(Open) Let's Flex

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

The sun had finally set for Hayate Amatsukami, and as the darkness of the Akashima bathed everything in blackness the young naïve found himself yearning. Yearning for some kind of excitement in his mundane life, the kind of excitement that the young clan’s men hadn’t felt in many years. From the fourth floor of the Amatsukami manor he could see the streets of the city begin to clear out as all the residents filed into their houses getting ready for the night. He’d noticed that around this time the only persons on the streets were either the shogun’s soldiers patrolling or roaming gangs of the underground criminal scene here in Akashima.

Tonight was like every other with one soldier, followed by a pair of them not long after. It was normal for the shogun to send his men over to the Yukon district of town to look out for the more generous families. The Amatsukami were one of the four noble bloodlines that had lived here in Akashima for a number of generations, and were some of the only clans still lining the shogun’s coffers regularly. As the three men passed by the archway to the estate they turned and shined their paper lanterns down the pathway up to the mansion. After a few moments they moved on down the street and disappeared into a nearby alleyway.

Hayate was pleased to see that Lord Yami was still keeping his supporters happy and holding up his end of the bargain. It wasn’t like the Amatsukami house wasn’t capable of defending their own, but bureaucracy was a better means of defense in times like these. Appearances were everything when dealing with the noble clans in the shogun’s court so it was better if he and his men didn’t sully their own hands and leave the dirty work to the soldier they pay.

Quickly the young clan’s men felt a wave of regret wash over him as he remembered last week when he found a cat burglar attempting to scale the outer walls of his estate. He still kicks himself for allowing the shogun’s men to come handle the situation for them. It would have been very simple to just make the man disappear and keep it quite yet if the shogun, or anyone, had begun to ask questions their operation would have been in jeopardy. It had simply been too long since Hayate had gotten his hand dirty.

Days passed Hayate had decided enough was enough and he needed to see if he still had the skills that got him the position he holds as Head of the Amatsukami. With some instructions left behind for his retainer the young lord left the comfort of his estate and made his way to the hustle and bustle of Radasanth. His destination was the Citadel, rumors made this place sound like it was run by some monks able to revive the dead. It seemed like the most fitting place to flex and see how rusty he had become.

It wasn’t long before the registration process was over and Hayate was escorted to the large doors of the arena. The monks reassured the man that nothing that happened within these walls was permanent and any injuries he sustained would be healed by them at the end of the match. With this information the young lord pushed open the doors and was instantly teleported to world like he had never seen. Inside he found himself standing on a large stone tablet suspended in the air. As if by magic the large circulate stone defied gravity making a very solid surface for him and his opponent fight. All around him was a deep black void of nothingness, yet the platform seemed to be visible. It was as if the arena was the only thing that mattered and the only thing this strange world would allow him to see.

Strange… Hayate thought as he began stretching his arms. Strapped to his back he had a large Katana that compared to him in size. Along with his devilish mask to keep his identity hidden he had everything he needed to have some fun, now all he had to do was wait for his enemy.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

To be back in the Silver Cup meant only one thing to Shinsou Vaan Osiris; he'd finally returned home. Not a physical home, of course, for he owned a very handsomely valued apartment a couple of streets away, but instead the home of his ideals and ambitions.

This was the place where he and Storm Veritas had originally agreed to intertwine their destinies; the spot on which the Brotherhood, in its current format, had been planned and conceived.

The upmarket Radasanthian tavern took a certain type of patron. The politically powerful, the wealthy and the influential were the usual clientele. A lot of money exchanged hands in here, usually with Soap, the landlord, being directly involved. You could tell, too. Thick, shag carpets from Irrakram in Fallien covered the lounge. Brass lanterns from Alerar hung in the vaults. Ornaments from Raiaera's ancient past were placed neatly in rows on floating shelves. There was chirping of clean leather shoes on fresh planks cut from the best trees in Underwood. It all created an atmosphere of importance and snobbery around the place to attract bigger names and even bigger purses, and yet most ironically the tavern was the dirtiest capital of Radasanth's black market, criminal underworld and assassin's guild.

The lone Telgradian was the first through the door this morning. As a short ginger man stretched across the counter, he placed a tumbler in front of him and perched on a large stool.

"A little bird tells me you came back to Whitevale. Am I hearing correctly?"

“Oh? Who told you that?” Shinsou stood by the lip of the bar top, clutching the glass between finger and thumb. The question insinuated that by Shinsou returning to the town of the Brotherhood's HQ, he was once again part of the hierarchy. Calmly, the barman's hands slid a piece of paper across the table. His eyes stayed straight, never averting from the spellsword for a second.

“No-one in particular. If it's true, though, you should check this guy out. Soap thinks he'd be a good fit for you.”

The charming smile of the barman broke Shinsou's gaze, and as the Telgradian flashed the note open he screwed up his eyes.

"Yeah, well, if it is true you'll know soon enough. So, this guy. Hayate Amatsukami? Never heard of him, and what exactly does Soap mean by "a good fit"? Unless the guy is a jacket or looking for love in the wrong places, I don't see how he "fits"."

As Shinsou crossed his arms across the bartop, he peered into the murky whisky as if divining tea leaves. If Soap was dishing him names, it could only mean that there was something in it for him. It begged the questions what and why. It was then that the landlord himself, dressed as if he were the Radasanthian representive of the House of Lords, strolled in from the back and clapped his Telgradian associate on the forearm.

"Go to the Citadel, my friend, and find out for yourself. This name has been handed down by a very powerful connection who reckons the boy has potential." Soap picked up a fresh bar towel from under the counter and began polishing glassware, whilst Shinsou raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"What's in it for you?" Came the inevitable question from the Telgradian's lips.

"The well being of my benefactors, the Brotherhood. You guys keep me in business, and I like to throw you a bone every now and then to keep that business coming in. If he's any good, you'll try to recruit him and, of course, pay me a finder's fee. If you kill him, it's training. Win-win, right?"

The Citadel may have been the gathering place for Althanas's pool of gifted fighters and wannabe heroes, but there was no use plucking a name at random if you wanted to scout for talent or train in a specific way. That's why the Brotherhood kept Soap around - the man called to the next gifted generation of warriors and passed on their details to interested parties. Due to the beautifully crafted contract they had, the Brotherhood always had first refusal on talent.

"Fine. I'll assess him, and see what happens. You'll have your money later."

Whether or not this would qualify as recruitment or training was somewhat irrelevant to the Telgradian. Recently, Shinsou had been a regular at the Citadel, and much like his most recent opponent and reunited partner Storm Veritas, there was no question of his own power. That was beyond debate. But there was a lack of sharpness and an insatiable appetite for improvement that kept dragging him back to the arena.

So, four hours later, the grandest stage in the world once again hosted the spellsword.

Stepping gently from the hot membrane of the portal, Shinsou Vaan Osiris felt his feet flatten against a stone floor. The first thing he noticed was an infinite void, surrounding the disc shaped stone platform he stood on, that seemes to stretch on forever. It reminded him instantly of Telgradia's "Kokushi" prison and it's maddening seventh floor; nothing but emptiness and cold for all eternity in all directions. The disc platform itself seemed suspended in the air and was devoid of features; a classic gladatorial arena.

Turning sharply, the golden eyes of the spellsword tightened into a glare as he stared at the form of a person at the other side of the disc opposite. The fact he had to use his eyes to see the man told Shinsou a lot already - namely that either the man could hide his power, or he simply didn't have enough of it to sense.

That could be a problem. If I can't sense him, he could still catch me off guard if he hits a blind spot. Be vigilant and figure out early what his skillset is.

"The name is Shinsou Vaan Osiris," The Telgradian shouted across the distance by way of introduction, "and if I have my information right, your name is Hayate Amatsukami. Am I correct? If so, I'm here to answer your challenge. Don't let me down, kid."

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

Hello, thanks for joining. I love the set up you gave us. I'm very excited.

The young lord watched as if out of nowhere a man, a stranger, appeared from the void as he did moments earlier. Hayate finished stretching his arms across his chest and as the man turned to face him was struck with a jarring revelation, the stranger knew his name. Instantly he grew concerned, it wasn’t often he was permitted outside Akashima alone. Hayate was the leader of one of the four noble families of the Yukon District of Akashima. Sure his name was out there and many people knew him but to be formally addressed in such a place made him uneasy.

Who was this Shinsou? The young lord thought to himself as he brought a hand to his mask. It served no more purpose as it was and he casually lifted it up until it covered only his right eye and the top of his head. It was made of ivory ornately carved to resemble the upper jaw of a canine, the canine was the insignia of the Amatsukami and they wore it proudly.

His skin was pale, almost like snow, contrasting sharply with his dark hair. Hayate wore a multi layered white robe that hugged his slender frame allowing for a free range of motion and quick movements. On his back rested his partner Yamato, the Corpse King Blade, as long six and a half foot katana. He was ready for whatever situation he found himself in and in his opinion the man looked relatively regular in terms of regular. At least he wasn’t a dragon…

“Pleased to meet you.” he said as he gave the man the slightest of bows. It still remained very important to the young lord to keep up his appearance even in a place like this. “But may I ask,” he said as he returned to his upright stance. “how do you know my name?”

He didn’t leave the man much time to answer before Hayate violently reached for Yamato. He drew his blade in a crescent arc over his head before entering an aggressive fighting stance. Along the length of his blade are a myriad of runes that seemed to pulse with every beat of Hayate’s heart.

“And if you know who I am that means you know I’m not present in Yukon. That’s not something I can allow you to go spreading around.” If any of the other houses found out he wasn’t there to defend his estate then they would make moves to force him out of the Shogun’s court. That was something that he simply could not allow, so this would have to be a very quick trip to Radasanth. He couldn’t take any chances with this man and needed to fight smart.

This didn’t mean he would go all out immediately rather Hayate would start by testing the waters a bit first. Swiftly he made about fifteen strides forwards closing the gap between himself and Shinsou with his blade aimed to cut the man from his right shoulder down across his chest. He knew that this would most likely be countered and he was prepared to react if necessary. But no matter what happened this was going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Thank you, and my pleasure. PM me if you need anything.

The swordsman was deceptively quick, but also frustratingly predictable. The nobleman closed in quickly but from the front, which made a defense all too easy for the experienced Brotherhood leader. As the deadly edge of the seven foot long no-dachi style blade Hayate wielded screamed down, Shinsou snapped his own katana, Enpera, to his side to parry. A metallic chime pierced the cacophony of conflict as the blades met on the upswing and the infinite vault of void sang to the whisper of battle steel.

Just like the night of his first fight in the Citadel, when he had crossed swords with Ioder, this kid had emulated Shinsou's first ever mistake. Was this an early sign that Soap had made an error in judgment? The two cutting edges bit at each other, vying for overall control, but Shinsou stood confident and quiet with a single arm keeping the deadly Enpera firm against its counterpart.

An obvious frontal assault could be a ploy for something more dangerous. Let's shut this down, quickly.

Enpera Kurohitsugi.

Shinsou's free hand pulsed through shadow and dust, rising though the air to begin summoning his most monstrous creation as the swords continued to grind and compete for leverage. With a horrendous noise akin to the tearing of a thousand sheets of flesh, The Telgradian conjured five abyssal spears of dark matter from a rift torn in reality, and as they manifested through heat and haze, they appeared wreathed with amethyst arcs of lifeforce.

"I'll answer your questions later, Hayate," Shinsou reproofed, "For now, focus."

Arcane energy, sour like raw citrus, flowed through his body. Hot, thick air pushed back against him from the force of the void. The world slowed to his mind. He calculated the trajectories of the spears and the exact point where they and Hayate would collide.

The world sped up again, scrambling all his calculations. Hayate's heavy anti-cavalry sword was starting to push Enpera back. No matter how strong Shinsou was, the clash was a simple matter of physics, and the boy had strength that the Telgradian could feel reverberating through the hilt of his sword.

It was time.

Three spears left the spacial rift behind Shinsou, the intention being to stab Hayate through the shoulder, the hip, and across his left thigh. It wouldn't be long before his feudal outfit dampened in arterial blood. Arcs of dark energy coursed through his nerves as electrical spastic contortions accompanied the trail of spears.

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

Hayate hadn’t time to loose, he had miscalculated Shinsou’s strength the man’s counter attack seemed more deadly than the young lord anticipated. With their blades still locked Shinsou summoned from the void chaotic spears attempting to skewer Hayate and kill him out right. The young Amatsukami simply couldn’t allow it and by sheer force of will began to call out.

“Rise Yamato!” Hayate screamed as the three spears spiraled towards him. A pool of dark purple energy began to swell beneath his feet and near instantaneously something miraculous occurred. A shadowy forearm appeared between the two breaking their blade lock, and in the process Yamato disappeared. It moved in a violent arc to quickly defend its master intercepting two of the three spears of dark magic Shinsou launched at him and sending the last ricocheting off the edge of the arena. There was a distinct sound of crunching and scraping metal as the spears impaled the massive disembodied arm of Hayate’s partner. A dark liquid began to flow from the wounds on the Avatar, and in turn in the exact same spot on Hayate’s right arm the color of his garbs began to turn crimson with his own blood.

Sweat began to pour from Hayate’s forehead as the pain transferred from the Avatar to him. He wondered how long it would take this man to notice this connection. He had to make this quick.

The young lord quickly shuffled his feet backwards as the rest of his Avatar took shape. Fist it appeared as a lumbering skeleton standing roughly ten feet tall lurking just behind Hayate before a suit of spectral armor covered it. In its left hand the Avatar wielded a katana that matched Hayate’s in proportion but far exceeded his in raw strength. It seemed to sway and move on its own as its movements didn’t match up exactly with its creator. This was the power of the Amatsukami, this was the Avatar of War.

Quickly and without any warning the lumbering spirit behind Hayate launched itself forward at Shinsou. It moved independently of the young lord allowing Hayate to begin setting his finishing blow. The clan’s men used this opportunity to retreat further towards the edge of the platform the fought on. And as the lumbering Avatar used it’s sword to engage the enemy Hayate began to search through the folds of his vestments.

Of course he had to be a magic user, he thought to himself knowing that his magical resistance was on the weaker side. On first glance Shinsou wasn’t an imposing figure but things had quickly begun to look bleak for the young lord.

“Don’t mock us!” Hayate cried as the Corpse King brought his great sword down upon their enemy. If the Corpse King's blade were to strike Shinsou unchallenged it would easily cleave the man in two.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

What in the seven hells is that?

Weaving back a few steps into his side of the flat, featureless chamber, Shinsou tried to gain perspective of this goliath that managed to stop his assault. He spared one last glance towards Hayate before turning to face this embodiment of carnage. Carnage was exactly right; while there was nothing at all to sense before, the Telgradian could feel it all now. It came in the form of an intense, angry power burning away at his gut. The sensation rose from the shrivelled depths of his stomach and he could feel the giant's murderous impulses seizing control. This thing, this suffering clad in the armor of the Akashima nobles, wanted nothing less than to give the Telgradian an overwhelming and final death.

Now I see, Soap. There's that raw, untamed potential you were talking about. But...

He exhaled his frustration in a stream of hot air. As he did, his eyes caught something; a patch of crimson on Hayate's arm. A blood spatter followed him to the end of the platform, where he had chosen to hide away.

...odd. I don't remember my attack connecting. Did I imagine it? Hang on, wait a minute. The injury is coming from the same area-

The Telgradian was interrupted by what sounded like a hurricane as the giant unleashed its katana upon him. For something that size, the arm moved remarkably fast and as Shinsou attempted to roll out of the way, the edge of the steel sliced through his bicep and cleaved a slab of flesh from the Telgradian's left arm. Smouldering pain warred in his left side. Silence shuddered beneath his flaring screams as a maelstrom of thunderous cacophony resonated through his own ears, before the screams died into a quiet seethe.

Son of a BITCH. That's IT.

Words of power slipped past his lips as crimson flooded from his terrible wound. Clearing his mind of the pain, he finished weaving his incantation and watched as the rift still open from Enpera Kurohitsugi became a swirling cocoon. Twelve spears of dark matter converged to melt into a single object, reforming to create a chain of five interlocking plates.

Enpera Kurohitsugi: Phalanx

At the touch of Shinsou thoughts, the chain woven about his limbs carried itself to his desired destination: the injured arm of the giant armored bone golem, hoping to wrap, constrict and eventually tear off its wrist. As it left Shinsou's body to strike, the ground at his feet cracked and sent splintered shards of granite fizzing through the shadows. The power contained in his Phalanx form alone could have melted flesh from bone, but how would it fare against such a force?

Regardless, some of the world's greatest evils, even the Thayne Draconus, had not fazed him. This one would not, either.

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

The Corpse King seemed to cry out in joy as its blade slashed through the tender flesh of Shinsou Osiris, if it wasn’t obvious before this being did have a mind of its own. Hayate watched anxiously from behind the two and as Shinsou began to stagger backwards from the impact of the attack the young lord made his move. With considerable speed and finesse he retrieved the item he had been searching for revealing a hidden chain weapon from the inner folds of his dress. He had planned for this, the moment that would allow him to press this man for information.

As Shinsou began chanting his mystical limerick Hayate found his resolve and pressed forward with all the speed he could gather. In a matter of seconds he had rejoined the fight spinning his chained grappling hook ready to launch it at his opponent in tandem with his Avatar’s next attack. Though it appeared he was not quick enough as from the rift behind Shinsou appeared as similar construct a chain but forged from multiple of the projectiles he launched earlier. It was clear that this was far more troublesome than his previous attack and Hayate hoped that his Avatar would be able to withstand it.

As the man before him guided his attack it began to whip violently towards the Corpse King and Hayate took note of that. The lumbering titan didn’t seem to react much other than brace his arm for the guided attack and the moment the astral chain took hold of its target the pain began to spread. Hayate could feel a phantom chain begin to constrict tightly around his right forearm. He felt the awful tears of his weak flesh as the grip grew stronger but luckily for Hayate the Avatar had skin that could withstand heat and the melting effect of the attack didn’t transfer from his partner.

The pain was almost surreal as Hayate fought to ignore it. This wasn’t the first time he has had to endure, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. But still Hayate hadn’t experienced this level of torture in a number of years and Shinsou’s attack began to get the better of him. Luckily for the young lord the Corpse King seemed less than effected by this attack.

The composition of the Avatar left it susceptible to armor piercing attack but in terms of strength the golem had flesh like iron and wasn’t so easily torn like his weaker partner Hayate. It seemed to lift its arm up to its face observing the strange magic attempting to snap its wrist and began to let out a low ominous laugh. But the same could be said for Hayate as the pain of Shinsou’s magic had stopped their synchronized attack dead in its tracks, he hadn’t the strength to continue to use his weapon letting if fall from his grip.

Is this all you can do?... a voice echoed in the back of the young lords head. We have been through far worse.

The Corpse king focused once again on Shinsou who surprisingly only disengaged a few steps away from the giant. With another mighty sweep from his katana the Avatar continued his attack. Hayate couldn’t do anything other than try his hardest to get Shinsou off balance enough for The Corpse King’s attack to land properly and kill the man. The young lord mustered up some inkling of strength and leapt towards the man attempting to use his remaining arm to grab hold of Shinsou’s wrist and restrict his movements just long enough for his avatar to cleave his sword arm cleanly off. In the moment he hand touched Shinsou’s the pressure from the spell sword's attack considerably worsened and Hayate couldn’t completely focus, wincing through the feeling of his wrist beginning to snap he foolishly risked his own like and limb to ensure a victory.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Though the Phalanx chain smouldered nauseatingly against the wrists of this armored juggernaut, all the giant could do was laugh. The malodour of burning flesh and the sheer gravitational force of his spell had been enough to defeat even Thaynes in the past, and yet amidst it all Shinsou found himself wanting.

Each time he had tried to resolve matters with his dark matter. Each time he had failed. Now, he had to go to places he didn't want to. The question was...

What?

The severed nerves and obliterated tendons on his left side screamed at him to stop. How much more would he bleed? How much longer before he bled no more, before he caved in?

Stop thinking and get your shit together.

The armored golem’s soul throbbed, almost bursting through its monstrous form. Through heat and haze, that black Phalanx chain was wreathed with amethyst arcs of lifeforce and still caused it some discomfort, but not as much as-

The thought faded from his mind as ragged nails dug into his right arm. Pinned and bleeding, he turned to see a weakened Hayate clenching onto him for dear life as the giant prepared to cleave him in half. He had neither the time to redirect him, nor counter the hold, but he did have one card he could play, an ace up his tattered sleeve. He still had the power for an act of defiance.

Arcs of magic coursed through his nerves as Shinsou channelled crystalline, dehlar strength ice to his right arm. He could feel the thick, glass like substance seeping through his skin, welding Hayate's palm to Shinsou's arm with a solid patch of unmeltable, unbreakable permafrost. Before long, it had crept up as far as the samurai's shoulder. He shot his opponent a glare, and gestured to the giant waiting above them.

"It took me a while, but I understand now. You feel his pain, and vice-versa. Well, as long as I have you attached to me, he'll have a hard time missing you with that sword." He fought to make his voice heard. He wanted Hayate to feel it tremble through his bones. To fear it.

As he felt Hayate try to tug away, the jolting only disturbed the frayed ends of his destroyed nerves and his mind blanked with agony. In the darkness behind his eyelids, he cursed it all. Yet, one final sentence poised on the tip of his tongue.

"Learn from this."

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

The young lord could only watch with utter fear in his eyes as the permafrost enveloped his forearm. As it coursed up towards his shoulder Hayate could feel him losing control over his limb. Even still he tried to pull away using his body weight but it was simply no use. His eyes widened as this Shinsou Osiris began to scream at him. The spell sword claimed that he had figured out their connection and countered Hayate but that was the farthest from the truth.

As the Corpse King lumbered over the two it also lost use of its left arm and its sword returned to the nothingness it was conjured from. It did appear that Shinsou had halted the two of them dead in their tracks but he didn’t count on one thing. Hayate’s Avatar was named the Corpse King for a reason. Soon this man would know exactly why no one had opposed the Amatsukami family in generations.

The Avatar let out a blood curdling scream and the armor that covered the Corps King’s face began to separate to reveal two rows of sharp teeth. Violently and without hesitation the avatar leaned in over the two men driving its vicious teeth into the fleshy part of Shinsou’s unguarded neck. It would latch on and slowly chew until it took out a chunk large enough to end any mans life. As it did Hayate had only the capacity to smile at this point. He watched the confidence drain from the eyes of his enemy. Shinsou couldn’t have seen the blind willingness to protect its master that fueled the Corpse King . What could this man have felt as he watched it slowly drive its fangs deeper and deeper into his flesh.

“Learn from this,” the samurai scoffed shouting just as loud as Shinsou did only moments earlier. “What could you have possibly taught me? You’re the one who let your over confidence get the better of you. Shinsou you came here for a reason, you came here knowing who I was when that information shouldn’t have been available to you. Tell me, who the hell are you?”

Based on the looks of things Hayate, thanks to the help of the Corpse King, has ensured victory lest his opponent have yet another magical failsafe that would protect him. But even if this was the case and the bout was over their business was far from finished. He had to get to the bottom of exactly who this man was and whether or not his house was in jeopardy with his absence.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

A lot can happen in fourteen seconds.

Shinsou had taken care thus far to use what he had available to him in order to make himself as dangerous as possible for his quarry. Even for a man of his power, it hadn’t been easy, bounding from technique to technique in an attempt to stifle not only the wily samurai but also the lethal behemoth that loomed above.

Just when the Telgradian thought he had gained the upper hand, disaster reared its head.

Instead of cleaving them both in two, the avatar raged and simply brought his huge, tooth riddled maw down onto Shinsou's neck. As the gargantuan manifestation of death bit down hard, the Telgradian could only think to do one thing to stop himself from being devoured like the world's lousiest burrito. As two of the teeth sunk into his already annihilated collarbone, Shinsou screamed in agony but just managed to summon the strength to form a plate of dehlar ice over the flesh of his neck. Two of the four teeth immediately collided with the thick ice, and with a sickening crack! fractured apart. As the monstrosity raged, furious about his broken teeth, the air seemed staler and the smell of mildew grew in his nostrils. Hayate, still attached to Shinsou's good arm, still tried to break free.

This is escalating out of control, Shinsou thought to himself as he tried not to pass out from the pain. Finish it.

It was then that Shinsou’s brain went into overdrive through the pain, assessing all of the available options to him now that he had been crippled. Drawing Enpera was out of the question entirely. That sword would do the Telgradian more harm than good if he tried to fumble about with it here, with an arm that looked as if it had been through a meat grinder.

It was then he remembered that the Phalanx chain was still active. The edge of the stale-smelling skull of the avatar hindered the Telgradian’s view of the wrist that had been tied, but he had a feeling it was still there.

“Enpera Kurohitsugi: Phalanx!"

Above Shinsou, a few feet above the crest of his oaken hair, mysterious arcane energies began to meld together and forced the dark matter scales to liquidate. As it dripped from the bone of the golem like tar and converged once again, forking tendrils of black and purple convulsed around each other to form a fifteen foot chain. It was smaller in scale but longer, and the sheer corrosive force of the dark magic chewed into the grimy stone either side of the Telgradian.

Without even having to motion, Shinsou commanded the chain forward. It shot out of the pool of dark matter and wildly tore towards Hayate's throat, the samurai still bound by the ice on Shinsou's arm.