Chapter 8: Final Day Before War
"Zain. Tomorrow we strike. Are you prepared?" A man walked up and stood beside him.
"Yeah. The darkness that resides in Lunia shall be no more. I've watched too many comrades be consumed in darkness back at my home country. That all ends here. In one of the scriptures I deciphered it said 'Thou shall not seeketh the dark entity who shall giveth strength, but purify the dark entity to renew the lost soul.'" Zain looked at his partner. "You know I'm not keen on destroying Lunia, Arthur. If worse comes to worst, I will use my light to destroy Lunia."
"Yeah I know. You were always the...I guess righteous one in the Holy Order. Hell, you're the Commander of the Holy Order now. Obviously, Lord Zephyr saw your potential and knew you could reach the full extent of your abilities." Arthur chuckled.
"Heh...I wouldn't say that but, becoming the Commander of the Holy Order is a huge achievement. Maybe one day I'll become one of his Officers in his main army." Zain smiled.
"Now your head is in the clouds." Arthur laughed a bit.
Meanwhile in Lunia...
I stood on the balcony and took in the gentle breeze. Victoria walked onto the balcony then stood beside me. She smiled and closed her eyes.
"Two years ago we stood just like this as your mother watched us. We also stood like this before the Holy Order attack." Victoria said.
"Yeah...but this time we are prepared for the attack. I still feel like we are outnumbered..in terms of strong members of course. From what I've seen our men are...generic." I opened my eyes.
"Then how about we go gather allies? We have some neighboring kingdoms we can form an alliance with. One of them is the Kingdom of Wadataka. There are warriors there we could ask to join us in battle." Victoria said then opened her eyes.
"Wadataka? What's that kingdom like?" I asked.
"It's a kingdom made up of warriors who have a connection to the samurai. The leaders of that kingdom are half-siblings. One is named Yomi and the other is named Jin. As far as I know there are only 2 generals in that army. Everyone else is in some other kingdom or country. We could go try to recruit some people from there." Victoria answered.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go to Wadataka." I said then walked away.
"Right." Victoria nodded and followed me.
We went to get on our horses then I let Victoria lead the way. In about an hour to get to Wadataka. We stopped in front of the entrance to the kingdom then walked through the entrance. Victoria led me to the castle and I followed. I looked around, curious about the area. The people were dressed in kimonos and other samurai attire. I watched the children run around then I looked ahead as we kept traversing to the castle.
"So Jin and Yomi...are they powerful?" I asked.
"Well they will be very helpful since two of the Holy Order are fire users. We haven't met anyone else other than Arthur and Catanova. They have the ability to seal their fire abilities for a set amount of time." Victoria explained.
"Huh. That seems very helpful on our end." I nodded.
After 30 minutes of walking, we made it to the castle. Guards stopped us and we looked at them.
"State your name and faction! Failure to do so will end in death!" A guard said.
"I am Queen Stella, ruler of the Kingdom of Lunia!" I said.
"S-Stella..? I thought you died when the Holy Order attacked.." The guard said then cleared his throat and stepped aside. "You may enter."
We walked into the castle and I sensed a blade flying towards us. I dodged the blade quickly then looked around. A figure appeared above me and slashed down. Victoria pushed me out the way and summoned her swords then blocked the attack.
"Hmph." The figure jumped back and his fox ear twitched. "Ren now!"
I closed my eyes then turned my head to the right and summoned my dagger, clashing blades with Ren's sword. Ren looked surprised then jumped back. Victoria and I looked at each other then back at our opponents.
"That is enough." A male voice sounded. "Hayate, Ren, stand down."
Hayate and Ren stepped aside and watched the male walk down the stairs. I looked at him and my eyes shined. Victoria kept her guard up.
"Well well...If it isn't Stella. You're still alive after all that time. It's a miracle you're alive. What do you need?" The male asked.
"You must be Jin, one of the two rulers of Wadataka." I said.
"I am." Jin nodded.
"I want your assistance in an upcoming battle I have with the Kingdom of Uphelia. I heard you can be quite resourceful." I crossed my arms then looked at Jin. "I wanted to recruit your sister as well, but it seems she isn't available."
"She's not in the country for right now. It is just me. If you want me to join your cause, you need to prove to me that you are worth serving. In a Knight battle. Your knight against mine." Jin said. "I would challenge you myself, but I feel as if it would be more interesting if we let our knights prove how well they are in combat."
"How about it Victoria? Up for the challenge?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'll accept this offer and blow away our opponents!" Victoria said and looked determined.
"Ren." Jin looked at Ren.
Ren nodded. Ren's white hair flowed as water began to spiral around him. His white cloak began to flow as well then he summoned his sword. Jin led us all to the battle arena where the knights battles are held in his kingdom. Ren walked ahead then Victoria stopped where she was. Jin, Hayate, and I went to the stands. I sat on one side, and Jin and Hayate sat on the other side.
"Begin!" Jin said.
Ren vanished then appeared in front of Victoria and slashed. Victoria parried the attack and went for a counter attack. Ren blocked the attack and slid back, grunting. Victoria dashed towards Ren and slashed in a circle. Ren blocked the attack then slid back more.
'He is holding back...He's only gauging where Victoria stands before making the move.' I thought to myself as I watched the two battle. 'Victoria, you don't have to hold back against him.'
The two kept clashing blades then Ren bellowed and water surged around him, pushing Victoria back. He got in a stsnce then his cold gray eyes shined.
"Fanged Wolf!" He bellowed then vanished and appeared behind Victoria.
Victoria looked shocked as she fell to one knee. My right eye twitched in annoyance then my dark aura began to appear around my body.
'Stand up..! This is only the beginning! Stand up!' I glared as I thought to myself.
Victoria stood up and her Lunar Arms began to shine. Her eyes shined red then she turned to look at Ren. Ren turned around then glared. Victoria vanished then Ren braced himself. He heard rumbling then an aura serpent struck his chin and he flew up in the air. The aura serpent vanished and Victoria appeared above him. She bellowed and axe kicked him down. Ren crashed to the ground then rebounded off the ground. He landed on his feet and water surged around him. Victoria landed on the ground and her pink and purple aura surged powerfully around her body. Her aura formed a single wing on her left side.
"Victoria!" I bellowed.
"...I hear you loud and clear. I'll blow them away!" Victoria bellowed.
"Ren, you know what to do!" Jin said.
"Yeah." Ren nodded.
They bellowed and dashed towards each other and clashed blades. Ren knocked one of Victoria's sword out of her hand. They parried each other's attacks then Victoria vanished and appeared behind Ren and attempted to kick him. Ren dodged and hit Victoria with a roundhouse kick. Victoria grunted and rebounded off the ground then grabbed her sword from the ground. Her eyes sparked then she threw the sword at Ren. Ren dodged the sword and Victoria appeared where the sword was then slashed at him, striking him. He grunted then she kicked off his back and flipped into the air.
"Sepent Meteor!" Victoria bellowed and a huge aura serpent appeared and crashed down at Ren.
"Black Star: Heavenly Rift!" Ren bellowed then slashed and a huge explosion occured.
We all watched in pure anticipation. The smoke cleared and both Victoria and Ren stood. Ren fell to his knees and fell to the ground. Victoria's eyes shined ominously and she bellowed in triumph. I stood up and gave a victory war cry as well. Jin smirked and closed his eyes. Hayate was impressed by Victoria's power.
"I see...I understand your power now, Stella. I can already see this country of Arcania...has met their darkest hour." Jin chuckled.
"Challenging us was a huge waste of time, Jin! The Kingdom of Lunia will be undefeatable!" I pointed at Jin. "Now you work for us!"
"Very well." Jin opened his eyes. "I am interested to see what you do from here on out."
I smirked at him then looked at Victoria. She had turned normal and looked at me, giving me a thumbs up. I nodded then closed my eyes. I felt like we were fully prepared for the battle happening tomorrow. All there is to do now is wait.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AisuruOfficial
AisuruOfficial With the Kingdom of Wadataka under Stella's rule, the battle between Uphelia and Lunia will commence the next day. Who will stand on top in this battle? Find out in the next chapter!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone