She was royally pissed off that these creatures made her Aqua cry and resort to something she feared, and what made her even angrier was the fact that she was unable to do anything about it.
She woke up alive, despite failing her duty.
With Aqua, she attempted to preserve her calm demeanour, especially after finally claiming the beauty that was Aqua for herself, yet the fact that something dared make Aqua cry demanded immediate retribution.
Azure stepped in front of the black pool, its form twisting, and the smell of rot making her face contort in disgust.
Her fingers wrapped around [Sun's Vengeance]. Her green eyes peered at the filth that inflicted harm on what she loved.
"Come, you disgusting filth. Let me show you why I am not to be fucked with!" she shouted, her voice making the pool still.
Soon, it stirred, erupting into a geyser as it sensed the tasty morsel that was Azure.
Azure took a defensive stance, readying herself for the confrontation with the rotten monsters.
However, instead of an army, the rot sensed its own weakness. An army of small soldiers would quickly be defeated. Instead, it would form one large monstrosity.
The geyser coalesced into an amalgamation of a dozen rotten creatures.
Azure's necklace shone, drawing Azure's attention. She couldn't help but smile; even Aqua's gift had returned to her. I can't wait to deal with this creature and kiss my star again.
Her face flushed, and the blade was enveloped in crimson fire.
The rotten beast towered above the trees, yet unlike the spindly monsters from her dream, this one was slow.
She glanced at her necklace; the glow was still faint. She was not in danger.
The flame of her blade turned bright yellow.
"Let's see how you handle not being unkillable, you disgusting filth."
She dashed forward, her blade held firmly in her hands. The abomination sprouted countless rotten tentacles; her necklace glowed again.
Azure side-stepped the sluggish tentacles, approaching the beast with a fury of the sun itself.
The rotten creature stuck where she was.
This thing is nothing compared to the ones I fought in my dream! She grinned.
Her blade struck at the tentacles, her yellow flame consuming them in acidic fury.
The faceless monster shrieked, making the very ground shake. In response, Azure gritted her teeth and rushed past it.
She spun on her heel and struck the amalgamation in the back, the yellow fire burning away large parts of the unholy creature.
Yet despite cutting through the outer rot like butter, something hard deflected her blade inside the amalgamation.
It was as if she had struck a metal wall.
With a clang, she was knocked away and sent tumbling.
The creature did not move, instead, its form rippled.
The smell of rot disappeared, and the amalgam folded in on itself.
Huh?! She reeled back. The smaller creatures never stopped attacking, much less start transforming in front of her.
Azure gripped her sword and rushed forward. She would not allow the filthy abomination to do what it planned to do.
She raised her blade. Yet a devastating shockwave sent her tumbling into the forest, knocking down many trees.
What was worse, the rot splashed over her, causing excruciating pain and spreading over her body.
Tears welled up in her eyes, yet she would not let some pain be the reason she lost.
Before the rot could spread through her body, she used the crimson flame within her sword, pressing it against the rotten flesh, quickly cauterizing the wounds.
She gritted her teeth. "Agh! This hurts so much."
Then the singularity of rot reformed, but not into an imperfect amalgam, but into one perfect soldier of rot. Its size dwarfed the trees, and the smell returned, increasing in potency by orders of magnitude.
Azure jumped back to her feet and carefully observed the newly formed creature, her wounds cleansed of rot.
I guess I have to use black fire, huh? She asked herself.
However, the sheer stench of rot made her vision blurry. A sense of nausea brewed within her throat.
Azure would not allow herself to lose to this abomination. Aqua had saved her over and over, she needed to be able to defend herself if she were to prove herself worthy of someone like her star.
She ripped the part of her skirt and wrapped her face with a makeshift mask.
The rot still filled her nose, yet now it was somewhat manageable.
Her sword's yellow flame cleared, and the all-devouring black fire engulfed the blade.
In an instant, the massive creature seemed to hesitate, its tentacles no longer attempting to slam into her. Instead, it observed her despite the lack of a face as if it were intelligent.
Her gaze fell to the enchantment. Even Aqua's construct self-destructed due to the danger of black fire.
She grinned. Of course, it was afraid of her beloved's power.
She took the advantage of the creature's hesitation and lunged forward, aiming to stab at its legs.
However, instead of counterattacking, it melted into a puddle of the rot and dashed into the forest, aiming to escape the wielder of the black fire.
Yet just as if it were to escape, it hit a bronze barrier, making the barrier shimmer.
It struck at it.
It wailed for a moment before finally realizing it was trapped.
Azure melted into the shadows and rushed after the creature.
She jumped out of her [Shadowmeld] and slashed the rotten tentacles, burning them in black fire, yet before it could reach the main body of the abomination, it cut off the afflicted parts and dashed again.
For a moment, her sight was taken by the bronze barrier, she tapped it, sending a shimmering ripple. Aqua's barrier. So handy! She chuckled. The rotten monster would never escape her.
She was not the one locked in with the beast.
Quite the contrary, this time the rot was locked in with her.
She melted into [Shadowmeld] again and rushed again before jumping out at the abomination.
It kept wailing at the barrier before attempting to run again, yet Azure had had enough.
She closed her fist. [Shadow Bind].
The shadows wrapped around the rotted creature, yet it was not everything. Azure swiped her finger up, and the pillars of earth formed spikes that penetrated its soft, cancerous flesh.
The rot splashed under it, corrupting the ground.
However, this could not hold the rot for long. Azure channeled the black flame enchantment again and made a sideways slash, sending a wave of god-devouring flame toward it.
It broke through the spells restraining it, yet that single moment was all Azure needed.
It could not escape underground; the black flame touched its body.
The cursed flame spread like a wildfire, making the abomination screech in pain.
It attempted to strike at Azure with its sluggish attacks, which she easily danced around.
She ducked under it and connected the sword with a silvery thread.
Azure gripped the hilt.
Then she hurled the blade into the monster.
The black fire erupted again, engulfing the monster entirely.
In the blink of an eye, the stench of rot disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
Azure sighed in relief and fell on her back.
I won! She shouted in her mind. She had finally triumphed over a dangerous enemy.
Now, she was sure that Aqua would be proud of her. Her hand reached toward the sky.
"Still, it was so much weaker than the small ones in my dream," she mumbled, pushing herself back on her feet.
"Good job, Azu," Aqua said, clapping as the group of fighters descended from the sky. "I am glad you were able to deal with the amalgam so easily."
Aqua looked over Azure's ruined clothing and cauterized flesh. A small blush formed on her face as she rushed to her. "Let me heal you. I wanted to intervene as soon as that rot touched you."
Azure gulped, surrendering herself to her star. "Of course," she said shyly.
Her fingers ran over the wounds. "I will have to create some better healing spells, but this will be fine for now."
The tendrils of flame enveloped her body, just like when they first met, and before Azure could blink, the cauterized wounds were gone, and the pain disappeared.
Azure's lips stretched into a smile before she pounced on Aqua, pinning her onto the forest floor. "Thank you, my star!"
While she wished to give Aqua a kiss, everyone else was present, and it was not the time for it, despite her wishes. Azure slowly dusted herself off and moved away from Aqua.
Aqua couldn't help but smile back before turning to the group. "The savage threat is dealt with, their armies are still waiting, and not to mention the Dragon Lord Zm'Aj," she said. "However, fret not, Sheira and I will deal with them; your duty is completed."
Avaros, Mia, and Aurora nodded. They knew their limits, and being anywhere near a legend that was Zm'Aj was a recipe for disaster. However, the fact that Sheira would be the one to fight it did not sit well with anyone present, including Azure.
"My star… I think I should go and help with Zm'Aj too."
"No, he is far too powerful for you, Azu," she said. "Don't worry, I don't plan to let anyone here miss the event. Once the battle starts i will make a projection in the skies above the academy and Onost. I am sure this will bolster the morale of the elves."
"B…but," she pleaded.
"No buts, you will return to the academy with the rest of the group," she said before leaning closer to her ear. "I promise to do something special for you if you don't complain."
Azure's ears twitched, her shoulders slumped. "I will return to the academy."
Sheira chuckled. "Aqua really has you at the palm of her hand, huh?"
Azure shook her head and approached Sheira, and placed a hand on top of her friend's head. "Shut up, Sheira," she said, before lowering her tone. "Please be safe, even with Aqua around, do not do something reckless."
Sheira's grin faded as she slowly stepped next to Aqua. "Of course, I promise."
Azure patted her and joined the group. "You too, Aqua. Please take care," she said, bowing.
Aqua smiled warmly. "Of course. Also, make sure to get a new set of clothes. I prefer to be the only one who gets to look at you."
Before Azure could even get flustered, the entire group was teleported back into the academy, leaving only Aqua and Sheira in the former battlefield.
The princess nudged her. "You seem to have gotten a lot closer to Azu all of a sudden. What's that about?"
Aqua blinked and tilted her head obliviously. "What do you mean? She is my Azu; of course, I am close to her."
Sheira rolled her eyes. "Sure, I will drill you for information later. Let's go kill that overgrown lizard first."
Aqua nodded. "That's exactly what we are going to do," she said before grabbing Sheira and rising high into the air.