"Hiiiiiyah! Yah! Eh!" Kana swung her blade, slicing a group of metal dummies to shreds and sending their pieces scattering across the arena floor. She'd been using the closed-up tournament arena as a training ground and was currently working on a variety of combat techniques and polishing her magical skills. With Akagi off invading Enoris she'd doubled down on her training, worried that with her sister away that left her and the others vulnerable to attack, a fear Kana was not one to sit idle and ignore. "Fire Bolt!" She yelled out an attack, a magic formation appearing in front of her hand that shot several blasts of magical fire toward distant targets, shattering each perfectly.

"Nice!" Himari cheered as the pieces burned away. "Though calling out the name like that..."

"S-Shut up." Kana said, stumbling with embarrassment as Himari harassed her. "I just wanted to do it, okay..." Chanting was entirely unneeded for most spells and provided little to no benefit. Though as Akagi would say the rule of cool is the only one that matters, something that Zephiria agreed whole heartedly with when it came to magic.

"I guess your sister would probably find your chanting adorable." Himari snickered as she continued to poke fun at Kana. "It's okay though, I find it cool too! Magma Bomb! Inferno! Spirit Blade!"

{Devil Drill Beam! Spiral Death Beam! Doomsday Crush! Anarchy Barrage! Nailgun!} (Himari

"Please stop..." Kana said, her face getting redder by the second as Himari kept listing off a variety of different attack names. “Some of those are just...”

"Oh, so it's okay to pick on me but when I return the favor then it's not cool? I see how it is!" Himari said while continuing to laugh. “Hypocrite.”

"Maybe Onee-chan was right, perhaps turning you over to Imp for experimentation is for the best." Kana smirked, letting out Scary Kana for a moment, which caused Himari to shudder in fear. "I'm sure she'd have a wonderful time playing with you, Himari."

"NO! Forgive me Shadow Mistress! I have spoken out of turn! Forgive me!" Himari pleaded for mercy from the benevolent Demon Princess. "Don't give me over to that monster!"

{She'll melt me down and turn me into a doorstop! I don't wanna be reduced to hardware!} (Himari)

"Pfff." Kana started to laugh, followed closely by Himari. "Shadow Mistress, what the heck is that?"

{And its sounds kinda cool.} (Kana)

"Would you prefer Demon Princess?" Himari asked with an audible grin. "Shall I pledge my undying loyalty to the Heir of Dumetor?"

"Please don't..." Kana sighed, bapping her blade in an attempt to get her to stop. "And wouldn't the Heir be Alice, not me?" She asked as she flicked Himari's blade, channeling a dark flame that flowed around her and zipped forward before slicing another group of targets to pieces and burning them to ash. "I suppose I'd technically be in the running as second in line to the throne since I'm her sister, but the first child of the monarch tends to get the Crown Prince/Princess treatment."

"You'd normally be correct." Shinlua's voice came from behind as the Elf walked up the small staircase onto the arena floor. "The firstborn tends to become the Heir as so long as there's not serious deficiency with them. In the Elven Kingdom, the Primarch tends to disinherit children ruthlessly and only those with the most magical ability are considered for the position." She said with a smile that indicated the topic was slightly personal to her.

"Oh, hey Shinlua." Kana said as she turned around, wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel that she'd tucked into her shorts. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be cleaning up Mizumi's messes?" She chuckled.

"Lady Mizumi is currently working with some of the liberated Spirits to heal their wounds. Though I must say while she can easily handle the physical

damage the mental scars..." Shinlua shook her head as she walked up her. "It will take time, and I fear that many will never truly recover after what they've been through."

{I knew our people suffered in the hands of the enemy, but the stories I heard... I cannot believe my people let this happen a second time.} (Shinlua)

"I... I'm at least glad Onee-chan was able to find so many." Kana said as Himari hopped out of her hand and formed next to her. "I was worried that the only thing she'd do in that world was kill."

{Onee-chan is kind of the good guy in this whole thing, right... right?} (Kana)

"Your sister is... She's doing a great service to the Spirits." Shinlua said as she noted that thousands of slaves had been liberated since her counter invasion began. "Though I will not deny that I have mixed feelings about her actions. Taking the war to the Gods isn't inherently a bad thing after what they've done, but knowing that innocent people will be caught in this..." She balled her fist tightly in frustration which was mostly aimed at herself. "I was a member of the Dawn Order for over a century... In any other situation, I'd be fighting against her..."

{But now... If the Order even exists at this point... I have no idea whose side they'd even be on... Dawnmaster... How would you react to Akagi and her goals? Would you help her? Would you stand against her? Our Creed required us to help the innocent and defeand them against those who would seek to tyrannize them, so who...} (Shinlua)

"Why'd you come out here though?" Himari asked as she scratched an itch on the back of her head, completely shifting the conversation. "You're not exactly the type to conveniently show up for life lessons and then vanish like a certain kitty does." She snickered.

{Yeah, Onee-chan has a habit of doing that.} (Kana)

"Ah, yes." Shinlua smiled. "I actually received a message from Hishya, she asked me to train you a bit while she was away." She said summoning her blade to her side. "Something about wanting to see how you fair against someone other than her. I'd say that's a wonderful idea given the circumstances."

{Hishya... You leave the country and make me think I'll get a reprieve, and now you unleash this on me...} (Kana)

"I think it would be good to practice with her, Kana." Himari said, agreeing with the Elf. "You've mostly been fighting people like Hishya or your sister who are far above you in combat ability. Not to mention that your girlfriend has never been properly trained to use a sword, so going against someone who is would be a good experience for you."

{Hishya tends to make up for her lack of skill with raw power. It works well enough but compared to Akagi, someone who actually learned to wield a blade, its critically lacking.} (Himari)

"Yeah, you're probably right." Kana said as she stretched before reaching down to grab her thermos and taking a drink of water. "So how do you want to do this? Should I expect to be toyed with like when Hishya and Onee-chan fight me?"

"N-No..." Shinlua sighed, recalling a teacher in the past who'd done similar things to her. "That kind of training isn't really all that effective. Akagi aside, Hishya should really know better..."

{Perhaps it may be best if I train her to use a sword. At this rate, she won't get very far if that's all they do with her, and that would be a waste of the talent I sense within her.} (Shinlua)

"Finally! A reasonable teacher!" Kana exclaimed happily. "Himari, let's give her all we've got!" She said, fired up for a real match.

"Now you're talking!" Himari laughed as she transformed and leaped into Kana's hand. “Let's go!”

"I've been told that the power you inherited from your sister makes you quite strong, so let's open up with a bout so I can gauge your strength." Shinlua said as she drew her shining blade, the light momentarily blinding Kana. "Don't hold back. I want to see what you're made of, Kana." She smiled as she took a defensive stance.

"Any rules?" Kana asked as her eye changed colors as she allowed magic to flow through her body. "Are we allowing magic attacks? Or should I keep that to a minimum?"

"Come at me with whatever you want." Shinlua replied, telling her that she could do whatever she wanted. "Like I said, don't hold back." She said, motioning Kana to start whenever she was ready.

"Then... I won't!" Kana yelled as she swung Himari up before bringing her into the arena floor, crashing the blade against the ground and creating a fissure that erupted dark flame which streaked toward Shinlua.

*WOOSH*

"Not bad." Shinlua said with a smile that made it obvious she was looking forward to teaching Kana. "But let's try better next time!" She said as she swung her hand and channeled light magic that completely negated Kana's attack with a simple defensive spell.

"What?!?" Kana squeaked in confusion as her flames dissipated upon interacting with the Elf's magic.

"It's not good to get flustered in battle!" Shinlua said as she kicked off the arena floor, flashing toward Kana at high speed. "Pay attention! One wrong move against a real opponent and you're dead!"

*CLANG*

"Gack!" Kana groaned in pain as she barely managed to bring Himari up to block Shinlua's strike.

{What a hit! She's so strong!} (Himari)

"Good, but you're wide open, Kana!" Shinlua said as she sucker punched Kana in the gut, causing her to keel over and be kneed in the face and sent flying backward onto the arena floor.

"Kana!" Himari called out to her friend. "Hey now! That wasn't nice! I thought you were supposed to be testing her power?!?"

{Who knees a girl in the face?!?} (Himari)

"I'm testing her power, yes. But I'm also trying to teach her." Shinlua said as she swished her blade and reset her stance. "Do you know why I was able to do that maneuver just now, Kana?" She asked as Kana slowly got back to her feet.

"Because... I was too focused on your sword." Kana said as he spit on the ground, a bit of blood going with the saliva. "I got too focused and you took advantage of that to use other parts of your body to attack. Rookie mistake, I know. Onee-chan and Hishya would probably yell at me if they saw that."

{Though rather than just knee me, Hishya would've sent me flying into the stands. So this is definitely an improvement.} (Kana)

"Excellent answer." Shinlua smiled, happy to see the girl understand where she'd gone wrong and acknowledge her mistake. "Never forget that your opponent's weapon is just one of many ways they'll strike in a battle, and in real combat there's no such thing as an unfair or unsportsmanlike move."

{Honor, chivalry... They're all nice ideals but they hold no weight in a life-or-death battle. All that matters is winning and coming home alive and in one piece.} (Shinlua)

"I won't." Kana took a deep breath as she readied herself for another round. "Now, let's go again!" She said running forward, her stance much tighter and more refined than before.

"At least you've got spirit." Shinlua giggled as she moved forward to clash with Kana, the two exchanging blows at a relatively slow speed. The Elf was more interested in seeing how Kana handled sword forms and combat and was surprised to see her actually using stances and techniques rather than just swinging wildly. She figured these were imparted to her via some of Akagi's instruction, and the interweaving of magical attacks into her swordplay was well received by the Elf.

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

*WOOSH* *WOOSH* *WOOSH* *WOOSH* *WOOSH* *WOOSH*

"Not bad." Shinlua said as she parried one of Kana's attacks, attempting to knock her off balance but failing when she moved backwards to avoid her leg sweep. "I can see that you've been practicing regularly. Your magic is highly potent and it's impressive how far you've gotten in less than a year, but your sword skill..." She sighed as she backed off. "Alright, I've decided to be your teacher. It's clear that letting Hishya or the others teach you how to wield that blade isn't working." She said, pointing out the glaring weaknesses and inadequacies of Kana's form which mostly stemmed from how she moved too much and too slowly. "You're far too clumsy with that blade, and while I will commend you for taking what Akagi taught you and building a solid foundation on it, it's not enough. At this rate, you'll never master the blade, at least not in any reasonable time period."

{If an Elf is saying that...} (Kana)

"I'm more than happy to learn from you." Kana said as she lowered Himari. "Onee-chan isn't a good teacher anyway. I don't know how Chloe learned anything from her." She chuckled.

"I suspect it has more to do with a mental difference between you two rather than her teaching skill." Shinlua replied, stating that Akagi probably made an excellent teacher when it came to assassination and more subtle methods of killing. "From what I've heard she views combat like an intricate dance or game of skill, likely treating it similarly to a game of chess. For her, there are optimal moves and she focuses on having the most and using the best options." She continued. "Not to mention her natural ability to decipher an extraordinary amount of data in a flash. Her teaching you would never work out in the long term as the way she fights just can't be replicated by others."

"Even if Kana is her sister? She got some of that crazy Akagi Demon Lord power, didn't she?" Himari asked, pointing to Kana's power having come from said Demon Lord.

"That..." Shinlua thought for a moment before answering, unsure as to what role that power played or what it would allow her to do. "I can't say. It's possible drawing out your full potential will enable you to do things that others cannot, but I think it best to focus on the fundamentals before attempting anything more advanced. Otherwise you may wind up hurting yourself."

{And even then then the question is, does Kana have the mental fortitude to handle that power? Or will she be swallowed up by it?} (Shinlua)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Silfana POV

*FWHIP* *ZIP* *WHIRR*

Meanwhile as Kana was being trained by a proper sword master, Silfana took the Demon Kings back to Targul, intending to move things along and ensure a 'smooth' transfer of power. Phima was rather confused upon waking up and finding themselves in the enemy's camp but a quick explanation by Ariel 'calmed her down and they were surprisingly okay with things given the circumstances. After preparations were complete the Vampire asked Yumi to transport them to the Demon Capital using magic, a task that was ultimately agreed to though not enthusiastically by the Priestess since she was no fan of the Vampire.

"You're lucky we figured out that seeing memories of someone else's time in a location allows me to teleport there." Yumi said as the group appeared on a small external platform that overlooked the city. They'd appeared on what was essentially the roof of the Royal Palace, around several such areas that were typically used for meetings or tea parties. "Otherwise you'd have to make a far more dramatic entrance by coming in from the sky." She sighed. Akagi was curious as to whether implanting Yumi with another person's memory of a location would allow her to teleport there without having been there herself. The Priestess didn't think it would work and was shocked when she was able to use her magic without issue.

{You know somehow I'd imagine a dramatic entrance like that would be something the Vampire would want. She and Akagi are far more alike than I think she'd like to admit...} (Yumi)

"Either way works for me." Silfana smirked, piratically admitting that she'd wanted to do a more conspicuous method of arrival. "I'm more shocked Akagi let you come alone given how paranoid she is."

"Alone?" Yumi asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you an idiot? She would never let me do this without her here." She sighed as she pointed to her shadow. "Our, probably rightly, paranoid fluffy overlord is merely resting in there. There's no way in hell she'd let off the worry long enough for me to step away like this."

{I'm surprised she allows me to go around the base without me being tied to her hip... Oh well, such is the price to pay to keep her happy and prevent the end of the way. On the plus side, I get more kitty time!} (Yumi)

"At this point, I shouldn't be surprised that the Demon Lord can hid in shadows." Ariel sighed, no longer questioning what Akagi could or couldn't do. "It seems rather fitting..."

“I'd tend to agree.” Melifous nodded. “Demons and shadows just seem to go together.”

“Like fire magic and oil.” Phima commented.

{Well, they do both tend to explode...} (Yumi x Silfana)

"Regardless, I'm not sticking around anyway." Yumi said as she tapped her staff against the ground, creating a magic formation underneath her as the others walked away. "Make sure you get everything taken care of as you were ordered. Akagi expects the Demon Kingdom to be firmly under your grip by the time we finish with the Dwarves." She said with a glare. Yumi did not trust nor particularly like Silfana, largely because, as someone who came from the same world, Yumi knew exactly what kind of person the Vampire was. Their shared loyalty to the same Master/Catkagi only served to make the Priestess tolerate the Vampire, but that was it.

"I'll give it my best shot." Silfana gave a fake smile as Yumi teleported away. "I swear, that girl..." She sighed. “ No it's understandable. She used to live in the Empire and... Never mind. Let's head on in and get to work. Preparations for my coronation will need to be impeccable and we have much work to do to secure power and reestablish the central government's authority." She said before turning and heading down the stone walkway that connected their arrival point to the Palace.

“And how exactly are you intending on bringing this whole thing to fruition? Our word as Electors is only going to go so far. Getting past public opinion whom will... I'd say hate but that's not a strong enough word for what they'll think of you isn't going to be easy. On top of that the rest of the Nobility won't take this lying down.” Ariel said as they followed, clearly worried that a massacre was about to unfold.

{I won't say I like every Noble, but slaughtering them will have serious repercussions.} (Ariel)

“Well, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Don't forget that I've been training for this role for a millennia and during that time I ran an entire nation of monsters.” Silfana laughed, finding it cute that she was worried. “But first I think I'll start by talking to this country's Midnight Aristocracy.” She said, her red eyes practically glowing crimson.