29 Impression of facade peace

The sound of festive folk music and soft hymns would reach the ears of the male who was walking alongside his friend back into the village. "Riyku!" Someone exclaimed while pointing to the male. "Hey! Nice of you to join us finally." Another person called out, people began to greet him. Chuckling the male would return his greetings. "Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it, truly. I guess I should give the speech." Riyku was not the centerfold of everyone who had gathered around him. Clearing out his throat while the music died down and everyone settled into a silent state he would begin.

"I know it has been a long and rough time during this war against the armies of the Noble Armata. I understand we have all lost people precious to us. Be them loved ones, or friends, even family. However, the time of war has come to an end. We have stuck out long enough to drive the Noble Armata back to their land!" Riyku exclaimed. "We are now at a time of peace, with the victory of the goddess who has blessed us. While we celebrate our victory tonight, this will also be a celebration for those who have lost their lives, not in vain, but to have strengthened our bonds with one another. May them finally rest in peace, knowing that we will now stand proud as a Nation of our own!" Riyku exclaimed. People started to cheer and clap. "Still..." Riyku would silence their uproar. "We need to remain cautious as we rebuild ourselves. We need to remain steadfast as we proceed into the future. Our Nation will be on to go down in history as the Nation who held against the Noble Armata. We need to set up a bright future for our children, their children and so on so forth so that this Nation will remain as one and stand strong for many eons to come!" Riyku would exclaim. "As you bask in your well-fought glory, remember that we are strong. Remember that we are proud and remember that we are HOPE!" Riyku shouted aloud it was then that the crowd would begin to cheer aloud. "Long live Hope! Long Live our leader, Riyku!" The crowds would roar aloud throughout the night.

The festival would start up again and everyone began to dance and enjoy themselves. Several people would converse with Riyku and the person besides who had called referred him as his brother. When everyone went their separate ways, Riyku was left with a cup of wine in hand and his 'brother' beside him. "We finally did it. It's almost unbelievable." The guy stated as he looked at the joy-filled festival. "We did. But it is not over, there is still more to come. Hope will never die, as long as this Nation stands as one." Riyku stated before partaking of his cup of wine. "With you being our Leader, we will never know Despair again. To think that the guy we saved all those years ago would bring such prosperity to our land." The male would chuckle lightly. Riyku would look over to the guy who was tearing up. "She was right about you, you know. While we all refused to believe and accept you, she was the only one who would stick to your side." The male stated softly. "Ah, Racheal?" Riyku inquired to which the male nodded. "Who else." The man would swirl his drink his cup while looking at it. "Your sister was a strong woman. Beautiful and selfless to no end. She did everything in her power to protect someone like me." Riyku muttered with a half-hearted look. "Someone like you Eh? She saw the best in you. She saw you for you who you were. I still regret not following her... If I had just chased after her. If someone else had gone with her...." Riyku would place a hand on the male's shoulder with a soft shake of his head.

"You did nothing wrong. Do not blame yourself, Fredrick. I do not blame you or anyone else here for not following her that night. It is entirely my fault for not being able to protect her." Riyku stated which caused Fredrick to shake his head. "No. You did all you could. By the time we arrived you had taken out an entire Army of the Noble Armata, alone.... you even had the strength to withstand all that damage and still carry my sister back with us. I did lose my sister... but I can tell that you truly loved her." Fredrick stated, having noted Riyku's sorrowful gaze. He would bump his glass against Riyku's. "Come on, let's drink. To Racheal, To Hope, to a Nation of Peace!" Fredrick exclaimed which caused Riyku to chuckle. "To Racheal, To Hope, and a Nation of Peace," Riyku repeated before they downed their mugs of wine.

It was then that the memory seemed to have ended with a slow erosion of darkness. Riyku was now floating around his sub-conscious where he saw Seraphina in a soft slumber. Making his way towards her he would smile softly and caress her cheek gently. "You know, you could have saved her." A familiar eerie voice called from behind him. Hastily, Riyku turned around to see Harvester who had a slight grin. "What do you want?" Riyku inquired with a stern glare. "You already know what I want. For you to agree to my deal. I even let you sample my... well your original power. How was it?" Harvester stated with a smirk. "Sample? When!?" Riyku inquired hastily to which Harvester snickered. "When you wanted to save that girl. The skill you used was called 'Glitch'. It is faster than using 'blink' or 'shadow step'. Sadly, that was not the full raw potential of that skill since you are not fully connected to me. The second skill you used is called 'Dark Buff'. It raises your strength tremendously in return for consuming your toughness. It is only temporary, but it is what allowed you to overcome your attack in that brief moment. Just like 'Glitch', 'Dark Buff' was watered down due to the same reasons applied." Harvester would explain which caused Riyku to narrow his eyes even more. "Was it also you when I blacked out? Your damn voice was there the entire time." Riyku stated firmly and Harvester would shake his head. "No. That is your present power. Dark Form, I believe is what it was called. I won't lie, I did edge you into it. Otherwise, we both would have been dead. But that power alone is presently yours. Why you don't remember is beyond me." Harvester would reply. "Shut up already. Stop trying to take over Riyku's body!" Seraphina had shouted from behind Riyku which caused him to look back at Seraphina who was protectively embracing him.

"Take over his body? No, no. I just want him to be ready for what is to come. You are holding back. He needs this power, this strength to overcome the trials ahead of him." Harvester would state with a shake of his head. "Bullshit! You only want to his body! You have always been to his body!" Seraphina shouted which caused Riyku to look up at her. "What are you talking about?" He inquired with a serious expression. "As I said, Harvester is what you were in the past lives. This is a new you, without the weight of your previous lives. He only wants to take over your body, so he can..." Seraphina caught herself and she turned her head away from Riyku. "So he can what?" Riyku asked.

Seraphina seemed to not wish to answer. "Go on, tell him. He has the right to know." Harvester stated. "Seraphina..." Riyku stared at her and she finally gave in. "So he can take revenge against all life. Against everything and everyone that robbed him of everything. But Riyku, you need to know that, that was the past and that this the now! Do not let your past sway your decisions of the present. You have made several great friends, and I stand by what I said when you say you are the happiest I have ever seen you!" Seraphina exclaimed with haste and meaningful expression. "By all means, she is not wrong. You do not need to let the past sway your present decisions; however, they will come. They will rob you of everything as they have before time and time again. You... as you stand now, are weak. You can not protect anything. You will never be able to save those precious to you, let alone be able to defend yourself. I will say it time and time again, you will lose everything." Harvester would state before his body began to slowly seep into the darkness yet again.

"Don't listen to him, Riyku. He is just trying to get you to let him take over." Seraphina looked at Riyku, but the expression of fear was no longer there as it was before. "Riyku?" Seraphina called out softly. "I will figure something out. I won't you or anyone precious to me be taken away and I will do it without accepting Harvester's power." Riyku stated firmly and Seraphina would nod with a bright smile. "Good to hear. Now, it's time to wake up my love. I am sure the girls are on their final match by now. You should tune in." Seraphina stated and Riyku nodded before closing his eyes, and when he opened them he was back to looking at a white ceiling.

Riyku would sit up and swing his legs over the bedside. His eyes would glance up to his status bar on his UI. His Shield Points, Mana Points, and Energy Points were not even half full. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he muttered, "Inventory." Which brought up the inventory menu before him. He would select three items that looked like vials filled with different colors. All three vials would appear beside him through dim particles of light similar to how his weapons and armor came to be. When he was finished bringing the items out he would dismiss the screen by swiping away from him. Riyku would reach for one of the vials which held a green coloration, remove the cork and down the liquid. He would do the same for the second vial which held a navy blue coloration, then the final vial which held a golden coloration. Once all three were empty the three vials seemed to have returned to his inventory through Weapon Return, and his iris' shifted to his status bar again. There had been little plus marks beside the three gauges which showed that they were rising over time. His eyes would then look towards the screen where the three girls were preparing for their final bout. "It was a good thing I prepared those. Same they were the only ones I had." Riyku would mutter to himself. 'Let's just hope those three can kill some time for you to recover.' Seraphina continued to which Riyku would nod silently.

Kristen, Vex and, Lira appeared to be ready for the upcoming battle. They even seemed to feel excited about it, as if they had reserve energy. "Looks like we'll be able to draw out this battle," Lira would say with a soft smile. "Yup. Give him time to recover." Kristen appended. "Still, what was that? It looked like what had happened back when Seraphina was first brought here." Vex declared which drew their attention. "True... I have an uneasy feeling myself." Lira added and Kristen nodded. "We'll need to ask him when we get a chance. For now, let's just do what we can." Kristen said as she made note of her opponents who entered retrograde of them. The look on their faces did not compare to the look on Riyku's face which was grime. "Bell..." Riyku growled as he grasped the sheets of the medical bed tightly.

"Hello, you three. Surprised to see me?" Bell would flourish her pink hair behind her. "Surprised? Nah, we knew you were here. It is a shame though, that we'll be the ones kicking your ass." Kristen would remark as she slammed her gauntlets together before taking a stance. Vex and Lira would nod as if to agree with Kristen. Bell would scoff as she snapped her fingers. The two burly built men beside her would brandish their weapons. One of them held what looked like a mini-gun while the other seemed to hold a Gunblade. "Kill them!" Bell commanded and the wind up for the minigun would sound off. "Disperse!" Kristen shouted and the girls all went separate ways. "Are you kidding? A mini-gun!?" Vex exclaimed. "I'll deal with him, you two got for the others. "Lira remarked as she knocked back several arrows before releasing them at the gun wielder. The wielder would release the trigger and side-step the arrows before winding up the gun again. The barrel was aimed right at Lira and bullets began to fly towards her. Thankfully, she was able to use the mana around her to increase her sprinting speed and was able to outrun the bullets, before returning fire on her own.

Kristen would fly towards the gun blade user, slamming her greaves against the blade of the man's gun blade. Meanwhile, Vex began to chant in the background while waving her staff around. Kicking off the blade, Kristen would land on the ground and dash towards the gun blade user, coming up from under the male who was stumbling back from the force only to smash the gauntlet straight into his jawline and send him into the sky. Vex who had finished her mantra would unleash a spell that would smash the gun blade user back into the ground with ample wind pressure. The male choked out a growl but was not allowed to raise since Kristen had kicked him in the stomach and sent him back towards Bell. Meanwhile, Lira had also pushed back the mini-gun sure with a barrage of bullets and acrobatics. Both men growled at the girls who would regroup, "These pressies ain't no pushover. Boss, you serious about this?" One of the men asked. "Yes. Kill them already. Use whatever means necessary." Bell would command and the two nodded. "As long as you know what you are getting yourself into." The guy stated while aiming his gun blade at them. "You know what to do." He would remark to his comrade who would nod and wind up the mini-gun. "Disperse again!" Kristen shouted as the girls broke apart just before the bullets left off; however, the bullets were chasing down Kristen and Vex instead of Lira. Lira would grit her teeth, knockback several arrows and begin to release them upon the gunner. "Run!" She shouted to Kristen and Vex who were doing their best to outrun the barrage of bullets.

The gunner seemed to take several arrows but would not go down. By the time he did let off the trigger, his body was filled with mana arrows. He would fall to his knees, with an unconscious look in his eyes. The gunblade user would smirk as he closed his eyes. "This is the end for you ladies. A greeting from the Sinner Corps." The moment the man pulled the trigger a blast of energy shot from the gunblade and surged outward in a brimming bright light. "Vex! Lira!" Kristen called to them as they regrouped hastily. Vex would put up a hasten barrier around them, while Lira released several arrows at the ground before them which would shoot up mana barriers. Kristen would cross her gauntlets in front of her as if to prepare for the upcoming attack. Since the blast had overtaken the entirety of the box before the gunblade user the only choice they had was to defend. Though... the blast would break through the first line of defense, then the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and now all that was left was Kristen as the final line of defense who was struggling to hold back the blast which curved around her. The gauntlets acting a shield for them. "Just a little longer...." Kristen would grit her teeth, blood seeping from her mouth as she felt her bones begin to give. "A little longer...." She growled, before roaring as she struggled till the end and came out victorious, but her body would give out and she plopped on the ground. Lira and Vex appeared just as exhausted as she was, due to the large amount of mana they had to use. Though, Lira would recover faster than both of them which left her to growl at Bell and the gunblade user who seemed to fall onto one knee while dropping his weapon. "Tch... They are too stubborn to die." The male muttered to which Bell shook her head. "You did a good job." She moved to pick up the gunblade, though she would merely drag it since she was unable to lift the heavy thing. "I'll finish them off." She stated firmly.

Lira would knock back several arrows, but when she released them each one seemed to miss their mark. "What!?" She exclaimed, before noticing her body was shivering. Bell would smirk, "What's wrong? Can't focus with all the mana distorted in the air? You didn't think I wouldn't study up on all of those close to Riyku?" She would stop mid-way looking over the three of them since Lira fell to her knees the moment they buckled up on her. "After you, three will be that bitch Mina and coward Skylar. Then, I'll be sure to after that stupid Racheal chick and after that Rick and his sorry excuse for friends. You are all finished! All of you! You should have never become friends with him!" Bell seemed to lose her for a moment before realizing where she was and composed herself. "This is the end. Goodbye." She winked at them as she brought the weapon around. "Nooo!" Riyku shouted as he stood up from the bed. Kristen seemed to be out cold, and Vex was unable to stand, Lira would grit her teeth. "Move..." She growled as she pressed forward. "Move..." She continued to growl. "Move now, damn it!" She shouted as she pushed off the ground and jumped in front of the strike. Taking the slash straight across her body which pushed her back into Vex who had caught her. "Lira!" Vex shouted. Skylar, Mina, Rick, Jessica, Ion, Mel, and Nora all had this look of worry on their faces, but nothing compared to the glare that Riyku was giving. His fists began to ball so tightly, that he was causing self-damage to himself. The Shield Points were decreasing by one, but it was still damaged nonetheless.

Lira would look up to Vex with a weak smile. "I'm sorry... I couldn't keep our promise. I wanted to... protect you two.... in some way. I wanted... to become stronger..." She coughed up blood as she spoke softly. Vex began to shed tears, and shake her head. "Stop! You are going to survive! We give up! We lost! Medic, please!" Vex shouted as loud as she could. "Tell Riyku... I am sorry... and that... I... Love... him... Tell everyone... I love them... Please... Vex." Lira seemed to close her eyes softly. Bell was about to continue her onslaughter until the medic team pushed her aside. There was an official rule that the medic team was not to be harmed and when they took to the field all battle was to seize until they completely left. Tossing the blade aside she would take to her position where Group B would side. "Bring up my reserve members." She stated to one of the passing Medical members who was taking away both of her teammates. The medical member would nod and when they left two members would rise and stand beside Bell.

"Block 1, Group One A, please report to your battle station immediately. I repeat, Block 1, Group One A, please report to your battle station immediately." A voice announcer came over the intercom, but Riyku had already left the room and started to make his way towards the first block elevator. The grip around the hilt of his Soluna Blade tightening as he brushed past several people. "What the hell!? Hey, punk!" Some guy would reach out to pull back, only to see the look in his eyes and become petrified. Riyku turned away from the guy who fell to his knees and seemed to wet himself. "D-D-Demon...." The guy shuddered in fear and his teammates looked from him to Riyku whose back was closed off by the elevator doors.

"Father...." A small feminine voice would call softly as she stared at the door. "Is something wrong, Leader?" Someone called to the small figure who was hidden behind a black cloak. "No. Let's prepare, our match is starting soon." The figure would turn on her heel, her pale flesh bearing sight for a moment before the cloak wrapped itself around her again, and two other people followed after her.

"The look in his eyes. Perhaps, he will provide us with the answer we seek." The male from earlier stated having noted Riyku's expression. "Maybe, your highness. However, we have our match to worry about." His teammate stated to which the male huffed. "I know, let's get this over with." The male stated as he made his way towards his elevator door.

"The murderous aura coming off that guy was insane! It rivaled out Leaders! Do you think we should recruit him!?" Some guy said hastily in a fit of laughter. "No. We'll be sure to reap his soul when the time comes. For now, we have other souls to take. Get ready you two." A male carrying a sickle along his shoulders stated to which the two beside him smirked as they made their way to their elevator door.

"The final matches between the last two groups of each block will now commence. At the start of the bell, all matches will begin. There will be no interference and no one is allowed to surrender! It is either kill or be killed!" Someone shouted over the intercom for the boxes which was strange since no one noticed there was one, to begin with.

"Alright right! Team Phantom, Team IVS, and Team Reaper are all going to giving their debut match. I feel sorry for those against them since unlike last year, no one is allowed to surrender during these final bouts! Regardless, all those you came today, I hope you all have enjoyed yourself! and without further ado, Begin!" The voice announcer shouted as the matches for blocks two, three, and four seemed to all start without a hitch. As for block one... well that was going to be another story entirely.

"BELL PEREZ!!!!" Riyku shouted through his grit teeth, the sound of his voice shook the foundation of the box. Though instead of being struck with fear, Bell was laughing hysterically. No longer trying to keep up her public image. "This is what you get for humiliating me you bastard! After I kill you, I'll be sure get rid of the rest of your whores!" The woman shouted hysterically. "Maybe, I should ask the Medical team to preserve you so I can force you to watch! Haha, I should do that. Then I can have my men torment and **** your women as you watch while I slowly kill you! Hehehehe" The woman seemed to have lost it entirely. "Oh, how fun it'll be to watch you beg and plea while I torment you to death." The woman's fit of laughter continued into madness, though her laughter fit came to halt when a text box appeared before her. "Hmm... What is this?"

'Defeat the Raging Shadow Demon.'