章 31: Sangfroid Maiden
I made it to the underwater city, Seafoam City, and Nebula and Asena looked around the area as I did. We landed on the ground and I looked up, noticing we weren't underwater, but under the ground itself. Nebula snorted, shaking her body to elimate all the water from her coat. Asena grunted as Nebula began getting her wet, causing her to push Nebula away from her.
"Hey, watch it Mare!" Asena scoffed, shifting into her human guise and summoned her trident.
Nebula snorted once again, turning her head up then walked to the other side of me. Asena stuck her tongue out at Nebula before walking over.
I chuckled at the two and walked forward, taking out my C-Gadget and called Sera. Once she answered, the device extended. "Sera...look at this place..."
Sera took in the view of everything I showed her, her eyes widening in awe and disbelief. "Y-You went down to the sunken city?! Why?"
"We couldn't stop it from the outside, so I'm going to stop it from the inside. However this city looks rough for wear. Seems like it's seen better days.." I said, looking around.
Seafoam City looked like an Ancient City, one that existed long before Rivule Square was deemed the capital. The buildings were ruined and covered in seaweed and algae, the streets damaged and worn out, presumably from travel or battle, but nothing could have prepared us to see the most shocking discovery.
I stopped in my tracks, my eyes landing on a palace adorned with damaged seashells, pearls, and various other damaged jewels and items. Nebula and Asena stared at the palace as well, Sera seemingly surprised to see the discovery.
"There was a kingdom before Rivule..?" Sera asked in completely awe.
"Seafoam Kingdom...just like the one told in folklore. This is Seafoam Kingdom! It was said after Tethys passed away upon her throne beside her Legendary Leviathan, Rivule, she flooded and sank the entire kingdom to prevent any poacher or raider from stealing her goods thus the creation of Seafoam Lake and the Kingdom of Rivule after she rose after 49 Nights," Asena explained.
Nebula snorted at Asena, her tail swaying.
"Wha— Of course I can read, Horse! I'm not just some stupid beast who's incapable of reading simple folklore! Can YOU read?" Asena retorted, scowling at Nebula.
I shook my head and smiled their verbal battles then took a step ahead. "So I'm assuming Tethys became a Goddess like Vesta did?"
"According to these records, Tethys did become a Goddess. She became the Goddess of Pure Waters. She keeps the waters of Rivule clean with her blessings and works through Queen Tsuna," Sera answered, fixing her glasses.
"I'm going to assume that the first Eternal Emperor of War caused the death of Tethys as well?" I inquired, genuinely curious about the topic.
"He did, but just like all titans, The Battle Maidens soon betrayed even the Emperor, killing him and thus uniting the lands once more from needless bloodshed," Sera explained, adding all of the visual data I showed her to her device. "Awakening the Battle Maidens aren't necessarily a bad thing, but if they fall into the wrong hands it would lead to catastrophic events."
I nodded and continued forward, walking into the ruined palace then heard the doors slam shut. I quickly turned around, noticing Nebula and Asena outside at the window. "What the..."
Suddenly, a wave of water bullets began flying toward me. I looked back then grunted as I dodged each water bullet then summoned Fiamma, twirling it around to deflect the bullets. After deflecting the bullets, I rushed off to find cover, peeking over my cover and noticed a woman walking down the stairs.
She had blue hair styled in an intricate braid, adorned with feathers and a flower accessory. Her expression was serious and determined, contrasting with the playful elements of her attire and accessories. She wore an elaborate, royal-blue dress with gold and white accents. The dress included intricate patterns, ruffles, and a corset-like top, giving her a regal and aristocratic appearance.
Notably, she was accompanied by small pearl feather duckies wearing top hats, adding a whimsical and humorous touch to her character. She also appears to be carrying a large, ornate weapon with gold and blue detailing, which looks like a mix between a gatling gun and a cannon.
"Lord Ryoma, what happened?" Sera asked, concerned about me.
"Looks like it's too late...Serine has been awakened. I'll call you back when I'm finished," I said, looking down at my C-Gadget.
"Understood," Sera nodded, ending the call.
I put my gadget away then stood up, walking from behind my cover. The woman noticed me and immediately aimed her weapon at me, preparing to unleash another volley of bullets at me.
"Hold on, let's both calm down here," I said, resting the bottom of my battle axe against the ground. "I know my appearance in this sacred location may have startled you, but I don't come here to fight.."
Serine stared at me, glancing down at her ducks and watched as they just waddled around the castle. She turned her gaze back to me, still aiming her weapon at me. "Who are you? For all I know...you just want to use me for your own deeds."
"I am Emperor Ryoma Miyazaki hailing from Eyica...I came down here to stop your awakening, but it appears it's too late. Now I'm not too sure how to go from here," I said, keeping my tone firm, yet calm.
Serine lowered her weapon a bit, studying my features for a moment. She noticed my Crest of Arcane on my hand then met my gaze again. "You're the reincarnation of Lord Ascea..."
"I am," I nodded, noticing she was beginning to calm down. "Listen, some terrible people have been trying to acquire your power and I'm sure they will run back to awaken your sisters...so how about you join our cause to protect Rivule.."
Serine stared at me then closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "I would love to, but I'm not willingly going with you. Prove to me that you're worthy of my power. By defeating me, The Sangfroid Maiden, The Soul of the Resilient! Prove your worth, Emperor!"
I watched as she aimed her weapon at me once again, challenging me to a duel. I chuckled softly, closing my eyes then got into my stance. "Very well. I'll satisfy your need for battle, Lady Vequa."
Serine nodded her head, her Crest of Faith shining upon her weapon and forming into a lapis lazuli crystal which powered up her weapon to its true potential. "Prepare yourself!"
Serine began firing a barrage of water bullets at me, but I dodged each of them then rushed forward. I slashed down, my axe trailing fire behind my intense strike. Serine dodged the attack then grabbed one of her ducks and turned it into a pearl and loaded it into one of her slots within her weapon.
Serine aimed her weapon at me, firing a shot at me, a large water missile flying toward me at high speeds. I bellowed as I sliced the projectile in half, causing a water explosion and droplets of water rain down upon the floor. The pearl colored duck returned to Serine, quacking and waddled away.
"You're not like Emperor Mars...You actually have finesse to your attacks," Serine said, walking around with her weapon aimed at me.
I twirled my axe around and readied it, my gaze locked onto Serine's as I walked around as well. "My mother taught me grace and elegance when I battle while my father taught me strength and resilience. I am not taught to wildly wield a blade or any weapon for that matter."
"Hmph...You are indeed different from the rest, Emperor Ryoma. However...I will not just sit by and allow you to win!" Serine declared, stomping her foot down and charged up a powerful attack.
She began firing a volley of bullets toward me once again, but I was ready, rapidly deflecting the bullets and dashed toward her. I feinted my attack, forcing her to dodge then slashed in a circle, landing my attack that knocked her back. Serine grunted as she rolled backwards then recovered onto her feet.
I dashed toward her and thrusted my axe forward, but she evaded my attack with grace and elegance then rushed forward with a twirl. She landed a kick upon my chest, knocking me back then grabbed another one of her ducks and loaded it inside her weapon. She bellowed, firing a powerful beam of water energy toward me.
I made my axe disappear then summoned my sword, slashing downward and split the beam of energy in two, the two streams hitting the wall behind me and causing an explosion and creating smoke clouds around me.
Serine watched the smoke cloud then grunted as she felt powerful energy, the air around her becoming more intense. 'Dear Goddesses...what is this energy..?'
I swiped away the smoke cloud and revealed my Emperor's Form, my eyes shining gold. I smirked at Serine, shifting my sword into its Willbreaker Form. "Do you like my form? This is my Emperor's Form...also known as my Domination Form."
Serine stared at me in awe, impressed by the intensity of my power. "How can a human...have so much power..?"
"This is only 20% of my true power...You haven't even seen my full potential yet.." I said, chuckling softly as I got into my Yascean Stance.
With a step forward, my body flickered and I appeared in front of Serine with a swift slash, but she managed to dodge my attack and picking up another one of her ducks then turned it into a pearl. She launched the projectile toward me with around kick then picked up another, loading it into her weapon then launched another beam of energy at me.
I caught the first projectile then launched it at the beam, causing a collision and an explosion. Serine grunted softly at the high winds the explosion produced then gasped as she noticed my sword flying toward her. She ducked her head, causing my sword to fly past her then noticed me warping toward my sword.
"You're quick on your feet, but not fast enough!" I exclaimed, landing a barrage of slashes upon her back.
I knocked her into the air with a slash then landed multiple circular slashes then leaped in the air with a graceful twirl, my eyes flashing with power. "Emperor's Impact!"
Landing the last slash of my combo, I knocked her to the ground, Serine landing onto the ground with a hard impact. I landed on the ground in front of her, hearing Nebula's cheering neighs and Asena's cheers as they both watched from the outside.
Serine stood up slowly, her blue eyes shining with determination. Her aura began spiralling around her like a raging whirlpool, her Crest of Faith shining on her back as she began powering up. I watched as her ducks turned into orbs of energy each orb spiralling around her.
"I am...the Soul of the Resilient! A Battle Maiden of War! I will not lose to some Emperor of Conquest! Je vais te détruire!" Serine declared, turning her gatling gun into a cannon.
I readied my sword, shifting it into its Omni-Protector Form. "Heh...Now this is getting interesting.."
Serine began firing blasts of water energy toward me as I dashed toward her. I slashed my claymore, deflecting each blast of water then slashed in a circle to strike Serine, but she leaped over my attack, landing a powerful kick to my face to knock me back. She rushed forward and kicked one of her orbs toward me at high speeds.
I recovered onto my feet, sticking my sword into the ground to deflect her orb then felt her run up my sword and jump above me. Serine kicked all three of her orbs toward me, but I let out a bellow, using my aura to deflect the orbs at once.
"Zodiac Arts!" I bellowed, noticing Serine anticipating my attack then hurried off to evade my attack.
I chuckled as she tried to create distance but I used my aura to expand the radius of my attack. The Aquarius Symbol shined on my shoulder, powerful wind energy spiralling around my body.
"Cosmic Storm!" I bellowed, summoning a massive hurricane around the entire room, lightning flashing around the hurricane and striking Serine powerfully.
Suddenly, a massive explosion happened, blowing Serine out of the palace and damaging the room I stood in, shattering the windows and roof above me. The winds managed to push away Nebula and Asena as well, causing them to groan as they were thrown back.
Once the winds ended, they noticed me standing in the middle of my destruction. Nebula helped Asena up, the two of them in awe of my raw power while Serine's resolve wavered slightly, but she stayed determined. She watched as I stepped out of the destroyed palace.
"Now we have much more room to fight. So show me your full power, Maiden. Show me your full resolve!" I bellowed, shifting my sword into its True Form, its Arcane Form. The Crest of Arcane began to shine on my hand brightly, resonating with my power.
Serine aimed her weapon at me, bracing herself and her heart pounded against her ribs with adrenaline. She felt my powerful aura, knowing she couldn't win. 'How is this possible..? His power level continues to rise rapidly...I can't win this battle, but I don't want to disappoint him by giving up...no...I need to see everything he can do!'
I walked toward her, chuckling at her then rushed toward her. "Let's get this next phase started!"
Serine bellowed as she raised her weapon in the air, shooting volleys of bullets in the air, causing them to rain down toward me. I looked up, chuckling then began to dodge each bullet with calculated and fluid steps. I kicked my sword toward her and she ducked under it then turned around, anticipating me to warp to my sword.
"Over here!" I roared, landing a clean strike to her jaw, blowing her away from the immense impact.
Serine grunted as she flew across the city, but recovered and dodged my next strike then rushed toward me. She launched a swift strike toward me as I went for mine, clashing fists with her and generating a powerful shockwave wave.
"The fact that you can keep up with me and I'm reaching 35%, I admire that!" I praised, rapidly clashing with Serine.
"I am an Ancient Warrior, a Maiden of War, we grow stronger the longer the battle extends for!" Serine bellowed, parrying my next strike then knocked me into the air with a spinning kick.
She summoned her weapon then began rapidly rising bullets at me then loaded an orb, launching a blast of water toward me. I recovered in the air, summoning my sword and deflected each bullet, the bullets hitting the ruined buildings and ground. I noticed the blast of water then dark aura flashed around my arm and I thrusted my arm forward, using my demonic ability to absorb the blast of water.
I landed on the ground and held my arm out then bellowed, forming a large orb of water in front of my hand, launching the same blast of water back toward her at double the strength. Serine's eyes widened then she groaned as the blast hit her, causing a massive explosion.
Asena and Nebula watched from the air, admiring the battle from birds eye view. Asena held onto Nebula's leash, keeping her balance on her saddle and watched as I clashed with Serine.
"Holy Mother of the Oceans...This battle is growing very intense and you said your master isn't even at full power yet?" Asena asked in awe, captivated by the battle.
Nebula whinnied as she watched, soaring in the air in her Alaricorn Form.
"He's only at 35%?! Goddesses...so that means he was holding back against me by a lot huh? I didn't even see this form of his during my battle against him. If he's this strong already...I don't even want to know what he's like at 50% or even 100% for that matter!" Asena exclaimed, continuing to watch the battle.
I dashed toward Serine and slashed through her, sliding forward and flourishing my sword. A flurry of delayed slashes began to strike Serine powerfully, causing her to stumble forward. She panted heavily, sweat dripping from her face, her adrenaline boiling over the surface. She let out a yell, firing bolts of water energy in all directions from her body.
The bolts of energy began striking the rock ceiling above us, causing chunks of rocks to crash down and release water into the kingdom. I grunted as I looked up, knowing if I get caught I would be trapped in this kingdom. I manifested angel wings, propelling myself toward the exit of the sunken kingdom, slicing through the rocks to break out.
I roared, generating more aura from within. "You will not trap me inside here!"
I bellowed and transformed into my Supreme Emperor's Form, mixing it with my Archangel Form and propelled myself through the caves and out of the water. Tsuna, Rene, and the others noticed my form then gasped at my form. They also noticed Serine flying out of the whirlpool, firing multiple water bullets toward me.
"What the heck?! Is that Serine?!" Mega asked in disbelief, using his spyglass to watch the two of us in the air.
"No...Ryoma!" Tsuna called out, rushing to the front of the boat.
Serine and I clashed in the air, our attacks causing shockwaves in the sky. We flew around the skies at high speeds, both of us enjoying the high speed battle we engaged in. Serine couldn't help but smile, finally facing an opponent who gave get a challenge after yesrs of being sealed in Seafoam Kingdom.
Rene watched the battle, rubbing her eyes. "So fast...Is anyone else able to keep up with them?"
"Nope... totally lost," Sati said, trying to track the battle with the others.
Serine knocked me down with a kick, but I stopped myself in the air with a flap of my wings. I noticed her loading all three of her orbs inside her weapon then braced myself.
"This is it! The attack that will destroy you! Vequa Technique: Maelstrom Stormflood!" Serine bellowed, firing a massive beam of water energy toward me.
"Arcane Arts: Conqueror's Flash!" I bellowed, firing a massive beam of golden energy toward Serine's attack.
The two beams of energy collided, starting a beam struggle and Serine began to gain the upperhand. Her beam gradually overpowered mine and I felt my heart thumping against my chest. I closed my eyes and a flash of iridescent energy appeared around my body. I opened my eyes and bellowed, adding more power to my attack, my aura surging powerfully around my body.
Tsuna, Mega, Rene, Ravea, and Sati watched the beam struggle in the sky, all five of them growing worried. The struggle began to create powerful winds and massive shockwaves in the sky which affected the sky islands and the clouds around us.
"Now it's time for this game to end!" I bellowed, multicolored energy flowing around my body. "Arcane Arts: Arcane Glory!"
My attack broke through Serine's, my beam engulfing her body then caused a massive explosion in the sky, defeating Serine. I panted heavily, lowering my arms and noticed Serine falling out of the sky. I flew toward her and caught her, leading her to the land and gently laid her down on the soft grass.
Tsuna and Rene hurried off the boat, rushing toward me and looked at Serine, admiring the gracefully appearance of a real Battle Maiden from ancient times. They looked at me, noticing me panting softly.
"Darling, are you okay?" Tsuna asked, holding my arm.
I looked at Tsuna, smiling at her. "Yeah...~ I have a good 60% left in the tank...I just didn't know I would have to use 40% of my power against her. She's rather strong, surprising strong.."
Rene walked toward me and smiled at me. "You defeated a Battle Maiden. They were known for their undefeated streak back then. No one could defeat them during their reign.."
I chuckled softly at her praise, giving her a warm smile. "She gave me a run for my money for sure...I can only imagine the other Battle Maidens..."
Serine slowly began to open her eyes, grunting softly as she felt her ducks landing on her and quacked. She smiled at them then sat up, looking around noticing she was above the lake. "Where..."
"Lady Serine..." Tsuna said, holding her hand out toward her.
Serine looked at Tsuna, accepting her hand then stood up with her assistance. "Where am I..?"
"You're in the Kingdom of Rivule..." Tsuna answered, holding Serine up.
Serine looked around, noticing how beautiful the kingdom looked despite the battles that took place earlier. She could still feel Tethys's Presence within the kingdom, understanding she still lived on beyond the mortal plane. She turned her gaze toward me, closing her eyes then smiled.
"Lord Ryoma...Thank you for allowing me the chance to see your power. You defeated me fair and square, so now I shall be of your service," Serine said, bowing toward me.
I smiled at her, crossing my arms. "I'm glad to have battled you. You just reconfirmed just how powerful Uthea truly is... however it's better if you served Tsuna and Rene."
Serine nodded at me, looking at Tsuna and Rene, acknowledging them as her superiors. "I am yours to command."
With that, Tsuna and Rene accepted Serine with open arms. The whirlpool finally stopped in the lake and Seafoam Lake was saved once again. All there was left was the journey to Almeria City to battle against the masked man and his allies. We decided to head back to the palace to rest for a moment and plan out our attack.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット