The Holy Dove let out His call as he flew above the trees, guiding everyone through The Wilderness upon a safe route. Everyone fell into place next to each other, their legs and bodies growing weary and tired from the various events of the Redemption Cup.
To the right, a beautiful marble temple shimmered into view, a rest stop for those who wished to call it for the night. The sign upon the temple read S-4, signalling it was Yochanan's Temple and those who entered into the Temple were now apart of his class.
"The door closed after 12 students...man, I really just wanted to stop for a moment," Nae Ki-Pam groaned softly, placing his hand upon the door before pushing himself away from the Temple back to the group.
"There could be some other temples nearby that we could stop at. Come on, bro. You got this," Ramud said, patting Nae Ki-Pam's back with a soft chuckle.
"So where is Ascea leading us?" Hyeon Bae asked curiously, her gaze fixed upon the Holy Dove in the sky.
"To Seolhart, but there are a few places we have to stop by first. I do wonder...will Nox be there? It isn't the first time he's been gone, but each disappearance keeps getting more worrisome," Luciel said, holding her book close to her chest as she walked alongside the students.
Everyone continued on the path, the fallen leaves on the ground crunching underneath their feet with each step. Soon, the second Temple arrived with the sign named S-3 signalling Kaguya's Temple and class. After 12 students entered through the door, the doors of the temple closed on their own.
Continuing along the path, the only students remaining were Ha-Rin, Woo-Yi, Li-Na; Kim Eun, Ko Su-Mi, Hwang Ji-yong; Song Jae-in, Ye-Won, Mul Ir-Wol; Jiahn, So-Yi, Hyeon Bae; Mizu, Choko, Kizu; Ko'rai, Ahmed, Reene from Grushia. From Bulan, Tae, Ramud, Woo-Chi; Nae Ki-Pam, Ro Kwang, Soel-na; Galia, Akagi, Yi Yunso, and Sonico.
Well done, my children of Qutsade.
You have endured through the Wilderness...
Leaned on Me, and trusted in The Way.
Now, you shall be the first to witness...
Qutsade's Second Chance.
I heard the Voice of God as I stood at the window of the Dean Office of Seolhart Institution, adjusting my tie with a smile and hummed softly. I looked backwards, noticing Flynn and Claudio walking into the office with their best outfits on.
"I still don't know how you managed to change your Fate without causing an entire paradox. But I suppose if God could keep Risa alive through rewriting Stella's story, He can do the same for you," Claudio said, chuckling softly and snapping his finger while pointing at me.
"You honestly think that's Nox's doing? Even I know, only God can rewrite stories and make them infallible," A familiar, cunning voice said from the shadows before walking forward.
Flynn squeaked as she looked at the hooded man, calming down as she began to recognize him. "Chester Katt! You're here as well?!"
Chester waved at everyone and chuckled. "You forget I am one of Nox's Council Members? The last lesson and trial is about to begin and I will not be missing this."
"Is it true, Nox? You're going to be teaching the lesson yourself? How will that work if everyone is assigned a class already?" Flynn asked, spit firing questions out of pure curiosity.
I chuckled softly and turned around to face everyone in the room, slipping my hands into my pockets. "My lesson is going to see if the students actually learned something. I wanted them to see they are all in need of a Savior, one even greater than I. I want them to know that they need God in their lives, to depend on Him."
"The only way to do that, is speak in a language we all can understand. One last duel against me, King of Exzodia. This is called Checkmate. If even one person reaches this office, the students win...but I want them to understand how and why they were able to reach here," I explained, turning my gaze back out the window.
Your final test...
"Their final test," I began, adjusting the cuffs of my sleeves.
Is against the current King of Qutsade, Noxius Ascea Exzodia.
"Is me," I echoed, walking over to the window and watched as a group of 13 students began approaching the campus.
The students standing before the expansive campus were Woo-Chi, Ha-Rin, So-Yi; Jiahn, Hyeon Bae, Tae; Ko'rai, Ahmed, Reene; Ye-Won, Ramud, Ro Kwang, and Akagi Mori. Woo-Chi stepped forward first, leading the group ahead through the iridescent energy walls ahead.
Suddenly, healing herbs began to sprout on the ground for the nourishment of the students' bodies. They stopped to look at the beautiful green plants on the ground then each heard a rumble in the sky, each of them looking up to see the Polaris Star shining brightly in the night.
Each of you shall take a bundle of herbs,
Picking enough for a dozen clovers.
You shall place them on your tongue,
along the back and let it sit.
It will desolve into your bodies like melting ice.
Upon hearing God's holy command, they did as they were instructed, picking enough herbs to count twelve leaves for each student. They placed each herb upon their tongues in a stack, closing their mouths and grunting softly from the earthly, bitter taste.
"Whoa...that has a crazy aftertaste, but I feel insanely better!" Ramud said, throwing a few jabs into the air and looked at his hands.
"So this will be the infamous Class S-1. This will be a pretty stacked class, taken each of you have something personal with Noxius," Chester said, walking outside onto the courtyard with his hands in his pockets.
"It's Chester!" Jiahn called out, her skin growing goosebumps as she began to sense another presence.
"When Nox called us, we knew it would be for a good time! Now we know why! Some of The Lord's strongest soldiers stands before us," Eun-Song said, descending from the sky with her Super Logos battlesuit active.
Sang So-Yi looked at Chester and Eun-Song, wondering why they would be in Seolhart. She looked at the main building, noticing someone standing at the top window and activated her Beshin-Keh. "Who is that..?"
Eun-Song landed on the ground and crossed her arms, humming softly at the students. "I only want to stall Woo-Chi for a bit, the rest of you can pass through. Beware though, Monsters guard this campus."
"Monsters?" Ro Kwang asked, his gaze averting around his surroundings the grunted as he noticed Harpies, Sheep, and a Dragon flying around in the sky.
"Are we still in The Wilderness? Where are we?" Ko'rai asked as he looked around in awe, trying to make sense of the area.
"The only way to find out is to get through the trial, I think," Chester shrugged with a smirk, launching a Shadow Punch toward Ko'rai.
Ko'rai sensed his attack, but could barely dodge it due to its high speed and grunted as the attack connected to his face. He staggered backwards and shook his head, moving his hair from his eyes with a smirk. "Oh? You want to poke the Dragon?"
"Hold your horses there, pal. I've got this," Ro Kwang said, placing his hand on Ko'rai's chest as he walked forward. "He has some form of Shadow Control, so this is a match for me."
Woo-Chi rose an eyebrow at Ro Kwang and looked at Chester then shook her head before getting into her stance. "You're gonna get done so dirty, Kkul... I am not going to be able to just help you on a whim."
"Heh! Don't worry, Woo-Chi, my sister! At night my power grows stronger, so don't count me out just yet!" Ro Kwang said, smacking his fist against his palm.
Chester slipped his hands into his pocket, chuckling lowly and bowing so his hood could fall over his head. "Man, you sound just as confident as another guy I used to know. I'm excited to see what you can offer..."
Ro Kwang smirked and immediately held up a hand seal, his shadow beginning to bubble then shadow tentacles shot out toward Chester. "We're getting this started immediately!"
Chester dodged both tentacles then charged forward toward Ro Kwang and landed a swift knee against his stomach, the force of his attack knocking him backwards. Ro Kwang grunted as he rolled backwards onto one knee, letting out a sharp exhale and coughed lightly.
An uncertain bead of sweat rolled down Woo-Chi's cheek as she looked back at Ro Kwang, unaware of Eun-Song closing the gap between the two with a warp. Eun-Song struck Woo-Chi's side with a right hook then followed with a left to her cheek, dazing her for a moment.
"You should focus on the battle ahead of you!" Eun-Song exclaimed, landing a crushing knee against Woo-Chi before sending her flying backwards with a spinning kick.
Ro Kwang snapped a shadow whip toward Woo-Chi, catching her by the ankle and pulling her away from Eun-Song's Warp Strike then slipped into his own shadow to evade Chester. Chester watched as Ro Kwang moved his shadow into a darker area to conceal himself.
Chester watched Ro Kwang closely with interest, slipping past his shadow projectiles as he walked toward him. Soon, the projectiles stopped once Chester grew close, Chester watching with anticipation. "Hmm...now where could you be?"
Ro Kwang appeared behind Chester with a chop to his neck, but shadow armor formed around Chester to block the attack. He slipped back into his shadow, cutting another angle and reached up to grab Chester's ankle but missed as Chester leaped over his hand.
Suddenly, Chester vanished in the air which caught Ro Kwang by surprise and forced him out of his shadow. He looked around for Chester in confusion, trying to track his shadow but could not see anything out of the ordinary.
"Ro Kwang, he's behind you!" Woo-Chi called out, listening to the wind as she blocked Eun-Song's attack with a grunt.
"What?" Ro Kwang asked, quickly turning around then grunted heavily as Chester landed a heavy strike against his cheek.
Ro Kwang groaned as he was knocked away across the courtyard, but recovered into a sprint to change locations to somewhere with more lighting as he was the one at a disadvantage. Looking behind him, he noticed a large Cheshire Cat hunting him down, the illusion setting a bit of fear into his soul from the cat's wide grin.
The Cheshire Cat let out a roar, firing a beam of darkness energy toward Ro Kwang from behind. Ro Kwang quickly pivoted around and formed a shadow shield to block the beam, the shield exploding immediately as the beam crashed into it.
"Tch! I need to help him!" Woo-Chi said to herself, parrying Eun-Song's attack then pushed her away with a burst of wind before running off toward Ro Kwang at high speeds.
"You aren't getting away that easily!" Eun-Song laughed, warping toward Woo-Chi and struck her back with a spinning heel kick.
Woo-Chi grunted as she flew forward but warped into a recovery roll, becoming impervious to any damage then recovered onto her feet. She dashed toward Eun-Song and leaped into a flying punch, clashing fists with her and grunting as the force of their clash repelled her back.
Dodge now!
Woo-Chi heard the Lord's voice and immediately phased through Eun-Song's attack, a beautiful white silhouette forming where she once was. Subconsciously, she launched a counter attack, landing a Fluent Flutter Strike against Eun-Song's chest and knocked her back.
Eun-Song grunted as she stumbled backwards, her hand held upon her chest in slight disbelief. 'Whoa...what was that..?'
Woo-Chi began setting up an Orthodox Stance, her gaze focusing upon Eun-Song, her ears wiggling as they listened to the wind. She could hear Ro Kwang running around the courtyard then smirked, launching a blast of wind at the ground to pick up a large cloud of smoke.
Eun-Song grunted softly as Woo-Chi escaped her and chased after her, her attention scattered everywhere as she looked around for Woo-Chi. As she looked around, Sang So-Yi warped toward her with silver eyes and began exerting immense pressure.
"You must've thought we wouldn't circle back for our friends huh?" So-Yi asked, her fist roaring through the wind and crashing against Eun-Song's face.
Chester felt immense pressure behind him and looked back, noticing So-Yi had returned to help Woo-Chi then chuckled. He sensed an attack ahead of him and turned, catching Woo-Chi's fist with a smirk. "Well, I guess in this game of chess...A pawn can move forward and backward."
Woo-Chi looked past Chester and noticed Ahmed behind him then smirked, breaking away from Chester and launched an energy blast past him. "After everything we've been through, do you think we'd play by your rules?"
Chester watched as her energy blast flew past her then looked back, noticing Ahmed behind him. Ahmed formed a black hole in front of him and sucked in Woo-Chi's energy blast, the core of the void glowing brightly as the two techniques combined.
"To think I'd be this far...I've been holding back my best until now!" Ahmed said, his Crest of Sorien shining brightly upon his hand then he snapped his fingers, four white holes forming behind him. "Holy Windstream!"
The white holes shined a bright green color, each one unleashing roaring zephyrs toward Chester like a typhoon ripping through the ground. Chester stood his ground with a smirk, summoning a King of Spades card in his hand then activated it.
A shadow figure rushed in front of Chester with a greatsword, using his immense power to launch a wide slash to block Ahmed's Holy Windstream. The two forces collided, howling winds bursting across the skies and picking up benches and tables around the area.
Ro Kwang used his shadow whip to pull himself into the storm, his gaze focused upon the Holy Dove sitting above the center of the storm. Reaching his hand out toward Him, he clapped the Holy Dove's wing and gained a rejuvenating boost to his Shadow Control.
"This power..." Ro Kwang said, looking at his hands as he noticed the shadows around his hand sparkling with divine energy.
The Holy Dove let out a powerful call and flew down toward the King of Spades, guiding Ro Kwang with Iridescent Essence while the Divine Monarch Butterfly flew past his eyes. Ro Kwang felt called to follow the path and grinned brightly, his body becoming a shadow silhouette as he warped toward the King of Spades.
Ro Kwang let out a bellow as he struck the King of Spades, creating a dent in his helmet as a burst of holy energy caused him to recoil. Chester grunted as the repulsive force knocked him backwards, his gaze shifting toward the Holy Dove flying around the students.
You all shall be tested as well.
My soldiers, prepare for play and strategy.
Students, your goal is to reach the top.
Noxius's Soldiers, prepare to know that I Am That I Am.
The Holy Dove took off to the skies and flew toward the rooftop of the main building and let out a call, catching everyone's attention to the sky. The Holy Dove let out another call providing my side with Power and Dominion Angels while providing the students one Angel.
The angel God had called for the students stood up straight, his golden eyes gleaming with energy and power as his kingly raiments flowed in the wind. Everyone looked at him and gasped in awe, recognizing him immediately as Henosis the Unifier.
Consider this Heavenly Training for what is to come in the future.
You have been provided, now let us begin!
A horn sounded in the air, a giant heavenly blimp soaring across the air with a banner with the letters YHWH etched across it. The prelude was finally over and He was pleased with the opening performance to the point of joining in Himself.
I watched through the windows with a smile, my Holy Fire dancing upon my chest to see the entire Heavenly Body joining on my trial. "Even you're here, my Lord. I am perfectly fine being tested by You Yourself, and I know you won't overbear me with more than I can handle..."
Jiahn, Ha-Rin, and Tae bursted through the doors of the right entrance of the building, the three of them storming down the halls. Each of them looked around for a stairwell, but were stopped by a Power Angel and halted in their steps.
"An Angel? Oh, I think I understand...We are being tested right now," Jiahn said with a nervous grin, bracing herself for a battle against the Angel.
"Stopped this early, I guess we can't just blow past the trial right?" Tae asked, studying the presence of the Power Angel and put her hoodie over her head.
The Power Angel summoned gauntlets upon his hands and smiled at the three. "Be not Afraid, my name is Sibolet. This is a Test of Stamina. The Lord knows you each have high stamina, but it can be higher."
Tae smirked at the Angel and crossed her arms, humming with intrigue. Green lightning crackling around her body then she charge toward Sibolet at blurring speeds with a spinning kick, but he phased through her attack and struck her back with an elbow. Tae grunted as she flew forward but rolled into a recovery, stunned by Sibolet's speed.
Jiahn let out an amused hum and ran forward then fired Ji-MAN forward, but he dodged her cute droid and hummed as he noticed Jiahn warp toward him. He clashed fists with her and broke away from her, Fluttering into a NY Flare and launched a holy blast of energy toward her from his feet.
Jiahn ran forward and rolled into a hand glide then a backspin, leaving behind a trail of silhouettes before warping in front of Sibolet with a spinning kick. Sibolet blocked her kick then warped backwards to evade Tae's Howling Claw, chuckling at the two of them with intrigue and joy.
"I've got you now!" Ha-Rin called out, holding her hand forward and aimed at Sibolet while holding her wrist before firing her Sakura Medori toward him.
The beautiful pink beam curved between Jiahn and Tae, finding its mark perfectly upon Sibolet and caused an explosion within the halls. Sibolet flew out of the smoke cloud and smiled at the three, entertained by their teamwork and began to laugh happily.
"You three work better together than you realize! The Lord brought you three together for a reason, but let's see how you do when I'm on the offensive!" Sibolet said, his eyes glowing brightly as he spread his wings.
Brace yourselves and move!
Lean on Me!
Sibolet warped to Jiahn with a spear hand; she could barely dodge the attack even with a phase as Sibolet's speed was beyond her comprehension. She leaped backwards but Sibolet glid forward with a body shot then a knee to her chin, knocking her in the air before following with a spinning elbow.
Tae charged in front of Jiahn, taking the elbow to the cheek and awakened her Crest of Atren and let out a bellow as God's Hand spun her around for a counter elbow, the force of her attack actually knocking Sibolet backwards. He rebounded off once hand and dashed forward like a blur.
Howl and rush!
March to my beat!
Tae let out her powerful howl, activating her Pack Mentality and began boosting her traits eightfold before charging ahead at invisible speeds. Sibolet and Tae clashed around the open halls in all directions and angles, neither side giving off their offensive due to the risk.
Tae continued to dodge Sibolet's onslaught of attacks, the image of an emerald green silhouette beginning to shimmer in above Sibolet as she began reaching her ceiling. The silhouette began to crack as Tae grew fatigued from dodging and trying to find and opening, the sight of it cracking causing her Holy Fire to roar from her chest.
"Please Lord!" Tae plead out, her body immediately blinking above Sibolet as she called out to the Lord to raise her ceiling.
Sibolet's eyes widened slightly in shock as he noticed Tae had warped above him then attempted to pivot around, but Tae caught him with a headbutt to his cranium. The colliding force rattles both their skulls, dazing the both of them as they both began to descend from the sky.
"Why could she go for that..?" Ha-Rin sighed, placing her hand over her eyes in disbelief.
"Bro, we can't be serious and we're hitting 'Please Lords' this early? Oh yeah, we definitely ain't making up there on our own," Jiahn said, lowering her head and shaking it slowly.
Sibolet landed on the ground and grunted as he rubbed his head, not expecting Tae's skull to be as hard as the earth. "Phew...Lord, you definitely made her a rockhead..."
Tae groaned softly as she was carried down by the Invisible Hand, rubbing her head as well and hissed in slight discomfort from the knot on her head. "Okay...I forgot how primal I become with Pack Mentality..."
Jiahn looked up and noticed an opening to the staircase then sprinted for the staircase then used Ji-MAN to materialize a smoke bomb in her hand. "Everyone come quickly!"
Ha-Rin and Tae looked at Jiahn at the staircase then both ran for it, Sibolet finally noticing them and flying toward them at high speeds. As he got closer, Jiahn threw the smoke bomb onto the floor to form smoke to obscure Sibolet's vision. The three began their ascent to the second floor, Sibolet still on the first but took flight.
Tae dashed down the left hall, her feet moving quickly through the corridors as she began to see memories of the St. Meishi Incident forming around her. She stopped at the end of the hall and looked around, blinking once to see she was outside in the left garden.
"You can't outrun me!" Sibolet called out from above, flying down toward Tae at high speeds.
Tae grunted as she dodged his attack then flipped backwards to create distance then formed stones in front of her, kicking each of them at him. Sibolet caught each stone then clashed his fists together, creating sparks and flames around his hand before launching a fireball toward her.
"Twisted Tempo!" Akagi called out, Stuttering in front of Tae and palmed the fireball, sending it back toward Sibolet at high speeds.
Sibolet laughed joyfully at the new combatant and flew upward to dodge the fireball then noticed it warp to his left. He warped backwards to dodge the fireball then noticed a figure warping to his left, his gaze shifting over to see Henosis behind the fireball.
"Sibolet, look out!" Henosis called out in a fun tone, using his sword to knock the fireball toward him like a baseball.
Sibolet grunted as he blocked the fireball and chuckled at Henosis as he was being pushed backwards. He redirected the flaming orb to the sky, the orb detonating in the air like a supernova with sparks raining down and transforming onto fiery needles.
"Sunset Starfall!" Sibolet called out, swinging his hand downward, causing each needle to rain down to the ground.
Tae and Akagi grunted at the immense volley of fiery needles coming down toward them like rainfall, the both knowing they weren't going to be able to evade each one. Suddenly, a series of drumrolls sounded accompanied by a flurry of light arrows colliding with the needles.
Hyeon Bae ran forward and leaped in the air to pat her leg, awakening her Ten Passing Living Gardens stigmata then formed a hand seal. "Hoon! Let's rock and roll!"
Hyeon Bae's Divine Dog, Hoon, appeared as a ball of silver light before taking shape into a dog then charged toward Sibolet at high speeds. Before Hoon could reach Sibolet, a speeding force crashed into Hoon and knocked him back into Hyeon Bae.
The Power Angel landed on the ground with yellow lightning cracking around her body, her eyes gleaming a beautiful yellow hue. She stood up slowly, her stance as powerful as her presence. "Be not Afraid for you are in good standings with the Lord. I am Meherah, here to test your Speed."
Tae hummed softly as now there were two Power Angels before them, her gut telling her to split the load by diverting one of them to her. "Meherah! Follow me!"
Meherah watched as Tae ran off at high speeds, leading Meherah toward her and away from the left garden. As she ran, she found herself entering into a library then dove into the darkness of the room. Meherah entered shortly after, her gaze carefully scanning the room for Tae.
Meherah walked forward, feeling two more presences in the library, her body alert and on guard. She continued to look around, hearing shuffling but not seeing anything out of the ordinary.
Hyeon Bae snuck into the library after Meherah, using her bunnies to shourd her presence as she ran through the crowd. She dove behind a bookshelf and tossed one of her bunnies over the shelf toward Meherah.
"Hm?" Meherah questioned, turning around to see a bunny flying toward her and grunted as she was struck with a Rabbit Kick on her cheek, the blow dazing her into a twirl.
From the shadows, Tae noticed the opening and rushed out of the shadows and struck Meherah's legs getting her down onto one knee. Ramud rushed out of the shadows as well, landing a fiery right hook upon Meherah's cheek then attempted a follow up.
Meherah opened her eyes and phased through Ramud's strike then Fluttered around him, landing a 9 to 3 elbow to his head, causing him to lean forward. As he leaned forward, a lightning fist struck his face and knocked him forward into Tae, the two of them crashing into a bookshelf.
"Destiny Flash!" Ye-Won called out from the shadows, a bright light illuminating the darkness of the library as an iridescent beam ripped through the air toward the speedy angel.
Meherah began accelerating in place, the beam phasing through her body due to Meherah's swift vibrations making her intangible. She stopped accelerating, the sudden stop propelling her forward for a Fulgar Crash against Ye-Won's stomach before she could react, the blow causing her to groan heavily.
Ye-Won groaned as her body crashed through multiple walls until she ended inside a corridor. She recovered onto her feet quickly, using her autonomous reflexes to dodge Meherah's Flash Strike then launched a counter chop toward her neck.
"Nice try!" Meherah called out, palming Ye-Won's hand to the side.
Ye-Won used her momentum to launch an enzuigiri, but Meherah evaded the kick then warped behind Ye-Won for a blindsided attack. Before Meherah could get off her attack, Ramud had gotten behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist then lifted her for a suplex.
Meherah grunted heavily as Ramud landed the german suplex, her head crashing against the tile floor but she was able to endure greatly. Slipping from his grip, she teleported to the air and held her hand down toward the students. She let out a bellow as she launched a stream of lightning toward them.
Hyeon Bae rushed forward with Gimatet-Hey and surrounded her body in stone before leaping into the air, tanking the stream of lightning for her allies. Reene warped behind Meherah and let out a bellow, connecting a lethal strike to her cheek and sent her crashing to the ground.
"Go! There's a clearing now!" Hyeon Bae called out, looking back toward Woo-Chi, So-Yi, and Ha-Rin.
The trio raced up the staircase, headed to the third story of the building and stopped as they noticed a Special Grade Monster in front of them. The woman standing before them opened her eyes with crossed arms, a smirk forming on her lips as her Pegasus wings folded back.
"So, these are the future Valkyrias that my dad was talking about. You all look fairly promising, getting past two Examiner Angels and reaching the third floor. Now, I am curious..." The Dark Pegasus spoke, chuckling softly and uncrossed her arms.
[Warning! Warning! Special Grade Monster in vicinity!]
[Name: Rozalin Exzodia
Rank: Special Grade
Species: Dark Pegasus
Threat Level: S
Affinity: Light/Dark]
"Did you hear that? She called Mr. Nox her dad...and her name," Woo-Chi said, bracing herself as Special Air began humming with energy.
So-Yi activated her battlesuit, Silver Mercenary appearing upon her body with a silver gleam. She awakened her Beshin-Keh and summoned her Silver Swallowtail butterfly. "Her energy is everywhere..! I can't get a clear reading on her."
Ha-Rin stared at Rozalin and transformed into her Valkyria Form, cherry blossoms appearing and spiralling around her body. "If she's a Special Grade, she has to have a core somewhere on her and we'll find it!"
Rozalin watched as Ha-Rin charged toward her and lunged forward with a powerful punch, but she blocked her punch then slipped by Ha-Rin's spinning kick. Ha-Rin grabbed one of her cherry blossoms and transformed it into an energy sword before launching rapid slashes.
Rozalin evaded each slash then used her wing to parry the final slash, following her last step with an uppercut to Ha-Rin's chin to daze her. As Rozalin launched her next strike, So-Yi warped in front of Ha-Rin and countered Rozalin with backfist to her stomach.
"Nngh!! Heh! You're a quick one aren't you? Good thing this is just getting started!" Rozalin laughed, spreading her wings before firing a volley of dark, spiky feathers toward the girls.
So-Yi summoned her Blessed Woldo and began deflecting each feather with rapid flourishes of her polearm then launched the polearm toward Rozalin like a javelin. Rozalin laughed and ran forward, dodging the Woldo last second before catching So-Yi with a sweeping grab on her ankle.
So-Yi grunted as Rozalin flew in the air and launched her with a spinning throw, sending her flying across the large hall. So-Yi recovered in the air and launched her butterfly toward Rozalin before warping to her with a punch which Rozalin slipped by.
"Wha—" So-Yi began then grunted as Rozalin knocked her down with a high arching roundhouse kick.
Rozalin followed with an uppercut which So-Yi was able to block, but couldn't defend against the 12 to 6 elbow to her back then a darkness blast against her side. Woo-Chi grunted as she caught So-Yi, the impact causing them both to skid backwards along the ground.
"She's fast and slippery...but I think if we all pressure her at the same time, we can get through her," Woo-Chi said, helping So-Yi onto her feet.
So-Yi moved her hair from her face, her gaze locking onto Rozalin's with pure focus. She took a step forward, the ground cracking lightly under her foot as silver aura began to rise around her body. "We can't fight her normally. We have to fight her like Nox does with us..."
Rozalin felt So-Yi's increasing pressure and her silver lightning, her red eyes gleaming with excitement as she hopped into her battle stance. "Oh yeah! Now we're talking! Show me who you are!"
So-Yi got down into a low running start with one hand planted on the ground, her body becoming a blur as she sped forward toward Rozalin with a head kick but it was blocked. So-Yi warped behind Rozalin, leaving behind a silver silhouette where she once was and threw a punch.
Rozalin blocked So-Yi's attack with a back elbow strike then used her wing to block her silhouette's attack and hummed with intrigue. 'A True Flutter..? This girl is truly impressive...'
"Don't count me out just yet!" Woo-Chi bellowed, propelling herself toward Rozalin with a flying kick and landed her mark upon Rozalin's chest.
Rozalin grunted as she was knocked backwards, Ha-Rin teleporting behind her with a spinning backfist, but Rozalin flapped her wings to fly around Ha-Rin. She struck her back with a dropkick then flew in front of her, wrapping her legs around Ha-Rin's head to throw her to the ground.
Woo-Chi rose her hand, unleashing a pulse of wind to boost Ha-Rin back in the air for recovery. "You got this Ha-Rin!"
Ha-Rin bellowed as she landed a spinning head kick upon Rozalin's cheek, using her momentum to drive Rozalin to the ground. "Together now!"
Rozalin planted a hand on the ground then spun around on her hand, pillars of light crashing down around her and spinning around her to form a barrier as all three rushed her with an attack. The barrier repelled each one back then shifted into blades of darkness before firing toward each young Valkyria.
"Breaking Winds!" Woo-Chi roared, unleashing a blast of devastating winds toward the blades of darkness then warped forward into the winds.
Getting a tailwind boost from the winds, Woo-Chi boosted forward, her speed becoming so quick, a silhouette formed behind her. Rozalin grinned as she blocked Woo-Chi's punch but grunted as a second, heavier force broke through her guard and allowed for Woo-Chi's attack to land on her cheek.
"It's not over yet!" So-Yi called out, using her Beshin-Keh to pinpoint a weak link within the space between her and Rozalin.
So-Yi fired a silver bullet at the weak link, breaking the space between the two and immediately closed the spatial gap. As So-Yi shifted forward she threw a crushing knee to Rozalin's chest, but Rozalin pushed her leg down and smirked widely.
"You've exposed your moves, now it's my turn!" Rozalin called out, warping into a heavy elbow into So-Yi's chest then launched a feather toward her.
Rozalin's feather shifted into a silhouette of her then struck So-Yi with a Flutter Strike before marking her and disappearing. Rozalin pointed at So-Yi, a flurry of invisible strikes landing upon So-Yi's body before knocking her away.
"What—" Woo-Chi exclaimed then grunted as Rozalin warped toward her with a heavy lariat and sent her flying a great distance.
Ha-Rin tried to strike Rozalin from behind, but Rozalin immediately pivoted around and caught Ha-Rin by her neck before she could throw her attack. She lifted her up then launched her away with monstrous strength, Ha-Rin's back slamming into the balcony railing behind her.
"Daddy! I have grown stronger since St. Meishi! I am really the strongest monster! Ha hahaha!" Rozalin cackled with her hands on her hips, soaking up her work with a wide smile on her face.
Rozalin looked to her left, noticing Woo-Chi rising to her feet with white lightning crackling around her body and grinned widely. She felt a surge of pressure to her right, her gaze shifting over to see So-Yi standing tall with a silver gaze.
"Lord, grant us Your strength to defeat Rozalin and reach the top!" Ha-Rin bellowed, her aura surging around her body.
"Come on! I'm getting hyper and more excited!" Rozalin laughed, her canine teeth and finger nails growing sharper as her adrenaline began pumping through her body.
Woo-Chi began walking forward then went into a full sprint, her movements near invisible with her boosted speeds. She clashed with Rozalin, the force of their collision pushing them both backwards while So-Yi charged forward behind Rozalin.
Woo-Chi and So-Yi began their team assault against Rozalin, who was able to defend against the both of them but the pressure had massively increased. During the chaos between the three, Ha-Rin manifested wings upon her back and flew forward, her body being cloaked in holy energy while she approached the Special Grade.
"Let's go!" Rozalin roared, breaking away from Woo-Chi and So-Yi to fly toward Ha-Rin.
The two clashed and took their battle to the air while So-Yi and Woo-Chi chased after them up the staircase. Henosis flew upward through the opening of the staircases, locking onto Rozalin and fired multiple arrows of light toward her.
Rozalin pushed Ha-Rin away then began flying around the arrows of light and shot up to the top floor before landing on the ground. She continued to dodge Henosis's arrows of light then spread her wings out wide, licking her lips as her Monster Aura rushed from her body.
I watched the battle from the security cameras, my Holy Fire dancing left and right upon my chest as I watched Woo-Chi, Ha-Rin, and So-Yi ascend in their abilities. "They're ready...they all are. It's time for the King to move."
I turned off the computer and walked away from the desk, making my way outside the Dean Office and rubbed the cuffs of my raiments. I knew Rozalin couldn't handle Henosis alone and since he was now on the top floor, my test had finally arrived.
Rozalin blocked Woo-Chi's attack then phased through a bolt of white lightning before flipping over So-Yi's spinning strike then grabbed her arm. She twirled her around into Ha-Rin then pushed the two of them, creating an opening to shield herself with her wings from Henosis's slash.
"In my years of being a King of Qutsade, this is my first time encountering a Special Grade. You're highly adaptive for a Dark Pegasus," Henosis said, pulling away his sword then took on his stance.
I walked down the halls and snapped my fingers, the top floor shifting into an Fury Battle Room. "It's time for Checkmate. Gemma it's time to rock!"
Suddenly, a young woman leaped from behind the stands with a giant battle axe equipped in her hand. With powerful force, she swung her axe down toward Henosis but he quickly teleported backwards and snapped his fingers.
I looked around, noticing four golden portals opening around me then chuckled. Dodging the first two beams of light, I leaped backwards and slammed my hand upon the ground, rising a rock wall to block the last two beams. "Hm...this would be my first time facing off against the first Hero of Origin."
"And it is strange to be facing off against Luca's Second Chance, who now has control over the Elonun's daughters. Gemma, she's Emma's child isn't she?" Henosis asked, his gaze shifting over to Gemma.
Gemma grinned proudly, nodding her head and placing her hands upon her hips. "I am! You are looking at the Empress of Vigor, daughter of the Great Fury Queen, Emma, and the King of Qutsade, Nox!"
"Wait what? You have another child?" Woo-Chi asked, looking at Gemma in confusion and rose an eyebrow. "She looks to be about 17, how is this possible?"
"All of my children live in the Road of the Border where a day in God's eyes is like a thousand years, except a year in the Border is like a day out here. The Lord helps cultivate and maintain the Border when I'm in the Liminal Space, so He has been tending to the sheep here," I explained, crossing my arms and looking at Gemma with a smile.
Gemma got into her battle stance and chuckled as she ran forward, targeting Woo-Chi, So-Yi, and Ha-Rin with a wide swing of her axe. The three split apart and began each throwing attacks at the Vigor Elonun, her movements too quick for them to land an attack.
Gemma let out a roar, the soundwaves pushing them back then she bolted forward to Woo-Chi with a heavy gut blow. Woo-Chi grunted softly as she caught her fist, white lightning surging around her body as she pushed back with a roar.
"Haha! That's right, use that Fury!" Gemma laughed, pushing Woo-Chi away then swung her axe at her torso.
So-Yi awakened her Beshin-Keh, Woo-Chi's body swapping with hers for So-Yi to land a countering round kick to Gemma's head, dazing her. Gemma regained her footing and took on a Spider Stance, swinging her leg upward to strike So-Yi's side.
So-Yi grunted as she tried to resist the force, the feeling of her rib cracking causing her to lose a bit of focus. She staggered to the side and quickly regained composure, clenching her fist as silver particles spiralled around her hand.
"This is starting to become extremely exciting!" Rozalin called out, running forward and leaping forward as So-Yi launched her uppercut.
The two clashed fists, Rozalin winning the exchange and pushing So-Yi back but Ha-Rin charged forward with a shoulder tackle, pushing So-Yi back forward. So-Yi rounded off one hand, twisting herself around before springing backwards over Rozalin with an energy volley.
Ha-Rin bellowed as she fired a volley of Sakura Blasts toward Rozalin as well, both volleys clashing with each other and causing multiple explosions in the area. Within the explosions, sparks of purple energy intermingled with the collisions, purple silhouettes appearing and disappearing rapidly.
Henosis watched as Rozalin rapidly Fluttered to block each blast within both volleys, impressed by her speed. While he was distracted, I warped toward him with a Lion's Fist to his midsection, following with a back question kick to his jaw.
Henosis grunted as he recovered quickly enough to block my Flutter Strike with his Holy Shield, a smirk forming on his face. "I must admit, this generation is very impressive. To see the Lord's teachings so active now...it is a pleasure!"
I phased through Henosis's backfist then leaned back as he threw his shield toward me, his shield rebounding off the bullfighting fence back toward me from behind. One of my butterflies landed upon his shield, warping it toward Henosis for it to strike his forehead.
"It has been a pleasure to teach God's children, now it is time to level up their learning, their walk. They know of the dangers that soon will arrive, but the difference now from back then, they know who their Lord is now," I said, giving Henosis a smile and got into my stance.
Henosis chuckled softly and rubbed his forehead, looking back at the students fighting against Rozalin and Gemma, Rozalin putting So-Yi in a headlock and ruffling her hair while Gemma chased Woo-Chi and Ha-Rin like a rushing bull. He hummed softly and looked over at me, crossing his arms with a smirk.
"It seems the nature of the Elonun and Special Grade Monsters have also changed. How is that? I was not around when the Elonun took on a new Heavenly Vow," Henosis asked curiously.
"The Original Elonun took on a Born Again Vow. Their seed would be bloomed into a new creation which would kill their flesh. They are the same Spirit, but sanctified...not in fullness but just enough for their will to be restored in God's name," I explained, my gaze shifting back over to Gemma and Rozalin.
"The mother would die protecting her child and before I knew about the Border, they would have to be protected in the physical realm where danger always strikes due to their high Rebirth Energy. But now, they rest within Qutsade's Womb until they are ready," I finished, returning my gaze back to Henosis.
Henosis nodded, understanding the concept of an Elonun's life cycle. He took a deep breath and exhaled softly. "It seems that you are doing well in God's honor...and because of that, I will be your test here."
Henosis snapped his fingers, an entire Heavenly Jury forming in the seats of the Fury Battle Zone. I looked around and smiled, feeling all eyes were now upon me. I looked forward at Henosis, meeting him eye to eye.
"You are strong, have a powerful will, and carry a true heart after God...but who are you? After everything you've gone through and seen, who are you? How do you see yourself?" Henosis asked, snapping his fingers again and shifting the Fury Battle Zone into the Mirror Facility.
Everyone looked around to see mirrors surrounding them, mirrors that didn't reflect their physical appearance but their souls. I looked in my mirror, smiling at the reflection of my soul then placed my hand upon the mirror.
"I know exactly who I am. Without Christ, my Lord...I am nothing. I own nothing. Everything I have is through God's will. Just like without Jesus nothing was made, without Him... Qutsade would not be as far as she is now. I am Nox Winters, a man who seeks after the One who saved me...I am a child of God, adopted into His family through His only Son," I answered, taking my hand off the mirror and lowering it.
Henosis noticed I used my earthly name and took note of it mentally. "Is that how you truly see yourself?"
"Did you expect me to answer I am a King? I am a father? I am a savior? I am a good person? No one is good except for God. I Echo Him because if I lived through my own standards, I would end up just like Luca. Something had to change, and faith without works is dead. You wanted me to show you my faith with my works...no," I said, chuckling softly and shaking my head.
"My works are not my own. My works, my actions...I show my faith by my works, by my desire for God. What good is a judge without a moral blueprint? What good a builder without the tools needed to create? Even a king needs an advisor wiser than himself," I answered.
Henosis smiled at my answer and closed his eyes, lowering his head then exhaled softly. He looked up at the Heavenly Jury, watching as they ascended back up to Heaven. A circle of starts around the Polaris began to twinkle various colors, iridescent sparks glistening down from the sky.
"You are truly full of grace, Noxius. To be as humble as you are when you could easily fall into pride as many before you have. You have a good spirit in you, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Keep Him close," Henosis said, crossing his arms and ascending back up to Heaven as well.
The area reverted back to normal, everyone looking around to see the Dean Office completely destroyed as if their battle was in there all along. I looked around to find myself within the middle of the chaos and couldn't help but to laugh softly, the others joining in on the laughter as well.
The Holy Dove watched our joyous moment from outside the window, letting out a chirp before taking off to the skies and vanishing within The Wilderness. The Wilderness soon slowly began to vanish, the jungles becoming active cities once again while the Temples and Institutions remained the same, revealing to everyone they were real locations within St. Goken.