The eminence in shadow: Eminence of Alexia 5

Chapter 5: Poochie

"Shadow, is it?" Zenon pointed his blade at him. "You're the stray dog that's been snapping its jaws at the cult's heels. It's quite brazen of you to come here alone. Did destroying a few of our minor bases give you an overexaggerated sense of your own strength?"

"The targets don't matter," Shadow replied. "We destroy whatever we choose to destroy."

"You are very sadly mistaken about that my young friend," Zenon dropped into a fighting stance and began to approach. "You've no idea how powerful our main forces are."

The other man simply held his ground and didn't bother to even lift his sword.

Alexia rose to her feet and backed away from the confrontation. She didn't understand what this was about or who this person was, but it was clear they were enemies. Alexia desperately wanted this Shadow to kill Zenon, to hack him into dog meat. She knew it was a faint hope, she couldn't sense any magic coming off of him. And after Zenon's earlier display Alexia understood he would have to be at least close to Iris's level to stand any chance in a fight. The odds were long, but she could do no more than pray.

"I should thank you. You've only been a petty nuisance to the cult, but killing you will still count as an achievement. Your death will mark another step towards my becoming the twelfth knight of the rounds."

Alexia watched as Zenon pumped magic into his body and once again dashed forward faster than the eye could follow. His sword strike was savage and overwhelming, aiming to cut Shadow in two.

It's over. Alexia thought in despair.

Only when Zenon stopped there was no blood on his sword and no neatly bisected body at his feet. There was nothing but empty space.

"Well then, where can I find the cult's main forces?"

Shadow was now standing directly behind Zenon, completely untouched.

Alexia's jaw dropped. How did he do that?!

Zenon jumped about to face him. The look of shock on his face clear to see. It vanished in an instant, replaced by a calm mask. He held his sword at the ready.

"All right, I may have slightly underestimated you. It seems you have at least some talent."

"Thanks."

"But don't get cocky. I am Zenon Griffey, a champion of the God of War Tournament and future twelfth knight of the rounds. Your fate is still sealed."

With that Zenon launched a series of attacks. A blinding combination of feints, lethal strikes, and counters. It was obvious Zenon was not holding back. He poured mana into his body and weapon giving himself inhuman strength and speed. This was one of the great geniuses of the sword going all out and fighting to the absolute limit.

And Shadow matched him. No, he didn't just match him, he appeared to be doing so effortlessly. Every attack was dodged or blocked with a bare minimum of motion. He snapped off counters to force Zenon back, but didn't bother attacking himself. Watching his demeanor, one would think this was a simple practice session, not a fight to the death.

At one point, Zenon over committed to a swing aimed at Shadow's neck and momentarily lost his balance and was wide open. Shadow could have ended things right then and there. But instead got behind Zenon and rested his blade on the bastard's shoulder.

"Your sword is dull, Mr. Future-Knight-Of-The-Rounds."

Alexia had watched Zenon's calm mask start to crack as his frustration mounted. As he began realizing that no matter what he tried, he could not touch Shadow. Now it broke completely.

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"

Zenon slapped away Shadow's weapon and launched a fresh series of attacks. But these were much sloppier than the ones from before. He was clearly getting desperate and losing concentration. Zenon was trying to overwhelm his opponent with raw speed and power, but had no effect. Shadow continued to block him with ease. As the fight continued, Zenon's efforts got more and more sloppy. He was riddled with openings. Shadow could have ended him at any point. It was obvious who the better swordsman was.

Throughout the match Alexia had been hiding behind a stone column. Neither man had paid her any mind. She could have sneaked way if not for the fact the two of them were between her and the only set of stairs. With no real alternative she'd stood there and witnessed the battle. As it had gone on, she'd found herself captivated. Not by the speed or ferocity or the amount of raw power on display. No, what left her breathless was Shadow's way of fighting.

"Mediocre swordplay," she whispered.

There were at least two dozen recognized sword styles in the world. All of them with their own highly specialized techniques and moves. Zenon was famous for being one of the founders of the Royal Bushin style. Everyone accepted that to be a great fighter you had to master one of these styles with all their unique moves. Many of the top geniuses mastered several.

Shadow however wasn't using any of those schools. Basic attacks, parries, and blocks were all he employed. It was the exact same kind of swordplay she and Cid fought with. It was the very mediocre swordplay she'd grown to hate.

But here Shadow was using it to completely overwhelm one of the world's great geniuses.

She hadn't always hated it. When she was younger, she'd loved sword practice. Back then she'd pictured a fighting style different from the ones her sister and her instructors practiced. One not based on talent or speed or strength. Instead, one that was centered on the fundamentals and steady improvement. A fighting style based on nothing but honest effort and hard work. For a time, she'd believed in it and followed her path with real enthusiasm.

But then came the looks of disappointment from her instructors. The comparisons between her and her sister. The whispers and the talk of mediocre swordplay. As time went on, she'd grown to hate it and see it as lacking and inferior to the 'real' schools.

But now, right in front of her, she could see it working. Shadow's fighting style was her path taken to its final form. Just watching it was obvious the road he'd traveled to reach this point. How many thousands of hours must he have devoted to perfecting every single move? He'd honed all those basic movements to the point where they flowed together perfectly! It was beautiful! A work of art! And it was so effective not even Zenon could find a single flaw. It was a fighting style that rewarded hard work and effort.

Is this how Iris saw it too? Alexia wondered. When her sister had told her she liked her fighting style it had sounded like pity. But Iris wasn't like that. What if it had just been an honest compliment? What if Iris had seen then what she was seeing now and just said so?

"Sister…"

XXX

Zenon was knocked back and stumbled. He steadied himself and was ready to fight off an attack. But Shadow simply stood where he was and made no move towards. Zenon's composure was completely broken by this point, and he let loose a scream of pure frustration.

"Who are you?! Why do you hide yourself when you have so much power?!"

"We are Shadow Garden. We lurk in the darkness and hunt the shadows. That is our sole purpose."

"You're insane!"

"No," Shadow answered calm as could be. "We just choose a different path."

"I've had enough of this!" Zenon reached into his coat and pulled out a small bottle. "Do you really think you can defeat the Cult of Diablos? Fool! You have no idea what you're up against!"

He yanked the stopper from the bottle. Alexia saw it contained red pills. He let them spill into his mouth and onto the floor. Almost immediately she felt a wild surge of power coming from him.

"For most, this power boost would be fatal. But not for someone like me! Someone worthy of joining the Knights of Round! For me mastering this almighty power is child's play! Behold! I am the Third Awakened!"

His skin turned crimson and his muscles and veins were bulging out. His mana was running wild and out of control, it sparked all over his body. He was turning himself into a monster like the one that had been chained up beside her. It was disgusting!

"How ugly!" Alexia said.

"That's ugly," Shadow said in perfect unison.

"What did you say?" Zenon demanded.

"You call that almighty power?" Shadow asked. "Saying that is an insult to all those who are truly strong."

"You son of a bitch!"

"True strength only comes from within. Trying to steal power from outside is just proof of a weak will."

At that moment Alexia started to feel power coming from him. She hadn't realized it until now, but during their entire fight she'd barely sensed any mana from Shadow. While Zenon had been engulfed with it, Shadow's magic usage had been so precise that is had been barely noticeable. Now though it was starting to mount.

The sudden surge materialized in the form of violet rays. Hundreds of them wrapped around Shadow like the threads of a spider web.

"How beautiful," Alexia whispered. She was mesmerized, not only by the unique color but by the precision and control of his magic.

"What are you doing?" Zenon asked.

"I'll show you true almighty power and carve it into your eyes, forever."

The purple mana thickened and formed into a spiral and began to be swallowed up by ebony blade.

"This is me at my peak." For the first time Shadow brought his sword to a lunging position. It was a stance that was only ever used to strike down an enemy.

"W… Wait a minute!"

Alexia watched and felt the whole world shaking.

That swordplay is the strongest!

Shadow drew back his sword. "Watch closely. Hidden technique: I AM ATOMIC!"

Alexia saw the world vanish into brilliant light.

XXX

Her head hurt.

Her eyes were closed and she was drifting in and out. She wasn't sure where she was or what exactly had happened. Monsters, blood, cults, shadows, a beautiful black sword, thoughts and images swam through her mind. She wasn't sure what was real and what was some crazy nightmare. Alexia imagined some crazy doctor with glasses and a lab coat sitting by her bedside and sipping her blood out through a straw. Okay, that one had to be a nightmare, right?

She imagined someone touching her cheek and warmth flowing into her. The throbbing in her head vanished. Then a baritone voice spoke.

"I can't believe I actually came to your rescue. Saving the princess is more a hero thing than a job for an eminence in shadow. Still, it was a fun boss fight, and I guess it was cool to cover that trope."

She'd heard that voice before, but wasn't sure where from. The words didn't really make sense.

"Well, even though you were a total pain in the ass I guess I owed it to you for all those gold coins. Just would have been nice if you could have handed them to me instead of making me chase after them like a dog."

POOCHIE?!

She fought to open her eyes and speak, but couldn't. Alexia slipped into the darkness. The last thought she had was of a boy with red eyes gently touching her cheek.