"Wars are not won by those who strike first, but by those who arrive unnoticed and leave nothing standing behind them."
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The Shadow's Strategy
Location: Nara Airspace, Obsidian Wing
The Obsidian Wing held station above the mountains near Nara, engines reduced to a whisper, its black hull swallowed by cloud and night.
Inside the flag airship's operations chamber, the air was still.
Lakambini Reyes stood before a tactical projection of Kusanagi Shrine. Outer approaches flickered with movement. Amber markers marked the Ahas Coalition's advance vectors. Blue defensive nodes pulsed where Shrine Guardians were holding.
Kuroda Jinzaburō stood opposite her, hands relaxed at his sides. Muramasa rested at his hip.
"You will not fight the battle," Lakambini said. "You will move inside it."
She adjusted the projection. A western breach corridor expanded, showing overlapping lines of fire and fallback routes.
"Ahas will make first contact," she continued. "They will generate the noise you need. Use it."
Kuroda inclined his head once.
"The Shrine Guardian Commander will attempt to stabilize the defense," Lakambini said. "If pressure continues, he will invoke Tier-Three."
Kuroda answered calmly. "If the signal goes out, I proceed regardless."
"Don't blow your cover," Lakambini replied.
Lakambini dismissed the projection.
"Begin."
Minutes later, the Obsidian Wing opened its ventral bay.
Kuroda stepped into the void.
His descent cut cleanly through cloud and rain. Muramasa steadied his fall without flame or sound. Below, rifle fire cracked through the forest as Ahas units clashed.
A breaching charge detonated as Kuroda landed among shattered undergrowth.
An Ahas operative staggered back from the blast, momentarily separated from his unit as he reloaded. Gunfire and shouted orders drowned the corridor.
Kuroda closed from behind.
Muramasa drove forward, punching through the base of the skull and bursting out through the visor in a spray of blood and shattered plating. The operative collapsed face-first. His body, dragged into the smoky background.
Red-black light pulsed once along the blade.
When the dust cleared, an Ahas operative rose and rejoined the line.
Armor fit. Rifle weight felt right. Breathing cadence matched those around him. Kuroda advanced with the unit, firing when expected, moving when ordered.
No one questioned him.
He joined the charging Ahas Coalition's ranks and separated into the shadows when they took cover.
Inside the shrine, the firefight intensified.
Stone fractured under sustained fire. Shrine Guardians fell back in disciplined stages, sealing passages and reinforcing inner doors. The Shrine Guardian Commander moved constantly, cloak torn, voice cutting through the chaos as he issued orders and stabilized wards.
Kuroda tracked him from the dark like a predator stalking a prey.
He waited.
The moment came as the Commander halted near a relay node, raising his communicator while another detonation shook the hall.
The transmission opened.
"This is… Kusanagi Shrine… Tier-Three protocol invoked."
Gunfire crackled faintly beneath the transmission. Shouts echoed in the background. Something heavy detonated off-screen, rattling the audio feed.
Muramasa struck after the final word left the Commander's mouth.
The blade entered beneath the ribs and exited through the spine. Kuroda caught the body as it went slack and guided it down behind the relay housing, hidden from view.
The transmission dissolved into static and background noise.
Red-black light surged again, heavier this time.
Armor became robes. Authority settled into posture and movement. Knowledge of ward controls and command routes slid into place. The shrine recognized him.
Kuroda straightened.
Wearing the Commander's face, he stepped back into the corridor as if nothing had occurred.
He issued orders immediately. Shrine Guardians regrouped and pressed forward. Defensive fire intensified. Ahas assault elements were forced into contested ground and held there.
Kuroda fought with them.
He placed himself where the pressure was heaviest. He reinforced lines that threatened to break. He directed counterfire that slowed the Ahas advance without overcommitting.
He did not move toward the inner sanctum.
Not yet.
If he withdrew too early, the Ahas Coalition would push deeper and interfere with the objective. If he acted too soon, his cover would fracture under scrutiny.
He waited.
The Sandata would come. Tier-Three ensured that.
When they do, they would take the line from the Shrine Guardians.
Only then would Kuroda turn inward.
Above the mountains, the Obsidian Wing adjusted its holding pattern.
Lakambini Reyes watched the Tier-Three signal propagate across her displays. Alliance channels stirred. Responses began to mobilize.
Inside Kusanagi Shrine, Kuroda held the line, blade quiet, patience absolute.
The Kusanagi remained sealed.
For now.
The war was still loud enough to hide a god.
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The Roar Within the Inner Sanctum
Location: Kusanagi Shrine, Inner Sanctum
The present snapped back into place.
The fight resumed in a blink.
Kuroda Jinzaburō moved first.
Muramasa swept outward in a flat, horizontal arc. A dark crimson slash-wave tore free at chest height, racing across the shrine floor and shredding loose debris in its path.
Maximo and Samuel reacted at the same instant.
Maximo dropped low into a hard crouch as the wave screamed overhead, its edge slicing cleanly through the pillars behind him. It lost its stability and sent sections of the sanctum ceiling collapsing in a delayed thunder of stone and dust.
Samuel launched upward at the same time, pushing off the fractured floor and twisting midair as the wave tore beneath him.
Still moving, Maximo snapped the Sumpit ni Dumalapdap up from beneath the passing wave and fired a spread of sonic missiles toward Kuroda.
Kuroda vanished.
Afterimages lingered where he had stood, layered echoes dissolving back into him as he reappeared several meters to the side. The sonic missiles struck the shrine walls instead. Each detonation punched deep craters into the wall.
Samuel landed hard at the end of his turn and spun on impact.
Freedom was already aimed.
He fired.
A concentrated arcane beam erupted from the revolver and tore straight across the sanctum. The blast vaporized debris in its path and scorched a glowing line through the air itself.
Kuroda evaded with a sideflip, the beam passing where his torso had been a fraction of a second earlier. He landed in a low stance and raised Muramasa overhead before bringing it down in a single, decisive slash.
The blade screamed.
A vertical wave sheared outward from the arc of the strike, racing toward Maximo and Samuel as it tore through the shrine floor in its path.
Maximo held. He blew into his flute and air was translated power. The Sonic Dome rose and sheltered him, Samuel, and his surrounding perimeter leaving no angle unprotected.
Dark crimson wave clashed with sonic force.
Maximo breathed into the Sumpit again, invisible pressure peeled away from him as two sonic Doppelgangers separated from his position. One surged to his left. The other broke to his right. Both moved in perfect synchrony, sliding into firing angles without sound.
They fired together.
Sonic Grenades streaked toward Kuroda from opposing vectors.
Kuroda smiled.
"I see them."
Muramasa spun in his hands.
He completed a sweeping rotation, the blade carving a full circle of motion. Countless dark crimson slash-arcs erupted outward, colliding with the incoming grenades. Each projectile detonated midair, their explosions shredded and dispersed by intersecting arcs of force.
The sanctum shook violently.
The Sonic Dome opened.
Samuel stepped forward, placing himself directly in front of Maximo.
He smashed Freedom and Liberty together.
Nanomachines surged in response.
The twin revolvers unfolded and locked, components reconfiguring and synthesizing into a massive rail cannon. Arcane conduits ignited along its length as energy condensed into a single blinding core.
Samuel set his stance.
"Justice."
He fired.
The beam tore forward with annihilating force, punching through Kuroda's position, through the shrine wall behind him, and onward into the distance. Stone vaporized. Air ignited. A pillar of scorching light ripped through the structure and vanished into the horizon.
Outside the shrine, the battlefield stalled for a heartbeat.
Gregorio and Raja halted mid-motion.
Both turned as the air itself screamed.
A column of searing light erupted from within the shrine, piercing the night sky and stretching beyond the mountains.
For a single breath, they stared.
Then both shifted back into stance.
The war reclaimed their attention.
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When the Sky Answered
Location: Kusanagi Shrine, Inner Courtyard
The courtyard did not quiet.
It compressed.
Pressure rolled across broken stone as the battle outside the shrine intensified. The air itself vibrated under relic resonance. Every breath tasted of ash, ozone, and blood.
The Sandata line held by will alone.
Gregorio absorbed another impact from Raja's Pamana ni Lakan, gold-plated sigils across Kamay ni Bathala flaring as crimson lightning ripped outward. At its climax, he broke free with a backflip and upon touch down, Gregorio charged forward with the speed of light.
Raja raised Pamana ni Lakan, in defense. Kamay ni Bathala crashed into the sword's edge. Cracks scattered and shattered the legendary blade and sent Raja bouncing through the ground fracturing stone and armor.
He saved himself from crashing to the wall by entangling the Haring Sawa to a broken shrine pillar and swinged himself back to Gregorio's perimeter. He was snarling in rage. The Pamana, slowly reanimating piece by piece.
Nearby, Marian and Natalia clashed again, blades screaming as both of their powers rise through blood and killing intent. Marian's movements came in violent surges now, speed and force arriving in waves with every cut. Natalia answered with Kain's Edge burning hotter, black-violet fire tightening along the karambit as her muderous intent sharpened her strikes.
Agosto staggered once as Phaya Khamdee's venom-laced blade grazed his side. He answered immediately. Kampilan ni Lam-ang tore through Phaya's raised guard and threw him across the courtyard.
Han Wei flashed behind Agosto, his needles immediatelly stitched and purified his wound. Right after, he leapt and landed on the Kampilan's flat surface.
Agosto aimed Han Wei's trajectory towards the eastern entrance, and launched him like a rocket back to his squad. He vanished inside a dimensional rift afterwards and reappeared in front of the rising Phaya Khamdee and greeted him with a flame charged diagonal slash.
Phaya blocked with the shaft of his venom glaive.
In front of the Shrine's steps leading to the Inner Sanctum's doors, Renato planted himself between Kalawit and the wounded, Kalasag ringing as Dugong Itim carved black scars across its surface. Kalawit kept on swinging in frustration. Each impact drove Renato backward a step, boots gouging stone, but the shield never broke.
On the flanks, Shinken and Tsubame blurred in and out of contact, steel colliding in sharp, precise exchanges that shredded pillars and sent fragments raining across the courtyard.
The Babaylan Saints advanced as one.
Hermano Lopez marched forward with Banal na Parusa grounded at his side until Han Wei crashed in front of him. He retreated and spun the scepter in spirals to deflect the needles that followed Han Wei's descent.
Magdalena Ramos' Tanikala snapped and recoiled in sweeping arcs.
Sutera deflected using he Keris. One lash got past her defenses, she liquified her form, the chain passed through her ribs, and caught it after she solidfied. Sutera pulled the chain with two hands and charged towards the darting Magdalena with a push kick, sending her back to where she came from.
Mia Torre altered terrain with subtle precision, warping elevation and angles just enough to break Min Jun's footing and sightlines.
Min Jun darted from one shifting flat surface to another as he closed the range between him and Mia.
A watchtower shifted towards him as if it is intentionally crashing on him. Strategy kicked in. He used the as a cover and vanished from Mia's vision. He reappeared from below and delivered a rising slash, splitting the Aklat ng Katotohanan in two, rendering it temporarily useless.
Min Jun aimed the Bonguk Gom to Mia's throat.
Crispulo intervened. His shadow grabbed Min Jun's sword hand as the real Crispulo grabbed Mia and moved her out of danger.
Crispulo's other shadow joined in to finish the struggling Min Jun. His shadow blade, poised for the kill until he was devoured by Prasert's golden slash arc.
On the Shrine's terrace, Ari and Juan clashed in a spear battle. Both displayed masterful martial discipline with their spears.
Ari delivered a multi-thrust, Juan stirred his trident in defense. Ari struck again.He leapt, twisted sideways in midair, and drove the Tombak down to Juan like a hammer. Juan blocked with his trident's shaft, twisted it, and drove his trident's butt to Ari's chest.
Then Juan Luciano stopped. He sensed the Myth-Tech Alliance's reinforcements on its way by the taste of the air.
"Hmmm...void steel...large constructs...Airships", Juan murmured. "We are running out time."
He planted his feet at the head of the eastern steps.
"We end this now!", Juan roared.
"100% synchrony achieved."
The wind died.
Ari braced himself. His grip tightened on the Tombak as he is slowly taking steps to retreat.
For a single breath, the battlefield went unnaturally still.
Juan raised Habagat ni Silang.
The relic screamed.
Clouds above the courtyard twisted inward, dragged down by invisible force. Pressure collapsed toward Juan's position as ultraviolent winds began to form, not wild, not uncontrolled, but shaped, bent, and disciplined by will.
Hermano turned his head slightly to Juan.
"Juan," he said calmly. "You restrain."
Juan did not look back.
"I am."
The ground answered.
Juan drove Habagat ni Silang to the heavens.
"Storm God.", he whispered.
In recognition, the Babaylan Saints took action. All of them darted to Juan's side.
The sky broke.
Ultraviolent winds detonated outward from Juan's circle, ground-tearing pressure rolling across the courtyard in layered waves. Stone was ripped from its base and hurled aside. Broken pillars lifted, twisted, and shattered midair. The winds did not spiral randomly. They moved with intent, redirected at the last moment, skirting the shrine walls and deflecting upward where the structure might have collapsed.
Babaylan Saints ducked and covered inside the eye of the storm.
Ari tried to charge, but he felt like crashing into steel as thick as a castle wall.
Lightning followed.
Not scattered strikes.
God's Hammer fell in disciplined succession.
Bolts slammed into the ground in a widening arc, supercharged lightning detonating stone and debris. Each impact sent bodies airborne, slammed against rubble, or buried beneath cascading stone.
The Sandata were torn from their positions.
Gregorio was thrown backward through shattered columns, Kamay ni Bathala flaring as he absorbed the brunt of the force. He crashed into debris and disappeared beneath falling stone.
Marian and Natalia were separated violently, both hurled into opposite walls as mist and black-violet fire were shredded by the wind.
Agosto was lifted off his feet and driven through a collapsed archway, flames extinguished by sheer pressure before reigniting as he skidded to a halt.
Renato was swiped from the Shrine steps like a rag doll. Kalasag bit into the ground as he dug in, the shield cracking stone beneath it but holding.
Han Wei, Ari, Sutera, Min-Jun, and Prasert were scattered across the courtyard, bodies rolling, weapons torn from guard positions by force rather than precision.
The Ahas Leadership did not fare better.
Raja was ripped from his stance and hurled across the courtyard, both blades torn from striking alignment as he crashed through a wall.
Shinken vanished into debris, Masamune screaming as he was buried beneath falling stone.
Phaya, Natalia, Kalawit, and Putik were flung outward in different directions, armor shattered, bodies bruised, none escaping unscathed.
Then it stopped.
The winds collapsed inward and vanished.
Lightning faded.
Dust rolled across the ruined courtyard in thick waves.
Silence followed.
Not peace.
Shock.
Slowly, figures rose.
Gregorio pushed stone aside and stood, blood running freely down his face, Kamay ni Bathala still glowing faintly. Marian pulled herself from rubble, Sundang ni Makiling dripping as mist reformed around her. Agosto staggered upright, armor scorched, teeth bared in a grin that refused to fade.
Renato hauled himself to one knee and then to his feet. Ari retrieved the Tombak. Sutera wiped blood from her mouth and reset her stance. Min-Jun steadied his breath. Prasert lifted Phra Saeng Khan Chaiyasi again. Han Wei rose from the rubble as he observe the surrounding area in awe.
Trees were uprooted, all foot soldiers lay lifeless, no structures were left standing, except for the Shrine.
Across the courtyard, the Ahas Leadership rose as well.
Raja stood first, both blades still in hand, crimson lightning crackling weakly along the regenerated Pamana ni Lakan. Shinken emerged from the debris, eyes cold. Phaya raised his glaive and used it as a cane to steady himself. Natalia rolled her shoulder back into place. Kalawit dragged himself upright. Putik laughed in disbelief.
Juan Luciano lowered Habagat ni Silang and stepped forward.
Hermano Lopez followed him, Banal na Parusa resting against his shoulder.
Hermano surveyed the devastation with calm eyes.
"This is restraint," he said evenly.
"That is not enough to kill the Sandata and the Serpent Alliance's leaders. However, it should be enough to make them hesitate. We use that time to secure the Kusanagi."
They climbed the shrine steps together.
No one moved to stop them.
Not yet.
The shrine loomed ahead, scarred but standing.
Echoes of battle can be heard inside its grand hall.