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Narrator: I know you didn't think we forgot about our favorite Exceed. Transported by the earlier spell Nirvana found himself unconscious in the Holy Forest with only his dreams and Jericho's sheathed sword in his death-like grip keeping him comfort. I wonder... just what exactly has him so deep in slumber?

Nirvana was dreaming of the day that he met Idina and pledged his life to her. Nirvana was close to the bottom of the food chain in the forest he called home. He wasn't born there. He honestly doesn't remember where he was born. One day he woke up in the forest and decided he liked it there. Despite being able to transform into a more humanoid form he wasn't the greatest fighter back then and often bit off a bit more than he could chew. This was sometimes literal as one day he got tired of only eating fish. He wanted some real meat! And real meat he found.

The green color of the wyvern attracted Nirvana to his next meal. It reminded him of himself and knew that this wyvern would be a worthy prey filled with delicious meat. He snuck up behind the wyvern with his self-made hunting knives ready to cut into its tail. The closer he got to the tail the hungrier his stomach, eyes, and mind got. He no longer kept to the plan and just jumped to take a bite out of base of the beast's tail. The green wyvern roared more in anger than pain awakening Nirvana to his senses. A quick and simple [color=lightgreen]"Shit."[/color] escaped from Nirvana's lips before he began his. He soared through the woods on his wings, but that didn't stop the green Wyvern from pursuing him. [color=lightgreen]"Why did I have to try and eat something that also had wings!?"[/color] He yelled through the forest. The wyvern was gaining on him fast and Nirvana knew this was it for him. He found himself cornered into a canyon, not being able to fly anywhere to escape he just backed against a wall. At least he wouldn't be going out with his back turned to the beast. If this was how he was going to meet his end sobeit. He lifted his knives, but he was honestly too scared to fight. He closed his eyes and just accepted his fate.

But his death never came. He opened his eyes to see the Wyvern flying off in the distance. He was confused until he saw a large shadow in front of him. Then he realized it was surrounding him. He gulped before looking up to see a dragon! [color=lightgreen]"Great. Out of the frying pan and into the fire."[/color]

The dragon laughed and despite it being rather loud and a bit gravelly there was a bit of a sweetness to it. Before she spoke he could tell this was a female dragon. "You're funny, little Exceed. Tell me, why do you attack those larger and stronger than you?"

[color=lightgreen]"I could ask you the same. I can tell. You weren't born a dragon. You're one of those slayers, aren't you?"[/color] Nirvana asked her, now strangely feeling calm.

The dragon was surprised by his ability to pick that up so quickly. She flapped her wings causing the wind to pick up in the area before she lifted herself in the air to land in the canyon in front of Nirvana. "That perceptive and still don't know how to pick your battles. I like you. What's your name, Exceed?"

[color=lightgreen]"Nirvana. What's yours, dragon?"[/color]

"Idina." She thought about correcting him, but realized he was only calling her dragon because she called him Exceed and it was clear that he was more than just a regular Exceed.

[color=lightgreen]"Well, Idina. I don't know if I like you yet, but for saving my life I vow mine to yours. I'll protect you, you protect me. We'll be partners, no we'll be family. What do you say?"[/color] Nirvana proclaimed while extending his hand out to her.

Idina looked at his hand for a moment. She hadn't had a hand extended to her in so long and here Nirvana was suggesting that they'd be family. She never thought she'd be able to experience what it was like to have one again. She extended her claw out to his hand for him to shake it. "You got a deal, Nirvana."

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Nirvana's eyes just barely opened in the present. They were filled with tears as he gripped the sword lying across his chest. [color=lightgreen]"I'm sorry, Idina... I couldn't keep my promise to protect you. But I swear I'll always protect---"[/color] His eyes fully opened to see a familiar dragon fighting a four-winged Angel. [color=lightgreen]"Jericho!?"[/color] Nirvana forced himself to his feet. He didn't know where anyone else was, but he had to assume they were safe, just teleported somewhere like he was. They didn't need his help now. Jericho did. He transformed into his humanoid form and activated his Aera magic to increase his speed and zoom through the forest.

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Jericho stood afloat watching Yaorin absorb his attack. He didn't expect a wielder of light to be able to absorb his attack. So this was the true power of Devil-Slaying Magic. This was an Angel. Jericho couldn't help but smirk at the challenge. This was the exact type of fight he needed. He needed to be able to fight others that could absorb magic and adapt to fit his opponent. Fortunately for him he was up against one that loved to hear herself talk. She gave away the way to beat her. But before he could react he felt a foreign will being imposed on him. Absolutely not. He refused to give in control to anyone. He roared out in pain and frustration as Yaorin tried to force him back into his human form.

There was one last roar before a dark flash of light consumed Jericho and once it was gone so was Jericho's giant dragon form. Instead he had one wing, not just that. Only his left side was that of a dragon while his right was fully human. What kind of power was that? The forced detransformation seemed to also have an unintended consequence. His hair turned a ghoulish white and his eyes glowed a bright purple.

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It seemed this desperate act of hers was a double-edged sword as she seemed to partially de-transform as well. Though he was sure that he was meant to fully de-transform. No matter. The playing field remained level, or maybe not. Jericho was confident that he was stronger than she was and she seemed to be of the same mind. She decided she wanted to talk and manipulate him with some story instead of fighting him. This was a grave mistake on her part. She shouldn't have tried to use his mom as a carrot. He loved her and so desperately wished she were alive, but he'd never betray his family to bring her back. They took him in and loved him after she was taken from him. The audacity to even suggest a thing to Jericho pissed him off to no end. 

[color=555588]"Let me tell you where you and your friends fucked up."[/color] Jericho was halfway between himself and his Dragon God persona, but in this moment both were on the same accord. [color=555588]"You underestimated Fenix Tear and I don't mean our strength. I mean our hearts. You're probably like all the others. All you see is unchecked battle hungry mages with dark powers. You think that means our hearts are corrupt. That our desires are selfish and that we'd trample over others for what we want. But you're sorely mistaken! The heart of a Fenix is pure! They face death head-on and rise from the ashes of suffering and defeat to grow stronger to protect who and what they love! How dare you try to trample over that!? You call yourself an Angel, but oh how you've fallen to use the dead to manipulate the living. For your grave sin, I the Dragon God of the Heavens will banish you from this mortal plane."[/color]

A voice called out from below, interrupting Jericho's speech. [color=lightgreen]"Jericho!!! Kick her ass!!!"[/color] Nirvana yelled after throwing Jericho's sword into the sky at him.

Jericho reached out his right arm to catch his sword. [color=555588]"Thank you, Nirvana."[/color] He pointed the sheathed blade at Yaorin. [color=555588]"Thank you for giving him time to give me this."[/color] He threw the sheath off the sword sending it crashing into the forest floor between them. [color=555588]"If my mother's going to be revived it'll be by my power. After I slay the demon that killed her I'll rip through Heaven and tear it asunder to bring her back."[/color]

Not wanting to be a hypocrite Jericho decided it was time to stop talking and end this. His body and sword were both surrounded and enhanced by his Nightfall Dragon Slayer Magic. He appeared in front of Yaorin in a flash slicing her stomach with his blade with additional blunt force to push her away. [color=555588]"1."[/color] He disappeared again, this time appearing behind her and slashing her across her back sending her to the forest floor, but she wouldn't make it there either. [color=555588]"2."[/color] He disappeared again appearing beneath her. He stabbed into her with his left hand's dragon claws before clenching his hand into a fist to punch her back into the air. [color=555588]"3."[/color] He dashed and ran up a large tree to meet her before she started falling again. He launched himself into the air at her hitting her with his turned sword, only hitting her with blunt force this time. He didn't want to kill her this quickly. [color=555588]"4."[/color]

This attack sent her hurtling through the air, but he still wasn't done and pursued after her. He decided to finish this before she had the chance to recover. He performed two consecutive slashes across her torso to create an X. [color=555588]"5. 6."[/color] He then flew behind her to do the same to her back. [color=555588]"7. 8. Death has become your fate. Face my Divine Wrath! Dragon Slayer Secret Arts: Orion: Lingchi!"[/color] Instead of a large explosive area that could potentially harm his nakama Jericho applied the principle of his Rough Silk attack to his Orion attack to turn the eight darkbeams of light into more precise lights that attacked the areas he marked on Yaorin's body with his sword and claws, making it feel like she was being cut a thousand times.