MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

World of Light: the Endless Now

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Meridi-At-Han

Lvl 8 Zenkichi - (6/80) -> Lvl 8 (7/80) (+1 Pending)

Word count: 371 words

Thankfully, the other Seekers stepped in to stop Grimm and the Witch from killing each other before it was too late, with Goldlewis and Zenkichi standing back and watching. He might’ve felt bad if his fellow Former Turk and his carnival game climbing partner hadn’t gotten everything well taken care of. As it was, Zenkichi didn’t really feel any guilt over his inaction, this time.

The Witch, at first glance, didn’t seem terribly threatening, but that fight alone showed that first impressions could be far from reality with how much firepower she was casually slinging. Grimm, on the other hand, had an otherworldly menace about him that belied his power, and the small Grimmchild he summoned once the battle had ended gave Zenkichi a shiver down his spine. Something seemed wrong about the little thing, but far be it from Zenkichi to try and dig deeper into that.

With immaculate timing, pun fully intended, Sandalphon gave Goldlewis a call via the glyph system, and Zenkichi’s heart skipped a beat when he realized what the former Secretary was doing, a tiny smile worming its way onto Zenkichi’s face before he shook it off his head. Now was serious time, dammit! It sounded like the veteran was getting a bit of a hard time from their angelic eye in the sky. Chuckling to himself a little, Zenkichi followed along after Goldlewis, passing him to give the big guy the opportunity to handle the introductions to both Grimm and the Witch. If they wanted to come along, then by all means they could.

As the Seekers and their potential new recruits gathered up outside Meridi-At-Han, Zenkichi’s eyes wandered upward. They wouldn’t see the Avenger unless it wanted to be seen, but instinct had his eyes scanning the sky for the ship nonetheless. ”It’ll be good to see everybody again. Though, I guess it hasn’t been as long for me as it has for the rest of you guys, considering I only showed up partway through the week.” Zenkichi mused aloud. He would’ve liked for the Thieves to join up with the Seekers proper, but Joker was used to leading, not following. And maybe once they found Haru, they could have a proper reunion, too.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Junior, Rika, & Geralt of Rivia

Mafia Town, Assaulting Consul I’s Ship

Word Count:1,779 word (+3)

The ship assaulting seekers approached the cannon mounted vessel with as much haste as they could muster, eyes sharply on the lookout for any retaliation to their brazen assault on this sower of chaos. Yet they found nothing. No look outs, no cannons at the ready. Nothing.

”What a bunch of dummies, just letting anyone and everyone sail up to their ship” Jr declared over confidently.

Geralt, on the other hand, was extremely suspicious as Rika’s whale garnered no reaction from the ship. Tilting his head towards Dave, he nodded at the vessel. “Either ship’s empty, or we’re walking into a trap.” He advised flatly.

Dave just sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much as soon as we got out here and nobody tried to shoot at us. I don’t have that kind of luck.”

Rika, meanwhile, decided to test the self procured name of the vessel, the ”SS Literally Can't Sink”, lancing one of her new floating rocket propelled swords at its hull, and only to have it simply glance off the side of the ship.

”No making stairs out of those then. Guess I’ll just jump up?” Rika supposed, staring up at the hatch they were floating several meters beneath. With all her movement abilities, that wouldn’t be a problem at all.

”oh, oh, give me a piggyback, and we can try out that new move we figured out to bust on in in style!” Jr suggested excitedly, practically bouncing with excitement at the notion.

”mmm, that might bust it” Rika agreed, though that was only going to get them up there.

As Geralt and Dave’s own ride approached, the Witcher looked at his diver companion and frowned. “Gonna be tough to get up there. I might be able to make the jump and climb over the railing, but I don’t think getting you up with me will be easy.” He didn’t beat around the bush of Dave’s weight, but the diver simply nodded, hefting his harpoon gun.

“Can’t hurt to try with this. I can reel in some pretty huge fish with it. You get up there, I’ll shoot the harpoon, and you pull me up on the rope!” Geralt hummed, thinking it over for a few moments before shrugging. He was right, it probably couldn’t hurt to try. If this was an efficient ambush, they’d wait until they were all on board to spring it anyway, to lull them further into a false sense of security.

In-front of them, Rika crouched down on the water, and Jr hopped on her shoulders, which seemed like a bit of an odd move until the ship girl tapped a rune attached to her gauntlet’s palm, and promptly shot up into the air. She rose up and up, then the wall jumped off of the side of the ship just below one of the side hatches. As she did, Jr held his staff sized paint brush above her head, producing a white glow that wove its way down into Rika’s gauntlets, the illumination reaching a peak just as she came in level with the hatch.

There, she seemed to hang in the air, before unleashing a rapid fire barrage of punches, each one accompanied with a burst of holy light, bending and buckling the hatch before drawing bac fore one last punch, only to summon a massive mechanized lance in the grip of her first and to ram forwards with it.

The Black Lance punctured and then shattered the battered hatch, Rika’s energy shield flaring as she and her brother entered the vessel in a shower of shrapnel that would have been devastating to any ambushers.

There were, however, none to be found.

Yet.

As such a moment later both of the kid’s heads popped out the wrecked hole, Rika waving with a big gauntletted while Jr called out that there where ”No dummies here”

On Geralt and Dave’s end, they’d pulled up onto the top deck of the ship, only to realize that their…wasn’t really a top deck of the ship. Geralt had been forced to straddle the railing of the side of the ship and pull Dave over, helping toss him to a cargo container that was suitably high up to not create a large drop. The Witcher himself wound up just dropping to the deck belowship, rolling to break his fall and looking around.

“Nothing down here, either.” He called up to the pair, who were looking outside the ship, possibly having assumed they’d wait for the Koopas to scout ahead. Instead of a great ambush, they found a bunch of cargo containers, and some things Geralt vaguely recognized from Midgar.

”Oh..” Jr replied, a little upset at their flashy way onboard having been unnecessary, while Rika just leaned back in and gave a big thumbs up.

“Huh, a bunch of vending machines?” Dave questioned, puzzled, walking up to one of them. “It’s all wrestling-themed stuff, huh? Guess that makes sense, what with all those Wrestlemania-looking guys messing up the town. We gotta stop them. Bancho Sushi got messed up badly enough as it is!” Dave’s tone was somewhat dramatically despondent, but he’d really grown to love that place. He wasn’t going to put up with somebody messing with it!

Small-scale motivations aside, Geralt agreed, and nodded to show as much, summoning Tartaglia’s Hydro weapons. He might as well get used to fighting with them, though rather than the dual blades, he formed the Hydro energy into a single joined twinblade. “Alright, Junior, Rika, let’s take a look around. Most likely place to find I would be the bridge.”

”I’d settle for that shouty commentator guy” Jr replied while Rika poked her head back out the ship and tossed her golden spinner down to retrieve her whale from the water.

Indeed, said commentator was still banging on about the brawl back in the city, including, apparently, some kind of brawl going down in the mafia headquarters that had nothing to do with the wrestlers themselves: “And would you look at that! The reigning champ of maffia town has combined all of his lackeys into a massive ball that he’s rolling around ontop of! Now that’s something you don’t see every day!”

He was loud enough to be heard on the island itself, which meant that on the ship? Almost painful to hear.

”Aww, and now I wanna see that” Jr moaned at the latest announcement, while Rika shrugged, saying ”Punching I will be better. Probably” while also putting on a pair of headphones under her helmet.

”Oh, yeah, that’ll help” Jr said as he saw this, imitating her, before realizing why she was actually doing it and saying ”oh, no, right, that strategy, got it”

With everyone armed and ready, the quartet advanced up the ship towards the bridge, passing more and more containers containing much of the same, although there were also books with titles like ‘dive kicks for dummies’ on them as well. There was, once again, no resistance. Even when they got to the flame clock sat below the bridge, no one came out to defend it. Not that they knew how to destroy them anyway.

What was interesting, however, was that before this clock there sat 4 panels, a few feet wide, all emblazoned with the serrated sun symbol of what they now knew where respawn pads

”Huh. So I guess these are what Kamek was talking about? Just. Sitting out in the open” Jr commented at the sight of the apparently normally hidden mechanisms of repopulating the world of light, here so brazenly put out on display.

“Huh. Have to admit, I wouldn’t have expected them to be so brazenly displayed, though I suppose there wouldn’t be a problem, since anybody here would either be an enemy, or Gleaming.” Dave’s attention started wandering elsewhere as soon as information more directly related to the grand conflict of the World of Light came out, but when they started getting close to the bridge, his attitude started getting even more serious.

“Alright, everyone, let’s do this.” Geralt warned as he forced open the door to the bridge, seamlessly stepping in and moving to the side to give the others room to enter, Hydro twinblade flourishing as he cast Quen to protect himself.

Rather than an onslaught of fighters, the response to them all bursting in was a shout of “Wow hey, what are you folks doing here the rings over there!” from the announcer as he dove behind the spinning captain’s chair of a surly looking walrus captain who seemed entirely disinterested in their attack. That, and a slow clap from the consul who stood before the window, silhouetted against the setting sun as it hung low over the city she had just brought destruction too.

“Congratulations on making it abroad seekers of-” I began with the tone of a preacher about to deliver a self assured sermon, only for Rika to raise a palm and unleash a hail of gunfire at the Consul.

She made no move to avoid this attack, and instead without nary a thought raised a barrier around her that absorbed the attack, while she shook her head in disappointment.

“So you are here for me then? Sadly I am afraid I have no interest in giving you the satisfaction of battling you” she told them, reaching down and grasping an incredibly heaving looking metallic idol that was sat next to her before saying “but not to worry. For your efforts, I will provide you with a suitable challenge”

She hauled up the idol as if it was nothing, and in that very same moment something massive burst from the water next to the ship, as if by hoisting the idol, she had pulled it something out of the depths. The wave from the rapid emergence of the massive object rocked the ship, sending everyone but her stumbling.

Then a moment later the gigantic hermit crab she had summoned crashed down among the shipping containers down below. Its eyestalks glanced to and fro, before their glowing ire locked upon the bridge, and upon those that had summoned it here, prompting it to shove its claws into one of the shipping containers, and to haul out several of the vending machines in its titanic claws.

Completely disinterested in the fact that she was between the angry monster and its targets, I added that “Oh, and I’m sure the other Consuls will be most interested to know you are here. Perhaps that will bring you the satisfaction you desire” before simply teleporting away.

Right as the vending machines the titanic hermit crab had grabbed came smashing through the glass windows of the bridge.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Edelgard von Hresvelg

Skyworld

Level 2 Edelgard (9/10) -> (1/20)

Word count: 917 words

New Ability for Edelgard

Flickering Flower - A powerful combat arte which, in addition to dealing greatly increased damage compared to a regular attack, stuns an enemy for a period of 5 seconds after use. Has a cooldown of one minute.

With the massive form of Worship finally sunk, the angelic forces rallied shortly before continuing on. Citronpool Harbor itself was already a wasteland by the time Edelgard and Roxas flew by atop Ortho, the angels having attacked the place prior to their arrival. Ortho set down, resting and stretching his wings, angling his body to gently coax the pair of Seekers off so he could take his own break before they all moved on. Once they were on solid ground, Edelgard turned to Roxas.

”While I appreciate your willingness to follow standard military protocol, young man, it is far from necessary for you to subordinate yourself to me. I’ve seen what you and your friends are capable of, and I do understand that you are not likely to stay overlong with Lady Palutena’s forces. My commands to my platoon are not strictly yours to follow, nor are you required to address me by rank or title. You may refer to me simply as Edelgard, or Lady Edelgard should you feel the need to use some sort of title.” The smile on her face was real, but there was a sort of put-on patience to it that hinted at a deeper dissatisfaction that the presence of the Seekers was required, rather than at it in general.

”That aside, we had best get our preparations finished. They won’t wait for us to begin the final assault. If there’s anything you need to do, now is the time.” Her piece said, Edelgard went to a large, open space to await Ortho’s return, once the griffin had spread its wings sufficiently.

After she and Roxas were aboard Ortho and airborne once more, Edelgard steeled herself for the coming battle. This was the stronghold of the Corruption, Skyworld’s greatest enemy. It would be no simple feat to find and purge the source, to end the battle against this most dreadful foe. All of their preparations came to this.

The sight of the final island filled Edelgard with more confusion than dread. The geography, if it could be called such, resembled no sane place. Were her mind weaker, she might find that more disturbing, but she had seen her fair share of horror in this war. No, she was ready to do battle, to put an end to this war. As Ortho grew closer, the details of the creatures, if they could be called such, on the train grew clear. Little more than physical manifestations of Corruption with limbs and weapons, the things slithered about the train of evil like maggots on a rotting corpse.

After a bit more flying, Ortho passed over the track, keeping his flight path aligned with it for a few moments, to give Edelgard, and Roxas if he so chose, time to dismount and land aboard the vile locomotive.

Edelgard’s own landing let out a thunderous sound, and a bevy of Corrupted turned to her, pausing for a moment before they broke out into a frenzied attack. Following behind her a moment later were the black Eagles, and they set upon the Corrupted things like they never had before, emboldened by the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Swords flashed out, Shields and Staves bolstered their allies, and Bows hovered just out of reach, peppering their foes with arrows.

The Corrupted were not without means to fight back, however. Disgusting things stretched their bodies, granting them much more range with which to attack the flying Featherbows with their many flailing hands, seeking to pull them into a maw of horrors. One type of Corrupted had a sort of steam-powered cannon, launching balls of Corruption into the ranks of angelic forces, threatening to overwhelm and turn them on their allies. Another belched fire from the furnace that comprised its furnace, while others could only swipe at Edelgard and the angels with their sharpened, blighted talons.

”Do not falter here, Black Eagles! We have come to the heart of this Corruption, the very bastion of our enemies! We will emerge victorious today, just a little more!” A cheer rose up through the ranks of the Eagles, though having fought two battles already, and now a third against a fresh enemy, Edelgard knew that many of them would not return. She did not dwell long on this inevitability, but she accepted it all the same. The lives given today would grant every denizen of Skyworld a new future. One full of hope and light. Their sacrifices would not be in vain.

Edelgard’s axe flickered out in a rapid, familiar pattern against a particularly large creature with more arms and legs than she could count, the Empress unleashing Flickering Flower against the Corrupted monster. As the arte carved into the thing, it found itself overwhelmed by the force, and slumped, stunned for a few seconds. Edelgard wasted no time in climbing onto the creature, much as she had done to Beloved, to get her licks in. Her shield slammed into one of its masked faces, and Aymr crashed into its inky form, even as fire licked over her armor from a forge-gut Corrupted that a Feathersword crashed into from above, cleaving the thing in twain with a single blow. ”Th-thank you.” Edelgard grunted out, even as she carved and tore her quarry in twain, disgusting globules of Corruption hanging off her armor like worms writhing in dirt after the rain. Shaking herself off not unlike a dog, Edelgard launched herself into another assault, trusting her comrades to watch her back.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Edelgard von Hresvelg

Skyworld

Level 1 Edelgard (6/10) -> (9/10)

Word count: 1,928 words

As Roxas battled Beloved, Edelgard used her overwhelming strength to annihilate each Corrupted that dared face her. Compassions tried to buzzsaw their way through the ranks, but they found themselves parried by Swords and blocked by Shields, while Bows and Staffs buffeted them with arrows and magic. Ayfids were, ironically, the greatest threat, as the angelic attackers had to focus their efforts on preventing the Compassions and other Corrupted from carving through their ranks, leaving the flying magic-users the room they needed to attack from afar. When they could, Featherbows took aim at the flying Corrupted, but this was not as often as they needed.

As Edelgard struck down another Corrupted angel that challenged her, she felt a blade slash across her face, leaving a cut in its wake that a Featherstaff quickly healed. A Sycophant rose from its ambush, having caught the Empress off guard. It quickly launched a series of slashes aimed at her joints and head, looking to take advantage of any possible weak spots her armor had. It was hardly enough to leave more than superficial damage, though she found herself having a hard time actually closing the distance the Sycophant kept creating to strike it. In so chaotic a melee, that shouldn’t have been possible, but the Corrupted assassin was acrobatic enough to duck and weave around and through its surroundings.

It was when the Sycophant leapt forward to strike again that Edelgard found her opportunity. She hefted Aymr, bashing the haft of the ax against the Corrupted’s arm. Her shield crashed into its face next, knocking it back and into a Feathersword which whirled on the Sycophant, carving a deep gash into its back before an arrow sprouted from its side, finishing the monster off. ”Thank you.” Edelgard offered, as Roxas crashed into the ground next to her and rolled to his feet. As his Curaga washed over the assembled angelic forces, Edelagrd smiled at the Nobody. ”Thank you, as well.”

With Roxas back in the melee, Edelgard took his place fighting Beloved. The golem was clearly on its last legs, with Roxas having dealt an incredible amount of damage in a short amount of time. Between his fast attacks and easy access to Beloved’s weakest points, Edelgard didn’t feel too overshadowed by the Nobody’s success, but a twinge of jealousy did burn in her for the relative ease with which Roxas had done what he did. If that was magic she could learn? It would help negate her greatest weakness!

Stepping forward and disregarding that line of though, Edelgard bellowed out a war cry to challenge beloved, who ran forward and used its momentum to unleash a truly devastating overhead slash. Even Edelgard felt her bones aching as she barely blocked the blow, her shield ringing from the impact. Undaunted, she stepped forward and swung Aymr into Beloved’s already-damaged leg, the cracked limb finally buckling under the barrage of blows. While it didn’t shatter completely, this last impact sent deep cracks running across the leg’s length, and Beloved found himself bowed once more. Instead of climbing its back to gain access to its Corruption cluster, Edelgard crashed Aymr onto Beloved’s skull from the front, her Crests glowing from the effort as Beloved went from kneeling to completely prone. Imperiously, Edelgard climbed onto Beloved’s back from its shoulder, hefting Aymr with another war cry.

”FOR LADY PALUTENA!” She roared, as Aymr struck Beloved’s most vulnerable point, destroying the Corrupt Champion finally. She watched as Roxas helped her angels clean up the last of the Corrupted forces, a Featherstaff having left the battle to heal her up. Taking the Spirit left behind by beloved, Edelgard frowned at it. ”The relic of a difficult foe. I wonder what might be gained from you?” Storing the Spirit for now, Edelgard joined the others as Palutena’s forces gathered in the Great Hall.

The corpse of Legion, more specifically the gargantuan eye that its head had become, disgusted Edelgard so greatly that she had to look away, lest the bile tickling the back of her throat spill forth. She kept it out of her direct line of sight as she fought the Corrupted, though she found that doing so made her less effective a combatant. What a horrific thing to unleash upon the world. It was no wonder that Lady Palutena wanted it, and these abominations, destroyed. Thankfully, it was not long before the very same Goddess acted, her voice ringing out in the great hall. A moment later, the hall shook as its ceiling began to collapse inwards, huge chunks of masonry crashing onto the Corrupted forces, crushing many of them as the heavenly army rallied, with Uriel and Nathaniel taking the fight directly to the source of their woes, destroying the dreadful disc and freeing them from its effects. The Corrupted that remained fell in moments, and finally, all was calm. The angels cheered, and Edelgard felt the joy of victory sweep through her, her own hand rising in triumph.

Unfortunately, their revelry was short-lived. Celia returned with Ortho to both congratulate them and remind them that this was only one part of their efforts. Sighing, Edelgard boarded the majestic Griffin, bidding Roxas join her. As they rose, they saw what had demoralized the other angels, the massive Corrupted ship-weapons approaching them, albeit slowly. ”While I am ready for more battle, the Black Eagles did suffer some casualties, and not all of them are in perfect fighting shape.” She reported to Roxas and the other Lieutenants and Captains, frowning.

Their despair, also, was short-lived, as Lady Palutena directly intervened in the battle once more, summoning a Dream Blossom to light the sky for them. A wave of cheering exploded amongst the angels once more, and Edelgard smiled. This was why she respected Lady Palutena so deeply, why she fought so fiercely for her. She cared. She oversaw the battle from afar, but rather than handing down orders dispassionately, she bided her time and her power to utilize it where it made the greatest difference, trusting her followers to handle the smallest of details.

Ortho took off with his passengers, charging into the Corrupted lines like a missile himself, charging directly at a Kinship. Edelgard understood immediately what he planned, and turned her head to warn Roxas. ”He means to have me board a Kinship! You are free to join, or remain on his back, but when the ship is scuttled, he will be returning to pick me up!” True to what she said, Ortho was taking them directly into the path of one of the Kinships, from which arrows and missiles were launched aplenty. Ortho’s immense size and front-facing armor meant most of these arrows pinged off him without so much as a blink, but he had to be careful to dodge the missiles, even as he swiped at the ones he passed with talon and wing. It was far from a smooth ride, but at least it was quick: within two minutes of takeoff, Ortho passed over one of the Kinships, giving Roxas and Edelgard time to drop down.

Edelgard’s landing was unmistakable, and though a small contingent of the Black Eagles had come with her, the rest stayed with Ortho, taking the battle to the skies and cutting down hordes of angels while their leader and her guard dealt with the strategic assets. Edelgard glared menacingly at the Corrupted that turned to face her, some dropping their bows and drawing knives and short swords with which to fight in close quarters. Her Featherswords darted out to take down the archers that kept their focus outwards, while Edelgard charged forth to cut down the ones who had taken to defending the ship.

As the weaker Corrupted dissolved into ash, Edelgard collecting their Spirits, the pair of Corrupted angels that helmed the ship strode forth, greatswords at the ready. Edelgard cursed, knowing her weakness against their arms, but she was not deterred. Aymr was no mere ax: it was a representation of her power, her lineage, her struggles. And she was not alone, as her Featherswords made short work of the corrupted archers, though the sheer numbers meant that they would not be able to rejoin her until this battle was well underway.

These angels had clearly been of somewhat higher rank than many she had faced before, as Edelgard found that they took more than a blow or two to fell, unlike some of the others she had faced before. That proved troublesome, though Edelgard’s constitution was nowhere near frail enough to be overwhelmed by two simple foes, swordbearers or not. She held them at bay with her shield, even as their repeated blows sent shockwaves of force through her arm, before taking her opportunity to strike. The Corrupted angel she chose avoided her first swing, though Edelgard followed up with a shoulder check into a shield bash which sent the angel reeling. She crashed Aymr onto it with an overhead swing, wincing in pain as the other Corrupted took the opportunity to attack her exposed back. Still, her plate kept the wound from being more than a nuisance, and she repeated her overhead swing to destroy the corrupted angel before turning to its fellow, who started to advance before an angelic sword exploded through its chest, leaving it to dissolve into ash as a Feathersword saluted Edelgard, gesturing to the rest of the ship. “Lady Edelgard, the ship is cleared. We are free to destroy it and move on.”

”Very well. Send for Ortho, and we shall scuttle this ship before we do so. We must prevent the massive ship from reaching Skyworld.” Nodding at the command, the Feathersword flew off, almost immediately spotting the regal divine beast and making a beeline for him.

Once Ortho returned and Edelgard was onboard with Roxas once more, they made their way towards the figure of Worship, with the Black Eagles taking the front to deal with the smaller Corrupted that protected the missile-ship. While her angels did their duty, Ortho took Edelgard and Roxas close enough to attack. Edelgard stashed Aymr, instead gathering her short axes to throw at the ship. As Midna and her angels pulled back after dealing a crippling blow, Ortho pulled them around the other side of the monstrous ship, another smaller face exposing itself to attack.

The angelic griffin lashed out with its talons before fully opening his wings to duck backwards away from an attack, and Edelgard threw an axe into the face, following up with a fireball for good measure. As Ortho moved back in, the cherubic face opened to reveal a disgusting three-pronged maw, which Edelgard swung at with her held short ax a few times, and Ortho clawed at with his talons once more. As the maw slammed shut on Ortho’s wing, trapping him, Edelgard’s Gleaming eyes blazed with fury. She summoned Aymr once more from her inventory, grabbing hold of the Corrupted flesh with one hand and carving into it with her weapon, sawing as if her weapon were a carpenter’s tool, and not a twisted facsimile of a Hero’s Relic.

Taking a chunk of flesh from the Corrupted maw, Edelgard had given Ortho enough room to free his wing, though it was visibly damaged. As they backed away to let another group attack, Edelgard gently ran her hand through Ortho’s feathers as she chanted her healing spell, focusing the magic on Ortho’s wounded wing. ”The others will have to do the rest. Let us deal with the small fry before continuing to Citronpool Harbor.”

World of Light: the Endless Now

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Meridi-At-Han

Lvl 8 Zenkichi - (5/80) -> Lvl 8 (6/80) (+1 Pending)

Word count: 692 words

Rayna and Avmar’s arrival was timed just as Zenkichi’s revolvers clicked dry, and he decided to try out a new weapon: Konoe’s Hero’s Sword. The beam sword was heavier than it looked, though not as heavy as his usual weaponry. He pushed forward, calling out to the pair he vaguely recognized: ”Focus the legs! If you get it down to the ground, I can finish it off!” He vaguely recognized the monster rider from around the city, though they’d never gotten the chance to sit down and talk while she was hanging out with Primrose. Maybe after this, they’d all grab a much-needed drink!

As the crocodilian monster continued her rampage, Zenkichi, Rayna, and Avmar dodged, ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged their way away from punches, kicks, and tail swipes. Zenkichi found himself bearing the brunt of the damage, as Rayna and her Velocidrome were much faster, but that was alright. Finally, after the 180 seconds (minus a bit due to a few buffs) passed, Zenkichi felt more than saw Sandalphon’s halo appear above his head as he received Sigil Released, shedding a faint light. He whooped with excitement, jumping forward and slashing at Lizzie with newfound confidence. As he slashed at her leg, he used Tyrael’s Smite ability, summoning a pillar of fire on her left leg, that also left behind a small energy field that Rayna and Avmar took no time taking advantage off, getting a quick speed boost that let them dash around and land a vicious jumping bite attack on Lizzie’s calf, forcing the monster down as blood oozed out of the wound.

Meanwhile, Zenkichi let himself get hit by Lizzie’s tail, grabbing hold of the appendage even as he was dragged along the ground. He pulled himself onto her tail and grunted, running up it as Lizzie stopped to balance herself and stabbing the Hero Sword into her tail, dragging it up with him. The crocodilian shrieked angrily, shaking back and forth to try and dislodge him, but Zenkichi wrapped his legs around her tail like he was a cowboy trying to stay on a bucking stallion. While she bucked and struggled to get him off, Zenkichi stabbed the Hero Sword into her flesh as a handhold, putting his all into staying on as the superheated blade carved deeper and deeper into reptilian flesh.

Kayna and Avmar did not let this opportunity go to waste, as Lizzie’s wild, desperate thrashing made sure they were far from her highest priority. The pair charged forward to attack, with Rayna leaping off her Velocidrome to slash at Lizzie’s face with her sword, carving a line in her face and drawing even more blood. The crocodile monster roared again in pain, while Avmar slashed at her legs, jumping up to grab hold of her exposed belly with his jaws, ripping and tearing at scales while Sun Guards and assorted monster hunters piled on their own attacks, now confident they wouldn’t meet the same fate some of the more fragile defenders had before now.

Another brutal bite to her leg caused Lizzie to falter, stumbling and crashing into the ground. The defenders cheered and rushed forward, Rattler bolts and blasts of energy flying into the massive creature. Zenkichi pulled himself to his feet and dismissed the Hero Sword, resummoning the massive Greatsword that he had begun the battle with. Hefting the blade high, he let out a mighty yell as he crashed it down into Lizzie’s head, monstrous size proving the key to inordinate exsanguination.

With a torrent of blood, Lizzie’s destruction came to an end, and Zenkichi let out a sigh. ”Well, that’s disgusting.” Nonetheless, he stooped to collect the Spirit left by the invader, before turning to the others. ”Go help deal with that last one! I’m going to check on the carnival.” Having no real authority beyond possibly being the strongest there, Zenkichi’s rallying cry only inspired a hurried reassignment of priority, rather than a heroic ride of Big Damn Heroes, but it was enough to make some room for him to rush down to the carnival grounds to catch the beginning of Grimm’s fight with the mysterious necromancer.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Geralt of Rivia

Mafia Town

Lvl 14 Geralt (22/140) -> Lvl 14 (24/140) (+2 pending)

Word count: 915 words

Geralt didn’t participate much in the ensuing conversations, using his snagged pons to pay for a meal of Black & White Snapper sushi. The news about Consuls 𝙸 and V was welcome, even if it was somewhat minimal. The news about Limsa, on the other hand…made Geralt sigh. “Damn. Knowing what we know now, it was inevitable, but…damn. He sighed, shaking his head. “Consuls. Keep making things worse here.” Between the constant attacks, and the loss of their military leader, Limsa might not last much longer. Unfortunately, the Seekers had bigger fish to fry in the Consuls and Guardians.

Juri’s idea of fighting them was bold, but rash. Geralt didn’t pipe in and say as much, digging ravenously into his sushi instead, but the others didn’t hop on board, so he figured they’d most likely go after the potential Guardian next.

As he was musing on this, 𝙸’s ship appeared on the horizon, resulting in the customers of Bancho Sushi congregating on the balcony railing to see what was going on. When Nadia blurted out that she saw a Flame Clock, Geralt sighed before speeding his eating. He wasn’t missing dinner, Consul or no.

He’d just finished his sushi as the announcer finished his spiel, and he stood with a frown on his face. “That was actually good. I’d have liked to enjoy it.” Now thoroughly annoyed by the incursion, Geralt left the restaurant just behind the others, leaving Junior and Rika inside as the Koopa armed his Abyssal sister. As the other Seekers darted off, he stepped out of Bancho Sushi. Geralt drew his sword with a dismissive sneer, walking towards a group of fighters that had just landed and were looking for a fight.

“Come get it, whoresons.” He snarled as he drew the Sign of Quen, the protective shield shimmering to life around him. Three on one was hardly a fair fight, but Geralt didn’t care to make it fair for the invading enemies. He sidestepped the first punch, bringing his sword up and across the man’s chest, spinning to launch him away with a kick as he pivoted his stabilizing foot to turn towards the woman charging at him in a Bull Rush, turning her momentum against her by crashing the pommel of his sword into her face, knocking her legs out from under her. As she was sent sprawling, Geralt turned towards the third, larger man who seemed to have much more patience.

The bulky fighter stalked forward, muscles bulging and glistening with sweat, a vicious sneer on his face. Before he got too close, he let out a bellowing roar, which gave himself and his allies health regen. Then he ran forward, spinning around to dodge Geralt’s sword with surprising speed, before launching into an Omega Uppercut that knocked Geralt on his back, Quen broken in a single hit.

Groaning, the Witcher pushed himself back to his feet as the three fighters, now healing from the roar, advanced. Changing tactics, he transformed into his Ardor Blossom Identity, tossing a pair of fireballs at the advancing wrestlers. The big guy took the hit without complaint, while the woman ducked beneath it and ran at him. Geralt backpedalled, throwing more blasts of fire to build up energy. When the first male fighter got close, Geralt lashed out with his claws, blocking a high kick with his forearm as he raked the man’s face. He groaned, backing up to give his female partner room to Bull Rush Geralt, but all three enemies found themselves tripped up by Ground Shaker, the energy explosions finishing off the first man.

Charging up a group of fireballs, Geralt launched them at the two remaining enemies, setting both ablaze. His follow-up fireballs caused a chaining burst of flame that finished off the woman, but the larger man seemed only lightly perturbed. He bellowed again, re-upping his health regen, before charging at Geralt.

This time, Geralt returned to his natural Identity, sidestepping and counter-attacking with Aard to shake the fighter’s balance, before unleashing a rapid series of sword slashes to draw blood. Even bloody and battered, though, this fighter was unrelenting, and he launched another omega Uppercut that caught Geralt on the way back, though it was only a glancing blow. “Getting tired of you.” He sighed, putting his sword away and summoning Tartaglia’s Hydro Blades. His slashes came even faster, and the onslaught proved too much to handle for the muscular invader, who fell silently, a defiant glare on his face.

Geralt grabbed the Spirits from the three, stashing them in one of his pouches at about the same time Junior and Rika left Bancho Sushi. He heard Rika say they should go after the Consul’s ship, and despite his misgivings earlier, Geralt decided he’d have to go along. If not to inconvenience the Consuls, at least to make sure Bowser didn’t come back to an empty nest. “I’ll go with you.” He told the pair, making a running leap onto Rika’s White Whale, and stopping to heal himself with First Aid in the process. “If you need a quick heal as well, I’ll take care of that, but it’s less useful in combat. Takes a second or two to use, which is fine if you can take the attention off me, but that isn’t always possible. I also have a few more powerful offensive spells, but one takes even longer.” Best to make sure they knew exactly what he could do before they started the fight.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Edelgard von Hresvelg

Level 1 Edelgard (4/10) -> (6/10)

Word count: 863 words

As they traded blows, both Edelgard and Beloved felt the damage their foe was dealing. For Beloved, each strike was little more than a chip in its marble form, but Edelgard had allies healing her, greatly slowing Beloved’s progress in defeating her. Roaring with corrupted fury, it leaned down and grabbed the Flame Emperor bodily, lifting her up and squeezing her. Edelgard let out a cry of pain even as her Featherstaffs poured on the healing, but the few that could take their attention away from the featherswords holding off Corrupted reinforcements could not take away all of the damage.

Beloved slammed Edelgard into the ground, hefting its ax and swinging it to summon a magical meteor swarm, which the Feathershields had almost no time to react to. A number of Featherswords and Featherstaffs died in the attack, though one quick Shield managed to reflect part of the attack with its Reflect Magic. Beloved was not deterred, however, and it lashed out with a kick to Edelgard, which she had much less time to react to.

Barely hefting her shield in time, Edelgard was nonetheless knocked off balance and exposed to a follow-up attack, which crashed her into the floor with meteoric force. Beloved roared in triumph, stepping over and past Edelgard to attack the Featherstaffs and Feathershields that had been helping her. They scattered, giving ground to warn the rearguard of the impending threat, though each knew that Edelgard would not be felled by such a blow.

True to form, she rose once more, fury blazing in her eyes as she watched Beloved swat a Feathershield away like a gnat, the angel crashing into the Citadel’s wall and slumping as it dissolved into ash. She stalked forward, pointing at the marble colossus and launching a fireball at it. The magic struck true, fire licking at Beloved’s back and earning a bellowing shriek of surprise as it turned to face Edelgard. The assembled angels took that moment to swarm Beloved, Swords taking to the air to crash into its back and head, Bows firing arrows like machine guns at its back and joints, while the Shields held back the Corrupted lines and Staffs kept the group alive, mending wounds and firing blasts of energy between bouts of healing.

The swarm of foes caused Beloved to lash out with magic once more, but this time the Shields were ready, and the Black Eagle Strike Force showed the Corrupted exactly what it meant to be lead by an Emperor. With a single cry from a Sword, the shieldbearers and melee frontliners seamlessly swapped places, the Feathershields hefting their shields and using everything they had to block as much damage as they could, while the Bows got out of dodge, flying up and away from the impacts of the meteor swarm. The Staffs stayed to heal the survivors, and Edelgard took the opportunity to strike.

Beloved’s massive frame meant that it could close distance much quicker than Edelgard, but it also meant that Edelgard had plenty of target to hit. As soon as Beloved was distracted, she lowered her shield and struck, Aymr crashing into Beloved’s heel, again and again. Her Featherbows launched fusillades of arrows into its face, while Edelgard chopped a gouge into its leg from behind. Soon, the Corrupted champion fell to its knee, giving Edelgard her chance. She dropped her shield entirely, kicking it aside so as not to let it be damaged, and she leapt onto Beloved’s back. She dug her boots into its body, finding whatever purchase she could as she used Aymr like an ice ax, pulling herself onto the Corrupted champion with a grunt. Freeing her ax, she lifted it as high as she could, and struck with all her might, slamming the blade of her False Hero’s Relic into the same spot she’d hit with a fireball earlier.

The piercing crack of marble breaking was like music to Edelgard’s ears, and she smiled as Beloved thrashed beneath her, its elbow lashing out wildly to try and knock her off. Instead of colliding with her, it met a barrier and halted. Edelgard smirked as her second Crest saved her, and before Beloved could recover, she struck again, Aymr cracking through and punching a hole in the monster’s back. Within lied an angry, glowing red pustule of corruption, and Edelgard raised her ax to strike once more, but Beloved rallied as its inevitable demise drew closer, thrashing its body wildly and bucking Edelgard from its back.

The Corrupted champion rose once more, roaring in demonic fury, and leapt backwards before launching yet another barrage of magical meteoroids at the Black Eagles. Yet again, the Shields took defensive positions, but this time the Corrupted were more ready. They slipped past the Swords, abandoning the melee they’d been locked into, and spread out, targeting the defending Shields, the dodging Bows, and the healing Staffs. The battle went from a well-organized fight to a chaotic flailing of weapons, and Edelgard found herself wading back into the fight, taking down Corrupted left and right to free up her angels. ”Do not falter, Black Eagles! This will take everything we have! For Lady Palutena!”

World of Light: the Endless Now

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Lvl 8 Zenkichi - (3/80) -> Lvl 8 (5/80) (+1 Pending)

Word count: 936 words

As Zenkichi watched the circus, letting himself be taken in by the festivities, he gasped along with the other patrons when a ball of fire exploded against the top of the tent, before beginning to consume the tent. People screamed, launching out of their seats and scrambling towards the exits, crashing into each other and shoving each other about. Zenkichi stood with a sigh, grunting as somebody shoved past him.

”Jeeze…” He muttered, squaring his shoulders and entering the crowd, using his height to see what was going on ahead of everybody. The Grimm Troupe had all but abandoned the crowd, making Zenkichi roll his eyes. Bunch of jerks… he thought as the crowd managed to escape the tent, spreading out to a new horror: a trio of massive monsters attacking the city. A giant ape, a giant werewolf, and a giant crocodile on two legs. They were acting like stereotypical monsters, destroying buildings, killing people, and generally causing mayhem.

Well, he supposed it wasn’t super surprising that the city surrounded by a bunch of big monsters got attacked by a bunch of big monsters. It still sucked, though. The crocodile-looking one was closest to the tent, so Zenkichi took off after it, Phantom Thief attire appearing on him. He drew his newly-purchased weapon, the one that looked and felt more like it was just a giant club of iron, and leapt at Lizzie. Her massive size meant that he was more like a particularly annoying squirrel in relation, but the sheer bulk of his weapon, and the force he put behind it, meant it still did some damage. In return, he got a kick to the body, which launched him back, ragdolling as he tumbled head-over-heels into a wall, crashing through it and stopping on the other side of the ruined home he was now in.

”Oooowwwwww…” He groaned, forcing himself back up. Note to self: buff before attacking giant monsters. Probably defense in this case. It didn’t do him any good to die in two hits, after all. ”Alright, here goes. Restoration protocol, activate!” He cried as he stepped out of the home, Sandalphon’s Covenant transforming from Preservation Protocol to the aforementioned Restoration. ”Now, Valjean! Rakukaja!” The familiar feeling of a major defense buff eased some of Zenkichi’s worries, and the healing light that washed over him took quite a bit of the edge off.

Zenkichi ran in after her, pointing upwards at Valjean appeared once again. ”No holding back! One-Shot Kill!” He yelled, and Valjean obeyed, lashing out with its chains as a massive spectral bullet crashed into Lizzie, knocking her back a step. The healing that revitalized him from the Covenant felt nice, but the monster’s attention being pulled directly onto him most certainly did not. ”Uh oh…” He sighed, hefting his greatsword to try and mitigate some of the incoming damage.

Thankfully, between the obscene heft of the greatsword, and Rakukaja’s defense buff, he only found himself being pushed back by the punch, instead of launched away. A group of Sun Guard warriors ran past, using bows and a variety of anachronistically high-tech weapons to attack the monster. Huh, those were pretty cool, actually.

Returning his attention to Lizzie, Zenkichi decided to try one of his new moves. He dodged around her leg while she was distracted for a moment, and lifted the greatsword, power and flames coalescing around it as he charged. He let the flames build until they were almost impossible to see past, at which point he slammed his sword into the ground, cracking the stone and unleashing a chain of explosions around him, burning away a few of the scales on her heel.

Lizzie roared in response, reaching down to grab Zenkichi and attempt to crush him, most of the air forced from his body. He managed to gather just enough breath to utter a damage curse, however:

”Megi…dolaon!” As Lizzie squeezed tighter, practically screaming in his face to shut him up, Zenkichi smirked as a bolt of light crashed into Lizzie’s head, Megidolaon catching her off guard and causing her to drop him.

”Oooowwwwwww….that…that really freakin’ hurt…” He groaned as he staggered to his feet. Restoration Protocol had triggered too early to mitigate the damage from the fall, though it had still just about topped him up beforehand. His knees just didn’t enjoy that. A pair of Sun Guards rushed up to him, one helping him up, while the other fired what looked like an armless repeating crossbow up at the monster.

“Let’s go, sir! You’ve done enough!” The man yelled as he pulled Zenkichi up. “Duvad, we’re pulling back!” The man with the Rattler, apparently Duvad, turned back to nod, but both Zenkichi and the Sun Guard gaped in shock as the man was launched into a wall from a kick, crashing to the ground, groaning weakly. "DUVAD!!!!" He shouted, hauling Zenkichi to his feet before pulling him into a dead sprint, racing after the dying man. “No, Duvad! Stay with me!” He begged, grabbing his friend and desperately doing whatever he could to help.

Zenkichi, however, knew what to do. ”Rakukaja!” Staring directly at Duvad, the buff, followed by Sandalphon’s Restoration Protocol, washed over the man, and he gasped as his wounds were brought from imminently fatal to merely grievous, both guards looking at Zenkichi in shock. ”Get him out of here. I have a monster to fight.” He simply ordered, the Sun Guard nodding before carefully lifting Duvad and dragging him out of there.

“Sun go with you, hero. Kill that thing.” Followed Zenkichi as he ran back in, revolvers blazing at Lizzie.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Lvl 8 Zenkichi - (2/80) -> Lvl 8 (3/80) (+1 Pending)

Word count: 303 words

Entering the grounds of the carnival, Zenkichi let out a whistle. ”Wow, this place is actually pretty big. Reminds me of stuff you’d see in a movie about America or something.” He ambled around, taking in the sights, the…giant bug sights. Okay, the whole carnival was ‘manned’ by anthropomorphic bugs, which was freaky as hell to be frank. The music being played by one of the really big guys was very much what he’d have expected from a carnival, even if the…instrument itself…was not, in any way, shape, or form. He gave Brumm an appreciative nod and moved on, passing by Divine’s fortune telling booth.

Shaking his head at the prospect, he moved on by, stopping by a stall to see what kind of food they offered.

Nope, that was food for bugs, on to the next one. Thankfully, this stall had some actual food fit for human consumption, and after a few minutes’ wait, Zenkichi found himself munching on a hot dog slathered with a number of condiments that he wasn’t entirely sure even came from Earth, but nonetheless tasted pretty damn good!

And so it was that Zenkichi enjoyed his time at the carnival until the main attraction was opened to the public, and he joined the throngs of people shuffling inside, paying the token entry fee to see the carnival. The place was still giving Zenkichi the heebie-jeebies, but he had a feeling that was intentional, so it didn’t actually bother him all that much. The little ghosty dudes holding up torches was a nice touch, he thought, even if they added quite a bit to that freaky atmosphere.

As the flaming dance show began, Zenkichi found his head bopping along to the music, a smile on his face as he let go and just enjoyed himself for once.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Edelgard von Hresvelg

Level 1 Edelgard (2/10) -> (4/10)

Word count: 1,176 words

Pit’s enthusiasm earned a nod from Edelgard, while Midna’s practical explanation of her abilities earned the Twilight Princess an appreciative look. She’d heard of the new ‘Twilight Guard’, a squad of angels that utilized the spoils of fallen corrupted (though clearly, as she could see, not haphazardly) to bolster their power. ”I will be sure not to get in your way, then.” She stated, wondering just how destructive those magics that Midna wielded truly were. The servants that she could summon seemed like they could be useful, though Edelgard wondered if they were up to the same level of combat that the angelic soldiers were. Likely not, but Midna would know how best to use the resources at her disposal.

While they were talking, another young man joined them, out of breath and apologetic. ”I see. Well, Roxas, I was just introducing myself to your other companions. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, one of Lady Palutena’s Lieutenants. We were just discussing the tactical options available to us.”

Unfortunately for their ability to converse further, a shadow loomed above them, followed by the beating of gargantuan wings. This otherwise-ill portent heralded not an attack, but the arrival of a majestic and ferocious ally of all present: Ortho, the Griffin. Riding atop the elegant beast was Celia, Lady Palutena’s spymaster. Edelgard understood well the necessity of a good spymaster, but the nature of the job was fairly dark, which unsettled her some. Still, she greeted Celia and Ortho like she would any other ally of hers.

”Celia, Ortho. It is good to see you two. While I am honored, I will admit to some trepidation at treating Ortho as just another beast of burden. However, if Lady Palutena wills it…and Ortho consents, I would be happy to ride such a valiant Griffin to battle.” She gently stroked Ortho’s mane, and the Griffin huffed and adjusted himself to allow Edelgard to scratch an itch, making the Empress chuckle. ”Yes, I understand.”

She was interrupted by Palutena’s message, prompting a resolute nod and step up to Ortho’s saddle. ”Then, I suppose it is time to go.” As she settled in, Edelgard noticed the Seekers begin taking off rapidly, and hummed. At least they weren’t lollygagging. As she prepared to have Ortho take off, an embarrassed voice reached Edelgard’s ears, and she turned to see Roxas looking up at her awkwardly. Chuckling, she offered her hand.

”Of course. Those of us without wings certainly have our own difficulties in this army. I would be remiss to not offer my assistance. Climb aboard.” Once Roxas was safely onboard Ortho, the pair took off. The Black Eagle Strike Force surrounded them, flying in formation as they approached the Ivory Citadel. Monstrous enemies appeared in massive quantities to attack the invading angels. The Cadet and Compassion combos gave Edelgard’s own retinue the hardest time, their quick hit-and-run tactics allowing them to get by the Strike Force’s Feathershield vanguard and attack the more vulnerable rear units. Still, the Featherswords did valuable work, parrying attacks and destroying the attackers, while the Featherstaffs kept them alive through the opening salvo. Ortho even knocked a Catchet off-course, allowing a group of Featherbows to buffet it to death with a swarm of arrows. As they fought, massive bolts of corruption began spearing through the battle lines, skewering angels and corrupted alike.

”Black Eagle Strike Force!” Edelgard yelled, her voice carrying even in the heat of the battle. ”Carry forward to the Ivory Citadel! Our goal lies ahead!” Bolstered by her command, the strike force charged into the only openings they could see: the windows and balconies of the citadel. Free from the devastation wrought by the corrupted ballistae, Edelgard and her angels took a moment to breathe. Dismounting, she addressed the Strike Force ”Alright, everybody. We have but a moment before we rejoin the battle. Make it count.” Turning to Roxas, she nodded once. ”Good luck out there. You are free to remain with the Strike Force, or seek out and join your friends as you please.”

Moving from their rallying point, the Black Eagles charged towards one of the two spires, where the corruption was the heaviest. As they moved, numerous corrupted stood in their way, forming a wall to halt the angels’ advance. Edelgard finally took to the field of battle, eyes glowing with ferocity and fury. ”Black Eagles!” She cried, hefting Aymr. CHARGE! Her voice thundered, and her platoon responded, bellowing their own rallying cries as the battle lines clashed, corrupted falling like wheat before a scythe. The angels were not without their own casualties, but the Featherstaffs did their best to keep their forces hearty.

As Edelgard cleaved her way through the enemy lines, the cries of her allies at the rear caught her attention, as a group of Sycophants appeared as if from nowhere and cut down some of their healers. ”Dammit. Swords, Shields, split to cover the rear. I will deal with their leaders.” Edelgard’s voice dripped with venom, and her crests glowed with an ethereal light as each blow she struck reinvigorated her. She was in her element here, leading a battle party and destroying the forces of evil.

Blasts of magic and the clashes of blades around her nearly deafened Edelgard to the thundering footsteps of the enemy’s commander, Beloved, but she could certainly not have missed the massive shadow that the beast cast. ”And there it is!” She called to her troops, bashing aside a vengeful spirit that attempted to strike her, and destroying it with a single swing of Aymr. ”One of their damned commanders! I will lead you to victory, to glory, to peace! Cover my rear and when the area is secured, join me in battle!” She ordered, a series of assenting cheers rising in response, while the Black Eagles redoubled their efforts to cut down the corrupted forces while Edelgard calmly walked forward to challenge Beloved alone.

The marble golem paused for a moment, as if to question a single human challenging him, a massive hulking goliath with an ax larger than her body. Then, it hefted its weapon and slammed it down onto Edelgard, pausing once more in disbelief as the woman’s hefted shield deflected its blow, though not without a significant amount of force being transferred through the weapon and hurting Edelgard. ”I’ve faced worse than you.” She retorted dismissively, Aymr slamming into Beloved’s leg, a single blow chipping its marble body. ”You are far from invincible.” Keeping as close as she could, Edelgard summoned a fireball and launched it at Beloved’s face to force it to either dodge or block, giving her time to strike yet again with her ax.

Each blow chipped just a small bit from Beloved’s leg, but she was making progress nonetheless. As the battle behind them calmed, Edelgard felt healing magic wash over her as a few Featherstaffs and Feathershields joined her, the Featherswords throwing their all into keeping back the enemy reinforcements. Hefting Aymr once more, she threw her all into fighting the marble colossus before her.