A dark thundercloud formed around the top of Ryo's quarters. It covered this area solely as three figures occupied the rummaged tower—two of which stood out the most. Their auras were so strong they refused to mesh with each other; it was as if they were competing for dominance of the space. The girl, Kiki, still sat atop the giant oni shield, sitting intently as she remained a spectator to the two powerful figures standing off.
The dark figure laughed maniacally, then said, "Well, would you look at this? It's very rare to come across others who can do that as well… let alone a human… Where in the world did you learn to do this, Ryoku?"
Ryo, burning bright blue and white with two contrasted arms of lightning and fire, stood stoic and silent as he locked in to the shadow figure named Demi.
"Not telling? That's fine. I can live without knowing how. I'm just excited for the opportunity to fight against another similar to me…"
"You…" Ryo said, his tone intense, "You use others to raise yourself"—he looked over to Kiki, whom was possessed by it—"I use mine to raise others. We are not the same."
Demi smiled wickedly and for a brief moment, its eyes appeared and were a color so black, they might as well have been black holes. Its shadowy body rippled in anticipation, eagerly awaiting Ryo in this tantamount moment. Then, in a flash, it swung both arms ahead of itself and a wave of black shadow roared toward him. Watching the large wave of darkness, Ryo stayed his position, waiting as it got closer. Then, when it did, he lifted only one of his large claymores—and it was the blue one. With one swing, he cut entirely through the large black wave. The slash was like a lightning bolt as it continued its route to Demi. It merely smiled as the lightning slash drew close, reflecting off of its eyes.
BOOM!!
A large explosion covered the whole area. From above, Kiki watched with dilated eyes as the destruction unfolded.
"WHOA! So pretty!" she shouted. The sound of the explosion was deafening.
When it subsided, the entire area was open. The beams leftover had blown completely off, the cinders no longer occupied, and only left smolders where it had used to burn. The walls had disintegrated and all that was left was a plain open space with the dark thunderclouds surrounding them.
Demi had been cut in half from the chest up, and its mouth was flatlined as it hovered there above its lower body. Right then, its grin flooded back into its face, and the halves of it reconnected seamlessly, the shadows weaving back like they were organic. When it reconfigured, it threw its arms down to its stomach and began ripping it open. It sounded like ripping flesh when it did this. And from its stomach, a wave of five dark shadows the shape of dragons flew out from it. They rampaged toward Ryo, where he was, in all directions.
At last, Ryo had moved. With his right claymore, he slashed the first one on his right with a downward swing. A large explosion was emitted onto it as he did this. His huge blade forced him upward where he then flipped up into the air, propelled from the air current of the blast.
He met the next one with his left claymore and pointed it directly into its mouth. Holding the electric claymore forward like a massive gun, he shot a huge lightning blast right through it, sending himself backward from the recoil.
Another shadow dragon met him in the air there, its massive jaws open. Snapping down on top of him, having eaten Ryo whole. But from its throat, Ryo beamed out two lights, one of fire and one of lightning. They stretched out so long that one could have seen these two beams from below the tower and even all over the Kingdom. They shot out in opposite directions as they carved out a circular motion, slicing the shadow dragon clean in half and severing its neck off completely.
Ryo stepped out of the severed throat, with one leg propped up on the outer part of it, suspended in the air for but a moment.
As he took a step off from it, he fell, then bolted, dancing out into the sky between the last two shadow dragons that ganged up on him there. He was so fast that all that could be seen was a compilation of colors, mainly blue and yellow with hints of red and white. He slashed through them, spinning like a propeller, and made a long trail down both their necks.
When he finished his wreckage of attacks, he ended in a pose with his large right blade sticking upward and the left one extended toward the back of his side. His legs spread out wide on the ground, stationing himself. And all five shadow dragons were now completely annihilated.
In a relaxed motion, Ryo stood up straight; the black shards and particles filled the air, glittering—if black could glitter—all around him. From Demi's unmoved position, it stretched out a hand, palm facing out, and gripped tightly as if crushing something—Ryo in his sight. Right then, the black shards and particles sharpened and flew into him in a consecutive motion, Ryo in the center of it all.
But just like earlier, he slashed once, this time with both blades in a cross motion in front of him and down to his sides. When he did this, multiple slashes of fire and lightning were summoned, countering each and every spiked shard that rained onto him in all directions; banishing each one from existence.
Ryo's reflection burned into Demi's deep, reflective black eyes. Standing there elegantly in place with both Hades and Zeus beside him. Demi's wicked smile widened from ear to ear once more as it dashed toward Ryo now, skating on the plain battlefield at high speed.
From where it came, Ryo had met it there, and in slow motion, he jumped to the side of it, avoiding its frontal strike. Then, from the side, he drew his right flame blade, skidding it from below on the floor. He slashed the shadow in half, leaving burn marks on the severed edges of itself.
Demi then grew legs from its severed torso and another duplicate half from the severed legs behind it—there were two of them now. They clashed as the two shadow figures flanked Ryo from opposite ends. He fended them off with one claymore each in a series of close combat encounters from opposite sides of him.
As their clashes continued, the one on his right jumped in the air and let out a sound wave from its gaping mouth, blowing Ryo backward. The one on his left then disappeared…
Ryo flew back and tumbled once before catching himself in a kneeling position. Once he got his footing, he attempted to dash again but was stuck in place.
When he looked down, his shadow was elongated and stretched out all the way to the Demi clone that had emitted the sound wave. An eerie smile appeared from within the shadow on the floor… It was the second one that disappeared just a moment ago.
From where Demi stood, it chuckled lightly before throwing its hands to its sides into nonexistent pockets—as if it were wearing pants.
"Well, that was fun. But this can't be all it takes to stop you, right, Ryo?"
He twitched an eyebrow when Demi called him by his nickname.
"Ahh, The Kingdom's Guild Draft. What a sweet memory…"
Ryo clicked his tongue, and his eyes burned, widening all the while. What is this thing saying? he thought to himself.
"Seems you feel indebted, ever since that day…"
Ryo tried to move yet again, but it was futile. Is it reading my mind? How?
"Oh, how rude of me. Apologies. You see, when we're like this, the other's thoughts just come rushing in. I can't help but take a peek," Demi said in a conniving tone. "When my shadows connect, not only do you lose your ability to move, but we also share a consciousness. It's as if we are one being—isn't that wonderful!?"
Demi removed its hands from its sides and raised them both outward, palms facing up in the air as it finished speaking.
Ryo, with shadows forming from his blue bangs, replied, "Get out of my head, demon."
Demi formed its notorious sinister smile once again. "Well, then, if you don't want me here—do something about it," it said demonically this time.
"As you wish," was all Ryo said as his aura began to burn, becoming visible now.
His blue aura intensified as he focused his energy, glowering at Demi ahead of him. The aura expanded and then began to burn the shadow holding him in place. Demi had felt the sting and hissed.
"Incredible… You can even do this with your aura… You're much stronger than they give you credit for, Ryo."
"Quit speaking as if we're familiar. You haven't earned the right," Ryo said. A stern and powerful tone behind his words.
With his aura still expanding, he made a burning trail through the shadow that connected him to Demi on the other end. As it continued to course, Demi formed a black blade with its hand and slashed the shadow that connected it and Ryo together. Once the ties had been cut, the duplicate shadow of itself on the floor cried in pain, but did not let out a sound as it died.
Free now, Ryo, in lightning speed, appeared behind it. He swung his left blade, and it blocked with its black blade of a hand. From where they were, the lightning blade Ryo had swung caused a large thunder strike onto both of them. Demi's smile contorted into pain as the harsh lightning bore down on them both without end. Ryo, unaffected, held focused eyes onto it as it cried out. He then flipped his flaming blade and struck down in a stabbing motion, piercing it right down the middle. This time, a burning blast emitted from them both. It was like a volcano erupting as he bore down the blade into Demi's torso.
Ryo's magic ability allows him to control two elements—fire and lightning, at the same time. In his normal state, he is only able to use it as a mixed element, making it only count as one ability, since no mage can naturally hold two different magic abilities simultaneously. In the state he was in now, however, he had used a rare technique that allowed him to manipulate his mana and split the two elements, controlling them as two separate entities through his mana aura alone—thus becoming two magic abilities. His aura was so dense now that spells he originally had to chant incantations and hand signs for no longer required him to do that while in this state, not including higher-grade spells like the one he was about to cast. The technique he used was a Mana Fusion technique that only two other mages in this Kingdom, and apparently this shadow figure, Demi, could use. The two other mages who could achieve this were Captain Belle of the Golden Rose Knights and the Arcane King, Daz. And regardless of Ryo's title, his magical prowess rivaled that of Captain Belle's. He was the Valley Kingdom's third strongest mage.
With the mixture of thick lightning from above and a blazing eruption from below, they fused together, and Demi let out a horrible agonizing cry as Ryo chanted,
"Firebolt Magic: Titans Clash."
Demi screamed in pain as Ryo inflicted his powerful lightning and flame magic upon it along with himself, holding it in place as he continued the blast's endless rage.
From the scorching calamity, the shadow figure called out, "Kiki, help me!!! Help me now!!!"
She dashed, flying through the air with her toon boosters from under her skirt. "Demi!!! I'm coming, baby!!!"
Ryo saw Kiki flying in from his peripherals and reacted, widening his eyes.
"No, girl! Stay away!"
Through the pain, the shadow figure smiled heinously back at Ryo. Its evil smile struck a chord with him.
"You evil—" he said angrily, facing back to Demi and intensifying his Titans Clash. When he did this, the lightning and fire blast raging from the ground and sky grew even thicker, becoming more insane than before. Demi wailed and screamed in utter agony as it neared death.
Kiki, nearby, flinched and stopped in her tracks as the blast grew more intense than before. But…
"Save me, you worthless girl!!!" Demi shouted furiously at her. A last-ditch effort.
Scared, Kiki stopped just before the blazing lightning inferno. But then, mustering up some courage, she began to push through once again, sticking her right hand out, burning her unforgivingly. She was about to let out a scream, but bit her lip so hard she bled.
Ryo, from the corner of his eyes, yelled, "Kiki, do not pass! You will die!"
Ignoring him and mentally abused, she continued to pass through, burning her right arm into cinders all for her blind love for this thing that called itself Demi. Ryo, scared for her life, stopped his spell instantly. The lightning and fire evaporated into mist as he released his right claymore from Demi's chest. He sped instantly to Kiki, but then, from behind…
STAB!
When he had rushed to Kiki, who was now falling backward, he looked down to his stomach, and a long black shadow had pierced through him from behind. He spouted blood. Demi had stabbed him with a long black spear that formed from its hand.
It cackled maniacally at Ryo's demise as it said, "You humans are such hopeless fools."
It retracted its spear-like hand and then disappeared and reappeared to where Kiki was, catching her before she fell to the ground.
"De… Demi… are you… alright?" Kiki breathed hoarsely, barely conscious from her trauma after burning her right arm.
"Hush now, my sweet Kiki… You did beautifully." Demi caressed her half-pink and blue hair as its voice whispered—calm and soft, unlike how he had sounded earlier to her. The very definition of emotional manipulation.
Angered, Ryo tried to move through his wound, ignoring the pain. But once again…
"Stay where you are, filthy human… I will not let you do that to me again," Demi said in a low and dark tone.
The black spear that had struck Ryo had connected another shadow on the ground to it. He was stuck, kneeling, bleeding out from his large stomach wound, and gushing blood from his mouth all the while.
"Despicable," Ryo said back.
Demi simply smiled at his words. It was as if it received a compliment. It then placed a hand over Kiki's burned right arm and began healing it, though the scar from the intense burn still showed from it—unable to heal it completely. Demi continued to run its hand over her. "Am I now?"
It began touching her inappropriately with a hand that grabbed her breast. Kiki, regaining more of her consciousness, lifted her left hand in turn and placed it on the shadowed cheek of Demi's blank face, where only its black eyes and mouth were, smiling back at her.
"Demi… My love…" she said to it as its shadowy form began to fade into something different.
From its head, medium black hair appeared, and a face began to fade in from where the blank darkness had originated from. The black shadow that shrouded its body was also fading into what seemed like clothing. It wore a black tunic and black pants and boots. Its face seemed familiar somehow…
When its black shadow faded completely, the demon looked strikingly like a human. Its black bangs hung just over its right eye, and the back was spiked in a messy but fixed manner. When it finally faced Ryo with those bangs over its face, he was in complete and utter shock…
"Greed?"
Demi… or rather, Greed, held Kiki in his arms now in that provocative way—staring back at Ryo with that well-known disregarding, nonchalant look of his.
"Tell me… do I still not have the right to call you Ryo." Not a question, a statement. His similar voice and demeanor haunted Ryo as he beheld his best friend there in front of him now.