Cho Jin-Hyan chuckled as he looked down at the class from the stage, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked over to the curtains then pressed a hidden button on the floor with his foot. The hidden doors on the floor began to rise up, a platform lifting a woman adorned with golden accessories in her hair wearing beautiful white robes.
Everyone watched in suspense as the woman's long ears wiggled as she came awake, her eyes slowly opening to reveal her soft magenta gaze with a curious expression. She scanned the room carefully, soon her eyes landing on Luciel and locking eyes with her.
"Who the heck is that?" Ye-Won asked, her tribal tattoos glowing faintly as she braced herself.
"This guy is just full of surprises tonight huh..?" Mizu asked, pulling up his scarf and exhaled softly.
"I have been not only studying Noxius, but I have been paying close attention to you, Ms. Winters. Using all of the data from the ACU and on campus, tonight...Covet will recieve all the energy he needs to overthrow Nox," Cho Jin-Hyan said, looking at the elven woman on the platform and walked over to her.
"Meet Noir, the true Queen of Valkyrias and the one who will awaken Aetheria! All we need...is your energy Luciel! All of it! Just as we drained Noxius of his energy yesterday, now it's time for you!" Cho Jin-Hyan laughed, snapping his finger to command Drevas to attack the class.
Do Song Boon charged forward as Drevas launched a blunt bundle of roots toward the class, clashing with the bundle with a punch and bursting the bundle into shredded roots in one strike. Drevas grunted in shock then swung his other arm toward her, but she caught his arm with a grunt as she was being pushed backwards.
Awakening her Yaoresh, the Mark of God began shining brightly within her Spirit, a burst of silver energy surging around her body as she began counter dragging Drevas in a circle. With a ferocious yell, she launched Drevas with a dragon toss onto the stage.
"Whoa!" Noir exclaimed as she ducked under Drevas's flying body, her hands covering her head.
Cho Jin-Hyan didn't budge as Drevas flew past him, crashing into the props behind them then dusted off his suit. He glanced at Do Song Boon with a smirk, humming softly and exhaling. "I forgot that only the women in your clan carry Samson's Echo, that mighty strength...an inversion of Samson's story.."
"We are not inversions! We are simply blessed by the ONE and ONLY God, Jesus! Not Buddha, not Ishna, not even Allah! Say what you want about us, but we know who we are!" Do Song Boon retaliated, charging forward at great speeds and leaped onto the stage with a wild rolling punch in the air to launch intense pressure waves toward the two.
Noir awakened her aura, her esoteric moth wings emerging from her back and wrapping around herself to block the pressure forces with ease. She summoned an eclipse of Luna Moths around herself, their illuminating green wings casting a blinding light into Song Boon's eyes.
While she was blinded, Noir charged forward with a heavy knee to Song Boon's stomach, only to notice her attack barely did damage to her. She grunted softly and launched a spinning heel kick, landing her attack on the temple of Song Boon's head but she tanked it.
"What..? How is she just withstanding my attacks like that..? Does she really have no weakness?" Noir asked, leaping backwards and watched as Song Boon recovered and retreated from the moths on the stage.
"Back to neutral. You can't reach her without being blinded and she can barely damage you, however...I can," Cho Jin-Hyan said, awakening his true Stigmata, Dalpek Homed, his stigmata flashing crimson red.
Before Song Boon could react, Cho Jin-Hyan had already appeared in front of her and struck her stomach with a pressure strike, sending her crashing through multiple rows of seats. Everyone watched in shock as Song Boon crashed into a wall, smoke and rubble hiding the aftermath of his attack.
"Do Song Boon!" Ahn yelled out, rushing over to check up on her.
"We need to get the class out of here," Kaguya said, preparing to awaken Cerebral from the Ten Passing Shadow Gardens, her Stigmata glowing upon her arm as a low growl followed in the shadows.
The mysterious man looked at Class 12-A then began to back away, clearing his throat as he began to speak. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no-one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
Those with the ears to hear the man speak turned around to see a flock of doves flying out of the theater through the exit, each student making an escape by following the lead of the doves, leaving those who needed to be in the theater inside.
Cho Jin-Hyan watched as Class 12-A escaped for now, but chuckled with amusement and looked over at Luciel, Su-Yun, and Kaguya. "Now, this is far more interesting than a face off against Noxius...your real Savior has abandoned you for the class. Without your Spiritual Husband, you have lost this war."
Luciel stared at Cho Jin-Hyan with righteous anger in her eyes, white lightning crackling around her body as a cold smirk formed on her lips. "The man that was here before was here protecting you...if he had stayed to watch, it would mean you could still turn around..."
"But he knows you won't, and you do as well. You saw God in front of you, and still opposed Him...the Jury is still here. Now, their eyes are on you, Jin-Hyan! As Queen of Qutsade, I will act as your judge and executioner!" Luciel announced, summoning her Scepter and launched it toward Cho Jin-Hyan.
Cho Jin-Hyan dodged the Scepter with a smirk then watched as Luciel warped behind him with a back kick, using his forearm to block the attack then noticed her body become a lavender silhouette. Three shimmers of light flashed upon Cho Jin-Hyan's body, three decisive blows landing upon his body before he could react.
While he was confused, Luciel appeared in front of him with a sweeping kick then followed with an uppercut to his jaw, three more strikes landing simultaneously as if she moved four times in one strike. Cho Jin-Hyan groaned as she rolled across the stage, recovering onto one knee and huffed lightly.
"What the...Dagrax Enhancements? No, that couldn't be the case...they would be delayed strikes, but these happened all at the same time," Cho Jin-Hyan said with deep breaths, his hand placed on his jaw from the stinging pain of Luciel's attack.
"Whoa...I've never seen Luciel move like that before. It's like she's an entirely different person now," Su-Yun said in awe, hiding behind Kaguya as she watched the fight with admiration for Luciel.
Kaguya nodded in agreement, exhaling softly and keeping herself prepared to call upon her Stigmata at any point in time. "I agree, she's stronger than before now...I can't even get a clear read on her energy right now..."
Cho Jin-Hyan watched Luciel shifting her stance as he stood up on his feet, scoffing lightly then rushed forward at high speeds with a swiping chop aimed at Luciel's torso. Luciel phased through the attack with ease, landing a high knee to his face into Crane Stance with wind energy flowing around her body.
Noir flew forward as Luciel prepared her next attack, glitching forward into Luciel's elbow strike to her jaw which caught her off guard. Before she could fall onto the ground, Luciel caught her with a kick to send her airborne then warped into a missile dropkick to send her flying backwards.
"I've got you now!" Cho Jin-Hyan called out, his hand held out toward Luciel as two lasers of dark energy fired upward toward Luciel.
Luciel phased through both lasers then warped onto the ground, two lavender silhouettes appearing in front of Cho Jin-Hyan to distract him. In a span of a second, two punches landed upon Cho Jin-Hyan's face then three more in the span of the next second.
Cho Jin-Hyan grunted as he was getting pummelled with multiple strikes within seconds, Luciel's speed becoming too much for him to keep up with. Cho Jin-Hyan launched a roundhouse as a counter, but Luciel's body autonomously dodged the attack while leaving behind a lavender silhouette.
'There it is!' Cho Jin-Hyan thought to himself, catching sight of Luciel's spirit silhouette and prepare a counter.
Cho Jin-Hyan managed to block the first punch but couldn't evade her roundhouse kick which struck him before he could process then a body shot send him stumbling backwards into a wall. Five silhouettes appeared in a linear path toward Cho Jin-Hyan, showing him how exactly Luciel would strike.
Luciel began walking toward Cho Jin-Hyan, her Yaonun sigil glowing brightly upon her hand as she awakened her technique. "Do you still think your ways are faster than my God's ways? Better than His? You'd be a fool to think you ever had an upper hand against us.."
Cho Jin-Hyan grunted as he got off the wall, loosening his tie before taking his off and wrapping it around his hand, taking upon his stance. "I know my ways are higher, that's why I know better than him. I know more than he could ever know right now, more about you and your husband!"
"Really? Well, were on trial now! Place your evidence against me and see how far the procedure goes! Brace yourself!" Luciel called out, her voice echoing throughout the auditorium as she dashed forward.
Cho Jin-Hyan grunted as he noticed Luciel dashing forward five times, each dash growing faster until they clashed fists. He groaned lightly as his arm was recoiled backwards, leaving him open to swift devastating strikes against his body.
As the onslaught of attacks continued, Cho Jin-Hyan launched a cunning backfist which Luciel dodged and countered with a reverse crescent kick. Cho Jin-Hyan grunted as he barely blocked the attack, leaving Luciel open enough for Noir to soar in with a flying kick.
"You're just too slow," Luciel said, dodging her kick then warped backwards as Drevas launched his attack from the shadows.
"She's just too fast! Are you sure you actually researched her like you did with Noxius?" Noir complained, looking at Cho Jin-Hyan with frustration.
'The trick to her ability is way too advanced for what I know currently, but it seems like an advanced level of Eyican Combat. Is this woman really the queen of this nation..?' Cho Jin-Hyan thought to himself, scanning the area carefully to look for Luciel.
Before Cho Jin-Hyan could react, Luciel appeared next to him with a heavy elbow strike then warped toward him to catch him with a hurricanrana. Tossing him forward, multiple silhouettes appeared in front of him in offensive stances then Luciel warped toward them.
Completing all ten actions within a second, Cho Jin-Hyan groaned as he crashed into the audience seats and stood up onto his feet. Luciel warped toward him and placed her hand upon his stomach, causing his body to immediately freeze within a second as he tried to move away.
"You have to follow the Rules of the Divine Monarch Butterfly Essence... breaking them prevents you from moving for one entire second. Seeing your state right now, you can't even afford that..." Luciel said cryptically, white lightning crackling around her body as she looked into Cho Jin-Hyan's eyes.
"Rules..?! What...rules?!" Cho Jin-Hyan asked with a strained tone, grunting as he stumbled backwards with the ability to freely move.
"I am only allowed to tell you as much as you need to know during trial. You don't have truth freely accessable to you since you deny Him. So, be analytical and watch carefully," Luciel said, summoning her Warden Butterflies around her.
Noir watched Luciel closely and summoned her Luna Moths, glitching forward and bursting through reality with a clean punch to her back. Luciel grunted as she rolled forward, pivoting around into one knee to look up towards Noir.
"Enough with the games..~ It's time that we get serious, hehe..~" Noir giggled, launching her moths at Luciel like speeding bullets.
Su-Yun watched as the moths rushed toward her with the threat of rotting away her energy, her heart thumping hard against her chest with the desire to protect Luciel. Without second through, Su-Yun rushed in between the crossfire with a determined expression.
"I refuse to let you all take down my best friend!" Su-Yun bellowed, rapidly deflecting the moths by flailing her arms around quickly.
Noir laughed at Su-Yun's attempts to defend Luciel then dashed forward, calling her moths into Defense Order around her in orbit. "Stand out of our way, C Rank Professor! You're only standing in our way!"
The moths illuminated their wings and flashed a bright light in Su-Yun's eyes, blinding her for a moment and leaving her vulnerable to a throat punch but Luciel caught her hand and pushed her back. The two clashed fists, releasing a shockwave around the area then began warping and glitching around the auditorium with repeated clashes.
The room rumbled and shook with each clash, the winds rushing and cracking the walls around them as the two queens danced around the area. Neither side could gain the upper hand, both women giving it their all for their sides of the kingdom.
"Soon, you will join your husband where he rests! You're below me, Queen of Failure!" Noir laughed, warping above Luciel and using her Luna Moths to fire a beam of dimmed light at her.
Luciel landed on the ground, shifting her feet and transforming into her Super Form, stacking it atop of her Warden Form. She began gathering energy within seconds as Noir's beam came crashing down and with a bellow, she fired an Origin Beam toward Noir's Luna Stream.
The two beams clashed, the power of the collision ripping the roof off the building, the students outside witnessing the beam struggle between their professor and her Faker. The Jury began to rise from their seats one by one, watching Luciel slowly step into her purpose step by step.
Luciel roared and stomped her foot down, her aura surging around her body in rejuvenation. "No! I will not allow you to take any of my students' lives! Flash Mekori!"
Noir gasped as Luciel's beam overpowered hers, pushing hers back with overwhelming strength. Knowing she wouldn't win the struggle, she disengaged and moved aside to avoid Luciel's attack, watching the beam strike the Wits Blimp above and cause it to explode violently.
"What...what the hell was that? I had her...then she pulls that..?" Noir said to herself in disbelief, looking down at the panting Luciel below.
Luciel stood up straight and looked up at Noir, readying herself once again and spread her wings before flying toward Noir at high speeds. She quickly engaged once again, clashing with Luciel once again in the sky this time before landing a clean double axe handle to send Luciel flying down below.
Luciel landed on both feet, her bangs covering her eyes as her hair flowed down gracefully. She smirked as she began processing everything that happened, the white lightning around her body heating up into iridescent lightning. "I understand it now..."
From above, Drevas glitched above Luciel with Emperor Moth wings and crashed down, a shockwave of roots spreading across the auditorium and leveling it to the ground. As he stood up, he glanced around for Luciel only to feel her standing on the top of his head.
"I understand it now... My role in Nox's absence, why I am being Annointed now. Even when you've seen the acts of the Lord through my husband, you still lack the Wisdom needed to understand,"the Luciel said, hopping off Drevas's head and walked to the center of the chaos.
Noir, Cho Jin-Hyan, and Drevas watched as Luciel took the center, Class 12-A, Chester and Queen also watching as Luciel took her spot. Anna, who had been sneaking around the area, stopped her investigation to watch the scene as well.
Luciel closed her eyes and began to pray, her Spirit Energy flowing around her body calmly while her butterflies fluttered around her with energy. A light above all lights began to shine down over Luciel from above, a dove descending from the light and perching upon her right shoulder.
Manaport, I will see you as a small nation,
utterly despised by others and ruled out...
The pride in your hearts has recieved you,
You climb to the highest mountains,
live in the cleft of the rocks...
Make your homes on the heights asking,
"Who can bring me down to the ground?"
Everyone looked up at the light in the sky, hearing the thunderous voice speaking from above. No one dared to speak as the rushing winds spoke, His tone unlike no other while spoken. Luciel continued her prayer, her eyes remaining closed until He was done speaking.
You soar like eagles and build your nest amongst the stars...
You ask to yourself, "Who can reach me from such heights,"
But from there, I will be there to bring you down!
If thieves come to you, robbers of the night — Oh,
What disasters await — would they not steal as much as they need?
The Stigmata you bind yourself too,
Would they not leave you with little left?
How Seolhart will be ransacked, her treasures pillaged!
All your allies will force you to the border;
your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread will set a trap for you,
but you will not detect it.
Capricorn and Cancer will conquer over you,
Leaving you with little to use...
In that day,
will I not destroy the wise men of Aquarius, those of understanding in the mountains of Seolhart?
Your warriors, Cho Jin-Hyan, will be terrified,
and everyone in Seolhart's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
Luciel opened her eyes slowly as revelation and the verdict has been set, the warning to Cho Jin-Hyan and Manaport resting above that will come to pass. "Amen.."
"Like we will allow such a prophecy to unfold! If we kill you right now, God will have no instrument worthy enough to use against us!" Noir laughed, generating more Luna Moths, her heart hardening to the core with a dark grin on her face.
"You just don't get it, and it's of course...that you don't have the ears to hear. A Pharaoh's Heart is something not many should want, but you have. The verdict is casted and you're guilty..." Luciel said, summoning her Scepter and manifested a blade upon the tip of her weapon.
Noir grinned at Luciel wickedly, black lightning crackling around her body as she flew toward her at high speeds and bellowed. Luciel dodged her attack with ease then phased through Drevas's root grab, her gaze searching around for Cho Jin-Hyan within the chaos.
"Ms. Winters!!" Ha-Rin screamed out, reaching her hand out toward her teacher as Cho Jin-Hyan carried her off to Battle Zone 4.
Luciel grunted softly as she looked over toward Ha-Rin and Cho Jin-Hyan, spreading her wings to fly toward them but Noir glitched in front of her and Drevas blocked off the path. She looked at the two, her patience running thin as she noticed their smirks.
"Don't worry! We'll get her back!" Jiahn called out, using Ji-MAN to summon hoverboards for herself, So-Yi, Hyeon Bae, and Kim Eun. "You just worry about those two! Let's go!"
"Don't worry about us, Ms. Luciel. Mr. Nox walked so we could run, we'll save Ha-Rin and bring her back!" So-Yi said, kicking her hoverboard forward and began riding forward toward the forest.
Ye-Won watched as the others chased after Cho Jin-Hyan, gritting her teeth then rushed after them as well. Mul Ir-Wol, who stood at the back, looked at Mul with a smile then raced after the girls, Ko'rai and Ahmed joining the group for Ha-Rin.
Su-Yun, Kaguya, and Luciel watched as all of Class 12-A chased after Ha-Rin, each of them not wanting to abandon their friend. With them on their way, the three had no distractions left when dealing with Noir and Drevas, the Jury continuing to watch their battle while one angel left to follow Class 12-A.
"You're not getting away! Get back here with Ha-Rin!" Jiahn bellowed as she surfed between the trees after Cho Jin-Hyan, boosting forward with an attempt to grab Ha-Rin's hand.
Cho Jin-Hyan evaded Jiahn then manifested a moth beside him, his body glitching toward Jiahn with a wheel kick to the back of her head. Jiahn grunted as she fell off her hoverboard, but So-Yi drifted toward her and grabbed her by her collar.
Twirling around, she tossed Jiahn back in her hoverboard then kicked it forward for a boost. Jiahn exclaimed with excitement as she flew forward, striking Cho Jin-Hyan upon his back and forcing him to drop Ha-Rin.
"Get him! He's within reach!" Kim Eun called out, leaping off her hoverboard with a Gale Impulse, bellowing as she launched powerful winds toward Cho Jin-Hyan.
Jin-Hyan quickly recovered off the ground, raising a wall of stone to block the winds then sensed So-Yi warp behind him. He blocked her punch with a back kick then launched a heavy elbow toward her face, but she phased through the attack, leaving behind a silhouette and taking him off guard.
So-Yi's eyes flashed silver as she struck Jin-Hyan upon his side twice within a second then knocked him to the side with a kick. As he slid backwards, Jiahn charged toward him and grabbed the back of his head, slamming him down with a running bulldog.
Cho Jin-Hyan grunted as he slammed his fist against the ground, letting out a bellow as Black Polyphemus moths began swarming around the area to push the girls back. "I will not be defeated by my own Seniors! I'd rather die than to be mocked!"
Suddenly, a tribal howl echoed out into the winds, silver energy rushing around the area and intimidating the moths. Cho Jin-Hyan looked over to see Ye-Won walking forward in her Super Form, silver particles flowing around her body.
"So, even the Mojisola wants to enter the scene?" Cho Jin-Hyan asked, his Stigmata glowing brightly with excitement.
"I am not a Mojisola, I am Shiuji! You will respect my true lineage and this school!" Ye-Won howled, dashing toward Cho Jin-Hyan at high speeds with a sweeping kick.
Cho Jin-Hyan dodged her attack by leaping over her then went for a counter strike, only to stomp on her after image then felt a Beastly Presence behind him. Ye-Won appeared behind him, her eyes glowing crimson red as red lightning crackled around her loaded fist.
"Kaua Outburst!" Ye-Won roared, striking Cho Jin-Hyan with a driving fist against his spine, a burst of crimson aura surging around her fist.
So-Yi and the others guarded themselves from the red glow and the rushing winds, the trees shaking violently as Ye-Won poured her full wrath into her strike, launching Cho Jin-Hyan away. He grunted as he rolled along the ground, recovering upon one knee as he skidded backwards with a grin on his face.
Cho Jin-Hyan stood up on his feet, unleashing his dark aura then charged forward with a laugh, clashing with Kim Eun and knocking her away. "Foolish children! You think you can meddle in adult business without punishment?!"
Cho Jin-Hyan ripped through Class 12-A to get to Ha-Rin, but Mizu, Choko, and Kizu launched a beam of elemental energy toward him to keep him back. He laughed as he began slowly pushing through the beam, using Dalpek Homed to absorb the energy as he walked through it.
Mul Ir-Wol ran forward with a skip then leaped into a swift strike toward Jin-Hyan's face, but he glitched out of the way and launched a counter elbow toward her head. Mul swooped under of Cho Jin-Hyan's elbow, blocking the strike so Ir-Wol could slip under Cho Jin-Hyan for a swiping chop against his stomach.
'Tch...these Valkyrias and their V.O.I.D. Systems! No matter, I brought you into this establishment, so I know everything about you!' Cho Jin-Hyan said mentally, dodging her next attack then caught her by the neck.
Ir-Wol grunted as she gasped for air, squeaking as Cho lifted her up for a chokeslam, but Ko'rai stormed forward with a Dragon Spear, nearly cutting Cho Jin-Hyan in two. Cho Jin-Hyan groaned as he fell to the ground, dropping Mul Ir-Wol in the process then blocked Ko'rai's mounted punch.
"Alrean...that dragon blood in you is the only thing making you strong...well two can be dragons in this forest!" Cho Jin-Hyan laughed, using Dalpek Homed to change his blood into Alrean Blood and began to overpower Ko'rai.
"Let there be Light!" Ahmed incanted in the distance, opening a rift in the open and unleashed a beam of surging light toward Cho Jin-Hyan.
Cho Jin-Hyan quickly looked over at Ahmed's Flash Mekori and pulled Ko'rai in front of him as a meat shield, but Ko'rai smirked at his cowardly attempts. He roared as he began absorbing the light into his body, his entire body gleaming a bright light with Ahmed's attack within him.
"You avoided the true light...but I won't allow you to evade the true light that gives light to everyone who believes! Let there be Light!" Ko'rai roared, releasing a massive dome of light around his body, the dome of energy releasing a massive explosion in the area.
"Ko'rai!" Kim Eun called out, grunting heavily as she protected herself from the smoke and debris.
Reene's eyes widened as she watched Ko'rai use his Alrean Mekori, gasping and grunting heavily as the shockwave threw her petite body backwards, but was caught by Ahmed. "Ko'rai!!"
The white smoke cloud began to clear, the aftermath revealed as an area of trees were cleared out, the moonlight shining down on the open foliage. Cho Jin-Hyan chuckled and grunted softly as he clawed his way out of the crater, pulling Ko'rai's defeated body out with him just to show him defeated to the class.
"It's a shame his attack failed to put me down for good...he is one of the strongest in the class. However, against a stronger Alrean...it doesn't get the job done," Cho Jin-Hyan said, tossing Ko'rai aside and began making his way toward Ha-Rin.
Hyeon Bae, despite her current fear, stepped forward in front of Ha-Rin and protected her. She stared into Cho Jin-Hyan's evil gaze, tears welling in her eyes and the stitches atop her head beginning to itch. "Stop..."
She began seeing Black Giants spawning from dark puddles of energy behind Cho Jin-Hyan, tears streaming down her face as fear began creeping into her hear. She took a terrified step backwards, her breathing becoming faster and faster until she could do nothing else but scream.
Everyone groaned as they covered their ears from Hyeon Bae's Banshee Scream, sonic waves bouncing around the area and disrupting the current flow of liminal energy within the area. Her scream echoed through the forest, reaching the Silver Light on the other end of Battle Zone 4.
The silver light flashed twice then flew into the air swiftly, a loud call from his cry echoing back to Hyeon Bae. The silver light began forming into a beautiful dove with silver feathers and tail, his eyes opening to glow like silver flames.
As the dove awakened, the wandering Covet stopped in his tracks and glanced up at the dove above then smirked wickedly. "Oh? So you have finally come out of hiding? You aren't coming out at full strength either. I'll be sure to let you know of your mistake!"
Covet spread his wings and took flight as well, the Sea Drake around his body awakening and looking at the Holy Dove across from her in the sky. Holding his hand out toward the Holy Dove, a magic circle opening above him and began raining down slashes against the divine bird.
The Holy Dove seemingly stood still through the attack, his body unphased by the onslaught of attacks which confused Covet for a moment. Raining down slashes once again with a snap of his fingers, the same result took effect, the divine bird stood unaffected before flying away to Hyeon Bae.
"What the heck..? I saw with my eyes all of my slashes landed, but he flew off without a scratch? No, I refuse to accept this!" Covet scoffed, flying after the Holy Dove at full speed.
Hyeon Bae...
Be still...
Hyeon Bae gasped softly as she saw a flash of light around her, the world around her becoming a timeless white as the Holy Dove descended down and perched on her shoulder. She looked at the Holy Dove, her gaze locking onto his as she stared into his silver eyes.
Be still...
And know I am Lord...
It is written that I will never forsake you...
And I won't start now...
You can run, you can hide, you can fight...
But all that matters is that you endure.
I bring victory...
Now, you must hold off Cho Jin-Hyan...
Covet is coming.
Hyeon Bae glanced down at her chest, noticing her Ten Passing Living Gardens stigmata glowing brightly upon her arm. The world returned normal, her gaze shifting ahead toward Cho Jin-Hyan toward the revelation and curled her lips with a nod.
Cho Jin-Hyan chuckled lightly as he stood back up straight, uncovering his ears then looked ahead to see Hyeon Bae surrounded with Liminal Butterfly Essence. "Oh? What's this..? I didn't account for this...a new Ten Passing Gardens Variant..? Let's just see what a child can do with such power."
Hyeon Bae gave Cho Jin-Hyan a serious expression, forming her hands into a hand seal then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Hoon! Let's do this!"
A silver light appeared in from of Hyeon Bae, the light becoming a silver dog with a majestic howl in the night sky. Hoon and Hyeon Bae charged forward with Hoon lunging forward with a claw swipe, but Cho Jin-Hyan evaded the attack with ease with a back step.
Hyeon Bae rushed behind Cho Jin-Hyan with a blindsided attack, but he glitched behind her then grabbed her hair tightly, tossing her forward. Hyeon Bae grunted as she hit the ground then sat up on her elbows, watching as Cho Jin-Hyan charged toward Ha-Rin.
"Exodus Frogs!" Hyeon Bae called out, forming the frog hand seal with her hands and calling forth a small crowd of silver frogs into the area.
Each frog launched their tongues at the Overseer, each tongue missing as he dodged their binding attempts until one frog managed to wrap his tongue around his leg. He grunted as the frogs tongue was laced with liminal energy, the energy disrupting his nerves and causing him to freeze.
"What is this..?! Why can't I move..?!" Cho Jin-Hyan grunted as he struggled against the frog's bind, his body fighting against him to budge an inch.
As Hyeon Bae worked with the frog to pull Cho Jin-Hyan away from Ha-Rin, a sudden slash cut the frog's tongue then an invisible force struck Hyeon Bae's stomach. She coughed heavily under the blow then grunted as a second strike knocked her away, Oriel appearing behind her to break her fall.
Covet landed beside Cho Jin-Hyan, looking around at the class before his gaze landed upon So-Yi and Ha-Rin, a glint of recognition forming in his eyes. "Well, well...if it isn't the girl who gave me power and Nox's chosen lapdog. I see Woo-Chi still isn't here..."
Ha-Rin's breath got caught in her throat as she staggered backwards, falling onto the grass and began to slide backwards from Covet. Everyone else looked at Covet in terror, this force being the strongest they've felt in forever.
So-Yi's ears began ringing as she stared at Covet, balling her hands into fists as her Silver Swallowtail butterfly began fluttering around her. "Even if we do miraculously defeat Cho Jin-Hyan...there is nothing we can do to Covet with his Sea Drake..."
"What do you mean? You sound like you've faced off against him before!" Pyo Yu-Ni said in terror, her head turning toward So-Yi in revelation.
"It's because I have...with Ms. Luciel, Sa Nu Rim, and Ms. Do Song Boon. Even they could not defeat Covet alone...without Ms. Luciel's Scepter to call for angelic help, we are at a loss," So-Yi said in a matter of fact tone, her gaze never breaking away from Covet with hidden fear.
"You were always the smart one of the class...more of the reason to make you the first of many sacrifices for this Seminar Ritual!" Covet laughed, forming a massive root behind him then launched it toward So-Yi at speeds even she couldn't avoid.
"Sang So-Yi!" Jiahn yelled out, rushing over to her in distress.
"No, So-Yi!" Hyeon Bae yelled out, getting herself off the ground and rushed toward Sang So-Yi as well.
So-Yi watched as the roots rushed toward her, her heart nearly stopping at the sight of danger until she was suddenly warped out of the way of the attack. She gasped in shock, looking at herself then noticed Sovereign Butterflies flying around the area.
Covet grit his teeth then turned over to look at Hyeon Bae and the Holy Dove, knowing it was only the works of the divine bird on Hyeon Bae's shoulder. "If you won't let me take her then I'll take your favorite earthly child first!"
Covet warped toward Hyeon Bae but the Holy Dove revealed all 12 of Covet's flawed silhouettes, allowing Hyeon Bae to dodge all of his Glitching Strikes then she leaped backwards to make distance. She formed another hand seal, a screech echoing in the skies.
"Bronte!" Hyeon Bae called out, watching as a large Storm Eagle swooped down from the sky to strike Covet with his massive wing.
Covet barely blocked his attack, grunting as the eagle's strength managed to push him backwards then a second Bronte appeared behind him, striking him on the back of his neck. The two eagles continued their onslaught, striking from multiple angles until Covet released a burst of energy around his body.
He charged toward Hyeon Bae with a flurry of ferocious attacks, but the Holy Dove phased and warped for her, allowing her to focus on the offenses while he controlled her evasiveness. Oriel caught Covet's fist then three pink silhouettes appeared in front of Covet, catching him by surprise.
'Fluttering..? Since when could this random Border jumper Flutter?!' Covet thought to himself then tried to evade but felt a hand upon his back.
Quickly, he formed a silhouette behind him then pivoted around into it to see nothing. While he was distracted, Hyeon Bae placed her hand upon him and caused his body to freeze as he tried to turn around.
'What..?! I didn't freeze the first time, why am I frozen no—'
Before Covet could finish his thought, Hyeon Bae Fluttered, striking Covet upon his back three times before causing him to twirl around with a roundhouse kick. One of her frogs latched his tongue around Covet's waist, pulling him backwards then released him as Hyeon Bae rushed forward.
Warping behind him, she touched his back, causing him to freeze in mid-air then a trail of ten pink silhouettes formed around him. Fluttering again, Hyeon Bae appeared in front of him and dished out 8 strikes within a second then phased forward for a Tempo Break, connecting with another 10 within another second with the help of the Holy Dove.
Covet chuckled lightly as he rose onto his feet, exhaling softly and dusting himself with light displeasure. He looked up at Hyeon Bae and the Holy Dove, snapping his fingers. "That Holy Dove is the problem... removing Ascea from you will solve this issue easily."
Hyeon Bae got into her stance, exhaling slowly and focusing her gaze upon Covet as much as she could. She was growing tired, each phase spending more of her energy than she'd care to admit. "You can try, but none can snatch me from His hand! You will not get Ha-Rin, nor anyone in this class!"
"Brave words, little girl! Let's see if you can back it up!" Covet challenge, appearing in front of Hyeon Bae within an eye blind then struck her stomach with a knee, following it with an uppercut. "See?! You're too slow to catch up when I'm serious!"
Covet laughed as he palmed her stomach, sending her flying through the forest and sending her crashing through Battle Zone 4's energy walls. She rolled upon the ground then stood up slowly, looking up as she heard Covet laughing above her.
"The original plan was for me to take Ha-Rin and Woo-Chi... because at the time I couldn't see you, but it seems you found your will to live again! Unlike Woo-Chi, you have the Holy Spirit! The fruits can not be denied! Because of that, you will be joining me!" Covet said then grunted as an blast of energy hit his back.
Sang So-Yi held her hand up at Covet, her Beshin-Keh activated as she prepared herself for round two against Covet with Hyeon Bae's help. "If we can't beat him, we bring the fight to Ms. Luciel and the Jury! Only you and I can use Luciel's new style at the moment, so we have to take advantage of it!"
"Take the fight...all the way back to Battle Zone 14?!" Hyeon Bae gasped, glancing back to see the long distance between the battle zones. "What about Ha-Rin and the others?"
Do not worry about your classmates...
I have them in my Hands...
Cho Jin-Hyan can not take them,
Nor Kan Ha-Rin...
With reassurance from Ascea, Hyeon Bae closed her eyes and stood up on her feet with a light stagger and looked up at Covet. It was just So-Yi and Hyeon Bae once again, the two once classified as F Ranks, now tasked with protecting Class 12-A from the Principality of Envy.
Covet chuckled at the two young Valkyrias, slowly descending to the ground and pointed at Battle Zone 14. "There..? You won't even make it halfway there...Not before I kill you off."
"Yeah? You must not know who we are, it takes three to be a Valkyria Team," Jiahn said, walking forward and tossing off her letterman jacket with a serious expression. "Everything is riding on us tonight, and tonight...we defeat a Fallen Angel!"
Covet laughed at Jiahn, closing his eyes at her confident demeanor then warped toward her with a roundhouse kick, but she phased through the attack and moved to his side. Grabbing his arm, she tossed him forward then So-Yi warped forward with a energetic dropkick to his face.
Covet groaned as he was launched backwards, the three girls rushing forward to give him chase down the Battle Zone Campus. He recovered in the air, flying backwards and launching blasts of eroding waters from his Sea Drake's mouth.
"Hyeon Bae!" So-Yi called out as she ran forward, holding her hand out toward her.
Hyeon Bae summoned Bronte in the air before taking So-Yi's hand, So-Yi launching Hyeon Bae with a Dragon Toss before warping forward herself with Jiahn running close behind. Bronte blocked the eroding blasts of water as Hyeon Bae somersaulted forward, a path of pink silhouettes forming in front of her.
Covet smirked as he noticed the silhouettes, timing when the first silhouette disappeared and dodged Hyeon Bae's Flutter Strike, but was unaware of So-Yi who appeared beside him and touched his arm to freeze him. As he was frozen for a second, Jiahn crushed his cheek with a flying knee and knocked him backwards.
"No! I won't be embarrassed by high school girls!" Covet bellowed, spreading his wings and taking flight toward one of the two Bronte and corrupting him with a touch, shifting him into a demon storm eagle. "Rain down judgment upon these Herisees!"
The Dark Storm Eagle screeched loudly and spread his wings, calling upon storm clouds to rain down black lightning upon the ground toward the girls. The three helped each other evade the raining bolts of lightning before diving into the windows of a gym within Battle Zone 9 for cover.
"You can run, but you can't hide from me!" Covet mocked, warping toward So-Yi with a chop toward her head.
So-Yi blocked it with both hands, forming a light blue silhouette in front of her then launched her Flutter Strike, but missed as Covet glitched behind her. Jiahn launched Ji-MAN toward Covet like a rocket, her V.O.I.D crashing in to his back and ricocheting back into the air.
While he was stunned temporary, Hyeon Bae used a flash of light below Covet to summon another Bronte inside the gym to strike Covet's chin with an Upper Wing toward Jiahn in the air. She went for a spiking crescent kick, but he warped behind her with a double axe handle.
Covet grunted as his hand crashed onto Oriel's shield, her perfect accuracy catching him off guard for a moment. "What..?!"
Jiahn used Ji-MAN to summon a large gunbai fan, pivoting around 240 degrees with a swing and knocked him to the ground with high winds. "Storm Arts: Roaring Vortex!"
Jiahn swung her fan once again, releasing a bursting vortex around Covet which launched him through the roof of the gym in the air. So-Yi charged toward the vortex and used the wind currents to ride up through the roof, gasping as she noticed one of Covet's flawed silhouettes in front of her.
She barely blocked his Glitch Strike then released a burst of spirit energy around her body to knock Covet away, the vortex's currents carrying her onto the roof. She viewed how much longer they had to go before reaching Battle Zone 14, her determination never wavering.
"This is it...just five more zones to go..just I don't know how much longer we can endure for," So-Yi said with a soft exhale.
-------------------------
Luciel took Noir to the ground, pointing the energy blade of her Scepter at her with a glare. "It's over, surrender now and your life will be spared."
Noir laughed as she sat up on her elbows, looking up at Luciel with a deranged grin, her left eye twitching with insanity. "There's nothing you can do anymore! He has awaken, and he's going to take down all of Class 12-A! Covet will surely slay your prescious sheep!"
Su-Yun and Kaguya watched in disgust with Noir's statements, their gazes shifting to Luciel whose patience was at its wit's end. Luciel stared down at Noir, lowering her weapon slowly and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming her nerves then let a smirk form on her lips.
"Do you think a sheep is going to just let a wolf claim them as so? Some will scream, some will bite, some will scratch, some will run, but one thing is for certain. All of them...they will endure. You can try to claim them...but you're not against me, or my friends..." Luciel began, her gaze shifting down to Noir as her eyes began to shimmer an amber light.
Noir stared up into Luciel's eyes, grunting softly as she noticed her once blue eyes glowing amber like a morning flame. She stood up quickly and backed away, bracing herself for whatever Luciel had planned.
"Hell...you're not even against my husband, the man you're actively trying to kill. Do you know why he even does what he does? Do you know why he puts his own life on the line? Not for people like me and my class, but for people like you," Luciel continued, letting out a soft laugh and covered her face.
"Why am I even explaining anything to you all? You hear but don't understand, you see but never perceive! He's the Echo of the Lord of Hosts, Yesha didn't die for those who were already saved...He died for people like you and me," Luciel continued, lowering her hand with a heavy exhale.
"What? Why would a God like Him even waste time on people like me? Someone that is seeking to destroy Him? Is he stupid? Why should I care about what He did?" Noir asked, lowering her guard slowly as she noticed Luciel had lowered hers.
"So God loved the world, not just His children, the entire world, He gave his only begotten Son just so you can have a shot to even turn your life around before it's too late. Don't you get it? You're on the losing end! You think you work for Cho Jin-Hyan? Even he's a pawn in this! You think Covet is the highest order in your kingdom?" Luciel replied passionately, her Holy Fire shifting to her tongue.
"Do not listen to her!" Covet's voice echoed into the skies, grunting as he fought off So-Yi, Hyeon Bae, and Jiahn at the same time. "She's trying to get into your head! Grab her Scepter now!"
Noir heard Covet's voice and looked up, noticing Covet descending from the sky as Oriel landed a powerful strike to his face. She yelped as he landed next to her with a heavy thud, smoke clouds rising where he landed.
"Ms. Winters!" Hyeon Bae called out, waving her arms in the air to get Luciel's attention.
Luciel glanced past Noir, noticing the three girls hurrying toward her and the Jury, a smile forming on her face. She turned to look at Noir, locking eyes with her. "Your trial is being postponed because you are actually blissfully ignorant, but until the Jury's eyes are on you again...gather evidence and proof about who you really work for."
"For now...the real target has appeared," Luciel said calmly, planting her Scepter into the ground and tapped it lightly with her foot. "Heavenly Father, who arth in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven..."
"Grab her Scepter now, you foolish elf! Stop her before she can finish her prayer!" Covet roared, grunting heavily as he blocked Oriel's impaling blow with his wing, growling lowly as his majestic blue eyes began to glow red. "Stop standing around!"
Noir watched as Luciel continued to pray, knowing she only had seconds to make her decision. She quickly decided to leap for the scepter, but a piercing beam of light from the skies shot down and went straight through her hand. She groaned heavily as she fell on the ground, gripping her hand tightly in pain.
Covet looked at the beam of light, grunting softly as a figure of white fire began to slowly descend from the skies, his body having not distinguishable features other than aether blue eyes. Quickly standing onto his feet, he watched as the Holy Dove flew from Hyeon Bae's shoulder to the figure of white fire.
'This is not Ascea...but the Holy Dove is endorsing him. This is a direct Angel of the Lord. God, you didn't send one of your Saints? Am I really that terrifying to you..?' Covet thought to himself mentally, a smirk growing on his face as he began boosting his own ego.
"Since this is just an Angel, I suppose I can take you on and take your abilities! I'll show everyone here...how terrifying I truly am!" Covet said boldly, charging into the Angel with a strike.
Before Covet's attack could land, the sheer presence of light began to atomize his arm within seconds. He gasped in terror, using his wings to fly backwards and looked at his arm in pure disbelief.
Why are you surprised?
I thought you finally had the arm length...
to box with me as you all would say...
Luciel and the others snickered lightly at the comment before correcting themselves, everyone standing by to wait for Covet's next move. Covet's pride took a heavy blow as he stared at his missing arm, his gaze slowly shifting back to the Angel.
'There's no way this can be a normal Angel... Tch... It's useless to fight against this!' Covet thought to himself, using his wings to take off into the air and retreated from his immediate loss.
Luciel exhaled softly as she reverted to normal, collapsing onto one knee with heavy pants. "I can see...what Nox goes through now. This...this is truly exhausting to have to do...alone.."
Kaguya looked over at the Jury, noticing they had all left once Covet left the premises of the school then looked over at Luciel with a soft hum. "We can honestly respect what it takes...to try to Echo the Most High."
Su-Yun nodded, walking over to Luciel and the others to check on them. "We should get the others...everyone has been through a lot."
"Yeah..." Luciel said, pushing herself onto her feet then looked down at Noir. "...you should leave while Mercy has been extended to you."
Noir glared at Luciel and the others, watching as they all left her where she lied in pain. She began pushing herself onto her feet, seething to herself as she left the area as well.