A New Knight

A few days went by since our victory against Mariella and I prepared to head back home to St. Meishi with my team. As we gathered our things and loaded up the van, Ashina and Maiken met us at the parking lot, preparing to see us off.

"Leaving already?" Ashina asked, watching us load up our things into our van.

I turned around, noticing Ashina and Maiken then smiled. "Yeah, we've got unfinished business up North with the whole North Emerald and Citrine war going on. We still have errands to run and little skirmishes to finish up."

"So the St. Nova District isn't completely saved huh?" Ashina asked, crossing her arms then let out a sigh. "I wonder how the Twin Taurus Princesses are doing with their kingdom still in the hands of The Fallen. Hopefully they are staying safe."

"I'm sure they are fine. They frequently give me updates on how they are doing. The Emerald Crusade are still running strong and with our recent victories, I know we are now strong enough to go into war against the Citrine Kingdom and take back our land," Heifer reassured, a hopeful smile tugging at her lips.

"VI and Mina are strong and just like the Emerald Crystal, very durable. They've held their own for a while against The Fallen, but it's time we finally drive them back away from North Emerald," April said, her tone full of assurance of VI and Mina.

"Yeah, I agree. Well, if you ever want to come back, St. Goken District is always open for our saviors. You all can come back any time you want," Ashina smiled at us.

Maiken nodded and looked at Maliz, placing a hand on her hip. "Also, thank you for the new arm...even if it is a Demon Arm. I appreciate it."

Maliz chuckled darkly and wiggled her fingers at Maiken. "You're welcome..~ I'll see you around."

My team and I got into the van and began to pull off from the parking lot. Ashina and Maiken waved at us as I drove off, the girls waving back toward the two, a feeling of accomplishment washing over the girls.

The ride back to St. Meishi District was a leisurely and enjoyable ride back. The girls delved into their usual gossip and I kept a focused eye on the road, enjoying the ride back home. As I drove, I sensed a strong energy in the distance, noticing a red bolt of lightning crashing down in front of the van, forcing me to stomp on the breaks. The girls grunted as they were whipped forward.

"What the hell..?" Nina asked, looking forward and noticing me step out the van. She looked out the window and noticed red lightning arrows rushing past the van and home in on me. "Archer?!"

I looked back then grunted as the arrows hit me, exploding upon contact and knock me back. I recovered onto my feet and slid backwards. I looked up and noticed a figure land on the top of my van, my pupils becoming vertical.

'Who the heck is she..?' I thought, standing up straight to look at the mysterious woman.

The woman before me exuded an aura of mystery, power, and danger. She had pale, almost silver-white hair that framed her face, contrasting sharply with her overall dark and intense aesthetic. Her short hair, parted to one side, added to her mysterious and cold demeanor. Her outfit was a black, futuristic, and armored attire with a high-tech design, blending elements of both cybernetic and gothic styles.

Her piercing red eyes were one of the most striking features, glowing with an intensity that suggested either supernatural power or advanced technology. Her gaze was sharp, direct, and unyielding, giving her an air of dominance and authority. The red hue of her eyes complemented the ominous red accents on her outfit, reinforcing her intimidating presence.

She wore a dark, hooded cloak, with the inner lining glowing a vivid red. The hood casted a shadow over part of her face, further enhancing her enigmatic and dangerous persona. The armor has a mechanical and angular design with a crystal in the shape of an eye, hinting that she has some connection to advanced technology, or even dark magic.

"Who are you and why did you randomly attack us?!" I called out, my Solar Peridot shining brightly within my Lion Pauldron. "Are you working with The Fallen?"

"Tch...don't group me in with those fiends. I would rather slit my own wrists than to join a group like them. My name is Raven Artemis, and I've come...to take what is rightfully mine. Something you possess," Raven said, red lightning crackling in her hand then she summoned her bow.

"Which is..?" I asked, getting into my battle stance.

"The Sagittarius Zodiac Crystal...The Psychic Tanzanite," She said coldly, her red-eyes shining within the shadows of her hood.

Without hesitation, Raven launched herself toward me with a swift spinning kick but I ducked under her kick then sidestepped. I launched a counter attack, but Raven's body dispersed into a flock of ravens then she reformed in the air, generating powerful lightning arrow, firing it at me.

I weaved my arms, my demonic energy absorbing the lightning arrow. I gripped my wrist, red lightning crackling around my hand before completely encasing my hand. I dashed toward her and went into Stealth Mode, dashing around her at high speeds.

The eye within the armor of Raven's hood shined, allowing her to track me even at high speeds. I appeared behind her, going for a swift attack, but Raven kicked back then noticed she hit an after image. Her eyes widened as she turned around to look in front of her.

"Burst Skill: Akaoni!" I bellowed, landing a direct blow to her chest, red and black lightning flashing upon impact.

Raven grunted heavily as she was hit, a pulse of demonic energy circling my hand before knocking her away. She rolled backwards along the ground the recovered quickly onto one knee. "Burst Skill: Black Feather Rain!"

She fired a black arrow at me, the arrow splitting apart into black feather blades and sticking into the ground around me. I looked around, noticing each feather blade missed me then looked ahead, raising an eyebrow.

Raven smirked then dashed forward at lightning speeds, rushing me with strikes at lightning speeds. She appeared in front of me, striking me with rapid leaping kicks then the kicked off of me, generating a large red lightning arrow. She took aim at me, the red eye of her armor shining brightly.

"Burst Skill: Crow Stinger," She said, her lightning arrow becoming mixed with black fire energy.

She launched the arrow toward me, the arrow flying through the sky toward me at high speeds. The arrow made contact, causing an electrifying fiery explosion upon contact. She landed on the ground, exhaling and watching the smoke cloud.

"Who the heck is that woman..?" April asked, moving toward the front of the van to watch the fight.

"I dunno, but she seems powerful. She's keeping up with August pretty well," Nina said, moving to the front of the van as well to watch.

Raven noticed a red flash within the smoke and grunted softly, bracing herself for whatever was happening. I let out a roar and transformed into my Leo Zodiac Drive, clearing the smoke cloud and looked at Raven with a serious expression.

'His energy...so Regal...so this is Helios Force. It's... magnificent,' Raven thought, shaking her head and grunting softly. 'No, I must stay focused on my mission. I need to retrieve that Psychic Tanzanite from him...'

My gaze lingered on Raven, studying her for a moment. "Tell me something, Raven. Why do you even need the Psychic Tanzanite..? If you aren't associated with The Fallen, what other reason do you have to want this Zodiac Crystal?"

"Like I have to tell you anything. Just hand over the Crystal and we can be on our separate paths. That is unless you want me to beat the Crystal out of you. All I want is the Crystal," Raven said, holding her hand out.

I chuckled softly and lowered my head, placing my hands in the pockets of my long coat. "I don't think you know how this works. Until I know your intentions, you aren't getting anything from me. So start talking, or move along. You're slowing us down."

Raven readied her bow, glaring at me. "I'm not going anywhere until you've given me what I want.."

I noticed a flash behind Raven then grunted softly, rushing forward and pushing her aside then deflected the laser that was aimed for her head. Raven grunted as she hit the ground, looking up at me then turned to look over to where I was looking.

I noticed a volley of bullets headed our way then deflected each one with rapid succession. After the next bullet, I noticed the volley ended and took this time to grab Raven then hurry to my van. I got in and the girls let Raven inside the van then I drove off in a hurry.

The sniper lowered their weapon and watched as we drove off. "Tch...of course he got away with her. That was our one chance at killing her before he got a hold of her..."

The man behind the sniper whistled and crossed his arms as he watched. "Yikes...even with Omni-Vision, you couldn't even land one shot? That's kinda sad, Archer.."

"Shut your mouth, Apollo. I only failed because my annoying rival got in the way. Had he not been there...the descendant of your sister would be dead," Archer said, standing up and making his sniper disappear.

Apollo chuckled softly and floated on his back behind Archer, tossing his Blue Topaz Crystal up and down. "There's no way you can kill the direct descendant of Mehira that easily. After all, she is the chosen Artemis of this Generation. Let's just head back to North Emerald for right now."

"Alright," Archer exhaled then made a dark portal and began to walk through the portal, the portal closing behind him and Apollo.

Ylva poked her head from the lake and noticed Archer and Apollo were gone. "Humans gone, Master..."

Mariella rose her head from the lake as well and hummed excitedly, looking in the direction where I drove then chuckled softly. "I nearly forgot how fun it is to stalk humans..~ They are merely just leading us to my sister's prism without knowing~ Alright, Ylva, are you ready to unseal Floria?~"

Ylva nodded excitedly and smiled at Mariella. "Ylva is ready, Master!"

"Good...To St. Meishi District we go.." Mariella said, diving back underwater then swam off at high speeds.

Ylva shifted into her white wolf form then ran alongside the shore with Mariella, following her to St. Meishi District.

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I made it to The Pride HQ and parked the van in the garage, every one of us getting out and hurrying into the building. We all retreated into the living room, April and Nina keeping watch outside to make sure no one followed us home.

I sat Raven down on the couch and crossed my arms as I looked at her. "Alright, talk now. What the hell was that?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm just as surprised as you all are! I wasn't expecting to have an assassin on my trail!" Artemis fumed, rolling her eyes at the prospect of being accused of something she had no idea about.

"How ironic of an Artemis to be a hunter and now became the hunted. You seriously didn't know you had an assassin on you the entire time?" Maliz scoffed, crossing her arms and rose an eyebrow.

"And just who are you? You aren't even a Zodiac, so how did you even make it into a group full of Zodiac Knights? Just trying to fit in much? You must really think you're a part of the team huh?" Raven scoffed at Maliz, eyeing her up and down.

Maliz stared at Raven, letting out a dark chuckle. "Quite the mouth you have there...it would be a shame if someone ripped your tongue out."

I stopped Maliz from stepping forward and sighed. "Maliz, corner."

"But—"

"Corner, now," I said, looking back at Maliz.

Maliz huffed, walking to the corner and sat down on the stool. She crossed her arms and pouted like a little kid, puffing her cheeks. "Hmph..."

"Alright, can you tell us who you are and why you want the Psychic Tanzanite so badly? It better be a good reason to because I'm not just giving just anyone this Crystal. Being a Zodiac Knight is more than just protecting the people of Exzodia. They must have Integrity, Honesty—" I began.

"Bravery, Resilience, Determination, Willpower, yes I know that already," Raven interjected, rolling her eyes and sighed softly. "Alright let's start over, my name is Raven Artemis. I am a member of the Artemis bloodline and a descendant of Mehira, The First Artemis. I am from the Sagittarius Kingdom that resides here in St. Meishi that rests between the Libra and Virgo Kingdoms respectively."

"I want that Zodiac Crystal because it's a part of my lineage...until a man named Archer took it from me when he bonded with Mehira then broke her trust. I need it so I can return it to it's rightful place, with me," Raven continued, holding her hand out.

"How can I know you're telling the truth instead of just trying to manipulate me? After all, you attacked us out of nowhere," I said, staring at Raven.

Raven frowned and puffed her cheek. "I can take you all to the Sagittarius Kingdom. I'm the Princess of the Kingdom, so just hand it over already so I can go back there to watch over the children there! Without the Psychic Tanzanite, my kingdom is losing its Teal Flame."

I tried to find any deceit in her words and detect any form of dishonesty from her. When I found none, I summoned the Psychic Tanzanite and gave it to her. "Alright, there you go.."

Raven nodded and looked at the Zodiac Crystal. "Thank you...now the children can have their Teal Flame again..."

"Can I get out this stupid corner now?" Maliz asked, still pouting like a child.

I glanced at Maliz, a playful smirk stretching across my lips. "Five more minutes then you can come out. While you're there, you should really think of ways to not threaten and beat up everyone who verbally spars with you and your sass."

"Ugh...you're so lucky I love you enough to deal with these 'time-outs' of yours, darling," Maliz scoffed lightly, staying seated.

I chuckled softly then looked at Raven, noticing her becoming recognized as a Zodiac Knight by Mehira, seeing Mehira hovering behind Raven and blessing her with the powers of a Sagittarius. Once the ritual was finished, Raven became the New and last Zodiac Knight.

"Oh wow, we finally have all Twelve Knights! Since we finally have all 12 Knights of the Zodiac, we can actually enter the capital of Exzodia, Zodiac City. That's where Cetus lies, but... unfortunately we are no where near close to ready to face off against Cetus," Leona said, holding her arms and purring softly toward me.

"I agree...Cetus is the Zodiac Reincarnation of Chaos who is the Reincarnation of Terminus. And with Dr. Noxius, Liao Ru, and Misao all weakened, we stand zero chance. Besides we haven't even met the other members of the Infinity Council yet so it's best if we find them first," Imogen said, nodding her head.

I looked at Sephora, noticing her seemingly a bit uneasy. "Mama...are you alright?"

Sephora looked at me with a soft smile, nodding her head. "Just thinking about the dangers Cetus truly poses for us. Even with my own power, we won't be able to match his power. You still have more strength to obtain before you're ready to fight the Anti-God Incarnate."

"Are you sure that you're alright? You seemed kinda...spaced out," I said, my gaze meeting hers for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm sure, sonshine..~ Everything is okay," Sephora smiled, gently caressing my hair and planting a loving kiss on my forehead.

I nodded at her and closed my eyes, enjoying her gentle affection. "Okay, but if anything is wrong just tell us."

"I will," Sephora smiled at me, giving me another nod.

I returned her smile and nodded back. I turned to face Raven, crossing my arms. "Do you need a ride to Teal Tanzanite Kingdom?"

Raven looked up at me and gave a subtle and small smile. She nodded and stood up. "It would be nice if you could give me a ride there. Thank you."

I nodded and looked at everyone else. "Alright, everyone, we'll be back."

Everyone gave us a temporary farewell then Raven and I made our way back outside the HQ to the van and got in. I started the van up and pulled off from the HQ, taking Raven to the Teal Tanzanite Kingdom.