Sanctuary Agency-Chapter 39: Blue Dragon

〘Date: 2/14 - Thursday〙

〘Time: 1:35 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, Spade District - 4th Arc〙

I quickly evaded a swarm of attacks around me, launching Maika toward a Crooked Spade and she hissed combatively and began scratching the face of the woman, leaving behind frost marks along her eyes and nose. Maika kicked off her face, opening for me to finish the woman off with a spinning 720 Kick to the side of her head.

Desiree vaulted over me as I landed, wrapping her legs around the neck of another Crooked Spade and took him to the ground, landing on top of him then zapped him with powerful volts of lightning. She got off his body and sensed an attack from behind, dodging the kick and pushing the woman into the road.

The woman groaned as she was hit by incoming traffic, Desiree letting out a laugh as she quickly teleported out of the area. I released a powerful blast of black winds around the block, ravens calling out and swarming the skies. The cars came to a stop, the sounds of horns honking and baring intermingling with the ravens.

"Where is your leader?" I asked, my tone dark and chilling with cold authority.

One Crooked Spade looked over to his ally, backing away from me and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Dude...who the fuck is this guy?"

"Shit, you're asking the wrong person, boy. As if I know who this lunatic is," The woman replied, readying her bat to strike once more.

"Hey, what's the big idea over here?! Looks like you all can't do shit without me!" A male voice called out with hubris, a cocky laugh following his statement.

I turned my gaze upward, noticing a figure standing a top of a building, his hair burning with blue flames, his eyes gleaming a dangerous purple glow. The figure leaped off the building, landing a top of a car, the pure heat emitting from his body melting the roof into molten steel.

The figure met my gaze with a confident grin, crossing his arms over his chest and hopped off the car. "So, I see I am in the presence with the infamous Fool that killed Bear yesterday. The same Fool that attacked The Hearts as well? I see you're on a bit of a Conquest huh?"

"That is exactly what I'm on, and the Spade District just happens to be the easiest to take over. I killed one of your Gang Leaders with ease, paralyzed Escobar with my presence. You all are just as fickle as your loyalty to your city," I taunted, holding my arm out and allowing Maika to hop upon my shoulder.

"Cute, you beat washed up Kings and Jacks...Now what are you going to do to a real King? You will know your role here, Fool! I am Azul Kurosagi, King of Spades!" Azul announced, holding his arms out with dramatic flair. "And with these flames...you will be judged and tried."

I rose my hand slightly, black lightning crackling around my palm and materializing into my black gauntlet. 'Phroa, are we all good..?'

〔Ryder's Mood: Focused〕

〔Art of Love Overall LV.: 5〕

〔Luscious Ambition: 17%〕

〔Vitals: Healthy〕

〔Phroa: All set, Master!~ I've allocated Credi into your Art of Love, focusing on Talent, Charisma, and Empathy. All Skills and Traits are Level 5!〕

I nodded to myself, adjusting my mask with a jester's grin, letting out a soft chuckle. I got down into a low stance, black lightning crackling around my body. "Your flames will be just as worthless as a hand of numbers...Allow me to show you a true Joker's Gamble."

Azul braced himself for a battle as well, smirking to himself and uncrossing his arms. 'His demeanor is now different...more combative. Is he charging in head first..? I'm already excited thinking about exposing this fraud!'

My body flickered, vanishing at high speeds and leaving a crack in my original position. I used the sides of the cars to boost my momentum, appearing in front of Azul with a spinning kick. Azul managed to block my kick, grunting heavily from the heavy impact of my foot.

Breaking his guard, I followed with a Dark Destiny Flash to his midsection, knocking him across the street at great speeds. I dashed after him, leaping in the air and coming down with an axe kick, but Azul quickly rolled out of the away.

'This guy's unnaturally athletic, almost like an Agent's level of athleticism..' Azul analyzed mentally, quickly evading my straight punch.

He began weaving around my series of strikes, countering with a heavy left hook, leaving me slightly dazed. He began following up with a series of heated attacks, each strike growing hotter the more he moved his body.

Azul let out a battle cry as he launched a roundhouse kick to my head. Ethereal blue energy flashed around my body, my body ducking quickly to evade his strike. I began flawlessly dodging each of his attacks, countering with a standing enziguri to the back of his head.

"Let's dance," I chuckled in a calm manner, landing in a NY Flare positions and began swinging my legs around my body.

Azul tried to evade my kicks, but I released a burst of wind around me, creating updraft and lifting Azul off his feet. I followed into a backspin, rotating my body and creating a twister to keep Azul suspended in the air.

Suddenly, I stopped spinning, the twister slowly ending and dropping Azul upon his back. Azul grunted heavily as he fell onto his back, getting up onto his feet quickly and looking around, noticing I dragged him into an alleyway.

"Hey! Where the hell are you hiding, coward?!" Azul called out, glancing around the alleyway and began running around to find me.

His feet moved quickly across the ground, searching every corner of the block until entering an an empty plaza area, noticing me standing at the center. He growled lowly and marched forward, walking through a thread of Essence, a blast of water erupting from above him.

"Blindly walking into a trap? It's fitting for a blind King to lead blind people. You're more of a Fool than me," I taunted, laughing at the succession of my prank.

Azul looked at me with pure disdain, glancing around and noticed the plaza rigged with the Essence Web and elemental orbs placed around the environment. 'The level of Alchemy needed for this...this technique looks like that guy's move from yesterday. This guy can copy techniques as well..?'

"To save you the trouble, I've rigged this environment with Aero Ripples, Earth Pits, Fire Mines, and Water Bombs. All being activated by the webs of essence. Every step is critical," I said, tossing off my cloak aside, my smirk growing wider.

Azul smirked at me and chuckled with intrigue and entertainment. "Heh, it's been a while since I've had to think in battle. Especially in a street fight, too bad I'm a critical thinker on top of being a dominator!"

"Then let's see if your wits are as good as your meaningless barks. There's no one to save us...just a King and a Joker that Slays the King," I said, getting into my battle stance.

Azul charged toward me at high speeds, launching a blue fireball at me with a jump kick. I weaved my arms around, redirecting the fireball back toward Azul, but he slid underneath it, rolling forward with a sweep kick.

I put my main foot back, raising my left to evade his kick then stomped on the ground, a short pillar rising and cracking Azul along his head. I shifted my foot and rose my arms, stones trapping Azul's arms and legs and rising him up.

Azul growled lowly, trying to break out of his capture and clenching his fists tightly. He watched as I approached him, his veins lighting up with fiery energy. 'Can't believe I'm forced to use this..!'

As I charged up my Dark Destiny Flash, I noticed blue flames escaping from the corners of Azul's mouth, my body immediately bracing itself. With a powerful roar, Azul began breathing blue flames from his mouth, forcing me to release his hold and dodge the flames.

Azul coughed heavily and rubbed his neck as he landed upon one knee. He looked up at me with a chuckle, clearing his throat gently. "How'd you like that..? Lunoir's Breath is a powerful Alchemic Technique, one of the best Blue Dragon Skills from Japan."

'Blue Dragon...Ahh, he's a Yakuza Member,' I thought to myself, glancing at Phroa's holographic interface.

〔Phroa: No wonder I've been detecting some insane energy from him! Ugh, why are all of Karin's exes just dangerous fellas?〕

Azul smirked at my prolonged silence, standing onto his feet and crossing his arms with smug confidence. "Heh! I guess you've finally put the pieces together huh? I'm the Heir to the Head of the Kurosagi Clan! Not that I'll expect a street vigilante to understand being royal."

I chuckled at his mocking tone, standing up straight and shook my head. "You know exactly nothing about me, for all you know I could be your lost ally, or maybe a lost relative. The facts are this...it doesn't matter who you are, all kingdoms burn down the same!"

I used black lightning to manifest a katana, grabbing it in a reverse grip and tapping the handle with my pinky, activating an Aero Ripple and a black whirlwind fired at Azul's back. Azul groaned as he was struck from behind, grunting deeply in pain from the open wound.

I charged toward Azul with a running knee, knocking him in the air with concussive force then followed with a spinning kick, my foot connecting to his stomach. Azul groaned as he was launched backwards, his body passing through an Essence Web and activating the Water Bomb above him, the blast knocking him onto the ground.

Azul grunted as he fell into a pit, the droplets of water combining with the sprinkles of earth energy to grow vines and bind Azul to the ground. He struggled against the vines, noticing me walk toward the edge of the pit.

"And just like old kings...they get buried with their false legacies," I said, kicking a bit of dirt upon Azul's body and chuckled coldly as I walked away.

Azul's body began burning with rage from my disrespect, his hair blazing with fury, the heat from his body burning the vines into ashes. With a yell of passion and anger, he launched himself out of the pit and used his flamed to change his trajectory into an aerial crescent kick.

I smirked as I turned around to block his attack, my golden eyes glowing behind my mask. "Seems like I struck a nerve..."

"You will pay for your disrespect upon my name!" Azul bellowed, shifting his body to strike me with a back kick in the air.

I grunted as I rolled backwards along the ground, recovering onto one knee and noticing a volley of fireballs headed my way. I snapped my fingers, sacrificing multiple threads to drop Water Bombs to collide with the fireballs.

The plaza became covered in steam, hindering both Azul's and my vision. I cloaked myself in esoteric energy, blue lightning crackling around my body as I activated my Unleashed State, boosting my vision in the thick clouds of steam.

Azul glanced around himself, swatting his arm to rid the thick white smoke, but it was to not avail as the layer still persisted. 'This guy is more dangerous than I thought...Does Free or Lando know about this guy..?'

Azul sensed an attack from behind, turning around quickly to intercept but no one was there. As he began to turn back around, I caught him with a Destiny Flash to his left, staggering him for a second. I slipped to his right, striking him with another Destiny Flash.

I shuffled my feet quickly, energizing my body and cloaking my hand in lightning energy shaped as the heads of lions. I took a deep breath, awakening Tengoku's Energy around my body then began rushing him with a series of deadly and graceful attacks, leaving Azul stunned for a moment.

'Twin Destiny Driver!' I roared mentally, launching an Energized Destiny Flash toward Azul's face.

Azul opened one eye with a grin and chuckled as he slipped around my attack, catching me by surprise with his sudden resurgence. "Guilty Crush!"

With a primal roar, Azul landed a smashing blue fire strike to my jaw, using his full strength to send me flying. I grunted as my body crashed through a window, sliding across the ground and against a front counter.

Azul chuckled softly soon bursting into triumphant laughter, his dragon tattoos gleaming with a royal blue and purple energy. He laughed as his power began to gradually increase after the pain settled in, his body adapting to each gained increase to his power.

〔Phroa: Master! Are you okay?! You got hit like a truck!〕

I grunted softly as I began to stand onto my feet, using the counter as support to rise. Glass shards fell from my shoulders, clinking onto the ground like chimes in the wind. 'I wasn't expecting him to counter like that...my body wasn't prepared for it..'

"You got too confident..." Alina's voice whispered in my head with slight judgement.

'Ugh...I don't need your lecture right now, darling. I'm in the middle of strategizing my next move with Phroa,' I replied back to Alina mentally, leaning against the counter with my arms crossed.

"You got too comfortable and that's why your body didn't respond. You thought you had him beat, but remember he's a royal, street warrior. He still plays dirty like you can,' Alina scolded, shunning me for my overconfidence.

I let out a soft sigh, adjusting my mask then dusted myself off. 'Then what do you plan I do? I'm already seeing that he can adapt rather quickly...'

"Meet him head on. It's the only way to beat a Charging King," Alina suggested, her voice fading away into soft echoes.

I glanced at Phroa's interface and watched her nod in agreement. I nodded back, pushing myself off the counter then made my way back outside with a calm mind, where Azul was waiting for my return.

"Well, well, well...you actually managed to withstand my Guilty Crush. Tell me, how did my fist taste against your mouth?" Azul chuckled coldly, his eyes tracking my every move.

"I'll admit that you're stronger and more durable than most I've faced yesterday...but that only let me know that you can take my punches a little longer than most!" I retorted, letting out a Tribal Howl and entering my Jigoku Mode then vanished at high speeds.

Azul grunted at my sudden rise in power, his body managing to react in time to block my attack, but staggered from the force of my attack. I began launching a series of wild strikes toward him, each attack looking to deal serious damage upon his body.

Azul dodged my next punch, but grunted heavily as I caught him with a right hook. I followed my attack with a left hook, dazing him once again then finished with a Hawaiian Slap to his cheek, causing him to stumble away with his hand on his cheek.

Azul heard my quick steps approaching behind him, turning around quickly to duck under my spinning kick. "You're too slow now! Now, eat my Lost Vortex!"

I watched as his body set up for a devastating uppercut, my own body evading his initial strike before dodging the fiery vortex that followed behind his attack. I landed on my feet and adjusted my gaunlet. 'Another Lunoir Technique...How many more does he have?'

Desiree watched as Azul and I fought from the top of a surrounding building, crossing her arms and letting out a quiet hum. "They seem evenly matched so far, but there's something about Azul that intrigues me."

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"And that is?" Wendy asked, watching the fight as well then glanced at Desiree with curiosity.

"It's seems like the more he gets hit, the stronger he becomes, but the damage he deals, he restores his own stamina. And his tattoos glows just like mine and Ryder's do," Desiree explained, her gaze lingering onto the evenly matched battle below.

"Azul did say he was a Yakuza Member, it might be one of his family's abilities," Wendy shrugged, returning her attention to the fight below.

Azul parried my attacks with quick precision, launching a counter but I evaded his attack then crossed my leg behind his to take him down with a throw. Azul rolled backwards, launching two fireballs at me from his feet but I palmed them both, dispersing them upon impact.

Azul's tattoos began to glow once again, boosting his power even further and his veins began surging with power. He knocked my feet from under with a sweep kick then let out a bellow, using Lunoir's Breath once I was on the ground.

Azul coughed lightly, smoke leaving his mouth as he looked along the seared ground, noticing my illusion rippling and vanishing. 'What..?!'

Black winds began surging around Azul, temporarily blinding him and disorienting his sense of direction. The ground rumbled, small bursts of water erupting from beneath Azul then a massive superheated geyser erupted from under him, blasting him to the sky.

I bellowed from above, charging back a Dark Destiny Flash then struck his stomach with a full power Destiny Flash, surges of darkness reaching to the skies. "Taste my Destiny Driver!"

Letting out a roar, I twisted my fist and sent Azul crashing down in a spiral. Azul's body slammed into the ground, a large smoke cloud rising and catching the eyes of everyone in the surrounding area. I panted heavily from slight exhaustion, holding my wrist and looking down at the aftermath with a smirk.

Suddenly, a pillar of blue flames rose to the skies, forcing me to avoid getting seared by the extreme head. Azul rose to his feet with a laugh, the shine of a crystal gleaming in the smoke. I looked down at where Azul stood, noticing him uncovering himself with a scaly, blue wing.

"Ahh, it's been so long since I've ever had to use my real power. Last person to ever see the Kurosagi Spirit was Fredrick, and even he hesitated to fight me!" Azul announced, turning his gaze up toward me with a wicked grin.

"Pat yourself on your back, Fool! You've managed to push me far enough to awaken Lunoir's power! As a reward, you will see the extent of my power!" Azul roared, blue draconic energy flowing around his body.

〔Phroa: Master! That's Draconic Energy, I didn't know Earth Humans other than the Mojisola could even access it!〕

'He is Yakuza, and in today's time being Yakuza allows you access to a Dragon's Power if you're of Royal Blood. Similar to having access to Tribal Modes and Forms is only granted to those with Royal Blood in the Mojisola,' I replied to Phora mentally, landing on the ground gently and stared at Azul.

Azul watched as I readied myself once more, noticing the Essence Web disappearing one by one, the Essence returning to my body and recovering my stamina. "You have an array of abilities just like that False King, Ryder Dawn. Tell me something, why latch onto someone who couldn't defeat Fredrick?"

"You could join me instead, someone's who's faced Fredrick and beat him before! We could flip this city upside down in a single day working together!" Azul negotiated, meeting my gaze with fiery calculation.

I chuckled softly at his offer, adjusting my gauntlet and exhaled softly. "Sorry, but I will have to decline. I don't work for anyone, especially not burnt out pieces like you. My goal is to flip this city upside down myself...and burn down the remaining cards keeping this place together."

Azul's gaze hardened at my plan, his pride causing his spirit to burn harder. "What? If you do that, you'll cause Civil War in the Spade District!"

"Exactly...The Fool against The Entire Spade District! Except this fool is coming after the throne," I sneered, my body flickering and disappearing at high speeds.

Azul grunted and charged forward as well, clashing fists with mine and groaned as I overpowered him. I began rushing Azul with strikes faster than he could perceive, but he began adapting to my speed, blocking and barely evading each strike.

Azul slipped around my next attack, striking me with his Lost Vortex, the spiralling flames knocking me in the air. With a flap of his wings, he propelled himself above me, using Lunoir's Breath once again and knocking me to the ground with his flames.

I grunted as I guarded myself against Azul's flames, Tengoku's whispers echoing in my head to resist the flames. I growled as I began using my aura to push back the flames, my eyes flashing silver behind my mask, my tattoos flashing Silver-Blue energy.

"Enough!" I bellowed, letting out an echoing Tribal Howl and awakened my Tengoku Mode, blue lightning crackling around my body, the Mask of The Fool cracking and breaking in two, replaced by The Joker's Mask.

Azul grunted as he noticed my mask evolving, guarding himself against the high winds my energy produced. He glanced at me, noticing my aura flowing around me in calm waves. 'That form...No doubt about it...The Fool...'

I took a deep breath, golden flames escaping from my mouth as I breathed out a golden blaze toward Azul. Azul thrusted his hand forward, absorbing the flames and grunted heavily as his body began to grow in temperature rapidly.

Quickly, he moved out of the way, looking down at me genuine surprise, his tattoos glowing and replenishing his stamina using what he absorbed. 'Golden Fire..? What the hell was that..? My body could barely handle it...'

Before our next clash, a vision of Allie and Jade played in my head, catching my attention for a moment. Azul noticed me turning away and escaping, immediately giving chase with a flap of his wings.

I grabbed my raven cloak, putting it on and using a burst of black winds to push Azul away, taking off to the skies and flying toward Allie's and Jade's location. Azul uncovered himself, noticing I had disappeared without a trace, black feathers raining down around him.

Azul landed on the ground, reverting to his normal state and letting out a soft exhale. He looked at the ground, noticing the broken mask and walked toward it. Picking it up, he turned it around and noticed writing engraved into the mask.

"No one will believe you..."

Azul grit his teeth, looking back at where I once stood, gripping the mask in his hand tightly, the heat from his hand melting the mask. His lips curled into an aggressive smirk. "The Fool...we will cross paths again and next time, I'm winning!"

Azul grunted as he began making his way back to his hideout, looking up and noticed a flock of ravens flying through the air like a bad omen. The flock of ravens began turning back into feathers, attaching back to my cloak to allow easier flight.

"Phroa, do you know who Allie and Jade are talking with?" I asked, looking over at Phroa flying beside me, trying to match my speed.

"The Essence is vastly familiar. It feels like it could be Valerie! Geez, this chick is resilient! After what happened to her, she shouldn't come back here!" Phroa answered, using holographic interfaces to track Allie's and Jade's location.

"Hm...I see. If she's here, she's most likely trying to connect with people easier to talk to than those near 7th. If it is Valerie, start tracking her...I need to make sure she leaves Spade District unharmed," I said, following Allie's trail of Essence.

"Understood!" Phroa hummed, zooming in on the third Essence and began tracking it.

〔Art of Love - The Unknowing Queen〕

〔New Main Objective: Protect ???.〕

〔Task: None.〕

〔Reward: Credi +5000, Art of Love EXP +1500〕