Chapter 43: My Own Romance

-Show me your "romance", then, Axel Rhodes. Show me the ideals you'll die for!- Allie exclaimed, inciting the lilac-haired boy to come at her.

The elemental particles surrounding them would keep gathering around Axel, his hands clutching Raiden's handle so hard that they shook slightly.

-You...say you killed Zeke..?- he simply asked.

Allie would give him a dismissive look.

-I did. You thought that all Elites would hold back once you fought them, just because they don't want to fight or because you're kids? Get real. This is war, and you knew what you were getting into once you joined Angel's Crow.

-Then...this isn't about romance or being gutsy anymore.

Axel gritted his teeth, looking at the ground, his eyes covered by the locks of his hair.

-It's about murdering you.

He would then blast towards Allie, swinging his katana at her. The Elite would swiftly dodge the attacks, easily parrying them with Nuria. Axel would keep stomping his way towards her and Allie would backpedal, circling around the town square.

Axel would keep clashing his Blade with hers, sparks flying off the clash of steels, but Nuria wouldn't budge. But he'd keep at it, stubbornly. The translucent aura of Astral Soul would keep leaking out of his body, more and more.

And suddenly, Allie would find her guard shaking.

"He's getting stronger..! And this pressure..."

She would swing her Blade down at him, Axel stepping to the side and barely dodging, lilac strands of hair fluttering away from him. He wouldn't miss a beat, though, as he'd thrust Raiden towards her chest right away.

Allie would elegantly dodge to the side, spin around herself and deliver a fierce roundhouse kick towards the boy's head. Axel would raise his arm and block the kick, the sheer force causing his feet to drag across the sandy ground for a bit. His arm would flop down, shaking, but he'd soon raise it to grip his Blade again.

And again he'd charge. Allie found herself having to put more effort into dodging and blocking. This was different from their first clash, where she just toyed with the boy. His movements were becoming sharper by the second!

In the depths of her mind, she remembered when she read Hanzo's report on the Sobek battle.

"He said that you are more of a tactician. But once push came to shove against Sobek, you let go of caution and demonstrated quite the potential, nicking him with brute strength. I attributed it to you getting lucky, that someone as sheltered as you, that hid behind his intelligence, wouldn't be able to comprehend what a battle truly is...but what you exude now..."

After blocking yet another attack, Allie pushed Raiden away violently, making Axel stumble back. She lowered her left arm, fire sprouting from it and taking the shape of a claw-like arm. She then swiftly rose it, a wall of flames erupting from between her and Axel, engulfing the boy.

"I can't take any chances. I feel it in my bones. In my very soul."

The flames would disrupt, a cluster of winds bursting from it. Axel was still standing strong, his Blade raised and his jacket catching fire. Without hesitation, he ripped it off and tossed the tattered clothing towards Allie, blocking her frontal field of view.

She didn't take the bait, instead immediately turning back to see Axel materializing behind her, Raiden to the side of his torso.

She could now clearly see it.

An expression, not contorted by anger, but calm and hardened like a stone.

And a glare that threatened to consume her if she wasn't careful.

"Your killing intent. Your blood lust."

She clashed Blades with him, the resulting impact shattering the ground around them, gusts of wind blowing the wooden window doors of the surrounding houses open and close. Nuria now visibly shook against Raiden.

Axel would lean to the side and vanish. Allie's eyes began darting around, as puffs of dust would form around her.

And suddenly, she'd raise her Blade, blocking Axel for a split second before he vanished again. And again she'd put her guard up, feeling the clash for just a moment. The front, the sides, even from above. He was assaulting her with a flurry of attacks. She could still keep up with his speed, but if he struck her just once, it would create enough of an opening for him to combo into a stronger attack.

"That, or kill me outright."

She'd feel him pop up behind her for a split second, but then vanish. He appeared on her side, leaning into an attack, but would vanish before swinging his sword. He began repeating that pattern, Allie standing still, studying him.

"You can't trick me like that, Axel. I could feel your anger even if I was all the way in my bedroom, at the Tower. The moment you truly want to attack...it'll spike. And then I'll feel it."

He'd appear above her, holding Raiden above himself. The glare, ever present.

And then...she felt a familiar chill down her spine.

"Now!"

She'd swipe Nuria swiftly upwards, but it would go through him!

"That 'Split'!"

Another chill.

"Behind me!"

She'd look back, only to see Raiden's edge nearly making contact with her bare back. Flames would then sprout around her. They'd take the shape of big flower petals, encapsulating her in a giant lotus flower. Raiden would bounce off the barrier, which would then unfurl, the resulting heat wave being strong enough to blow the boy away.

Tumbling across the ground, Axel's body would be more akin to a rag doll. He'd then jam Raiden on the ground, holding onto the Blade for dear life as his body flopped like a flag on a windy day against the shockwave.

But it would soon stop. And Axel would take the chance. He'd slap the ground, a ball of winds in his palm. The impact caused his body to fly towards Allie. She'd turn around, starting to raise her Blade, but would then feel his head sink into her stomach, a gasp escaping her lips.

Their bodies would roll across the ground, Axel soon regaining a shaky footing. He'd quickly reach down, clutching the purple hair of his opponent, Astral Soul allowing him to swiftly raise her up and chuck her entire body upwards.

He pointed his palm at her, rays of electricity shooting out of it and making their way towards her. Allie, though, would correct herself mid-air and face the boy, shielding herself with her giant flame arm.

She'd swipe away at the electricity coating it and then point her remaining hand at Axel. Another arm would form around it and a fireball the size of the boy them formed in front of the claw-like palm, shooting out at him.

Axel would look back to see Raiden still sticking on the ground, far away. There was no time to try and summon it again. He looked back at the approaching mass of fire, taking in a big breath, his torso leaning back and his cheeks getting puffed.

He'd roar, an equally bigger mass of air expelling from his mouth, like a dragon, and clashing with the fireball. The ball slowly began squishing up and exploded, another violent heat wave cracking at the very stone of the nearby houses.

Allie would be sent flying, quickly reaching down, her flame hands extending and grabbing onto the edge of one of the nearby roofs. Her claws would tense and she'd shoot out towards Axel like a missile. The boy met her challenge and they headbutted into each other, teeth gritted before both being sent stumbling back.

Axel re-summoned Raiden and charged at her. Allie shook her head, blood trickling down from it, but still readied her stance. Taking a breath, she stepped forward and deftly pushed Raiden down onto the ground, with her own Blade. She raised her right leg and sunk her sole into Axel's face, causing his feet to leave the ground. Allie then raised her left fist, forming yet another fire arm, its scorching fist smashing right into the top of Axel's head, making his body crash, face-first, into the floor.

Taking Nuria, she thrust it down onto his exposed back. Axel grunted and rolled to the side, his body jolting upwards, carried by an updraft. He floated up to her face's level and tried to kick her from the side.

Allie stepped back and raised her arms again. Axel's foot would then find itself wrapped around her sash. The boy would then be spun around and quickly thrown through a nearby troupe carriage, crashing onto a small dresser, glittery clothes toppling all over him.

Gritting his teeth, pulling away at the feminine clothes covering him, Axel stood up. Something caught his attention from the corner of his eye, though. He looked to the side and saw a huge bag on top of a bed. The bag was slightly open, letting the boy see a mountain of shiny gold coins amassed inside.

That sight caused his feral state to break, light returning to his eyes as they reflected the glitter of the money.

-The taxes...so much...- he mumbled, stepping forward and looking at the bag. He'd then notice, on the side of the destroyed dresser, four more similar bags, tied up with a rope. He opened them all, only to find more and more money -You could buy the whole Soula Mall with this much money. That bastard...how many people has she made miserable in order to make this much..?

He clutched his face in frustration. How could he have been such a fool, trusting her so readily like that?!

"Didn't I tell myself I'd fight for justice, for the good of the Kingdom? Now look at me! Stuck in a faraway village, fighting for my life, while my friends are probably all dying in a gutter!

Noah...why didn't I listen to you?! You could tell that I was becoming loony, following emotions blindly, but you still tried to put some sense into me! When you met my parents, you knew that I was just rebelling for the sake of rebelling! What new ideals was I following? None! I was just being petulant!

Guy, I'm sorry. I know you don't like fighting, but I still dragged you all the way here! That's not courageous, that's straight up stupid!

The Owl Knights...will their blood stain my hands too? I should have told them to run...I should have..!"

Tears began running down his face, the boy falling to his knees, holding his head with his hands.

-Zeke...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry!

Suddenly, an explosion could be heard, dust entering through the hole of the wooden carriage that the boy had crashed through.

-Are you coming out, Axel? Or do I have to come pick you up?- Allie's voice could be heard outside.

Axel curled up his lips. He clutched his hands so hard that they shook and his nails sunk so much into palm that it began bleeding. After a few seconds, though, he took a deep breath, shook his head and wiped away at his tears and blood.

"But there's still something truly just I can do...I can help the people of this village and bring...her...to justice"

He stood up, summoning Raiden and taking the stance.

"Watch over me. Knights, Noah, Guy...

...Zeke..."

-SOUL! CRASH!

The half-blown up door of the carriage crashed open as Axel charged out of there, zooming towards an awaiting Allie. Their Blades clashed once again, a flurry of slashes following, the sound of steel meeting steel filling the empty town square.

Allie's footwork quickened, deftly hopping, sidestepping and stepping-in quicker and quicker, in order to match Axel's increased physical abilities, having Astral Soul stacked with Soul Crash. But she knew that, since Axel had resorted to using his trump card, it was a matter of time until it ran out. All she had to do was hold out and she could win.

But against a Blade tempered by such a deep determination to cut her, could she really avoid leaving that battle unscathed?

She swept the ground with her foot in order to trip the boy up, but he promptly jumped over it. Taking advantage of his new airborne position, she thrust Nuria towards his chest, the sword coating itself in flames.

Axel bit his lower lip and thrust his left palm towards the edge of the sword, meeting its flames with a cluster of wind in his hand. He had, for a moment, surpassed her flames with wind that would, usually, just fan them to burn brighter, back when she had launched that huge fireball. Now that he was in Soul Crash, his soul power was temporarily increased, so he should be able to win that clash with ease!

But Allie wasn't having any of that. Seconds after the fiery saber and ball of air clashed, she gripped its handle harder, the flames convulsing and stretching, taking the form of a spear, that burst through Axel's attack and lodged itself in his shoulder!

Axel screamed in pain, stumbling back, dropping Raiden on the floor as he held onto his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers.

Allie stepped in to attack, but Axel glared at her before letting out a shout, electricity erupting from his entire body, covering it in a white, blinding aura. The rays cracked through the ground, breaking through it and making their way towards the Lotus. The Elite stepped back, to avoid the attack, but Axel pointed his right hand at her, the lightning concentrating around it, allowing him to direct his Element and concentrate it into a laser-like attack, that shot towards Allie's head.

-I won't let you!- she exclaimed, summoning another fire arm, its giant flaming hand wrapping around the laser. Before it could seep through the flames, Allie turned around and threw the whole arm towards the nearby tent, the fire inside it spreading, but once the arm holding Axel's attack landed on the cloth, it erupted in even more violent flames.

Allie pointed Nuria at Axel, the flames from the tent heeding her command, turning into giant flaming snakes and jumping towards the boy. Axel coated Raiden in electricity and began slashing the snakes apart, but as he did, the divided snake split into two and those began attacking him from behind too, Allie directing them with her hands, like a maestro.

Thinking quickly, Axel released Raiden and pointed both palms at the ground. Taking a page from Sobek's book, he used the air to catapult him straight upwards. The snakes followed the flying boy, but he quickly blasted air behind him, making him zoom towards Allie! The Elite raised her sabre to defend herself, but as soon as Axel got in close, he pointed his hand to the side, bursting to the left! As a result, the snakes that followed crashed right into the Elite!

A eruption of fire bathed the area in its light. Axel landed softly of the ground, looking at the result, Allie's shadow being recognizable between the flames, contorting itself, seemingly in pain. Axel readied himself for anything that she might throw at him next.

And so she did. The flames convulsed and began gathering in multiple spots around her. Floating flaming spears formed around Allie, her dancing outfit charred here and there. She pointed at Axel, the halberds flying towards the boy.

He took a breath, the aura from Astral Soul shining brighter. Deeper. The once translucent aura began displaying color. Many in fact. Flickering softly between red, blue, yellow, green, purple...the whole reel of the rainbow could be seen flashing through the aura.

And so, Axel moved Raiden towards the spears, the sword a complete blur. And immediately after, many Splits of him jumped out of his body, slashing the fire apart in one fell swoop!

Allie's eyes widened a bit.

"What is that? The reports I've read about the Astral Soul, the power to use raw soul energy to attack...said nothing about this aura. His attacks and movements are getting on a new level...is he perfecting the art while in battle?"

Axel raised the sword, the new aura gathering around it.

"If so...I can't afford to let this fight continue for much longer. It's not only the Alpha that can evolve so quickly. Guy Vermilion and now Axel Rhodes...they all have terrifying potential" she thought, raising her hands. The fire arms formed around them and flames began gathering in the palms. Slowly building up a giant, shining mass of fire around them.

Axel tsked at the sight. He could feel amazing amounts of elemental energy gathering up in her hands. That attack was nothing like before.

Soon, the perfect sphere of fire, like a miniature sun, formed around the giant palms, like clay molded by a giant. Allie removed her own arms from their coating, letting the armor join with the fireball, making it grow even more in size, now bigger than the one-story houses.

-Ultima Soul: Colossus' Hellsphere !!!- she roared, reeling her right fist back and punching the fireball, making it zoom towards Axel, scorching the ground it passed through!

The Astral Soul rainbow aura kept gathering around Raiden. Axel slowly exhaled. He had no Ultima Souls that were both ranged or as powerful as that. All he had...was a plan.

And guts.

-"Cut"! Astral Wave !!!- he exclaimed, bringing the Blade down, the aura that had coated it shooting out in a crescent form, cracking the ground it cut through!

The two forces clashed in the middle of the square, flooding it in light, shaking the ground and the very air itself, as they struggled to beat one another!

Axel released his Blade and directed his hands at the clash.

"Come on...come on...please work..!" he thought, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

The sphere and the wave would push against one another, but slowly, the first would begin to gain advantage. Axel stood still, waiting the end of the clash.

And soon, the Wave cracked and dissipated! The Hellsphere passed right through, tongues of fire spilling out from it, dissipating in the air and shrinking the sphere in size just a bit!

"Perfect!" he thought, tensing up, wind gathering around hands as the fireball approached him.

And then...it exploded! Even outside of Aireen's borders, the rioting people and soldiers could see the glow coming from the town square, the incredible elemental energy making many topple to the ground, so great was its power!

Allie watched the fireball consume Axel, shielding her eyes from the explosion, only opening them as an intense curtain of dust filled the square.

"I've got a bad feeling. He didn't try to run from it. Was he planning on tanking the hit with sheer force of will? No, he's not strong and shouldn't be stupid enough to try it. What is he scheming, this 'young tactician'?" she thought, readying Nuria.

And soon, something would come out from within the curtain. A wide breeze, blowing away the dust around her immediate vicinity. Allie could recognize it easily enough as the air left over after someone used a blast of winds to spring themselves to the air. But she couldn't spot Axel through the dust that still remained.

-Show yourself, Axel!- Allie would shout, looking around herself.

Suddenly, the dust would begin moving again. This time...behind her! Swirling past her, it began gathering all in one spot!

Allie looked back, only to see, for that fateful split second...

Axel floating sideways in the air behind her, Raiden inside its scabbard. The whole Blade covered in wind...

And fire.

Allie's eyes widened, as she could feel it. How could she not? It was like looking at a mirror.

"My own...fire?!"

Axel, like in slow-motion, would slowly draw his katana, its steel coated in wild, deep red flames.

"He fused my own fire with his wind..! That shouldn't be possible, unless both had an equal measure of soul power igniting the elemental particles, or else either my fire would grow or his wind would snuff it out!"

She exerted her soul energy, but her fire wouldn't move away from the slowly drawing Blade.

"I can't control it! His own soul energy matches mine perfectly, so both Elements fused perfectly in his Blade! When...how did he?!"

The realization soon dawned on her.

The reason why he hadn't run away after the clash.

"That Wave...was a trick! He knew he couldn't use it to beat my Hellsphere, but he knew it could weaken it somewhat! Enough for him to match the leftover soul energy inside the attack with his own, mixing both Elements! He baited me with a flashy attack in order for me to meet it with my own, so he could then steal it!

This kid...

He made me give him a Mystic Soul!"

-Hellstorm Draw !!!- Axel shouted, drawing his blade and slashing at Allie.

A wave of fire erupted from it, consuming the Elite and flooding half of the square in its blaze. After a few seconds, it died down, small clusters of flames littering the ground and houses around the area. Axel knelt on the ground, panting.

He looked up.

His eyes met Allie's, through the fire that coated her entire body.

Instead of forming big, ghoulish arms, the flames now formed a slick-looking fiery armor, completely covering and hugging her body's form. It was still almost monstrous, though, the boots and gloves having a claw-like design to them and the helmet have a fierce jaw design on the bottom and two straight horns jutting forward from the top. It looked much less like a bull's horns, like Angus the Centaur's helmet and more like a demon's...

Allie closed her eyes and the armor dissipated, small embers floating away from her.

-You got close, Axel. You even made me deploy my trump card, the Ninth Layer Scorching Armor. If it was any other Element other than my own, I would have been defeated. Now, what say we end--

-You should have kept it on.- Axel said, looking to the ground.

-What--

-"Reach".

Suddenly, another Axel rose from the original's back. Being made of the deep, ghostly Astral Soul aura, it wielded a "burning" Raiden as well and drew it in the exact same way the original did. Before Allie could react, it slashed her from the left shoulder to the right side of her hips. A huge shockwave erupted from the slash, the rainbow aura flooding the town square, much like the flames had done a few seconds ago. The nearby windows shattered and the stone roofs began breaking apart, caving into the houses they once shielded.

Allie's eyes were wide as she dropped to her knees on the ground, blood spraying from her wound. Her face had lost all color, thanks to both the wound and the shock.

"He made that...that 'illusion' copy his Mystic Soul..! I...what kind of strategy is that?! He already used up a bunch of soul power to control my fire and fuse it with his wind...and then expended even more, raw even, to catch me off-guard?!"

She looked at Axel, a grave, but serene expression on his face as he released his Blade.

"How hasn't he Overloaded yet, expending that much energy, for so much time, inside Soul Crash?! What kind of reckless mindset does he have, going all-out like that against an opponent?!"

She coughed, blood splattering on the ground.

"No...it's not recklessness. Not anymore. He wasn't blinded by the rage he showed me when we first fought. But he wasn't relying on cheap tricks either. His Blade was tempered with a strong bloodlust and his plans took into account the fact that I am much stronger than him. To be able to see such a strategy through, he didn't need raw willpower. Nor could he allow himself to be afraid, before the objectively staggering odds."

Allie began falling on the ground, the light in her eyes fading away.

"Such a gutsy plan...

Is this...

Your romance...Axel Rhodes..?"

*

She would then find her fall being stopped, someone grabbing her arm. She looked up to see Axel holding her.

-I saw it...back at the stage. A fire that burned brightly and free. It was wild, but it didn't threaten to consume anyone. It seemed like...ah, it's hard to explain, but it seemed cheerful. Flashy. The kind that doesn't blind, but glitters. A wild but...kind fire. That burns, not to rage, but to warm.- he slowly said.

-What do you...mean...?- she asked- Why say that to the one you swore to kill?

Axel curled his lips.

-You did something awful. Something I won't be able to forgive. And, for a moment there, I really did want to kill you. But then, it came back to me. The reason why I was here in the first place.

Allie didn't reply.

-Back there, when we first fought, I was blinded by shock. I couldn't believe that someone that could burn so kindly could be extorting the poor. So I lashed out at you. Not because I was angry at such an evil deed being made, but because it was you that was making it.-he chuckled, but his eyes revealed no happiness- I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. I fought you to try to convince myself that you weren't who I saw on the stage. I was fighting to preserve this...image of a person that may as well never existed.

A slow chuckle left Allie's lips.

-You poor, naiive boy. People...people put on so many faces, so many masks throughout their lives. You can't expect the world to be so black and white to actually believe that I would go around, acting like a tyrannical queen, in order to get those taxes. The person you saw on stage...was nothing more than a persona. A foolish dancer that prances around the stage, making the gazes follow her and not the corruption right under their noses.

-That may be, but..!- he knelt down, placing his hands on her shoulders, his face on the same level as hers- I saw it again! The way you wield your Blade, the way you dance, even on the battlefield..! I felt that fire...physically, yes, but spiritually too! I felt that it burned for a higher purpose! Such beauty can't just exist for the sake of self-serving violence! You--

-Self-serving or not, violence is still violence, Axel.- she said in a low tone- War is still war. You may think that the Order is objectively evil, because it's the opposite side to yours, but to me...we're the ones in the right. Ask Terri, Sobek, Hanzo...Lucy, too. And they'll all tell you the same: in our eyes, the world of Order we strive to create is a just and happy one. You can't see the world in such a simple way when judging characters...but when it comes the time to handle judgement, you can't let shackles like context, backstory or reasons hold you down from completing your objective. You must be smart...but ruthless.

-But--

-And that's what I'm forcing myself to be. Ruthless. We shouldn't even be discussing philosophy right now. We should be killing each other, Axel. You should be killing me.

Axel shook her.

-But we may not! You can join our side and stop forcing yourself to be ruthless, in order to follow whatever distorted ideals Balthazar has made the Order to follow! You said that you had to be subjective, so why can't you see that the ideals you're following now are not the same as they once were?! Why do you refuse to be free from his rule?!

Allie smiled gently.

-BladeMasters are not free, Axel. No matter how much I'd like to deny it, we are slaves to the endless cycle of violence. Bound by chains placed on our wrists and feet by either a stronger power...or ourselves...

"Wait...

Our...selves..?"

-Then why ?! Why do you need the money inside the carriage so much?!

Allie's eyes widened. Axel's words...became white noise for a second.

"I must be ruthless.

I must become the devil itself.

The shackles I placed on my wrists...

Were all for his sake."

-I can't believe...-she mumbled.

Axel blinked.

-What..?

-I can't believe I almost got swayed by your words. The gold...yes, thanks for reminding me. I must return the gold to the Tower. All to help...him.

-"Him"? Who-- -his words were cut off by his jaw nearly shattering, having received a fierce kick from Allie, that made him soar through the sky.

Allie stood up, raising her arms, a wave of fire shooting out towards Axel and consuming his body. He gritted his teeth and let out a roar, an orb of wind bursting from around him and blowing away the fire.

-Allie, no! I can see that you're not as cold as that!- he pleaded.

She shook her head.

-And I can see that you're quite the babbler, Axel Rhodes.- she said, before curling up her lips- Please...for the sake of both our ideals, let me keep fighting you! Let me sink further into the abyss and rid myself of these doubts! Let me become whatever I must become!

She snapped her fingers, the fire that had blown away turning into countless bands, floating around the boy for a second, before snapping around him, wrapping his entire body, which shook inside the yarn ball-like clump of sashes. Axel screamed in pain.

Allie tensed up her fists, the sashes wrapped around them like gloves.

-To make him happy...please, let me fight. Let me WIN!- she shouted. From the bands she held in her hands, two lights sprouted, one in each sash, and began zooming up towards the mummified Axel, a faint "fsssss" following them.

Axel contorted, the bands starting to sear into his flesh.

The lights kept creeping in.

-Lotus...Fireworks...-she somberly said.

-NOW!

A sudden voice sounded from within the alleyways beside her. A figure zoomed upwards, past her, and into the sashes that stretched between her fists and Axel. It clashed with them, cutting them swiftly. The lights faded away and the figure kept its trajectory towards a nearby roof.

-Guy, you're up!- more voices, now from above, would sound.

Guy would pop up atop of the roof and jumped towards the figure. He grabbed it by the hand before it could pass past him.

-Upsy...daisy!- he said, spinning around himself and throwing it towards the clump of fire that was Axel. The figure grabbed him and crashed down onto a nearby carpet stand, the bands dissipating around the Mistral-born.

Axel coughed and looked up to see a pair of scarlet eyes behind a pair of orange-lensed goggles.

-No...ah?- he asked.

Noah gave him a wide smile.

-Yeah! Glad we could make it in time! That was close!

Noah helped Axel stand back up from the wreckage, the lilac-haired boy's feet a bit wobbly. He looked to the side to see Roderick and Felix in the alley Noah had come from, hiding behind a big stone platform.

-A stone spring?- Axel asked.

-Yeah. We all had to do some calculations on the fly for a second, but thankfully it all worked out.

-Axel!- a familiar voice sounded. The boy looked to the roofs, to see Guy and Jimmy, the latter's hair still smoking, waving at him.

-What a happy reunion.- Allie would say, approaching the stand. Axel and Noah readied themselves while Guy shot daggers from his eyes at her, from up on the roof- Aren't you missing one, though?

Axel stepped towards her.

-You don't have to be like that. If...if it's a fight you want so badly, it's a fight you'll get.- he said.

-Are you then willing to--

-But it'll be a fight to save you. Not kill you.- he interrupted her- I won't let you off so easy by killing you and let justice slip you by. I still know what I came here for, to get the taxers. And I won't leave without dragging you and your merry band back to Angel's Crow.

-How cold you are, Axel.- she shook her head- I suppose you have what it takes to back that statement up?

-He has us.- Noah said, stepping beside Axel, before placing his hand on his shoulder- He's not fighting alone. He never has been.

Axel smiled at the blonde.

-Thank you, Noah. For this...and for putting up with my goofy romance.

-Are you...back to your old self, then?- he asked.

The Mistral-born shook his head.

-I'm not. And I don't want to. There must be some other path to defying the odds, to pursue what Mistral advised me to find. Something inbetween logic and guts...And I feel like defeating Allie here will help me understand it better. I know I'm acting flip-floppy between loving and hating her...but I sense in her something similar to the other Elites. This charisma, this drive, this romance...that draws others towards them. Maybe this is what they felt towards Attila and what you feel towards Lucy.

Noah slowly nodded.

-I understand. I wasn't planning on getting down to her level either. Fighting all-out, without killing, takes its own level of skill, right? And I'm sure that I would have felt like this in the past, too. It just feels right in my soul...

Allie pointed Nuria at them. Fiery sashes sprouted between her wrists and ankles.

-Done chatting? I'm all for dramatic speeches, but save it for the stage in the after-life. For now, I really must be getting those coin bags.

Axel looked at her, summoning Raiden and tossing the scabbard aside, holding the katana in his left hand. Noah summoned Warrior's Heart and held it in his right hand, the boys standing beside each other, pointing their Blades at her.

-Ready as I'll ever be, Lotus.- Axel said.

-You're in for it now, miss!- Noah shot.

The three shot towards each other, clashing Blades with each other so fiercely that they all bounced back a bit, their feet dragging across the dusty, cracked ground. Allie shot towards Axel, thrusting Nuria at his face. Axel swayed to the side, allowing Noah to step in and thrust his own Blade at her.

Allie stepped to the side, twirling around herself and launching a kick towards the blonde. Noah had to block it with his left arm, making him grunt in pain as her flaming right sole sunk into his plaid shirt and hit his bone as hard as it would have hit had he been shirtless. Allie jumped and switched to her left feet, pointing at his neck. Noah curled up his lips and ducked, dodging the kick, before stepping in and thrusting Warrior's Heart again, upwards, towards her chin.

The Elite stepped back to dodge the attack , but soon found Raiden's blade lodging itself on her shoulder. Axel had used Noah's crouched body as leverage to leap-frog over and jam his Blade through Allie. The Elite grunted as blood trickled down her arm, before grabbing Axel's own arm and throwing him towards Noah like a rag doll, the bodies crashing on each other.

Axel and Noah rolled off of his each, standing right back up. Allie took her hand to the wound on her shoulder and pressed her palm on it. She grunted as steam left her flesh and has she raised her hand, her wound had been cauterized already. Axel noticed that the slash across her torso had received the same treatment, an ugly, but closed scar across her skin.

-That's only a temporary solution, Allie.- he said- You must still be feeling the pain.

-Nothing a Sage can't heal. Your wounds are still too shallow, Axel.- she said before charging at them again.

Axel and Noah had to do everything they could to stick close to each other as they dodged Allie's flurry of attacks. Switching Nuria across all of her members, her strikes flowed like water, not giving much time to counter-attack. But the boys knew that, if they tried to split up and flank her, she would just pick a target and swiftly defeat him before the other could attack her. But if they stuck together and bumped into each other, it would give her the necessary window to turn them into Swiss cheese.

"I don't have the element of surprise against her anymore." Axel thought "If we let her keep setting her pace, though, we're done for!"

-No-- - his words were cut off as he felt himself slipping. He felt something hot of the back of his ankle, pulling his foot forward. He then saw Allie pulling him with the sash on her wrists. He fell on the ground with a thud.

Allie would throw Nuria to her right foot, lodging the saber's handle on her heel and launching an axe kick towards him that would surely split him in half.

Axel raised his Blade to block it, but before he could, Noah jumped in to tackle Allie. But, with incredible strength, her left leg bent and allowed her to jump, soaring above the boy. She flew past him, but before Noah could turn around, the sash around her ankles caught on his neck. Allie's landed, hands-first on the ground, releasing her Blade and spinning around herself, twisting the sash. She stepped on them, snapping the fiery fabric from her ankles and grabbed them, keeping the bands tensed around Noah's neck.

Noah tried to grasp the fire that was strangling him, but, surprise, it was scorching hot! He grunted as Allie kept pulling on it.

-I would much rather take you alive, but Balthazar never forbade taking your head instead. Now be a good boy and sur--

She'd jump in place as Axel, still on the ground, would try to sweep her. Using a gust of air, he raised himself back to his feet and charged at the Lotus.

-Let him go!- he yelled, slashing at her.

Allie stepped back to avoid the attack and, indeed, let go of the sash holding Noah down. But it was only for a second, as she threw the one she still had around her wrists over Axel and Noah's bodies, it landing around Noah's waist. She then grabbed and pulled both ropes in, causing Noah's back to collide against Axel's, bringing both boys towards her.

She raised her left foot, fire coating it to form a bit boot. She pointed her sole at them, revealing a sharp, spike-like heel, which she moved to jam through Axel's stomach!

-Jeronimoooo!- a voice would yell above her. Allie tsked and let go of both sashes in order to jump back and avoid the big impact that covered the surrounding area in dust. Once it cleared, Guy and Jimmy would stand between her and Axel and Noah, the latter clutching his throat as the sash dissipated from around it.

-Isn't it a bit unfair to gang up on a poor girl like that?- she shook her head.

-Don't sass us! You knew this was eight against one!- Guy shot at her, reading the Dragonic.

-More like seven...- she shrugged. Guy gritted his teeth, and was about to step towards her before Axel placed his hand on his shoulder.

-Don't let her provoke you, Guy! She's not as straightforward of a fighter as Sobek was. She'll use any chance she has to trip you up.- he said.

Jimmy smirked, nodding at the Pyre-born boy.

-But if we're talking about chances...we've got plenty!- he said, bringing his hammer down on the ground. It shook and began cracking away, a wave of stones moving towards her. Allie's feet moved back, but a similar rumbling sound coming from behind her reached the Elite's ears.

Zooming towards her back were many stone spikes, raising up one after the other. Behind them, Roderick and Felix pointed their swords at her.

-You Tera users are sometimes so straightforward, it edges on stupidity.- she said before squatting down. Her legs coated themselves in fire and, with an explosion, her body soared back across the sky, avoiding both attacks, which crashed where she once stood. She flew past Roderick and Felix and landed behind them, aided by a set of giant fiery petals forming around her, to form that flaming lotus cocoon again, cushioning her fall.

As the lotus opened up, she immediately stood back up, pointing her palms at the knights and the academics. Her arms coated themselves in armor and shot out a torrent of flames, that covered not only that section of the square, but also flooded the narrow market street Noah and Axel's backs were facing.

Once the flames dissipated, she was unhappy to find Guy standing right in front of Roderick and Felix. He pointed the Dragonic at her, having shielded the two knights and, by proxy, Jimmy, Noah and Axel from the flames. But it wasn't a clean save, as various sections of his tank top and pants were burning, not to mention that his arms were seared here and there.

-You actually absorbed some of my flames, huh?- she asked.

-You can have them back, though!- Guy shouted, swiping his Blade at her, a tongues of fire lashing out at her. She raised her hand to defend against them, but suddenly a sphere of air zoomed between the flames. It fanned the flames, creating a huge explosion, sending Allie flying back towards the smoking remains of the tent, near the carriages.

The Elite tumbled across the floor, before rolling and standing right back up. She took a look towards the nearby wrecked carriage, where Axel found the gold, but didn't have time to go get the bags, as Axel and Noah stepped in for another round with her.

Both fighters would have Astral Soul active, the thicker aura back around Axel. Allie could feel that he was back in Soul Crash, so she prioritized defending against his attacks, as they were naturally faster than Noah's, who stuck to covering his friend as the boys slashed at Allie, in near-perfect sync with each other.

-Guess that studying your sparring with Lucy is finally paying off, Noah!-Axel smirked, as the blonde would carefully step away whenever the Mistral-born struck, as well as stepping in when Axel was recovering and readying himself for another slash. Allie's style might allow her attacks to flow perfectly along her four members, but against two sets of hands from two BladeMasters, the playing field would even out!

-Yeah, it's like we can read each other's...minds!- he grunted as Axel jumped to the side, in order to allow Noah to slash downwards, releasing an Astral Wave at close range, forcing Allie to block it with the sash between her wrists, but it wasn't quite enough to stop her from being blown back.

She landed back-first onto the ground, but pushed herself right off of it with her hands, catapulting her body towards the boys. She spun around herself, delivering a roundhouse kick towards Axel's temple, who blocked it with Raiden, but Allie would keep throwing more and more kicks, spinning like a top in the air.

Eventually, she'd coat her leg in the fiery armor and smash right through the Blade with one last kick, shattering both it and seemingly Axel's skull too, as the boy would be sent flying like a plank of wood to the side, after her foot sunk into his head.

Noah took the chance to thrust his Blade at her exposed back, but would immediately find Warrior's Heart wrapped around more sashes, Allie's hands already being behind her back. She pulled her arms forward, forcing the Blade to suddenly jolt up and smack Noah right across the face. Thankfully, Astral Soul allowed his skin to be tough enough to not be cut right in half, but the blonde was still sent stumbling back.

Still with his Blade in her possession, Allie threw Warrior's Heart to her left hand and, dual-wielding it alongside Nuria, charged towards the stunned Noah. But before she could reach him, she raised both swords to her side in order to block and incoming Dragonic.

Guy was already beside her, joining in the fray, Allie needing both smaller Blades in order to stop the full brunt of his greatsword, but would soon need to direct Nuria to guard her back, as Raiden would soon clash with it.

And, finally, she'd need to raise her right foot, sinking it into Noah's stomach, as he charged right at the doubly-occupied Elite. Noah grunted, both in pain and frustration. No matter how much they coordinated, they couldn't gain any advantage on Allie! She seemed to have no blind spots!

Allie would deftly let go of Noah's Blade, her hand coating itself in flames to form a big claw that clutched Guy's face. She then turned around, throwing the boy towards Axel, both bodies crashing against each other. She then, with her foot, picked up the falling Warrior's Heart, using it to deliver another roundhouse kick, sinking the sword into Guy and Axel's sides, before sending both flying to her left.

The sword would then be allowed to land on the ground, before being smashed right through by her heel. She took a breath, looking at the three boys collapsed around her, before jumping in the air, avoiding a cluster of spikes forming beneath her. Turning around, she delivered a backhanded blow right through Jimmy's hammer, who was trying to get her from behind. With her free hand, she grabbed the Owl Knight and threw him down towards Roderick and Felix, who were standing below her.

Felix created a stone hand, catching his comrade , but a wall of flames soon enveloped the trio, the ruthless Lotus already pointing her clawed hands at them. The Knights screamed in pain as they were cooked alive.

-Stop!- a voice would sound behind her. A cluster of sashes formed behind her, in order to catch a leaping Axel and enveloping him and Raiden. She'd grab the bands, spinning in place and chucking him towards the knights as well, before she landed softly on the ground.

Both Owl and Knights would be in a mosh pile on the ground, but soon, they all stood right back up, pointing their Blades back at Allie, glaring at her still, despite the burns coating their bodies and their weapons slowly shattering, not enough soul power remaining to keep them together.

Axel would soon feel his Soul Crash subsiding again, and soon Astral Soul followed.

-Damn it..!- he groaned. He swiped his fist downwards, trying to jump-start both modes again, but nothing was coming out!

-All out of juice?- Allie asked, relaxing her body and massaging her shoulder wound- You kids can barely hold a Soul Crash for more than five minutes and you expect to beat me while all high on adrenaline and temporary buffs? Get real. This battle is over.

-So you just expect me to curl up and die quietly?- Axel spat- Gods, you're really making yourself look detestable.

-Where's that white knight attitude from earlier, Axel?- she smirked- It's pretty easy to talk down on others when you're winning, huh?

Axel smirked back.

-I know very well that you're stronger than me...but I'm not alone. Eventually you're the one that will run out of juice.

-And then we'll capitalize on it!- Jimmy added.

-Your evil deeds end here, Lotus!- Roderick shot.

-Char us all you want, our souls burn brighter!- Felix pumped his fist.

Axel took a deep breath and started to run (well, more like stumble) towards Allie, swinging Raiden slowly at her. She'd easily dodge, but the Knights would soon follow after Axel. Allie lazily stepped back and dispatched them with a fire blast from her claws.

Axel moved in through the flames to keep fighting, but she easily blocked Axel's Blade with Nuria, before smacking the katana away and burying her knee in Axel's stomach, making the boy double-take in pain, clutching his midsection.

-Your empty words end here, Axel. You just don't have enough determination to fuel your killer instinct. Therefore, you have no power. And justice... can only be made by the powerful.- she said, before bringing her sabre down at the boy.

But suddenly, her Blade would stop, before it could reach Axel's head.

The silver blade would be coated red, but it would still be stopped, shaking in place.

Axel's bloody palms pressed against it, in a poor-man's naked blade capture.

-How's this...for determination..?- he asked, wincing in pain, before pushing the Blade to the side, bringing Allie's upper body towards him. The Elite was so shocked that she wasn't able to react, Axel delivering a strong headbutt right onto her face.

Allie would stumble back, blood pouring out of her nose, before her cheek was met by Axel's fist.

-I don't care if I'm simple-minded and stupid...I want to accomplish whatever I want to set out to do! And if beating you means saving you from your stupid ideals you don't even want to follow...then all the more reason as to why I must defeat you!- he yelled.

He'd move in to continue, but his face would suddenly become best friends with Allie's sole. She glared at him.

-Would you just shut up?! Stop trying to dictate what I don't and don't feel! Just see me as an enemy and fight!- she'd yell, pouncing on him and bringing his body down onto the ground with her on top. She then began bringing her fists down on Axel, who tried to block with his arms, but would still feel her fists sinking into his face.

-I loathe pushy people like you! Always preaching about your holier-than-thou ideals, always thinking you're better than others! You want to save me?! Why?! Is it because you've fallen for me?! Did I impress you that much with my dancing, that you now don't want to kill your previously sworn enemy?! How utterly childish! I'm a member of the Order that wants you Academics wiped from the map! I want to kill you, Axel Rhodes! Kill! You! I don't want you to "save" me, so stop talking and fight like a man, you baby!- she'd yell as she kept beating on him, Axel's face face becoming a bloody, swollen mess.

Eventually, her fists would slow down, lazily sinking into the barely-conscious clump of blood and lilac hairs, her knuckles red and dripping too.

Tears would add to the blood.

-Stop...please stop...please fight..!- she'd whimper- If we don't fight...then what am I doing here? I'm j-just...another...b-burden..!

-...different...

Allie would look down, Axel's smile appearing through her tear-filled eyes.

-We're not...so different, you and I. That's why...I feel like I must help you. Because up until recently...I also fought for a reason I didn't want to...in an headspace...that I didn't like. I can't stand and see...people hurting...be it the townspeople...or you. So even if we fight...I can't stop trying to reach out...to you...because even if I throw you in a jail...if you're still in pain...the amount of people hurting won't...go down...

-W-what..?- she started, before she was grabbed from behind. Noah's hand wrapped around her torso and threw her back.

-Get away from him!- he'd yell, glaring at her. Astral Soul 's aura would flare up from within his body, but he'd also be coughing a bit. He'd reach out to Axel, the Mistral-born's legs wobbling as he stood back up- Axel, you're...

Axel grinned through his swollen, bloody face.

-I'm still a solid eight, don't worry...Let's finish this...

Noah nodded, both BladeMasters facing the dumbstruck Allie. She clutched her face, gritting her teeth.

-You're just preaching...from the start, we are destined to fight and kill each other. The other Elites might be lacking in courage, but you won't find me cowering from my duty! I won't forsake the home Attila gave me! I won't spit on all the help he gave me! - she yelled.

She raised her arms, the fire wrapping around them and burning fiercely, forming a much more defined armor. The claws extended, becoming bigger and bigger, soon forming and cradling the familiar miniature sun!

-Your favorite! Colossus' Hell---

Her words were cut off as the shining fireball began shrinking down in size. Its flames began fluttering away from it, behind her. She turned around to see, in horror, Guy pointing his Blade at her, the head of the dragon forming around the Dragonic once again. Soon, her sun was reduced to a handful of sparks floating in front of her hands.

-I won't let you touch my friends again! I'll eat all of your flames, Lotus !- the brunette shouted. Meanwhile, Axel would manage to flare up Astral Soul again, by holding onto Noah's shoulder and partaking in some of the aura that the blonde exuded, in order to start his own again. He summoned Raiden and smirked at the goggled-boy.

-You'll have to sync up with me again, Noah.

Noah smiled back.

-Think your Astral Soul can keep up with mine?- he asked. Axel chuckled.

-Please. I'm the genius creation of the Rhodes family. I'd insult my noble samurai lineage if I couldn't keep up with you, when you're all beat-up, Noah.

-Look who's talking. Well, let's go!-Noah grinned.

With that, Axel's aura thickened. He raised Raiden up the the sky, the power concentrating around it. Noah raised Warrior's Heart and copied his friend, both auras soon melding together around both Blades.

Allie looked alternated between looking at both attacks. She tried to conjure more fire, but the flames would only flutter away, feeding Guy's Blade!

"I'm too distraught..! He's absorbing everything! Damn it...damn it!!!"

Guy roared.

-Ultima Soul! Dragonic Soul !!!

Noah and Axel joined him.

-Cut! Astral Wave !!!

Noah and Axel slashed downwards, the giant, crescent-shaped aura shooting out of their Blades, cracking up the ground in its path towards Allie. Meanwhile, the jaws of the dragon around the Dragonic Blade opened up, the shining laser leaving its maw, scorching everything towards the Elite.

She looked towards both sure-kill blasts coming towards her and tried to move her legs, but she'd soon find the ground beneath her sinking and spikes lodging themselves through her legs. Horrified, she'd notice the fallen Knights pointing their palms at her from afar.

"No...

Gib...son..."

The blasts consumed the Elite, flooding the town square in light, the shockwave causing the carriages to topple over and the remainders of the troupe tent to fly away, the cloth getting caught up around a nearby house.

As the light blinded and consumed Axel, he presented a sombre expression.

"Zeke...this one was for you..."

*

"Soul Crash."

A powerful heatwave would course the entire town, shattering the stalls of the market street, the people outside, including the soldiers falling on their feet, having stopped their fighting to look, in horror, at what was happening in the town square.

A wall of flames rose up from above the buildings, the heat from its inferno making the desert sun feel like a frigid winter. The colossal mass of flames began taking shape, parts of it separating from the main body, forming appendages of sorts. They soon took the shape of rough-looking arms, its hands sharp claws. The main body began shaping up like a torso, displaying orbs resembling a woman's chest, and the top formed a crass shape of a head, the tongues of fire forming long, flowing locks.

The fire kept contorting, the shapes becoming more defined. The arms became more slender, the torso more defined. And the head formed a serene resemblance of a woman, a statue-like expression on her face. From within the torso section of the half-giant, a figure rose, draped in the sleek, ghoulish armor again.

-Ninth Layer Scorching Armor. And...

The giant's eyes shone and the mouth opened to let out a deafening roar that sent the people, even from so far away, tumbling and rolling back again!

-Ultima Soul: Fifth Layer Nuria Colossus.

The giant's flames surrounded the Elite, taking up the whole square, Noah, Axel Guy and Knights having to hold onto whatever rubble they could find, so that they weren't blown over by the massive heat wave.

-Be consumed.- she said, the giant's torso gyrating since it had no legs. Its giant arm swooped in front above, dragging itself across the ground in a circle, grabbing the nearby Noah and Axel. The giant kept rotating, soon grabbing Guy as well. It then rose its hand, holding up the boys in its ethereal, burning grasp, as they were consumed and floated inside the hand.

The hand began closing up, forming a fist. The space inside it was incredibly hot, but it soon began burning up even more, threatening to scorch the boys alive!

A faint zipping sound passed through the nearby streets.

Allie kept tightening her own fist, which in turn tightened the giant's hand. It seemed like the giant mimicked its mistress' movements.

The shadow passed through the tight alleys, the fire that had consumed it before when Guy tried to defend his friends and knights still scattered around the ground and walls, in small embers. From those embers, long bands shot out towards the object. As it flew across the streets and square, the embers that spotted the places kept sprouting more bands to pursue it, like snakes, wrapping themselves around the foreign threat.

It soon zoomed past the knights, flying towards Allie's back, wrapped around many bands that had sensed, pursued and attempted to restrain it. It clashed with the rear of the giant, seeping through it and continuing its journey towards its target: Allie's back.

But...it stopped. Centimeters from her armored back, shaking, wrapped around countless fiery sashes. Allie looked back.

At the naginata.

-How did you...- she started, but, from below her, a pillar of water erupted, consuming the Elite whole. The giant began dissipating, but it still kept the boys in its grasp, the area becoming consumed by steam.

A shadow ran through the curtain of gas, swiping the naginata and jumping high into the sky. Before the wall of water could relent its attack, the figure zoomed towards the flaming arm, cutting it in half. The flames of the hand dissipated, the boys falling from inside it, plummeting towards the ground.

But a torrent of water formed under them, carrying them like a slide, safely onto the ground. The boys rolled onto the ground, coughing from the trial.

The figure landed in front of them, watching the pillar of water die down, Allie appearing through it, her armor undamaged.

-You...such incredible soul power...who are you?- she asked.

-Why, I feel insulted. Don't you recognize lil' ol' me?- the figure asked.

Its torso was completely bare, save for bandages wrapped around the stomach. Its long auburn hair fell behind its back, completely unrestrained, blowing softly in the wind. The boy placed the naginata on its shoulder, casually.

Axel looked up at it, tears welling up in his eyes, alongside a giant grin.

-Kept us waiting, huh?!- he let out.

Zeke looked back him with a smile.

-Yep. As always, I'm fashionably late for the party.

He then turned back towards Allie. She'd feel an enormous pressure exuding form him, her armor shaking in place, trying to hold itself together.

-As for you, I hope you're finished praying to Pyre, Balthazar, Nuria or whatever god you worship. Well, not that they'd help you...

"...as your worst nightmare is here, Lotus."