Protecting Pyroc

Nebula and I made it back to the Pyroc as the sun began to dip below the horizon, but noticed something gravely wrong. Instead of being met with a bustling city, the city was empty... silent. There wasn't a single soul around. I gotta off Nebula's back and placed the Diamond Pyrock inside her pouch.

"Emperor Ryoma!" A familiar voice called out to me.

I turned my attention to the source of the voice, noticing her hiding behind a building. I hurried over to her and crouched down in front of her. "Elisa... where's Milcham?"

"He's battling Novis, keeping him away from the citadel..! I want to help, but I can't fight him, he's too strong. My Vermillion Arts aren't strong enough to affect Novis," Elisa said, looking up at me.

"Just who is Novis anyway?" I asked.

"He used to be one of the Flame Knights with me and Milcham, but after his betrayal Inoka exiled him from the kingdom. I'm guessing he's now taking his revenge against us," Elisa answered.

I grumbled softly and stood up, my gaze landing upon the source of the clashing blades. I whistled for Nebula and she immediately galloped toward me. I helped Elisa up then assisted her on the back of Nebula.

"Nebula, take her to the citadel! Pronto!" I commanded then hurried off to assist Milcham.

Nebula whinnied and hurried toward the citadel with Elisa firmly holding onto Nebula's leash. Elisa rode by Milcham and Novis, noticing the two battling with their might.

'Please be safe, Milcham..' Elisa thought as she passed by the battle.

Novis parried Milcham's attack then bellowed as he went for a finishing slash. Suddenly, his attack was blocked by a claymore flying in the way of his strike. Novis grunted as he jumped back noticing my warping toward my sword in Omni-Protector form.

"You!" Novis spat, his tone filled with disdain.

I shifted my sword back into its original form then looked at Milcham. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thank you, Emperor...but you need to go check on Queen Claire and Princess Inoka! Novis didn't come here alone," Milcham warned, readying his sword again to face off against Novis alone.

I glanced between Novis and Milcham then nodded my head, prioritizing Claire and Inoka. Before leaving, I used a Crest to heal Milcham, grunting softly as the Crest only brought me bad memories. After healing him, I hurried off and held my hand.

'That was the Crest of his fallen ex-wife...Manami..' Novis thought, then shook his head focusing on the battle in front of him.

I rushed into the citadel, noticing battles had already taken place. I looked around and saw Claire and Inoka facing off against a masked figure. Claire and Inoka seemed to already be exhausted from fighting against this mysterious figure while the figure didn't seem spent at all.

"Who the hell is this guy?! Of course the one time we're short on units, the bad guys want to raid us," Inoka scoffed, readying her rapier.

Claire readied her shield and lance, her flames spiralling around her body. "We haven't even been able to land a single strike on him. Whoever he is, he's powerful.."

The masked man readied his sword, getting ready to strike, but dodged a pillar of light that crashes down. He, Claire, and Inoka turned their gazes, noticing me walking forward.

I stared at the masked man, trying to sense who this mysterious attacker could be. I glanced at Claire and Inoka. "Are you two okay?"

"Mhm, we're fine.." Inoka nodded.

"If it isn't The Tyrant," The masked man said, now focusing on me.

I gently pushed the two women back, protecting and bracing for whatever the figure had planned. "That's my title, don't wear it out."

The man laughed softly, shaking his head. "I don't intent to, it is strange seeing you in this continent...after what you did to Manami."

I grunted softly at the sound of her name, closing my eyes. Vivid memories flashed into my head of the civil war in Yesha.

"You killed her without a second thought. I'm surprised anyone would trust you. You'd think you'd stop there but no...you bring your Tyranny around the entire continent of Eyica and slay every Empress and Emperor of the land. You're not one for the people as you say. You're a heartless, mindless, Yeshan hiding behind your facade," The masked man spat, his tone dark and mysterious.

'He speaks as if he knows me...yet I know nothing about him. Just who is this guy..?' I thought, my gaze landing upon his.

"Silence. I guess there is truths to my words huh..?" The masked man chuckled, taunting me even further.

"You're wrong!" Claire called out. "I've read the tale because it was written by his brother, Takeo! Ryoma never attacked without reason! He was betrayed by his ex-wife!"

"And you would believe Takeo's word over those he's wronged? Takeo is his brother, of course he would spin the story to make Ryoma look justifiable. Wouldn't you do the same for your sister?" The figure chuckled softly, his mind games causing Claire to doubt herself for a moment.

Inoka stepped forward, glaring at the man. "Of course we would, but on what terms does Takeo have to lie? He was there at the scene! Ryoma's parents were killed because of her! The way you speak, you make it sound like you were there."

The masked man adjusted his mask and closed his eyes. "Hmph. Maybe I should've killed you first. Your voice annoys me.."

The masked man launched a sword beam at Inoka without warning, but I blocked the beam, grunting softly at the strength of the beam. I grunted as I was repelled backwards, sliding back along the grass.

'His power matched mine...but there's only one person who can realistically match me. Heh...' I thought to myself, smirking.

I chuckled softly, my chuckle turning into a laugh. As I laughed, Claire and Inoka looked at me, both of them looking concerned. I looked at the masked man, my eyes shining brightly. "Interesting...VERY interesting! It seems like you can match my Crest of Arcane! You must also have a Crest that can match Arcane's power."

"It's almost like you can see through me, Emperor," The masked man said, a Crest faintly glowing upon his mask.

'The Crest of Oblivion? Ahh...My Ancestor's old enemy...Balor. Interesting. His Crest too can match Arcane, but is a bit behind in terms of power. This will be interesting," I thought, smirking at the masked man.

The masked man and I stood off, gauging how to approach one another. Knowing how the man can match me in power due to his Crest offered a challenge, but deep inside I knew I could win.

"This is like Ascea verses Balor all over again huh?" The masked man chuckled as he walked around.

I chuckled softly as I walked around as well, rolling my shoulders. "Heh...indeed. Arcane, Zodiac Mode. Let's take this back a few centuries...and show this masked man that we are more versatile than we let on!"

The masked man stopped walking then dashed toward me. I lunged toward the man as well, clashing fists with him. We repelled each other then rushed back in, entering a fierce hand to hand combat. Blocking and evading each other's attacks, neither side let up the offensive.

I dodged the man's next attack, smirking as I knocked him in the air with a swift kick. "Zodiac Arts!"

The man recovered in the air and his Crest of Oblivion shined brightly on his hand. "Oh no you don't!"

"Leo Flame Burst!" I chanted, taking a deep breath then exhaled, blowing a barrage of fireballs at the man, each one shaped like a lion's head.

The man's body turned into a puff of black clouds, allowing him to evade the barrage of fireballs. He reformed beside me, landing a powerful strike to my chin. I grunted as I was knocked away, but recovered off one hand then chuckled softly.

"Fideline!" I called out, summoning a massive crab, the Cancer Symbol shining on top of her head. I landed on the top of Fideline, smirking down at the Masked Man. "Strike him down!"

Fideline rushed toward the masked man, slamming down her pincers at the man, but the man quickly evaded each attack. As the man evaded the next strike, he noticed I was missing from atop of her shell.

"Zodiac Arts: Velocity Devastation!" I roared, launching myself toward the masked man at lightning speeds.

The masked man didn't have time to react before I landed my first strike. I began striking him from ever conceivable angle, lightning flashing upon each impact. My movements were a blur as I delivered a barrage of lightning quick strikes and knocked him in the air. I somersaulted aboved him, cancelling my attack then roared.

"Zodiac Arts: Lionheart Smash!" I bellowed, smashing my fistef against the masked man's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground.

Claire watched the fight in awe, her heart racing with anticipation. "Those Zodiac Arts...they haven't been seen for centuries.."

"Those arts are something else for sure...giving that bastard a run for his money," Inoka said in awe, her eyes glued to the fight.

The masked man slowly stood up and chuckled softly. "You aren't trying hard enough...I know you have more power within yourself and I will draw it out!"

In an instant, the masked man launched a dark tendril, the attack piercing through Claire's body. Claire's eyes widened and she looked down, noticing the tendril piercing through her chest. She lightly coughed a bit of blood, slowly falling to her knees. My eyes widened as I noticed Claire was struck, my heart thumping hard against my chest.

"Claire!" Inoka yelled in terror, catching her. She held her closely and quickly began to use her Immortal Flames to keep Claire alive for her Soulblaze to take effect and heal her.

I grunted softly and closed my eyes, my breathing becoming heavier. My blood boiled at the fact that the man would attack her and try to kill her. "You..."

The masked man laughed at my anger, holding his arms out. "Yes! Show everyone your real power!"

"You dare use her to get more power from me?!" I roared, glaring at the masked man. "You want more power?! I'll show you!"

I roared and chaotic energy rushed around my body, my aura flaring up with anger. The Crest of Chaos shined on my forehead and I began to transform into my Rage Form, destructive red energy surging around my body. Red lightning crackled around my body, my eyes glowing a blood red.

"And there he is, The Tyrant.." The masked man chuckled softly.

Inoka shuddered in my presence, feeling powerful dark energy flowing around me. 'This power...why...does it feel so dark..?'

"Chaos! I know you can hear me! Why settle for the Reincarnation of a Hero when you can join my side and together we can be the ones to rule over the Human Realm?!" The masked man called out.

'Chaos? Like the God of All Evil..?! Ryoma possesses his Crest..?!' Inoka thought, now fearing me even more.

Suddenly, a neigh was heard and a purification beam struck my back, dealing triple the damage to me. I groaned in pain, falling onto one knee. Nebula struck me again, causing me to groan painfully then the Crest of Chaos was forced out of my body due to the extreme pain my body was in.

Nebula bleated, firing a purification beam upon the Crest of Chaos but the beam couldn't damage the Crest. The masked man looked down at my weakened body, noticing I was staggered and chuckled.

He grabbed the Crest, the Crest of Oblivion exiting his body in place for the Crest of Chaos. He grunted with satisfaction as he felt the power coursing through his veins. "I was right to use Manami as bait to make you obtain such a Crest. Because of your years of usage, most of Chaos's abilities are unlocked and I can truly master this power!"

I grunted softly as I looked up at the masked man. "Used...her as bait..?"

The masked man stared down at me, his red eyes glowing faintly behind his mask. "You honestly believed Manami would be capable of killing your Bloodline? The Bloodline that descended from the greatest Hero, one of the strongest Gods in history?"

"I originally wanted your Crest of Arcane, but I was too late to grab it as your pathetic mother had already gifted it to you. But soon when I saw your Crest of Chaos, a create you activated out of pure rage and hatred, I set my sights on this Crest knowing it would be much stronger than Arcane at this point," The masked man continued.

As he spoke those words, my blood boiled all over again. At this very moment, I put the pieces together and realized that the man who stood before me is the true assailant, the attacker and killer of my Bloodline.

"Who..are you..?" I asked, my tone cold with anger.

The masked man stared at me then closed his eyes, taking off his mask slowly. His dark hair framed his face, his golden eyes glowing as he sneered at me. My eyes widened as I stared at him, my mind rushing with questions and old memories flashing in my head and shattering.

"...Alastor..." I said in disbelief. I grunted softly and slammed my fist against the ground. "Alastor! How could you?! You were supposed to be my best friend! My family took you in and this is what you do to us?!"

Alastor stared at me with a smirk, crossing his arms. "I only played a role of a bigger one, Ryoma. Although I did enjoy my time with your family greatly, I couldn't have them knowing of my plans, so I simply recreated the scene from centuries ago...killing your Bloodline in hopes of elimination the line of Eyicans for good, however I miscalculated...and you lived on with Ascea's power albeit, unawakened.."

I slowly stood up and launched an attack at him out of pure rage, but Alastor stepped back and watched me fall to the ground, my body is exhausted from Nebula's purification. I grit my teeth and began breathing heavily.

Alastor chuckled as he walked away. "I'll let you live this time. I got what I wanted, all there's left to do is fully awaken the Crest of Chaos and wait. See you around, Miyazaki."

I watched as Alastor walked away, reaching my hand out toward him. "Don't...walk away..from me, you bastard..!"

My body couldn't hold off anymore, slowly passing out due to exhaustion. I closed my eyes, accepting my first loss in years. Nebula hurried toward me, nudging me worriedly, worried that she might've accidentally killed me. She noticed I wasn't responsive and let out a loud cry.

Inoka watched the scene, her heart tugging at the sight of Nebula desperately trying to awaken me. She felt Claire moving in her arms, seeing her wound had healed finally. "Claire.."

Claire opened her eyes slowly and noticed me on the ground, gasping and jumping out of Inoka's arms. "Ryoma!"

Claire rushed toward me and got down beside me, rolling me on my back and held me in her arms. "Ryoma..! No..."

Claire leaned down and placed her ear upon my chest, waiting to hear any sign of life. Once she heard my heart beating, she let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

Inoka slowly stood up and walked toward us. "You should take him inside to rest...I'll go check on Milcham and Elisa."

Claire nodded and used all of her strength to hold me up as she stood up. She slowly dragged me toward the castle while Inoka watched, holding her hand to her chest.

'Ryoma...truly is the victim..' Inoka thought, closing her eyes and let out a soft sigh before hurrying to the city.

-------------------------------

The night slowly began passing by as I rested and soon the morning sun slowly began to rise, its rays peeking through the curtains and casting a warm light inside the room. I slowly began to wake up, my eyes slowly opening. I looked around my surroundings noticing I was in a bedroom, Claire's bedroom.

I turned to my side, seeing Claire resting beside me in a chair, her arms on the bed and her head resting atop of her arms. I slowly reached out to her, gently rubbing her head. At my gentle touch, Claire softly mumbled and turned her head, slowly opening her eyes.

I looked at Claire, smiling at her and gently caressed her cheek. "Good morning, my Blazing Queen.."

Claire locked eyes with me, her face softly heating up at my touch. She slowly sat up, smiling at me. "Good morning, Emperor Ryoma..~ Did you rest well..?"

I slowly sat up and grunted softly. "My body still slightly hurts from the battle from yesterday...but overall I am fine. Thank you for bringing me in to rest. I'm sorry for not being fast enough to protect you yesterday.."

"No, it's alright. It caught all of us off guard, but I'm glad it's all over...at least for now," Claire said softly, gently taking my hand in hers. "I'm glad you're safe, truly..."

I gently squeezed her hand, my eyes locked onto hers. Claire's cheeks began to grow more red the longer she stared at me, instinctively leaning into me. Our lips were only inches apart, but before we could share a moment, the door swung open.

"Claire! How's Ryoma doing?" Inoka asked, hurrying inside the room.

Claire squeaked and jumped back into her chair, falling backwards in the chair. I looked slightly surprised and a bit amused. I couldn't help but to softly chuckle at her sudden surprised reaction to Inoka's sudden appearance.

Inoka tilted her head as she noticed Claire fall back into her chair. "Sis, are you okay?"

Claire slowly held up a thumbs up, softly giggling in slight pain. "I'm okay..."

I got out of bed and helped Claire up, smiling at her. Claire looked up at me, her cheeks flushing even more.

"I-I'm going to go see if breakfast is ready! I sure am hungry!" Claire quickly spoke, hurrying off at blazing speeds.

Inoka watched her run off and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow with a smile. She looked at me and giggled softly. "I wonder what you did to her..~"

"Come now, I just awakened and shared a moment with her. Although, I can say we were very close for a moment~" I chuckled softly, walking toward Inoka.

"How close?" Inoka asked, looking up at me.

I leaned down toward Inoka, my lips nearly touching hers, causing Inoka to blush madly and become dizzy. "This close..." I answered, my tone barely above a whisper.

Inoka couldn't help but to nearly faint from our close proximity, her heart slightly racing. She stared at me for a moment before hurrying off. "Claire! I'm suddenly hungry too!"

I chuckled as Inoka hurried down the halls after Claire. I noticed a slight glow on my hand, noticing the Crest of Arcane glowing on my hand. I smiled at it then closed my eyes. "It's me and you again, Arcane. No Chaos Amplified power so now we can show the world the true Emperor I really am..~"

The Crest of Arcane flashed in response, the spirit of Arcane seemingly happy with my statement. I chuckled softly and made my way down the halls to the royal kitchen where Claire and Inoka were. With a new sense of purpose and a now more clear mind, I was prepared to spend my days in Pyroc as my true self.