“An executioner who can use such an advanced technique?!” Raza’s voice sounded scared, but she refused to back down. Her pride as a Daeva, perhaps? 

Raza leapt in, her spear arcing down in an angled slash. But the angel, her body vanished. With a single step, the white haired woman appeared behind Raza. not looking as if she had swung her sword, a line of blood dripped from the tip of the golden blade. 

“W-Wha?” Raza looked over behind her at the repositioned angel, and at that moment a burst of blood squirted from her left shoulder. She winced in pain, but didn’t stop her attack, quickly rushing back in.  

Raza knocked her blade away, slashing at the angel. The swift angel backflipped over the attack, the blade harmlessly cutting only the angel’s robe and a few bandages. As the two fought, I caught a glimpse of the angel’s back, the bandages around her back bleeding through as her wounds reopened from her fighting.

Raza kicked Saraviael, a desperate move that had a low chance of success. But perhaps because it was so crude, her shoe struck the angel’s side, knocking her off balance.

“You barbarian, do you fight with no pride or honor?!” she roared in response, rushing forward and slamming the Daeva in the face with the hilt of her sword, before slashing down and cutting shallowly into her chest. 

Raza staggered backwards, blood gushing from her nose. She rubbed it off with the back of her arm and spat out some of the blood that had gone into her throat. It was obvious that she was outmatched, but she refused to back down or flee, she was determined to hold the angel there for as long as possible.

Raza’s twisted, rusted spear shot forward once again, a mighty thrust able to pierce even armored opponents. But the angel deflected it with an impossible to follow motion. Her sword sliced into Raza again, staining the right side of her school uniform red. The angel drew back her blade, thrusting it out rapidly, a multi hit flurry of stabs. 

Raza tried to block them, but each attack seemed to move even faster, and they penetrated her defence. Raza was struck more than thirty times and tumbled to the floor amongst the broken glass.

“I won’t hold back this time, disappear from this world!” Saraviael walked forward, flicking the blood from her sword. Raza slowly rose on shaking legs, trying desperately to strike the angel with her spear.

Saraviael’s sword collided with the spear, knocking the weapon from Raza’s grasp. 

“A Daeva without a Saocant Urvan, and a newborn Shard... How was I defeated by such lowly foes?!” She cried out, her sword thrusting into Raza’s stomach. The Daeva struggled against the impalement, her hand grasping the blade in her belly. 

Unlike the scenes in Hollywood movies, Raza's fingers and palms were not cut by the sword as she slowly pushed it out from within her body. With a firm grasp on a blade, it can’t exert any cutting force, as there is no friction to do so.

“My liege, I’m sorry… please run! You can’t fight her, not if she unleashes her Saocant Urvan!” Raza gasped, blood dripping from her mouth. She wiped the trickle of red off her chin, her left hand clutching her wounded belly. 

“I ain't running from a fight. Not now, not ever!” I replied, cracking my knuckles and taking a step forward past Raza. “I’m not living my entire life in fear, and besides… How could I abandon this girl, when she so desperately needs my help?”

“Huh? What... the hell are you talking about?” Raza looked like she was about to pass out at any moment, so things were up to me. Even if I ran, the speed of this angel was beyond belief, she would catch me in no time. 

“E-Eh? What are you talking about, you scum!” Saraviel raised her sword, her hand shaking ever so slightly at my words. “Who needs help from a Shard of Ahriman? You can do nothing but destroy with those hands!”

“Yeah yeah, talkin’ tough as always, I can’t stop ya’ from doing that. But those slashes on your back aren’t from either Raza or my fight with you!” I responded to her, raising my fists into a fighting stance, she stood there motionless at my words, unable to respond. “Looks like some kind of belt or whip marks, like some of the sick shit you see on obscure porn sites, did He give those to you?”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” she screamed, raising her sword to prepare to attack. “What do you know of Father’s love! You rejected him, spat in our faces! This punishment is deserved, I failed, don’t you dare besmirch his name!”

“Sure, what a loving father to flog his own children for a single fuck up!” I responded, my anger towards Him resurging, Ahriman’s hatred. “If you can’t see why that’s messed up, then I guess he was right to discipline you that way… I’ll do it too, come on… let me beat some sense into that dumb skull of yours!” 

“You’ll pay… you’ll pay for insulting Father like that, you cur!” she lunged forward, her movement so fast I could barely follow it. 

It might be a contradiction to say I would rescue her from Him by fighting her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. If I have to beat down an abuse victim to make her see reason, then so be it! I'll save her... by force! 

Her sword sliced through the air like a golden lance, perfectly aimed at me. I had no time to dodge it, so there was only one choice! I see it done in action anime all the time, I just need to stop the blade myself! The armor I formed accidentally the other day formed around me in an instant, but this time it covered more of my body than my arm. My entire left arm, along with my right shoulder and my chest now clad themselves in silver plate mail.

Her sword moved like lightning, but her attack was predictable after watching her battle with Raza. my armored left hand shot out, my fingers closing around the blade before it could reach my neck. 

“I-Impossible!” she reacted with shock when she saw me effortlessly catch her blade. She began to tug at it, and in fear of injuring myself I let go. She stepped back two paces, and I held out my left hand towards her with a smirk.

“I can feel a power coursing through my body, I can hear the voice of my past lives telling me to kill you, to rip you apart with these bare hands of mine...” I closed my fist, a burst of energy surrounding my hand. “But I reject those desires! I won’t kill an innocent young girl who is only being used by a horrible villain!” 

“Be… QUIET!!!” The Valkyrie Saraviael cried out, a voice twisted with confusion and anguish. She dashed in, her sword cutting a wide arc. I couldn't catch that, and I doubt I could dodge either. 

My armored hand clashed with the sword, the silver metal plates deflecting the golden sword. With some effort I was able to push the sword away from me, my unarmored right hand connecting with the angel’s stomach. 

At least, it should have connected.

“What the f-?” My punch passed through an empty corridor, the angel no longer anywhere to be seen in front of me.

Blood sprayed from my right side as an unseen blade slashed clean through me. It was too sudden for me to even cry out in surprise. Saraviel reappeared behind me, her sword leaving a crimson trail behind it. Just like her first strike against Raza, it was instant. 

“If you apologize to Father, I’ll kill you quickly.” she said to me, turning around.. “I don’t know what delusion you’re living in, but I won’t ever give in to your madness!”

I ignored my injury, as long as I didn’t die it would heal from my powers of Ahriman, and ran back towards her. With a burst of energy behind me, my armored fist rocketed towards her faster than my normal punch. But it was like chasing an afterimage as she vanished as soon as I reached her, my fist missing again.

Her blade cut at my shoulder, but the armor deflected it so I only felt the force behind the blow. My feet slid back and my back slammed against the hallway wall, but not hard enough to injure me. Being backed into a corner, my options of retreat were limited, but that also meant I knew her own avenue of approach! 

Her blade flashed toward me, but I could see it coming. My vision finally adjusted to her speed, I can keep up with her now! I dodged her sword, my fist slamming into her face. And then, blood spurted out of my right thigh as I stumbled forward, punching thin air. 

How? How was she so fast? I could see her movements, but when I went to hit her, it was like she wasn’t even there. I forced myself to stop moving forward, the rubber of my shoes skidding on the hallway floor as I quickly spun around into a roundhouse kick. I don’t care about any Saocant Urvan or whatever, I just need to hit her!

But my kick passed through her again, and she rammed her knee against my stomach before stabbing her blade through my right forearm. I fell to one knee, having trouble regaining my breath.

“D-Dammit…” I gasped for air, then quickly jumped back. Her sword slid painfully through my arm, but I managed to get free. 

“My Leige, I told… you… run!” Raza panted, forcing her badly wounded body to stand. She ran forward, weakly trying to strike the angel with the shaft of her spear. The valkyrie avoided the attack, knocking her back to the ground with the flat of her blade. 

“Give in already, scum.” Saraviael approached, each step filled with murderous intent. “Surely you realize how helpless you are? You can’t hope to keep up with my movements.”

It felt like I was fighting someone who moved at the speed of light… to someone going up against that sort of power, the obvious choice is to surrender, it’s an impossible fight to begin with… however!

“So you’re kind of fast, so what?!” I charged her, the purple aura that emanated from my left hand flaring up stronger. “I just have to go faster than you then!” 

The aura within me increased in intensity, like a rocket on a spaceship firing their afterburners. As I ran forward, the speed of my movement increased, and the force of the rocket-like aura began to lift my feet off the ground. Pulling back my left hand to strike, I flew down the hall at the angel. 

My vision was a blur from how quickly I had accelerated, my body unable to adjust to the intense g forces I just achieved. Like a rogue missile I crashed into the wall behind her, the drywall shattering into an explosion of grey dust. She had jumped out of the way despite my speed… It wasn't enough yet. 

As I was recovering from hitting the wall, her armored fist struck my face, and I felt myself sail through the air. I hit the ground and rolled to a stop. My sense of direction was scrambled, but the breeze I could feel meant I was near the broken windows.

Her golden sword dug into the floor as I rolled out of the way, my fighting instincts the only thing keeping me from being defeated by her speed. I got back to my feet, throwing a fast jab towards her. She slipped past me, slashing me in the back. I gritted my teeth and ignored the pain, spinning in place to attack her from behind!

Her sword ran along my armored left arm, the blade slacking through the metal with a horrific scraping sound. Her lighting quick movements were slowing down, I could see her now. The more I fought, the more Ahriman’s blood pumped through my body, strengthening me beyond human limits.

“This Saocant Urvan thing of yours is just empty hype!” I panted out a cocky response despite my condition. My left arm hung limp at my side, blood pooling at my feet. “I can keep up with you, soon enough I’ll land a hit… and I just need one punch!”

“Ta-keru… get away!” Raza cried again, but once more I ignored her. She tried to stand up, but she was unable to fight against her wounds. Man, she really needs to stay there and rest before she dies of blood loss or something. 

“I think you’ve misunderstood something, you scum!” the angel turned to face me, raising her sword up, the flat of the blade facing me and reflecting my beat up image back at me. “Thus Far, you have been brought to this state by not but a highly trained skill with a sword, I have yet to burn my soul for even a single second.”

“H-Huh?” I looked at her, flabbergasted. What was she saying, that this speed was just… something she possessed normally?

“But very well, I’ll show you the extent of my power, fool!” she cried, a burst of energy swirling around her. Her silver eyes began to glow with an unnatural light. “Be honored, to be the first Shard to die by my true strength!”

Her armor extended, two mechanical wings unfolding behind her body. They unfurled, revealing a blue crystalline interior. The crystal began to glow brighter and brighter, the area around us shaking with the amount of power being emitted from the young woman. The floor below her feet began to crack and fall apart, and she started to float in the middle of the hall. 

“Saocant Urvan… Godspeed!”

In a flash, she crashed into me. I barely had time to cover my face as the angel rocketed into me. With immense force she smashed me through a wall, and my vision blacked out for a brief moment. When I recovered, I was falling through the air, rapidly approaching the ground. 

But before I landed, she flew back into me from another angle. From above, below, the front and behind me…  Again and again, her blade carved into my flesh. Like a flash of light before my eyes, she assaulted me from all sides, not allowing me to fall to the ground and regain my footing.  

My body was torn to shreds, every unarmored part of me suffering numerous slashes. Thanks to my superhuman body, the cuts didn’t sever anything, but I’d die by a thousand cuts at this rate. 

“Oi Oi, the fuck is this… are you a gund*m or something?!” I shouted, throwing a punch towards her, but it was just an afterimage. Her speed was so fast it was like she was in six places at once, and my attacks never hit her. Even when I thought I had struck her, her blade reached me first.

The armor on my left arm opened up like a machine venting excess heat, the expelled energy bursting out, and she retreated for a single second. It was fleeting, but it was enough time to turn things around. My dizzy mind quickly reoriented itself, and I saw her as she swooped in towards me. 

I threw a punch, rocketing forward with the force of the aura flowing out behind me. We were headed in a straight line towards each other, in the next few seconds we would clash in mid air. One second, two, three! 

Her sword bit into my shoulder, knocking me off course before I could reach her. Wait, but her range wasn’t that great? Had she sped up? I was sure there was one more second before her sword would be able to reach me!

I wasn’t really able to fly like she could, but the force of my aura allowed me to chase her through the sky. Like a twisted version of a dogfight, we battled in the air. I couldn’t hit her, couldn’t hit her, couldn't hit her!

“Why can’t I reach you?!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, slamming my fist into the afterimage of her face. Her sword cut into my leg, despite her appearing to be out of range. The second after the attack, she disappeared and was behind me.

This impossible speed, was this her power? Her real power? It was terrifying, impossible to deal with. No matter how fast I pushed my body, she was one step faster, one second faster than me. 

Her sword sank into my stomach, impaling me through the back and slamming me into the ground hard enough to form a crater. My hand curled around the sword, pushing it out from inside of me. I coughed, blood coming out from my mouth.

“It’s over, do you see how foolish this rebellion was now, scum?” she said, stepping on my chest to prevent me from escaping. 

“Takeru!” Raza, having somehow recovered enough to move, flew through the sky, she threw her spear down towards the angel, but it passed harmlessly through her into the ground. 

Saraviael slammed the back of her hand into Raza, knocking the Daeva against a tree, and the redheaded girl stopped moving, having been knocked unconscious. Thankfully, Raza’s attack was enough to free me from the angel’s pin.   

I staggered to my feet, my body covered in wounds, my head dizzy from blood loss. I weakly lifted my left fist up, facing the angel before me.  

“I don’t care if it’s foolish, or I die… you’d have to kill me a thousand times to make me give up on a girl crying in front of me!” 

“Nobody is crying, you trash!” she shouted, leaping into the air, her sword shined brightly in her hands. “It would take a miracle for you to survive this next blow, so give in now!”

She dive bombed towards me, her sword outstretched to pierce through me. Her speed was impossible, and even if I could see her, the power of her soul prevented me from properly connecting my blows.

But instead of attacking her, instead of running away... I spun on my heel, throwing my armored elbow up to deflect a blow I couldn’t have possibly seen coming. Her sword clattered harmlessly off my armor, leaving the angel in shock. 

“W-Wha… that’s... impossible!” she stuttered, looking at the scene before her. Her ultimate power, stopped by a mere amateur, of course she was shocked. She looked terrified, but I don’t think it was because of my skill. It was a far greater and deeper anxiety. This fear is why I decided to fight her, this is the enemy I have to defeat, not her.

I smirked, knocking her sword away from me with the back of my hand. Raising my hand, I motioned for her to come at me. 

“Alright, come at me then... I’ll show you a punch that can create miracles.”