Shinano summoned up her rigging with a half dozen forms of the moon in various forms floating behind herself, on her right was her carrier runway that was seemingly riding on a wave of ocean water that was lit up by moonlight.
But most noticably was the fucking massive three katana's floating behind her back with her holding a hand up and taking one of them with a flourish as she faced Feixiao. There was a pause as the two faunus stared at one another.
Then, with a blur of speed, Feixiao slammed her massive great sword into Shinano's katana that she raised up to defend herself. But as Shinano blocked the blow, I saw Feixiao's grin pinch as she blinked as Shinano... Didn't move from the blow.
"What? Where is your momentum? Where is the strength of your blow?" Feixiao ground out as she pushed her sword into Shinano's katana, with sparks from the blades ringing out as Feixiao's blade ground at Shinano's.
"You see... I am a pretty simple, ship girl. I wake up, I feel for my commander, and when I sleep, I dream of my commander. Tell me, Sage Feixiao, what is a dream in relation to reality?" Shinano spoke quietly with her voice carrying over the scraping of enchanted blades.
There was a long pause before Feixiao blinked, and then a whirlwind of wind blades attacked Shinano from all directions.
But as those wind blades came in on Shinano, I saw how the wind blades slowed down and were consumed by silver moonlight until falling apart. "Awww! Shinano already found out her semblance! This is BS!" I heard New Jersey cry out in annoyance.
Which, to be fair, the teacher that helped me learn my semblance could only help one student at a time. So New Jersey and Prinz Eugen, not exactly being 'human' would have some issues getting said teacher to help them as well.
"So what is her semblance?" I asked the obvious question as Shinano blocked a dozen blows with her sword, and her other two swords floating out of her sheath, and then blocking more blows.
'Feixiao is showing off more than double Shinano's speed, but this... Dream domain that Shinano is conjuring up is messing with Feixiao's tempo. To say nothing of neither wanting to cause damage to the boat.' I thought with some interest.
Then Feixiao flared her aura, and then I saw Shinano frown as the moons flowing around her dimming as Feixiao laughed and said. "Haha! That domain you got is rather tricky! But even any Grandmaster, let alone a Sage, can overpower the domain with their own."
And then Feixiao snapped forward in a punch as her sword locked with Shinano's and I saw moonlight break about the fist, and then Shinano's head snapped back as the fist slammed into her cheek and pushed her back towards me.
Obviously, I stepped forward to catch Shinano, who was punched hard enough to throw her at me, and as Shinano hit my arms. I felt her go limp, allowing us both to skid back with the force of the blow.
"Ow." I heard Shinano mutter quietly before she sagged in my arms.
I gently shifted her, so I was holding the fox woman in my arms in a princess carry. And then my face twitched as Shinano shifted as well to rest her head on my chest, and then she closed her eyes... And literally fell asleep then and there.
With even Feixiao's expression twitching as she saw Shinano's breathing, even as she fell asleep comfortably in my arms. "Yeah... Her finding her semblance so soon makes sense."
So I looked down to Shinano, who was already comfortably napping my arms, and I just moved her back into the upper captain's quarters and came back outside.
"Well, well, so are you ready for your own training again, Jake?" Feixiao asked as she bounced on her feet.
My lips twitched before I shrugged and said. "Alright, just don't bully me. I don't learn that well from straight beatings."
Feixiao tilted her head to the side, and then she shrugged and said confidently. "Come on then! Show me your strength again, haha!"
I took a deep breath and then we fell into fighting again, with Feixiao's insane strength bullying me and kicking me around the ship for the next couple of hours as I practised my Myriad Water Sword Arts.
Finally after a through ass beating, I was relaxing on a chair as Feixiao happily drank from a large jug of what was from it's smell. A very strong spirit.
And she just took a long... Long several gulp long draft from her bottle before she put the jug away.
Then after she put away the damned jug, she asked bluntly. "Soooo! What the hell is that, Shinano? Did you actually make her on purpose?"
I exhaled before I admitted it honestly. "Not particularly. I wanted her style of ship, sure, but I didn't go out of my way to make a faunus ship."
Feixiao stared into my eye's seemingly searching for something, before she spoke slowly. "Hmm, maybe the God of Light is playing some game then... Either way, when other faunus's see her. They will be reacting rather strongly, seeing as she has so many faunus traits."
"Hell, if it wasn't for how she was clearly attached to you, and I myself am your teacher and guardian. I would have snatched her up for my Fox lineage of the Five Clans and sent her to be trained by the rest of the foxes in our ways."
I raised an eyebrow before I said rather bluntly. "You don't fight like a fox... You are a storm of violence and domination. Not a bequiling trickster."
To which Feixiao nodded, and she said rather calmly. "Yup, that is true. I didn't get much of a chance to learn how to be a trickster back during the Night of Knives, I was too busy trying to flee when the master of my family was slain for no reason, then he had faunus workers... Not slaves, but just workers."
I swallowed before I took a breath and asked quietly. "The night of knives... And the purges, can you tell me about it from your point of view?"
There was a heavy weight in the air as Feixiao looked at me, her pulling up a leg to rest her chin on her fist that was on her knee.
"You are asking a very delicate question there, Jake... I am sure you have heard plenty about it." She said rather coldly.
And I could feel Prinz and New Jersey shifting at the tone shift in Feixiao.
Still, I answered calmly. Knowing that Feixiao wasn't going to fly off the handle and attack me or something. "I heard a good bit, yes, I also read a good bit. But not from a faunus who was remotely involved in that situation."
"I have two rabbit faunus's here, as you well know, and they were unmolested from the event as their grandfather served well in the Valian military and had a good record. But I haven't heard of the events from a faunus like yourself."
Feixiao seemingly chewed on her thoughts before she sighed, with us pausing as a small crowd of Nevermore were pasted by the barrier around the flying Black Pearl.
Finally, she spoke. "Jake, before the Night of Knives. Although much of Vale, Atlas, and Mistral wasn't especially bad to faunus kind. Where there is power, there is abuse of said power, and then when the abused gain their own power... It's only natural for them to strike back at their abusers."
"What started out as a coordinated measure to slay the worst offenders who had some inborn hatred for Faunus kind... Like a small fire turning into a blaze, turned into something out of control. What started as slaying the worst of Mistral's slaver's turned into killing a baker who hired a faunus at a reduced pay rate as his human workers."
Feixiao was silent for a long moment before she spoke softer. "Then there was the nobility, which was the biggest issue. In slaying so many of them, the heads of the nations, the sages, and even the church itself came down on the faunus race. The... Horrifying Inquisitors began burning faunus's alive at the stake, calling us villains and traitors to all life on this planet."
I raised an eyebrow as Feixiao raised up a hand, and I saw around her neck was a scar of a brand that wrapped around her neck like someone wrapped a long, red-hot band around her neck.
Said scar was obviously hidden by an illusion.
But more clearly was how the branding scar must have been to act as a precursor for the collars that every Faunus was legally mandated to wear while in public. "And for any faunus that the Inquisitor's gathered, that were female... And didn't cause issues."
She ran a finger across the rough scar across her neck and said quietly. "We were branded. The priest who oversaw it, said this brand would be a lifelong sign of penance for our race's treachery."
I knew what she was meaning as both Lux and others had talked about how like seventy percent of all faunus men were culled, which has resulted in a large generational gap in how there was still like eighty percent female faunus now, as even more male faunus died after the official end of the culling.
Likewise, how during the Night of Knives, the faunus race managed to kill close to like thirty percent of all of humanity in the ensuing riots and brutal attacks.
I shook my head before I said quietly. "Yeah... Not something so easily mended or dealt with."
Feixiao snorted at my words and said rather flatly. "No shit. I was filled with hate for a good while, I still have some embers of anger to be honest... But beyond the blood spilled on both sides. The events were brought about at the actions of faunus Abominations that started the whole sequence of events."
I was silent for a moment, and then I said in confusion, "Wait, the abominations did that? How come I haven't heard about that?"
And Feixiao's face darkened before she said coldly. "Because, regardless, whether it's human or faunus. All parts of our leadership refuse to acknowledge that the slaughter was done due to the manipulations of the enemy of the world."
"As that would mean that both sides would need to lower their heads in apology... So neither side will reconcile, normally anyway. Hence, we are aiming to re-integrate with humanity through shared interests!: Feixiao spoke up in a bit more upbeat tone at the end.
The fox woman then took out her wine jug to wet her throat, and after all that. I slowly nodded as I had much to think about, to say the least.
The conversation was done as Feixiao shifted to look away and enjoy her drink, so I just stood up.
As I knew, there was still another good like three hours left of flying across the Grimm-infested forests beneath my ship before we hit the mega farming town, I was being assigned to protect.
-
Thank's to the barrier that my master Lux installed on the Black Pearl, we didn't need to stop or hide for me to refill my ships weapons as the speed and mass of the ship plus it's barrier was more then enough to deal with any small flocks of Nevermore and other plain flying Grimm that came after us.
And we soon reached the outer walls of Lungrave, and past the outer wall's there were endless fields of grain that were used to feed the great capital city of Vale. And after we flew past the miles-long fields, we reached the inner walls of the town of Lungrave itself.
"Damn that's a small town," Nora noted with some surprise and I nodded in agreement but then Velvet spoke out.
"It's small because it's mostly just commoners who guide the skeletons who work the fields. A large population working the fields makes no sense when the whole point of the farm is to feed Vale, not a population of people working the farm."
Then Alice, with her soft voice, added on. "Though, as you can see. The inner town portion is well defended due to how tight its placement is."
Her words proved correct as a magical barrier bloomed to life before fading away as my ship flew in, and I saw a large arrow made of water forming in the sky, pointing to a large flat area just outside the densely packed town that had a couple dozen residential buildings at most.
Then, as my ship came in for a relatively soft landing under my mental control, I saw what had to be a low-ranking nobleman followed by two younger boys who approached the side of my ship.
"Alright, let's go greet our guests then!" I said before I jumped off the edge of the ship, and I channeled my aura into my legs to break the fall of dropping a couple of dozen meters onto paved stone.
With some clattering noises, my retainers and Feixiao landed around me as they jumped down, and I saw the man raise an eyebrow at my mostly female team. Before he blinked at seeing me and then he bowed at the waist and said firmly.
"Ah! What wonderful news! To see a blessed man carrying the silver eye's your presence here is most definitely a blessing of the God of Light!"
Then, as he rose up, he did the hand sign of the god of light in holding a closed fist over his heart to symbolize the sun, which was obviously the 'Giver of Light' to this world.
'Oh joy... A deeply religious man.' I bemoaned that even what I realized was his son's obviously perked up at the sight of me.
But then the man coughed and said firmly. "Ahem, sorry for my lapse of decorum, blessed son. My name is Abraham Solsthem, and I am the head of my Baron household."
He then carefully patted his son's shoulders, who looked at me with some wonder as he continued happily. "These are my precious son's Adam and John, but now, ahem, I, Abraham Solsthem, cede the responsibility to man the outer walls of Lungrave to you, Jake Bariss, disciple of the Heiress of the Duke, ranked Crownsguard family!"
With his word's I felt magic slipping around me, and I held in a slight frown as my mental perception expanded to include the wards around walls that protected the farm.
'I need to get a treasure to protect me from curses, rituals, and people otherwise dumping magical effects on... Because Cinder's rune she burnt onto my flesh didn't work on this.' I mused to myself.
Though the ward inclusion didn't cost me any mana, and when I left the radius of the town itself, I would lose control of the wards as well. So I didn't cut the connection with my own mana.
I took a breath and then, scanning the area, I asked rather bluntly. "So I am missing some information that's rather crucial. The Mistralians in the area, do their ships have strong barriers? How many of them are there, and other such information?"
Abraham blinked at my question before he looked rather troubled and said in consternation. "I apologize sir, but the few survivors that they missed in the local raids could only list that they had four flying ships, somewhat similar to your own. If not smaller and three of the ships were seemingly only for carrying the mass of captured slaves."
Obviously, the ships would have their own barrier's and such to protect them. As, flying here to Vale from Mistral was dangerous to say the least. But I continued to ask some questions about the ship's weapons and such.
But it turned out that the ships, except for having some automatic close-range attacks in fire spells inlaid into the ship via runes, were defended by the aura users and a few mages.
"Hmm... And do you have any idea when they will be arriving here?" I asked curiously.
Abraham slowly nodded before shaking his head, and he said a bit sheepishly. "From my previous experience in dealing with the Mistral raids. They like to hit weak targets, hence why you, my lord, were sent here. As the people here are few and all just civilians besides myself and my sons."
"Hence, it's likely that they will attack us soon, but depending on the strength of their party. They may take their chances raiding the bigger town belonging to Earl Graymane, who has a larger population who does mining in the local hills, along with having a smaller farming operation." Abraham continued.
I exhaled before I shrugged and said, after a bit of thought. "Alright, I will be setting up some of my own systems to prepare for defense. You just have everyone ready in whatever bolt holes they have under their homes, should battle start."
My way of fighting, especially currently as I was still working on my water wall spell, was more reliant on my conjured-up weapons.
But after managing to extract myself from the hyper zealous dude, we returned to the ship. As it wasn't like I was going to be staying inside the town that literally didn't have any free houses or anything.
I then got to work conjuring up some radar stations on the edges of the walls that would ping off of the large Mistrali flying ships, as it wasn't like there was another shipment moving out of the town for another few weeks.
Along with adding a 'small' air raid siren that would tell all the citizens to hide their asses while we worked to fight off the slavers.
"So you plan to add a fuck ton of weapons to these walls. Like back during Beacon's initiation?" Nora asked curiously as she held her head with her hands, as she watched me work.
With a hum of thought, I nodded before I said calmly. "Yes, I do plan to. Though I am frankly a bit worried about the shields of the ships. Not to mention... The major fact that I most definitely don't want to shoot down the slavers' ships and kill everyone they capture."
"Yup, that's the reason mages aren't too good for dealing with Mistral's slaver bands. They can't exactly just blast the ships out of the air. And just kill all the occupants."
"Hence why Ozpin typically terrorizes Mistral by time-stopping and loading people up into a cargo container while time is stopped and bringing them back here to Vale," Feixiao said with some humor.
I exhaled before with a moment of thought, I just began making some anti-air guns along the walls. Not large cannons or missile systems or other higher-tech weapons. As the goal now was to just kill the slavers coming out of their ships or while they were flying around.
The goal was not to kill the civilians, to say the least.
"Alright, you ladies, scope out the rest of the walls. Look around to make sure there aren't secret tunnels or whatever." I spoke firmly as I wanted a bit somewhat to myself so I could finally digest my cultivation bullshit... And maybe even fuck about with my new peepers to figure them out if I could.
-
Back in Vale, inside of Lux's tower, and in one of the meeting rooms. The Grand Elementalist herself in Luxanna, was keeping a plain expression sitting beside Ozpin, and to the right was her friend, the princess Ravel, representing the royal family, and to the left was the source of her consternation.
The Pope of Vale's Church of the God of Light, Ariella Tempestus. Who was here representing the church alongside a high-ranking inquisitor who was had several pieces of Aurablight weapons on himself.
"Jake Bariss awoke his blessing within the church, by our lord and God's own hand. He belongs... Within god's hands. Being trained obviously to root out the evils of this world."
Ariella, who was just speaking, was, of course, being a Pope, a Sage of light magic most notably. But in order to walk the paths of aura and magic, she had blinded herself to enhance her talent in martial arts, so she wore a blind fold.
Her voluptuous form was covered in a tight-fitting but highly decorated white, blue, and gold dress that had dozens of enchanted gems enlaid upon it, with her blond hair trailing down to the floor even as she sat down on a throne she had taken out of her pocket dimension.
"Jake Bariss is, however, a student of Beacon, he has shown little interest in joining the struggles of church. Nor even the struggles of climbing the nobility beyond taking care of his people." Ozpin said calmly.
Ariella gave a wan smile before she answered somewhat blandly. "His status as student, and disciple of Luxanna here is why the church hasn't been more overt in our attentions... We believe that Jake being the first male Silver Eye's user in countless years means something."
"To say nothing of his conjuration ability, that is a match if not slightly better than the Vacouan royal family's own bloodline semblance. So, the question is. Why did you send him into the lines of the Mistralians, Ozpin, and you as well, Ravel?"
There was a pause before an extremely deep, yet almost hollow male voice spoke out from a skull that Ravel removed from below the table and put onto said table. "The boy is unchallenged, he may have been given the Silver Eye's but he will need to see bloodshed to truly expand their power."
The inquisitor's face twisted in disgust before he said coldly. "Litch, you speak of bloodshed being needed, when you yourself signed his destination orders... Along with allowing a spy of mistral to report Luxanna's disciples' movements."
The Litch Lord and the Royal Family's strongest support merely hummed before he said rather bluntly. "They do not know that he has awakened the Silver Eye's just yet... Letting Jake see war with his eyes will strengthen his soul, as we well know."
Then the Pope spoke calmly but coldly. "And when Yun Yun, a Grandmaster of Mistral clearly see's Jake's Silver Eyes? And then uses her contacts in Mistral's branch of the Church to kidnap Jake to Mistral for his various abilities?"
Ozpin spoke with finality before the Pope could continue. "Then I would retrieve him myself. This is to be a bloody trial for him... Not an ending where he is beaten down and broken to fit into Mistral's culture."
The sage of time's expression darkened as the Pope actually sniffed in derision before she said flatly. "You think the sages of Mistral are utterly inept as well? They will promise Jake the very world and throw a thousand simpering, broken toys into his lap to create a bloodline of Silver Eyed Warriors for Mistral."
The blind pope looked between the rest of the room, her hollow eyes landing on all... And lingering on the conduit for the Litch Lord before she said quietly. "Vale's church is disturbed by your games in playing with the newest bloodline of the Silver Eyes and... Even Atlas's branch has responded in solidarity."
"Your hypocritcal verbal condemations mean nothing to me, Ariella," Ozpin said blandly before he said more coldly. "What are you actually saying?"
The pope stared at Ozpin's form for a long moment before she said calmly. "The four branches of the Church have come to a consensus. Jake Bariss is to join the church in one form of another due to how the Rose Family and Atlas's own branch of the bloodline are tied to the royal family and military respectively."
"He is my disciple... You will not just take him to be what? Propaganda? To say nothing of myself, but I will rally all the power of my Duke family to make your life as difficult as possible!" Luxanna snapped coldly in a naked threat.
Ozpin sighed, and then he casually took off his glasses and began wiping them with his sleeves. But even as he did the casual move, the Pope stilled as a tension filled the room.
"No, she... The rest of the churchs want Jake to serve two purposes, to be a weapon against the abominations. And be very fruitful indeed and probably impregnant a large number of nun's, holy maidens, and even exorcists or inquisitors."
Luxanna's face twitched at the thought with Ravel sighing and the voice of the litch lord spoke with some amusement. "And here we hoped to at least be somewhat 'romantic' in having Jake betrothed to Ravel here. Augmenting the royal familie's bloodline with the silver eye's would secure it for millenia."
"A royal family that has lasted less than three centuries... Compared to a church that lasted for more than a millenia." Pope Ariella retorted sarcastically before she stood up, and with a clang of metal, she took her large golden staff that radiated the energy of the God of Light.
"I wish you all a pleasant day. And do remember your daily prayers... As our god does watch over us, as you all know well." The pope said with finally before she and the inquisitor left the room, with the inquisitor falling literally into the pope's shadow to disappear from sight.
-
A few days had passed. I was sitting in the depths of the Black Pearl in a private room, which was lined with mana stones I had brought me with from Vale from Luxanna's own collection. And the mana stones were in my own view.
Basically, high-end 'spirit stones' anyway. And even better, the magic stones were capable of refueling themselves over time rather quickly! Which was how my ship barrier's stayed strong during the longer trip from Vale to this town anyway.
"With the god of light opening up all my Acupoints, collecting the qi to reach the Revolving Core stage is going to be easy if but a matter of time. And the stronger my cultivation is... The stronger my mind and soul are." I muttered.
As with the advancement of my soul and mind, strength. I would be able to 'cultivate' this world's own power system of aura and magic as well... Hell, my aura was already its own soul-based cultivation system that passively increased the strength of my body as well.
So all things were well in hand, a feedback of growth that would be in the next year or two? Hoh boy, I would become much more powerful. As already, with just some calm meditation, in having upgraded my three cores of body, mind, and soul to the Xiantian realm.
The apprentice tier magical spell of Water Wall was easily done once I managed to lock and focus on it properly!
Which meant that I needed to gain a new spell, which, using my Grimoire, I did and got the freezing mist spell that conjured up a breath-stealing mist I could conjure up en masse to obscure an area and weaken a foe or foes over time.
And I finally got to feel what a 'genius' at magic felt like as I began filling out the magical glyph with so much more damned ease it was truly insane. Like I knew for a fact that it would only take me at most like two days to master the spell glyph and have it formed in my magical core.
"But there is something I am a bit worried about." I mused to myself as I realized that my magical core... Was, in fact, my dantian, so when I entered the Revolving Core stage, my magical core would become solid.
What did that mean for me, making more advanced spells inside of my magical core? I had zero fucking idea...
But I had a strong feeling that engraving random ass spells on my Golden Core/Revolving Core was a going to have a wonderful... Or fucking terrible reaction regardless of anything else.
A bleep rang out, and I looked at my scroll with a raised eyebrow at it's contents before frowning as the name rang a bell. But I couldn't recall it.
[Lux- Get ready Jake. Supposedl,y the Xiao clan's raiding party will be coming straight for you in the next couple of days according to the spies we have in Mistral's raiding parties.]
The message itself was a surprise, as I myself couldn't get a connection to send a message back to her in Vale from this remote location.
But then it hit me. "Wasn't Pyrrha like engaged to the heir of the Xiao clan?" I muttered as I looked back to that sleepover I shared with Pyrrha, and yeah, it did seem to be the case actually.
So that made me wonder... Were the Xiao clan raiders coming for me in particular? Or was there something else at work here?
'Hmm, in either case. I need to continue my more non-lethal methods. As having entirely too many weapons and methods was... Not a bad thing to have.' I thought that although I wasn't going to blast the ships out of the sky, which would lead to the deaths of the people inside.
I was going to need to bring down their flying ships somehow anyway. And to do so, I outfitted the Black Pearl with large metal hooks with chains so that the ghosts and spirits on the ships could attack the other ships, securing the chains and such before the Black Pearl would drag the other ships into the ground.
Along with the Black Pearl being augmented... I had also been working on Ren's new body as I had promised. And in the theme of too much being not nearly enough. I went ahead with him having a YoRHa body and over the last week.
Between cultivating, understanding my body, and its changes. Along with getting my ass kicked by Feixiao. And during that time, I made him a Nier Flight Suit which was basically a half mech/transformer that would take in Ren's body.
And then allow him to fly, obviously, but the flight suit had a humanoid form that had a giant two-sided sword that was also a railgun. Along with energy cannon's mounted on it's shoulders.
Then the Flight Suit could transform into more of a jet fighter form, allowing it to fly much faster, leave the planet's atmosphere, and its energy cannons were stronger as well in that form.
So Nora, Ren, and my bunny girl retainer's had likewise been busy helping him get used to using the Flight Suit so he could use it in the combat to come.
The thought of Ren and his flight suit did give me an idea, though. Seeing as my powers were based on the manifestation of Naval-themed object's space-themed stuff was very much on the table. Hence, how I was able to make that Dead Space 2 super drill back in initiation.
Either way... 'Maybe I should invest the time into snatching myself up an IS unit from Infinite Stratos? Having an energy shield alongside my aura would do wonders for my safety.' I mused as I still couldn't fly even as an Xiantian being until I mastered the spell.
And even though I was a half assed sword cultivator. I wasn't going to be an asshole who was going to be standing on a sword of all things to be able to fly...
My ruminations were silenced as I froze. Because a loud blaring noise rang out past the many walls of the Black Pearl.
'Fuck!' I thought as I shot up with my sword flying to my hand as I then sprinted out of the room and headed out towards the deck.
As Lux's message was wrong... So very wrong. By the time, I got to the top deck of my ship, with my connection to the radar systems was attached to the defense system I added to.
I could feel four ship's as in flying ships similar to my own, were flying in our direction and were just over the horizon of the elevated radio tower in being thirty miles away.
And for things that were flying at high speeds? Thirty miles was fucking nothing!
I came out of the ship at high speed's and I could see that the rest of my people were busy climbing up onto the ship or likewise coming out of my private quarters on the top of the ship.
And as I looked towards the sight of where the ships were going to be approaching. I heard Feixiao's voice carry in the wind's but clearly only for my own ears.
"I can't directly interfere unless the Grandmaster that's with them does the same. Otherwise, we would both just slaughter the weaker people involved, and it's an unspoken rule between the nations."
I nodded without a word, knowing all to well that it was true. "Jake you ready?" I heard New Jersey ask as she walked up beside me and hip bumped me.
I gave a wane smile before I took a breath and then I said with an exhale. "Yeah, it's go time. My first true battle against other people. And it's mass battle."
Four ships broke over the horizon, flying at high speeds towards the town, and my scroll bleeped out frantic messages from the Baron in charge of the town.
I quickly messaged him to hold his fire and the extra munitions I added to the defense network. Until we lost. Once we lost, I couldn't care for the slaves stuck on the ship, but until then. My goal was to deal with the mistral slavers and then save the slaves.
If I could save them...
The two out of the four ships were clearly meant to be carrying slaves, with the sheer size of the things, along with how they lacked major weapons systems and had several of what looked like elevator systems that had cages at the end that would drop to the bottom of the ship and below.
Seemingly so, the mistral people could easily load up people into the cages that would be lowered and hoisted up and into the ship when needed.
Another ship was clearly a 'warship' as it was bristling with weapons of mundane and what looked like magical weapons of some sort. But the last ship was the most interesting.
As it was very heavily decorated with what looked like the Xiao clan's logo or emblem, being on the ship in multiple places. Along with just being far more orante and probably magically protected than the other ships.
That last ship was also the one flying at the head. Clearly acting as the leader of the raiding group.
'I bet you anything. That there is not a single damned slave in that front ship.' I mused before I mentally said fuck it.
A scream rang out as I mentally controlled my own ship weapon's and a hypersonic missile was shot out and quickly left my view with only a streak of smoke being left behind.
The high yield thermobaric missiles reached the ship in but moments and then a massive boom rang out as a blinding fireball rang out as the missile collided with the ship's own barrier.
"Can I try shooting at it?" New Jersey asked with a bloodthirsty grin.
And I nodded but said firmly. "Only the front ship. Cutting off the head of the leadership would be perfect, but we want to save the slaves if we can."
New Jersey cackled, and she flew into the air, her rigging appearing on her with her speaking proudly. "Wings of azur light! Bellowing black cannons! I am the Indomitable Black Dragon, and behold my strength haha!"
Then from her two shoulder mounted giant gun's came her special abilities as a dark soul shaking light formed and I was forcibly reminded why the strongest Azur Lane characters were fucking bullshit.
Shinano could force her dream-like state upon reality, pulling people into her domain with her sword's being able to cut through ANYTHING due to her reality manipulation. Prinz's faction leader in Bismarck of the Iron Blood, could shoot missiles that created black holes.
And New Jersey? Her special bullshit was her 'Dragon's Breath' which was her cannon's having conceptual penetration and destruction of the targets she hit with said Dragon Breath.
The two large beams of black destruction shot through the air and as the smoke of the blocked thermobaric missile cleared... The barrier around the leading ship survived for a grand total of 'five seconds' as the barrier violently cracked in the first instant.
Then another barrier, much stronger and denser then the first formed beneath the first barrier, blocking the beam before the entire ship seemingly glitched in the air before teleporting upwards a dozen meters.
Allowing her twin beams of destruction to shoot under the ship and into the distance past the other flying ships.
"Ah, what the hell is that!?" New Jersey called out pissed at how her moment to shine was ruined as she couldn't shoot another 'Dragon's Breath. For another five minutes at most as her rigging needed to cool down.
I didn't have the Black Pearl shooting out more as I saw the four ships coming down lower near the town with people on the side of the ship riding down the slave catching cages down to the surface.
"Capture the slavers if you can, if you can't beat them easily... Then just kill them." I called out before looking at Velvet and Alice, and telling them to take care of the ships automatic defenses so that the ship couldn't be boarded.
I looked down at the ground that was approaching I leapt down from the Black Pearl's deck to the ground, as under my control the Black Pearl banked through the air as it took back up into the air.
Meanwhile, the leading ship of the raiders had actually landed fully, and I saw a dozen people in ornate wuxia and roman/greek fantasy clothes stride down from the ship and towards myself and my party.
"The leader's are going to keep us busy so that their peon's can do their abductions," Prinz noted calmly and I nodded before I ordered.
"Prinz, Ren, and Nora. You keep the slaver's busy. New Jersey, and you, Shinano you are with me." I spoke as my steps increased in speed as I began running towards the couple of dozen 'heirs' and future leaders of the Xiao clan, supposedly.
I drew my sword, the Fabulous Fioretto from its sheath, and as our parties approached. The 'leader' or maybe the young heir of the Xiao Clan called out.
"Jake Bariss! I have come to capture you for approaching my fiancée!" He roared as he drew his much larger sword from some form of spatial storage.
And I grinned as we came close to one another and I snapped back. "Yeah and I made out with and slept with your fiancée you little cuck!"
At the moment I called him a cuck, there was a moment of pause in the mostly female party of his own retinue, and then I saw the Xiao clan heir's eyes widen before tightening in fury as I heard Feixiao roar with laughter that carried in the winds.
"Hahaha! The Azure Flame Sage's grandson is a cuck haha!" I heard Feixiao howl with laughter.
But already his dragonslayer-sized Ultra-Greatsword met my own smaller and thinner sword's blade... But with a flex of my Xiantian strength, the... Probably Journeyman/Expert martial artist/aura user got blasted backwards.
His form literally skating across the ground as he lost control before he used his oversized sword to stop himself. "How are you so strong! You didn't even use aura or the ki of an Expert martial artist!" He yelled furiously.
Meanwhile, I was taking in his mostly female party as we were rather outnumbered as two of them. One a girl who looked a good bit like the heir but a year or two younger with blue eyes and black hair, along with a beautiful faunus woman with slitted eyes and gleaming crimson hair. Threw flame attacks at me, along with the faunus using tainted flame attacks to boot.
'No... She isn't using poisonous flames. Those are magical flames that came from using a fire-based magical treasure when she made her magical core. And with how strong her flames are. She is undoubtedly an alchemist or a blacksmith!' I thought as I drew on the memories.
Of Netherlimitless, who had grown up in a large Sect and had plenty of knowledge of this sort of thing. And even if the red-haired woman, wasn't an alchemist or blacksmith.
She would be able to become such a walker of a path.
But beyond the women themselves, I had to block the swift attack of someone who shot out of my shadow of all things. 'Heh, I have seen this damned trick too many times!' I thought with a snarl as Ren had long trained me against such ambushes.
My hand grabbed the man's hand that was trying to shove a dripping with poison knife into my side. I first crushed his wrist with a grip of my hand then I ripped up from the pool of my darkened shadows and slammed him into a man who was charging at me with a roar.
That other man was armed with armored and spiked gloves with runes. Showing how he was clearly a boxer like Yang was, so in smashing him with a 'friend'. I kept him back for but a moment.
Allowing me to get myself into position... And using the Myriad Water Sword Arts. I stabbed forward in the same motion in slamming the first man into the other.
And my sword, surrounded in a swirling drill of compressed water energy, drilled through the two men, creating a soccer ball-sized hole through the chests of both men who fell to the ground.
I turned to the side, and my eyes widened as the girl who was seemingly the younger sister of the heir had flames explode from her feet, and then her sword slammed into mine as she shot herself at me!
With her shooting a blast of flames behind her body, and which then slammed me into the ground, with her hovering above me with her flames baking me as she tried to push my sword into my own chest.
But then Prinz Eugen with her form surrounded in swirling barrier's shot through the flames and then the girl was punted like a fucking football as Prinz kicked the her upside the head sending her out of the swirling flames surrounding me.
I quickly got back up, and as the flames faded as the girl was fighting Prinz a way's away. I heard a scream turn into a death gurgle as New Jersey slammed someone into the ground and then used her flight.
Dragged their face at high speeds through the ground until their aura broke, and then their flesh was mangled and torn off, with her flying into the air with the person's head... Literally missing with her tossing the headless female corpse aside and then blasting down for another target.
My sword came up as I stepped into the blow with the Xiao clan's heir whom I didn't even know the name of. And as our forms came close and he wasn't holding back at all, and barely managing to keep up with our blows.
He frowned as he met my gaze, and his rage was put in the backseat as he said in confusion. "Wait... Your hair is different, and you have different eye's from the pictures I was sent. You have Silver Eyes!" He exclaimed in realization as he saw the truth.
Our swords met again and in his surprise, he couldn't properly block my stronger blow properly allowing my free hand to score a water arrow to hit him in the side. But his aura tanked the blow, only sending him backwards.
And I was about to charge in when he took a deep breath and howled out.
"Master Yunyun! He has the Silver Eyes! What do I do?"
The entire fucking battle literally paused as from out of what seemed like the void. The air seemingly folded aside as a woman who was flying in the air came out of the void, and I looked upon this 'master Yunyun' with some trepidation, knowing she was at least a Grandmaster.
Not only did the battle pause at the heir's words but also that Yunyun's aura and magical energy slammed down on us with a dominating edge that made it difficult to even fucking stand properly.
'She is definitely a Grandmaster... But she can't be far from a Sage either, as her dominance is so much greater than Lux's, or Ravel's.' I thought before it hit.
Fiora Laurent, the Sage of blades, was a very new Sage, and her aura was rather similar to this woman's aura of dominance. So this woman was likely very close to actually becoming a Sage!
But then a chuckle rang out, and the dominating air was wiped away as a howling wind ripped through the battle-torn area. "Wow, bullying some juniors is rather sad, don't you think?" Feixiao's amused voice rang out as she also stepped out of the void.
Naught but a dozen meters away from Yunyun, whose face tightened as her aura was strangled by Feixiao's true Sage aura.
"A faunus sage... Your kind shouldn't exist for at least another few decades at least. Who are you, and why are you protecting that human!?" Yunyun demanded coldly, and I saw even in the distance.
The slaver who were fighting with Nora, and now Shinano, with how Prinz jumped in to fight the sister of the heir. Had stopped fighting. As they had realized with the Grandmaster coming out, along with a sage.
It was no longer their turn to have fun on the stage. It was entirely Feixiao's and Yunyun's stage, as both could kill the other side's weaker members with but a flick of their wrists.
I coughed as that faunus girl's toxic flames did get a bit into my lungs. But revolving my qi around, my Xiantian body was able to deal with the toxic flames without too many issues, with how the girl was unable to keep herself focused on me as New Jersey was fighting her.
"My name is Feixiao, head of the kitsune bloodline. Are you going to go back into the void so the kiddies can go back to killing one another... Or are we going to have a problem, little girl?" Feixiao asked smugly as she summoned her halberd into her arms, and the screaming winds grew in strength.
But Yunyun stood her ground; she snorted and said with calm determination. "I do not fear you, Feixiao of the winds. I can fight you for a long while, while other Grandmasters and even Sages steal Jake Bariss away while we fight for the next few minutes, while I use Sage tier treasures given by Xiao Yan's grandfather to keep you busy."
There was a pause before Feixiao's face twitched, and she said sarcastically. "Yo? That's pretty shameless there. Are you sure you wanna get more sages and Grandmasters involved? I am willing to go for sure, but what if Ozpin decides to leave his tower, hearing that a farming facility was actually destroyed?"
Yunyun's face darkened as she didn't seem to account for that. As though yes, stealing the people from the farm would cause Vale some harm, but the people could be replaced... But destroying this entire holding area, which was heavily fortified, and the Grimm in the local area were destroyed.
It would do damage to Vale's foundation itself if Vale's food supply were hurt to a noticeable level... That would make the scary as fuck Time Lord Sage come out of his clock tower and do damage in turn to Mistral's foundation in wiping out a couple clan's and killing several grandmaster's and even a Sage or two.
A heavy silence hung in the air... Before the young heir spoke out coldly. "Master Yunyun, please don't fight the Lady Feixiao, Jake Bariss! I challenge you to single combat then!"
I raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what he was getting at. And he stiffened his back before he said plainly. "If I defeat you, Jake Bariss, with my own skill and strength, you are to join me, to be taken back to Mistral to become one of my people. Taking the Xiao clan's name and supporting me within the clan and against my clan's rivals!"
I just blinked before my face twitched as Prinz Eugen's teasing voice rang out. "Oh? And what about your honor? What of his laying with your fiancée?"
I saw several people's expressions twitch before the man rolled his eye's and he said loudly but flatly. "I am my own man. And I do not need my clan to give me a wife! Besides, if he joins my clan in name, and Pyrhrra as well as joins in marriage... Then there is no cucking being done as the betrothal was merely shifted to another man."
'That is the wildest mental gymnastics I have ever heard leave someone's mouth.' I thought before I thought that maybe any damned reason to get away from the cuck label would be worth it.
I looked up to Feixiao and Yunyun as regardless of whatever, I or Xiao Yan said... It was their decision, as they could both kill us all in a couple of hand motions.
I wasn't disappointed as the shit stirring Feixiao gave a hum and then looking down at the junior. She asked with cruel amusement. "And what will you sacrifice should you lose? What does my disciple gain?"
Then Feixiao looked back up at Yunyun and rolled her eyes as she called out. "Oh don't bother with those damned void transmission seals. You know I have already locked down the void and space of this area with my Sage Domain."
Xiao Yan grimaced at Feixiao demands, and then he looked up at the sage proudly and called out. "He can have my life then! I understand he has his pride and won't want to join my clan and retinue, so I can only offer up my-"
And Feixiao with zero fucking mercy cut him off and said with amusement. "Boy, are you stupid? Your life isn't equal to his? You are one, albeit highly talented, grandson out of fifty of your Sage grandfather. Jake has the Silver Eyes, the manifestation Semblance of the Abizars, and has both myself, as his master. Along with his connections to Ozpin and the Goodwitch."
Then Yunyun spoke out coldly. "My disciple does have the talent to become a sage as well. Do not think so lightly of him."
"Says who? His grandfather? Bah, I bet he tells all his spawn that's the case. You? You aren't even a sage, so what does your opinion matter haha!" Feixiao cackled before she took a deep chug from her wine jug.
And now... The Mistral slavers just looked awkward if anything.
I took a breath and then I spoke out as Yunyun looked ready to throw hands with Feixiao regardless of anything now, as her pride and face had been torn aside too many times in short order.
"I will fight Xiao Yan! But, if I beat him... On your word as a future Sage, Grandmaster Yunyun, you will set free all the slaves you have captured and then return to Mistral."
Yunyun's powerful purple eyes hurt to meet with my own, but she slowly nodded, and then she said solemnly. "Very well then. I agree to these terms."
I turned to Xiao Yan, who popped his neck to the side, and then with his ultra greatsword hanging on his shoulder, I saw him conjure up blinding azure flames in his off-hand.
"Tsk, so he has inherited the Azure Flames of his grandfather." I heard Feixiao mutter in some discontent. Which was a rather blunt warning to me, with even Yunyun giving the faunus a look of reproach.
But I inherited a fucking martial art's legacy from a cultivation sect that had lasted hundred of millennia if not more then a million years. With thousands of immortals ascending within its ranks.
I did not fear the flames of the 'immortals' of this world in comparison to the water arts of the Skydark Holy Lands.
So I just chuckled and said with some amusement. "Oh? We are showing off our trump cards then?" I didn't mind showing off 'one' such trump card I had.
I held my curved saber outwards, and then I took a deep breath before I took a step forward alongside Xiao Yan, doing the same.
He punched forward with the powerful blue azure flames filling my vision. But with both hands, I brought down my sword in a powerful slash with my physical strength draining as I used a true technique in the Sea Splitting Sword.
It was only the fact that I was actually in the Xiantian realm that I could even perform the technique, as I even as my sword fell down, I could feel my opened acupoints screaming at me in warning as I was using too much Qi at once.
The core of the technique was a wedge-shaped double blade of qi that was made to push through obstacles and would dice anything it came in contact into tiny pieces. And Xiao Yan's azure flames was no different.
The sea-splitting ray of sword light carved through the pillar of flames he conjured up, and then my lips twitched as I saw the shameless man had jumped towards me as I was blinded by the wave of flames.
So my attack just sailed underneath him, and he fell on me with his greatsword, smashing into my own sword... But with a mental flex, I, who was still stronger with a single hand, kept my sword back while I summoned a Water Wall.
With that water wall being used to slam into Xiao Yan who flared with those azure flames and push him back. And even as he was pushed back, I raised an eyebrow as those azure flames flash boiled the water wall away from him and dry his form.
'Yup those flames are special indeed.' I mused before I held out a hand at him and shot a dozen water arrows at him who just slammed his massive sword in front of himself to block the water arrows.
With him being blinded now, I shot forward with all my speed as I thought that I also needed some kind of movement technique that make myself faster. And as he braced his shoulder against his sword to block my sword that slammed into the flat of his large blade.
I was just as shameless as I just reached past his sword with my free hand, and I heard New Jersey cackle as I just grabbed Xiao Yan by his hair... And then slammed his face into his own oversized fucking sword.
"Get off!" Xiao Yan roared and I hissed as his body flared with those azure flames and I could feel a burning pain in my hand that was holding his hair.
I retreated but a step before flames exploded under his feet to launch himself at me with his sword coming down at his full strength and augmented by the flames pushing him at me.
For a moment I considered summoning an anti air gun a good ways away to shoot the shit out of him from a distance. But that would ruin this fight, as it wasn't 'exactly' my own skills to say the least.
But as I went to meet his blow with all my strength... I sagged in place as I gagged at feeling a weakness filling my body. And even Xiao Yan lost his strength with those azure flames dying instantly with him rolling across the ground at losing all control of his body.
Then a soft velvet voice tickled my ear and I felt a clawed hand stroke under my clothes up my back.
"Ufufu, what a wonderful sight this is. A baby new sage, a baby new sage to be... And these two absolutely scrumptious little treats."
I, was lifted up almost sensually by a soft yet unforgivingly strong reptilian tail that surrounded me and from under some form of illusion I laid my eye's upon what could only be Lahmasu... The Apocalypse tier Grimm that was Summer Rose's arch enemy.
'Whelp... I am fucked.' I thought in horror at how I remembered Ruby talking about this Grimm hounding and ruining Summer's life, even though she didn't go into details.
"My oh my... What beautiful eyes you have, Jake Bariss. I came here to torment that little Rose. But now... I think I have a different idea in mind." Lahmasu spoke sensually as she turned me towards her.
And as my eyes were filled with the sight of the humanoid half of the Grimm that was equal to a sage. I was about to wisecrack... But then my eye's were drawn to the giant tit's on the giant Grimm whose human half like six meters tall alone.
So without any shame... I called out. "Feixiao! I don't be molested by a giant Grimm mommy!"
I heard Feixiao who was clearly frantically sending messages outwards with her scroll choke on her breath. But then Lahmasu giggled and I felt like... Solid illusions of soft hands carressing my form as she whispered softly.
"Oh? That's a new one. Yes, instead of having you call me mistress, and I break you into one of my apostles... Maybe a new change of pace can be fun ufufu!"
And at that moment... I wanted to cry for an adult. I wanted Goodwitch and Ozpin, who were so much more reliable then this drunkard of a faunus!
Hell! I would happily take Calia and help her do some skeevy necromancy if she saved me from being molested by a giant lamia Grimm!