Sanctuary Agency-Chapter 22: Golden Crystals Gauntlet [2]

〘Date: 2/11 - Monday〙

〘Time: 3:20 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Crystal Forest Park〙

The battlefield around us began to settle, Bernice sitting with her friends in the sidelines, being healed with light energy from an exhausted male with leaf green hair. Anastasia sat back down on the log, studying my figure with a calculating expression.

"Alright, now that everything is settled down...Ryder, are you able to continue fighting? Bernice was able to push you into powering up," Anastasia questioned, subtly taunting me to try to shake my mentality.

I met Anastasia's gaze, giving her a confident smirk, rolling my right shoulder lightly. "One battle isn't enough to put me down...Ask me that again after I wipe the floor with the next three, including the Dark Knight beside you."

Silas's eyes flared up with rage and competition, lowly growling at me in response to my taunt. "You talk a big game, but we all know you won that first fight because Bernice hesitated before entering her Blackspace."

I chuckled softly at his accusation, shaking my head with disagreement. "Her hesitation was her fault. I didn't hesitate...she did. I am a Visionary, a Revolutionist, a Joker...I saw an opportunity and I took it. I slayed your pawn because she's too caught up in her own self doubt."

"Enough. Bernice lost her battle against Ryder and those are the facts. Clean win or not, every tactic and strategy is viable. Which brings you to your next opponent, The Imperial Assassin, Phanie," Anastasia said, turning her gaze toward the polynesian girl standing next to Donna.

Phanie stepped forward, her brown eyes shining with courage and bravery. She stood before me, her broadsword ready in hand to slice her way to victory. Her light tan skin radiated under the sun's scattered kiss, her dark hair gracefully flowing behind her with the wind's current.

Her dark cloak calmly flowed around her, its movements hypnotizing and graceful. She couldn't take her eyes off me, her gaze studying my tribal tattoos before looking at her own on her arm.

"You have many tattoos, and where I'm from, those with high number of tattoos are of the high ranking... Royal Blood," Phanie began, her english slightly broken yet understandable. She looked at me once more, her gaze meeting mine. "Yet...you carry both Moji and Sola tattoos..."

I crossed my arms as I studied her as well, my gaze shifting to her own tattoos and their intricate design. It was just a simple crest like design that went around her bicep, a design that looked as if it could only be made by a Sola or tribes under the Sola Alliance.

"That design you have, you're associated with my tribe aren't you? The Solas to be exact?" I questioned, becoming slightly more curious about Phanie's origins.

Phanie nodded, her eyes slightly twinkling as we had something in common. "Yes. I was birth in the Le'au Tribe. We are not exactly the royal blood or strongest, but we work closely with Sola Elites as their assassins!"

I could see the excitement in her eyes to talk about her heritage, understanding the feeling of wanting to connect with people who understand our culture. "Is that right? Well, I am expecting good things from you."

"I am understanding!" Phanie nodded, readying her blade to battle against me.

I lowered my guard, studying Phanie's body language, trying to gauge how to approach her. 'Any insight from either of you?'

〔Phroa: Not much is known about the Le'au Tribe. Since they are under the Mojisola Tribe as a whole, they still work together to protect information.〕

'That's a given...and what about you, Alina? What piece is Phanie equivalent to?' I asked mentally, adjusting my gauntlet on my hand.

"Eight Pawns..."

〔Phroa: Whoa...Eight whole Pawns?! Doing Chess Math, that's TWO Knights!!〕

'Two knights...so she's the pinnacle of a Pawn's strength. I wonder what the power of three more pawns look like,' I replied mentally, readying myself for battle.

Anastasia noticed the both of us were ready, closing her eyes and nodding to herself. "Alright, the Second Round may begin!"

Phanie tightened the grip on her blade, pressing her best foot down forward, using a burst of speed to appear in front of me with a calculated slash. My body instinctively reacted, moving on its own to block her attack with the scabbard of my broadsword.

I encased my scabbard in esoteric energy, swinging and landing each strike with blunt damage with continuous succession. Phanie groaned softly as she was dazed from my blunt onslaught, staggering lightly while she tried to recover.

Upon my final strike, I followed it with a devastating spinning back fist to her stomach, my strike releasing a delayed second impact, sending her recoiling backwards. 'Not as effective as my Destiny Flash, enough to send a message...'

"Pulsing Fist...Wendy must've taught you that one,"

I nodded subtly, regathering my stance and watched as Phanie stood back up onto her feet. 'She did..'

Phanie grunted softly as she slowly rose back to her feet, readying her blade again and keeping her eyes on me intently. 'His Moji side gives him incredible passive reflexes and instinct...I have never fought a Moji of this caliber, I must overwork his senses...'

Anastasia watched Phanie's performance closely, analyzing each of her movements careful. Her eyes scanned along the battlefield, ripples of energy strategically placed around the arena only she and Phanie could see.

Phanie switched her grip to a wield her sword with a reverse grip, shifting her footing slightly and stared at me with pure concentration. She flicked the crystal attacked to the bottom of her handle, a soft ring sounding and activating one of the ripples around me.

Before my body could react to the ripples around me, a flurry of invisible whirlwinds began slicing me severely, causing me to groan in deep pain. Rhea gasped in shock, her eyes widening with distraught and worry, her hand covering her mouth.

I grunted heavily in pain, my body cut from the wave of slicing winds. I jumped backwards to create distance between me and Phanie, trying to make sense of her attack. 'Whirlwinds..? Something I can't even perceive..?'

Phanie continued watching me, tapping her crystal once again as I was airborne, another ripple activating behind me, an invisible whirlwind slicing my back and sending me crashing onto the ground in pain.

"Whoo!! Go Phan!~ You've really got him now!" Donna cheered loudly from the sidelines, using her hands to project her voice.

"Yeah! Don't let up on your Aero Judgement! Keep him on the backseat!" Cameron cheered as well, pumping his fist in the air with energy.

I began to recover onto my feet, my body instinctively reacting to Phanie as she charged toward me, jumping backwards and blocking her swift slash. I grunted softly as I entered into a blade lock with Phanie, the two of us entering a test of strength.

"How do you love my Alchemy Technique? Aero Judgement is more than an assassination technique, it's very design focuses on wind and nature," Phanie questioned, pushing me back slightly and bore into my eyes with a mix of challenge and courage. "Do you feel the heat?"

I chuckled softly at Phanie, pushing her back as well, blue lightning crackling around my body. "I'm feeling the breeze...a few paper cuts aren't going to keep me down."

Phanie smiled at my response and equal call to action, breaking the blade lock to kick me backwards then leaped backwards herself, creating distance between us. She stood up tall, readying her blade once more. "Then prepare yourself, for the honor of Crystal City and the Sola Tribe!"

I listened to Phanie's Tribal Howl, a sense of pride welling up inside me. Though I wasn't the Tribal Leader of either side, I felt the sense of acknowledgement, nodding my head at her. "Come at me with everything, Sola Warrior."

Phanie lowered her stance to the ground quickly, her hood falling over her head, green wind energy pulsating around her body. I chuckled softly, The Ace symbol forming in my left eye, the blue star shining with pure brilliance.

Phanie's body vanished in an instant, appearing behind me going for a Stealth Strike, but my body quickly reacted, instinctively ducking under her wide arc. Phanie vanished once again, moving around me at high speeds, leaving behind faint afterimages.

I calmly slid my hands into the pockets of my long coat, closing my eyes and began to dig into my mind for any skill I learned during my four years of training. As I went through a list of skills mentally, Phanie decided to take this moment to strike.

Whipping through the terrain like the wind, she appeared at my blindspot, her eyes gleaming with cold efficiency as she went for a devastating slash. Before her blade could reach my body, her sword slammed into an invisible force, the faint image of a shield rippling in iridescent hues.

'What the heck..?' Phanie thought to herself, vanishing once again and began to move around me once more.

Silas noticed the ripple as well, raising an eyebrow with slight intrigue. "He's using a Defensive Technique, Autonomous Defenses. A skill like that is rare and few for people to master..."

Anastasia continued to watch the fight, watching as Phanie tried to break through my impenetrable defenses. She shifted into a thinking pose, processing each move we made. 'He's not moving an inch, just watching everything she's doing. He's playing like a Rook... against Double Knights.'

I began to view myself upon the chess board once again, seeing myself and Phanie on the checkered plane. It was one pawn against eight, each pawn surrounding me. Hunting, lurking, watching dangerously, trying to strike me from all directions.

Four pawns are already equal to one Knight, due to their strength in numbers and a hidden factor pawns can play... Deception in Numbers. Add four more...you have the speed of two knights due to the chaos, but also more Deception Cards to play.

I reeled myself back into reality, watching as Phanie rushed around me, launching attacks that were all met with my instantaneous defenses. 'Yet, even though she may be faster than me, have more Battle IQ...but a pawn is still a pawn.'

Phanie noticed I had lowered my defenses, taking the opportunity to go in for the decisive blow, letting out a battle cry as she landed a powerful knee upon my liver. I grunted softly as her strike dealt significant damage due to her momentum, the force of her attack causing me to slide backwards.

I staggered lightly, my body feeling heavy for a moment before finally recovering from her attack. "That was a nice attack...but now it's my turn, and I'm going to show you what The Pawn truly is.."

Phanie was a bit surprised by my endurance, feeling as if she put her all into my attack. Suddenly, the realization sunk in, her eyes widening as she noticed faint red energy flowing around my body.

I adjusted my gauntlet, meeting Phanie's gaze with a wild, yet tranquil gaze. We were the only pieces on the board, no Queen or King to dictate the rules of the battle, no Rooks or Bishops to run behind, no Knights to flank.

"Do you feel it, Phanie? The tensions are rising...you are not just fighting to test me. I am the very force, the one card that changes the entire game..." I began, holding my wrist and opening my hand, red lightning crackling around my fingers.

"You all set traps around here before my arrival, but I don't blame you. I would've done the same thing if my pride was on the line, but you know...nobles love preaching about honor, chivalry, and the faith of good integrity," I continued, my gaze shifting over to Anastasia.

Anastasia's gaze hardened slightly, her body tensing as she knew I had found each of Phanie's Aero Ripples, her skin gradually breaking into goosebumps. She wanted to snap back, but held her tongue this time, doing what she can to uphold her graceful front.

"If you all had good integrity, you wouldn't have to resort to cheap tactics like this. But, if you want to bend the rules...then so can I," I finished, red energy pulsing around my body as I began to tap into a small portion of my Jigoku Mode.

Without warning, I rushed toward Phanie, landing a devastating blow to her stomach, causing her to groan loudly and drop her sword. Quickly scanning her vulnerability, I pinpointed each of her weak spots, jabbing at them to further weaken her down.

Phanie stood her ground, evading my next punch and blocked my kick, countering with an elbow to my face. She roared as she landed an uppercut to my chin, a burst of wind knocking me into the air.

"Take this!" Phanie bellowed, knocking me back down with a downward chop.

She began to rush me with a barrage of attacks, each strike fueled by her inner desire to defeat me and her mystic prowess with the wind element. Upon her next strike, I caught her fist, countering with iron headbutt.

Phanie groaned in pain, clutching her throbbing forehead and grunted heavily. Her vision grew slightly blurry, her legs shaking as they tried to regain their strength. Her body fell weak, causing her to kneel down upon one knee.

I looked down at Phanie, my eyes gleaming with domination. "Pathetic...and you call yourself an ally of the Sola. The Imperial Assassin huh? More like the Le'au Fraud. There's a reason why you're left at the bottom, stuck fighting for the crumbs the High Chiefs leave behind."

Phanie's heart nearly stopped at my disrespect toward her character and her tribe. My words echoed in her ears, everything around her seemingly stopping.

"You call yourself a Sola, dedicate your honor to our name...and yet lose in the face of a Higher Rank. Your disrespect is distasteful, and...there's only one way to punish you," I said, walking toward her and stomping on her hand.

Phanie let out a scream of pain as I dug my heel into her fingers, smashing her fist again my leg to get me off her hand. "Get off, please!"

Silas growled with wrath, stepping forward with the desire to stop the fight, but as he did, Anastasia stopped him by placing her arm in front of him. He looked down at her with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Lady Aurora..."

"As much as I hate this as well, remember...this is a Gauntlet Battle, and anything goes.." Anastasia said begrudgingly, hesitantly keeping her eyes on the battle. "Besides...she did inflict open wounds upon his body..."

Silas growled lowly with protest, turning his gaze back toward the fight with a dark gaze, his impatience growing more thin by the second. His body felt more antsy, his eyes flaring with anger by the second.

I continued to press my foot down upon her hand, Phanie's cries growing more intense. I finally got off her hand then struck her jaw with an electrifying Superkick, rocking her head around and causing her to fall onto the ground.

Phanie whimpered softly in pain and sorrow, holding her cheek and slowly pushing herself up onto her knees again, her spirit slightly broken. "I...I surrender," she whispered softly, the bangs of her hair shadowing her eyes.

"What..?" Cameron asked with a mix of disbelief and uncertainty of what he heard.

"Phanie, no..." Donna gasped softly, covering her mouth in shock.

Bernice completely understood where Phanie was coming from, knowing the daggers I threw were more personal and intimate compared to her wounds from my words. She lowered her gaze with an understanding expression, letting out a soft sigh.

"You disappoint me," I said, looking down at Phanie with a judgemental gaze.

Phanie's eyes widened again, her gaze slowly shifting up to look at me. She quickly stood up, slowly backing away from me in fear. "I-I stated my surrendering..!"

"And I'm saying I don't care..." I retorted lowly, my gaze hardening as my tribal tattoos began to shine. "Have you no honor...no pride?! You sit there and listen to me dishonor the Le'au Tribe and disrespect your name and you just surrender in the face of pressure..?"

"Hey! She gave up already! She—" Cameron began, quickly going silent as I shot a quick glare at him.

"I didn't say you could speak. I am in the middle of disciplining a member of the bloodline. You stay over there silently with the B-Team over there," I said in a low tone, expanding my aura, causing my presence to become more intimidating.

Cameron, Donna, and the man with leaf green hair began to slowly cower within my presence, not daring to speak out of turn. Anastasia's world began to rumble, noticing how I was able to command her own people with my presence alone.

"I'm sorry...I didn't know...how to respond... E kala mai iaʻu.." Phanie apologized, looking up at me with a soft, pleading gaze.

My gaze remained cold, her apology brushing past me like a current of wind splitting when meeting an obstacle along its path. "You are a disgrace. Undeserving to wear the Sola name on your shoulders..."

With those words, I struck Phanie's stomach with an explosive Pulsing Fist, the force of energy blowing Phanie away. Phanie groaned heavily as she was sent crashing into the forest, grunting as she impacted a tree.

"Ryder! What are you doing?!" Anastasia exclaimed, shooting up from her seat.

"Enough is enough!" Silas growled, stepping forward only to be met with a katana at his throat.

Rhea held the point of her blade close to his adam's apple, the brim of her hat shadowing her eyes, making her unreadable. "You will stand by...The King has overruled her surrendering."

Silas stood idly, his gaze shifting between Rhea and her katana, his nerves shivering with a rare moment of hesitation end nervousness. 'I didn't even see her move...she travelled that much distance in seconds..?'

I looked over at Rhea, gently patting her back to get her to stand down as I made my way toward Phanie. "It's alright... I've got this all under control.."

Rhea looked at me from over her shoulder, letting out an infatuated hum. "Well, alright...only because you said so~"

Phanie stood up slowly, coughing and clutching her stomach, the deep pain starting to resonate with her entire body. The fear in her mind began to slowly consume her, her own heartbreak from my words preventing her from acting.

"Hmph...what you lack in inner courage, you make up for it with endurance. However, that's just basic Sola DNA. We're naturally more durable than the rest...but you can't be blood without culture," I said, stopping in front of Phanie with a cold gaze.

"But that can all be fixed... by wiping out the entirety of the Le'au Tribe and with won't be quick either. Just like pawns... you all can be replaced by better mercenaries anyway," I added, my eyes gleaming with false maliciousness.

Upon hearing my threat, her heart thumped heavily against her chest, everything around her seemingly fading away. Memories of her life began flashing before her eyes, Jigoku's whispers slowly beginning to invade her mind.

"No..." Phanie began, her body shaking with a blend of tribal anger and pride. She balled her hands into fists, her heart beating against her chest at a faster rate, tears slowly forming in her eyes. "I won't let you! I won't let you hurt my family!"

Phanie glared at me with a primal growl, baring her sharp canine teeth with hostility. Her tribal tattoo began to flicker, her anger and rage slowly consuming her. "If you do ANYTHING to my family...I will make you pay!"

With her rage reaching the breaking point, a surge of tribal energy began spiralling around her body as she unlocked a portion of her Jigoku Mode. I could feel her wrath, the force of her energy creating powerful and violent winds.

I guarded myself from the strength of her aura, my tribal tattoos glowing in response to her rage. Despite everything I said to her, I couldn't help but to feel a sense of pride within me witnessing someone of a lesser class of Mojisola unlock their innate Tribal Power.

Anastasia watched and listened as Phanie powered up, feeling the raw intensity of her roars and howls. Her battle cries began invoking her own emotions, her heart beating faster, her eyes watering with unshed tears.

Phanie rushed toward me, launching devastating blows upon my body, each thunderous strike knocking me away. She grunted heavily with each strike, ripping around the air at high speeds with attacks from every conceivable direction.

"I won't let you hurt my family!" Phanie bellowed, throwing a wild strike directly at my face.

My lips curled into a smile as I saw her attack coming, leaning into the strike and using my aura to enhance my endurance. As her fist connected with my forehead, Phanie paused for a moment, growling at me with unrestrained anger.

Phanie's eyes watered with a mix for a call for help and the constant building of anger, her body unused to the fiery sensations. Seeing her silent cries for help, closing my eyes and holding the back of her head, pressing our foreheads together.

Phanie slightly resisted, but realized what I was doing, her body gradually relaxing in my touch. The red energy around my body began to slowly disappear, replaced by a calming, serene bluish silver aura.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"What is he doing..?" Silas asked, watching me with an intense gaze.

Anastasia watched along side him, her gaze filled with light confusion. "It looks like...he's calming her down..."

I continued to help her regulate her emotions, the wrathful energy around her body finally flickering out like the last flame of a used candle. Phanie collapsed onto her knees, holding my hands and panting heavily with exhaustion.

I looked down at Phanie, helping her up to her feet gently then let go of her hand. I gently pressed my fist against the center of her chest, gently gripping her cloak. "Remember...that feeling. The man you walk under will do everything I said I would do to your family and worse. You've seen what he did to Haku..."

Phanie stared at me, her gaze soft yet resolute. She lowered her head, gently placing her hand over mine, closing her eyes. "I will remember such feelings, but...why? Why did you say such words to me..?"

I rose Phanie's head by her chin, making her meet me in my eyes. "The same reason why I spoke in the way I did to Bernice. The way I speak to all of you. The world won't coddle to you because of your rank and you are seeing it first hand!"

"Tony is living proof that your status, your rank, your current purpose does not matter and never will. Everything else beyond survival at this point is only an addition! The board beneath you is crumbling, holding being held together with desperation, and yet you all still cling to your broken ideals?" I questioned, my gaze shifting between each of the Golden Crystals.

"Broken ideals?! Name one time power has never mattered? In this world, it is kill or be killed! You preach like a savior, yet your actions are nothing but an Illusion! What is this revolution truly about?" Silas retorted, stepping forward with a hardened edge.

"My actions are an Illusion to you because you are too blinded by the ways of the Old Guard. Power has never been the main focus, and it shows that your ideals are only ran upon strength and dominance! The Sola Way..." I countered, taking off my longcoat, exposing my tribal tattoos and stared at Silas with a determined glare.

"Everything in this world is ran by War, Fear, and Dominance! The world has forgotten its unity, its connection! Now people fear those with spiritual connection to the Human Realm, people bystand in the face of injustice in fear of getting caught in between!"

"What are you all truly fighting for? A dying city that will soon fall under the same pressure you all are on? You all aren't fighting to protect your city, you're fighting to delay the inevitable! The cold truth is that your city will end in RUINS!" I continued, the tone of my voice becoming more intense.

The cinnamon haired man grit his teeth, standing up from the sidelines and walking toward me with burning intensity. "Ryder, you talk a big game. Seemingly as if you have all the pieces figured out. You know nothing about us!"

"I know more than you think...way more. Information...that could erase your entire legacy in an instant. Your raid on La Vernia proves...you're trying to save face, conquer another city to renew a washed over nation like the Crystals," I sneered, wearing the full mask of the Joker, blue lightning crackling around my body.

The cinnamon haired man stared at me with a mix of prideful anger and a hint of desperation to prove me wrong. Swinging his arm to create a line of flames before him, he grabbed the flames, a halberd materializing from his burning soul.

"I'm through with talking! Your next battle is against me, The Imperial Knight, Reinhart Crux!" Reinhart declared, pointing his spear at me with a fiery passion.

I adjusted my gauntlet on my hand, my body feeling the effects from the battles against Bernice and Phanie, a few beads of sweat rolling down my face. I knew the battles weren't going to get harder only because my opponents were getting stronger, but I was slowly growing more exhausted.

"So be it, The Pawn vs The Knight has always been a very classic tale," I said, accepting his challenging and stared at Reinhart with a calm grace.