[Aaron008R]

Originally Posted by An Hero in Disguise

Finished at last:

Spoiler for Dance of the Demons - Act V:

Dance of the Demons – Act V

The blonde Enforcer stood about 10 steps away from me, holding her broken sword in the right hand. The Device was going to regenerate its blade in 5 seconds, but it didn’t matter. The aether threads were swirling around the girl ready to intercept any of her actions. While I keep concentrating my attention on her there’s no chance she can do anything without Aether Insight notifying me beforehand, and as soon as she acts it’ll automatically bring her to her demise. Yet she stood still, looking straight into my eyes.

One.

My left hand was seriously burned when I recklessly, or I should rather say arrogantly, grabbed the girl’s blade, and I could barely move my fingers now. I used more power in this battle than I had ever done before, but despite this it wasn’t finished yet. “You’re wrong – once you used far greater power than this”, - Aether Origin’s voice rang inside my head. Yes, once I used even more power, much more, incomparably more, but … that time didn’t count. I have enough strength to finish this one on my own. If the girl doesn’t act herself, I’ll be the one making the finishing move. I clenched my right fist, ordering the threads to bind her again and pin to the ground.

Two.

A whirlwind of golden lines flashed in the air as the threads became visible and intertwined with each other in an instant. But they didn’t reach their goal, as the Enforcer stepped forward the moment before they achieved the density necessary to stop her. “Crap! Did she see through my move or was I just … not fast enough? Was I wrong being so confident in my strength?” “So, do you think of using that power again? Do you believe you’re able … now …?” – continued the Device. “Nah”, - I replied, - “Besides, if you were going to give it to me, you wouldn’t be asking, right? And moreover …” “… You haven’t used everything we’re capable of yet”, - finished Aether Origin.

Three.

I raised my right hand with Aether Origin attached to it and looked into the sky. It was still covered by storm-clouds but suddenly a lone ray of light slipped through them and struck my eyes.

- Aether Origin: Form of the Sun! – I said loudly.

I felt delight seeing an expression of uncertainty appearing on the girl’s face.

Four.

Golden shield on my hand shrunk in size and formed the base of a multiprong star with seven larger prongs and twelve thinner prongs positioned above them. Small golden ball shone in its center. “Let’s see if you can dodge this, Enforcer Fate Testarossa Harlaown.” I snapped my fingers.

Five.

With a low sound the girl’s Device materialized its new blade, but it appeared to be useless as the sword was already falling to the ground. Fate uttered a short cry of pain and was holding onto her right arm. Bardiche was now lying at her feet.

- You won’t need that, - I said, - Aether Slasher!

My snake-like weapon that hit the girl’s arm the moment before revealed its form for a second and struck at the sword’s blade, throwing it several meters away. It consisted of magic particles just like my aether threads, but its form was sustained by Aether Origin’s offensive form and didn’t require my concentration unless I needed it to perform complicated movements. It was extremely potent against any magical objects, as my Device could make it obtain the density none of my own aether thread creations were able to reach, and its speed also surpassed them by far. It didn’t affect any physical objects, same as all of my other abilities, but it inflicted so-called magical damage to living beings – the damage to their mana, magical circuits, Linker Cores – it could be called differently, yet two things were certain – it was powerful to the point it could kill and it was painful to the point you’d prefer being killed to suffering its attacks continuously.

- I don’t know how you evaded the aether threads but looks like it doesn’t work with this one, - I looked at the girl and snapped my fingers again.

Aether Slasher flashed once more and struck at the girl’s leg, leaving a wide cut on her Barrier Jacket. The strike caused Fate to fall to her knees and use the hands to avoid hitting the ground. Enduring pain, she struggled to get up.

- I’ll tell you for the last time – you can’t possibly win, so give up on this fight and let me leave.

- I can’t allow that, - she replied, managing to stand up completely.

- Don’t make a step towards me or you’re going to regret it, - I gave my last warning.

- I noticed that you’ve been messing with our activities for a long time already, - she stepped forward, - and now you attacked us and hurt Nanoha, - she made another step, - whatever you have in mind, I’ll make you stop and explain your actions.

- Aren’t you overestimating your capabilities in such state?

- We’ll see about that, - she made two more steps.

Aether Insight wasn’t showing her preparing any spells but I couldn’t let her get any closer.

- I could’ve played with you for a while but I’m not into that kind of things so I’m going to end this quick, - I said as she made her next step.

I had full control over every part of my Aether Slasher, so I could make it hit from a wide variety of directions simultaneously as long as its length allowed me. And that was exactly what I was going to do. I didn’t want to cause any permanent damage, so I decided to avoid targeting the head or the Linker Core, but I needed to make sure that the girl wouldn’t be able to continue the fight. I aimed for the joints and various trigger points of the human body when I pointed my hand towards the Enforcer and released Aether Slasher again.

Fate managed to put up a Barrier in time but it got shattered effortlessly. A weird golden figure representing the instantaneous motion of my weapon concealed the girl for a moment and only her scream of pain let me know that the attack successfully hit the target. I was expecting to see her body fall on the ground but surprisingly she was somehow able to keep standing. Her Barrier Jacket was torn at every place the Aether Slasher struck her and I could only imagine what she felt at that moment. Despite it obviously cost her a lot of effort just to stand on her feet she made another step forward, shortening the distance between us to about four steps. Killing anybody certainly wasn’t a part of my initial plan, but in case I was cornered …

- What’s so important about Captain Takamachi that makes you go this far? – I wasn’t sure why I decided to ask this but the girl stopped all of a sudden.

- Nanoha … saved my life, - Fate had difficulties talking in her condition, - and she is … my precious … friend.

- So you’re ready to throw your life away for her? – I continued.

My words seemed to make her hesitate for a second and I thought I could hear her saying “yes” quietly.

- … But I’m not going to loose my life today, - she said suddenly.

She made a quick move forward I wasn’t expecting from her in such state and appeared just beside my right hand. “An electric discharge at the girl’s left fist”, - reported my Aether Insight. So she was going to punch me with that? I realized that I wasn’t sure I could prevent the punch from connecting using the Aether Slasher and I had no defenses with Aether Origin in the Form of the Sun. I had to act fast. Changing back to the Form of the Moon took almost half a second and I could already see a lightning glow nearing my face. “Aether Negation! Maximize the power at the cost of active radius!” – I rapidly gave mental orders and felt the spell taking effect. A burst of magic particles of great power instantly blew away the magic surrounding Fate’s fist. It didn’t stop at this and the next moment the metallic glove on her left arm broke into pieces and disintegrated, followed by the entire part of the Barrier Jacket covering her arm being torn apart. However I was too late to prevent her from hitting me completely. The punch to my jaw forced me to make several steps back to maintain my balance. My mouth was quickly filling with blood and I spat it out. The girl in front of me was panting for breath, her left arm hanging lifelessly along her body. No wonder – getting any part of the body into the radius of Aether Negation’s effect would feel like it is being ripped into shreds. Most people would faint due to the pain shock right away. The spell wasn’t easy for me to pull off either, being one of the most exhausting in my arsenal. I changed Aether Origin to the Form of the Sun again and pointed it at the Enforcer. I had to end it right now and get away from this world at last. She also extended her right hand towards me. Did she still have the strength to resist? No matter what else she could try she wouldn’t be able to withstand another attack if I hit her first. When I was already going to make my move I was interrupted by the feeling of someone else’s presence. Before I could determine its location the person already ascended from the sky next to Fate. The sword-wielding Knight, Signum – appearing just when I was beginning to think she wasn’t going to show up.

- Step back, Testarossa. I’ll be taking care of him, - She said.

- Signum, but … Nanoha? – protested Fate.

- She’ll be alright, you should be more considered about your own condition.

- I’m … fine.

- Is that really so? – She glanced at Fate, - Anyway, this man’s technique … it seemed somehow familiar to me. I would like to confirm.

Fate nodded. Signum stepped towards me and I moved back preserving the distance between us. I wondered what she could mean saying that she was familiar with my technique. Could she possibly meet me before? Or was it somebody else who possessed the same ability? Or was she referring to … Aether Origin? Consumed by my thoughts I almost missed the moment she swung her sword at me.

- Laevatein! Schlangenform!

Her sword changed into its whip-like form I had already seen during the fight against Drones and rushed at me, aiming for my head. Powerful magic allowed the Knight to precisely control its movements and also tremendously increased its speed and impact power. The weapon could be quite effective in most of the cases, but did she honestly think this attack would hurt me? I waved my right hand upwards and a dozen of aether threads intercepted the blade, using its own magic to redirect its movements. More and more threads kept appearing on its path, changing the directions so frequently that the Knight couldn’t keep up with them. At last the threads caught the blade firmly and forced it to fly back directly at its owner. She stood calmly at her place.

- I see, - She said when the blade almost reached her and parried the hit with the scabbard.

The sword reverted to its original form. Signum pointed it to ground and stood silently. Was she giving up on attacking me? Suddenly I felt strange. No, there was nothing wrong with me. It was the Knight. I couldn’t feel the usual fluctuations of magic particles around her anymore. Not even around her Device or the Barrier Jacket. She lowered her usage of magic to the point she was nothing more than an armored human with a regular sword. What was she trying to achieve by doing that? I realized it the moment I saw her sword rushing at me again. There was no command word this time and no magic enhancing the sword’s speed and power – and I couldn’t predict the time or direction of the attack. The blade wasn’t controlled by the Knight’s sheer will, it was a conventional chain-blade from all sides of view – and none of my aether threads could influence its path. I was barely able to shield myself with Aether Origin, making the blade bounce off of it and cut my right shoulder. Signum quickly retracted her weapon and got ready for another attack. Fortunately the cut wasn’t deep and I could still move my hand almost freely. It was the first time when an opponent didn’t just discover how my abilities worked but found a way to effectively counter them. Nevertheless, being unable to counter her moves didn’t mean I had nothing to attack with myself.

- Rolling Sun!

I launched the star-shaped part of Aether Origin straight at the Knight. She made a step back and parried it with her sword, bouncing my projectile to the left. “That won’t be so easy”, - I smirked, making the star change its path in mid-air and attack the Knight from the back. She turned and parried again. I resumed attacking, increasing the speed of the projectile after each hit. Signum kept parrying. From the left - get faster, from above - more speed, from the right – keep speeding up. Soon I couldn’t keep track of my own Device anymore, simply ordering it to constantly increase speed and change attack direction after each clash. The Knight somehow managed to defend without using any magic yet, but she couldn’t possibly keep up with me forever. I just needed to increase the speed a bit more.

- Seems like you owe me one, Master, - Aether Origin talked before I could understand what happened.

The star-shaped projectile floated in the air several centimeters away from my throat. I realized that the Knight tricked me and I took the bait. Making me speed up my own weapon until I couldn’t follow its movements myself and then bouncing it off the way it headed straight at me. If Aether Origin wasn’t a sentient Device capable of self-controlling all of its movements I would’ve probably been dead now. Nevertheless I had no time to think about this mistake as Signum already saw that her attack didn’t bring the desired result and charged at me herself. That really pissed me off. Was I losing to someone who didn’t even use any magic against me? I’ll pierce her Linker Core with a single strike and I don’t care about the consequences! I waved my right hand, sending the Aether Slasher to intercept the Knight. The golden whip shined in the air, but instead of going right through her chest it only barely grazed Signum’s shoulder. “If you’re going to keep making those gestures when you attack, at least try not to show where you’re aiming, Master”, - commented Aether Origin. “Damn you!” I attacked again, but this time I could just slightly cut Signum’s left side. “Your eyes too, Master.” “Fine! Now it won’t miss!” I made a wide sweep that couldn’t be avoided by any kind of maneuvers. The Knight leapt. Was she able to somehow read my movements again or she was betting on her luck with this jump? My weapon passed below her and I had no more time for another try. I used Aether Origin as a shield again. I embraced the impact as the sword landed exactly at the golden ball at the center of my Device.

I suddenly saw unfamiliar scenery around me. A great city was razed to the ground and I was floating above it. More precisely, it wasn’t me but some other person, and I was just looking through his eyes. Five long golden arrowhead-shaped objects were circling around his head. Was he using … Aether Origin? The picture changed and I saw a sword-wielding Knight charging at that other “me”. Her clothes were different but it was certainly Signum. “I” didn’t make any movements but the Knight’s body was rapidly dissipating into the golden dust carried away by the wind. Before she was completely gone the picture changed again. A mage of great power stood before “me”, covered by a glowing Protection Sphere so I could barely see his silhouette. The landscape around us was almost completely changed as the result of an enormous magical battle. “I” extended my hand towards the mage and he conjured a multitude of magical shields between us in response, but all his protection was blown away in an instant like it was nothing. I tried to catch sight of the mage’s true appearance but the picture was gone too fast.

I saw Signum again. But now I was back to reality. She stood in front of me, looking confused but ready to fend off any attack. I looked at Aether Origin. The golden ball was cracked and beginning to crumble. The whole combat form was slowly falling apart.

- What is the meaning of this? – I didn’t care I was speaking aloud.

- Sorry, Master, - replied the Device, - I remembered. Against this Knight … I won’t fight anymore.

- What kind of joke is it? Are you going to abandon me in the middle of a battle? Don’t you even care what happens next? – I felt a fit of impotent anger.

The Device didn’t answer, reverting completely to its sealed form, the only difference being the empty hole instead of the golden ball at its center. I turned my eyes to the Knight again.

- I saw it too, - She said, - I don’t recall having such memories, but this familiar feeling … after all … there was something.

- More importantly, what are we going to do about the situation we’re in now? – I went straight to the point.

- I suggest you surrender peacefully, - she replied right away.

- Do you think I’m that helpless without the cowardly Device?

- I don’t – it’s for you to decide.

The situation wasn’t actually looking good for me, but to be defeated here like this – I couldn’t allow it to happen. The Knight still wasn’t using her own magic, probably considering me able to control it without the aid of my Device too, and she was right about that. I on the other hand hadn’t used anything from my arsenal of Mid-Childian spells yet. The only problem was the distance, but I had to take some risks.

- Ivory Bind!

I attacked without warning, trying to finish the fight quickly by binding my opponent from the start. However Signum wasn’t caught off-guard and managed to avoid the bind with a sudden movement, coming dangerously close to me at the same time. She slashed with her sword and I blocked it by summoning a Round Shield in front of me. I made an Ivory Dagger appear in my right hand and tried to stab her with it, but she evaded and made me step back, blocking her sword again. She realized that I’d have more chances if she gave me enough time for my spells, so this time she continued attacking me without making a shortest pause. I could do nothing but block every blow she threw at me using both the Round Shields and the Dagger in my hand. Despite all my efforts she was certainly having an upper hand in this struggle. I had to create an opening for a counterattack. After another series of blows I managed to fake blocking her sword with a Shield and bounced it up using my Dagger instead. Now I had the necessary opening to fire a quick spell at her. But just as my magical circle began lightening up under my feet Signum suddenly kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying towards the ground.

Despite the acute pain I smiled. The Knight realized her mistake and jumped after me but she was too late. The spell was complete and dozens of Ivory Blades were filling the space between us. I was lying on my back and Signum was directly above me with her sword aiming at my heart when I ordered the Blades to strike her. It was a checkmate. She couldn’t evade in mid-air. She had no time to conjure a Shield. She wouldn’t even reach me with her attack after being pierced by my Blades. I won.

A yellow Shield materialized on the path of my Blades the moment they started moving. One by one they all got stuck in it and couldn’t proceed further. Time seemed to slow down for me as I glanced at the place where I started the fight against Signum. Testarossa! I took no notice of her since that time and now she appeared to be still able to use her magic. “If it goes on like this, I will die,” – flashed inside my mind. Hell no! It’s not over yet! The girl’s almost fainting maintaining the Shield and I can still use the aether threads. I started to hastily assemble the threads, wrapping them around the Ivory Blades. My whole body ached, protesting against the usage of Flow Manipulation simultaneously with the Mid-Childian magic. Disregarding the pain I continued my work. No matter what, I’ll make my Blades come through. Aether thread spirals were burrowing into the shield, weakening its grip on the Blades despite Fate’s desperate efforts to hold it. I can make it! Probably not more than a second passed since the appearance of the Shield, but it seemed an eternity to me. Just a moment later the first Blade got completely free and rushed towards its target, piercing Signum’s right shoulder. I rejoiced seeing more of them following the first one, but then I felt sudden pain caused by a foreign object entering my body. I saw that Signum stretched her arm, running her sword right through me. I didn’t realize she was already so close. I was quickly losing consciousness and most of my Ivory Blades dissipated before they could reach the Knight, only several of them being able to cause moderate damage. Was it my end?

- Fool, do you seriously think I will allow you to die here? – I had never heard the voice before but it was strangely familiar ... Aether Origin?

The last thing I saw was a bright golden flash of light in front of my eyes.

Kha's arrival should finish the story. There'll also be a flashback not directly related to the current plot.

Hehehe. Very clever!
So that's his general weakness? Quite well thought of.
Though the flashback does confuse me. Something of ancient times?
Wait, don't tell me your gunning for Sovereign Form next chapter.
Well, I guess I shouldn't have made so many alterations after all.
Ah well, it's not like it would change anything.
I'll be looking forward to Act VI.