1635 Stirring

Following the display of the Sage Dragon Emperor, tensions within the Empire and Confederation were at an all-time high. Neither side had suffered many casualties, but, as could be expected from having their fleets forcibly grounded, the repair costs were astronomical. This was especially true for the Megalomesembrian Fleet, as, unlike the Southern Fleet hailing from the Empire, they had been in motion during the incident. They had also lost six of their War-God Soldiers, three of which were the black variant meant to secure their momentum during the early stages of the war.

Unable to take the offense laying down, the Megalomesembrian Senate placed a bounty of eight-hundred-million Drachma on the Sage Dragon Emperor's head, the second-largest bounty that had ever been issued. The only person with a higher bounty was the Dark Evangel, but, considering she had actually gone to war against Megalomesembria in the past, leading to the downfall of the old monarchy, this didn't surprise anyone.

As could be expected after such an offer was made public, hundreds of specialists were eager to try their hand at hunting down the now-infamous Dragon. Many of these groups gave up after finding out exactly what Vahn had accomplished above Lake Argyre, but, as there were always people who sought to leave their name in history, the strongest among them was undeterred. There were even groups from Mundus Vetus migrating over to join in the search, the most notable being a group of Shinmei-Ryu swordsman and the leader of an ancient dragon-slaying clan from China.

Even when Eva had been at her peak, earning a reputation as the most powerful Mage in the entire world, there had never been a lack of groups willing to hunt her down. Many of these groups were just seeking to increase the fame of their organization or make a name for themselves, but, among the rabble, there were always some true powerhouses mixed in. These people cared little about the rewards offered, as, after reaching the pinnacle within their respective disciplines, their only concern was finding strong opponents to battle against. Thus, after hearing about the power demonstrated by the Sage Dragon Emperor, many 'old monsters' came out of the woodworks.

Though all of Vahn's feats had firmly cemented his place as one of the strongest in the world, it was the line he had drawn across Lake Argyre that left the deepest impression. It's existence had shaken both the Empire and Confederation, as, even after a comprehensive investigation, they were unable to make sense of the mysterious phenomenon. All they knew for certain was that it was some kind of sword technique, so, during the tentative ceasefire agreement, they sought counsel from various famous sword schools.

For hundreds of years, the Shinmei-Ryu had been stagnating within the mountains of Kyoto, Japan. In the modern era, there was only a single Grandmaster among the entire organization, as, after the previous World War, several rival schools had spared no expense in trying to eliminate them. If not for the assistance of the Kansai Magic Association and additional support from Megalomesembria, their thousands of years of heritage would have been lost.

Since the time of the Second World War of Mundus Vetus, the Shinmei-Ryu school had been deeply indebted to both the Kansai Magic Association and the Megalomesembrian Confederation. This led to many of their techniques being leaked, and, over time, many of their external disciples had been swayed by the convenience of technology and modern living. Only the Main Household continued to strenuously follow tradition, but, as a result, they had developed an 'elitist' mentality that made it very difficult for them to thrive and prosper in a changing era.

The Grandmaster was already 139 years old, so, with the threat of death constantly looming over them, they couldn't help but worry about the future of the Shinmei-Ryu school. The line drawn by the Sage Dragon Emperor reminded them that there were pinnacles of swordsmanship that had yet to be reached. This gave them hope for the future, and, for the first time in more than forty years, a strong desire to battle had awakened within their tired bones...

---

Though he wasn't unaware of the bounty that had been placed on his head, Vahn didn't particularly care about the machinations of Megalomesembria. He was more amused by the fact that the Hellas Empire seemed to be on the fence regarding how they should respond to him grounding their fleet. They had yet to issue a public response following the incident, and, despite a fair amount of tension within the Imperial Court, the Emperor adamantly refused to place a bounty of their own. Instead, it seemed like he was proactively supporting his daughter's position, expanding Theo's influence, and taking measures to eliminate some of the dissidents within the Imperial Court.

Vahn wasn't quite sure what was going through the Emperor's head, but, based on his behavior, it was apparent that he had already guessed the relationship between himself and Theo. Despite this, he didn't seem to oppose the arrangement, but, considering Theo's dominant performance during her Rite of Passage, that wasn't too much of a surprise. The Empire was founded on the principle of individual might and merit, so, with tremendous public support, not supporting Theo would be the same as compromising the integrity of the Imperial Family.

Though there was bound to be some backlash once his relationship with Theo came to light, Vahn had already come to terms with the inevitable. He had already promised her a child, so, regardless of his original intentions, he would do everything in his power to protect both her and their future offspring. His only real concern was handling everything in a manner that would allow him to take both Theo and their future child along with him. He didn't actually intend to spend that much time in the Akamatsuverse, so, if she insisted on fulfilling her duties as an Empress, there was a chance he would be subsuming the entirety of Mundus Magicus in the future...

---

Thinking about the future, Vahn had to repress a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair in an increasingly-common self-calming gesture. Then, with the most relaxed smile he could manage, he turned to the skulking Asuna, nodding his head to indicate she was clear to take action.

Though she wanted to inquire about what was troubling him, Asuna ultimately decided against it as she nodded her head and leaped from her perch more than 130m from the forest floor.

Despite falling from such a height, the only sound to mark Asuna's landing was the gentle ringing of a bell. This greatly startled the group of five who had been silently trespassing the forest, their leader immediately crying out, "Enemies from above!" as he drew out a peculiar sword made from pure white wood.

In response to the man's exclamation, the other members of his group drew their weapons, two of the younger sword-wielding individuals protecting what appeared to be a Japanese Shrine Maiden at the center of the group. As for their final member, a woman with dark-black hair tied into a high ponytail, she drew a similar sword to the rest of her companions, her black eyes glowing with a hazy blue light as she calmly stated, "There are no other enemies within three kilometers..."

Hearing his companion's words, the man who had first reacted to Asuna's presence furrowed his brows as he half-lowered his sword and asked, "What business does a child have wandering in a monster-infested forest? If you do not answer honestly, we will be forced to apprehend you..."

Before answering the man's question, Asuna looked between each member of the group before fixing her gaze on the young girl protected near the center. She had the appearance of a young Japanese girl around fourteen-years-old, but, unlike everyone else present, her eyes were almost completely white. Rather than cataracts, however, they were glossy like pearls, and, compared to everyone else in the group, she was the only one that gave a 'dangerous' feeling.

After instantaneously formulating a strategy within her mind, Asuna turned her attention back to the man as she honestly answered, "My Master has tasked me with defeating your group. You don't have to worry about serious injury or death so feel free to go-"

Not waiting for Asuna to finish her explanation, the woman with the high ponytail turned into a blur as she shouted, "Zanganken(Stone-Cutting Sword)...!"

Though the woman's sword was made from a thin blade of white wood, a bluish-crescent formed from pure Ki emanated from her blade as she swept it towards Asuna's right arm. This blade quickly expanded to more than five meters in length, and, after passing through the former's illusory figure, it passed cleanly through a tree trunk more than twenty meters in diameter.

Seeing Asuna's figure slowly dissipate, the woman's sharp eyes widened slightly as a childish voice echoed behind her, musing, "You're not bad at all."

Before she could respond to the teasing remark, the woman experienced a sharp pain to the back of her neck. The last thing she remembered was a dull thud pass through her body when she hit the ground. After that, complete darkness descended upon her consciousness as she face-planted into the mossy undergrowth of the forest floor.

After knocking out her first opponent, Asuna smiled naturally towards the other four as she flipped the tanto in her hand so that the blade was facing backward. Then, with a single step forward, she closed the distance between herself and the presumed leader of the group, saying, "Please give it your best," as the back of her blackened blade collided with the pure white wooden edge.

To the man's horror, he felt himself being pushed back almost immediately after the two blades came into contact. By pure instinct, he managed to change the angle of his blade to try and deflect the unknown assailant's attack, but, rather than follow the initial momentum, he noticed the girl's body 'flicker' as the trajectory of her attack instantaneously changed, the tip of her blade pointing at his shoulder.

Due to the weight behind the original blow, the man was unable to protect his exposed shoulder as Asuna's blade pierced through it with considerable ease. This caused her to feel a little queasy, but, knowing this was a part of her training, she steeled herself as her blade pierced cleaning through the man's supraspinatus, supraspinate, infraspinate, and teres minor muscles. This would leave his left arm completely useless for the remainder of the battle, and, if he didn't receive proper medical treatment, he would likely never recover full use of the appendage.

To the man's credit, he didn't cry out as his shoulder was made useless. Instead, he simply grit his teeth while trying to twist his body in a way that would disarm his opponent. At the same time, a flash of vibrant blue lightning spread across the surface of his blade as he cut upward, shouting, "Raimeiken(Thunderclap Sword)~!"

Though Raimeiken was a technique created to oppose Demons and Evil Spirits, lightning was just as useful against biological opponents as any other. It could completely overwhelm a person's nervous system, and, due to the nature of lightning infused Ki, most magical and ki barriers were completely ineffective against it.

Unfortunately for the man, he severely underestimated the sharpness of Asuna's Zanpakuto and her reaction speed. His attempt to disarm her resulted in part of his shoulder being gouged out. As for his Raimeiken, it passed harmlessly through another afterimage as the voice of Asuna echoed in the surroundings, stating, "Reckless..." in a dull tone.

By the time the man's brain has processed the singular word, his consciousness was already fading from his body. He didn't even feel the attack that knocked him out, but, in the moments preceding his reunion with the ground, a tingling feeling had started to spread from his mangled shoulder...

---

Seeing the strongest members of their party defeated in an instant, the two remaining swordsmen had pale expressions on their faces as they looked towards their twin-tailed assailant like she was a demon. Even if they combined their strength, they wouldn't have been able to defeat either of their Senior students. Despite this, neither backed down, as, even compared to their lives, their pride as a member of the Shinmei-Ryu school did not allow them to retreat.

After meeting each others' gaze, the two youths gave each other a small nod before raising their white swords in concert with each other. Before the could attack, however, a bell-like voice echoed from behind them, saying, "Do not attack. That girl is not a true adversary. Attacking will only bring unnecessary harm to both sides."

Hearing the young maiden's words, the younger of the two boys had an incredulous look on his face as he exclaimed, "Kyoko-sama!? We can't just back down. That girl killed Ken-nii and Ayane-sama! Even if it costs us our lives, we must seek vengeance and protect the honor of the Shinmei-Ryu school...!"

Rather than try to argue with the hot-headed young boy, the petite Shrine Maiden just furrowed her brows slightly before producing two talismans from her oversized sleeves. Then, before either of the youths could react, she used a skill similar to Telekinesis to direct the talismans toward them faster than a bullet. The moment these pieces of paper came into contact with the youth's bodies, a sound similar to air escaping a flute could be heard as she formed a simple seal with her hands and said, "Mahi-Fuin(Paralysis Seal)~!"

Seeing both of the boys fall to the ground, the Shrine Maiden, Kyoko, adopted an apologetic look on her face as she said, "Forgive me, Ryouta-kun, Seiji-kun. I cannot just stand by and watch the two of you sustain unnecessary injuries..."

Following her words, Kyoko bowed towards the two paralyzed boys before turning her pearl-white eyes towards the silent Asuna and asking, "Are you satisfied...?"

Feeling a little awkward, Asuna couldn't resist smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her head and answered, "It was never about being satisfied. I just wanted to test my skills against opponents from a famous school. Since it doesn't seem like you are willing to fight, I'll go ahead and pull back here. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Finished with her words, Asuna performed a polite bow of her own before raising her head and offering one last smile as her figure faded away like a phantom image. She had originally intended to stick around until everyone's injuries had healed, but, after slicing through human flesh for the first time, she was feeling a little sick to her stomach...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Let's put a bounty on the guy that just solo'd our fleet!','The strong seeketh the strong','Asuna after returning to Vahn, "Rub my belly..."')

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