Here's the promised battle. Even if it is only one of two so far, because it turned out longer than expected.
And the last few lines probably show I wrote it after midnight, couldn't think of good phrasing there.
Anyway, enjoy~
- Episode 3: Fight, Magical ★ Librarian Squad - Part II
'Musou Jikiden Eishin-ryuu - Nuki Tsuke'Ruro didn't stop when she saw the girl she was following slow down.
She rushed in at constant speed, waited for the right distance and then drew her sword in a well-practiced and elegant movement.
She would have liked to make this a proper battle, but there was no time to lose.
It would end quickly.
Of course she was holding her blade in reverse, striking with its back.
Killing anyone was not her intention, even in the heat of a battle she kept to that ideal.
*cling*
?Wha...?
Ruro's eyes widened in surprise.
Trancehime was directly in front of her, looking into her eyes.
'She shouldn't have had the time to...'Ruro felt pressure on her blade and looked down.
Her strike had been blocked before her sword was even completely out of her scabbard.
And it had been blocked by a completely identical move by Trancehime, whose sword was half-drawn as well and crossed with Ruro's to obstruct its path.
'That can't be. She didn't have a katana before!'As if she could read her thoughts, Hime narrowed her eyes and smiled.
When she felt Ruro reducing the pressure on her blade she moved back slightly, sheathing her sword again fully.
Ruro snapped out of her surprise and jumped back to leave the range of the strike that the girl in front of her was preparing.
But it never came.
Instead, Trancehime bowed slightly before Ruro, then drew her sword fully and prepared a new stance, all the while keeping a slight smile on her lips.
It was an invitation to a dance of the blades, and Ruro would not decline.
?Keep your focus, Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan. She is well-known for her skills, don't underestimate her.?, Matsuri whispered.
?You don't need to tell me. I have been waiting for a chance to fight her one on one for so long.?, Ruro answered, a confident grin returning to her face as well.
?Couldn't you just have asked for some sparring??
?Quiet, you! A master does not ask for sparring like a mere disciple!?
?So it's your silly prid-? Matsuri was cut off by the sudden glint of a sword-tip in front of her eyes.
'Yagyuu Shinkage-ryuu'Ruro had drawn her sword, and she prepared her stance as well.
She held low at her side, the tip pointing away from her enemy, a stance from which she could easily strike down all incoming attacks.
Slowly she closed in on Trancehime, her eyes focused on those of the other girl, keeping herself from blinking so she would not miss a single movement.
Then it happened.
The moment Ruro came within range, Trancehime leapt forward, slashing downwards towards Ruro's shoulder.
There was no way she could get her sword up to block the strike in time.
But that was never Ruro's plan.
'Ittou Ryoudan'The strike that Hime was executing was exactly what she had been provoking.
As soon as she saw her opponent moving Ruro withdrew her left foot and turned her body while simultaneously moving her sword upwards in an arc, then bringing it down hard while targeting Hime's wrist.
Hime let out a short yelp of pain as her hand was struck hard.
She brought her sword, which had missed Ruro when she turned, up again and smashed against Ruro's blade with all her might.
Using the opening created she stumbled back a few steps and quickly checked her hand.
There was a slight swelling where the back of the sword had hit her, but that seemed to be all.
Had the strike hit her wrist it might have broken her bones, ending the fight right there.
She thanked the heavens for her luck and looked up again.
Ruro hadn't missed that she was distracted and was already closing in again.
The two duelists exchanged a number of blows, equally matched in speed and strength.
Suddenly Ruro spotted an opening in Hime's attacks.
When the girl aimed a horizontal strike for her left side, the red-haired librarian quickly moved her feet apart and lowered her body until she almost sat on the ground, but still held a firm stance.
'Usen Saten'She stepped forward, slipping under the strike that was aimed for her.
As the danger had passed she brought her sword up together with her body, aiming for the still outstretched sword-arm of her enemy.
Trance barely reacted in time.
She moved her feet and twisted her body, spinning around with her arm still outstretched so that the upward strike would pass behind her back.
She felt the cold wind of the stell passing her rapidly.
This hit would surely have smashed her arm.
She didn't stop, however.
Hime continued her spin, using the momentum to deliver another powerful horizontal slash at Ruro, this time aiming for her neck.
Ruro brought her blade to her front, the handle held over her head, blade pointing to the ground, to stop the hit.
The force of it resonated through her blade and numbed her hands, and she had trouble withstanding the pressure Trancehime was putting forth.
When she felt her hands almost give way to the pressure, she was forced to take a step back from the deadlock.
The moment she stepped she immediately brought her blade into an upright position again, preparing for the next strike, but it didn't come.
Hime was calmly positioning herself again.
'Is she giving me time to prepare on purpose?', Ruro thought.
The idea made her angry.
Was that girl not taking her serious as an opponent?
This was dishonorable.
Ruro raised her blade up to her head and held it horizontally while lowering her body.
As Hime saw that she stormed forward again and swung her sword down onto her crouching opponent.
Ruro grinned.
This battle was over.
'Tensetsu Ransetsu'She took a small step back to let the sword pass her, then brought down her own blade swiftly, aiming for her opponent's hands.
Hime reacted in time, pulling up her weapon again to smash Ruro's strike to the side.
The swords clashed, but Ruro wasn't done yet.
She quickly raised her sword again, the upward movement another slash that threatened to hit Hime's arm.
The girl took one hand off her sword and swung her arm out of the way, leaving herself completely open.
When Ruro had reached her initial position, she repeated her downward strike, taking a step forward at the same time.
Trancehime swung her sword again, and manage to deflect another hit, but the sword aiming for her was already coming back from below.
Up and down, up and down.
With precision and speed, growing faster with every strike even, Ruro continued the attack.
Each repitition made if harder for Trancehime to react and she was forced back constantly under the heavy blows.
And then she staggered.
Not being able to keep up with Ruro's speed, Trancehime lost her stance and was thrown back, her blade flying from her hands onto the ground.
Ruro jumped forward to deliver the final blow, raising her sword high over her head to make sure she would knock the girl out properly.
She brought down the sword with all her might.
?
?...
?......
?.....?
Nothing moved.
?......?
A gust of wind passed through the trees,
?That was a good fight?, Trancehime said.
?Why...?
?I admit, that was rather close. The talk about your skills is certainly justified.?
?How...?, Ruro's voice sounded dumbfounded.
?Did you forget who you are fighting??, Hime asked, looking into Ruro's eyes from a close distance.
Ruro's sword had been stopped.
At one moment, she had been striking directly at a defenseless, disarmed girl.
Then she had felt resistance.
But it was not the feeling of a blade connecting with a body, it was the feeling and sound of steel clashing on steel.
Trancehime had blocked her final blow with two chinese blades.
She held them crossed so that Ruro's blade was caught in between them, and she held the defense with a firm stance once again.
'But she didn't carry any swords with her! And summoning them that fast should be impossible...', Ruro thought, when her eyes suddenly caught something.
The diadem that Trancehime wore on her head looked different than before.
Ruro narrowed her eyes, then opened them in surprise as she recalled something.
The gem that formed the centerof Hime's diadem was split into six parts.
Right now though, only three of those parts were present.
'That's right... Six Blades...'Within a moment it all made sense.
How she had switched weapons so quickly before.
How she had drawn not only one but two swords within a split-second.
Trancehime, the sword-princess, possessed six legendary blades, each of which she could store as a gem and summon at any time.
And, the rumors continued, she had attained mastery with each of the swords.
'I can't let her gain the upper hand! I have to end this fast!'The sudden change to a dual-wield style had shocked her at first, but as she recalled her training Ruro realized that they had already ended up in a perfect situation for her.
'Chiraten!'She put some more pressure onto Hime's swords to force her to move.
Just as planned the girl withdrew her left sword and struck forward with the right.
Immediately Ruro knocked aside the blade in Hime's right hand and focused on the left one.
Noone could use two swords at exactly the same time, they had to use them in quick succession to be effective.
So the first hit was a feint, the real strike would come from Hime's left.
And sure enough, the girl moved just as predicted and raised her left arm again.
If she were to follow the technique properly Ruro would have struck for her opponent's left hand now.
But she wouldn't need that.
Hime had been thrown off her balance and was wide open for a strike to the head.
Ruro raised her blade and struck once more.
She saw that Hime managed to raise her blade, but it was too late.
She would need both blades to stop such a hit.
And then Trance smiled.
The blades connected, but the resistance only lasted for a moment.
Then Trancehime's sword gave way and tilted to the side.
Ruro twitched.
This was not right.
Hime's hand was not shaking, the grip on her sword was firm.
The movement of the blade wasn't that of being knocked out of the way either.
Too late did she notice that this was not her forcing her way through the girl's last defense.
On the contrary, this was Trancehime misdirecting her strike and its power ever so slightly with a refined technique.
Ruro had never seen that kind of move before.
?You look surprised. Did you expect me to only use the Japanese techniques you know of? Please, there is far more to the art of the sword than that.?, Hime said, and then she struck.
It happened incredibly fast.
Hime raised her second blade and let it take the first one's place in blocking Ruro's sword, then she took the now free sword, quickly turned it in her hand and slashed its back forcefully the librarian's face.
The red-haired girl let out a scream at the sudden pain and stumbled back, one hand on her face, attempting another strike at Hime, this time from the side.
But again the strike was blocked without much effort by the sword-princess stepping forward into the path of the sword, catching the hit with her own blade and redirecting its force to the side, stopping it completely.
Because she had struck with only one hand, having her strike blocked like this left Ruro completely open.
She felt a hit on her arm that made her feel numb and almost caused her to drop her sword, then two quick slashes across her stomach.
One more strike from above onto her shoulder, another one to the side of the head.
Then Hime moved around her, striking her side with the handle of her sword and striking at Ruro's leg.
The librarian tried to turn around, but already the enemy was behind her, striking her back with three quick hits.
Ruro stumbled, managing to face her attacker again, only to be greeted with the handles of both blades being rammed into her stomach immediately.
Then she felt a last hit, this time with both swords at one, on her arm, and her sword dropped to the ground.
Ruro sunk to her knees.
The had been defeated by this unknown technique that was so unlike the ones she had experienced so far.
Sure, if she got enough training she would one day be able to beat even that.
But right now, she had lost.
Now, when it counted the most.
When Donut was waiting for her.
When the fate of the world rested on her success.
When everyone was relying on her to take care of this situation.
She felt herself getting close to tears as Trancehime turned her back and slowly started to walk away.
'Is there nothing I can do....?', she asked herself.
?Don't give up!?
'But I can't fight anymore....'?You are not allowed to give up!?
This voice was getting annoying, she just wanted to close her eyes and rest.
?Look, either you pull yourself together now or I will bite your ear off!?
'Why should I-WHAT?'Ruro's eyes flew open and she turned her head only to find herself staring into the face of the ferret that had been with her all the time.
She had forgotten about it in the heat of the battle.
?You are Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan, the hero of justice! You can't give up like this!?
'She's right... This is unjust...'?There must be something you can do! THINK!?, Matsuri was screaming frantically now.
Ruro's eyes, which had dulled upon her defeat, regained their light.
Her body tensed up and her gaze darted around lively as she tried to come up with a plan.
She still have more swords with her, but she would only lose to Hime's strange style again.
She needed something else.
A magical sword for example.
Something powerful.
But there was nothing around to- her eyes came to a rest on the small creature on her shoulder.
'Maybe it will work!'?Wait, why are you looking at me like that, Ruro??, the ferret asked with a concerned voice.
?Come here!?
Ruro's hand reached out and roughly grabbed the ferret, holding it outstretched in front of her.
?What are you trying to do??, there was now fear in the rodent's voice.
?I've read about this in a book! It won't hurt... probably! Just do what I tell you!?, Ruro said quickly.
She brought her head near the ferret and whispered some words, which Matsuri responded to with a nod.
She took a deep breath, then recited:
?Power of Justice that sleeps within me. Heed your master and come forth!?
To Matsuri's surprise, the words had an effect.
The ferret flew up into the air a bit and a ball of light formed on it's chest.
The ball grew brighter, the exposed the handle of what seemed to be a blade.
Ruro jumped forward and grabbed the handle hard, pulling it as she herself recited another set of lines:
?Grant me the power to bring the world revolution!?, she shouted and with one swift move drew a blade from the ferret's body.
?...?
?...?
Both Ruro and Matsuri were silent.
Ruro was definitely holding a blade, but...
?This is not what I expected.?
?Well, how would you get anything bigger out of my small body!?
?You could just have put more effort into it!?
?So now it's my fault? Maybe you should have pulled harder!?
What Ruro had received was what looked like a miniature sword put onto a handle of normal size.
It was impossible to use in combat, and certainly held no special powers.
Trancehime, who had put away her swords and was about to leave, turned around at the commotion.
Her expression changed from alerted to surprise and then to amusement.
She tried hard to hold back her laughter at the scene in front of her, but some chuckles still escaped her.
Immediately Ruro sent the miniature-blade in her hand flying towards the sword-princess with an angry look.
Trancehime didn't even step to the side, she only twisted her body to the side slightly to make the projectile miss her.
And just as the turned back, something hit her.
Right when she had evaded the blade Ruro had thrown something else, and it had found its mark.
Hime felt fur on her face and four little claws scratching her skin as they tried to grab hold of her face and climb up.
She panicked and flailed her arms, trying to knock off whatever was there on her head, but the creature was quicker.
It climbed up and grabbed hold of the gem in Hime's diadem, then pulled hard.
With a *plop* both the attacker and the gem fell to the ground and Ruro immediately jumped forward to seize the source of Hime's weapons.
Hime was dumbfounded.
She couldn't believe she let that happen.
The mistress would be angry, very angry.
But it couldn't be helped.
She had done her best, and she had lost to something stupid.
It was frustrating, but she accepted what happened.
With a sigh and a slight smile Hime walked over to the next tree and sat down.
In the distance, the voices of the other Librarians could be heard as they came closer in their search for Ruro.
Yes, all of the techniques in the battle exist, and it should be possible to use them in reality the way I described them. Having Yagyuu Munenori's "Way of the samurai" on the shelf helped for the research here. What Hime uses in the end is Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art I have practiced myself for several years. It's rather scary how a master of it can supposedly counter pretty much every move you can attack them with.
