A/N: A bit late for a Christmas present, but this is to keep the flow going as far as Kaguya and Algol's story goes. But in any case, do read and review, would you kindly? And please keep it classy.

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[Border between Wa and Chūgoku, before chakra]

"How do we know you speak the truth?" asked Nobunaga. He was still not convinced of the threat that Kaguya had warned them about. "What evidence do you have for us that this threat is indeed as great as you would have us believe?"

"We have proof." said Kaguya, earning a raised eyebrow from Algol. "It was not easy, but we have evidence of the existence of these soul-eating monsters." She turned to her clansmen, asking them to drag four wagons covered in large tarps off from the side. The ones standing atop the wagons pulled off the tarps, causing those in the area to gasp in shock.

Algol stepped forward, standing before the cages to have a closer look at the threat facing the world. It was likely no mean feat that the Chūgoku soldiers had managed to find these specimens, and captured them alive, if such a thing could be applied to the abominations he saw. These men and women he observed trying to reach out for him were truly undead, and in different stages of decay, the bare-chested ones revealing a tangle of veins outside their hearts. Many of them wore the trappings of Chūgoku soldiers and officers, some of whom were probably among those who attempted to capture these monsters. The trouble was that he also saw a disproportionately large number of civilians in the mix; but what truly stoked his ire was that he also spotted the elderly and children in the swarm of undead. This only served to strengthen the distaste that filled his mouth when he thought of the ten-tailed monster.

It was truly disturbing, as these were not your typical undead. These soulless abominations were merely empty shells of human beings. There was nothing in them; no malice, nor remorse, not even a hint of bloodlust. Just an uncontrollable and insatiable hunger for souls that turned them into merciless animals. It fueled his rage at the source of this aberration.

Granted, Algol himself was undead as well; the difference was that where these poor souls were made this way simply by the will of the ten-tailed monster, he retained his soul. He ruled over the Soul swords now, and regained what was left of his humanity with his own willpower. And with the power and experience he had gained while conquering the dimension of Astral Chaos, he was able to conquer a vast frontier that became an empire in all but name.

His own elite warriors were undead as well, but they all retained their own souls. Each soldier had their own memories, their own preferences; they could even love. He would know this, because he still had these feelings as well. As he thought on it now, Algol could not help but pity the victims of the monster…

"Now you understand the severity of the threat we face." said Kaguya, taking a position next to Algol. "These monsters devour the souls of the living, and add their victims to their number. They do not know fear; only a never-ending hunger for our souls."

Algol said nothing as he looked at the victims of the ten-tailed monster. "Everyone stand back," he finally said, garnering looks of fear from everyone around him. "I wish to put these poor souls out of their misery."

Alecto stepped up to her king with a concerned expression on her hardened features. "Sire," she whispered, "I must protest. Surely someone else can put these…things down."

"Look at them, Alecto. See how they focus their attention upon me."

As commanded by her king, Alecto had a closer look at the undead. Their arms and their focus were turned towards Algol. But why? There were plenty of souls around for them to devour. She could sacrifice herself happily for his sake, and they would very likely ignore her and focus their attention upon him. The only reason she could think of that they would want to crowd his majesty so would be…

"Have the others get to higher ground, it is obvious that they want me. There's nothing inside them; all there is within these 'Hollows' is an instinctual urge to consume the souls of those they kill. If that's the case, then mine would be like a feast to them."

A look at his expression of pity had told the princess everything she needed to know. Kaguya turned her attention to the entire delegation. "I would advise everybody to do as he says. We've seen enough of these creatures." She then regarded her own clansmen manning the cages. "Do not open the cages until I give the word."

At her command, everyone left for higher ground. It was high enough that they had a good view of what was to happen without getting involved in the fight. Add the steepness of the cliff to that, and it was an easily defensible location. Both Wa and Chūgoku had a retinue of archers should things go south.

Kaguya took up her position with the others. Her own experience with the Hollows had shown that they were all pushovers relying on animal instinct and ferocity. Some of them retained enough brainpower to use the weapons, and those with strong enough souls could use skills they had gained in life. As capable as she was in a fight (having slain a number of Hollows herself before today) this was an opportunity to see Algol when he chose to fight seriously and with her own eyes. After the ten-tailed monster was dealt with, she may regretfully have to be the one to finally kill him. It also led to the despicable fact that should he fail to put these Hollows to rest, then she would be one step closer towards uniting the world under her rule.

Seeing that he was ready for whatever came his way, Kaguya turned to the clansmen manning the cages. "Release them!"

{Play: "A Field of Battle (Bitter#2)" by Yuki Kajiura, from "Xeonsaga II"}

Pins were pulled upward, the cage doors soon fell to the ground as the flood of undead began surging towards Algol. There was no fear in his stance; just a confidence borne from years of experience. He began the fight with a single kick, a blade shooting out from his foot under his toes and spearing a number of Hollows in a straight line before a single spin cut through many of them in a single bound. In that single spin, he created both of his weapons; the blue crystal formed a shield, with which he parried a number of blows and countering with shield-slams. The red crystal was like a deadly punch-dagger. Both weapons were used to full effect, blocking, parrying, riposting, as he smashed a number of Hollow skulls into oblivion.

To be fair, she'd seen Algol in action several times, when he was fighting human opponents. Those times were when he was far away on the battlefield, and even then it was clear to her that he was cleaving through enemy ranks. But the way Kaguya saw him moving through the horde of undead that had been loosed upon him, it served to reinforce the image in her mind of an eagle on the hunt. Every swing of his arms, a flap of the wings; every kick a strike with talons. And as the fight went on, she began to see the other weapons he kept stored in his body: forearm blades that extended the reach of his punches; metallic wings that shot from his back, impaling enemies that dared to sneak up behind him; cages that formed around his arms and fired purple spheres of energy that disintegrated any Hollow upon contact; bones that extruded from his rib cage that speared a number of Hollows in front of him, while also serving as contacts for an even larger purple sphere.

Every move she watched him perform burned itself into her eyes. Every counter, every riposte, every parry and even the moments in which he teleported his throne in and out of the battlefield was added to her memory. She would learn and copy what she saw today, and apply it to her own style. While she found her talents in combat better-suited as a tactician and an archer than a fencer, Kaguya saw no reason not to learn techniques for emergencies that put her in close-quarters combat.

When the battle against the Hollows had ended, all that was left of the undead monsters were corpses that had been put out of their misery. Algol stood atop the field of the dead, both triumphant and solemn in his victory. He gave Kaguya and everyone else that saw the aftermath of the battle the impression of a conquering barbarian king that reveled in crushing his enemies, seeing them driven before him, and hearing the lamentation of their women. However, whatever savagery he seemed capable of inflicting upon his enemies was tempered with the pity in his eyes for the Hollows he put down.

As everyone neared the kill zone, they watched as glowing blue wisps began to rise into the air like embers from a freshly-started fire. Nobody knew what it was that they were seeing, but it was clear that the wisps floated towards Algol. He never said a word, only taking the lights into his body. "Fear not," he finally said, "you shall all be avenged."

Kaguya looked at Algol with a questioning expression on her face. Who was he talking to?

"Your civilians are welcome past the wall." he began, silencing his generals and Alecto with a raised arm before they could protest. Once he was certain that he would not be interrupted, he turned to regard Kaguya with a searching gaze. "We shall accept your refugees into our lands. However, if you wish to have our full support in your war against these abominations, we require a gesture to prove that you shall not betray us…at least until this threat is dealt with."

Kaguya wished she could avert her attention, find something else to legitimately look at. Anytime Algol looked at her with that powerful, searching gaze that made her feel naked, it reminded her of how inferior she was to him as a king. It also did things to her that she did not want to think about. But still, she steeled her gaze; unwilling to back down. "What gesture would you ask of us?"

"Normally, as it is we who are offering you our support, we would right to determine the demand of you," began Algol, "However, as it is clear that Chūgoku is losing in any collateral we could possibly ask of you, we will take whatever gesture you can offer up; so long as you are sincere in your word that the ceasefire shall last until the ten-tailed monster is dead."

There was one thing on her mind that she could offer…whether or not this deal will go through will hinge on what she was willing to sacrifice. She knew the reaction she would get, but Kaguya needed that support badly. "Then in addition to the fiefs near your borders, I shall offer you my sister's hand in marriage."

Tsukina, who had been standing next to Kaguya looked at her sister with a scandalized look on her face. She just knew that she would be having words with her soon enough. The look in Algol's and Alecto's face had told her that even they did not see that coming. "This is the only thing I can possibly offer you at the moment."

The tension could be felt as everyone looked to Algol for his response. His features had settled on an expression that seemed to be ruminating upon his options. With a sigh, he looked to Kaguya with a somewhat disappointed look on his face; whether it was for her, she had yet to discern. "I will accept your offer. Your civilians will be safe in my borders until this conflict is over; until then, I shall pledge my troops to your cause." He then turns his attention to his entourage. "Let's go."

A portal was opened, allowing Algol and his entourage to walk through it.

Once it was done, everyone left…except for Kaguya and Tsukina. When it was clear that they were alone, the younger Ōtsusuki sister turned to Kaguya. "You shouldn't have done that."

"It was the only thing I could offer him." Kaguya said, not even bothering to face her sister.

"No, that I could understand." snapped Tsukina, "I can see the necessity of earning his trust. If it comes to that, I'm even willing to learn to love him if that's what it takes to one day have peace between our nations. What I want to know, is why you're marrying me off to a man that we both know you are truly in love with?"

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A/N: And we're done. Do please review, and keep it classy, would you kindly? And a Happy New Year!

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References

Impression of the barbarian king-Pretty much what Conan the barbarian describes as what's best in life: to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.