Valkyria Saga

{Date: 10/15 - Saturday}

{Time: 2:35 PM}

The Black Cerebral stood in front of us with a cold, calculated stare, her lips curling into a dark grin. She held her hand out, her Death Energy taking shape into a katana and emitting Fallen Energy around the blade.

"There's a reason why you earned your Vow of Death. Do you even know what this mark can truly do? Do you even remember getting it?" The Black Cerebral asked, her cold stare meeting my unwavering eyes.

"I do. After failing to kill Haku and being shamed and punished, I prayed to the Empress of Death and the Overlord of Death to give me the power to never fail again," I admitted, crossing my arms and huffed softly.

"What are you getting at?" I asked.

The Black Cerebral chuckled lowly, placing a hand on her hip, a laugh escaping from her. We all were on edge from her laugh, not knowing what she was plotting in her head.

"You dared to pray to the Empress of Death and the Overlord of Death themselves—and they answered! But here you are, afraid to wield what you begged for. Death…is a hard element to control, isn't it?" The Black Cerebral grinned, holding her hand out, summoning a Fallen Valk beside her.

The Fallen Valk materialized beside her, cloaked in shadows and exuding an oppressive aura of decay. Its hollow eyes seemed to pierce straight through me.

"Death isn't like the other elements—it doesn't bend to weakness or fear. It demands full control, full acceptance. And you? You can't even look it in the eye," She continued, lowering her arm with a mocking scoff.

Yusa's eyes widened, stepping forward and her Blessing of Death and Vow of Life began to glow brighter. "She...summoned a Fallen Valk."

Orika began to tremble slightly, unaware of the terrifying power I held within. Goosebumps began riding up her arm, her adrenaline awakening inside of her, activating her fight or flight response.

I stared at the Black Cerebral, gripping my katana tighter, lightning crackling around my body with power and determination. "So what..? You can summon Monsters to attack... We'll just beat them all!"

The Black Cerebral held out her finger in front of her, wagging it in my face with a smirk. "That's not what I'm getting at. If you're planning on taming me, you're gonna have to accept the one truth about yourself that you know will haunt you forever..."

"They call you the Top Agent, but it's not because of your loyalty or your skill—it's because you're the perfect weapon. You're not just the Enforcer of Judgement; you're the strongest Fell Beast they've ever created." The Black Cerebral revealed, stepping forward with her arms out at her side.

I grunted softly at the revelation, the experiments now all making sense to me. All of the years of torture came back to me in one haunting wave with the question of why finally answered.

"You are Subject Omega, the Perfect Weapon. You are in fact part Fell Beast...and by taming me and accepting me, you accept the fact that you are a Monster," The Black Cerebral said, a manipulative grin stretching wider across her face.

I knew she was only trying to break my psyche, but her words dug deep into my soul. This entire time I've been trying to deny the monster within me, but now that I'm faced with it, I couldn't deny it anymore. The truth was right in front of me on a silver platter.

Yusa stepped forward, a look of protective defiance etched on her face. "My daughter isn't—"

I held my hand out, stopping Yusa from speaking and looked back at her with a smile. I shook my head slightly then glanced back at the Black Cerebral. "Enough, Mom. It's time we both face the truth. Judgement, my father, The Commander made me into something I can't deny. None of you but Saito can understand how it feels to be the perfect weapon..."

"That's right, accept the facts..." The Black Cerebral said, smirking widely at me.

I smirked at the Black Cerebral, pointing my katana at her then my lightning began to shift from yellow to light blue. "But although I'm a perfect weapon, Saito has shown me something. She doesn't let her past define her, so neither should I. I will defeat you and take back my own agency!"

"And I am not alone. I...will never reach the true standards of a Valkyria, but I will rise beyond my former self that is you!" I declared, my Valkyria manifesting behind me like a thunderous guardian with her sword and shield in hand.

The Black Cerebral smirked at me with a dreading glare, her dark energy rushing around her body in a malicious manner. "Then come! Face the inevitable!"

I bellowed, my lightning energy surging powerfully around my body. I launched myself toward the Black Cerebral, swinging my katana with volatile force. The Black Cerebral rushed forward with a bellow, leaping forward and swinging her katana as well.

The two of clashed, our collision releasing a powerful repulsive force of energy, knocking everyone around us away. Orika grunted as she was knocked away, squeaking loudly as she was thrown backwards.

Yusa caught Orika, sliding backwards and looked forward to see me battling against my own darkness. "Orika...Hisumi needs you right now the most. I can do so much as her mother, but she needs her soulmate. Do you think you can help her defeat the Black Cerebral?"

Orika stared at me and the Black Cerebral clashing fiercely, watching a ferocious dance between corruption and purity before her eyes. "I'm scared...scared that I might die. But nothing scares me more knowing the stakes and doing nothing to help her."

Orika got out of Yusa's arms, stepping forward and held her hand against her chest. "I love Hisumi...and with the love that I have for her, I will do everything I can to help her win. That's my Valkyria way..."

Yusa smiled at Orika, feeling her heart heavy with emotions. "Then fly, my Young Valkyria. Fly with Hisumi and help her break every chain..."

Orika nodded, rushing toward the fight and felt her resonance with me connecting and bestowing her with bravery and power. "I will! I will help Hisumi defeat the Black Cerebral! Let's go, Genesis!"

"Here I come!" Genesis called out, flying behind Orika quickly and summoned her harp.

I dodged the Black Cerebral's next slash, scanning her body to predict her next move, but little did I know that she was doing the same. We slashed at each other, each slash met with one clash after another. We were evenly matched, just like a true mirror match.

Upon our next clash, we entered a blade lock, our katanas grinding upon one another. The Black Cerebral pushed me back, landing a powerful front kick to knock me back then shifted her katana into an odachi. She changed her Valkyrie Type into Attack Type, swinging her blade in a wide arc.

I tried to block the attack, but my defenses were immediately broken due to her heavy strike causing her attack to land true, knocking me backwards. I recovered quickly, rolling backwards onto one knee then sprang back to my feet.

'Hmph...there's nothing to analyze. It's a battle against myself,' I thought, flourishing my blade then sheathed it into its scabbard.

'However, she's missing a variable that could define this entire battle...' The Black Cerebral thought, licking my blood off the blade of her her odachi with a devious grin.

'Without the Techniques connected to my Heart, she can't use techniques like Quick Attack nor any Iaijutsu Techniques,' I thought, getting into my stance with a focused gaze.

'She can no longer use her Vow of Death with me around, so she can't use any Phantasmas nor her Death Techniques. It's a fair trade for losing access to her natural speed,' The Black Cerebral thought, shifting her odachi back into a katana.

"Hisumi!" Orika called out, hurrying to my side with Genesis and readied herself for a fight.

'I have two variables that can change the tides of this entire battle,' I thought, glancing at Orika and Genesis.

The Black Cerebral chuckled softly at Orika and Genesis's arrival, summoning two more Fallen Valks. 'Even with two more variables...I have a variable of my own. This is also a fair trade...either way.'

'This battle is set! I will claim victory!' We both declared mentally, readying ourselves for the true battle ahead.

"Orika, no matter what, stay behind me and Support by making sure she doesn't get opportunities to strike. She will focus on me while using her summons to target you. It's is something I would definitely do," I said, keeping my gaze focused on the Black Cerebral.

The Black Cerebral smirked as she noticed me watching her, the excitement and tension causing her to grow more excited. She bit her lip gently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Orika nodded, gulping lightly then awakened her Spirit Energy around her hands. "Alright...stay behind and Support. Got it!"

"I'm leaving Genesis with you for now. Genesis, protect Orika no matter what. She is your main priority, not me," I ordered, my gaze flicking toward Genesis for a swift moment.

As soon as my gaze averted from the Black Cerebral, she took this moment to strike like a true assassin in the night. She launched a barrage of Shadow Arrows toward me, but I was quick to act, already expecting a dirty move to be played.

I unsheathed my katana, rapidly deflecting each Shadow Arrow then vanished at near invisible speeds, appearing in front of the Black Cerebral with a lightning fast slash. The Black Cerebral groaned as she was stunned for a moment, allowing me to knock her away with another thunderous blow.

The Black Cerebral recovered in the air, warping her Fallen Valks in the air with her. "Aim your bows, fire your volleys!"

The Fallen Valks aimed their bows as commanded, summoning elemental arrows then began to fire volleys of arrows at me and Orika. The two of us rushed forward, evading each of the arrows as they rained down upon us.

Orika began to skate along the grass, weaving around the trees to evade the arrows then formed her Soul Blast in her hand then tossed it up. She leaped in the air, kicking the snowball at the Fallen Valks.

"Useless! I know of your technique!" The Black Cerebral shouted, laughing as she used her Death Energy to melt the snowball into water before Orika got the chance to use her elemental technique.

Orika watched as the water began to raindown to the ground, slightly disappointed that her attack got shot down instantly, but her courage didn't waver. She let out a battle cry, holding her hand out toward the water droplets, manipulating them and freezing them into spikes of ice.

"I won't let you win!" Orika bellowed, launching the sharp icicles toward the Fallen Valks, each frozen spike impaling them and defeating them instantly.

"Good job, Orika!" I praised, looking at her with a bright smile.

"Thank you!" Orika nodded, blushing brightly due to my praise.

{Bond with Orika increased.}

'Hmph, her creativity is always impressive, but not worth my time fighting against,' The Black Cerebral thought, turning her gaze back to me then snapped her fingers, summoning Fell Beast at her side.

"Meet the Judged Angel, a fairly common Fell Beast...the weakest of the bunch. However like bees and wasps, they work best in groups," The Black Cerebral said, summoning more Judged Angels around her.

The Beasts were small, flying humanoid creatures with broken and decayed angel wings, each one carrying a staff with a red jewel glowing at the peak of the staff. They looked down at us, awaiting for the Black Cerebral's command.

"Look at the sheer numbers of those things. Looks like they're gonna need a lot of help," Charlotte said, adjusting her hat then took out her phone to make a call to cancel her plans for today.

Yusa summoned her white lance, Aurora, readying herself to assist me and Orika whenever needed. "True and with an A Rank Threat, I have no choice but to step in. There's no telling how much more dangerous she can be than Pandora and her Black Box."

The Judged Angels began to swarm around us, preventing me from being able to properly sense the Black Cerebral with the sheer numbers of Judged Angels. Based on how she was using the Fell Beasts, I knew she was creating a blind spot, making it harder for me to focus on only her.

"Orika, I need you to clear this area if possible! If I lose track of the Black Cerebral, we won't be able to counter her at all!" I called out, using my Spirit Sense to try to scope the Black Cerebral out from the rest of the energies floating around me.

Orika nodded, readying herself to take down as many Fell Beasts as she could. Without hesitation, she began firing off Soul Blasts in all directions, each blast of ice dispersing into snowflakes one by one. She began manipulating each snowflake, merging them into multiple large snowflakes.

The snowflakes began to shine brightly, emitting chilling energy that could freeze someone if they got too close. The snowflakes began detonating one by one, icy explosions setting off around us.

The smoke began to clear, revealing that a large number of Judged Angels were still fluttering around us, holding their positions around each of us. It seemed that new beasts took the place of the old, defeated beasts, holding their disruptive positions.

'It was good effort, but not enough to defeat this many beasts. Not against a swarm like this one,' I thought, still trying to find the Black Cerebral in the midst of the chaos.

Suddenly, waves of Judged Angels began to disappear one by one, clearing the area for me. My eyes widened a bit as I watched a large wave of life-force energy crashing into the Fell Beasts, defeating them in one fell swoop.

Yusa stepped forward, keeping her lance ready in her hand. "Don't worry about the Fell Beasts. Charlotte and I will handle any distractions! You and Orika focus on the Black Cerebral! She's behind you!"

As soon as Yusa revealed the Black Cerebral's position, I quickly turned around, blocking her slash swiftly. The two of us pushed each other back, running off through the forest at high speeds.

'We are completely the same in all attributes aside from Attack Speed and abilities. With me being faster in attack speed, I should have the upperhand in overwhelming her,' I thought, running ahead then slid forward.

The Black Cerebral noticed me getting into a running start in front of her then came to a stop, raising an eyebrow with curiosity and intrigue. 'She's definitely about to use her Quick Attacks in attempt to overwhelm me, but it's alright...She won't get past my defenses.'

"Here I...go!" I roared, lightning surging all around my body as I leaned forward then vanished at invisible speeds, the ground cracking beneath my feet due to my sheer speed.

'What the— She's gotten even faster..!' The Black Cerebral thought, her smirk widening with sadistic excitement.

The two of us began clashing rapidly, darting around the forest at high speeds, though I was faster by a lot due to my Quick Attack. Though my attack speed was faster, The Black Cerebral was already adapting to my speed, allowing her to constantly block my swift slashes.

"Foolish, Hisumi... You must've forgotten that I'm equipped for all situations! You can't possibly defeat me with speed alone!" The Black Cerebral taunted, laughing at me as she began to block and parry each of my strikes.

I bellowed as I launched my next attack, but the Black Cerebral blocked it, causing my sword to fly out of my hand. The Black Cerebral smirked wickedly, taking this moment to go for her counterstrike, swinging her sword through the air at breakneck speeds.

I swiftly dodged her strike, letting out a battle cry as I launched a swift left hook straight to the Black Cerebral's jaw. The Black Cerebral went to block my strike, but I began to exert more energy a split second before my attack landed, a burst of Spirit Energy flashing upon impact of my blow.

The Black Cerebral's eyes widened slightly as my attack landed true, causing her to cough in pain. 'What...the hell was that...?!'

White lightning began surging around the trees as I bellowed, using my own momentum to knock the Black Cerebral away, sending her crashing through a few trees in the distance. She rolled along the ground, coughing a bit to catch her breath.

'A Perfect Spirit Flash..? She used that technique unconsciously, there's no way she would've known a perfectly executed Spirit Flash bypasses all defenses let alone know the timing for one,' The Black Cerebral thought, slowly standing on her two feet.

"Yeah! Go, Hisumi!" Orika cheered loudly, giving Genesis a high five.

She stared at me with a cold, cerebral stare, her demeanor changing as she knew I had began getting the upperhand in the battle. She held her hand out, summoning a few more Judged Angels, this time in Attack Mode.

"Enough playing around! Now that I've tested the waters...it's time that I finally corrupt you once and for all! I will show you the painful path of reality, your sins will never die. You can never be a true hero!" The Black Cerebral declared, getting into her battle stance.

"We will see about that, now let's fight! We will see who comes out on top!" I bellowed, getting into my stance as well then summoned my katana in my hands.