Sanctuary Agency-Chapter 23: Golden Crystals Gauntlet [3]

〘Date: 2/11 - Monday〙

〘Time: 3:35 PM〙

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

The atmosphere around us was intense, the next stage of the battle now set and stone against me and Anastasia's Knight, Reinhart. I knew this battle would be one of the harder ones, taken I was running through my energy while Reinhart was fully rested.

Reinhart stared at me with a focused gaze, clutching his halberd firmly, shifting his body into his battle stance. "Once I defeat you, we will finish you off here! End your career here in this very forest!"

I didn't waste any energy speaking, focusing everything on ending the fight as fast as possible. With a powerful lunge, I swiftly unsheathed my broadsword and launched a swift horizontal slash, my blade cutting through the air toward his side.

Reinhart parried my slash, knocking me off balance then countered with a flurry of thrusts with his spear, each of his strikes piercing my body. I dodged his next jab, moving around the battlefield swiftly to avoid taking any more damage.

"What's wrong?! You don't seem so tough when you're not fighting women!" Reinhart bellowed, thrusting his halberd at me, impaling my stomach.

I groaned in deep pain, gripping the handle of his weapon, my hands immediately flinching back due to the unbearable heat. The blade of his spear began burning me internally, the burning righteousness of his weapon seemingly trying to purify me.

"Ryder!" Rhea called out in deep panic, hurrying toward me but stopped as I held my hand out to keep her away from the fight.

I panted heavily, lowering my head and gripped the handle of his halberd despite the unbearable burning. "No...I can handle this..."

Reinhart stared at me with a viseral glare, pushing his blade further into my stomach, causing me to groan in pain. "Now that I finally have you caught...it's time you answer some questions. Who exactly are you?! What is your end goal after all of this?!"

I continued to grunt in deep discomfort, coughing lightly as my chest began to ache from the flames within. I chuckled softly at his questions, knowing he was trying to pry into my mind during my state of vulnerability.

"I...am something you don't understand. I am the living concept of greatness, someone born to become a king...I am The One in a Million, The Embodiment of Talent..." I began, looking up slowly to meet Reinhart's gaze with pure tribal essence.

Slowly, my Mask of The Ace began to slowly form over my face, the blue star design brightly glowing into life. "But most importantly...I am The Ace!"

With my powerful declare, a burst of brilliant blue energy began pulsating around my body, the force of my aura blowing Reinhart away. I slowly took his halberd out of my stomach, tossing it toward him, the polearm rolling to his feet.

Reinhart began to slowly recover onto one knee, looking up at me and immediately noticing my mask, his heart skipping a beat. He couldn't take his eyes off me, his heart feeling as if it stopped as he realized that I wasn't just associated with Sanctuary Agency...I was an Agent.

Silas couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him, a rare moment of genuine hesitation flashing in his eyes. "Impossible...this fraud...is an Agent for Sanctuary Agency..?"

Anastasia watched me even more closely, knowing I began to understand how dire the Gauntlet has become. Now seeing me at my strongest, she began to grow more curious about what I could do...as the Strongest Card and Piece on the board.

"Pick up your weapon and rise...and face me with your full conviction. Prove to me your system works...and I'll show you my conviction," I said, focusing all of my attention onto Reinhart.

Reinhart slowly picked up his halberd, standing to his feet. He gradually readied his weapon, getting into his battle stance. He stared at me deeply, trying to get a read upon my body language, but my motions were still as a mountain, unreadable like a book full of empty pages.

'I can't read him...yet his intentions are so clear. Everyone's watching me, the weight of the Golden Crystals' name weighing on my shoulders! I can not fall now!' Reinhart rallied mentally, his fiery aura sparking around his body.

With a passionate war cry, he lunged toward me, thrusting his lance forward, but I swiftly dodged, countering with a Destiny Flash, blue lightning flashing upon impact. Reinhart grunted as the blow to his body staggered him, but he stood strong, going for another strike.

Effortlessly dodging him once again, I countered with a heavy blow to his midsection, following it with a roundhouse kick, my foot trailing wind behind it to daze him temporarily. I shifted my foot, using the ground to trap him in place, finishing my assault with a palm strike to the core of his body.

Reinhart coughed a bit of blood, his body flying backwards and sliding along the ground. He struggled to push himself up, my elemental combo disorienting his senses for a moment. 'Two perfect dodges into devastating counters...Both times I was unprepared for...but...'

I began walking toward Reinhart, my gaze subtly analyzing his body language to predict his next movements. The moment his muscles tensed, I could already see his next action, my body immediately reacting to dodge his sneak attack.

Reinhart's eyes slightly widened as I dodged his attack, his mind going blank with disbelief, his inner voice too surprised to even speak. Before he could plan another move, I landed a devastating uppercut onto his jaw, knocking him airborne.

I unsheathed my broadsword, holding it with a reverse grip and flicking the bottom of my handle, a ripple of wind opening above Reinhart, sending an invisible whirlwind down upon his body. The cutting wind sliced his back, the pressure of the speeding winds knocking him to the ground.

"That— That was my move!" Phanie exclaimed loudly, shooting up to her feet with a mix of confusion and admiration.

"He can copy attacks..? But how..? How did he copy Phanie's Aero Judgement..?" Bernice asked with confusion and a hint of hesitation in her voice.

I adjusted my mask along my face, staring down at Reinhart, The Ace symbol shining brightly in my eyes. I lowered my broadsword, allowing him the chance to recover back to his feet, not speaking a single word.

"Ocular Flair..~ You and Papa Shiro have a knack for using my mother's gifts. Copying Phanie's technique and saving it for the next battle..."

I listened to Alina's praise, a small smile curling on my lips behind my mask. I hummed softly in response, glancing up at the wind ripple in the air. 'It isn't Alchemy which is the amazing part...I had to study her literal affinity and the nature of Aero Judgement to copy it, and even then..'

A memory of my previous battle against Phanie flashed into my mind, the imagery of the ample amount of ripples that were around me causing Mt body to shudder. 'I can only make one at a time...it's a complex technique..'

"Hmm...I understand, but now it is time for you to become The Million and Promote! You've played your card...now it's time to win the game,"

'I know that...and I will,' I replied mentally, watching as Reinhart stood onto his feet once more.

Reinhart prepared his weapon once again, panting heavily as he was already feeling the effects of my strikes. He gulped heavily, his hands beginning to tremble under the pressure of the duel.

I stared at Reinhart with a calm and calculating expression, studying his body language once more. I pointed my sword at him, the eyes of my mask gleaming with dominance. "Surrender. You don't hold true conviction in your heart. You don't even truly believe in your own self."

Reinhart's gaze was full of defiance, gathering his strength to lunge toward me once more, using his flames to shift his spear into a failed transmutation attempt of Excalibur. "Excaburn! Time to shine bright!"

The red crystal of his sword shone brightly, resonating with his very soul. The flames from his heart and the mock Philosopher's Stone began to connect, searing into a lustrous red hue. He let out a battle cry, awakening his blazing energy around his body.

"Kick his ass, Reinhart! Show him what we are made of!" Cameron bellowed on the sidelines, clanging his gauntlets together to rally strength for Reinhart.

"Defeat him for the name of Crystal City!" Donna cheered loudly in a singsong tone, using her melodic voice to further boost Reinhart's morale.

Silas watched the duel with a growing edge, gripping his sleeve tightly, his dark energy seeping from his skin. He growled lowly at me, his patience slowly wearing thin. Anastasia could feel Silas' evergrowing anger, knowing the leash upon him was weakening.

"You still fight knowing you're losing a downhill battle? Hmph...if there is something I must commend you all for... it's you all have heart, but it's like the blind leading the blind. You all will eventually fall, become nothing more than slaves to the very system you think you have power in," I scoffed, adjusting my stance into a more relaxed posture.

"Shut up! I hate people like you! You speak all high and mighty, only to be exactly like the last tyrant!" Reinhart yelled, dashing toward me with a furious charge.

He began rushing me with burning slashes, each swing fueled with passionate firepower. I dodged and blocked each of his strikes, slipping under and around each of his swings, using my Ocular Flair to study each of him with an analytical gaze.

Reinhart roared as he continued his onslaught, each of his attacks becoming more aggressive and fiery...each attack becoming easier to read. I began parrying his slashes, knocking him off balance with each counter, driving him on the back foot.

"You invade our home and dare to speak down upon the very city you stand in?! You know nothing of what we've been through!" Reinhart bellowed, raising his sword in the air once again. "Lordly Fireblade!"

Reinhart roared as he slashed down at me, aiming to strike me down with one blow. As his sword crashed down, a fiery explosion erupted around us, generating high amounts of wind around the area.

Everyone grunted as they shielded themselves from the high winds, the large smoke cloud rushing through the surrounding area. The smoke began to slowly clear, the aftermath being shown like a final curtain reveal.

Reinhart's eyes widened as he noticed I had blocked his attack, his gaze shifting to see his blade stopped by the edge of the hilt of my sword perfectly in an irregular manner. His blade scraped against the metal, trying to overpower my unusual defense.

"My eyes can do more than just copy abilities...they can copy the very essence of your being, your very technique..." I stared, adjusting my mask as I held off Reinhart's attack with a reverse grip.

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I pushed Reinhart back, striking him with a knee of pure steel, knocking the wind out of his body. I watched as he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and rose my sword in the air.

As I went for the final blow, I groaned a blast of dark energy struck me from behind, blowing me away from Reinhart. I rolled along the ground, recovering onto my feet. I turned my gaze over to the only suspect I knew would attack me, my gaze meeting his dark, destructive expression.

"Silas..! What are you—" Reinhart began, growing silent immediately as Silas began walking forward.

Silas used his dark energy to summon a darkly ornate book, shadow energy emitting from the black crystal embedded on the cover. He stared at me with a dangerous intent, his eyes glowing darkly. "Your time is over...You are not able to get the job done, so I will..."

"It's time...you are fighting against Anastasia-Aurora's Bishop and her strongest ally, the Trinity Demon, Silas Beilei. This has turned into a grudge match. He will not hold back, and neither should you..."

I hopped up and down during Alina's pep talk, energizing my body and preparing myself for my battle against Silas at his best. I got into my stance, mentally gathering myself in a sound manner. 'Understood...'

Silas used his magic to cause his book to hover beside him, getting into battle stance as well. He immediately denied me access to study him, dashing toward me and landing a leaping darkness kick to my face.

I grunted as I rolled backwards, recovering quickly and blocking his next strike, letting out a surprised grunt as he captured my arm in dark energy. Silas began controlling my movements like a puppet master, forcing myself into a vulnerable position.

"I refuse to allow you to make a comeback...This is where I call checkmate!" Silas bellowed, encasing my body in life draining energy, siphoning my very life force from my body. "Fall before my Nosferatu!"

I groaned loudly in pain as my body gradually began to grow weaker by the second. I grit my teeth, trying to resist his oppressive force, yet his bind was too strong due to my exhaustion.

"Silas stop this now! You're going too far!" Anastasia rose from her seat, raising her voice in a commanding manner.

Silas didn't listen, continuing to enjoy his sadistic pleasure in slowly killing me off. Rhea grit her teeth, standing idly and helplessly as she watched as I suffered and resisted. Everytime she tried to jump in for me, I rejected, wanting to beat the entire Gauntlet on my own.

"Resisting only makes this worse for you! Just drop down like the ant you are!" Silas bellowed, increasing the power of his life draining spell, his lips curling with cruel sadistic enjoyment from my pain.

"S-Silas! Stop it! He's had enough!" Bernice called out, using Donna as support to stand up on her feet.

"Enough, Silas! His pain is already too great!" Phanie protested, wanting Silas to end his torture upon my body.

I could feel my body growing increasingly weaker at an alarming rate, my heart beating faster with adrenaline. Out of desperation, I let out my Tribal Howl and awakened my Tengoku Mode, using my silverish blue energy to push Silas away.

Silas grunted heavily as he resisted the force of my aura, his eyes widening as he noticed the mystic glow of my body and tattoos. 'What...is this power..?'

Phanie's eyes widened as she immediately recognized the power I wielded, taking a step forward and holding her hand over her chest. "Tengoku..."

I panted heavily with exhaustion, my body now more fatigued than before. I began to slowly stand up, my mask slowly falling off my face, revealing my primal golden eyes. "You tried to kill me...is that how much this system means to you? The system you live in matters more than your own Queen?!"

"This very system protects Lady Aurora from death and prevents our people from falling! People like you are the root cause for the downfall of major leaders! Revolutionaries like you should die!" Silas roared, firing a bullet hell of dark energy blasts at me.

I let out another Tribal Howl, expanding my aura to block the energy blasts then dashed toward Silas at high speeds, my body a blur as I struck him with an attack faster than the naked eye. I bellowed as I began rushing him with a barrage of strikes from all directions.

Silas released a wave of darkness around his body, aiming to push me away, but my body instinctively evaded his attack, leaping into the trees. Silas quickly looked around as he listened to the rapid rustling of the leaves, trying to track my movements.

"Malu! Malu!" I chanted as I rushed from tree to tree, moving around at high speeds while keeping my gaze locked onto Silas.

Phanie listened to my chants, feeling her spirit roaring within. She took a deep breath, stepping forward and chanting along with me. "Hia! Hia!"

Silas grunted in disbelief as Phanie chanted along with me, listening as our chants began to align with one another. Everyone listened closely to our tribal chants, our chants aligning into one word, Maluhia.

I let out a Tribal Howl, my body vanishing at high speeds and appearing beside Silas with a Flying Superkick, my foot connecting to his jaw with incredulous force. The force of my strike send Silas flying, his body crashing into a tree across the battlefield.

I landed on the ground, roaring at the sky then performing a short triumphant Moji Haka, stomping my foot on the ground and readying myself once again. "C'mon! Are you truly willing to DIE for your beliefs?!"

Anastasia couldn't take her eyes off my performance, a mix of graceful brilliance and tribal aggression. She glanced over at Phanie, who was letting her tribal heritage shine, acknowledging me by performing the Moji Haka.

'She's completely turned...She acknowledged Ryder,' Reinhart thought with disbelief, watching as Phanie continued her ancestral dance.

Silas grunted softly as he slowly began to rise to his feet, coughing heavily in deep pain. He slowly turned his gaze toward Phanie, noticing her letting out a Tribal Howl with upmost disgust. His eyes burned with betrayal, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"You dare to chant with this fraud?! You dare to acknowledge an outsider, someone who grew up with a bunch of countryside actors?!" Silas roared at Phanie, glaring at her with upmost disgust.

Phanie immediately flinched back from his words, her skin growing cold at his demonic glare. She shrank down into her bubble, moving back toward Donna and Cameron for support.

"C'mon man, that was unnecessary! Phanie is still a Mojisola Tribe member before she's one of us! You don't need to shout at her," Cameron defended, holding Phanie close to him in a protective manner.

"Yeah, Phanie wasn't doing anything wrong other than embracing her heritage!" Donna defended as well, her gaze hardening as she stared at Silas with disappointment.

"I don't care...her disgrace is all that matters! Acknowledging Ryder is like admitting his false beliefs are correct! He is a Dawn, a generation of failed actors! His mother is only famous because of her involvement with Shiro, his grandmother is a Retired Sex Worker, and his grandfather is a failed business man!" Silas bellowed, turning his dark glance to me.

"You're nothing in this world. You're a literal nobody hiding behind your tribe's heritage and behind a Mafia disguising themselves as Government Officials," Silas growled, his breathing growing heavier with each word.

I stared at Silas, my skin heating up with an anger I could barely describe with words. Memories with my mother and grandmother flashed in my head, moment with my grandfather's business playing in full picture. The light in my eyes began to slowly fade away, my heart within growing cold.

Rhea immediately recognized my Heartless Gaze, a shiver creeping down her spine. She could see not a King or an Ace, not even a Joker...she saw a man without no mask...true anger.

"My mother... Whitney Dawn, an name the Rich Family has been trying to smeer for the longest, is an incredible woman. Empathetic, gentle, and always putting others before herself... My grandmother, Krystal Dawn, is more than a retired sex worker!" I yelled, my tribal tattoos flashing a crimson red, my hair standing up, shifting my appearance to a more beastly presence.

"You dare...to disrespect my family. You dare to disrespect Phanie...your own sistren and look me in the eyes and call me nothing?!" I roared, unleashing my Jigoku Mode in full effect.

My roar echoed around the entire park, the animals within the forest scattering away, all the sounds of nature seizing to play. The war energy began to spread around the forest, the nature responding violently and destructively to my call, the branches of the trees intertwining to prevent escape for anyone.

My eyes began glowing a wild golden gleam, Jigoku's words echoing in my mind to destroy Silas. I lowered my posture, getting down on all fours and gripped the grass as an attempt to keep myself grounded.

"Silas...I will make you acknowledge me. Not as The Rising King, not as The Joker, not as The Ace! But as Ryder fucking Dawn!" I declared with a dual tone, letting out a combative Tribal Howl.

Silas grunted as he felt the wrath behind each of my words, his body hesitating for the first time in forever. I rushed toward Silas, delivering a shattering right hook to his jaw, tensing my entire body to force out a Destiny Flash.

Silas's body went flying, crashing into the branch wall behind him. The branches became flexible like the ropes of a wrestling ring, slinging Silas back toward me. I stomped my foot down, charging toward him and delivering a splitting spear to his body, driving him down to the ground.

I popped back to my feet, grabbing Silas's face and raising him off the ground. "I'm not done with you yet..."

Red lightning began crackling around my hand, releasing powerful voltages of lightning throughout his body. Silas roared out in pain as my lightning surged around his body, intensifying the existing pain through his nerve endings.

Once I felt he had enough, I let him go and allowed him to fall onto his knees. Once he fell before me, I struck his jaw with a lightning enhanced Superkick, making him fall to the ground. Once he fell to the ground, I mounted on top of him, striking his face repeatedly.

Anastasia watched as I continuously beat down Silas, feeling the pain and wrath each of my attacks carried. She wanted to stop the fight, but her body wouldn't allow her to move, each of her limbs trembling with sorrow and hesitation.

Reinhart, who was the closest to us, failed to act as well, his body also unable to move through fear and uncertainty. He could do nothing but watch as Silas took every strike at full force, his words caught in the back of his mind.

Silas grunted in pain from each attack that landed, trying his hardest to shield himself from my viseral assault. With a push of desperation, he caught my fist, holding his free hand in my face and unleashing a powerful dark elemental blast at point blank range.

The smoke began to slowly clear, revealing an Aero Ripple deployed in front of my face, the ripple within reality stopping his attack and absorbing the blow. Immediately, Silas tried striking again, but I grabbed his throat, slamming his head against the ground.

I stood up slowly, looking down at Silas and using Alchemy to create stone constructs to bind him down. I gripped my dagger tightly in my hand, holding it with a reverse grip. "Ever since coming to New America...I have been trying to hide my heritage. I wanted a normal life. I wanted to just be normal...and be a normal kid and teenager."

"But ever since the event that changed my life, it's been constant training! Constant fighting! Constant moving around until we found refuge in the Sanctuary Agency with Trinity Valley. While my mother thrived because she ignores the hate, I can't. My mother put EVERYTHING into giving us a safe life. EVERYTHING!"

Rhea listened to my speech, her lip quivering as she could hear the pain in my tone due to the absolute silence around us. She wanted to reach out for me, to comfort me, but she knew that wasn't what I wanted or needed right now.

"For you to say what you did about her and my family... the woman who threw her life away to save me from death! The woman who has thrown her life in front of multiple bullets to save her sister?! NO! No one ever disrespects her name! No one disrespects the Dawns! Now Acknowledge US!" I yelled, rapidly striking the hilt of my dagger.

Immediately, a barrage of whirlwinds began striking Silas, each wind blade cutting and slicing through his skin. I made sure to strike non lethal areas, keeping him alive for him to acknowledge me. Silas groaned loudly as he tried resisting the pain, his body growing weaker by the second.

"Acknowledge me, and this will all end!" I bellowed, slicing the Aero Ripples in front of me, releasing a larger whirlwind at his body.

The wind blade struck him viciously, the edge of the whirlwind blunt to only inflict blunt force damage to his body. Silas groaned loudly in pain, coughing and hacking, wincing heavily in agony.

"Never...I don't care...if she's a Destiny Woman. I don't care...if she's your hero...The Dawns are not a name...worth chanting..." Silas rejected, struggling to get every word out.

I stared down at Silas, forming an Aero Ripple above his neck. "Then die with your ideals..."

"Ryder, that's enough. Silas has lost," Anastasia spoke up, standing up from her seat.

"No one gets to dictate how this match ends but me! This match does end until he acknowledges me!" I shouted, my voice tinged with wrath as I slammed my finger against the hilt of my dagger.

A blunt invisible whirlwind flew out of the wind ripple, striking a non lethal area of his neck, causing Silas to groan in pain. I stomped on his chest, pressing my heel down upon his body, causing Silas to wheeze in distress.

Silas slowly reached for his book, but I immediately unholstered my handgun, using Alchemy to surround the barrel in flames. I fired a fiery bullet at his book, setting it ablaze in its entirety, leaving only his mock Philosopher's Stone behind.

"Your ideals...aren't even rooted in your own ways. I know the look on those Philosopher Stones...those are Lost Syndicate made," I said, my eyes lingering on the lone stone lying powerless beside Silas.

"That's not true..! A great scientist...our scientist, Crystal Master Erwin Hesvil, made those! He's not associated with those beasts! Right, Anastasia?" Reinhart denied, turning his gaze toward Anastasia for an answer.

Anastasia lowered her gaze, holding her hand to her chest and closing her eyes. Her silence told the entire story, her own silence inadvertently showing her own faction the truth.

Everyone looked at her in disbelief, betrayal, and everything in between. They didn't know how to process the truth...the truth that their leader sold them out.

Rhea scoffed at Anastasia, turning her nose up at her with disgust in her eyes. "I knew you were always a rotting gem. So it's true...you are all working with the Lost Syndicates?"

"Silas...did you know?" Reinhart asked, turning his gaze slowly toward Silas.

Silas grunted softly as I took my foot off his chest, letting out a soft chuckle. "Of course I knew...I am the one...who made her do it. What other choice did we have? It was either kill or be killed! Erase or be erased! Our city is dying and you dare question the Queen and her Bishop?!"

Silas grabbed his Philosopher's Stone, siphoning a bit of energy from the nature itself with his Nosferatu, regenerating his stamina and healing his wounds. "I will punish you for such crimes!"

Reinhart's eyes widened as Silas fired a deadly Mire at him, the destructive sphere of black energy flying toward him at high speeds. He tried to dodge, but his own fear got the better of him, paralyzing his body.

Using a burst of speed, I rushed in front of Reinhart, using a less polished, mock version of Silas's Nosferatu and absorbing his spell. I grunted softly as the dark energy of his magic entered my body, surging through my veins, but the healing effects of Nosferatu began to dispel the negative ailments, restoring my stamina and healing my body.

Reinhart's looked up at me with a mix of shock and gratefulness, noticing me turn around to offer my hand. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed my hand, using my help for support. "Ryder...why did you save me. After everything—"

"My mission coming into this Gauntlet was never about winning...it was never about capturing the pieces of my opponent. It was about shifting the color of the pieces...and the ones I can't change, I don't capture...I destroy," I said, turning my attention back toward Silas.

"At the end of the day...I still want to join the Golden Crystals, but I see the one factor holding you all back. The Trinity Demon... your own Advisor is keeping you all down this path and he has to go," I said, calming my mind and soul down to regain my thought process.

Silas chuckled lowly, turning his Philosopher's Stone into energy and the dark energy began to enter his body, awakening his full potential. "I have to go..? No it is you...you built this trap for yourself and now this very trap will be your grave."

I performed a combative Moji Haka, kneeling down upon one knee and prayed to Tengoku, bowing my head and closing my eyes. "O' Mighty Goddess of Peace, Tengoku...lend me your tribal strength for I must bring peace to the dark forces before me...Maluhia..."

I drew a line along the ground, standing up proudly and with determination, my tribal tattoos shining with an ethereal silverish blue energy. Letting out a Tribal Howl, I awakened my Tengoku Mode in full effect.

The peaceful aura of Tengoku's Mode began to spread around the forest, the frightened animals from once before now gathering back around the arena. The sounds of nature returned around us, birds chirping on the branches while elks and deers let out their cries as they watched the battle.

Anastasia looked around herself, noticing the true beauty in nature as all eyes were truly now on me. She turned her gaze quickly turned back toward me, her heart beating in ways she never knew it could. Her entire body felt at peace as she stared at me, her guard truly relaxing.

The once now Pawn of the board, now understanding my role better... finally promoted into the impossible, A King.