The Divine Blades

“Mystcry Arts #45: Doom of Silence!” Muffet shouted with malevolence as a spectral hand of darkness materialized above her. The eerie apparition reached for Yokuni and threatened to ensnare her.

Yokuni sensed the impending doom and swayed to the side just in time. The fingers grazed past her but Muffet quickly followed up.

“Mystcry Arts #30: Cutting Light!” she yelled, unleashing a concentrated beam that sliced through the air. The beam struck Yokuni and caused a flash of pain along her side. It was just enough to momentarily distract her.

Muffet unsheathed her blade. The aura of ice radiated from it flickering like a flame.

“Now let’s see how well you defend yourself!” Muffet arced the blade down toward Yokuni.

Yokuni raised the sword she had formed in her hand, but the force behind Muffet’s strike was overwhelming. She pushed through, landing a cut on Yokuni’s arm that sent her staggering back.

Muffet smirked, looking down at Yokuni with amusement. “You have no experience with that blade. Who did you think you were fooling with that little trick?”

Yokuni straightened, brushing her hair back from her face while regaining her composure. “That may be true, but the blade I’m holding is the Divine Blade.”

Muffet’s face shifted to curiosity. “The Divine Blade? This?” She studied the weapon in Yokuni’s grip. To her surprise, it resembled a normal sword, not the legendary artifact she had expected. “It looks like any other blade to me.”

“The Divine Blade is not something just any human can wield,” Muffet continued, her tone laced with skepticism. “Only a chosen few can use its power. I wouldn’t expect the likes of you to be one of them.”

Yokuni didn’t respond. Instead, she surged forward, slashing at Muffet with ferocity.

Muffet, undeterred, aimed her own blade to shatter what she believed was merely a facade. As their blades clashed, glass-like shards erupted from Muffet's strike.

In an instant, the true form of Yokuni’s weapon was revealed, glistening with crystalline brilliance. A blue light emanated from its hilt which caused a glow across the battlefield.

Muffet's eyes widened in shock. “Which Divine Blade is it?” she muttered under her breath.

In that fleeting moment of distraction, Yokuni seized the opportunity to slash at Muffet, but the strike landed without inflicting any real damage.

Muffet glanced at the shoulder where Yokuni had slashed. “I didn’t even feel that blade,” she mused with confusion coming to her.

Yokuni tapped her finger against the blade mischievously. “I had an opportunity to try this out earlier,” she said with excitement. “Muffet, you’re in for a surprise.”

“Mystcry Arts—” Muffet began, but before she could finish the incantation, she felt a swift cut along her shoulder. ‘W…What just happened?’

Yokuni grinned. She charged forward for another attack.

Muffet grit her teeth, steeling herself. She managed to block Yokuni’s slash, but then, an odd sensation crept over suspiciously.

The world around them flickered for a moment, and suddenly, the same sequence of events replayed. Yokuni charged at Muffet again, and te déjà vu struck Muffet as if a ghost had just whispered her secrets right into her ear while she was trying to focus on surviving.

Yokuni lunged but she missed her strike, and Muffet seized the moment to retaliate. Just as her blade descended toward Yokuni, the sensation of time reversing enveloped the battlefield.

In this uncanny reset, Yokuni deftly countered Muffet's slash with one of her own which sliced right across Muffet's chest before she could land her own attack. The strike felt fluid and powerful, yet Muffet sensed something was amiss.

The sensation of pain radiated through her, even as she registered that no damage had occurred immediately.

“So that’s what this is,” Muffet muttered to herself with a realization like the slow rise of the sun. “The Divine Blade of Time,” she stated with both respect and disdain. “A blade that allows manipulation of time itself, granting its wielder unique powers over the flow of time. It’s a powerful artifact, indeed.”

She sighed theatrically and raised both hands briefly with a shrug. “What a shame that you, of all people, are the one who can wield it.”

Yokuni, undeterred by Muffet’s words charged at her again.

“While it is powerful,” Muffet continued with confidence, “there’s a huge reason why it’s called a ‘Divine Blade.’ It requires immense skill to use effectively, and if you truly knew everything about it, I’d be dead right now, but since I’m still here...”

She trailed off and a glint of mischief sparkled in her eyes. “It’s time to have some fun!”

With a flourish, Muffet cast, “Mystcry Arts #75: Mysterium!” A cloak of ice enveloped her. The cloak formed a solid barrier between Muffet and Yokuni.

As Yokuni struck at the cloak, she felt the impact, but to her surprise, the Divine Blade’s power couldn’t breach the icy barrier, and frustration bubbled beneath her.

Shifting her focus, Yokuni aimed higher, attempting to go for the head but Muffet made an almost playful dance out of the way.

In an instant, she countered with a swift slash. Her icy blade connected with Yokuni’s back. The strike was sharp, sending a chill down Yokuni’s body. She stumbled forward with a gasp escaping her lips.

“Careful now,” Muffet taunted playfully. “Wouldn’t want to get too comfortable with that blade just yet!”

Yokuni, despite the icy sting of Muffet’s attack maintained an unexpected calm. Most would have been enraged by the pain and the revelation of their strategy, but she only chuckled softly.

“Very well,” she said steadily. “I thought I could play with you for a while with this Divine Blade. You’re right, I haven’t had the time to study all of its abilities.” She paused with a sly smile creeping across her face. “But it’s funny, really. With time at my grasp, it could have been possible. Alas, the night has been busy.”

Yokuni lifted the Divine Blade high above her head. The blade itself shattered into glass. “But now,” she proclaimed, “I will take you on as the ‘Captain’ threat you are!”

The scattered shards of glass began to dance around the battlefield, reflecting and refracting light into a blinding flash. Muffet squinted. Her vision became obscured from the shards which blinded her.

Yokuni surged forward. She struck across Muffet’s chest with her palm as strong as a blade. The attack connected, but first, she had to pierce through Muffet's Mysterium Cloak.

With ferocity, Yokuni’s hand cut through the icy barrier again and again relentlessly. With each hit, the cloak began to fracture, and Muffet felt the thrill of urgency. As soon as the cloak shattered, Muffet began casting with a steady tone.

“Mystcry Arts #5: Shade!” The air thickened as darkness enveloped her, dimming the space and enhancing her natural creepiness. With this spell, she could see through the brightness using the darkness.

“Now, let’s dance!” Muffet called. She unleashed the next spell, “Mystcry Arts #18: Step of Shadow!” A rush of speed surged through her. Muffet became a blur. She slipped through the shadows undetected.

Yokuni, momentarily disoriented by the sudden shift in the battlefield was caught off guard and lost sight of Muffet. Muffet capitalized on the moment and whispered, “Mystcry Arts #21: Phantasmise!” Spectral chains emerged from the darkness. They wrapped around Yokuni and binded her in place.

Muffet smirked. “Glass, huh? Now that is not a power you see every day.”

Yokuni’s eyes widened. She had almost had Muffet ensnared in a web of refracted light, but the clever captain had acted quickly.

“Now it’s about time to finish you off,” Muffet declared confidently.

Yokuni’s shock began to morph into a calm resolve. “You’re far too overconfident, Muffet,” she replied with challenge in her eyes.

“Guess we’ll see about that, won’t we,” Muffet shot back with an unwavering grin. With no way to avoid the impending attack, Yokuni braced herself.

Muffet focused her energy and then shouted, “Shatter, Isojari!”

The blade dissolved in a flash, leaving only the hilt behind, which now emitted a chilling aura. Frost spread across the ground around Muffet.

She swung the hilt in an arcing motion, and shards of ice erupted from it, blossoming into delicate ice flowers that danced and twirled around her like a sparkling blizzard. Each petal reflected the moonlight, creating an enchanting contrast against the darkened sky.

With a flick of her wrist, Muffet commanded the ice flowers, sending them swirling toward Yokuni. The chilling aura enveloped the battlefield, creeping closer to her.

The ice flowers enveloped Yokuni. Muffet grinned, watching as Yokuni succumbed to the biting cold. “I told you I would—”

Before Muffet could finish her sentence, the frozen figure of Yokuni shattered into a thousand shards.

Muffet's face shifted to surprise. She scanned the battlefield. “What—”

A whisper drifted through the air, smooth as silk and sharp as glass. “Who are you talking to?”

Muffet whipped around. There, not far from where the ice had been, stood Yokuni, untouched and smirking.

Before Muffet could react, Yokuni’s hand glowed with the energy of her glass magic. “Surprise!” she declared.

In an instant, a replica of Muffet’s own sword formed in Yokuni's grasp, crafted with exquisite precision from her glass magic. The replica held every intricate detail.

“Advanced Object Replication,” Yokuni explained with a playful tone. “I can create anything with intricate details, even weapons tailored for specific moments.”

Muffet’s eyes narrowed. “That’s quite the trick, but…I doubt you could replicate my sword magic.”

“Who decided that?” Yokuni shot back with mischief. With a swift flourish, she declared, “Shatter, Isojari!”

In an instant, her replica sword shattered into sparkling fragments, mirroring Muffet’s released state. The shards danced through the air and enveloped her in the same frosty aura Muffet had conjured earlier.

Muffet’s eyes widened. Just then, intrigue flickered across her face. “Impressive,” she admitted despite momentarily being caught off guard by Yokuni’s ability.

But Yokuni wasn’t finished. “Remember when I said I could create ‘anything’ with intricate details?” she continued with a grin growing on her

With a deft motion of her hands, she summoned her glass magic again. This time, she crafted two exact doubles of herself, complete with their own blades that resembled Muffet’s. The duo released the blade, causing it to shatter and themselves to become enveloped in the cold embrace of their replica Isojari’s.

Muffet's playful demeanor shifted while taking in the sight. “Well… shit,” she muttered with a low growl. Despite the situation, a creepy smile crept across her lips. “This just got a lot more interesting.”

Across the battlefield, the members of Squad 6 watched in tense silence. The girl’s eyes darted between the formidable duel and each other. Sinque, her small frame trembling looked particularly worried.

Hyorine approached, having just dealt with Cerebro with resignation. “Captain Muffet always has the most troublesome ones to deal with,” she remarked while shaking her head slightly.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” sinque asked with anxiety.

Hyorine crossed her arms. “They’re both strong. But this ability… it’s not one any common folk have had so it’s hard to guage from just that or their mystcry levels alone.” She paused and gazed at Yokuni, her replications and Muffet, who now circled each other.

“Are you feeling the fear yet, Muffet?” Yokuni called. “You’re facing three times your own abilities!”

Muffet chuckled. “You’ve given me quite the tall order… on paper that is.”

Yokuni raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“They say fear’s all in your head,” Muffet continued with her smile widening. “Guess that’s why mine’s such a funhouse.”

In unison, Muffet, Yokuni and Yokuni's replicas unleashed their Isojari in its ice flower state. The battlefield erupted in a mesmerizing display as frosty petals collided against each other.

A blizzard of ice flowed outward like snow, cascading in every direction. The frost shattered, releasing torrents of icy shards that danced through the battlefield, painting everything in a crystalline sheen.

The members of Squad 6 watched in awe at the scene before them. Sinque gasped with widened eyes while Hyorine maintained her steely gaze.

Meanwhile, off to the side, Colyrine struggled against the grip of her captors. Ensnared by the members of Squad 6, she felt the weight of the spell binding her but while they were busy gawking at the scene, it was her chance to surprise them.

“Just a little more…” she muttered under her breath, channeling her energy. Slowly but surely, she began to break free from the spell that held her captive.

She glared at her and spoke in a seething whisper. “You dumb assholes think you’re so clever, don’t you? Holding me like this while you gawk over like a bunch of sheep.” Her eyes darted from one member to the next. “You? I'm gonna make mincemeat out of you. You’re all just waiting to get your faces smashed in by the very next Lycan Queen!”