[center][h1][color=salmon] Berserker (Yamato Takeru)[/color][/h1][/center] [center][h3][i]Large Clearing, Fuyuki Park[/i][/h3][/center] [center][b]「Danger: Grail System Degradation」[/b][/center] Of course something, someone would be doing this. At no further sign of the Assassin threat, Yamato had finally deactivated her Berserk skill and let out a long sigh. Then Peachy Boy and the strangely-dressed Caster had begun to say things, the latter's words of which brought on enough concern as it was. The Grail gave her enough information to understand that, and its ramifications. Her master was an idiot, and sometimes she felt she could barely hold back her fist or blade, but he was her ticket to that Holy Grail. A ticket to that wish she so desperately desired. The enemy would be slain whether it was one of Japan's "Three Great Disasters", like she had just fought, or funnily enough in this case that annoyingly fake "Heracles" from earlier who had been beating children in yoyo tricks. Yet as almost amusing as the situation was there was even more was at stake for this, far more than just the Grail System itself. This very city, yea even the very same Japanese soil she had fought tooth and nail for to preserve and bring peace to so long ago, was in danger and chaos. ..Heh. It was almost like she could hear those words again, those words from so long ago... [quote]She knelt before the Chrysanthemum Throne of old, armor upon her and a not-so-legendary blade still sheathed by her side. Attendants and guards stood about, silent and vigilant, and yet she could not bear to look up. Her eyes could almost not bear the weight of it all, even as hard as she wanted to stare back into her father's eyes beyond that holy curtain and speak the burning words of her heart. What was he thinking, behind all of this, and in sending her to do this? Why? Why?! She had done as he had asked, and had even gained a title from slaying her father's foes! [color=gold]"By the solemn order of the Emperor, you are to venture into the eastern lands. Your missive is to subdue and subjugate the people and their gods there, who all have shunned the holy authority of the imperial court. Of all of this you shall send report back after you are finished-..."[/color] Yet she was being sent far away from her beloved father, as far from him and the capital as he could send her. Deep into the dangers of rebellious peoples and their deities. [color=gold]"...-for you are the blade of the Emperor's will, of his very holy bloodline and flesh, and the great warrior he has chosen to bring order to these sacred lands."[/color] [/quote] ...and those words had never been rescinded either. His majesty had never withheld that order, nor had she shunned it all the rest of her days. Such was her duty, and her missive. She was the Holy Blade of the Emperor, to bring order to Japan! No walking disaster would bring low the land of the rising sun! [color=salmon][i]'Eh...a warrior's work is never done, is it? I'd headed to the Academy. And you, you complete fool of a man, stay the hell with the Caster and DON'T CAUSE ANY DAMN TROUBLE OR I WILL LEGITIMATELY CASTRATE YOU. Plus I will need the mana you provide for this new fight. And for future notice: Don't go drawing in more literally damned GREAT DISASTERS OF JAPAN like that oni again either! So stay still a don't make this even harder on me tonight than it has been, ok? Sheesh... [/i][/color] Not the first time she'd lectured her idiot of a master, but even through her wordless communication to her master through their link she was dead serious. Also exasperated. Also noticeably angry. Perhaps it was nothing normal, but it was something at least. The Berserker, without a verbal word, nodded to the Caster in agreement. They would need to do something about this, after all. Having elected to follow the Caster's slingshot shenanigans, Yamato stepped forward before her body would be suddenly fired at the Academy like an arrow. [hr] [center][h3][i]Banquet of Kings, Academy[/i][/h3][/center] [hr] Sticking the hard landing on her feet, pavement cracking under her wind-clad might, Yamato looked up at the heroic spirit before her solemnly. How he had looked before seemed to shimmer away, his power was weaker, and had descended from that false visage he had undertaken prior. Yet there was more to it. [quote][The] world broke. A purple miasma took form around him as space bent. A poison, a sentence, while the man himself shone as a glass figurine in the eye of a hurricane. The 'weight' that had settled on all things with his summoning was raised, that degradation accelerating. Beyond even this, though, the academy was a special place, a place where that 'ruin' was made into something truly terrifying. [/quote] ...This was his true visage, was it not? Yes. She could feel the ruin, the decay, the intensification of ruin and the dangers posed. A man who was himself a monster. The weight upon her had increased much as well. What this fool was doing was so obviously suicide...and yet somehow she smirked at it and felt a sense of familiarity. To burn away one's life to pursue the death of the opponent, to slay one's enemies and come out victorious even if it killed one's self in the process. It was a resolve that spoke to her as a heroic spirit. Indeed, the Faker had also seemingly embraced himself finally. Lucius Aurelius Commodus...she would remember that name, and etch it down into legend once more! [center]「[i]Berserk: A[/i]」[/center] Then the disaster's arrow was then loosed truly, and the branching streaks of pure 'ruin' shot out like angry serpents towards their targets with full intent to kill. Yet- [center]「[i]Instinct: B[/i]」[/center] [center]「[i]Protection from Arrows: B[/i]」[/center] [center]「[i]Boon of the Sun: B[/i]」[/center] [center]「[i]Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi: A+[/i]」[/center] -she could never be felled so easily! In a single but calculated mighty jet of wind, Yamato sent herself hurtling forward in a surging rush straight at the Emperor of Ruin with all swiftness. The path of the arrow and its trajectory had been already predicted and determined through all factors, including the sound of the cutting air processed and the killing intent of the foe that had been established. Her instincts had too felt out the danger and worked in tandem to determine the correct path to take. Her launch trajectory was the most optimal, her sword was exerting its power over winds in the right ways on herself and otherwise, and the timing had been calculated to the exact moment that- [center]「Push!」[/center] The pillar of light flying true towards her seemed to be on a direct collision course, at least to the naked eye of a human or mage. Yet at the best possible timing and instant that could be worked out, Yamato via a quick jet of air shot to the right side of the projectile...and then with another instant jet of air shot forward again straight at Commodus at the highest possible speed. All without blinking an eye. A set of calculated movements, her entire focus and wrath and capability channeled, and her blade's power pushing out at the projectile to keep it away from her and facilitate this strategy as strongly as possible as she moved around and shot past the ruinous pillar of light. Her wind barrier, however, evaporated, as well as the pillar of light destined for her at the same time. There was no hesitation as Yamato still approached Commodus at blinding speed, though, sword already pointed forward at the walking disaster. The miasma was a concern of course...but amassing her might Yamato unleashed a devastating blast of wind from her blade at the Emperor. An attack unleashed with as much of her might as she could muster, at least the maximum might possible for her to exert without fading away and/or killing/badly injuring her master in the process of course. It was a silent unleashing of power on par with a true name release. It had no name formally, and yet it had all of Yamato's heart and soul and being poured into it. Indeed...as she struck at the ruinous enemy Yamato cried aloud at the top of her lungs, a mighty roar that would shake the very grounds they were upon! Yet inside her heart and mind she at the same time cried aloud in a silent but true prayer, saying: [center][b][color=salmon]'Great Goddess Amaterasu, my ancestor! Hear my heart's more sincere prayer, and cause this thine divine blade to strike again with thy holy fury! Oh Divine Lord of the Storms Susanoo! Make mine blow as mighty as the great kamikaze, yea to strike down another terrible enemy of this great land! Oh father, maybe you watch over me! Oh great kami, scatter forth and scorch away the miasma of ruin and its source...that a new dawn will rise upon Japan once more! [h3]Kusanagi Jōshō Yoake: The Tempest of 10,000 Gods!!!'[/h3][/color][/b][/center] [center]「[i]Instinct: B[/i]」[/center] Oh. Yamato's instincts even within Berserk screamed to avoid getting into melee range, to avoid hitting the miasma and running into it. As her mighty attack shot out to hit the miasma and enemy, then, the Berserker let the mighty wind attack send her flying back from Commodus...before quickly landing on her feet safely and fully away from the miasma and Commodus once more. The Berserker grunted in frustration at the situation, however. [@ReallyDumb][@Over Illusion][@BB][@Phonic][@Flood][@Scallop][@Aoko Aozaki][Everyone Else]