NOVEL NEXT Sparring between flame and snow
Clank!
Since today is my break day, I don't have anything to do besides playing with Mitsuki. She wanted to practice with me, so we are doing this.
A challenge for her, but entertainment to me.
She wields her spear, while I use Agápi kai Polémos. Handicapping myself~ what a generous person I am.
I deflected her thrust by angling my knife a bit, then I went in closer to her. Mitsuki took a step back and retracted her spear at the same time for a counterattack.
Just to be fancy, I kicked her spear upward and dived right into it, holding the knife to her neck.
"I won, again.", I smiled.
"You are just too good!!", she whined.
I chuckle, "Heh, if only you can experience what goes on in my head."
I look around me, thousands of calculations going by, calculating so many things from the temperature change, wind, to stuff like how many particles are in the air.
"Hah~", she sat down on the ground, "I want to at least beat you at something."
Beating me?
"Well, it is impossible to beat me in anything physical.", I shrugged, "But there are people who beat me at other things."
"Hmm? What other thing?", she look at me curiously.
"The Buddha went so far as to become one with the universe just by sitting down under a tree.", I shrugged, "Still, he isn't a problem for me."
He can only observe after all.
"I think this is the first time I ever saw you being humble.", she quipped with a giggle.
I am a Prideful person, but even I admit when I am beaten. I am not petty enough to go out of my way to mess with the Buddha.
Nah...
"Utopia, drop one down on the Angkor Wat.", I commanded.
"[As you command, Your Highness.]", he chimed in.
Mitsuki just stared at me, "What did you do?"
"No need to worry about it.", I smiled, extending my hand to help her up.
Just dropping a kinetic bomb into a big temple, nothing too special.
"Let's continue our dance.", I threw the knife away.
"Alright!", she quickly got over what I did, "Are you going to use your fist?"
I took a few steps back.
"Not really, no. Just try to hit me."
She immediately thrust her spear at me. I dodged to the right, stepping on the spear.
"You know, what will we encounter in the Amazon Rainforest?", she pulled her spear back from under my foot.
"Knowing my luck, probably fighting against a monster python, undead, and probably some ancient unknown deity.", shit, did I just set the course for my journey?
Mitsuki swung her spear again, I just hopped over it.
"You really think so?", she spun in an attempt to knock me over.
"Yup, I don't doubt fate has some of the wildest shit installed for me.", I nodded, grabbing her throat and slamming her to the ground.
"And I don't use my fist to fight, I'm a grappler.", ending this short duel with a smile.
"Harder...", she whispered.
"What?", I stare at her.
"What?", she responded, blushing.
I let go of her, dusting myself.
"I don't punch people that often, only when I have my gauntlets. Plus, punching is boring when nobody can give me a good scrap."
There are too many things using beam attacks—
Huh.
I look past the Enchanted Rock, towards Libertas... there is an uncanny sense of a foreign entity, not as much as the blaring signal of an Eldritch God, but something far worse.
"Utopia.", I commanded.
"[I had detected the appearance of a Twilight Gaunt, an Eldritch Being in the same line as the Beasts of Tindalos, in the service of the Lord of the Abyssal Depth. They usually manifest due to a concentration of nightmares and would eat souls—]"
BOOM!!!
A pillar of golden light came down from the sky, burning the assailant right in the courtyard of Libertas...
"[The Pale Court had destroyed the Twilight Gaunt, Your Highness.]", he informed me.
"Who is The Pale Court?", Mitsuki asked with worry, "Is it something we need to be worried about?"
I pointed up at the Sun, "They are the Sun, the Eldritch God of our Solar System."
Still, for a nightmare creature from the void to come here, the amount of negative emotions must be a lot... what could've happen?
Not really my problem.
"Woah, the Sun itself?", she looked up before quickly looking away, "Shouldn't have done that... but I guess that makes sense. Do they have their own Heralds too?!"
She was excited to hear about them...
"I had encountered Judas Iscariot, Hitler, a fucking dinosaur...", I don't intend to reveal Londinium and Surtr, "Nyarla back then did mention that Genghis Khan is a Herald, with Saint Olga of Kyiv, Diogenes."
"I feel like all bad people get chosen.", she commented.
"That's par for the course, my friend.", I chuckled, "All those that humanity deemed as evil, are the Heralds of The Pale Court."
"You seem like you would fit right in.", she took a jab at me.
"No, I won't.", I denied, "I am an Atheist, I acknowledge that there are Divine Entities but I don't find any meaning in worshipping them. Plus, I do not meet the criteria anyway."
"I am not a genocidal maniac, never would I personally murder another human."
She winced at that, she knew I am a hypocrite.
"Like before, I am not zealous enough to worship the Sun."
"And... my story isn't full of regrets and pain, haunted by a past that would eat me.", I have no past to remember anyway, only a future I want to avoid.
"I am the Princess clad in Silver after all.", I smiled as I waltz further away, "Only I can decide my fate."
Then I extend my hand out, "So, my friend, would you follow me to the end of this journey of mine. Not for yourself or any grand goal of someone else, but me."
"You must say something more selfless for it to be convincing!", she grabbed my hand, "Of course, I would join you!!"
"I am not one to lie about my Dream, and my goal is selfless!", I chuckled wholeheartedly, "Hehahahaha~! Well, I am not trying to save the world here, I am just setting the path for the future."
I cannot help but let out a maniacal smile.
"Burn away culture, lit tradition ablaze. Let the past die and the future takes hold, that is my Path of Judgement."
