"Not all betrayals come from enemies, some fall from above, wearing silence as a crown."
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The Courtyard Narrows
Location: Kusanagi Shrine, Inner Courtyard
The Kusanagi Shrine became a crucible of will, faith, and ambition.
The Sandata and the remaining Shrine Guardians fought courageously but they were still pushed back by the Ahas Coalition and Babaylan Army to the Kusanagi Shrine's inner Courtyard.
They regrouped along the inner steps. The wards here still breathed, but weakly.
Gregorio Aguilar stood at the center.
Kamay ni Bathala hummed low. Blood traced his brow. His posture did not bend.
Marian held Sundang ni Makiling low.
Agosto spitted blood, Kampilan ni Lam-ang radiating heat without roar as it rests on his shoulders.
Renato adjusted the Kalasag as he readied himself for the next wave or volley.
Tsubame watched the rooftops. Tombo Giri planted to the ground.
Han Wei moved among the wounded.
Ari held the easter entrance as he pointed the Tombak's spearhead downwards with the rest of its shaft leaning on his back
Sutera shifted her Keris to reverse grip. Moisture gathering on the blade's edges.
Min-Jun waited. He shook the Bonguk Geom once to clear the blood tainting the blade.
Prasert walked towards the steps. Phra Saeng Khan Chaiyasi aimed at the insertion points.
Gregorio's comm crackled.
"Gregorio.", Joaquin Santillan called.
"We are inbound," he said. "Alliance elements are mobilizing. Hold."
"How long," Gregorio asked.
"ETA in 30 minutes. Punishment of the Gods and Divine Synchrony are on hold. I am sure the enemy factions are also following the same protocol.", Joaquin replied.
The signal cut.
Gregorio turned to the Shrine Commander.
"Seal the inner sanctum," he said. "Guard the Kusanagi."
The Shrine Commander inclined his head.
Gregorio turned back.
"We split."
No argument followed.
"Team One. With me. We annihilate all hostile factions that will come out of the western entrance. Don't give chase and don't get stretched out too much."
Tsubame stepped forward.
Marian followed.
Agosto moved.
Renato raised the Kalasag.
Then, the sound of battle boots echoed from the smokey shrine entrance. It started with a few steps... and then it multiplied.
Raja, Shinken Amakiri, Phaya Khamdee, Natalia Saavedra, Kalawit, and Putik emerged out from the smoke of war. Their Sandata relics surged and prepared for violence.
Maximo was not with them.
Gregorio noticed it immediately.
"Team Two," he said. "Same objectives, eastern entrance".
Han Wei nodded.
Ari shifted his grip.
Sutera rose.
Min-Jun stepped forward.
Prasert followed.
From the eastern entrance, sparks of lightning crawled within the dust cloud. Rattling of dragged chains can be heard from a distance.
Hermano Lopez, Juan Luciano, Magdalena Ramos, Mia Torre and Crispulo Toledo revealed themselves as they were illuminated by the moonlight's gaze. Their Sandata relics poised for a confrontation.
The courtyard split.
Inside the shrine, silence ruled.
The Shrine Commander led the remaining Guardians toward the sanctum.
A voice fell from the rafters.
"I wondered when you would reveal yourself."
Maximo dropped from the beams, landing lightly, Sumpit ni Dumalapdap raised at chest height, ready to launch sonic darts and curses.
The Shrine Commander stopped and smirked.
The Guardians moved.
They were not able to finish the step.
The Muramasa Dark Sword sang once.
Red-black light passed.
The Guardians were divided from where they stood.
Maximo exhaled.
"The Muramasa," he said. "And that emblem."
The Shrine Commander removed a cloth token and let it fall.
A fractured eclipse.
Maximo's expression hardened.
"Anino ng mga Anito. A Japanese national with a high council emblem"
The man inclined his head.
"Kuroda Jinzaburō," he said politely. "It is proper to introduce oneself."
He raised the blade.
The shrine lights dimmed.
Above them, relics roared.
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The Western Entrance
Location: Kusanagi Shrine, Inner Courtyard, West Gate
The shrine answered violence with echoes.
Stone groaned beneath relic pressure as the western entrance ignited first.
Raja advanced without haste.
Haring Sawa uncoiled in his left hand, the whip-blade dragging sparks from broken stone as it stretched outward. In his right, Pamana ni Lakan came free in a smooth, practiced draw. The sovereign blade crackled with restrained crimson lightning, the arcs crawling along its edge and spine like a coiled storm waiting to be unleashed.
"You still stand at the front," Raja said.
Gregorio stepped forward alone.
Kamay ni Bathala rose. Gintong Asero manifested across the bracers as layered gold plating and interwoven sigils, locking into place with a low metallic hum. The reinforcement spread across the weapon surface, forming a dense lattice of divine alloy and script.
"I have never hidden," Gregorio replied.
They met at the center of the western lane.
Raja struck first.
Haring Sawa snapped forward in a killing arc meant to shear through torso and spine. Gregorio did not retreat. He stepped inside the curve, Kamay ni Bathala catching the flat of the whip-blade. Gold plating flared as the impact detonated outward. Stone behind Gregorio fractured and collapsed inward. He slid half a step, boots grinding into debris, but he held.
Pamana ni Lakan answered.
Crimson lightning surged along the sovereign blade as Raja followed with a horizontal cut aimed at Gregorio's midsection. Gregorio crossed his arms and absorbed the strike. The lightning discharged outward, ripping gouges through the courtyard floor and blasting shattered stone into the air.
Raja recoiled both blades and smiled thinly.
"Good," Raja said. "Still fighting like a man armed with the weapon of Bathala."
To Gregorio's left, Shinken Amakiri moved.
Masamune slid free, its presence distorting the air as Shinken angled wide, seeking space rather than direct engagement. The blade's Echoes whispered as he tested the perimeter.
"You are not my target," Shinken said.
Tsubame denied him immediately.
She crossed the distance in a burst of speed, Tombo Giri leveled horizontally. Shinken pivoted, Masamune rising just in time. Steel met steel with a concussive crack that threw sparks across the courtyard. The force drove Shinken sideways into a cracked pillar, stone bursting at his back. He twisted off it without losing balance, boots finding purchase instantly.
"Then stop moving like prey," Tsubame said.
Neither disengaged.
Near the broken steps, Marian and Natalia collided without preamble.
Natalia's karambit ignited as it awakened.
"Kain's Edge!"
Black and violet fire wrapped the blade, heatless but violent, licking backward toward her wrist. Her posture changed instantly. Killing intent surged outward, sharp enough to press against the mist itself.
"I will carve you down to the bone," Natalia gnarled.
Natalia went low, the burning curve of the karambit carving upward toward Marian's thigh. Marian turned with the motion, Sundang ni Makiling catching the strike edge-on. The impact shaved a line across Natalia's forearm. A single drop of blood touched the Sundang.
The blade drank.
Mist pulsed outward in a violent wave. Marian's presence sharpened. Her movements compressed. The distance between thought and action collapsed.
"You should not have bled," Marian said softly.
Natalia answered with intent.
Her grip tightened. The black-violet fire intensified, flaring brighter as her will hardened. She struck again, faster than before, the karambit ripping toward Marian's ribs. Marian was already moving. She reappeared inside the arc and cut across Natalia's shoulder. Blood followed.
The Sundang drank again. The Itak ng Mamamaslang surged in hunger.
The air warped between them.
Marian's speed exploded in a second wave. Each step cracked stone. Each slash arrived ahead of expectation. Natalia skidded backward, boots carving lines through debris, her guard tightening as the pressure multiplied.
Natalia smiled through clenched teeth.
"Then take more," Natalia said.
Killing intent spiked.
Kain's Edge roared.
Black and violet fire erupted outward from the karambit as Natalia spun, unleashing a scything arc meant to take Marian's head. Marian dipped beneath it and answered with a diagonal cut across Natalia's abdomen. Blood splashed across shattered stone and shrine lanterns.
The Sundang drank deeply.
Mist thickened until the courtyard air bent. Marian advanced without sound, her blade carving paths that did not exist a moment earlier.
Natalia did not retreat.
She stepped into the pressure instead.
"Let's dance," Natalia said.
Her killing intent surged again, feeding Kain's Edge. Flames burned brighter, tighter, coiling along the karambit's curve as her strikes grew heavier, more precise. The two blades met repeatedly, each impact detonating in waves of force and mist, neither yielding ground.
At the western edge, Phaya Khamdee charged.
Khîaw Nāk shimmered with venomous sheen as he swung for Agosto's head. Agosto met the strike head-on. Kampilan ni Lam-ang crashed into the blade with overwhelming force. The impact flattened the surrounding stone. Phaya was driven backward, boots carving trenches through the floor as heat rolled off Agosto's weapon.
"Flame will burn venom his time," Agosto declared.
He pressed.
Agosto brought the Kampilan down in a descending cleave aimed at Phaya's shoulder. Phaya twisted at the last moment, the blade grazing armor instead of bone. The armor split cleanly. Phaya staggered but remained upright, venom dripping from Khîaw Nāk as he countered with a thrust toward Agosto's ribs.
Renato stepped in.
The Kalasag slammed into Phaya's flank. The shield did not deflect. It crushed. Phaya was hurled sideways into a broken column, stone exploding around him. Renato held position, shield raised, cutting off Kalawit's approach.
"Not past this line," Renato said.
Kalawit tested the line regardless.
Dugong Itim swept low, voidsteel humming as it cut for Renato's legs. Renato dropped his weight and braced. The blade struck the Kalasag's lower edge and skidded away, carving a black scar through stone instead of flesh.
Agosto sneaked in and countered for Renato. He batted the defending Kalawit through three stone lanterns before crashing into a wall.
Putik darted in, exploiting the moment.
His balisongs flashed toward Marian's back.
Marian moved without turning.
Natalia intercepted.
Kain's Edge crossed Putik's path in a burning arc. The black-violet fire seared across his forearm and forced him to disengage instantly, flesh smoking as he vanished back into the smoke.
"She dies by my hand," Natalia snarled.
"Your pride will be your undoing comrade", Putik answered.
The western lane held.
Barely.
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The Eastern Entrance
Location: Kusanagi Shrine, Inner Courtyard, East Gate
Lightning announced the eastern clash.
Juan Luciano surged forward, Habagat ni Silang screaming as he drove straight through the dust cloud. His first strike came fast and direct, a killing thrust meant for Ari's chest.
"Stand fast," Juan said.
Ari met it with the Tombak.
The spearhead slid aside, redirecting the blow into stone. Ari stepped in immediately, the butt of the Tombak driving into Juan's ribs. The impact cracked armor and forced Juan back a step, lightning arcing wildly into the ground.
"Move," Ari said.
Hermano Lopez advanced behind him.
Banal na Parusa struck the stone once. Chains erupted outward in a wide arc, snapping toward the steps. Prasert raised Phra Saeng Khan Chaiyasi and fired. Gold light cut through the chains, severing several mid-flight. The remaining links wrapped around a fallen pillar instead of flesh.
"You will kneel," Hermano said.
Min-Jun moved.
He slipped past Juan's next strike and cut upward. Bonguk Geom split through shoulder plating and bone. Juan twisted away at the last instant, the blade carving deep but not fatal. He retreated, blood steaming where it touched the lightning aura.
"Juan! Retrain. Everything will be for naught if you go all out", Hermano commanded.
Juan nodded and escalating lightning sparks and wind shears of the Habagat ni Silang calmed a little.
To the right, Mia Torre altered the ground.
Stone folded inward. Steps shifted. The courtyard geometry warped just enough to break footing.
"Reality answers me," Mia said as she fired guillotine pages at Sutera.
She adapted instantly.
Sutera abandoned distance and closed. The Keris flashed in her grip. She drove the blade straight into a Babaylan soldier's throat, pulled free, and used the falling body as cover. Pages pierced flesh and decapitated.
Magdalena Ramos intervened.
Tanikala ng Guniguni snapped outward. The chain wrapped around Sutera's forearm and yanked. Sutera rolled with the pull, letting the momentum carry her instead of resisting. The Keris slashed upward as she turned, severing the chain before it could tighten.
"Stay still!", Magdalena barked as the phantom chains of the Tanikala ng Guniguni retreat and regenerate.
"No", Sutera replied.
Crispulo Toledo struck from the shadows.
His blade came for Han Wei's spine.
Han Wei dropped, rolling beneath the cut. Nine Meteor Needles flared outward in a defensive burst, forcing Crispulo to disengage rather than press. Crispulo vanished again, shadow swallowing him whole.
The eastern lane spiraled into chaos.
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The Arrival of Samuel Williams
Location: Kusanagi Shrine, Inner Sanctum
Inside the shrine, the air grew heavy.
Kuroda Jinzaburō advanced with gradual escalation.
Muramasa hummed in his grip, blood-dark light pulsing along the blade's length as he closed the distance. Maximo fired. Sonic darts tore into floor supports and pillars, collapsing stone directly into Kuroda's path.
"You are too loud," Kuroda said.
He swung his blade at the debris with a single hand. His slashes multiplied and divided the debris in harmless chunks.
Maximo's eyes widened and blinked. He knew that was a mistake.
Kuroda vanished leaving a gust of wind from where he was standing.
And reappeared behind Maximo.
The Muramasa cut anyway. The blade passed close enough to shear Maximo's sleeve, the edge humming with lethal promise as it missed flesh by a breath.
Maximo retreated one step too slow.
"Tch," Maximo muttered.
Muramasa descended.
The shrine exploded with light.
Twin reports cracked the air like thunder.
Freedom fired first.
The arcane beam struck the Muramasa flat-on and violently deflected the blade off its killing line. Liberty followed in perfect cadence. The second beam slammed into Kuroda's torso and hurled him backward into a stone pillar. The pillar split down its center and collapsed inward as dust and fragments rolled across the sanctum floor.
A figure stood framed in the doorway.
Samuel Williams. An American Myth-Tech Operative from beyond the Iron Wall.
His Myth-Tech suit's void steel plates shifted as it synchronized with his Sandata. A familiar branding engraved on his chest.
"Project Sentinel"
His twin revolvers still raised. Arcane residue burned along their barrels. His stance was steady, practiced, absolute. The air around him vibrated with restrained force.
"I thought to you died in Basilan." Samuel said.
Maximo did not turn. "Long story.", he answered.
Kuroda rose slowly from the rubble, eyes locked forward.
"Then let us continue," Kuroda said.
The Kusanagi remained sealed.
For now.
Across the shrine, three battles continued as they fight for a fragment that will dictate creation.