seat and listening in on their conversation while enjoying her meal.
"No one knows where she is, but the Administration said if they can't find her within the next 11 hours, they'll just mark the mission as complete. If anything, she's probably just hiding taken Thunder's Arbiter is a weather scale attack," Lei said, turning off his phone and setting it down on the table.
"I suppose, but aren't you guys concerned just a little bit? A B Rank Demon survived your attack," Moon-li said with slight concern, wondering why Satoshi and Lei didn't seem concerned.
"Because we know that the information on the job is a lie, and the only reasons they are willing to mark it as complete is to have us feel better. But here's the catch they don't tell you, you have to physically report to their office the next day," Satoshi said, leaning back in his chair to stretch.
"And if you don't report, they mark it as a failure and MIA. They will classify you as dead. If they have an Exorcize Mission at a B Rank, it's usually a trap and the threat is S Rank or above like SG," Lei added, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh.
"What..? Does Miss Kaguya know about this?" Eun-Song asked, caught in disbelief over the truth of the Job Administration's listings.
"The Job Administration is owned by Cho Jin-Hyan, so no she has no clue about how they run their business...and it's no different than how Esoria runs their businesses. It's like the Lord said in The Biblos, 'My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge'," Lei answered, shaking his head slowly.
Dahlia hummed softly as everything was going according to how Merin had planned it, keeping Kaguya in the dark about every move. 'Merin is so smart...if we keep Kaguya in the dark about everything she nor her students will know what to do next...'
"Time to make my move..." She muttered under her breath, crumbling her burger wrapper and stood up from her seat. "This time...I will strike you down.."
Dahlia released pheromones from her body, a light pink aura floating toward Satoshi to influence him with lust, but the invisible aura around his body blocked the aura as it deemed it a threat. She grit her teeth slightly, her body freezing as she noticed Satoshi chuckle.
"I had a feeling that you'd be behind us, and it's a wonder how you found us to begin with. I doubt you were just wandering and happened to find us," Satoshi said, glancing at Dahlia from over his shoulder with a smirk.
Dahlia sucked her teeth, knowing her first plan wouldn't work then she just went for a chop against his neck. "You thought you had me defeated huh?! You interrupted my plans earlier, now you pay your dues!"
Satoshi's aura blocked her attack, leaving her more frustrated than before. As the tensions rose, Mi-sung and Eun-Song began warning the citizens within the restaurant to leave the area as the battle commenced. Chaos filled the stores as Dahlia began her attack upon the five, phase two of the Odd Job beginning.
Dahlia dodged Satoshi's strike then dispersed into a swarm of moths and reformed behind him, launching a punch at his back which his aura blocked. 'There has to be a way to bypass his Vaquph..! He can't just—'
Before she could finish her thought, Eun-Song rushed into action with a clothesline, sending Dahlia to the ground and having to use a nearby table to keep herself on her feet. As Dahlia recovered, Eun-Song went for the stomp on her head but Dahlia rose up quickly with a stunning kick to her jaw.
Mi-sung charged into battle with a leaping roundhouse, but Dahlia phased through the attack and countered with an elbow to her back. Mi-sung released a pulse of energy, blocking Dahlia's elbow and knocking her off balance then clapped her hands together, releasing a high frequency sound waves.
Dahlia grunted in pain from the frequency, holding her head her skin began crawling over the healing frequencies. She let out a roar, blasting Mi-sung across the lobby with a blast of powerful winds. Mi-sung grunted as her back hit the counter, her body giving out into both knees.
Dahlia turned to look at Moon-li, noticing her standing in the distance in slight fear and still tired from her earlier fight. She taunted her with a smirk and tilted her head. "What's the matter? All of that fight from you earlier is no more? Didn't Noxius teach you to be brave?"
Moon-li clenched her teeth, shooting daggers at Dahlia and balled her hands tightly. "How do you know what I went through and secondly, how the hell do you know Nox?"
"You weren't there for St. Meishi's Judgement, but I was and I can tell you that even he has a matter of time but you...I can tell he has nothing planned for you. Eun-Song recieved the full armor of God with Super Logos, Mi-sung was spiritually awakened via Nox's Sovereign Butterfly, but you? The heart of the trio? Left with nothing," Dahlia sneered, chuckling as she watched Moon-li flare up with anger.
"Blazing Crescendo only does so much, taken it was the Battlesuit of Dandelga's wife, Vesta. Without the Ignis Halcyon, Blazing Crescendo is useless...only a buffer Battlesuit that only goes so far," Dahlia laughed, taunting Moon-li with petty and childish faces.
Moon-li scoffed at Dahlia, having no real way of disproving her claims and began searching around the store for anything that could help her stand against Dahlia. Her gaze fell upon Dandelga, his blade glowing brightly as if to respond her to look of passion and desperation.
"I am but a tool forged in heavenly fires by YWHW, I am a partner...a chosen vessel for the perfect Valkyria such as my wife. Make me your blade, and remember to not make my power your god,"
Moon-li could actually hear Dandelga's inviting tone, her attention captured upon his regal and majestic color. As if Yesha had immediately answered her silent prayers, Yang Ru offered Dandelga to her with a simple gaze.
Moon-li gulped lightly then turned her gaze back toward Dahlia, grabbing a chair next to her and launching it toward Dahlia as a distraction. Dahlia swiped the chair away, noticing Moon-li rushing toward Dandelga and gasped in horror.
"I don't know who you are, but if you're that Valkyria from earlier, I'll make sure you don't rise back up!" Moon-li roared, slashing downward toward Dahlia and releasing a blazing cutting wave toward her.
Dahlia surrounded her body in water energy to block the fiery wave, but upon contact with her aura the cutting wave immediately evaporated the water into steam. Her eyes widened in disbelief for a moment, yet she couldn't remain in awe for too much longer as Moon-li charged toward her with renewed resolve.
Moon-li's battlesuit began to glow brightly, fiery wings sprouting from her back and the roar of Dandelga's blade filled the store. She swung her sword in a wide angle, crashing her blade against Dahlia's side and sending her crashing through the window.
Eun-Song stared at Moon-li in slight awe, her eyes sparkling with amazement at her new Valkyria Form. "Moon..."
Satoshi chuckled softly at Moon-li, crossing his arms then turned his gaze toward where Yang Ru once sat only to see she was now missing. "It's strange how she was placed here at the right time, just when our real target is exposed."
Lei looked down at his phone, noticing the Odd Job description had updated from exorcizing Dahlia to prepare the way for help. "What..? Prepare the way? This doesn't sound like a Administration Command. Is it saying that we can't beat this woman?"
Moon-li looked down at Dandelga in her hand, feeling his heat pulsing around her arm in comfort then looked outside with determination. "There's really only one person here in Exzodia you'd prepare the way for. Come on, we have a city to protect!"
Dahlia grunted softly as she healed her side, the wound slowly closing as the dark magic she used could barely override the purifying flames of Dandelga. Suddenly, Moon-li warped in front of Dahlia with a passionate swing of her blade, Dahlia gasping and barely evading the killing blow.
She leaped backwards and summoned her halberd, twirling it around and defending attacks from Moon-li with a mix of calculation and desperation. She parried Moon-li's Blazing Rise then blasted her backwards with a burst of wind, using another burst to propel herself away from her.
"You're not getting away so easily!" Eun-Song bellowed, surging toward Dahlia at high speeds and struck her jaw with a hook punch to send her spinning in the air.
Eun-Song warped in front of Dahlia with an axe kick, sending her crashing to the ground the warped onto ground level for a Spirit Flash which Dahlia luckily blocked with her forearm. She grunted as she slid along the ground, her hairs on the back of her head standing as she sensed Mi-sung behind her.
Mi-sung gave her a chilling look as she surrounded her hand in Spirit Energy, landing a clean spinal blow upon Dahlia, Marvelous Dream boosting her attack tenfold and leaving her staggered. Mi-sung struck her back with a Dagrax Blow, a second pulse strike staggering her once more.
In the distance, a Tribal Howl echoed through the city block, a tribal figure rushing forward at high speeds with a Destiny Flash to send Dahlia down the street. The three girls all stared at the Tribal Leader, Claudio standing tall and answering the call that was given to him.
"Claudio? Nox isn't coming?" Eun-Song asked, looking at him with slight confusion.
Claudio chuckled softly and rolled his shoulder, shifting his attention to Dahlia down the street. "Dahlia is Esorian and I told Nox to leave anything Nigoku and Esorian to me. Besides, if anyone is gonna change her as she is now...it's me. I worked with her, so I know how she thinks."
"Change her? She can not be saved! She's had her mind made up!" Moon-li said, pointing Dandelga at Claudio in protest.
"I did too, and that's why if anyone's testimony will change her, it's mine. No one is too far gone from the Father, the Son, nor the Holy Spirit. If I can be saved, someone once with an Anti-Ascea Spirit, Dahlia can be too. She's dead now, but there's only one man that can give her Life," Claudio said, walking toward Dahlia and rolling his neck with holy ambition.
Mi-sung watched as Claudio marched down the street, his testimony moving her Spirit and strengthening her resolve that anyone could be saved. "This is Destiny's Chosen? The guy everyone said to look out for? I really wonder what Nox could've said that changed him..."
'He didn't do anything extraordinary, and that is what stirs me. He led me and moved aside, that's what real kings on Earth do. Now, I walk into the darkness to shine God's light,' Claudio thought to himself, transforming into his Super Form as he approached Dahlia.
Dahlia looked ahead at Claudio and noticed the seriousness in his gaze, knowing that he had betrayed the Kingdom of Darkness. "You traitor! How dare you leave us!"
Dahlia roared, lunging toward Claudio with a claw strike but Claudio autonomously dodged her attack then phased through her roundhouse kick. He blocked her punch with the back of his hand then parried her kick with his leg, keeping up masterfully with each of her wild strikes.
He leaped backwards and stayed on the defensive, watching each of Dahlia's attacks with a cerebral gaze, the words of Genesis leading each of his steps, the Extension Angel never leading him astray in his safety. Upon her next strike, he parried her arm down then ducked under the slash of her halberd.
'What is this..? He's moving increasingly better than before. Does he have access to Tengoku still..? That silver and crimson aura around him makes no sense!' Dahlia thought to herself, taking a step back and twirling her spear once again then thrusted forward at light speeds.
Claudio grunted as his shoulder was pierced, this his lips curled into a smirk, the illusion vanishing and the real Claudio stood behind Dahlia with his hand into his pocket. "You think because I abandoned Tengoku and Jigoku to follow Yesha that I lose the positive aspects of humanity? I still retain my Talent, Charisma, Passion, Empathy, and mainly...my Ambition."
"Following Yesha didn't erase who I was, but only reveal the truth of my identity hidden within me, drowned away by the lies I was fed. That's you, Dahlia. You may be Esorian, but you do not have to follow the false teachings. You think Merin is the highest order? Nigoku? Momoji? None of them holds a candle to the One True God," Claudio continued, turning around to face Dahlia directly.
Dahlia quickly pivoted around into a slash, an invisible force blocking his attack and causing her to recoil in shock. "Why should I worship a God that punishes me for being who I am? Punish me for living how I want? I don't want to serve a Monster!"
"How ironic that you serve one right now! What could be similar between a Father who loves you unconditionally disciplining you and a dictator feeding off your energy and sees you as disposable? Wake up, Dahlia! Merin is using you!" Claudio exclaimed, watching as Dahlia took a few step backwards with disdain ridden on her face.
"Using me? No, God uses me and decides to punish me when things make no sense! What God sends His people to damnation if He loves them so much? At least when Merin tells me he loves me, he shows it with actual love, not another test!" Dahlia argued, clenching her halberd tightly in her hand.
Claudio smirked at Dahlia's statement, his ears ringing as they tried to block out the nonsense she was speaking. Yet, he completely understood where she came from as he once believed in the same lies she does. "Sin doesn't send you to Hell. Your works don't send you to Hell. Your unbelief in Christ is what sends you to Hell. You send yourself there."
"Sin becomes your teacher if you let it. You have the choice to choose the Tree of Life or the Tree of Death, even Rebecca, the Elonun of Death bears fruits of Life because not even she who has authority over Death through Yesha eats from a poisonous tree willingly," Claudio said, walking closer to Dahlia with a calm expression.
"Foreknowledge doesn't mean causation. God knows the final picture, but He doesn't force you to take it...yet His Will is already done. His chosen people are those who will inherit Eternal Life, and those who say they were with us and leave us were never really of us, and they will inherit Eternal Death," Claudio added, stopping in front of Dahlia and looking into her beautiful yet scornful eyes.
Dahlia smirked at Claudio, lowering her weapon and exhaling softly and put on a soft gaze. "I see...that is kinda eye opening. I never really thought of it like that..."
Claudio stared at Dahlia, unable to tell if she was being sincere or not and Genesis's voice did not whisper to him. He was in the wilderness now, a test of Discernment now upon him. "It is, Yesha didn't just die for the mainlands but for the entire world. Even ours. The walk isn't easy, but if you put your trust in Him fully, you can make it to the end."
"Yeah, I hear you..." Dahlia said, a wicked grin spreading across her face as two tentacles grappled upon his arms and binding him down. "If you truly believe that, let's see how far your conviction goes!"
"Claudio!" Mi-sung called out, rushing toward him without a second thought but a blast of wind knocked her back on the ground. She looked ahead, noticing a third tentacle wrapping around Claudio's mouth to keep him quiet. "Claudio! Let him go now!"
Dahlia watched as the Valkyrias watched helplessly as she restrained Claudio onto the ground, looking down at Claudio as she began to use her tentacles to drain his energy. "Where is your Echo? Where is your Exzodian Lord?! If he truly Echoes Yesha, he should be coming through for your immediate rescue lest he is a liar!"
Claudio tried to use his Golden Tongue ability through the tentacles, but the thick flesh of the appendage muffled his voice and the slimy substance upon the tentacle neutralized his aura. He knew the dangers of going out alone on this specific task, watching in real time as Dahlia's resolve was strengthened by God in her stance against Him.
Dahlia watched as Claudio grew weaker and weaker, her lips curling into a wider smile with delight as she saw the end of Claudio's resilience. Just as Claudio fell weak, she began to slowly release him and reached out to grab him, only to be surprised by a Destiny Rise, Claudio's uppercut landing beautifully against her chin.
Claudio rose to his feet and let out his Tribal Howl, his Holy Fire surging powerfully against his chest and the flames pushing out the corruption Dahlia placed within him. "Hmph...so it seems my first plan didn't work. You're truly stuck in your resolve that you don't understand Terminus has taken on an old name again in Nigoku."
"Merin is the False Messiah and Nigoku is the Beast, this is what it's all come down to. And while the real Anti-Ascea won't appear until Nox has passed...we can defeat the Beast of Exzodia for then can Yesha defeat and end the war once and for all," Claudio said, looking down at the ground and exhaled softly.
Dahlia held her chin as she stared at Claudio, not understanding how he managed to trick her when she had him fooled initially. As she searched for answers, she could faintly see the image of one of my Sovereign Butterflies resting upon his head, not even he being able to see the works of the Yaonun, the Hand of God.
"Whatever you say, Tribal Fraud. This isn't over...and be lucky our target isn't you. We're here for your Lord. Operation: Samson is already in play...I may be bothersome, but my sister is who will cause your Exzodian Savior to fall!" Dahlia laughed, walking backwards and retreating into a dark portal.
Claudio began to wonder what their plan was and what Dahlia's sister had in store, but instead of getting the time to think, he heard the sounds of cheers coming from the citizens who witnessed the heroism from the Valkyrias and Claudio. As he glanced around the scene, he thought just for this once, he'd soak in the spoils of his reward before moving forward.