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Tomoe shakes her head.
"A loyalist like Gamou....it would be unlikely for him to turn on the Empress so brazenly."

At that, Momo, Yusuke, Tomoe and Keiko stare at Miyako.
"Him? No."
"Impossible."
"Him? Lead the Resistance? Come on!"

"Eleven energies, for the eleven Gods of the Land. The ten who exist now, and the God of Life."
Rin raises a finger.
"Wait. Uh....I remembered...something. Kuroda, you know about the Prohibition, right?"
"Yes. The divine restriction on the Gods that prevents them from acting directly upon Horai. The reason Gnosis wielders exist. Why?"
Rin looks over at Momo.
"....theoretically, it would....prevent a God of the Land from telling us directly if they were a god?"
"Why would it do that? That's not really helpful."
"Well, if I WERE under such a restriction, maybe...the restriction would prevent me from telling you guys. Maybe, say, because the restriction MIGHT prevent me from telling you honestly. If it's sarcastically, or say, stated as conjecture, well, as long as you DON'T treat me like a god, it's all fine. But, you know, it's all conjecture, right?"
"Plausible deniability to prevent the Prohibition from working. Are the laws of the gods so easily subverted?"
"Maybe we're in a bit of an unexpected situation~ I can't tell you~"
"Does anyone else get what I'm trying to get at?"

A wind blows through the stadium, as Theodora scans her opponent. She had done her preparation.

Steven Harrigan. Heir to the Harrigan legacy. Dubbed the Truesilver Knight by those aware of his true capabilities. A skilled swordsman, with a style all his own; rumours were that he was trained by the best fighters in Erebia. However, Theodora figured she could match him, skill for skill. She’d seen him fight; he was a little stronger, but she was faster, more agile, quicker on the draw.

His Arte, Sharpening. All that was known about it publically was that it manifested in the form of him summoning razor-sharp blasts of wind from his sword. She’d seen it in action a few times, most recently in their fight against the Seekers of Calamity at Blackby; while their weapons were strong, his sword had cut through Fiends like a knife through hot butter.

All in all, his Arte was among the least dangerous in Class 3-A’s. It was nothing like Katarina’s power over temperature; she could freeze the very ground she walked upon, turning the world around her into a wintery wasteland.

Theodora’s eyes flitted briefly over to a large patch of frozen ground, the result of Katarina having fought off both Sloane brothers. Had it not been for a surprise attack by Alicia, Katarina might have remained in the fight. Dealing with Steven and Katarina at the same time would have been risky. Theodora’s Arte held no sway against Katarina’s; telekinetic manipulation wasn’t equipped to counter someone whose power was to lower the temperature of an entire area.

Tolstoyeva is a strong fighter. I should be thankful I didn’t have to fight her alone.

Nor was Steven’s power anything like Per or Elma’s; Elma’s power over acceleration made it nigh-on impossible to evade her projectiles, and Per’s lightning abilities were insanely powerful. Theodora had barely managed to evade his strikes had it not been for Joel’s Arte providing protection.

She eyed the surroundings. A few rocks, enough for cover or leverage.  Fallen frozen debris from where Katarina had been fighting. Sand beneath them.

The stage was set. The world was watching.

The Unstoppable Girl would not face her defeat today.

You were strong, Steven. But I won’t lose.

Her eyes were on Andreas for a moment, watching from the sidelines as medics treated him. He was watching her with rapt attention.

She couldn’t disappoint him. She wouldn’t disappoint Class 3-C.

Everybody...Kaede, Andreas, Lin...believe in me.

Theodora launched herself off to the side, channeling her Arte through her legs to give her an extra lift. While Telekinesis couldn’t grant her true flight – she wasn’t strong enough for that- she could jump far and jump fast. Focusing on a few nearby bits of debris, Theodora channeled her Arte once again.

To Theodora, she visualized her Arte, when used to pick things up or manipulate something, as if it were an invisible, extra limb, one with a short reach but strong muscle behind it. It was a training aid, one to help her focus her strong but unfocused power.  It was how she was able to fight from range; throwing nearby objects at her enemies, or her lance and shield. She wasn’t quite able to pick up a person yet, but she wouldn’t need to. Her Arte was best used as a scalpel, rather than a hammer.

The rocks she focused on shot into the air, Theodora’s Arte lifting them. With a grunt, she threw them directly at Steven, hurling them as fast as possible.

“Hm.”

The young princeling swung his sword once. With a single swing, the rocks were pulverized.

Good. This was what she needed.

Theodora was right behind Steven, having used the rocks to cover her.

This is my opening!

Theodora’s shield smashed into Steven’s back, propelled by her Arte. The swordsman stumbled forward, as her shield returned to her hand, her Arte drawing it to her like a magnet. She plunged towards Steven with her spear, her shield placed to block a ranged attack and her spear arm raised to plunge her spear down towards him.

Steven swung his sword once more.

A shockwave erupted at the point of contact between Steven’s sword and Theodora’s spear. Her eyes widened as the full force of Steven’s strength collided with her.

What the-

She had barely enough time to react. Theodora was flung aside, her Arte almost unconsciously kicking in to soften her impact as she landed in a crouched position, shield forward, propped up. Theodora’s wrung her arm out, feeling the residual force of the impact.

He’s so strong. How...?

Not enough time to consider these things. Steven was upon her within seconds of her landing. With a yell, he swung his sword down on her. Theodora, instinctively, slid away, but the rush of wind was enough to tell Theodora exactly what she’d evaded.

How strong is he? That can’t be his Arte, right?

Steven was already on the move, turning his blade to catch Theodora. This time, she was prepared. Focusing on his sword, she subtly moved it away, just enough that it wouldn’t touch her. This was her trump card, why the Unstoppable Girl couldn’t be stopped. Steven’s strike went close enough that she could feel the force, but wide enough that she could still retaliate.

My Arte isn’t strong enough to lift something too heavy, but it’s enough to manipulate their weapons.

Theodora thrust her lance forward, but Steven was already prepared. He swung his blade to parry the blow, knocking her lance away from himself, shifting onto his back foot.  Theodora hid a confident smile; at close range, she was sure she could beat him.

It was a dance between two skilled opponents, the Unstoppable Girl against the Truesilver Knight. Theodora pressed the offense, her lance giving her superior reach, but Steven could match her. For every thrust or swing she made, she was repulsed by a parry or a dodge. Theodora felt her pulse racing, barely managing to force Steven’s sword aside as he found a hole in her offense, his sword once again barely missing her.

Is this what I’ve been looking for?

Clash after parry after clash. Steven was matching Theodora, blow for blow. Silver against gold, grey against red. Her heart raced, in a way that only be described as the thrill of the hunt. Only Orrel had given her this feeling before, but not for nearly as long.

There was the emotional satisfaction of befriending others. That, she had experienced for the first time at Solrise. But this, this was a feeling she’d scarcely felt.

The feeling of a worthy opponent.

Her eyes spotted the tell-tale haze of Steven’s Arte. Theodora shunted his blade away, but as she did so, his sword suddenly thrust towards the ground, harder than she’d intended, kicking up a storm of sand. The spearmaiden instinctively shut her eyes, shielding her face with her shield arm to protect it from sand.

I didn’t do that. What happened?

Before she could react, however, Steven’s sword, shimmering through the cloud of sand it had kicked up, smashed into Theodora’s shield. Without proper bracing however, Theodora was not ready.

The force of the blow sent her flying, tumbling backwards towards the edge of the arena, as small clouds of sand kicked up in her wake.

Theodora shook her head, her shield thrown aside in her tumble, propping herself up with her spear. Steven approached her at a slow pace, his stance confident but wary.
“That is an interesting trick, Theodora. An excellent application of your Arte. If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t have realized what you were doing.”

He knew?

“I won’t lose so easily.”

Steven’s sword shimmered once more with the power of his Arte.
“I too have people I must prove myself to.”

Steven’s eyes searched the audience. Those cheering Theodora’s name. Those who had believed little of his capabilities.

His eyes settled briefly on Kaya, whose eyes were on him. Then back towards Theodora.
“I respect your skill and power, Theodora. The world gives you the praise you rightfully deserve. But….I can’t lose either.”

Steven swung his sword twice, and two visible waves of something sliced through the air. Theodora prepared herself to block them with her Arte; her shield was too far out of her range, but she could block these.

If these are projectiles, I can-

She felt for Steven’s waves with her Arte and….nothing. It was as if she were grasping thin air. No, less than that; air could push against her Arte. This was like trying to grab nothingness.

Huh?

The waves collided with Theodora, throwing her back.

I couldn’t...it was like there was nothing there!

The force behind the waves stung, shaking her as if she had been struck by Steven directly. Theodora winced. She couldn’t fight. Not like this.
“My Arte is not as powerful as yours, Theodora. I trained night and day to even reach a fraction of your power. All my life, I had those who believed I would never amount to anything, as the son of a rich family, one who others believed to have forgotten our origins. My Arte....none but I ever believed in it.”

Steven steps forward, the haze marking Steven’s Arte fading around his sword. Theodora tried to pull herself to her feet, but to no avail. She’d taken too much damage.
“My Arte is simple. It makes things sharper, nothing more. Its strength is mine alone.”

He places his sword to her neck. Theodora slumped to the ground, closing her eyes. For all that she had been defeated, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

Finally. A fight I’ve craved. An equal. Someone who could....

“Everyone! We have a winner! Give a round of applause for Class 3-A!”

The stadium erupts into cheers, as Kaya leaps up in her chair, screaming and cheering. Steven lowered himself to his knee, offering Theodora his hand.
“Good match, Theodora.”

Theodora slowly, gingerly takes his hand.
"The same to you, Steven."

Kaya practically leaps out of her seat, cheering.
"Yes! Let's go! I knew you could do it, Steven!"

Yui and Aika get their allies out of danger.

Marc'heg Gwer drops Fantomas on M8!
Fantomas is no longer Rescued!

Otohime casts Kia!
Otohime loses 5 MP!
Fantomas regains 21 HP!

Misa takes her moment to stem the enemy advance with a lightning bolt.

(The winds rise behind Misa!)
(Pixie's Fairy Glamour is active!)
(Akihiko's Daunt is active!)
(Aika's Charisma is active!)

Pixie initiates!
Hit Rate: Irrelevant
Hit: Autohit!
(Luna check: 3, pass!)
Hateful Mask F takes 14 damage!

Hateful Mask F cannot retaliate!
Hateful Mask is now under the effects of Fairy Glamour!

Pixie strikes twice!
Hit Rate: Irrelevant
Hit: Autohit!
(Luna check: 9, pass!)
Hateful Mask F takes 14 damage!

Hateful Mask F is defeated!

~~Ally Phase~~

Jin regains 5 MP!
Tsukasa regains 5 MP!

Aegaeon smashes an Onibi down with an armored fist almost off-handedly. He positions himself between the newer Kaijin and the advancing wave of Onibi, Gawain joining him.

"Let's cover them. Can't let our kouhai down, can we, Kazami? That masked kid probably needs some help, though."
"....."
"Not much of a talker? Alright, suits me just fine. When we make it through this, yakiniku on me!"

~~Enemy Phase~~
Misa continues covering the backwards retreat of the group with more lightning.

(The winds rise behind Misa!)
(Pixie's Fairy Glamour is active!)
(Akihiko's Daunt is active!)
(Aika's Charisma is active!)

Hateful Mask E initiates!
Hit Rate: 56 to hit
Hit: 81, miss!

(Misa heralds the storm!)

Pixie retaliates!
Hit Rate: Irrelevant
Hit: Autohit!
Critical: 4, crit!
Hateful Mask E takes 33 damage!

Hateful Mask E is defeated!

Shiro is....out of position. But not before demolishing most of the remaining Onibi around her.

(Shiro's arrogance is overwhelming...)
(Shiro's pride is overwhelming!)
(Shiro's ego is overwhelming!)
(Pyrrha's Deep Derive is active!)
(Lustrous Boost is active!)
(Kurmala is active!)

Hateful Mask B initiates!
Hit Rate: 57 to to hit
Hit: 6, hit!
Pyrrha takes 6 damage!

Pyrrha retaliates!
Hit Rate: Irrelevant
Hit: Autohit!
Critical: 24, crit!
Hateful Mask B takes 34 damage!

Hateful Mask B is defeated!

(Shiro's arrogance is overwhelming...)
(Shiro's pride is overwhelming!)
(Shiro's ego is overwhelming!)
(Pyrrha's Deep Derive is active!)
(Lustrous Boost is active!)
(Kurmala is active!)

Vengeful Mask B initiates!
Hit Rate: 61 to hit
Hit: 45, hit!
Pyrrha takes 5 damage!

Pyrrha cannot retaliate!

Vengeful Mask B strikes again!
Hit Rate: 61 to hit
Hit: 5, hit!
Pyrrha takes 5 damage!

(Shiro's pride is overwhelming!)
(Shiro's ego is overwhelming!)
(Pyrrha's Deep Derive is active!)
(Lustrous Boost is active!)
(Kurmala is active!)

Vengeful Mask A initiates!
Hit Rate: 61 to hit
Hit: 67, miss!

Pyrrha cannot retaliate!

Vengeful Mask A strikes again!
Hit Rate: 61 to hit
Hit: 39, hit!
Pyrrha takes 5 damage!

(Shiro's pride is overwhelming!)
(Shiro's ego is overwhelming!)
(Pyrrha's Deep Derive is active!)
(Lustrous Boost is active!)
(Kurmala is active!)

Hateful Mask A initiates!
Hit Rate: 57 to to hit
Hit: 55, hit!
Pyrrha takes 6 damage!
(Counter check: 7, pass!)
Hateful Mask A takes 6 damage!

Pyrrha retaliates!
Hit Rate: Irrelevant
Hit: Autohit!
Critical: 6, pass!
Hateful Mask A takes 33 damage!

Hateful Mask A is defeated!

(Shiro's pride is overwhelming!)
(Shiro's ego is overwhelming!)
(Pyrrha's Deep Derive is active!)
(Lustrous Boost is active!)
(Kurmala is active!)

Hateful Mask C initiates!
Hit Rate: 57 to to hit
Hit: 19, hit!
Pyrrha takes 6 damage!

(Pyrrha's Rage Awakened activates!)
Pyrrha retaliates!
Hit Rate: Irrelevant
Hit: Autohit!
Critical: 10, pass!
Hateful Mask C takes 33 damage!

Hateful Mask C is defeated!
Pyrrha is downed!

Meanwhile, the Onibi, with the conflicting Akuma dead, begin to turn their attention towards a single target as they come into the control of the remaining Akuma.

"Ka...su...ga..."
[Now Playing: ~~Map Theme of Shinigami (Symposium magarum)~~]

(Akihiko's Daunt activates!)
(Akihiko is so lost...)
(Akihiko will protect you to the end!)
(Ibaraki-Douji's Demon's Constitution activates!)
(Mildred's Support activates!)

Vengeful Mask C initiates!
Hit Rate: 91 to hit
Hit: 21, hit!
Ibaraki-Douji takes no damage!

Ibaraki-Douji retaliates!
Hit Rate: 86 to hit
Hit: 69, hit!
Critical: 4, crit!
Vengeful Mask C takes 48 damage!

Vengeful Mask C is defeated!

(Akihiko's Daunt activates!)
(Akihiko is so lost...)
(Akihiko will protect you to the end!)
(Ibaraki-Douji's Demon's Constitution activates!)
(Mildred's Support activates!)

Vengeful Mask D initiates!
Hit Rate: 91 to hit
Hit: 66, hit!
Ibaraki-Douji takes no damage!

Ibaraki-Douji retaliates!
Hit Rate: 86 to hit
Hit: 85, hit!
Critical: 4, crit!
Vengeful Mask D takes 48 damage!

Vengeful Mask D is defeated!

Promise Wraith A casts Parmunda!
Marc'heg Gwer loses 3 DMG for 3 turns!

Grieving Wraith B casts Kurmunda!
Ibaraki-Douji loses 3 DR for 3 turns!

Grieving Wraith A casts Kurmunda!
Momotaro loses 3 DR for 3 turns!

(The promise remains for Riku!)
(Riku will give it his all!)
(Momotaro's Treesplitter is active!)
(Kurmunda is active...)

Promise Wraith B casts Nerve Wrecker!
Promise Wraith B initiates!
Hit Rate: 80 to hit
Hit: 98, miss!

Momotaro cannot retaliate!

"You...you of all people should understand. You would do anything for Akitsuki!"
"Not like this, Miyazono. Not like this."
"If you won't help me save Sakurajima, get out of the way!"

(Akihiko's Daunt activates!)
(Akihiko is so lost...)
(Akihiko will protect you to the end!)
(Ibaraki-Douji's Demon's Constitution activates!)
(Ibaraki-Douji's Bloodthirst activates!)
(Mildred's Support activates!)

Shinigami casts Contagion!
Shinigami initiates!
Hit Rate: 93 to hit
Hit: 99, miss!

Ibaraki-Douji retaliates!
Hit Rate: 84 to hit
Hit: 82, hit!
Critical: 16, crit!
Shinigami takes 27 damage!
(Shinigami loses a Life Point and a Press Turn!)

Suddenly, the warped noises of a piano can be heard around Akihiko, Tsukasa and Misa.

Shinigami targets Pixie with Pavane for a Dead Princess!

---

Ellen finds that the lock gives easily to the tool. No special enchantments, then. Gustave, meanwhile, finds two pairs of keys.
"You...you don't know what you're doing!"

Joker and Maya look to each other as the wannabe leet-speaking newcomer approaches them. Maya gives Joker an almost imperceptible shrug.

"We're just here handling some wannabe hustler trying to pass off crappy weapons as endgame stuff. You're free to watch if you like. We're almost done just getting the goods he pawned off newbies."

"You know those ARE just stories right? Although....they might have a little truth to them. Who knows, huh? Ehehe~"
"Again, Mitsui! Not the time!"

"I swear by my lance, I will support all those who need my aid. Should you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."