BloodStar

Erika hugged Jacek’s arm tightly as they watched Gregory’s Lightbringer attack begin. At first, they and everyone else anticipated Xenia would dodge; however, they too were surprised to find her immobilized by a mysterious golden light.

Erika shrieked, “Direct hit! Is she dead?!”

Jacek observed the live broadcast intently, “She’s not dead. But she is certainly taking a lot of damage.”

They continued watching as Gregory then performed Lightbringer once more at 100%. Jacek frowned and call to Jarek, “How did he do that? How has Pope Gregory called upon 200% of his power?”

Jarek nodded, “There’s a reason Gregory chose to use swords in this match. That sword isn’t just any sword. The God sword is so named because it allows the user to call upon 300% of their total ki. In Gregory’s case, he has chosen to use Lightbringer at full power twice in a row.”

Jacek was in awe, “What power!”

Jarek nodded, “Of course, the limitation of such a sword is that the user can only ever wield it once in a lifetime. For him to choose to use such a weapon against Xenia really speaks to the respect he has for her power.”

The three looked on as the God Sword flew down the column of light impaling Xenia to the ground. Erika and Jacek flinched as it made impact; however, Jarek stood coldly firm as if he had seen similar happenings thousands of times before.

Jarek then said, “That isn’t all. Did you see how he immobilized Xenia?”

Jarek continued, “That sword contains the souls of Gregory’s ancestors… or at least a component of their souls. Their residual ki floats in the ambient air surrounding the sword and aids the wielder at their own discretion. It is unpredictable and powerful. Fighting against someone with that sword is fighting the collective might of a family tree.”

Erika looked on as Xenia squirmed with the impaled sword in her chest. It was a sad sight for Erika. She hated watching any life form in pain; however, this one she could bear to witness at least. Erika then said, “In that case, this match is all but over, isn’t it?”

Jarek nodded, “All but over. Yes.”

Jacek shook his head no, “I don’t know. Xenia hasn’t shown even a sliver of the power I know her to have. This is all very strange.” Jarek and Erika looked to Jacek with a bit of irreverence, and Jacek continued, “All I am saying is that Gregory had better finish her while he has the chance. He needs to act now.”

Just as Jacek finished his sentence, Gregory yelled for the third time, “Lightbringer! 100%!”

Jacek looked on in confusion as he softly said, “Then again… maybe this is the end for Xenia.”

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Elsewhere within the Saber Fortress, Victoria, Nero, and Constance watched the live broadcast of the battle as well.

Constance sat next to Nero after watching Xenia take the first Lightbringer attack. Xenia was pinned to the ground in devastating anguish, and Constance urgently asked Nero, “What is she doing?! She is powerful enough to escape whatever force that was holding her in place! Is she playing?”

Nero frowned, “I’m not yet sure. But I can be sure of one thing. That energy chain around her ankles was unusually powerful, and it wasn’t directly conjured by Gregory.”

Constance was in a bit of a flurry. Then she heard Gregory yell, “Lightbringer! 100%!” for the second time, and she tugged on Nero’s arm, “Should we do something? Should we help her?”

Nero shook his arm and yelled, “And dishonor her status as a supreme warrior?! Don’t ever mention that again!”

Constance settled down and said, “I apologize Nero, but I am currently watching my best friend get pummeled by one of the most powerful Masters in the world. Tell me she isn’t outmatched is all I ask.”

Nero looked at her, “I think I understand your worry, Constance. However, it is misplaced.”

Constance felt a wave of relief rush over her at the sound of his words. He then said, “I am not saying she will have the last laugh, or that she will win this battle. But what I can tell you is that each warrior has their own way. Xenia’s way is… unlike most.”

Constance frowned, “Her way is usually not to get her ass handed to her. I have never seen this.”

Nero chuckled, “She knows how important this battle is. She isn’t allowing herself to have ‘her ass handed to her’ on global broadcast for fun. She is doing it to build her warrior spirit. It’s a dangerous game, but if she survives, the pain she loves so much will have broken her through to new heights.”

Constance whipped her head around to face Victoria who had been watching quietly from the back of the room, and she asked, “Is this true? Xenia is merely steeling her warrior’s spirit in the pain of enemy attacks right now?”

Victoria shook her head, “I don’t know what my daughter is doing. Playing, toying, steeling, testing, I don’t know. But I sure wish she would stop being such a showman.”

Constance furrowed her brow at Victoria, “You’re not at all worried about her?”

Victoria smiled, “Nero is probably right about her building her spirit or whatever. But he is wrong about one thing.” Nero turned to look at her with a face of intrigue. She continued, “There can be no doubt about who wins this battle. From this day forward, the world will both love and fear Xenia.”

Nero and Constance both looked at her with a bit of skepticism as they turned back to the TV. Gregory yelled, “Lightbringer! 100%!!” for the third time, and Xenia was still a sitting duck impaled on his sword.

However, even in the face of the impending death of her best friend, Constance felt no anxiety. After all, the Empress herself had an unwavering confidence in Xenia. And that was enough for her.

_________________________________

Gregory smiled and said, “Oh no you don’t! On behalf of the Holy Light Empire and indeed the world, I hereby sentence you to death for the crimes known to all, too many to count.”

He stepped forward once again and yelled, “Lightbringer! 100%!!”

Xenia began to laugh. It was a chaotic and crazed laugh that made every viewer at home around the world question her sanity.

As the clouds above flickered with golden light preparing for the next column of Lightbringer energy, Xenia began to move on the ground. She was pleased to see no golden energy shackles holding her down which saved her some energy.

The blade of the sword was oriented along the long axis of her body, and she forcefully slid her body along the ground and down the blade. The sword was immobile, and as she moved, the sword’s razor-sharp blade cut from her chest down into her abdomen. She beared and grinned through the pain of using the impaled sword to cut through her own body in order to escape being skewered to the ground.

Once she had dragged her body through the sword and into her abdomen, she rotated ninety degrees before rolling to the right with every ounce of strength she had. The sword sliced through her obliques and her internal organs including her kidney as she did.

She fell flat on her face and chest as she rolled. She lay on the ground bleeding profusely from the ‘L’ shaped incision she had just forced upon herself to escape her predicament.

Gregory watched as she mutilated her own body on his sword to escape, “An impressive amount of determination to be sure. However, you have only just escaped to be killed immediately.”

He pointed to the sky, and she smiled and began to laugh once again, “You think me dead?” Her armor was shattered in the front, her face bloodied, and her abdomen torn to shreds with huge transmural gashes in her body from the sword blade. Had it not been for Constance tying her leather tunic underneath her armor so tightly, her organs would have long since spilled to the ground.

She then yelled, “Allow me to show you what true might looks like! Pain and mutilation is my warm up! It is what fuels me! You have only awakened my spirit by doing so. Feel fear as you face the wrath of a true BloodStar! The likes not seen since the mighty Empress Victoria in the Great War!”

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head from the immense pain, and she stood in an unbalanced stupor. Gregory couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her, and he pointed to the sky, “I’m afraid it is too late for you, Xenia. Goodbye.”

Just as he finished speaking, a column of golden light shot down from the heavens once more. Golden shackles once again held Xenia in place; however, it was for naught as Xenia had no intention of dodging this time.

The Lightbringer attack hit her dead on. Gregory squinted as he watched the outline of her body through the bright light.

At first, a small baseball sized sphere of crimson red light shone through. Then, a burst of red-black aura outlined Xenia’s body from within the column of light. She stood bathing in Gregory’s attack as her aura not only healed her prior wounds but also protected her from taking more damage.

Gregory took a few steps back as he noticed her silhouette standing effortlessly within the column of light. He quickly thought to himself, “I need my God sword!”

He ran to pull his sword from the ground and once again retreated just in time to see his Lightbringer attack abate with Xenia standing firmly in her place… fully restored.

Although her armor, her tunic, and the rest of her outfit looked worse for wear with some parts shredded, shattered, or even missing, Xenia herself stood beautifully without flaw.

The energy around her was condensed into a red-black menacing aura. Her black hair had transformed to a crimson red which waved in the wind. Her eyes glowed a brilliant red even amidst the beaming afternoon light. Patches of Xenia’s skin peaked through rips and tears in her outfits with a sinister appearance owing to the pulsating red surface veins coursing with an amplified aura in her blood.

Her power had risen exponentially in her state of activated Bloodlust. She held out her hand and BloodBane flew from her back to her hand like a magnet. She activated the sword as the blade sprung to life with a now black-red aura of flickering energy.

Her appearance was god-like, and she had the power to match it. She grinned at Gregory, “And now, Pope Gregory… my warm up is over as well. Shall we begin again?”

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