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Thread: Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

  1. #661
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Amelia
    Digital Sea ~ ???
    ??? ~ ???


    Babel.

    Likely meaning the Tower of Babel, a structure from Christian Mythology that was said to have been built by early humanity inside of the land of Shinar for the purpose of creating a structure tall enough to reach heaven; it was an action full of 'hubris' that caused God to destroy the "Unified Language," scattering the once united peoples out amongst the world, and could be called an origin myth for why the many peoples of the world speak different languages, of course...

    ---In this world, such things are more complicated than myth, after all...

    Most myths had already effectively proven to be real, the supernatural was an accepted part of day to day life, and thus, while a structure is not something that one typically thinks of as a "Demon," because of it's role in the myth as a symbol of mankind's arrogance, it was quite possible that there was a Demon version of the "Tower of Babel," in existence, even if it's true origin is one that modern humans might never know, it is a certainly a big enough "concept" to be a horrendously powerful entity, yes...

    A demon calling itself Babel...

    It wasn't far-fetched at all, and considering your earlier encounter with the mysterious assailants and their whispered "Messiah" earlier in the week, perhaps there is a sort of connection here?

    It is not a foolproof theory mind, after all, the concept of a "Messiah" is not one unique to Christian Myth, but...

    ---The timing makes it hard to believe that they're not related somehow, thus-!

    "Yes! I am pretty sure it is not here to make friends, so stopping it is probably the best course of action!"

    Pleased with herself for being helpful, and catching the hunt that she should perhaps send you back now, the younger A.I nevertheless throws both hands of her avatar up into the air-!

    "I'll support you as best as I can, but keep me a secret, okay?"

    A simple request.

    One that is simple in some ways, and complicated in some others, but...

    Before you can come to a conclusion on that particular request...

    Your consciousness has already been pushed back out of that strange digital sea, back to a reality that...

    Doesn't seem to have moved that much at all...

    ---

    Logan Starbright
    Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
    ???


    Quote Originally Posted by Logan
    “Astra, what do you think about that tower? Should we take it down?”
    "...It feels sort of ominous I guess."

    While Astra is not the sort to employ precognitive formulas, a good sense for the danger of a situation is relatively common amongst Tamers, and while the tower is simply a bizarre wire-frame like existence at a glance, that same existence comes across as inherently dangerous in spite of it's seemingly incomplete nature, as if something had 'frozen' it's existence before it could manifest itself completely, and yet, before she can make her own judgement about whether or not it should be treated as an enemy that must be defeated, it-



    -takes that decision out of her hands with it's own actions.

    You swerve the car to avoid the sudden concentration of spiritual power that had been fired at the car, prompted to move by the premonitions you had once lost faith in; it had been a straightforward attack made with pure force, or rather, due to working so closely with a number of users of a 'certain sort' of magic yourself, you can identify the blast for what it had really been, yes...

    ---While it had been a straightforward, explosive attack, one that you could avoid simply by making a sudden swerve, it had been an obvious manifestation of the "Almighty," a manifestation of that special power that is not completely understood, that humans typically have to 'stumble upon,' something that can't be taught directly, a power that few can oppose directly without possessing some form of it themselves, for it represents a more primordial "power-!"

    The strike causes the digital world to "shudder," as something it has trouble comprehending is released within it's smaller digital sphere, the area where you had once been becoming a swirling sea of data as everything it had touched loses it's coherency, devolving into a swirling mess of numbers that considering the simulation, would have certainly forced you back to the real world, but...

    ---Considering the nature of Almighty Magic, it was also possible that it didn't matter if this was a simulation or not, because it would be able to hurt the real "you," all the same-!

    Perhaps naturally, in response to this threat-!

    "Intrusion detected! Intrusion detected! Non-Tamer personnel will be automatically evacuated in three, repeat, non-Tamer personnel will be evacuated immediately! Server lock-down is imminent. SDCD has been notified, Tamers are en route."

    The artificial overseer of this small world immediately declares an evacuation, and a number of the weaker existences you had been able to feel before flicker out of existence as they are pulled back to the safety of 'reality.' As far as you can tell, other than yourself and Astra, the girl from back in the tunnels is still here, as well as one other person whose placement can't be clearly defined, considering...

    The Tower itself had become something overbearing, a growing 'spiritual presence' that makes it hard to feel out anything else, in spite of the fact that it itself was clearly some sort of flawed manifestation-!

    "Hah... It's never easy huh?"

    Even so...

    Even though your sudden swerve of the car had sent her up against the far wall of the vehicle, the silver-haired girl just sighs in the face of a sudden massive entity, something difficult to comprehend, but something that clearly means to cause some sort of "damage," and...

    "Let's take it out. It opened fire in an area with civilians."

    ...Makes the decision a Tamer naturally would, after all...

    While this is not an area under your typical jurisdiction, the SDCD had always been the organization most accepting of the Rothschild, a consequence perhaps of their shared involvement in the Kyuubi incident, so using your powers here should be fine, and besides...

    ---A Tamer is supposed to ensure peace, regardless of where they are-!

    The road ahead leads straight towards the floating Tower, close enough that tactics beyond simple projectiles might be possible, while the other two roads go around it at a distance...

    Behind you, the redhead explodes out from the now-distant tunnels in a burst of spirit power, and...

    The Tower itself...

    ---Seems to be gathering spiritual power for some reason-!
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  2. #662
    Inspired Pervert hero's Avatar
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    Amamiya Sho
    Aoyama Gakuen - Gymnasium
    ??? - Morning



    "Honestly... What's their problem?"

    It's the true that my infamy follows me wherever I go and that my Tamer ranking isn't exactly the highest in the scoreboard, but most of these are basic tasks that even a trainee could handle. No, in the first place, half of these shouldn't even be in the mission board... But they are so why can't I be allowed to make an extra coin through them? Cooking, cleaning, looking after kids or the elderly, when it comes to those sort of chores, my skill is at least B-rank. Well, I may be falling back in cooking in comparison to other talented gourmet connoisseurs my age, but that's because I can't afford the tools and ingredients I need to practice.

    Anyways, the point is, I can do these things and I can do them for cheap! Can't they turn a blind eye and just let me do them? No! The rumors about me have spread as far as the outskirts of the city and everyone who sees my face simply closes the door before I can even get a word in. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of the population kept a 'not-wanted' poster of me outside their fridges.

    "..."

    After a lot of trial and error, I finally stumbled into three tasks that would act as my fail-safe. I was certain that the ones issuing these requests wouldn't turn me down. The problem was... Agh! It was too obvious that Akiko and Nadia were doing it on purpose... They probably saw me repeatedly failing at getting new quests and decided to submit their own out of desire to help a friend. Refusing to accept their pity no matter how well-intended it might have been, I picked the only mission that remained.

    Which brings me here, to the Aoyama Gakuen's Gymnasium, where I am supposed to meet my contractor. Well, it's not like we haven't met before, Ibaraki-sensei is a demon in charge of combat training so I see her every so often in class. Now, unlike Nadia's or Akiko's, her submitting that request had nothing to do with my failures at finding a job earlier down the week. I am sure of it! Ibaraki is a professional instructor and a demon! Demons can't show kindness, so there is literally no chance she could have done it out of pity for me-!

    "Ah... I am dead."

    The moment I open the door to the Gym, I am met with a premonition of my own death. For reasons I cannot explain, Ibaraki-sensei is in midair with her stretched leg pointed straight at me. There is no mistaking it, this is her legendary flying kick, executed beautifully against an opponent much slower than she is. Damn it! What kind of teacher greets her student like this?! I thought this was supposed to be a simple delivery mission, not a surprise spar!

    Geez, I can't believe I called this person a professional. She's insane.

    The first time we met during class, people claim she sent me to the infirmary after a single strike. I say claim because I can't remember a thing. That's how bad it was. Well, I guess it's partly my fault for being weak to physical, but still...

    WHY IS SHE STILL ATTACKING ME AFTER THAT...?!

    "... Or so I would like to say, but, TOO SLOW-!"

    I duck just in time to avoid the end of my days. The reaper's scythe flies above my head and thus my life is spared.

    Being serious, such attack might as well be considered unavoidable when used against someone like me. That said, because Ibaraki-sensei has used it against me so many times in the past and following a similar pattern, I have been able to anticipate it and dodge it before it could connect. Even so, it was still a very close call...

    "I see you are high-spirited as always, sensei."

    Man, this school is full of weirdos...
    Last edited by hero; January 25th, 2020 at 08:23 PM.
    [18:30] RacingeR: Max S.Link with hero is when you promise your daughter to him
    [18:31] RacingeR: Which means Airen and me are the only ones that maxed it (I promised Spin to him, and Spin is my daughter)
    [18:32] hero: oh shit
    [18:32] hero: spincess get
    [18:32] hero: suck it fuckers

  3. #663
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Ayra Lilygrove
    Junes ~ Rooftop
    ??? - Morning


    ---It was an inevitable outcome.

    From the start, Ayra Lilygrove is not someone that can accept losing easily, even if this prepared loss is something that exists for your own benefit, there's a certain sense of pride inside of you that you can't bring yourself to abandon...

    In spite of being Joker, it would be incorrect to say you held no pride as a Tamer, as a Knight.

    You had worked long and hard to get to where you are now... To be a Tamer means many different things to many different people, most commonly, it is the path that one takes when they wish to be a 'hero,' the start of a path down a new legend, inside of a new age of magic. But was that all being a Tamer meant? Heroes are those that do the impossible, thus, it is only natural for Tamers to follow that same path, to reject fate when it appears, and yet...

    Is that it?

    Is that all it means?

    To those questions... The only way an answer can emerge is from one's own self, the heart, or the soul, perhaps both...

    For you...

    You want to win.

    It's your own pride, the pride in the existence called "Ayra Lilygrove."

    To that end...

    Forget everything else, even for just a moment.

    Forget that winning might just mean you really lose, putting your all into your next blow is the only path allowed for you-!



    Eclipse.

    Different from Regnal Astra, rather than grace, it is a sword arte filled with all the power your body can infuse it with, a single strike of the blade that's designed to tear through those your more elegant strikes may not be to decisively wound, yes...

    ---For Ayra Lilygrove, it's certainly an unfitting technique.

    Or perhaps...

    It's the most fitting technique of all?

    Either way, blood running from newborn cuts, from the presence of ice that you disregarded with everything else, your straightforward attack is one that far surpasses the speed of sound, one that easily closes on an opponent that has lost their weapon, that appears not just with godspeed, but with the power that comes along with that godspeed, the momentum, an attack that-



    -is blown away, not by her lost sword, but by...

    Her hand?

    ---It's absurd.

    A bare-handed parry of a strike that had shattered the sound barrier... While the world is full of incredible people nowadays, you had never once thought that your galeforce could be resisted so brazenly, and yet...

    There it is.

    While she had seemed like a swordswoman by nature, this barehanded strike had also seemed like second nature to her; it had been a blow of unerring precision, carrying enough of both speed and power to seemingly divert your blade to the side, concrete and metal alike scattering at the blow, failing to fall inwards only because of a barrier that had been erected down below by those who had heard the fighting, and-

    "..."

    In spite of how impossible her parry was, the woman doesn't say anything about it.

    She doesn't explain herself, in this minuscule fraction of a second, she would have been unable to do so anyway, thus...

    When her eyes meet your own, your stance broken as she repels your attack with all of her effort, there is a moment where the woman moves to do the same to the phantom blow, the secondary hit that will follow a heartbeat after the first, and one she can only truly 'catch' due to the way her eyes work, but, before she can-

    -around her leg, appears a chain of spiritual power, or rather...

    It's a chain that's been there from the very first moment she had used that leg to blow Tsukiko away, and on the other end of that chain, is a Tamer who can not only keep up with Ayra if she has to, but knows how that mind of hers works, and-

    -pulling on that chain with all the strength her body can give her, the mysterious woman's attempted step to the side is caught, her stance is broken even if only for a moment, and-



    ---Direct hit.

    The first of the battle, the only one that hadn't been cleanly opposed with monster-esque speed and strength; you had seen your own blade hit her, cut through the darkness of the auto-skill with no real resistance, Maken flashing briefly for some reason as it comes into contact with the unknown opponent, and yet...

    And yet...

    And yet...

    ...Why had it felt like you had hit some sort of rock rather than a body?

    The answer is obscured by the dust cloud that erupts at the end of your strike, but only for a moment, yes...

    The truth is shown soon enough, not just the truth that your opponent had caught the phantom of your strike with both arms crossed, but a glimpse at her face and existence as well, no longer hidden by the Joker Skill, and...

    The answer...



    "Geez kid, you hit pretty hard... Not quite hard enough though, been through a bit worse than that. But good job, good job all around; guess you modern kids aren't so bad."

    ...Is that it's a demon, in other words...

    ---Not someone whose identity would be particularly easy to pin down.

    "...The old ball and chain isn't going to be happy I got seen though... Well, I guess it doesn't really matter~"

    ...A really cheerful one too.
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  4. #664
    Imperial Princess Satehi's Avatar
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    Eva Ellet
    Hollow Fields, Academy
    World Designation: Revolution
    Noon, Foggy


    “Agreed.”

    My response is near instant.

    I have never considered myself a particularly astute thinker. I prefer to leave that to other people. All the information I have been receiving as of late- the existence of parallel worlds, the task that has been handed out to the magic users of this world, and the revelation that those magic users are the very people that I’ve just been meeting with… even though I can tell they are issues that require thought, I don’t know what to think about any of them, other than perhaps that someone else would be more suitable, more fit to tackle them.

    So as strange as it sounds… this current predicament is refreshingly simple.

    Not to say that it isn’t a confusing situation in its own right.

    But the solution seems quite natural- this creature, whatever it is, is something that doesn’t belong. It is not an edge case that requires special consideration, a shade of gray existing in a world of black and white- it is clear cut, well defined, and does not belong. Its existence is likely a threat to the wellbeing of the people who live here, and so it should be removed.

    That is the conclusion I come to, and reassuringly, Agatha seems to agree.

    All that remains is to carry out the appropriate measures.

    This is a process that also requires some thought, but here at least I don’t believe my choices are in any way inferior to anyone else’s. This is one of the reasons I exist- I can do this.

    Naturally, it would be for the best if it could be quickly sent back where it came from. Unfortunately, I have no idea where that is- and it doesn’t seem like Agatha knows either, judging by her reaction. The possibility of ending up stranded on the other side of that hole is risky enough that getting closer seems to be an unnecessary risk. Plus, I don’t know if that might get in the way of anything Agatha intends on trying.

    However, my options are very limited at this distance. The best I can do is wait for him to get closer, and take advantage of the time available to me to prepare and gather more information… but there's no reason to simply wait here leisurely for it to cross.

    “Kougaon.”

    Calling up blades of light, I send them flying towards the center of the hole.

    I’ll make this thing fight for every inch closer it gets.

    Wise up!

    Name: Eva Ellet

    When Eva is in combat mode (ready to fight seriously and hasn't been caught off guard) she gains the passive stat benefits of all three COMP types, in essence, when fighting, her base stats are effectively:
    Strength: A (B)
    Vitality: A (B)
    Agility: B
    Sense: C (D)
    Resistance: C

    Auto Skills
    Judgement
    Absolution

    Spells:
    Auto da fe
    Spirit Chain
    Tarunda
    Kouha/Kouga/Kougaon
    Aura Shield
    Phantasm Step

    Comp Action:
    7.) Decode (Auxiliary-Type COMP Action): Concentrate on decoding any hidden attributes the opponent may have, such as encoded spell data or falsified physical parameters. Will not reveal everything at once -and can only decipher things that have actually been in use around it- but will generally become more effective the more times it is used on a single opponent. Cannot be used alongside other COMP Actions.


  5. #665
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Eva Ellet
    Hollow Fields, Academy
    World Designation: Revolution
    Noon, Foggy


    ---The existence of that darkness is an obvious risk.

    Considering what your sixth sense tells you about it, that it is a manifestation of nothingness, a true form of "Void" in which nothing should exist and nothing should be able to return, you decide not to risk accidentally winding up on the other side of it.

    For now...

    You focus mainly on trying to understand it's existence, even as said existence remains like a grinding force on the surface of your consciousness, a reminder of aberrant existence that manifests as an almost physical pain, but one that you are able to push past with only a minor effort.

    ---All built in scanning systems go to work immediately. Cross-referencing of data compilations on both physical and spiritual matter reveal no conclusive results about the entity itself, it does not appear to be the same sort of "information" existence as a Demon or COMP, nor does it bear the innate properties that humans possess, in this regard it is a true oddity, like you had run afoul of some sort of "unique" existence, of course...

    That is not particularly surprising, your sixth sense had told you that much already, even if only in a less defined way...

    But, there are some things that you can figure out a glance, namely...

    ---This enemy secretes a particularly potent form of neurotoxin out of it's body, or more specifically, the violet core you can see inside of the core of it's body is generating this neurotoxin; spreading it throughout the rest of it's form as a transient mist, so fine that it was almost indistinguishable from the air outside... Analysis indicates that you would likely be able to operate within it's boundaries just fine -at least at the levels the poison was currently at- due to your composition being different from that of a human, but it's purpose in making melee combat inconvenient for most was obvious...

    Still, for now-!

    Blades of light form at your behest, a sign that you intended to fight from a distance until it was safer for you to approach, but-

    "Hmm... I'm not really supposed to fight... What do I do, what do I do, what do I do...?"

    -in contrast to that, Agatha seems somewhat more unsure, or rather, she reveals something about herself that should have perhaps been a bit more obvious, namely...

    That she's not supposed to fight.

    She was, after all, apparently a 'prisoner' of sorts, and yet...

    Before your spirit can wane at the sudden 'bowing out' of a comrade, she snaps her fingers in a manner you could almost call "decisive," as if she had come across a sudden idea, or more likely, a bit of a loophole in whatever rules apparently bound her-!

    "This technically isn't fighting right? I mean, I'm not doing it myself... Fufufufufu..."

    ...Yes.

    A bizarrely shy attendant with a just as bizarre mischievous streak she remains, even in the face of an existence whose very essence comes across as antithetical to life-!

    With whatever affirmation she had made to herself, she crosses her arms and-

    ---The amount of spiritual power that erupts from your swords as they fly...

    Almost seems to double?

    Triple?

    More than that?

    It's a fleeting unexpected moment, different from a fusion spell, it is more like the woman had somehow 'supercharged' your spell as it flew past her, the bolts of manifest light that had been like artillery shells becoming more akin to ground to air missiles as they fly up towards the distant, struggling target, and-



    -light the entire area up as they detonate, like some sort of miniature sun had just collided with the target and exploded, a sound like a grating, static-driven shriek driving through the air as the monster lets out a sound like pain...

    The spirit power had burned so hot you could feel it from here as a shock-wave, so hot that it had burned away the enemy's poison aura for a moment... More than a normal Kougaon spell, that had been more akin to a Tamer's Trump Card in pure brute force, the shock-waves of it so bright that it felt like -if you had been looking at yourself- you would have been able to see your internal structures for a moment, so bright that you automatically shield your eyes from it for the purpose of not overloading your visual systems, and yet-

    And yet-

    Even in the face of that unexpected power, the epicenter of unprecedented force....

    ---The thing crawls it's way out of the cracks in the world all the same, parts of it's surface show something like cracks, but they are minuscule cracks, like the attack that had just struck it had simply 'scratched' it's surface a bit, and now-

    "Oh my, it's pretty durable..."

    -it's direct hostility falls on you, as an alien 'power' floods out from it's unshattered shell, a gross aberrant force that somehow makes you feel nauseous, and-

    ---Down.

    Two 'somethings' emerge from it's body, like red and black probes as the rest of it crackles with electricity, the 'somethings' look like massive 'nails' that are easily the size of a person, fired at you with sharpened points that make it clear it's intended to burrow into it's target, be it into the body of an opponent, through the roof of a building, or into body of the earth itself, and-

    ---Having scanned it already, you can understand what it's actual purpose is even as it flies.

    It's filled to the brim with that strange neurotoxin, and-

    ---They seem to be organic in nature.

    Something with their own innate sense of hostility-!

    ???


    Name: ???
    Character Type: Aberrant (?)
    Resistances: Light (?)

    Stats

    Strength: ???
    Vitality: S
    Agility: E
    Sense: ???
    Resistance: S

    Racial Skill

    -Power of the Stars (???)-




    Agatha


    Auto Skill (?)

    -She Who Resides Over Power-
    A Bounded Field-esque effect that "supercharges" the spells and attacks of those Agatha considers allies, different from simply overloading a spell with reiki, this seems to operate under a conceptual property...

    Perhaps, it used to go by another name?

    Because Agatha cannot remember it's true name or origin point, it is no longer at full power.
    Last edited by Airen; February 10th, 2020 at 10:06 AM.
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  6. #666
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Mokujima Chris
    Aoyama, Lakeside (Ship Interior)
    ??? - Morning


    ---With a few more pulls of a switch, that thing called "normality" returns to you.

    Just like the last time, it is something that seems to occur in but the blink of an eye, amidst the shift from light to darkness, something that happens within the span of a moment that you are unable to truly perceive, and-

    "Ah, there you are, it's not nice to just teleport away like that-!"

    -there is no further trap, you truly do return to the place that you had left, this time...

    "Hmm? Who's that? Is she okay?!"

    ...With a passenger still on your shoulder, one that causes Lexie's energetic greeting -one sprinkled with a bit of worry that she hid within the span of a heartbeat- to falter a bit, as the obvious, brutal wound on a certain silver-haired android comes into clear view... The violet haired girl was close to where she had been when you left, sitting on the bed with Sakurako's laptop on her lap, a joint effort between herself and History as they gleefully made their way through the contents of the computer in search of clues...

    That energetic, mischievous smile had become something a tad more serious, as if she had begun to actually worry once you had completely vanished from her view, and...

    On the computer screen, there's the sight of a green moon amidst cloudy skies, as some sort of video file was apparently activated and then forgotten about, considering she isn't actually looking at the screen right now...

    "I know healing formulas, is she bleeding out?!"

    And...

    There's the worried face...

    Made not for her own sake, but for the sake of someone else...

    For Lexie, who was unfailingly cheerful most of the time, it's...

    Surprisingly fitting?
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  7. #667
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Ludwig Karlfeldt
    Depths of a Dream (?)
    ??? - Night


    "Plan? I'm going to defeat him in combat. Once I have forced him to submit, I will seal him within my Kuda."

    ---Kuda.

    For most Tamers, an obsolete word that doesn't mean much of anything; it's an outdated practice in the modern world, but being a Karlfeldt, you do know what they are, simply put...

    Kuda are an older, more archaic form of demon capture and imprisonment; they are essentially enchanted glass tubes that can be used to confine a single "Demon" inside of themselves so that they cannot escape and reform elsewhere, provided the spiritual power of the user is strong enough to support such a seal... In that regard, they are like less efficient COMPs, which are capable of doing the same thing not just to a single demon, but to a number of them, dependent on the strength of those bound, but...

    "Of course even Hollow Gods are troublesome to defeat, but I have the SLEIPNIR as backup; in any event, if all he wants is Reiki, I suppose I might be inclined to contract him later on... Although if he refuses, I have no qualms with simply keeping him sealed perpetually."

    ---Ruthless.

    Of course, the Commander had always had that sort of air to her, she was a definite guardian of humanity, one of the heroes of the Second Kyuubi Incident, but...

    Hearing her talk like that, well, it sort of makes you feel sorry for Loki...

    Then again, he doesn't actually seem to mind it nowadays; so she's probably not a bad "Master," to have, still...

    Ruthless...

    ---

    Lydia Karlfeldt
    SLEIPNIR - Deck
    ??? - Night


    "Completely unreliable? A strange person-?!"

    She seems offended by both descriptors, to the point of letting out an obviously fake sob for a moment, even though you're almost 100% sure that they are probably accurate ones-!

    "Adala-chan just doesn't understand the Wright Way of Training, sometimes you have to stay hands-off and let the the kids do it themselves, you see? When she needs me though, I am here-!"

    Is that right?

    It sounds a bit defensive to you-!

    Still, while she says all of this with a smile, when you suggest your task, your idea of what she can do for you to accept her, the woman...

    Goes almost comically quiet, and...

    "...It's impossible."

    ...Says that with an over-dramatic flair that wouldn't be unfitting of the KoTR's Knights-! Of course, while that can mean many things, she quickly goes out of her way to explain herself, namely:

    "Not that she doesn't deserve a compliment, it is just I will not have time to say it."

    This statement too is ambiguous, and she seems to realize that after a moment, finishing with-

    "After all, I may have hypnotized her now... But she will break out of it on her own, her mind is strong, when she wakes up, the first thing she is going to do is punch me off of the ship. I would normally call it tsundere behavior, but in this case, I probably deserve it."

    -something absurd.

    Something that she just flippantly accepts, in spite of the obvious pain that falling off of the ship would be...

    Then again...

    Tamers were all sort of crazy...
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  8. #668
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Cosmos Fairchild
    LOVELESS ~ Outside
    ??? - Dawn isn't Coming


    The grasping hand of a Titan.

    It's something that's more than enough to cover your vision by itself, less like a grasping hand was coming your way, and more like a sentient hill had come to life for the purpose of devouring you; it's so big that by the time you raise your staff again you can't see anything else... Sariel has disappeared behind that wall of pitch black mud at your request, a tiny-flying light being pit amidst a being of seemingly incomprehensible dark, but trusting in what you had experienced in your last 'struggle' with the mud, it seems like the best option available to you, yes...

    Just like the last time.

    Aster.

    A storm of blue light, the human spirit made manifest as a form of attack; it moves like glittering stardust, brilliant lights to oppose a tall, unbreakable dark, the grasping hand of a giant that has become the only target you can truly reach, and-

    ---Light tears it's way into darkness.

    Blue lights like spears.

    A golden light like the sun, an angel's light.

    -------This time, the darkness simply does not care about either, after all...

    This Dark Sea is not completely mindless, did you think they would succumb to the same trick twice?

    No no.

    This mud can become many things... To block out a little light...

    Trivial.

    "▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

    In response to the blue lights tearing into it like so many splinters, and the simultaneous discharge of light into it's eyes by an angel, it simply lets out a roar that seems to shake the planet itself, fingers curling into a fist as it confirms that it's targets are just beyond it's sight.

    Miasma screams in fury.

    It's spirit power burns a deep, blood-like crimson, as an amount of supernatural force you can only describe as 'disgusting' is funneled into this one single limb-!

    It's a calamity in the shape of a giant fist.

    "Shit-!"

    Unable to put enough distance between her and it in spite of her technically superior speed, the massive limbs of the monster proving to be an advantage too great to overcome with natural speed alone, there's a tell-tale rush of forward motion as she activates Flash Truth a second time, pushing her system right up to the edge of it's limit in order to avoid the crashing fist that had threatened to land right on top of you both, but-

    ---It was not just a fist.

    If that was so, the immense surge of spiritual power would have been unnecessary, and indeed, the moment the fist misses it's target and disappears beneath the mud, crushing a building to pieces with it's weight-



    ==Primal Darkness==

    -the mud explodes outwards as a pitch black A-Rank detonation, or rather...

    Perhaps it would be more correct to call it a tsunami?

    A titanic ripple in this pitch black sea?

    Not of water.

    But of that black mud, a tsunami of curses-!

    ---Alyx leaps.

    ----Trusting in her sixth sense, she leaps not just forward, but up, with as much force as her body can put out.

    Looking behind her at the approaching black wave, there are images of things like 'hands' squirming beneath the surface of the muck, red-lights shining like crackling electricity along it's surface as it moves after the both of you like a shock-wave, and even though it passes just beneath you, Alyx managing to grasp at the tattered remains of a flag from a skyscraper that -somehow- manages to endure the pitch black wave, the force of the wind that follows it, like a screaming curse from a tsunami designed to drag souls into hell, becomes a black wind that bashes the both of you against the wall as the wave passes, a sharp pain shooting through your back, pounding the air from your lungs as the giant screams towards the sky, now at somewhat more of a distance, a block or two away and...

    "Fucking..."

    Swearing quietly to herself, her strong will the only reason she hadn't let go of the flag after being struck, and-

    -starts to climb up, towards the roof...

    "You got a full charge yet?"

    A question that seems to imply...

    She no longer sees running as a passable solution, or at least...

    Seems to think holding roof of this skyscraper might be a better option...

    "Probably gonna have to take it out together..."

    ----Meanwhile...

    The moment after Sariel had let loose her magic, one that would not work on this monster that represented the world's "second attempt" at assimilating those it has found, the creature had let out a roar that had manifested as a literal shock-wave, a black wind that would have even sent the Tamers flying if they had been any closer to it, needless to say...

    The angel is certainly sent flying by the strike, her arc an unceremonious descent towards the distant black sea as two Tamers are making their sudden escape from a wave of curses, but-

    While such a thing is bad, a poor fate for an angel...

    She never reaches it, instead...

    Instead...

    ---There's the sound of a motorcycle engine moving at speeds unfitting a civilian's bike, the snatch of a hand at her arm that pulls her atop of said motorcycle, the sound of cards constantly recycling themselves into a road, and the appearance of someone strange that doesn't fit this world of mud and curses, yes...



    "...An angel huh?"

    Outrunning the wave of mud on a motorcycle, that stranger simply makes a note of her existence, as if it was somewhat surprising, before...

    "No use in you guys fighting too many of these things. It just draws more of em in..."

    ...Saying something surprisingly calm, for a person that was apparently out and about atop a lake of curses on a magical motorcycle.

    Or perhaps that was exactly why?
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  9. #669
    Vlovle Bloble's Avatar
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    Mokujima Chris
    Aoyama, Lakeside (Ship Interior)
    ??? - Morning

    In the blink of an eye, or rather, the pull of a light switch, Chris' short journey into the darkness comes to an abrupt and rather anticlimactic end.

    Sunlight streams through the open window, there are no more strange scribbles across the walls, and...

    Quote Originally Posted by Lexie Davis
    "I know healing formulas, is she bleeding out?!"
    Nope. It's not worth it at all. Seeing Lexie's worried face feels absolutely awful. That expression fits too well. So well that it's as if it'll become permanent should the worst occur. It's unacceptable. That girl is someone that should always be smiling and laughing. Anything else is an error in the fabric of reality that must be corrected.

    Immediately, Chris swears to protect Lexie Davis' happiness for the rest of her life.

    "...ah." The tall woman blinks, realizing she hasn't yet responded. "She should be stable now... but a second opinion wouldn't hurt."

    Shrugging the unconscious android's arms off from her shoulders, Chris lays the girl down on the remaining bed space, revealing the extent of the damage. It doesn't look any better, but without the black mud choking her core, the girl should be in no danger. Still, thanks to having a COMP, Lexie should be able to accelerate the repair process and do a deeper scan for further contamination.

    "And, um... sorry," Chris mumbles. "For making you worry. I kinda got caught up in the moment, and... long story."

    "Let's... catch up..."

    "I'll... uh..."

    "Okay, so, this word, 'Ruina'..."

  10. #670
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Mokujima Chris
    Aoyama, Lakeside (Ship Interior)
    ??? - Morning


    ---Most people describe Lexie Davis as lazy.

    There is some truth to that, the girl is certainly the type to slack off at times for the sake of enjoying life. If you asked her if she disliked her life as a Tamer she'd say no, she likes it well enough for what it is, even so, she is the sort that never appears to take anything too seriously, or rather, she's the sort that easily makes things feel less heavy than they actually are...

    Back at the fight with Sakurako, she had brushed the whole thing aside casually, maintaining her cheerful smile and "everything will be alright" demeanor for almost all of it, but...

    Had you caught her off guard this time?

    The movements she had made to check on the wounded girl were not those of a lazy person, they were the movements of someone driven by something you can't quite understand... It's a sudden, professional air that's both fitting and incredibly unfitting, tinged with a desperation that you don't like, as if the sight of 'those sorts of wounds' had brought out something darker from the past, but-

    "Okay... You're right, History says she looks stable. Should probably take her back to base soon though, just to be safe."

    -she shakes it off nonetheless.

    It takes an obvious effort, like throwing off a bad dream, but it's not something that you are able to forget.

    ---It's the first time you've seen that face.

    It's not worth it at all.

    Still...

    The smile returns, even if she has to force it to do so, and with it, the usual energy.

    It's with that energy that she listens to the rest of your story, and...

    "Ruina? Never heard that one before... But it sounds like your friend had a few... Episodes inside of there... Some sort of trauma..."

    ...Can't explain too much of it, even after hearing everything you could remember about the other place.

    "On my end, the laptop wasn't that guarded... It's pretty old-fashioned actually, early 2000s tech? But there were some video files on it... Didn't get the chance to watch them yet, but it didn't seem to be in that sort of folder, so it's fine to watch it right?"

    Considering she seemed to be in the process of watching it anyway, determining if it was "fine" or not seemed a bit out of your control, especially because this place was apparently trapped in a number of unobvious ways, but...
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  11. #671
    Vlovle Bloble's Avatar
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    Mokujima Chris
    Aoyama, Lakeside (Ship Interior)
    ??? - Morning

    "...mm."

    Lexie gets right to work. She's quick and professional, moreso than Chris had expected from her.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lexie Davis
    "Okay... You're right, History says she looks stable. Should probably take her back to base soon though, just to be safe."
    Too fast, almost. There's a certain desperation in Lexie's movements that does nothing to reassure. As someone who was desperate only moments before, Chris recognizes a different sort of nerve being struck.

    Even if everything's fine... yes, it's fine, right? After all, even Lexie gets discouraged. That's normal.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lexie Davis
    "Ruina? Never heard that one before... But it sounds like your friend had a few... Episodes inside of there... Some sort of trauma..."
    But.

    "Lexie..."

    But, there is something wrong.

    Even though that smile eventually returns, it looks weak, as if it might split apart at any moment.

    Yes, it's not something that can be left alone.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lexie Davis
    "On my end, the laptop wasn't that guarded... It's pretty old-fashioned actually, early 2000s tech? But there were some video files on it... Didn't get the chance to watch them yet, but it didn't seem to be in that sort of folder, so it's fine to watch it right-?"
    "Lexie."

    The energetic girl is cut off abruptly.

    "..."

    Cut off, by Chris, who has by now sat down next to her, and...



    "Hawsh... thish...?"

    A ridiculous sight.

    Mokujima Chris is not very good at happiness. A rare smile from her, not wry or self-effacing, is glimpsed once a month at best. So, she isn't very good at faking one either. In fact, she's largely given up, preferring to leave her face blank and allow others to draw their own conclusions from her words. That means, at a time like this, she has to resort to extreme measures.

    "When... that girl... wakes up... we should introduce ourselves to her... with our best foot forward... right?"

    Yes, she looks absolutely ridiculous with her fingers pushing up the corners of her mouth. No one would ever be fooled by something so forced. But perhaps that's the point Chris is trying to make.

    "So... what is it... that's eating up your 'smile' like that...?"

  12. #672
    Chasing Daybreak palad1n's Avatar
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    Cosmos Fairchild
    LOVELESS ~ Outside
    ??? - Dawn isn't Coming


    It doesn't work.

    Neither Brilliance or Aster worked this time against the mud, and debilitate doesn't seem to affect it either... Or if it did, the enemy is just so powerful that a rank down simply isn't going to change much. Not only that, she had lost sight of Sariel amidst the chaos, and while her first instinct is to recall the angel before anything bad could happen, Cosmos also realize that in this situation, such a call might be premature.

    Besides, she could felt that Sariel is fine... at least not dead, and the giant did target her and Alyx rather than Sariel, so Cosmos decided to put her faith in the blonde angel.

    Quote Originally Posted by Alyx
    "Fucking..."
    "Language..." Cosmos groaned, more out of habit than anything, before she gets off her sister's back and stand up after reaching the roof, looking at the giant who is now a block or two away.

    Plenty enough distance to buy them time.

    Quote Originally Posted by Alyx
    "You got a full charge yet? Probably gonna have to take it out together..."
    "Soon enough, yes." She affirmed, readying her staff as she felt Illia's HEAT refreshes back to zero. "I have no objection to take it out together now. Seeing it destroying the Holy City makes my blood boil."

    Meanwhile...

    "Ah, um..." Sariel stuttered, at a loss for words as she held on tight to her dress lest it accidentally got entangled in the motorcycle's wheel. Come to think of it, this is the first time she rode a motorcycle, even as a passenger... Wait, could she be the first angel to actually ride one? The others are usually aloof after all, and everywhere they go angels always fly with their wings. But if she told the others to try it, then her new nickname would be 'the angel so pathetic she has to ride a contraption made by humans instead of using the wings created by Father...'

    But this... felt surprisingly good? Relaxing, even! Travelling at this speed without expending an ounce of energy is actually genius! Ah, but she might get lazy if she make this a habit, not to mention it really doesn't fit the image of an angel at all... She prayed that her Father in Heaven forgive her for such blasphemous thoughts. She swear she doesn't intend to make His gift of wings useless!

    Quote Originally Posted by Motorcycle Lady
    "No use in you guys fighting too many of these things. It just draws more of em in..."
    The lady's words snapped her back to reality, and Sariel looked at the back of her savior. "There are survivors with the mud at this stage...?" She intoned, puzzlement clear in her tone, though she said it to herself more than anything. She's quite familiar with the mud, and with it drowning Vatican like this, she's pretty sure this is no longer Cosmos and Alyx's world. She hasn't voiced it yet of course, there are more immediate threats to be taken care of than to make them worry, but...

    Seeing a surviving human in such a world is... surprising, but reassuring. Humans have always been stubborn after all, and if someone like this lady survives, then there must be other survivors too!

    "Ah, but even if that might be the case, I must help my friend!" Sariel quickly replied, though thankfully rationale is on the front of her mind as she refrained herself from immediately flying away. "Even if it is useless in the long run, at least until the giant is defeated! Maybe you could help us-"

    A familiar surge of spiritual power interrupted her plea.

    ------------------------------------------
    Cosmos Fairchild
    Heartfelt Prayer

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    Why do people usually pray?

    Most people pray when they are experiencing hardship. When something horrible has happened, when a tragedy befalls them, when something outside their control happened in such a way that one could no nothing but to pray to the Almighty God.

    But that line of thinking is mistaken. Her mother told her, so many years ago after introducing her to the religion, that praying is not an act of plea - of asking God for help. No, praying is a communion, an act to make oneself closer to God. Indeed, asking God for help is a part of it, but it is far from the only thing that such an act entails.

    When good fortune strikes, one should pray to be grateful to God.

    When tragedy happens, one should pray to ask for help from God.

    When it is just an ordinary day, one should pray to be guided to the right path.

    By doing this, one could become closer to God; the relationship is not only that of a servant, of a creation asking their creator for help, but to something more personal. To confide not only during the harsh times, but the good ones too. In a way, the true test of one's faith in God is when they are happy, her mother said.

    Cosmos Fairchild accepted that lesson into her heart. Day and night, everyday she prayed to God - to be grateful, to ask for her mother to be protected, to maybe ask for Alyx to learn a lesson or two...

    And when she became a tamer and chose a weapon-type COMP, what she wanted as its special ability is something simple.

    'I want to always remember to pray.'

    After all, nothing is impossible if God wills it. No matter the odds, no matter the opponent she's facing, should God wills it then surely she would emerge victorious.

    That's why Illia manifest as a staff with bells; bells were first created as a call for people to remember God. In battle, the ringing of her staff will always remind her of the Almighty God, to never forget to pray and ask for His help no matter the battle. The very opposite of her sister who never asked for God's help even in trying times, and one of the reason she would never get along with her.

    --In this battle, the staff has been rung many times.

    And now, Cosmos once again rang her staff, chanting a silent prayer in her heart. Her prayers in battle are simple and short, but that doesn't mean it is not heartfelt.

    'O God, please give us the strength to overcome our adversaries... amen.'

    Her target is the giant of curse and mud.

    And with that, her spiritual energy exploded in a brilliant flash of pale-blue light, her white robe fluttering in response to the sudden surge in power. She aimed her staff in the direction of the giant, ready to cast one of her [Ace] spells. It is a spell that she has used many times in this battle, and one that doesn't work against the giant she's facing just a few moments ago. And yet despite that apparent futility, there is only resolve in the eyes of the teal-haired girl.

    "Aster!"

    But what appears from her spell is not a volley of pale-blue lights of homing lasers...



    But a rain of stars instead.

    --There is no need to be surprised.

    After all, Aster has always been a mere E-rank spell. A weak imitation of a falling star that she saw on the night sky one day, a sight which filled her heart with nostalgia and a sense of longing. Weak and fragile, like humans and people in the face of overwhelming odds that seems insurmountable.

    But with faith, with prayer...

    Even imitation can become real.

    Even men can move mountains.

    This is how Cosmos Fairchild fight as a Spirit Tamer.

    This is what she believes in.

    Turn Action
    HEAT: 4/6
    Bell Charge: 0
    Spell Used: Aster


    wise up!

    STR: E
    END: B
    AGI: C
    SEN: S
    RES: B

    Illia
    A ceremonial staff with a bell. Once per turn, Illia's bell can be rung once as a free action; when this is done she gain one "Bell Charge." Bell Charges can be spent to raise the rank of a custom spell up to B rank, one charge being equal to an increase in one rank; spells cast in this way bear the same heat cost as a spell of that rank would ordinarily have, but will also gain the pierce property. Bell Charges do no affect spells of B-rank or higher at this time. Thanks to this, every one of Cosmos' custom spells can be considered as her trump card.

    Aster
    Rank: E
    Element: Spirit
    Unleashes a volley of homing lasers; unlike Aura Blast, Aster prioritize quantity over quality, and is designed to bypass spells like Makarakarn by hitting multiple times. Can be used to strike both single or multiple targets at once, the power and number of lasers increases as its rank increases. This is Cosmos’ main and signature spell, created as a pale imitation of a shooting star that she saw a long time ago.
    Last edited by palad1n; January 28th, 2020 at 11:34 AM.
    Regalia Hijinks


    <Erlkonig|Phone> Why get a gf, when Airen is your waifu?

    <Airen|Phone> I'll save everyone, it's fine

    <Snaxies> Airen is totally Jesus again

    <frantic> I actually hate reading your post because you're so fucking anime

    <Reiu> Regalia is a scary place desu...

    <Mellon> He who lives by the oneshot, dies by the oneshot


    Personal Compliments

    <@RacingeR> Pally would be a perfect shoujo lead

    <Erlkonig> I would fall for Pally if he was a qt shoujo manga lead girl

    Quote Originally Posted by Airen
    Only pala is pure, the rest of ya are twisted

    Quote Originally Posted by Cheetose
    I'm not sure if it's like this generally, but Pala seems to be very good at making naive and innocent, but also strangely bulliable characters.

  13. #673
    Lydia Karlfeldt
    SLEIPNIR - Deck
    ??? - Night


    "Hmmm~. Seems I'm not alone with a troublesome sibling then."

    Despite being told that Alexia won't be able to complete her silly little test, Lydia retains her happy smile.

    "Oh well, since you won't be able to make Adala-chan smile, that simply means I won't acknowledge you as an equal.

    While her words give the impression she's not at all somber to retain her position of Ludwig's sole Big Sister, there is however a little melancholy in her gaze. As if she was a bit disappointed, just a smidge, that her little test couldn't be fulfilled. Of course, that look was only visible for but a fleeting moment, after all--

    "Oh well, if you can't do it, then I will simply have to do it for you!"

    --this girl changes a gloomy mood in a heartbeat. Like it's the most natural thing in the world, Lydia states something ridiculous again, taking the task upon herself.

    "Fufu~ You think I can't do it can you, that I'm no match for your stone faced student. Well, You-Are-Correct~! I won't be able to do it."

    Her gleeful smile turns into something more sinister. The crafty smile of a vixen. It's appearance along with an impish glint in her eyes doesn't bode well.

    "Not alone, that is.
    Those stiff two may bond over shared suffering, but you got to have to have them smile afterwards! You agree don't you, Alexia-Nee? "

    And there it is. The words roping in her accomplice with a tone of familiarity and friendliness that shouldn't exist between people who only met moments ago.

    "So, my fellow Big Sis comrade, how to crack that stoic mask?"

    Skipping several steps in this camaraderie, Lydia tries to forge a friendship as well as a bond between sisters. Not simply for her enjoyment, but instead to strengthen the ties the two hypnotized on the ground.

    All for a smile, that will in turn make the others present smile along.

    ---

    Ludwig Karlfeldt
    Depths of a Dream (?)
    ??? - Night


    Depriving a dying God from his power, then bullying him into a contract... I almost feel sorry for him.

    It seemed like this was indeed the far past, the very moment where she'd subdue and capture Loki. From thereon he'd become a member of Rothschild, pranking unwitting members as befitting of a Trickster God. To fight alongside Adala in this pivotal moment is both an honor and somewhat bone-chilling. After all, while to the young Karlfeldt the Commander was someone of legendary status, he himself wasn't anywhere near that level. Fighting a God that threatens innocents isn't something he takes issue with. Fighting foes above his level is hardly new, even if the current opponent was one or two Gods.

    No, the real issue that manifested in Ludwig's mind. Was whether he could keep up with a Descendant of the First Knight. Getting in her way would be the worst case scenario, as the adult mind of the legendary Lagerkvist is still present in this dream.

    But then, surely Alexia must have had a purpose to send him in here.

    "Understood, I'll help out where I can. My main concern however is with the townsfolk. The sooner we crush Loki, the better they'll be off. I'll keep a look out for Fenrir as well, so be sure to take Loki down as fast as you can."

    Stoic as ever, Ludwig follows along without skipping a beat. The winter-y plains are peaceful for now, but who knows how rapidly that might change.

    Now then, the real issue will be if Fenrir shows up just as Adala is forcing Loki in her Kuda... If it does get to that point...

    Guess I'll need to prepare my Trump card for this one.
    Last edited by Zurvan; January 30th, 2020 at 08:11 PM.

  14. #674
    The Long-Forgotten Sight Rafflesiac's Avatar
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    Logan Starbright
    Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
    ???


    One blast is all he needs to make a decision. With great power comes great responsibility, and there are few powers greater than Almighty magic. Anyone who manages to master it, such as his methodical comrade, knows full well exactly what sort of damage that primal power could do to anything - or anyone - that it hit. If that swirling sea of digital atoms had been a person…

    "Let's take it out. It opened fire in an area with civilians."
    “Agreed. I’ll take us closer so we can get a better shot.” Logan’s hands clench on the steering wheel as he accelerates. “It looks unfinished, which is good for us. Amelia, do you see any load-bearing weak points we should aim at, maybe place some explosives on? Form doesn’t necessarily imply function but it’s not fully divorced from it either.”

    : “...Right, yeah, let’s take out the Death Star BABEL.”

    : Are you alright? You sound like you’re distracted by something.

    "I'll support you as best as I can, but keep me a secret, okay?"
    : No, it’s nothing. That Almighty magic just reminded me about up on the deck that morning… Being a big sister is hard, you know?

    : ...Well, little brothers are around to help their big sisters, you know.

    : Not always. But eventually.

    He sighs, his grip unclenching as pink returns to his fingertips. The leather of the wheel has small marks in it from his nails.

    : Alright then. Let’s topple this tower.

    Logan focuses on the behemoth. It looms above him, both physically and spiritually; as the simulation’s safety measures eject the various civilians, he can’t help but think that perhaps this tower is a grim reaper, snuffing out souls wick by wick. No wonder that even in its inchoate state, Amelia’s seen fit to give it such an imposing title. But of all towers, why that one?

    : “Why call it BABEL, Amelia?”

    : “It looks unfinished, so that’s one reason. But why is it unfinished? If they’ve got Almighty magic then there’s about a 42% chance they’re not dumb enough to send too big of a package to a civilian-grade entertainment server and lock-up their dialup, so they probably tried transferring it from one server to another before getting hung up on some firewall. Almighty users are catalogued for safety, so if there’s one breaking the law like this then they either have a private server with greater capacity, which isn’t impossible, or there’s the more likely option - that they built this thing in the Demonic Server and then tried to bring it over. It’s easy to hide stuff there, after all.”

    : “Do you think Demons built it?”

    : “No idea! But it’s something worth following up on after blowing it up like Episode 11 did Star Wars, right?”

    : “I’m not capable of atomic fission, Amelia.”

    A blast of energy behind him pierces through the smothering spiritual pressure of the invader. Was that the racer he’d overtaken in the tunnel? She was still here? That meant that she was a Tamer, or at least Tamer class, but-

    Broken bits and bytes swirl chaotically in the road behind him, sparking and flashing erratically.

    “We’re Rothschild Tamers!” he yells to his former competitor. “That tower’s firing Almighty magic, so stay back! There’s another person on the course still who wasn’t automatically ejected, so rendezvous with them while we take this thing down!”

    As Logan approaches the skeletal bastion, his mind spins possibilities. The tower’s gathering power, is there a reservoir or artillery weapon that can be destroyed? Will it be an attack that requires Garu to maneuver past? Are there combatants in that fortress all too willing to inhibit his siege? Still, there’s one certainty that runs through his mind.

    I won’t let this day end badly.




    Spells Set: Eye of the Fates, ???, Garu line, ???, Crystal Coat, ???
    Spells Used: Eye of the Fates
    Heat: 6/10
    Last edited by Rafflesiac; January 28th, 2020 at 02:26 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Arashi_Leonhart View Post
    canon finish apo vol 3

  15. #675
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Amamiya Sho
    Aoyama Gakuen - Gymnasium
    ??? - Morning


    ---You dodge the strike naturally.

    It is an attack that has been used on you many times, and the punctuation of your first meeting with this particular teacher; other than the fact that it is being used by a demon, it could not be called a product of magic... It was more or less the demonic sensei copying a particularly extravagant martial arts move she had seen on television, and turning it into an attack so graceful that it has already hit you by the time you are able to register hostile intent...

    It's one of her favorites, her signature move if you will; one that she often uses to ingrain the concept of "constant vigilance" in her students, by randomly attacking one of them with it in the middle of class.

    ---Needless to say, upon your admission, you were apparently the chosen victim.

    There was a chance that the other students had lied about you being instantly knocked out of course, but the missing day in your memory sort of says otherwise, in other words, this is an attack that is known to instantly defeat Amamiya Sho, thus, while the teacher had likely felt bad about the incident, seeing as how seriously damaging the students was never the point of an exercise, she...

    ---Keeps on using it against you anyway.

    Not out of malice.

    But because this is something that you need to learn to protect yourself against, to be weak against "physical" attacks is almost unheard of, and seeing as how most supernatural beings -Tamers included- were known to mix both magic and physical attacks into their respective fighting styles, it was the sort of weakness that meant you were essentially weak to the most common element of them all-!

    Therefore, for you in particular, you must have constant vigilance-!

    That is a lesson she intends to engrave into you, no matter how many times this exchange must repeat, and as those efforts finally bear more decisive fruit-!

    "Oh? Too slow, huh?"

    Landing with a chuckle in the hallway outside, the long-haired demons turns to face you with a light grin, tips of canine-like teeth showing ever so slightly against her flawless skin.

    "I'll be sure to speed it up next time, then-!"

    She laughs.

    "And of course I'm high-spirited, it's always good to see students take lessons to heart-!"

    ...It's not exactly unfunny, but at the same time, you can't call it funny either.

    ---Her attack wouldn't have killed you no matter what, but that didn't stop the chill of death from shooting down your spine, after all, being forced to wake up in the infirmary a second time would just make this particular occurrence something you couldn't live down-!

    "Still, I was a bit surprised you were the one who took up my request, you never seemed to enjoy running very much."

    Much like your lack of speed in comparison to other students-!

    One could think of it as taking a shot at you perhaps, but in Ibaraki's case, it's more like blunt honesty wrapped up in a teasing bow...

    The Demonic Teachers are more prone to simply say what they observe or conclude so that it is difficult for you to ignore those flaws by pretending you don't know what they're talking about, still...

    Walking back into the room with the same toothy grin as before, the woman marches over to her office at a casual pace, the laughing sounds of other students inside the gym -hanging around during their free period- making it clear that Ibaraki was as popular as ever, after all...

    While she had high expectations, she was also the sort that made a good gaming buddy?

    University students said she was fun at bars too, but considering your age, well...

    That one was a no go, still...

    "The task is to deliver some documents to the Mongeau house in the Residential District, it's the schematics for some sort of machine, not sure what it's supposed to be, just seems to be some technical nonsense written by some "Dr. Victor" guy, so I figured I'd toss it over to someone who might get some use of it, an old buddy of mine from back in the day; I'd take it myself, but you kids won't train yourselves, you know?"

    ---In essence, it probably meant that she was just too lazy to make the trip herself...

    That, or she might just think the idea of making a delivery is boring...

    Probably not enough "conflict" in it for her tastes...

    As for Mongeau...

    That probably meant Claire Mongeau?

    Partner of Nakamura Megumi, one of the "Big Three" COMP Creators, and the visible face of Megumi's operations considering how separate that woman seemed to keep her work and her home life...

    In other words, you were being sent to the door of one of the world's magitech geniuses...

    "Knock twice on her door and yell that I sent you. That should keep her from trying to drive you off with fire magic, bit of a workaholic that one. Doesn't like to be interrupted!"

    She says it with a smile, so it's a joke right?

    A teacher wouldn't send a student to see someone unstable like that right?

    Right?
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  16. #676
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Raz Stone
    Merlin's Tower ~ Living Room

    ---Surprisingly, the entity pauses on the stairs once you speak to it.

    While it's aura is obviously that of someone drenched in miasma, of spirit power tinged in malevolence, it doesn't immediately move to attack you even after you clearly register it's existence, an oddity, considering how aggressive "shadows" tended to be, still...

    "...Ha... A song?"

    ...You don't expect to hear her chuckle at you, as if there was something incredibly amusing in what you had just said to her... Of course, Raz Stone is an odd person, so someone meeting him for the first time could easily be caught off guard, but considering that this person had clearly manifested as some sort of enemy, it is perhaps, a bit surprising that it's apparently choosing to play along with your actions, yes...

    Coming to a stop where she stands, the shadow woman's eyes lock decisively on you once again, then...

    "I'm not the type to be serenaded I'm afraid, even if the singer is a cute one."

    She chuckles again, her butterfly-like wings shifting slightly as her blade arm falls to her side; as if she intended on coming across as less threatening, but...

    ---There was still an aura of 'danger' around her, one that warns you to not lower your own guard-!

    "What's your name?"

    A seemingly innocent question, and...

    This was going... Surprisingly well?!

    Behind you, Merlin seems to have taken your earlier words to heart, considering you can practically feel her beaming smile as she sits down in a chair to simply see how all of this plays out, and...
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  17. #677
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Hyakka Onjouji
    ???


    ---Naturally, it is more common for an amnesiac to ask questions than to answer them themselves.

    As one who has little recollection of your own history, someone whose tangible past stretches back to a few years at the most, the act of questioning you could be called the same as that of questioning a child... There are many things you do not know about the world, and while you are able to function as a high-school student to a certain extent, there is an obvious air of naivety around you that others can't help but pick up on, to that end...

    It is strange, that he would wish to ask you something...

    Or at least, it seems strange to you, but...

    Considering everyone has their own point of view, their own way to looking at and comprehending the world around them, perhaps there is some value to be gained in looking at the viewpoints of others?

    Regardless, you promise to answer what you can, thus:

    "Every answer is interesting in it's own way."

    He answers with a smile.

    It's a smile that you cannot see, but one that you know is there nevertheless, and-

    "How do you feel about the world, your home, do you like it?"

    -just like that, he asks something bizarre, and then, after giving a pause -as if meaning to separate his first question from the second- he continues with one that is much harder to answer, one that is far less sensical, considering he still appears as a 'stranger' to you, yes...

    "Do I seem like myself?"

    ...It's a question that's almost impossible to answer, considering you do not know how 'he' is supposed to act anyway, even if you did feel a strange sense of nostalgia when talking to him, but...

    But...

    But...

    Maybe an instinctual answer would suffice?
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  18. #678
    Taiga's knight Tobias's Avatar
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    Raz Stone
    Merlin's Tower ~ Living Room

    A less experienced man might have let the momentary surprise show on his face. Truth be told, while he had suspected that butterfly winged lady likely was intelligent enough to communicate, he honestly had doubted she would actually choose to do so.

    Still, Raz had more then enough theatrical experience in order to roll with the unexpected.

    Just goes to show you, Raz stone wasn't the only person around who was a sucker for a pretty face!

    "My lovely lady of shadows, let me first say, no beautiful woman is the type to be serenaded, right up until the time they are! But where are my manners, my name is Raz stone, by the favor of the court granted the title of Knight of the Golden City." Raz bowed grandly at that...though noticeably his elegant movements seemed mildly altered to keep his eyes on the dark skinned woman within eye sight. "Son to Gerald Stone, and Erin. Brother to..." At that, Raz paused...as if about to say something he shouldn't. "...the order of Knights." He finished urbanely instead.

    "May I have the honor of the ladies' name in return?"
    Quote Originally Posted by Bird of Hermes View Post
    The moment the opportunity arises for a pun, the one known as 'Taiga's Knight' will be there to deliver whether you like it or not.

  19. #679
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Interlude
    Sariel & Mysterious Girl
    "My Master's Wish - I"


    ---It is not the first time she has seen an angel, but the sight remains a bizarre one.

    While the expression of the woman on the motorcycle is almost completely unperturbed, like she is the sort that does this sort of thing all the time, and thus this endless sea of mud holds no stress for her, such a thought could only be called untrue; she is putting a remarkable amount of effort into avoiding the 'congregation' of hands that continue to gather below even now, searching for a single moment of weakness, of the bike to come to a stop upon crashing into something, or simply for one's clothes to sink into it enough that they can get a solid grip on it, yes...

    Mentally, she is already participating in a battle; from the moment she had launched herself out into the world of darkness, she had done so with the knowledge that literally everything around her was a hostile area, a manifest curse that was strong enough to literally eat the planet, reducing it to the state that it lies in now... To be frank, there should be no possible way that anyone has survived, even if one were to keep running into the horizon, travel from one end of the globe to the other, for this world, for this "planet earth" where "humans live," there is...

    Nothing but curses, or at least...

    That is how things seem to be, and thus, fighting a curse that might as well be "limitless" is pointless, it's the existence of an "enemy of humanity" that has already defeated humanity, therefore, she seems like she should be a shivering wreck in the face of it, nevertheless...

    "Help?"

    Her expression is calm, and while her word sounds like a question, it's less "you're asking me to do this" and "it's sort of a silly question to ask," not because she has no intention of helping, no, she had come out here specifically to rescue anyone that might still be alive, not just because she thinks it's the right thing to do, but because...

    ---That was the wish of her Master.

    Therefore, it is one that she will complete no matter what; as that boy's trusted 'partner,' she cannot allow herself to falter in a situation where he has left the outcome "up to her."

    Still...

    ---She feels a bit bad, after all...

    The first action of the apparent angel was to plead with her to help her friends... Had her face been a bit too stoic? Was it what she had said?

    She was doing her best to come across as heroic after all, so surely asking those sorts of questions was unnecessary? Then again, her Master was the one that radiated that catch-all heroic charisma, she was a bit more cold-hearted at a glance, which she supposed was fine, after all...

    It's not like it an inaccurate assessment, still-!

    "I came out here to rescue you guys anyway, so it's not a problem. There's a place we can run to where they can't follow, so-"

    ...While her opening words were the truth, it was not like the situation was hopeless.

    Fighting these monsters out here was something of an endless endeavor -at least under the current circumstances- but there was a single safe zone inside of this place, therefore all she had to do was defeat the one giant they had drawn out and escape with the three strangers before too much of that person's attention was drawn to this area, and to that end, the dark haired girl raises a single hand to the sky as if to invoke a great power, and indeed, that is her intention, to show the strength of her existence and cut down a giant made out of curses but-!

    Before she can...

    ---The sky falls.

    Not by her strength, but by the strength of the those she had come out here to save, and that...

    That....

    "Hah... Okay, that's interesting..."

    Is a bit more surprising-!

    Hand going from the sky to the handles of her motorcycle, the woman's actions change from that of a hero dramatically swooping in to save others from a monster, to...

    Someone who decides to wait and see how this all plays out first...

    ---Her interference may not even be necessary.

    Not quite yet at least.

    Interlude Out
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

  20. #680
    The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants Airen's Avatar
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    Cosmos Fairchild
    LOVELESS ~ Outside
    ??? - Dawn isn't Coming



    More than the sudden surge of spirit power that has erupted in the area at your soul's behest, that light, manifesting as a sea of stars up above, is easily the most striking change within this bizarre world, a world that had been dyed a permanent crimson becomes tinged with blue instead, as a dead sky comes to life in opposition to the hell that awaited just down below, yes...

    ---Stars.

    Aster is not really such a thing, what is descending now is not a storm of literal stars, but simply a spell that had been inspired and forged by the nostalgic memory of a falling star, and yet...

    ---Stars.

    How long has it been since this world had been graced with such a thing?

    To start with... What are the stars to humanity, really?

    It's hard to say, but certainly they must mean something in the collective consciousness. You had never been able to see it yourself, but for those who seemingly had, the "Sea of Souls" was said to resemble a glittering sea of stars from afar... Such a thing could be meaningless, but considering the nature of such things, it was far more likely that that sort of 'image' was simply one that fit humanity, and perhaps...

    Perhaps it did...

    ...So, what are the stars?

    To humans, they mean many things, in a romantic sense, one could even say that the stars are often used to represent their wishes, hopes and dreams.

    Visible, so close that it almost feels like you can grasp it, but ultimately, seemingly, out of one's reach... So perhaps...?

    The stars are the final destination?

    A limit that must be passed to defy the infinite sky, or perhaps...

    The stars are humanity's steadfast companions, always there, shining in the sky, watching over them for as long as they have existed... Scientifically speaking, the light one sees in the night sky comes from stars many million light years away. Some of it from stars or galaxies that no longer exist and yet whose lingering light continues to shine on, as if screaming that "someone was here."

    ---In that sense, it's possible to call them something like a record.

    Even when they have already disappeared, the stars persist in spite of that; watching over life in all of it's stages, bearing witness to the limitless emotions of the lives that exist around them, yes...

    Perhaps it was fitting for something like the "stars" to shine in this world once again-!

    "▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅"

    Upon sight of that light, a monster roars in defiance.

    Faced with the trump card of a Tamer, a level of magic upon which one began to tread on the original age of myths and legends, the monster actually acknowledges that it's opponents are a threat, different from those it is used to hunting, those whimpering people that trembled and fell to their knees at the sight of it and what it represented, knowing that their only recourse was to curl up and pray to not be noticed, but-

    ---By the time it notices-



    "▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅"

    -the light of the human spirit is already on it.

    Blows heavy like meteor impacts.

    ---In this, it's massive size works against it.

    With your COMP's unique ability to overcharge your spells, Aster's weakest aspect became it's homing effect; someone the size and skill of a Tamer should be able to dodge the majority of the impacts, considering they were simply too large and too numerous to all track the same target effectively, but it, being the size of a skyscraper itself is pummeled, over and over again, blasts of power rocking it's body as it screams in rage, raising arms of muck to defend itself from the relentless onslaught, but considering it's arms are no different from the rest of it's false body, it shouldn't matter whether they are in the way or not-

    -suddenly, as if to mock the appearance of that thought.

    "▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅"

    The splattering of mud impacts stops, not because the spell itself has come to an end, but rather because...

    It seems to be... Absorbing it?!

    ---In the end, Aster was a spirit-type spell; while that gave it good affinity against natural resistances, as it itself represented the 'soul' and thus could not be easily resisted by those who have souls, it was an element that was also rather simple to understand, most often being literal masses of spirit power made manifest as heat and light, thus, if it's simply spirit power given a shape...

    It could -in theory- be absorbed with the right sort of counter magic, of course, absorbing a spirit spell of this level should be impossible, yet...

    It specializes in defeating these sorts of powers. The absorption of the souls of others, the assimilation of their power, such things are natural to it, thus-

    Thus-!

    Thus-!

    It begins to devour the stars.

    Streaking blue lights falling into the depths of a pitch-black darkness, rather than being splattered by the hits like it once had been, holes being blown clean through it's body, it now eats those lights and turns them a burning crimson, mouth opening to reveal a crimson mass as it prepares to return all of this magic to it's sender, it's a purposefully extravagant way to take the flow of battle, designed to induce despair, to show how little an [ace] spell of this sort means to it, but-!

    Even so, you do not move to take care, as if such a thing was unnecessary.

    Of course, if you had been alone, such a move would have been the height of foolishness, but, considering this current situation-!

    There is no need, after all...

    It is not just stars that fell onto your opponent like a divine rainstorm-!





    "Hah-!"

    Amidst the deluge of stars, Alyx strikes it with a single blow.

    Naturally, such a thing is unimpressive in comparison to her rival's storm of stars, and it is a blow that seems so insignificant that it might as well have come from an ant, so insignificant that the giant dismisses it even as it happens, it's gaze fixed on the opponent it intended to blow away with her own power, power twisted into a curse designed to strip her life from her in a single blow, yet-

    "Burn away."

    -it has no way of knowing.

    It's only natural that Alyx's spiritual signature comes across as weaker than your own; if the Tamer called "Cosmos" is a walking artillery battery, then the Spirit Tamer called Alyx could be best described as an "Assassin," in other words...

    If her blow had come across as 'dangerous,' she would have been playing her role incorrectly, this, it has no way of knowing, thus-

    When it catches flame.

    When that tiny, insignificant wound catches fire, it's only response can be a roar of indignation and confusion, as a formula designed to 'burn spirit power in it's pure form' rips through it's body.

    ---That's right.

    That is the form of Alyx's Trump Card, an Assassin's art that utilizes the opponent's own circulating power as it's kindling, the more active enchantments one has placed on themselves, the hotter this flame burns, consuming the body in a phenomena known as "spirit burn," and punishing many of the 'bad habits' those on supernatural battlefields tend to develop; a phenomena that wouldn't ordinarily result in a towering colossus of flame screaming at the sky as all of the power it had summoned up succumbs to the curse and combusts, but one that fits the silver-haired warrior of the church nonetheless, one who does not turn around to face her opponent even as she lands behind it, sword spinning back into the shape of a gun as she sheaths it at her knee.

    ---It had absorbed too much, too quickly, and she had caught it in it's moment of arrogance.

    For Alyx, this sort of technique is fine; she does not need to rely on the overwhelming power of the divine, all one needs to achieve victory is to turn their soul into a spark that burns down their opponent.

    It's a different approach.

    One that seems like it relies simply on herself, and ordinarily, that may be the case, however-

    Rather than a God, there is someone here she could bring herself to trust.

    To that end...

    There is no need to observe the remainder of those falling stars.

    ---Beware, oh stagnant curse of a fallen world.

    For here comes the forgotten light of the stars, the blades of those who can defeat you, and the roaring flames of life's limitless spirit.

    Conquerors of this primal darkness, the heart of a peaceful world: the fearless representatives of
    Xanadu
    Hope!


    ---The remnant lights tear all opposition to shreds, and the manifest memory leaves everything in silence.

    ---

    Cosmos Fairchild
    Streets ~ Magatsu
    ??? - Dawn isn't Coming


    The giant has scattered into a substance like black ash, soot, the remnants of a great fire that has now gone out.

    Having confirmed the defeat of the giant with your own eyes, the trip back down to ground level to check on your sister -who had paradoxically leaped from the building soon after you made your attack, as if she had simply wanted to put you in an advantageous position before striking herself- is accomplished in much the same way, namely, you jump off of the building to the ground below.

    ---The impact doesn't feel particularly great, considering that you had just used up so much spirit power that you feel like you can't really catch your breath at all, but you manage to make it with some effort.

    Down below, Alyx is sitting on the ground, also doing her best to recover her lost stamina; in her case, it had been a large number of spells cast consistently, over and over again, from her defeat of the ghost back at the mall, to the run from the giant, and her ultimate use of her "Trump" to ensure that your own would deal a more decisive, finishing blow.

    ---In other words, she's probably more tired than you are, but-

    She smirks in spite of it, because she can't let you see that-!

    "See? Ha...Ha... Got it... In one hit! Doing more than that is just being a show off-!"

    Of course, she isn't particularly good at hiding it, still...

    While it's a brief moment of the old sisterly rivalry flaring through, her urge to tease you a bit winning out for a moment even out here, in a world that blatantly feels unsafe, the approaching sound of an engine draws the both of your attention...

    On it, is a girl with brown hair, and Sariel...

    The mysterious girl is saying something like "jump on" as she approaches at blatantly supernatural speeds, and behind them...

    Behind them...

    Crawling out of the mud...

    Are dozens...

    No, hundreds...

    ...Of the same sort of gargantuan spirit that you had just put down through a team effort, their crimson gazes and roars breaking the fleeting silence as they move this way, first slowly, then at the old pace of a nightmare...

    In other words...

    It might be time to go, if not with the girl, then certainly anywhere that wasn't here-!
    Last edited by Airen; February 5th, 2020 at 07:05 PM.
    Exodus (Complete)

    Even if the author is silenced, the performance is stilled and the actors leave the stage, the story will never truly end.

    Regardless of the form it takes, as long as there are memories of it's existence, the story will continue on.

    In a small ward in the heart of a once devastated town, life carries on as it always has...

    Because of you.

    Please, remember it warmly.

    We'll continue to walk down this path for eternity.




    Mugen No Sekai

    "The Illusion Incomplete Memories Produce Are,

    Fleeting, Disappearing into the Future,

    Until the Ruins of Yesterday Overflow,

    For That Which Falls Only to Rise is Simply a--"

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