The Final Battles of the Final War: Part I

"What is this place!?", "Why are we here!?", "What are we wearing!?"

These were the main questions - both literally and thematically, that filled the air and which were directed towards Kimi as she looked at the massive crowd. Unlike the last War of the Realm, unlike when she had been in their position - there was no order or dignity in this incarnation of the preparation for the War of the Realm, no, this was terror and intimidation - to make the populace of Japan bow to those long since forgotten and disregarded as myths, legends, and folklore. That is what Haruto, Akio, Aoto, and Sota wanted - and it was abundantly clear to Kimi most of all.

"All I can tell you is that you were brought here by the cards - those Sorcerers and Slayers cards - as they're enchanted, and that you're all going to have to follow me if you want to get out of here. This place is called the Primordial Elemental Elder Realm - and it's a different world from Earth, an entirely different, mythical land ruled over by four shapeshifting, wingless, immortal dragons named Haruto, Akio, Aoto, and Sota. And - look - if you don't follow me, we won't be able to defeat them, and if we don't defeat them - we won't be able to go back home to our world, back home to Japan."

Kimi said as the pink and white glow returned to her eyes as she looked out at  all who were gathered there. She knew that she didn't have a choice - she knew that she would have to be the Meiji or the Caesar of this fast approaching War of the Realm. As such, Kimi took a short breath and then gazed upon the massed crowd once more, who seemed to be contemplating her words.

"I'll do all that I can - so please understand that. In fact, hold still, please."

Kimi said as she pulled out a card, having retrieved her ivory and ruby inlaid box prior to going out to confront and control all those who had been sent to this other world against their will. The watched Kimi as she went through the cards, finally settling on one that seemed perfect for the situation:

"Fortitude of the Sakura Blossom - Effect: Allows for the Slayer Queen to impart upon the Common Folk under her command, a supernatural resolve and discipline before, during, and after the incarnation of the War of the Realm that this card is activated."

With a decisive slashing motion - Kimi activated the card, and its effect was seen immediately: a wave of pink and white energy was cast over the tremendously large and identically armored and armed mass of individuals standing there before her, their eyes flashing these same colors as they then began to form up into multiple, even and orderly formations of five hundred each. Kimi sighed with relief and nodded to herself. 

Kimi then went through her cards again, looking through them more closely. Most of the Sorcerers and Slayers cards that she had would be useful during the battle itself, but there was one which she simply couldn't pass by, one that was simple - and yet immensely intriguing:

"Armored Ascension of the Slayer Queen - Effect: Transforms the armor of the Slayer Queen into the most powerful configuration possible."

Kimi looked nervously at the card, though her interest couldn't be contained. With another purposeful slash, she activated the card!

A rush of pink and white energy swirled around Kimi like a tornado as she felt and from what limited vision she had within this whirlwind of colorful energy around her - she could see that her armor was changing rapidly! When the energy dissipated, the look and feel of her armor had simplified, but she felt more powerful, more confident, braver. As she looked to her right hand, she could see that her sword had stayed the same - which was unsurprising - since that had had Kana's magical essence imbued within it. 

"Divide yourselves up and man the walls and rhetoric armory alike. The coming battle will be unlike anything that any of us have ever seen."

Kimi said as she nodded to all of the newly minted and enchanted Common Folk dutifully took their places, carrying out these orders without a word. It seemed to Kimi that this was mutually beneficial to her and to them alike. To her as the Slayer Queen and the commander of this battle, and the castellan of her fortress and armory, and to them, for they didn't need to feel the emotions of fear, terror, and otherwise any destructively negative internal sentiments.

After Kimi made her way back inside the fortress and armory, specifically into her quarters - she looked in the mirror and saw truly why her armor felt a bit lighter, and why she felt all the more confident, brave, and powerful. Her armor had tightened into an all the more skin tight white base that encased her legs, arms, torso, and neck - with her chest, shoulders, and arms having a further layer of tight, lightweight, but still powerful enchanted armor on top of that, that was sakura blossom pink, the shoulders arcing up into the same, curved inward, temple-height armor to protect the sides of her head, as was the case on her previous suit of armor. 

Kimi looked at her hands and fingers as well - which had accents of extra layers of pink armor on them as well. She smiled to herself, feeling like she really could do this - a new her, a version of herself that she'd never seen before.

Kimi then sighed, as she was thinking about Kana. How could she actually summon her there? Haruto was bound to attack at any time - so there was truly no time to waste. 

"Kana - I need you. Remember what I told you, when we stood in the entryway of your residence? I need you now, this is what I mean."

Kimi said to herself as se closed her eyes and pictured Kana, imagining her there in the fortress and armory by her side.

"I would agree with that!"

Kana said as Kimi then opened her eyes and beamed - she couldn't believe it, these further powers that she'd been imparted upon her by Akira were still surprising her. Though it was not lost upon Kimi that she'd soon enough lose these powers, once this final War of the Realm was over.

"Kana! You're here - you're really here!"

Kimi replied as she looked over Kana, who was once again wearing her white and gold armor that she'd worn the last time that she was in this other world as the Sorceress Queen. Kana was stunningly beautiful, and her presence only served to further boost Kimi's confidence and assurance in their victory, a victory that they knew was a righteous one. 

"I am here, I'm right here by your side. What's with your armor too? How did you get it to change?"

Kana asked as Kimi blushed and the hugged Kana tightly, before letting go and then nodding to Kana. Kimi felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that she was there, and that she could co-lead with her in this conflict. 

"Well, one of the Sorcerers and Slayers cards that I was given had the power to essentially upgrade my armor, though the name of the card used the word 'ascension'. So, here I am! Say, do you think we should stay here - or go face Haruto? You know him better than I do."

Kimi said and then asked as she once again looked at Kana, stroking her hair and nodding, signaling that she was ready to hear and to heed whatever Kana's intuition on the matter said. 

"If I'm correct - and I really, really do hope that I am, we could go out and meet him in open battle. I know how risky that sounds, and I know how terrifying the prospect is, but this is something that we have to do. If we stay here, Haruto will surely only use that to manipulate us into feeling like we have to hide away and hunker down. That - is simply something that we cannot afford to accept or feel right now."

Kana said as she looked at Kimi, who nodded at her and with a soft, sighing breath, looked back at Kana.

"I don't suppose that either of us really know how this battle will go, do we? Then again, there's only one way to overcome this - and that's to go through this battle and emerge victorious in the end."

Kimi replied as she then hugged Kana again and pulled her in further for a kiss, smiling at Kana when she pulled back, before walking with Kana out to the main courtyard where the fortress and armory converged. All eyes were on Kimi and Kana, the numerous silent, enchanted and disciplined Common Folk standing ready to listen to what their now two co-leaders had to say?

"This is Kana, she's the Sorceress Queen and she's going to be leading you all alongside me, and fighting alongside all of us in the battle that will soon take place. We're going to be facing an immortal being - a shapeshifting, wingless dragon whose powers we can't even begin to comprehend in all honesty. All I know - is that we have to win."

Kimi said - though this time her nervousness felt a bit more dissipated, and with Kana holding her tightly armored sides gently, Kimi felt all the more empowered. It didn't meant that she wasn't nervous - just that she knew that with Kana by her side, and the forces under seemingly ready for the coming battle thanks ton the enchantment that had been placed over them, that they truly could defeat Haruto.

"Now - let's go defeat the light itself."

Kimi said as she nodded, as Kana smiled softly at her. The Common Folk demonstrated just how powerful the enchantment over them was as they made their way down the stairs from the defensive walls of the fortress, and away from the main manual hand crank conveyor belt and the organized weapon racks of the armory - moving with a clam, concerted discipline that Kimi and Kana both knew would be necessary for the coming  conflict. 

Soon enough, all of the Common Folk had made their way through the main doors of the fortress and armory - and were gathered in the same even, rectangular formations of five hundred each that they had been in before. Their swords, identical to Kimi's, though still, without the magical powers that hers had, wrecked held upright in each and every one of their respective right hands, all of the blades pointing perfectly straight upwards and still. Kimi and Kana then walked before the seemingly endless formations, standing in front of them as Kana placed her right and gently into the small of Kimi's tightly armored back, nodding to Kimi supportively.

"Let us advance to meet our foe, and regain the freedom that was taken from us!"

Kimi said more powerfully, as she and Kana turned their backs, as their orderly armored and armed formations followed behind them. The soft crunch of the frost and snow-covered ground of Kimi's fiefdom was the only noise that was present, for no one was speaking. 

As they advanced, Kimi couldn't help but glance at Kana and think of how it felt like so long ago that she'd met Kana, and about the first time that Kana had accompanied her to this part of the realm, to the fiefdom where even then, she felt so much more innocent, so much more calm and whimsical, nervous and carefree in those moments with her. It was in those moments of tenderness and ease that she'd legitimately felt at peace, and yet now most of that was gone, same for her feelings of closeness to Kana. 

Kimi looked around as they continued to march in silence, taking in the looks of this realm, the fringes of her fiefdom. It was strange for her to imagine both that she'd be responsible for the complete and total destruction of this place - as well as that she'd ever been transported there in the first place. Not so long ago, she'd been a High School Senior - and now she was the Slayer Queen - a Fantasy Card Game Slayer. How would she emerge from all of this? How would Kana emerge from all of this? How would everyone who was transported to this world - and everyone else emerge from all of this? Kimi didn't know, and she knew that Kana didn't either - all they could do was bring about what they saw as justice, in the only manner that they saw fit to deliver it.

Before long, the border of what was still technically Kimi's original fiefdom in this other world, in the Primordial Elemental Elder Realm, gave way to what had been Kana's. The ground changed from crunching snow, frost, and red, rocky earth - to golden fields of grain and flatlands, with sunlight beaming down upon them and their formations, yet noticeably absent was the fortress that Kana had once commanded and resided in. Kimi and Kana then looked at each other sensing that it was time - the first battle of the end of this other world, was soon to begin.

"He's here. And so, it begins."

Kimi and Kana said essentially simultaneously without realizing it as they saw across from them and their formations, Haruto overing in his wingless dragon form behind his formations - which seemed to be human shaped figures made of white energy, like that of lightning and light mixed together, standing silently and imposingly before them. Neither Kimi nor Kana could tell how many their forces numbered, only that thy war so vastly numerous that it would surely be difficult for them to overcome such odds. 

"Hold the line and let them attack - we accent risk needlessly depleting our ranks!

Kimi said with more vigor and authority than she'd ever been able to muster prior to that, which greatly surprised her, as well as Kana who nodded and gave her a smile. Kimi instinctively blushed, before turning back to the Common Folk who had been enchanted, all off them stern faced and disciplined, standing with perfect poise as they waited any and all commands that would come from Kimi and Kana. Kimi then turned to Kana, knowing that she'd need her help with this. 

"I need you - to the best of tour abilities - to create a defensive barrier, or otherwise use your magic however you're able to. I love you, and I can't do this without you."

Kimi said, and this time - there were no tears in her eyes, no thoughts or feelings that would override her composure. She had made it through one incarnation of the War of the Realm - and she was determined to make it through this one as well! 

"I love you too - and don't worry, you can count on me just as much as you did last time, so fear not, I have your back, and we will succeed."

Kana said as she then pulled Kimi in and embraced her in a dedicated, passionate kiss, before pulling back and turning to one again face Haruto and his magical army alongside her love, Kimi, and the forces that they commanded - and intended to free from this other world of endless wars.