Chapter 29: The Diamond

-Merceny, watch out!

Noah's voice echoed through the frozen tundra as Hanzo rushed towards the group, Blade in hand, ready to slice them in two. But even so, the Mercenary didn't move an inch. He was completely immobile as the Order's Diamond dashed ever closer.

-Merceny!- Noah gritted his teeth. In all honesty, he didn't expect to fight anybody on that mission, due to the Backlash. He didn't even know why Lucy had told him to go. Could she be hoping for a turnabout miracle like in his previous battles? But he couldn't rely on that! The only thing he could rely on was Black Feather, and he wasn't reacting at all!. Noah summoned Warrior's Heart. Perhaps he had just succumbed to fear of fighting an Elite and it seemed the boy would have to step up, even with his handicap.

Suddenly, Merceny placed his hand in front of Noah, stopping him in his tracks.

-Eon...-his voice was calm and chilly, like the battlefield they were on- Do you really think he'd be that stupid, to just rush in against two of us?

-Wha---

Abruptly, a column of black flames erupted in front of Merceny, in a upwards arc. He had Nightingale in his hands, its usual light-eating shine to it. And it had gone right through the Elite.

-No...way...- did he really just win?! Like that?! Well, Hanzo was still just another human. Human flesh meeting steel is never a pretty reunion. But still...

-A bluff...

Then Noah noticed. Hanzo's figure began to shatter into little clear pieces and fell into the snow, mixing with it.

-A...clone?

-Diamond Projection, I believe he called it that. Just like he used at Soula, it appears he can create ice clones of himself. They're dangerous, to a degree, but they're just still chunks of ice.

-But...

-Why?- he turned to Noah. His eyes were darting around, looking for Hanzo. But the blizzard that had separated the group was still acting, so they couldn't see anything but white past the giant ship.- Probably to test us. He seems like a collected guy. He'd never jump the gun like that. So, he set up a clone and threw it at us as cannon fodder. To see our reactions. To study us. He must be watching us from afar, already listing our weaknesses. And I think he's seen more on you than he can count on his fingers, Eon.

-Geez, you're welcome for caring about your safety. You weren't moving, after all..!

-Well, duh. I was trying to see what he was playing at. If he was the real Hanzo, he would have stopped or try to strike us from another angle. An approach like that made it easy to understand that it was a simple clone.

-Wow...is that what you call the power of experience?

-Pretty much. Spend enough time on the battlefield and you learn all sorts of tricks the enemy can use to, not harm you physically, but mentally. To gauge their opponent's mental strength. Loosing your cool is the first step to loosing a battle. It's much more damaging to break a fighter's spirit than to break their body.

-Yeesh...-Noah began looking around too. But, alas, no sigh of Hanzo- Where do you think he is now? Inside the ship?

-That would be a crappy joke. He must be farther away. Not off this area, because that would make his challenge to the Brigade useless. He must have a vantage point somewhere, from whe---

His words suddenly stopped. Noah was about to ask him what was wrong, but he immediately noticed what was up.

A zooming sound. Coming from gods know where. And it was getting louder.

-MOVE!- Merceny shouted, pushing Noah aside, the duo falling on the snow a couple of meters to the side of their position, which suddenly exploded into a cloud of snow.

-W-what was that?!- Noah slowly got up- A bomb?

-NOAH! DUCK!- Merceny shouted. Noah heard the sound again and ducked as he was told to. Another explosion occurred at a spot at arm's length from where he lied.

-What the...- the boy muttered to himself. An idea popped inside his head. He looked at Merceny, who was also laying on the snow. He looked back at Noah and nodded.

-Yeah. It's not a bomb of sorts. It's too precise.

-A projectile? But how? I thought Hanzo's Blade was a sword, not a firearm.

Merceny gritted his teeth.

-I dunno how he's doing it, but that fucker is snipping us from afar. We're sitting ducks here!

-Let's get inside the ship, then! We'll be safe there!

Merceny slowly got up.

-A good idea, but I don't want to dance to this bastard's tune. I'm fighting back.- he positioned Nightingale horizontally, beside his waist. He stood still, waiting.

-Merceny..?

The Mercenary didn't answer. Soon, Noah could hear the zooming sound of whatever Hanzo was shooting. Suddenly, a flash of white appeared before Merceny, but the Darkus-born quickly raised his hand, a burst of black flames erupting and stopping the projectile. Merceny reached in and yanked some object out. Merceny's flames were different from a Pyre-born. It didn't quite burn as much as they acted as more of a corroding agent. Noah had felt that first-hand. So, that made it possible for the object Merceny to not outright melt the ice, preserving the object shot at the duo long enough to examine it.

It shone like a precious gem along its shaft and the triangular tip seemed sharp enough to pierce skin even as it was melting.

-An arrow...an ice one at that. That's a better alternative, since it should preserve more of its shape after being shot, unlike a gun's bullet, and it can travel better distances while still being silent. But at how he manages to actually shoot it, it's beyond me; and how he manages to see us through this blizzard and still shoot with much accuracy, I can only credit it to his experience. He's not to be underestimated...

A small smile curled up on his lips. But it lacked any warmth.

-Heh...finally, a worthy opponent, after all those Order grunts. An Elite should truly put my skills to the test.

-Why do I get the feeling that you like being put on these scenarios...- Noah sighed.

-Just keep low and watch me...- the zooming sound showed up again. A flash of white approached Merceny!-...bring the Diamond right out of hiding!

He swung Nightingale towards the arrow, both objects clashing. Merceny pushed his Blade upwards and a column of dark flames erupted from it, easily deflecting the arrow.

-I can tell where that came from! Darkness Wave!- he shouted, swinging his Blade downwards, a ball of fire shooting out of it and zooming into the white. Soon, a faint "BOOM" could be heard in the distance. The attack had hit something. If it had been Hanzo, Noah couldn't tell.

Merceny stood there, silent. Was he trying to hear if Hanzo had been hit? If he was moving? But there was still wind blowing. They could only hear the arrows once they were practically on top of them. If would take superhuman senses to hear---

Merceny quickly turned back and swung Nightingale again, clashing with another arrow. And again, he sent another ball of dark flames back where it came from. And again, an explosion was heard. But Merceny didn't have the time to let his guard down, as he turned the the side and clashed with another arrow, sending it back to its origin. And then, he turned back to do the same. Then he faced Noah's direction to do the same. Again and again would he turn around to destroy another arrow. They seemed to be coming from everywhere! How could that be?!

Wait...could that not be only Hanzo shooting at them? At least the real one. He could have very well spread clones of himself around to snipe them from multiple directions! That way, there was a very low chance that Merceny was hitting the real Elite! Upon realizing this, Noah opened his mouth to warn Merceny when a new sound approached the duo. It was the zooming sound again, but this time, it was much louder. And it seemed to come, not only from behind Noah, but to his side and to the front of Merceny! Suddenly, various flashes of white were surrounding Merceny! Noah counted six.

It was like seeing everything in slow motion. The arrows were quickly approaching a Merceny that was still recovering from his last clash. What would he do now?

-So...is that how you're going to play? Just come out and face me...HANZO!- he shouted.

And then he moved.

Well, he must have moved, but Noah wasn't able to see it. Merceny had moved so quickly, that he only saw a trail of flames dissipating from around where all the six arrows were heading and then they were all shot back at the same time, Merceny now standing facing a completely different direction and stopping a movement Noah hadn't realized he had started. He stood up straight and closed his eyes to hear if Hanzo had been hit. Noah also focused.

"BOOM".

Noah kept an ear out for the other 5 explosions, but there was nothing.

Wait...There was something faint. Coming from multiple directions. The sound of crepitating flames, burning on something like wood on a fireplace.

-I know where you are now. The others weren't fast enough to dodge, but the original...- Merceny muttered and run past Noah, brandishing Nightingale -...avoided my attack! And that gave away your position! Now, stop hiding, Diamond !

The Mercenary kept running and running across the snowy battlefield. Soon, the blizzard dissipated enough for him to see his destination and Hanzo's sniping point: another wooden ship, crashed between a huge chunk of ice and the rocky coast. Nightingale erupted in flames. Now Merceny knew where his target was. And there was nowhere to ru---

-I'm not running anywhere, Black Feather. You simply fell into my trap.- a smooth voice whispered.

For a split second, Merceny was blinded by something. He instinctively closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, he was faced with the tip of an arrow, mere inches from his face. And slowly drawing it along a crystal line was the red-headed Elite, his body effortlessly sliding across the snow, bent in away that he stood lower than Merceny but still kept his footing. The bow he brandished was black, like the scabbard of his Blade. No, if one payed close enough attention, they would see that the curved scabbard was still there, only covered in crystal clear ice, creating a makeshift-bow. And Hanzo was ready to use it at point-blank rage.

-Such pride...-he simply said. The world seemed to go in slow motion as Merceny couldn't stop his motion.

The arrow began shining more as it was pulled more against the crystal line until it reached its limit, the chilling aura rising around the duo.

-See ya.- Hanzo said.

"BOOM"

The arrow pierced through the sky, its sheer force cutting through the chilly air, a slight ripple pattern behind it at it disappeared through the clouds as fast as it was fired.

But it carried no trace of Merceny with it, not even a drop of blood. The arrow had just missed its target as Merceny's body was pushed the side by an unknown force.

The mercenary dropped on the snow, rolling around on himself but quickly got up, facing Hanzo, who was standing up, the bow around his Blade dissipating into dust. In front of him stood the monument that had saved Merceny: a giant, crude stone hand, which had emerged on the right side of the mercenary and had pushed him to the left just as Hanzo was letting go of the string. Merceny gritted his teeth in frustration. At himself, for falling for such a simple trap, but mostly at...

-NOAH!- he shouted.

The boy stepped in, a slight smile on his face.

-Oh please. Are you really going to go on and on about me "interrupting your fight", that you "didn't need saving"? See, that's why most people don't like yo--- -suddenly, he feel to his knees on the snow, coughing up a storm and clutching his head- ...Damn it...

-You idiot!- Merceny said, stepping closer to Noah and grabbing him by his collar- Didn't Lucy and Eldus make it clear enough for you?! You cannot use your Element under any circumstances! Do you want to die?!

Noah grabbed his wrist and pulled him away.

-But I hadn't used it, you would have died! You were too gung-ho about this! What about that cool behavior you were going on about?

Merceny looked to the side, huffing.

-Tch...You little...

-He is right, Black Feather. He may be a Backlash-suffering newbie, but he did save your life. You should be grateful.- Hanzo joined them, shrugging, his eyes mocking Merceny, a smirk clearly behind the mask covering his mouth.

-Don't butt in, Hanzo!- Merceny turned to him and pointed Nightingale towards the Elite. - I slipped up, but our fight is still underway! You're mine.

-Hardly. My fight is with Lucy, never with you. But...-he looked over at Noah, who quickly pointed Warrior's Heart at him.- Capturing the Alpha should prove enough incentive to draw Lucy out. And if I win, I'll gladly turn him over to Balthazar.

-I thought you said that you were planning to betray Balthazar.- Noah said.

-Me and Balthazar's goals are not the same. I don't want him to dominate Karash, but I also don't want something like you running amok. And he is the most adequate person to deal with you, after all. If I can remove you and the danger you pose out of the scene, it'll be a weight off my---nay, Gaia's--- shoulders.

-What do you mean?! What is an "Alpha"? Who am I? And who is Tal,for that matter? What does Balthazar want with me, anyways?!- he exclaimed at him.

Before he could answer, Hanzo readied his Blade at him, positioning himself to start dashing at the boy at any second.

-I don't know much, myself. But you are a danger, Noah Eon. Your existence alone is unnatural. And it is the source of the Order's darkness.

Merceny quickly put his hand in front of Noah, stopping him from engaging.

-Hanzo, your fight's with---

-With Noah Eon. I have no interest in fighting someone so prideful and foolish like you. You're ungraceful. Your dance...is sloppy and amateurish. Darkus' raw power was the only thing that brought you this far. Nothing else.

Noah looked over at Merceny. His eyes were wide at Hanzo's words, but he quickly gritted his teeth. He was fuming.

-I'll kill you...

-You'll kill no one. You don't have the guts nor the skills to do it.- Hanzo said. He lifted his stance and leaned back. And then, he was gone.

-Wha--- -Merceny gasped as Hanzo was suddenly inches from him. It was like he had teleported himself!

-And I don't fight with prideful chickens.- he said and spun around himself, delivering a strong kick on Merceny's stomach. The Mercenary's face twisted in pain and he was launched back many meters, falling in the snow with a grunt. He contorted with pain, clutching his stomach, curled up.

-Merceny!- Noah reached out and began heading towards him.

-You should worry more about yourself, Noah.- Hanzo's voice sounded from behind. Noah quickly turned around and saw his Blade coming towards him. Luckily, his instinct kicked in and he raised Warrior's Heart, blocking it, but Hanzo kept pushing it forward, in order to break his guard. Noah clenched his teeth. The Elite was right. If he was defeated there, he would be of no help to Merceny. The least he could do was buy him some time to recuperate. So, he stood his ground and pushed back against Hanzo, sparks flying out of the clash point of the two Blades.

-My doves have been spying on Soula...for a very long time, Noah Eon.- Hanzo grunted, trying to get the edge on that tug of war- I know about your Backlash and how it has affected your fighting style. How do you plan on beating me now?

He quickly pulled back and swayed to the side, making Noah stumble forward, his Blade missing him completely. That opened the window for Hanzo to kick him on his side and throw him on the snow. Noah grunted as he fell, but quickly got up, readying Warrior's Heart to go at it again.

-I'll find a way. I beat Terri and I'll beat you too..!

-Please. Terri's raw power might exceed mine, but she isn't half as capable of a sword-fighter as I am. All your fights until now have been against people who just lunge at you, hoping for the best. You never had to face a more technical fighter. Someone with finesse.

-Finesse? If your doves are as reliable as you make them out to be, you'd know that I've been sparing against Lucy since I woke up!

Hanzo sighed and shook his head.

-Compared to her usual power, she might as well be fighting you with her legs and one arm chopped off. You don't understand how far her style goes, how it overwhelms her enemies with, not raw power, but with rhythm.

He leaned back and then he was gone again. Noah's eyes darted around but he soon felt a slight breeze on his left side. He looked towards there and saw a dark blur coming from him. He raised his Blade, but it did little to block the attack, which still blew him back onto the snow, leaving his forearm with a cut, even through the thick jacket.

Suddenly, Hanzo phased into existence in front of him again. He quickly got up again.

-Once you're swallowed by your opponent's pace, there's little you can do to escape it, no matter how powerful you are. The art of BladeMasters is much more than just chucking your Element at one another. It's about setting your own pace, communicating using your style as your own language. But you, Noah, can't do that, especially now that you suffer from the Backlash. You're relying too much of getting rid of the singular problem in front of you, so you don't see the bigger picture. You might block one attack, but how about the rest?

Suddenly he was gone again. It was like he mixed himself with the blizzard winds. And then, Noah felt himself being struck on his side, being thrown back again.

-You mistake the trees for the forest.

Before the boy could properly stand again, he felt his jaw being struck, making him stumble back. He couldn't see anything. The world was a blur of white. He felt himself being struck in the stomach, delaying his quest for balance.

-You need to think two steps ahead of your opponent. Set yourself up for every possibility, every kind of opponent. That way, by knowing any style, you can defeat any style.

The right side of his face was sucker-punched. He then felt himself being pushed down by a blow to the back of his head. A slash on his side. His legs being swept. And he could see was the surrounding snow being stained more and more by his own blood.

But he couldn't just stand there, defenseless. He had to fight back!

"But...my Backlash.."

The band of his goggles was grabbed and he was thrown into the air, before being struck in the stomach and launched back into the snow. He opened his mouth to scream in pain but no sound left from it.

"There's no time to worry about that! I was sent here anyways...I have to fight!"

He rolled on himself and knelt, panting. He looked to the side. He saw it. A black blur!

He gritted his teeth and punched the ground. A crude pillar erupted from ground making the blur stop, transforming itself back into Hanzo, who nimbly dodged the attack. The pillar then quickly crumbled.

But before Noah could begin to feel frustrated, the pain came back, as well as the blood rising to his mouth. He coughed, but gritted his teeth anyways. He couldn't...let something like that stop him!

Hanzo didn't let Noah's attack faze him as he disappeared again. Noah knew that, however he was moving around, his attacks were always close ranged. He didn't shoot any arrows at him, he always went for a melee attack.

He got up and began running back. Instead of looking for Hanzo, he instead focused on trying to sense him approaching. The Elite had the clear advantage, the howling winds disguising his approach, but when he got close...

*slip*

He heard it! From the left! He summoned a pillar beside him, but it didn't hit a thing. He focused again. He couldn't let himself feel discouraged!

"Slip"

There it was again! Just what was that sound, anyways? It sounded...wet. Well, no matter, he raised a pillar to erupt from that direction and no attack came. He kept running around, never stopping.

"Slip slip slip"

Every time, the sound ringed inside his ears it was replaced with the crumbling sound of rock erupting from the ground. He didn't even look at them, just focusing on the next attack. His head seemed like it was about to explode, but he did his best to ignore it. He couldn't stop...not until he figured out his sec---

His heel hit something and he tumbled back, falling butt first onto the snow. He sat up and saw it: it was a small, square and brown flat platform, just a couple of centimeters off the floor. He blinked and looked around. Then he noticed.

Many more of those small platforms scattered around in random places. Where had they...

Wait.

He lifted his hand, trying to summon another rock pillar in front of him. But, instead, another small platform appeared. He did it again. Another platform. His head was throbbing. Why couldn't...he create any pillars?

No...

That was all he could create. His Element was going haywire and he couldn't regulate his power to create anything more than that. It was like he was...clogged up and he couldn't produce more than just that. If he tried to push past the headache and force himself to produce more maybe he'd explode! Now all that he had to show for his Element were some stupid platforms scattered all over the place, haphazardly.

"Slip"

He quickly rolled onto the side, just in time to dodge, Hanzo's sword sticking itself onto the snow as he lunged from the air. Noah tried to get up, but his legs were failing him. Every time he tried and raise himself, he'd just fall back down. So, he tried crawling away.

"I have to...think of something else...I have to buy myself some time..."

-As I said...-Hanzo turned in his direction and began slowly walking towards him.

"I pushed myself too far...I can't use my Element anymore because of the Backlash...and I can't stand up to even fight normally anymore!"

-...the moment you enter your opponent's pace, it's near impossible to get out alive. You become entangled on their net. Mesmerized by their dance. Lucy knows that and that's what her supreme style is based on. But mine...has completely surpassed that. My ice has become more graceful then the angel.

*

"Damn it...damn it..! I can't let...Noah do it all by himself! He'll die!"

Merceny groaned as he slowly got up, clutching his stomach. But he fell down back again. He looked up at Noah trying desperately to get away from Hanzo but it was useless. He was too quick and Noah couldn't help but push his body to the limit by using his Element to escape. The mercenary saw him fall down and crawl away from Hanzo.

"He's too quick...His footwork is too precise for the environment we're in. This snow makes us clunky and slow. Nobody could ever hope to fight normally here, but he's just too fast despite that! There HAS to be some trick to it! Some...gimmick, to how he can move so fast! And the way he says 'dance'...Could it be? Does he also use that style? But for that, he needs good footing! And you can't just get that on this snow! You just burry your feet on it or slip on the ice and---"

As a sudden realization hit him, his eyes suddenly focused on Hanzo's feet. Nothing unusual there. Just your ordinary black boots. He didn't raise his feet too far off the floor, his steps light.

"No...don't focus on the boots...focus on where they're stepping..."

Hanzo kept cautiously approaching Noah as he tried to crawl away. His feet slowly sunk into the snow...

"Step, step, step, step...

...

...Step."

Merceny gasped lightly. He could hear clear footsteps! Like he was stepping on solid ground, and not on crunchy snow! And that pause...just what was that? Had Hanzo stepped on something? He focused on the path behind Hanzo. Just more snow. And the small platforms, not even as big as steps, behind him.

"Wait."

"Step, step, step...step...step, step...step...step...."

"It's not regular...his walk cycle has weird pauses here and there...Just like..."

His mind flashed back to previous missions of his, where he had to infiltrate enemy strongholds to get data on his bounty. Sometimes, they'd booby-trap the floor and he had to be careful with each step, in order to not set any trap off.

"Step, step...step...step,step..."

He was avoiding something! And that something was...

It was subtle. The movement of his feet, the rise and fall of his legs disguised it. The Elite knew of it too and tried to hide it.

He was avoiding trying to step on Noah's scattered platforms, displaced at random on the snow.

He was purposely trying to step on the snow!

"But why? Focus, Ciny...on each step on the snow.."

"Step...step, step...ste---

Sliiiip"

Merceny's eyes widened and he stood up. There it was.

The key out of the blizzard.

*

-Believe me, it's not personal. If you weren't the Alpha, you'd probably grow up into being a strong BladeMaster. You are indeed a spark: determined to grow. But your nature sets you back. Your nature is your curse.

Noah glared at him.

-Don't talk me like that. So high and mighty. I'm not a "thing". I'm just...me.

-It's exactly because you want to be "you" that you're chased down now. Standing out will only get you killed. If you had just tried to blend in. Simply be a normal Academic. Maybe you wouldn't have died here.

-I'm not going to die here, Diamond.

-Why do you say that? Are you going to rely on another miraculous turnabout? On the hidden power of the Alpha?

Noah smirked. He stopped crawling.

-Step by step. I won't rush anything. I'll keep building myself up. Until I can create my own style, my own dance.

Hanzo kept going towards him, being careful to not step on those platforms of his. He stopped inches from Noah and raised his Blade.

-Wise words. Too bad they come too late. I'll make sure Niflheim won't kill you. I'll freeze you over in order to preserve your body for Balthazar.

-How thoughtful. But I think you wouldn't like me to turn into a popsicle before we can have our rematch, right...

...Merceny?

Hanzo looked to the side. The Black Feather was standing a couple of meters to the side of the two.

-And what do you think you can accomplish?- Hanzo looked over at him.

In a swift movement, a wave of black flames erupted from Merceny, going towards Hanzo and Noah. The Elite and the boy quickly jumped back (well, in Noah's case it was more like "desperately scrambled back"). Both dodged unscathed, the snow on the spot they had both been on completely gone, exposing the bare ground.

-You little...-Hanzo growled and leaned back.

-Not so fast.- Merceny raised his leg and swiped the space of snow in front of him. A short but wide wall of flames erupted and made their way towards Hanzo. He quickly jumped over them, landing on the ground on his feet.

*sliiiipppp*

The Elite momentarily seemed to loose his balance, wobbling slightly, but quickly recomposing himself. He glared at Merceny, who shot a smirk at him.

-Noah.- he looked at the boy- You can stand back. You already helped me plenty.

-I...did..?- the boy looked over at him, completely confused.

-Yes...-he summoned and pointed Nightingale towards Hanzo.- Because it was because of you that I...

He began running towards Hanzo, his feet pressing comfortably on the burned floor.

-...have found that your secret, Diamond !!!