So, as part of going stir-crazy in my house, I thought I'd try rewriting/experimenting with the Karin fight. Why? Literally no reason other than I wanted to know what it'd look like now versus what I had then. Also I just wanted to play around with Kurt 'Gig' Bright again. Even though, looking back on it, Storms Overhead is a goddamn mess of a fic and has some pretty glaring objective flaws, it's still a guilty pleasure of mine to read it in one go.

Maybe I'll remaster chapters as I feel like it lmao. Either way, here goes.

As a side note, this remaster covers the ending part of Chapter 20 and all of Chapter 21.


Remaster 1: Unbending Willpower


I'm waiting outside, in the midst of the dry storm, hands in my pockets. What luck, huh? About to be in for the apparent fight of my life when a storm without water decided to roll in.

I look up to the sky, finding the flapping of dragon-like wings of a reddish-tan beast with the body of a lion but the head of a man to be the source of the noise. A manticore, a beast only of legend back in my world. Atop the massive creature is its much more fearsome rider, someone who could tame one of these things.

I sweep the area with a Radar Pulse, finding plenty of iron dust here. That'll help out… though how much it'll help, I don't know.

That Radar Pulse also let me confirm that yeah, we're basically the only two people out here. Everyone else is just viewing this fight from afar with magic, which really is the safe option. When I go all out, collateral damage tends to happen.

"You came."

There's a bit of surprise in her voice.

Her armor is complete without any signs of weaknesses. Blackened steel, just for the intimidation factor, I think. Judging from here it looks pretty old, but it's been carefully maintained to extend its lifespan. A crack of lightning from the skies lights it up white, giving a unholy-holy mismatch to her whole aura. Her weapons include what appears to be a lance and a sword-staff similar to what Wardes had, but compared to his rapier hers looks more like a proper longsword.

"Should I have not?" I ask, cracking my neckbones into place before stretching my arms.

"I trust you've been informed of my past?" She asks back, her expression unchanging, but I sense a smile.

"I've known for a while. Stronger than most… almost superhuman, if you ask me. Feared for the fact that even a Dot spell equates to a Triangle spell for others. I think it's amazing that you're able to control such power. You know about me too, correct?"

"I have heard bits and pieces of the man who can control lightning. I shall see if those rumors are any bit true, of his supposed fear factor."

"Good. One final question."

"Ask, then let us begin."

I can't help but confidently smirk, knowing in my absolute trump card. "Do you care for that armor?"

"Attempt to destroy it if you dare, but many have tried and failed."

"Noted."

To be honest, I was already wrapping a magnetic field around her. Call it cheating, I call it being prepared. That was her mistake, after all, giving me time to think.

Okay, now just to maintain focus as I dodge her original attack. Runes, mind helping me out here?

Draw your weapon.

At that moment, I drew Derf—

—but also at that moment, it came.

To it mathematically speaking, this shit was Wardes' Hurricane squared, with that raised to the Henrietta-Totally-Not-Zombie-Wales' tornado-th power.

I wasn't prepared for this! Fuck, I have to scrap the original plan! I can only do it if I get the chance!

I quickly swap magnetic fields, drawing in the iron dust near me to form an iron wall just in time for the massive force of the wind to slam into.

Even the impact made it feel like the world itself shook, my vision growing hazy before coming back into focu—why is there iron flying everywh—oh fuck, this is a layered spell! Shit! This crap is the virus delivery system Colbert mentioned?! Motherfucker, of all people who knew it, it had to be her! Oh sweet motherfucking hell, she's using a drill of air!

Throwing a caged orb of electricity like all that time before at my feet, I stomp on it at just the right angle to throw myself back, watching the drill bore into the ground itself, tearing the barren earth asunder and scattering dirt everywhere.

I don't even have time to curse that out though, as a tornado is magic'd into existence right in front of me, drawing me as I draw the iron dust back to me. Oh fuuuuuck me!

Doing the best that I can, I use another caged orb to launch me into the eye of the tornado, with the iron dust being used to form braces that lodge into the ground, pulling me back and preventing me from going back into the howling winds.

Holy shit, this is just her opening, too… just what did I get myself into…?

I shake my head, casting those thoughts aside. Hell no! I didn't talk shit just to back out now! I might not be a superior mage, but I am damn well the superior fighter! She might hurl around wind, but I spit lightning and control one of existences' primary building blocks!

I am Kurt 'Gig' Bright, Master of the Storm, and I will win!


Louise watched as the tornado had sucked up Kurt and the iron dust, with him no longer being visible. Then, a lightning strike went right into the eye of the tornado, blue as the skies before the storm.

She knew what that lightning meant.

Her father put a hand on her shoulder, perhaps to comfort her. She had believed in him so strongly this whole time, that one might have thought a miracle would occur, and yet this is how it turned out.

"I'm sorry, L—"

"No, Father." Louise said, surprising not only him but her sisters in the room, as she moved his hand away.

"Louise?"

She pointed towards the sky. "That is not Mother's Lightning Cloud spell. Mother's Lightning Cloud is yellow. That lightning is blue."

Her father, Eleanore, and Cattleya were stunned into silence. All of them had glanced away from the battle viewing, wincing slightly as Karin had unleashed her first volley. However, Louise never once looked away.

She stood, unafraid, knowing only her absolute faith. Perhaps, she thought, her family would think she was crazy. But this was not just blind faith in Kurt. No, there was a reason—a reason she believed so deeply in, to why she would make her next claim.

"Kurt, go for it. You are… the true Master of the Storm. Defend what is yours."

And with those words, two titans of power clashed.


Lightning surges all around as the tornado clears, a clever usage of the Ionic Vortex—or in layman's terms, an electric tornado via magnetic field fuckery—negated the tornado Karin had tossed my way. Additionally, I had managed to recompose myself, using the iron dust to become a platform under me, held in the air by magnetic fields.

Another lightning strike, guided to me, boosted me up. Before anyone could react, I had already drawn out my Gigawatt Blade as well, shooting straight for Louise's mother, the platform constantly reforming underneath me as I ran ahead.

As if to highlight the distance between us, she simply raised her sword and pointed it at me, a flurry of Air Needles, followed by a Wind Hammer, being launched at me. But, with my enhanced nerve speeds due to my powers, I'm easily able to thread the gap.

She got the bright idea of targeting the platform I was on, but I'm able to leap off the platform. This leaves pretty vulnerable though, so I use the dust to form a shield as I descend down on—

My world lights up with sparks as I instinctively move out of the way, barreling right. If I had been any slower, the graze on my ribs would have been a chunk lost as Karin threw her lance with the wind boosting it, I assume, completely breaking through my barrier in one gooo—OLY SHIT IT'S COMING BACK!

"Throw me, Partner!"

"You got it!"

Throwing Derf as hard as I can, aided by some magnetics, he deflects the lance away from a direct path from my stomach, with him spinning off into the distance. Wait a second…!

I hold my right hand out as I reform the platform, using magnetic fields to quickly bring Derf towards me, but it's going to take some time because of how fast he was going. But there's no time to rest as I charge forward, as Karin keeps launching spell after spell in an almost endless volley.

I won't be able to get in close with that scorpion tail that thing has, though. I don't want to test its strength, either.

I use Radar Pulse to confirm not just Derf's position, but also where that lance is. I doubt Karin's just going to let it slide. My suspicions are right when I find she's no doubt mixing in some Air Needle spells that are repositioning the lance. One of those will likely be used with her virus-like delivery system in order to transfer a spell to launch that lance at me.

Cheh, I'm running out of iron dust though! She's really not making this easy on me, every attack that hits the platform scatters the dust, and while I can pull it back, I can't always pull back all of it…!

"Dammit…!"

I curse out as I leap from the almost completely shredded platform onto a Detonation Blast, propelling me into the air. Another Pulse… here it comes!

"Catch me, catch me!"

But just in time, Derf finally makes it into my right hand!

Sparks fly as I use him and the strength given to me by the runes to push the otherwise crippling strike from the launched lance away from me, but also as I'm in the air, this time taking Air Needle spells that sting like a motherfucker and are causing an unhealthy amount of bleeding, I can focus on using magnetic fields to slow down the lance.

Which means catching it.

I use another Detonation Blast to ascend up into the sky, the Gigawatt Blade of my left hand slowly stretching out over the lance as electricity builds into it. I can't approach you if you're on that manticore, so…

"Ho—RYAH!"

A beam of white-blue electricity surges out faster than the human eye can comprehend. But I'm not aiming for Karin with the miniature railgun of a lance.

"GUWAAAAAAH!"

I was aiming for her manticore, who could not dodge it that easily, but also the strike left it with a massive hole in one of its wings, rendering its flight much more difficult. Not to mention that with the sheer power and speed, there's a clear hole right through its body where the lance ripped and tore its way through.

It yells in pain again as I bring down a lightning strike from the storm onto it, paired with a cry of pain from Karin as I descend towards the ground.

There's no time to rest or even heal up with the storm, though. From the sky I just came down from, come a flurry of green spells that shatter the ground I would have been on had I not moved. My arms swirl in a frenzy, using Derf to block what shots I can't dodge.

"No one."

Her voice is barely audible over the winds along her manticore crashing down onto the ground. The sheer venom in it makes me wince, but there's a tinge of respect in it as well, if begrudgingly.

"No one has forced me from the skies before."

"The storm's my fucking domain. No one's going to take it from me, not even you."

To my surprise, her manticore stands up, roaring at me as Karin, still in her armor, assumes an offensive stance as soon as she touches down on the ground. I'll have to wind some kind of way to get rid of that thing or at least cripple it to where it can't be of much use.

However to my surprise, she holds her hand up and waves it away. Reluctantly, the beast withdraws.

"Don't get me wrong, this isn't mercy or pity. That one is my companion and while I'm confident I can endure what you can push out, I am not confident my partner can endure the same. You'd hold back out of account that I am Louise's mother, but I don't know if you'd do the same for him."

"It's fine. In the end, it was going to come down to just us one way or another."

"You had a perfect opportunity to attack."

"Just because I'm for breaking some rules doesn't mean I don't have my own." I say, sending a crackle of electricity down Derf. "Let's continue, shall we?"

There's no words, just the graceful bringing up of her sword pointed towards me, swiftly followed by a Wind Hammer spell. I don't need to look back to tell the damage, hearing what sounded like a small bomb going off behind me.

I cut through the next one, pressing forward to close the distance. Cheh…! Damn, I didn't even catch that she laced an Air Needle spell in that one! This whole inner-outer spell thing is a real pain in the ass!

"Don't bother blocking, Partner!" Derf yells as I sidestep another Wind Hammer.

"You got it!"

I try to close the distance again with a Detonation Blast to launch me up into the air, followed by a descent with the Thunder Drop, and another Detonation Blast. But Karin merely takes a step back while also launching a Wind Blade right for my center, forcing me to use another Detonation Blast to hurl myself to the side to avoid being bisected.

"HoLY FUCK!" I barely have time to curse out as I bring up a wall of iron dust to block, slowly down what could only be called an Air Lance launched at me while I wasn't as in control of my movements in the air. But it wasn't enough, pain eating away at my side and blood spilling out.

It's okay though, I've taken worse.

As soon as the natural regeneration kicks in, I swap to Nerve Vision and go into overtime on thinking. I just have to watch the nerves for her muscles, predicting what muscles are contracting and adjusting my approach from there.

For that, I'll need to be at max.

Just before I approach, I call down another lightning strike, guiding the electron flow to course through me, healing myself. Surging with electricity all around me, I charge forward, watching her attacks carefully.

A muscle contraction that seems like she's aiming to my left. Another one as she steps to adjust her aim. It's slow and sure, I take a few hits, but overall I'm gaining more ground than I am losing it.

Nerve Vision fades away once I'm confident enough to be in close quarters with her and I take a good swing with Derf, hearing a clang of blades. I can't see her face, but I give a hell of a smug-ass smile in return, knowing that victory is near.

I push hard to get her off balance, but she seems to have been anticipating that, taking a step back. Fortunately I didn't push too hard, so I'm able to keep my balance before launching into another attack.

For Master!

Shut up, runes!

The flurry and frenzy of blades begins. As I keep pushing the offensive, it leaves Karin little time to actually cast a spell, forcing her to fight with her blade. However, it already had magic in it, causing it to fucking vibrate. Enough to the point that even Derf seemed in legitimate pain whenever we locked blades. Damn, she's keeping up even when I'm using the runes and ramping up my own ner—wait, enchantments!

Fouquet had them before! That's why she was so difficult to nail the first time around! That armor… must be it!

I purposely let my guard crumple with her next attack, feeling her blade digging right into my left arm, flesh being sliced like a chainsaw right through wood. I drop Derf, my right hand shooting out and connecting just once with her armor. While I didn't have to touch it, I'd rather keep the fact I can disintegrate from a distance a well-guarded secret.

Her torso and arm armor vanish in an instant, eliciting a small surprised and rather amused gasp as her inner clothing, dark tan padded leather chest armor—of which I'm thankful it's there or I'd have more than Louise pissed at me—coming into view as lightning lights up the battlefield, rippling over head.

Just before she can get away, I quickly throw my arm up and manage to catch her helmet, disintegrating that too. And for the final touch, I yank hard with magnetic fields, managing to touch her leg armor to blow those away.

"Guah!"

But it wasn't without cost, as she nailed me with a kick right to the face that made me lose vision for a moment as I soared through the air. Holy shit…!

Focus!

Right…!

I'm just in time, recalling Derf with magnetic field manipulation and catching him to block another strike. Couldn't have made that any closer.

"Ha…"

But, the sword stroke speed managed to slow down and they didn't hit quite like a freight train anymore. Though, every movement is definitely costing me blood while my natural regeneration is doing its work to repair the godawful injury in my arm. Definitely should not be testing whether that natural regeneration does anything beyond external damage, like restoring blood.

We can't take too much more of this!

Then we gotta do what we can.

"Don't worry about me, Partner, do what you have to do!"

"HaaaaAA!"

Derf roars in pain as I clash with Karin again, blue and green intertwining as we fight to overpower each other. Come on… Detonation Blast!

I let my guard crumple for just a second, enough that my elbow touches down on the caged orb of electricity I created. The explosion propels my arm, giving me a boost in powering through her guard. In that split second, I cut diagonally with Derf, causing not only blood to come pouring out from Karin, but also the scent of burnt flesh and cloth as the electricity surges off of him.

But she's so damn fast, that by the time I hit her, she was already taking a step back and in the next moment, lunging right for my stomach. I swing Derf hard, no longer caring about a rout, just surviving to the next second to strategize, leaving me wide open for a verti—that's it!

"Gahgghahhhh!"

My vision goes a horrific mix of black and red as for some godforsaken reason I thought that I'd take the chance to catch Karin's blade in my left hand, attempting to use magnetic fields to slow it down. The vibrating blade starts chewing through my hand, but I muster enough focus to disintegrate it while propelling my hand forward to strike her face with a Detonation Blast, sending her hurtling to the ground.

In that moment where she's recovering, I opt to call down another bolt from the skies to heal myself, watching my hand slowly stitch itself back together. Fuck me…

...she's got a wind blade. She's got a goddamn wind blade!

As she got up, Karin apparently had drawn a smaller wand. From it, green winds swirled around her, forming into the shape of a blade. There'll be no negating that one so easily…

"Derf?" I ask, having iron dust swirling around him as he once again, cackles with electricity.

"I can't absorb that much power that quickly, but I can start sapping it with every hit."

"It's going to hurt."

"It's okay. She won't break me. I'm a little more worried for you, Partner."

"I'll be fine. With your blessing, then."

"Let's get dangerous."

I spin Derf around in my right hand, the iron dust flowing almost like a shield, almost like a whip, charged with blue electricity, as Karin and I circle around each other. Each of us waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With Derf and the iron dust, I've got more range than her now, meaning she doesn't have as much flexibility. But, if there's anywhere she's definitely got me beat, it's raw combat experience. That gap between us alone might be enough for her to pull something on me.

Let's finish this.

I shoot forward, slashing as fast as I can with Derf. Behind him trails electrified iron, spreading like a fan. Without a clear opening, Karin simply steps back each time, biding her time.

"You should go back to the library, it's clearly where you're better suited."

I don't even have to think of what she means by that, but I realize what she had done as soon as my entire vision turns green, starting from the ground up. A Wind Hammer spell, likely laced into an Air Needle spell, fired into the ground with just the right timing to—!

I'm catapulted into the air, where my lack of footing makes me lose control. In the next moment, I'm bombarded by an orchestration of multiple wind spells. Sounds that definitely were not good, ones that sounded like bones snapping, filled my ears, louder than the howling winds.

It was like I was a punching bag, held up on tense strings. I couldn't even move or swing around that much, because as soon as I moved in any direction, another attack would come to smash me into place.

"Guo!"

I'm slammed into the ground, only managing to avoid a Wind Hammer spell by rolling over at the last second. Or at least, mostly avoid, as I hear my left arm bones being pulverized by what I failed to avoid.

But even so…

...I can't lose.

This fight isn't just about me versus her. This was a battle for Louise and what ideology would dictate her future. Both of us each a living embodiment of what we believed in. Who would win in the end?

The Rule of Steel or my more flowing, Ubermensch-esque ways?

I always told Louise that no one could tell her what was right and wrong for her. That was something she had to choose for herself. The things she declared absolute, where she drew that metaphorical line in the sand, that was all her. Even if I had my own rules, if she didn't believe in them, she could throw them away.

Which is why I had to ultimately triumph.

To show Louise that she'd ultimately become stronger. Become better. Good enough to face whatever came. Adapt her thoughts and world view to accommodate that which was new.

If living in that kind of way was truly better for her…

...then surely, the one who embodied that kind of lifestyle, a lifestyle full of mistakes and learning, would triumph over the unbending Rule of Steel.

...Get up, then.


"Louise, where are you going?!"

Her father and sisters all shouted that same question as they continued to watch over the battle. Partway through, Louise suddenly got up and headed for the door.

"I am going to Kurt."

"This is his battle, he chose it!" Eleanore yelled, but Louise kept walking.

"He's not the one going to fight in the war. We are." Louise said back, clenching her fist.

Something in her heart ached, watching Kurt take blow after blow, deliver hit after hit. She had wanted to be like her mother, like him, able to stand on the battlefield. Kurt always had gone out, even when he wasn't sure if he could win, with a confident smile that said they'd come back home.

She hated it. She had wanted to stand out on her own, stand up on her own two feet, and yet here she was, content to let Kurt simply fight for her. They were going to war together, weren't they? Plus, he had said to Scarron that he wanted her to surpass him. How the hell was she going to do that if he always fought her battles for her?

'Geez, Kurt. You hypocrite.' Louise thought as she paced towards the door. 'I know you want to protect me, but… then again, I'm a little late to this realization, aren't I? It's okay, I'll make it up to you.'

"Louise, don't go out there!" Cattleya pleaded, with her voice causing Louise to hesitate for just a moment. She was glad for their concern, but this was something she had to do. For everything she had learned from him.

Her father moved to hold her shoulder gently in order to pull her back. Louise had prepared to brush him off, but found a black haired woman had stood between her and her father, lightly redirecting his hand away.

"Servant girl, what do you think you're doing?!" Eleanore shouted, but Siesta didn't flinch in the slightest.

"Lady Vallerie, you wish to go to Kurt, do you not?"

"...yes, Siesta."

"Then I, your humble servant, will fulfill your wish. After all, I would be useless on the battlefield. But, if I can get you there, then I will have done my part. Now, go!"

Louise knew that Siesta had to be aware of her latent feelings for Kurt. She knew that they were both rivals for him. And yet, even so…

"Thank you, Siesta!"


The iron dust around me zooms in, creating a cocoon that blocks the finishing blow from Karin.

I arc my back as a Detonation Blast forms on my fingertips. Sliding it underneath me, I then slam my back into it, sending me up onto my feet. Clenching my fists as I left my natural regeneration start to get to work, I form my Gigawatt Blade on my left hand and hold Derf in my right as Karin lands on the ground.

"You're still standing."

"I could say the same to you."

We pace around in a circle, waiting for a moment to strike. Even though it hurts, I have to keep going.

Screw the pain, anyways. My path, my life, it's always been about pain. Pain from your fuckups. Pain from having to deal with the consequences. Pain from getting better. Pain from dealing with it. But the Rule of Steel doesn't allow you to screw up. It's all about perfection, embodying it. It's what Louise was trying to become before. A perfect carbon copy of her mother. Eleanore's on a pretty solid path to that, I'd say.

Sure, I hate making mistakes too, but you gotta have room for them in life. There's no other way to grow.

"I'll admit, your Rule of Steel has made you almost unbreakable. But you know what's funny? You know about diamonds, right? Such a rare and precious mineral, it's the hardest in the world. It can scratch just about damn near anything.

"But in the end, it's as fragile as glass."

I move, towards my target, the bastion of tradition itself, aiming to shatter her into a million pieces. I, its antithesis, a paragon of change, a flowing persona that adapted.

Karin was silent as she moved in to meet me. My sword clashes with her. I go for a lunge with the Gigawatt Blade as we blade lock, but no dice.

She tries to fly away, likely to gain the advantage, but I don't let her, instead darting forward to grab her ankles before hurling her into the ground, where she falls upon a Detonation Blast that sends her spinning onto the ground.

But she's able to recover in time to block my strike, her green sword blocking my blue ones.

"You claim your ideals are what give you power, then?"

"In a way, yeah. Or rather, my determination."

We struggle to gain control of the blade lock, sparks flying the whole time as the world becomes only green and blue amidst the growing storm above.

"If I was easily shaken, this power I have means nothing."

"And what about those without your power?"

We break away, trying to gain a slip-hit, but end up locking again.

"They'll be the ones to follow. Maybe that man will not have the power to change the world, but maybe his words, his creed, and his willingness to live it out will influence someone who can. Besides, it's not like you can criticize me on that regard. Is there any difference to your response if I ask you the same of your own beliefs?

She says nothing in that regard, likely having come to a similar conclusion. Our blades continue to crash as we lock and unlock our blades, each trying to find an opening.

"So you are the one who taught Louise of these new values she has."

"I only gave her the tools to decide for herself." I say, hurling myself over Karin and attempting a slice at the back of her neck which she fluidly dodges. "If she decides she wants to chase after me, so be it. The most important part is she has her own damn opinion."

Karin goes for another lunge, which I side step and counter with an electrified Gigawatt Blade and punch across her face.

"And honestly, I think that's the best gift I could've ever given her. The ability to think for herself."

I grunt in pain as Karin kicks me in the stomach, sending me sliding across the ground, but I dig in my heels and stop myself. Though, I can't help but smirk.

"Do you know what happened when we first fought Fouquet?" I ask, blocking Karin's upward slash and forcing us into a lock. "She didn't leave me behind when I told her to. She gave me words that weren't hers as an explanation for why. I understand now whose words they were. Where she repeated them from and who poisoned her with such filth. I won't stand idly by as—"

"What gives you the right to decide what is correct and what is not?"

Karin's strikes are fueled by an anger, an anger caused by my direct attack on her beliefs. For the one who embodied her very creed, it was an attack directly against who she was, as a mage, as a mother, as a person. But her anger doesn't blaze like when I get pissed; it's a raw, icy cold rage, sharpened like a knife.

"Do you believe just because you're trusted by many, that you can dictate what is right?"

"Whoever said I was teaching her what's right?" I ask, struggling to keep up in our swordplay. "I told you, didn't I? I'm only teaching Louise to seek out what she thinks is right. It's her job to figure out what's right and wrong. If the world thinks she's misguided, she can either think to herself that maybe she made a mistake or—"

Using a Detonation Blast, I push ahead, causing Karin's guard to crumple before I launch into an uppercut which she narrowly avoids.

"—she can tell the world to go fuck itself! I never claimed to understand the world in its entirety, but I can damn well tell you I've got the tools to!"

"Arrogance!"

I swipe a little too wide with Derf, leaving an opening for Karin to deliver a pretty nasty cut across my stomach.

"You're barely as old as Louise! Your wisdom is infantile, unrefined—there is so much you could not understand!"

"But I've got the capacity for it, don't I?"

I duck underneath a slice meant for my chest and surge upwards, delivering an electrified slice across her stomach.

"I've got a framework that doesn't rely on seeing everything in one way. The instant I find something that doesn't make sense, I've got to change. It's why your Rule of Steel could never hope to win! The day Louise encounters something you couldn't possibly account for, it'd all collapse! But with what I have, with what I've given her, she's got the ability to think critically about what it should mean to her!

"So I'll show you! This is my humanity, laid out bare! The face of one who fell and rose up! Who dug his own grave, but was helped out of it by my friends! The convergence of a thousand years' worth of knowledge, ideas, and beliefs, all struggling to prove they're the best to put your faith into! This is the knowledge of what I've passed onto Louise!"

This woman… her mother.

Yes—dodge another attack—what the hell is it, runes?

Your words are true?

Why the hell wouldn't they be? You think I'd get up on a field and fight absolute terror itself if I didn't?

Then, allow me.

I didn't even have time to think anything in return before Derf began glowing gold, the runes doing the same. I could feel something tingling in my head as the golden glow washed over my entire being; but, it wasn't oppressive, like before, no, it's…

Please pardon the pain.

The first slice against Karin.

It was pathetic.

Karin immediately counterattacked and it hurt like a motherfucker.

—But for a second, there was a brief image of a young elven girl first wielding a sword that passed through my head.

The second slice against Karin.

It was microscopically less pathetic. Put side by side you wouldn't be able to tell which was which.

Karin immediately counterattacked. If she was confused why my strikes suddenly became much more horrible, her expression betrayed nothing. Dammit runes, you trying to get me killed here?

—And yet for another second, an image of the first time the young girl tried to cut something passed through my head.

And then…

...I accelerated.

Third slice. Fourth slice. fifth slice. Sixth slice.

—The first time successfully slashing something with the intent to cut it.

—The first time practicing a blow meant to kill.

—The first time attacking a living being.

—The first time taking a life.

More images, with every movement. Every slice, getting…

Faster.

Deadlier.

Smoother.

More efficient.

Better.

It was… hyper accelerated evolution of a sword strike. From nothing but mere atoms, slowly being refined into a strike that could kill the world if given enough time. People who called me a "master swordsman" with Derflinger and the runes were mistaken. My… my feats had been nothing. Even if I kept progressing at this pace, no, even three times this pace, it would be hundreds of years before I could even come close to being a master.

Karin slowly began losing ground in pure swordsmanship. Using magic, she widened the gap between us. But as long as I kept swinging, I could overcome it.

A thrust.

—The image of an elven girl stabbing what had to be a mage in front of the others. But it wasn't enough.

A second thrust.

—With it, the image of an elven woman fighting reality itself.

So is this your story, then?

Perhaps.

Well, thanks for sharing. I may hate all the shit you pull with my head, but at least you're not a complete monster, I guess.

It is for Master. She wishes to fight. You must defeat this woman to allow that, nothing more.

Goddammit, just say "You're welcome" and take the fucking compliment. Did no one teach you manners?

I do not believe the words 'You are not a complete monster' constitute a compliment.

Oh shut up, whatever.

As I keep swinging, I get the idea to charge Derf up with electricity. What about the Gigawatt Blade…

Allow me to tap into your mind. Three seconds.

It better only be three seconds or I'm cutting off my hand.

That will be all I need to understand.

—The evolution shifted. Accounted for a new variable. Went down a completely different path. Became absolutely unique. A small splitting off point, breaking away from the original more and more, each generation of changes spreading out until it looked like a massive tree.

It starts off slow again, but because of my familiarity with it, with the Gigawatt Blade, growth exploded. I felt… stronger. Like I'm not moving as much, but doing more. Even the way I move my feet and arms shifts.

"—nghk!"

Got her.

In the midst of the blue, green, and gold, I lunge ahead. But even Karin can still keep up due to how damn skilled she is. A swarm of Wind Blades come for me, but I continue to break through. They'll be what tests the evolution that I've accomplished.

If someone had been watching from afar, they'd see only me in the next second, breaking out of a hurricane of green winds. A shining star coming out of the storm.

I dance around the razor winds, blocking and absorbing with Derf while whirling around with the Gigawatt Blade to meet her own wind blade.. Every second, I'm evolving despite my injuries. Despite the wounds, I'm still better than I was a second before.

My strokes are getting more refined. My slashes are more efficient. I can break her guard every now and then.

Holy shit, no one people would rather give up everything than fight her. How many people have fought her at this level and kept up? How the hell would anyone keep up?

Side note, during the exchange of blades, I found out that Karin rocks black. Louise must never know.

"Impressive."

In a single word, the battle shifts. I had almost forgotten that Karin was a mage overall. While she specialized in Wind, that didn't mean she couldn't blast away with the rock spikes erupting out of the ground, followed by beams of high pressure water. I doubt she'd use Fire though, she absolutely disdains Germanians who love fire.

I let out a Radar Pulse, looking around as I dodge the rock spikes shooting up. Hold on a second, they're…

"Above you, Partner!"

Holy shit that's a giant fucking meteorite she's making—dear God she fucking shattered it to make it rain down at high speeds!

—but it never came.

A white void had swallowed up everything falling from the sky. Explosion...

"Did I make it?!"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

I think I speak for Karin as well, who actually pauses as Louise dismounts her horse and assumes a battle stance next to me, panting like she just sprinted a half mile.

"The hell are you doing here? Ain't this my battle to earn your mother's approval?"

"That would be the case. I'll forgive the intrusion, but this is not where you belong, Louise."

"You're wrong, Mother!"

Louise clenches her fists, gripping tightly onto her wand as she looks up at her mother.

"And you too, Kurt! I'm so tired of it! People telling me who I was supposed to be, what I was supposed to be! I can't even fight my own battles! I couldn't stand up against you then or even now, Kurt had to be the one who had to fight for me! I can be here if I want to, because it's our fight! But I'm tired of running!

"Besides, Kurt's my partner! What kind of partner would I be if I wasn't standing by him here?! Even if he lost here, I'd… I'd throw away even my Vallerie name if it meant fighting in that war!"

Her declaration catches her mother off-guard, Karin wincing at this. I glance over at Louise, who's red in the face and perhaps finally letting all of her pent-up frustration, now backed by the confidence I've helped her find, out into the world.

"I don't need to earn your approval and neither does Kurt! I know he'll never let me get hurt because he promised!"

At that, I stand in front of Louise and assume a defensive stance.

"Then let us put that to the test."

Despite the venom laced in her mother's voice, Louise doesn't buckle.

"You know, Louise, there's not much we can do in terms of non-lethal. Or at least, you."

"I know. But if she didn't have a weapon, you'd be a lot better off, right?" She asks, getting a nod from me. "You remember what happened with that tornado, right?"

"Hell of a long cast."

"You're Gandalfr, right? You'd never let me get hurt."

"Ain't that the truth?"

"Then, I'm trusting you, Kurt. Like how Siesta trusted me to make it in time."

"Heh, so it's both of you fighting here with me, then? I can't exactly back down, now. Let's do it."

One Dispel is all Louise needs to cast for us to win. All I've got to do is stop Karin from knocking Louise out. Here we go. Your faith won't be in vain, either of you, Louise or Siesta!

But regardless, it was already my victory. Louise had thrown away the Rule of Steel, or at least her blind acceptance of it. If there came a time she thought it was right, it would not be because it was ingrained into her from childhood or because she was punished for straying. It was because she chose to believe in it.

And that made all the difference.

Igniting both my desire to protect her and to see Louise become all that she could be, as that little sister I saw her as, I leap into the fray. It's a different style of fighting, fighting defensively, I mean. I'm usually so hard on the offense that I've never had to worry about defending anyone.

Something about it… feels nostalgic.

Ah, that's right. Cynthia was never really on the front lines, but at one point she found herself there in the crossfire. That battle is the one I ever came close to dying back in New Marais, but… I fought like a man possessed, disregarding my own safety. Because I could never let anyone lay a hand on her.

Like a wild beast, I use the only thing I knew how to keep Karin back as the magic from Louise began to flow: force.

Blue and golden meets green, a loud booming sound echoing across the land every time our blades meet. I'm at the point that I'm starting to get impaired vision from how long this has gone on and my injuries don't help with that. I move purely on instinct, the false years of fighting built into me granted by the runes.

Every second drags on. Again and again, we clash. Again and again, I feel my vision getting hazier. Again and again, she slowly pushes me back due to the gap in battle experience between us and an inhumane amount of potential we've each unlocked. I can't even utilize Hyper Accelerated Evolution because if I do, I won't have enough time to evolve to defend Louise.

But even so, she's breaking down, too. That meteor creation must've taken a lot of Willpower out of her because she's resorting to Air Needles and Wind Hammers, much smaller spells. But because I have to defend Louise, I have to take them all, but even then I fail to tank every hit.

However, Louise never wavers. I can hear her words be forced out when she is hit by a stray Air Needle spell, but even then, she continues to hold her wand high, chanting, praying, believing in me. And so, I know that I won't lose.

No matter how close I'm getting to Louise, with Karin pushing me back, she never once opens her eyes. She knows we'll pull through.

With how long it takes, eventually Karin's own willpower runs out, forcing her to fight with only her sword she already created. A vertical slice, parried. A horizontal one, leapt over and countered with a kick to the face to force her back. Our elemental blades clash once again, the winds and electricity scattering dust and dry grass into the storm brewing overhead.

There's no room for words, not even unspoken ones. Karin's face betrays nothing about what she must be feeling. She simply moves forward, knowing that victory means striking her daughter. After all, the Rule of Steel cannot be beaten here. It doesn't allow for mistakes and more importantly, it doesn't allow for learning or thinking.

Both of which Louise is doing. Learning about the world, rather than bringing it all into a narrow view by which she must see everything. Coming to her own conclusions, thinking about what ought to be kept and what ought to be discarded.

In a way, it's parallel to where we once were. Karin had the privilege of her brute strength. Perhaps the Rule of Steel was meant as a limiter to her own power. Something that dictated her every move, so she would not become lost in what could only be described as monstrous. I never quite learned what it meant, but I can at least sympathize just a bit. It's not like I was always a good guy with my power—I did plenty of bad shit before getting looped in with Cynthia.

But it's telling, where we ended up. My ways, taken from clawing my way up after getting kicked out of my house, my own dad nearly killing me, living on the streets with nothing and making plenty of damn mistakes along the way and relearning what it meant to be human… I might've been stronger than most, more powerful than most, but in the end there were still tough opponents who could wipe the floor with me if I was alone.

And in the end, that's the difference between Karin and I. The Rule of Steel is fantastic if you've got the guns to back it up; if you have to look at the world as something inherently fragile because you're just too damn strong for it. It enforces discipline, terror, and fear, using your posture and dedication to your creed as a way to stave off others. Because if anyone were to actually try to fight you… they'd be nothing but a candle in the wind. Karin's mistake was forgetting that not everyone in the world was like her; but I suppose in a way, the Rule of Steel was necessary to protect her family. Teaching it to them ensured that they could use the fear Karin sowed among the world to protect themselves.

She's almost done. The runes say, interrupting my thoughts during the frenzied standoff.

You know this, how?

Gandalfr was born to defend the Master. This chant is nothing new. Of course I would know when it ends.

Alright, let's prep for the finale, then.

As we lock blades, I hold Karin off again, launching an Electromagnetic Shockwave to push her back even further as I brute force our way out of the lock, Louise continuing her chant. Even now, despite the tiredness that is starting to become evident in her strikes, her technique is nearly flawless. One hell of a woman, huh…

Though, it is pretty funny. Louise and I had to claw our way through the world. The Rule of Steel would never fit the likes of us. It's nothing but posturing, leaving something empty even if we practice it. It doesn't leave room for mistakes like the ones we made or the ones we believe we are. It could never work for Louise, who was unique from the start, and before unlocking the secrets of Void, she was viewed as nothing but a failure, a zero. Of course the Rule of Steel would be hollow for her—as her own life couldn't back it up. All she could do was act and pretend it was okay.

And so, when I came into the picture and shattered that illusion, it's no wonder she clung to the idea of thinking for herself. Because her own mind gave her answers that the Rule of Steel couldn't. But most importantly…

...unlike how Karin stands alone…

...Louise has me and several others. Perhaps they don't believe in what Louise believes, but it is in their differences that she can find the answers her own philosophy couldn't answer. Things to learn that she couldn't know before. A group of people whom she can be wrong to… and that will accept her regardless.

Perhaps that's the real weakness in the end. She could lead thousands of men, have the strength of millions, but ultimately in the end, Karin doesn't have a person that will fight at her side. Hundreds of followers, but never a companion.

"But, no matter how weak we are…" I can't help but mumble as I delay Karin's advance again by forcing us into a blade lock. "...we've always got each other."

There's no response to what could be seen as my mad ramblings.

"I wonder—who's running to your side, Duchess?"

Unlike her usual flawless technique, her break out of this lock is filled with raw emotion, using nothing but raw strength. Must've struck a nerve.

"We're not strong like you are, yeah."

Our limbs move, seeking to find the hole in each other's defenses that will either shorten or delay this fight by another second.

"There may even come a day that I fail to protect your daughter. Maybe I'll even lose everything that's precious to me."

Red-orange sparks fly as I block her passage again, digging my heels into the ground as I think about Louise and Siesta, how much I'll give my all for those two.

For the sake of Louise, so that she might grow stronger with every victory she earns and finally be happy with her own life. For the sake of Siesta, so that every day she will keep on smiling and experience true joy every day. For the sake of Cynthia, who believed in me like I believe in them, you won't… get past me!

"But she believes in me. And I believe in her. In her ability to think for herself and to come to a proper conclusion. To seek and understand the truth. To live life justly. I believe that Louise can live the best life she can and that she knows exactly how to live her own damn life, in all of the joys of victory and all of the bitterness of defeats, in all of its glorious triumphs and all of its shitty mistakes. To overcome whatever life can throw on her on her own."

I give a roar as I explosively shove Karin back amidst a hail of electric sparks, my voice full of passion and pride as I ask only one question.

"Do you?!"

The usually silent duchess lets out a war cry as she rushes at me. Instead of waiting for her to meet me, I push forward…

...and just as she swings her blade to punish me for my reckless abandon…

...it vanishes with Louise's cry of "Dispel!".

In an instant, I catch her fist and with a Detonation Blast aiding me, shoot upwards with an uppercut, launching her into the air as lightning courses through me, down from the storm.

The sheer amount of heat from the attack I use triples the pain coursing through me, my body and nerves pleading and begging me to stop. But Louise put this much on the line for me, so I will…!

"Take… THIS! That real strength is not in never falling, but rising every time we do! Defy the storm and her master will come to enforce her will! Master…. SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!"

There was no point trying to avoid it. There was no dodging such an extremely wide attack at point blank range. It would've been far more effective if she was still wearing her armor, but I didn't want to fry her completely. Though, this is still going to hurt.

The sheer amount of electricity discharged comes forth as a blue beam that lit up the blackened skies. I can hear a pained female scream, but due to all of my injuries, I can't sustain it for that long.

I stopped the sheer discharge and almost fell to my knees, but was caught by one pink-haired Louise. Holy shit…

"You dropped this." Louise says, bending down as best as she can without dropping me to pick up Derf. Her knees are shaking, having likely been putting on a brave face this whole time.

"Thanks." I breathlessly force out, commanding myself to stand up straight and grasp onto my sword. Karin's trying to do the same, but sinks to her knees. It's just a contest of endurance, now.

It's perhaps the longest minute of my life before Karin finally succumbs and passes out in utter silence, hitting the ground first. I look to Louise, put on a smile…

...and promptly do the same.


Wew, that was kinda fun to write. Don't expect a remaster for everything, I just wanted to revisit this scene and kind of link it with the "future" scenes that'd happen, such as Louise branching off on her own, so she comes to Kurt's side here.

Plus, I thought it was a little bit of a fun moment for Louise to show up and take the fight to her mother, along with that little 3rd person scene where Siesta buys time for Louise to make it to the battlefield. It feels like, for a moment, Louise, Siesta, and Kurt are all working together to land that final blow.

Maybe I'll remaster another scene or two, probably one with Siesta in it. As fun as it was murdering Siesta (because remember, when I put the poll up asking if you guys wanted her to be a Conduit, I had already decided on her death so that shit was premeditated), it might be fun to either remaster or redo some scenes to include her. But like, the final battle is definitely off the table. That thing is lightning in a bottle like the rest of this story and there's no way in hell I could ever hope to replicate that.

But, if you have any special requests, I'll take them into consideration. Thanks for putting up with me, and I hope you guys are doing all well! And really, seriously, stay safe. There's little more I can offer with words, but I sincerely hope that all of you and all of your friends and family are healthy. Hopefully this chapter was able to, at the very least, entertain you if you needed it. Sorry to get sappy on all of you, but hey, I'm entitled to doing that occasionally.

Until next time, everyone.