The Red Hand

*BOOM* *BANG* *CRASH*

Jerome was no slouch when it came to direct combat, and while the ninja were aware of his power from reports they'd had during briefings, Sakura and the others had quickly found themselves on the back foot as they battled the swift footed Demon.

*SWIPE* *SLASH* *SWOOSH*

“Careful!” Hikari said as she tossed a set of daggers at Jerome just as he was about to slash Sakura across her exposed chest.

*TINK* *TINK* *TINK*

“Nice save!” Nemino said as Jerome deflected and destroyed the daggers.

“I try!” Hikari said with a nervousness in her words.

"Not bad! I'll admit that your teamwork is commendable, but if this is all you've got, then I think our battle will be over soon!" Jerome yelled as he lifted his blade, slamming it into the ground and barely missing Sakura, who slipped out of the way in the nick of time.

*SLICE*

“You're wide open!” Sakura said as she counterattacked.

"Ah!" Jerome cried out in pain as Sakura's blade sliced through a portion of his right shoulder's armor, leaving a shallow gash that leaked a bit of blood. “You bastard!”

"That's what you get for thinking that the battle is over before you've taken down even one of us!" Sakura smirked as she swung behind him and unleashed a series of blows that tore into his armor, her blade crackling with lightning as her strikes hit home. "Only Lady Akagi can do that and not look like a fool!" She laughed.

"Shut your mouth!" Jerome yelled as he swung his blade around, just in time for Hikari's daggers to fly past his face, creating a small cut on his cheek to allow Sakura to disengage. "Mere paper cuts!" He roared as divine power channeled through his body, healing his wounds completely. “It will take more than that to leave lasting damage on me!”

"Oh man... That's not fair..." Hikari pouted as she threw more daggers at him, which were easily deflected by his blades.

{Its like when Lady Akagi lets herself get wounded only for it to evaporate...} (Hikari)

"Meh. I'd say he's still better than Eris!" Nemino said as he unleashed a flurry of magic bullets that seemed to do minimal damage as the made contact with his blade. "At least this guy actually takes damage, unlike that crazy Barbarian who just ignores our hits!" He and the others had trained with the two Barbarians in question a few times and had come to dislike their hits doing little to no damage when they otherwise should've.

{Its really a fucking buzzkill...} (Nemino)

"You're nothing but pests!" Jerome growled as he swung his blade, sending a flash of divine power toward Nemino and Hikari, who leaped out of the way as it tore past them and into the ground behind them.

"Oh, and he has ranged attacks?!?" Nemino complained as he flew through the air, watching Jerome's attack create a massive line in the ground before exploding in the distance. “Fan-fucking-tastic!”

"Look out! Behind you!" Sakura cried out as Jerome appeared in the air behind Nemino, slamming the bunny ninja with the flat part of his blade and sending him crashing into the ground with a massive slam

*BOOM*

"Ack!" Nemino cried in pain as he smacked against the ground, blood shooting out of his mouth on impact.

{Where did he come from?!?} (Hikari!}

"Nemino!" Hikari yelled as Jerome kicked off the air and prepared to skewer the ninja with his blade.

"Time for your evil to be purged!" Jerome roared as he descended toward Nemino at high speed, blade poised to end him in one quick strike. "Goodbye, rabbit! May your master burn in the hells with you!"

Hikari was too far away to stop Jerome's attack, and her daggers couldn't do anything to prevent what was coming, but just as it looked like this was to be the end of one of the ninja, a bolt of lightning cracked against the ground where Sakura stood, and she vanished in a flash of yellow light.

“What?!?” Jerome yelped in surprise.

"Thunder Burst - Ascension!" Sakura yelled as she appeared directly over the downed Nemino, her blade cracking with yellow lightning as it met and then repelled Jerome's attack, sending him flying backwards across the terrain as a large bolt of lightning came from the ground, striking him from below and causing visible damage.

“Get over here and heal him! This freak will be back in no time!” Sakura said as she moved forward, readying herself for another attack.

"Nemino!" Hikari ran over to check on the downed ninja. He was in considerable pain due to multiple broken bones, and blood dripped from his mount, pooling on the ground next to his head. “Are you alright?!?”

"I'm good..." Nemino said as he got to his feet with her help. "A bit disoriented and in massive pain, but ya know, I've survived worse." He took a deep breath as he righted himself before popping a healing potion. "But thanks, Sakura. I owe you one."

{And just what the hell was that attack? Has she been cooking up something new during training?} (Nemino)

"The thanks is appreciated, but lets save the celebration for after he's dead." Sakura said as she took a defensive stance, her blade cracking with electricity. "And from the looks of it I'm going to have to push my swords to their limit."

{I may even have to use my experimental technique if it comes down to it.} (Sakura)

"Yeah..." Hikari nodded. "We can't afford to let our guard down. Not when its clear he can kill us that easily."

"Espeically when he hits like a train." Nemino said as he chugged a second red potion. "Man, the potions take the edge off but I'm definitely gonna be sore in the morning." He said as he cracked his neck. "I think I pulled a few things when I hit the ground."

"If a bit of stiffness is your only lasting issue then consider yourself lucky. You're lucky to be alive from that hit." Sakura said as Jerome leaped toward them, ready to attack again.

{Thank you Ability Boost and Max Defense! Imp really did a good job with our gear!} (Nemino)

"If you think one weak hit is enough to stop me, then you're delusional!" Jerome roared as he slammed his blade down, meeting Sakura's own head on and causing a large crater to form under them as their weapons collided.

*BOOM*

“You're too weak, Fox!” Jerome said as he began to push her back. “Its clear that you're not trained in this kind of combat and you're physical ability just isn't up to par!” He roared as divine energy exploded from his body.

"That's what you think! Ability Boost!" Sakura yelled out as she poured more power into her blade, activating her gloves special ability and shoving Jerome back for a moment before slicing across his exposed abdomen. "Lighting Slash!"

*CRACKLE*

"Ack!" Jerome cried out in pain but pushed forward regardless, bringing his blade back down as the two jockeyed for position in an intense high-speed duel.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*

"I can't believe she's actually going head-on with this crazy guy," Nemino said as he readied his pistol for another volley.

"Wait!" Hikari said, stopping him. "I've got an idea. Just shooting him wildly isn't going to work, and its clear that the two of us are going to struggle in this kind of straight up fight."

"AAAAAAAAHHH YAH!" Jerome roared as he slammed his blade at Sakura, who was slowly but surely driven back by his sheer power. The fox was indeed strong, but when compared to the divinely powered Elector-King it was clear whose physical strength was greater and it was only a matter of time until she was defeated.

{Not good! Despite Ability Boost's bonus and this sword I'm not exactly a front line fighter, and there's no guarantee these swords will hold out against this guy's ogre strength! I really hope those two figure out something quick!} (Sakura)

"All I need to do is end you little fox, and then your fellow monsters will be next!" Jerome said as he pushed forward, causing Sakura to start slipping backward on the ground as she was physically moved by his sheer power.

"E-Even if you defeat us..." Sakura struggled to speak as she was pushed back further. "You'll still lose to Lady Akagi!"

"Your monstrous master will fall just like all the others who threaten our world, our peace!" Jerome upped his strength further, pushing Sakura off balance and leaving her wide open for a strike as he smacked her weapon out of the way. "NOW FALL!"

{NO!} (Sakura)

"I don't think so!" Hikari said as she tossed dozens of toward Jerome. “Catch!”

"What?!?" Jerome paused his attack to destroy the talismans, slashing the paper cutouts into tiny pieces that burned away on contact. "Weak! Did you think such tricks could stop me?!?"

"No, but those weren't the ones that I needed." Hikari smirked as she pointed into the sky, and as Jerome's eyes moved upward he saw a large circle of white talismans form into a circular formation.

“Phew! I was really worried he'd stop us.” Nemino said as he tossed the last talisman into the air. “Good thing he's got tunnel vision.”

“Those paper talismans! There!” Jerome paused as Sakura regained her footing and took a swipe at him, pinning him down with her blade as a blue arch of power flickered between the different talismans.

{A ritual?!?}

"You were whomping us pretty good out in the open, but let's see what happens when we drag you into our battlefield?" Hikari laughed as the talismans began emitting a dark aura that slowly bled into the battlefield like a dark fog, covering the area within the circle in a pitch-black darkness that no light could hope to shine through.

"I have to give it to you, Hikari..." Nemino said as he vanished into the darkness. "This was a great idea."

"It just goes to show why Lady Akagi has so much faith in me. I'm smart when it counts." Hikari giggled. Jerome couldn't see or, more importantly, sense the three ninjas within the darkness. He was completely blind and had no idea where they were or what they were doing.

{Its interfering with my senses? No, these three are likely creatures of the dark. They blend in with it and make it impossible to differentiate them from the shadow itself.} (Jerome)

"Cowards! Hiding in the shadows?!? You're only delaying the inevitable!" Jerome yelled before channeling more divine power into his body, creating a thin aura of white flame that only barely managed to piece the darkness around him.

{I still can't see, but this will allow me to detect them if they get close.} (Jerome)

“I guess we'll have to tell Imp that her Shadow Talismans aren't as good as we expected.” Hikari's voice echoed from the darkness.

“I'd say they're doing a fine job.” Sakura's voice was followed by the crackle of lighting as her blade slicing across Jerome's back and opened him up like a hot night through butter.

"After all, that worked out pretty good." Sakura said, the grin on her lips clear in her tone as she unleashed a flurry of slashes across the front of his body. "Electric Whirlwind!"

*SLICE**SLICE**SLICE**SLICE**SLICE**SLICE*

"AHH!" Jerome screamed in agony as dozens of electrically amplified slashes assaulted his body from head to toe. “You won't best me so easily!” He again roared, divine power erupting from his body at a more intense pressure than before, pushing back the darkness yet again and allowing him to see in a small area around him. However, despite his apparent successful push back against their darkness it was clear to the ninja that maintaining such a repulsive force a drain upon the Elector-King, and it wasn't something he could perform for long.

“Man, this guy's nuts!” Nemino said as he fired a dozen rounds at Jerome, each of which was either deflected by his blade or vaporized by the divine power that radiated around him.

“He's definitely something, that's for sure.” Hikari said as she threw a few talismans at Jerome that caught fire and exploded just before he swung at them with his blade.

“Cease with these tricks!” Jerome yelled as he slammed his blade into the ground in an attempt to dispel the darkness.

*BOOM*

“Uh-oh...” Nemino panicked as he their ritual was briefly pushed back further, revealing the three ninja but almost as quickly as it was repulsed the darkness swallowed up the battlefield once more. “Yeah... We need to take him down now.”

{There's no guarantee these talismans will more survive hits like that, and Hikari didn't exactly bring an endless bag of them...} (Nemino)

“I will find you, monsters! And when I do you and your precious master will perish!” Jerome leaped at the position where he saw Nemino, though rather than find the bunny he found the fox who took his blow and deflected it, pushing him away before unleashing a furious slash attack that ripped across his body.

{Come on, die!} (Sakura)

“This isn't the end!” Jerome roared again, regaining his footing and bringing down an attack onto Sakura, who he could barely sense in front of him.

*BANG*

“Maybe you two should do something!” Sakura groaned as the weight of his blade pushed her down.

{Ability Boost doesn't last forever and I can't keep fighting him directly like this!} (Sakura)

“Don't worry, its over." Hikari said as she threw several dozen daggers at Jerome, who quickly found several embedded in his back. "He got a little too focused for his own good."

*THUD* *THUD* *THUD*

“Nice!” Nemino cheered as he shot an entire clip into Jerome's side, tearing him open and causing blood to gush onto the ground.

"You... You won't best me..." Jerome said as he panted heavily, each word a struggle. “I won't be felled by such flesh wounds!” He said as he attempted to heal himself with divine power, only to find that it wasn't working correctly.

"The wounds might not completely do you in, but don't worry the poison

{Thank god we sprang for that stuff!} (Nemino)

"P-Poison?" Jerome stuttered for a second before feeling his insides burning and it quickly became apparent that each of the daggers that had struck him were coated in a powerful toxin that was sapping away his mana and his life force. "Bastards!"

The ninja had brought along a special poison that, while not directly designed to fight divine power was extremely effective against targets with higher magical power. Essentially the way it worked was by turning the persons' on power against them and causing the body to destroy itself.

"Hey, I'd been trying to get that stuff into your system from the get-go, but you were pretty good at deflecting them." Hikari said.

(I-I can't fall here... I need... I need to protect... Our... People...} (Jerome)

"Let's end this, we have work to do and I'd rather not get behind." Sakura said as she sheathed her blade, drawing the second one which gave off a frosty aura. "You got to feel the pain of Raimeitou, but let's see how you handle Setsugetsutou."

"Still a lame name." Nemino coughed.

{Yeah, far too many syllables.} (Hikari)

{Shut up!} (Sakura)

"I... I will not fall here..." Jerome said as he slowly stepped forward. His body was slowly succumbing to the poison but he resolved himself to fight on. "I must... I must defeat you... I must... Save my people..." He pressed forward, his mind fading due to the poison.

{I must... Save us... All... Lilliana...} (Jerome)

"Thunderfrost Strike!" Sakura flashed forward in a split second, sending her blade straight through him, ending her attack in a kneeling position before slowly sheathing her blade, slicing Jerome in two, and causing his body to explode into an icy mist. "It's over..." She said as Hikari lifted the darkness, revealing that little more than a dusting of ice remained where Jerome once stood.

*WHISTLE*

"Well dang..." Nemino whistled in awe as the three regrouped. "Any reason you didn't do that at the start?" He asked. "It looked really effective despite its lame name."

{That probably could've one-shot him from the start! Did you just want to see me kicked around?!? Wait, she probably did!} (Nemino)

"Sadly it won't work on an opponent who isn't already impaired, and attempting to use it on him when he was able to react properly would've likely seen me killed or at least drained heavily." Sakura said, noting that she was exhausted from using it once.

"Besides, you shouldbe asking that same question to Hikari over there why she didn't bring out those talismans sooner! They made everything easier when he couldn't track us!" Sakura grumbled as she sat on the ground.

"I..." Hikari scratched her cheek as she looked away, embrassed. "I... If I'd tried to use the talismans sooner, then he'd just destroyed them! Yeah! That's the reason!" She replied with a confident smile that neither of them believed.

"I'd be inclined to believe you if you didn't have multiple chances to use those talismans when he was distracted with me..." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Wait, don't tell me. Let me guess, it didn't occur to you to actually use them until right at that moment." She figured that Hikari had forgotten about one of their more useful items.

{Hikari...} (Nemino)

"Now, now." Hikari waived off her theory while whistling innocently. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it? We killed him and everyone lived to tell the tale! So its all good!"

{Isn't that all that matters!} (Hikari)

"Yeah... So... About that..." Nemino pinched the bridge of his nose anxiously as he remembered something important. "Didn't... Didn't Lady Akagi have that guy on the list of people to keep alive?" He pointed out that Jerome was an Elector-King, and was on the list of names that Akagi wanted taken in alive.

{Oops...} (Sakura x Hikari)

"Sakura killed him, so she takes the blame." Hikari said, washing her hands of the issue.

"Just know that if I go down, I'm taking you all with me." Sakura hissed as the three argued about who would take the blame for going against Akagi's orders. Meanwhile, the surrounding soldiers began fleeing for their lives, reporting to the others that Jerome had been bested in combat and slain. A feat that none thought was possible, and that none wanted to believe had truly happened.