Regicide

"I don't trust her."

Shini glances over at Wentea but she doesn't acknowledge the statement for a couple reasons. One, she doesn't like the Starlit Dynast and has little desire to converse with her. Two, Shini doesn't want to undermine her sister Itami and acknowledge that she also doesn't trust BLADE GUILLOTINE. This is literally insane. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, right? By that definition Itami's actions are basically insane. BLADE GUILLOTINE is going to betray them. Or at the very least, beat them all up whilst dropping pithy lines that somehow sting more than the bruises. Not that Shini is going to complain. Keeping Itami happy is her number two priority.

"Maintain your guard and be sure to survive.
Your greatest foe still has yet to arrive."

Stars, she hates it when BLADE does that.

The severed arena where the Starlit 7th has been fighting is littered with shining crystal fragments and diamond dust. The team has destroyed dozens of Crystallines in hopes of forcing out the last three Zodiarcals. Czar noticed the pattern of the Zodiarcals and came to the conclusion that there were only three more foes they needed to face: the Boar Zodiarcal, the Horse Zodiarcal, and the Dragon Zodiarcal.

So here they are. Actually storming the enemy base and doing their best to bait out the last three Zodiarcals to finish this once and for all. Fortunately between their Starlight Blessings and the completely unexpected assistance of BLADE GUILLOTINE, the Abyss-Gorger and the Solar Flare are slain, their starbrights absorbed into herself, the Starlit Sultana and the team sniper Starlit Rex. Every member of the team thus far had empowered their cores by absorbing a Zodiarcal starbright, that distilled quintessence Zodiarcals left behind after being vanquished that somehow made them stronger. Every member actually now had two starbrights in their cores, save Mikado who only had the one and Empress who didn't have any. Yet.

It made complete sense. Empress was perfect and the leader, so the starbright for her must be the one from the leader of the Zodiarcals. And what better foe than a dragon. It's noble and elegant just like Itami was noble and elegant, so of course the most wonderful starbright would be for the most wonderful Starlit.

Yes.

A roar cracks the air like thunder. The dragon has arrived. A hideously majestic beast of shimmering crystal scales and cold precision.

Reality shifts. No longer are the Runic Knights in a destroyed wasteland, but mirrored salt flats. And before them is the dragon.

The humidity clots the air instantly, turning it into a heavy, suffocating shroud that Sultana can feel in her very lungs. Shini tightens her grip on Sanctum Majestra, her mind flickering back to Itami's questionable alliance. She doesn't trust the figure standing on the periphery, but there is no time for doubt. The mirrored ground beneath her boots ripples impossibly as Longwang dives into the salt, vanishing into the reflection only to erupt in a towering tsunami of brine and jagged crystal.

"Stars, Reign Down!" Itami's voice rings out with imperial authority, the Auroral Throneblade gleaming against the white expanse. The team moves as one.

The battle is a desperate, grinding nightmare. Pasha screams through the air as Rex keeps pace on the ground, their projectiles a constant, flickering rain that seems to do little more than irritate the mile-long Sovereign. Czar and Mikado are blurs of steel, dancing between the dragon's crystalline claws, while Dynast attempts to anchor the shifting reality of the flats. Sultana's shield, Sanctum Majestra, rings with the force of a thousand strikes, her vitality burning away as she intercepts blow after blow meant for her team.

Hours pass, or perhaps seconds; time has no meaning in the salt-blindness. The team is flagging, their movements heavy and ragged. They have fought to a standstill, a hollow draw that has left them trembling and drained. Longwang prepares for a final, crushing surge, its roar summoning hurricanes to finish the exhausted Starlit 7th.

Then, the air turns cold, sharper than the salt.

BLADE GUILLOTINE moves. It isn't a struggle; it's a conclusion. In a single, effortless motion that defies the dragon's absolute rule, she strikes. A silver flash severs the sky from the sea. The mile-long neck of the Infinite Sovereign is parted with terrifying ease. As the massive head falls, the salt flats begin to shatter, the dragon's imperial authority undone by a single swipe of blade.

The team is back at the wastes. BLADE is holding Itami's starbright. Frustrating.

"The time has come for you to finally see,
The great foe you must face is none but ME."

The rest of the team slumps. They just went through hell fighting a freaking DRAGON and now BLADE wants to spar? The team gets in a weary formation to humor their rival-turned-ally. Then it clicks into place for Shini.

BLADE isn't looking to spar. You don't release that much bloodlust and killing intent when you want to spar. And if there's one thing Shini knows, it's blood.

She's drained already, but keeping Itami safe is her number one priority. She activates her Starlit Blessing and just barely teleports in front of Itami to intercept what would almost certainly be a killing strike. Even so, the force of the blow sends her spiraling backwards with terrible speed, skipping across the ground in a boneless heap. It's enough to make the others realize BLADE is playing for keeps.

It's not even a fight.

BLADE doesn't do them the respect of using her weapon. She throws and uses body blows and dismantles the team without any effort at all. Then she drags their limp forms and props them up so they can see what she's doing. She has the starbright. Itami's starbright. And she holds it up above her head. A beam of light shoots into the sky and the sky tears open. There's a hole in the sky. And they are countless calamities of Crystalline visible on the other side of the hole.

"You all are too weak. Find someone who can make you strong."

BLADE seems disgusted with the team. She vanishes.

The proximity alerts for Crystalline emergents are going off like crazy. They might die here. Fortunately, they were in such a weakened state that Starlit Alpha would definitely get dispatched to rescue them. Pity he couldn't take care of BLADE too.

The worst part of this whole mess? Wentea was right.