[Chapter 40 part 3] Light – Shine Balladeer

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When Light came to, his first thought was ‘what a magnificent defeat’. He’d battled to his fullest and had no regrets. I was right: ninjas are cool. He gripped Mockery fondly and rose to his feet. The short sword was amazing. If only I’d had time to properly master it… The din around him was deafening, the crowd wilder than he’d ever seen. Evening fights are special.

“WATER TRIUMPHS OVER SAND! WHAT A MATCH! SO MANY CLONES! LIGHT DISPLAYED SKILLS WE NEVER KNEW HE HAD. THE VICTOR WAS UNCLEAR UNTIL THE VERY END!”

Waving to the stand, Kaito and Light exited stage, sounds of adulation echoing behind. In the post-fight waiting room, Kaito spoke first, “Those were some astounding clones. So realistic. Honestly, I’m jealous.”

“You too.” Light answered. “That last attack was so vicious and overwhelming I lost consciousness before I could use a substitution.”

“So you really can use it…” Kaito laughed. “Halfway through, I began treating you as someone from Harakoune. I subconsciously assumed you possessed the skill, so I let loose a technique designed to counter it.”

This bit caught Light’s attention, “What do you mean?”

Kaito looked at him curiously, “A key part of a substitution is the flourish. That’s to say, the collapsing after-shadow left behind. If this is obscured, then teleporting away is impossible. Avalanche-type skills, which engulf the body, are a solid counter.”

I wasn’t aware of that… He was fascinating. It’s the knowledge I’ve always craved.

“Is your ninjutsu self-taught?” Kaito asked. When Light nodded, he offered praise. “Then you’ve done an outstanding job. Your abilities rival a native…”

Suppressing exhilaration, Light voiced a pressing concern, “That was spell circle at the end. I didn’t know ninjas used such techniques…”

Kaito smiled under his mask, “A real ninja will use every tool at his disposal. You should know this.”

Light was aghast as his flawed understanding was exposed. If spell circles had existed in that fictional world, then of course ninjas would’ve used them. I must broaden my thinking.

“I hope you’ll put more effort into remembering the magecraft I taught you.” Emelia teased coyly from behind. Oh, I will. He’d also look into Hope’s firearms and explosives. Never again will I ignore something because it doesn’t exist in the novels.

“Say, can you join me in the skybox for a bit?” Emelia asked. Not now… His mind raced for a way to refuse. However, before he could speak, Emelia dropped a bombshell. “Kaito has already agreed to meet you tomorrow morning. You can discuss leisurely then, so follow please.”

Kaito nodded, “I was curious about you too. Now I must rejoin my teammates. You should go with Vanes——.” The ninja tensed briefly. “——with Emelia.” He knows who she is!

Trailing Emelia, Light pondered. She must have spoken with him before, but when did she manage that? She’d been with him all day. Was it while I met Agata? Besides, how does she know him? He noticed something else off, “This is the wrong way…”

“That’s because——” Emelia pressed an elevator button. “——we’re going to a different skybox.”

“Are you planning on explaining anytime soon?” Light asked as they rose.

“Eventually.” Emelia smiled. “Let’s get comfortable.”

The space was similar to Lily’s except there were pictures of Barsal immortals on the walls. Emelia plopped herself on a front row seat and invited him to join.

“Does your family own this?” He asked.

“I wish! Even we aren’t that rich” Emelia laughed. “No, it belongs to the Embassy. I just reserved it for the day.” That’s still fairly aristocratic.

“Did you enjoy your match?” Emelia wondered mischievously.

Ahhh, I get it. Her tone made everything clear, “You set up the match against Kaito Maedasa. I never considered coliseum matches could be rigged…” A thought crossed his mind. “Did you also arrange for Kaito to be here? He obviously knew you.”

“Yes, I’m the one who made it happen.” Emelia preened. “As for the match-ups… You should know the HEAVENLY DAO goes along with suggestions when presented right. The Barsal ambassador is on close terms with Liane Alorn, the agent who oversees Enera’s coliseums. With his guidance, I submitted a petition which, to my delight, was accepted.”

Light shook his head, “You did all this to introduce me to a Harakoune ninja?”

Here, Emelia suddenly grew skittish, “It wasn’t entirely for you… That was sort of a bonus…”

Bonus? Light gave up guessing and waited for the girl to come clean. His silence seemed to wear on her. Soon, Emelia confessed, “I did it to bring Shine Balladeer to the Isle…”

Balladeer… Wasn’t that Kaito’s teammate? “Why?” Light asked.

“Wow, you really tuned out everything this morning, huh?” Emelia chuckled. “Shine Balladeer is Dawn’s opponent in the next match. It’s my small dose of payback.”

Now it falls into place. “You believe my sister will lose?”

“I’ll feel really dumb if she doesn’t,” Emelia faced the arena. “Let’s watch and see.”

“IN THE WEST CORNER, SHINE BALLADEER OF TALVI. THIS FAMOUS IDOL LEADS THE MINSTREL, AN A RANK ADVENTURING TEAM. BY THE SOUND OF IT, MANY OF HER FANS HAVE JOINED US TONIGHT. I’M SURE EVERYONE IS EAGERLY AWAITING HER ‘RADIANT MASQUERADE’.”

A tall, athletic young woman jaunted into view. She wore a stylized costume of silver and white, appearing more stage performer than gladiator.

During Dawn’s introduction, Light leaned towards Emelia, “I admit not listening. What did Wise say about her?”

“She’s a strong martial artist with an affinity for light.” Emelia teased. “As for the rest, you’ll have to see.” Damn.

“READY?”

Conjuring an ivory Carnival mask, Shine theatrically placed it over her face. A sparkling aura flowed down her blond hair and spread to her body. It gives her the ethereal appearance of fairy. The audience loved this. He could hear thousands of feet stomping to some primal beat. Dawn loses in showmanship and popularity, if nothing else.

“BEGIN!”

Mirroring Kaito’s strategy, Shine sped forwards while splitting in three. That’s some confidence. Restricted from ice, Dawn relied heavily on martial arts to carry her to victory, so opponents normally kept their distance.

Dawn stood her ground. When the two clashed, Light realize something was off. All her copies can attack? When he and Kaito had created clones, they were merely skillful illusions. Here, the three Shines were assaulting Dawn in quick succession. How in the world?

Baffled at the sight, Light noticed another inconsistency. Every time Dawn landed a strike, the dancing figure would disappear in a scattering of color, only to be replaced seconds later. Despite dozens of hits, the real Shine had yet to receive a blow. Impossible.

“What’s this?” Light demanded. He was essentially witnessing Dawn barely withstand a three on one fight. “Please explain.”

Emelia showed mercy, “Shine Balladeer started out as a singer and pop idol. Her major selling point was her solo choreographed dance routines in which she duplicated herself with light magic. At first, her clones were just transparent outlines, but they grew more tangible with time. When she coated her true body in a brilliant glow, the audience could no longer tell the difference. It became a game of sorts to track the real Shine among the false.”

“Shine made a splash when she began participating in matches. Talvi borders Harakoune, and her proficiency with clones put ninjas to shame. As her strength and fame grew, she added more and more copies of herself. Finally, three years ago, she debuted a song featuring a nine person routine. You should appreciate how amazing this was.”

Indeed. Even with mockery, it was challenging to control two. Manipulating nine… How is that even possible?

“That concert became something of a legend. What happened next should be obvious.”

“She gained a Sublime Vagary…” Light stated. No wonder…

“Even if you know its coming, it’s still a pain.” Emelia admitted. “Shine can chose which version of herself is real at will.” So that’s why only one clone attacks at a time.

Just then, Dawn released a blinding flash, knocking her opponent off-balance. She then defeated two in quick succession. Pursuing the third, she landed several solid strikes before Shine divided again.

“She did damage there.” Light noted. Perhaps her situation isn’t hopeless.

Emelia shook her head, “Those two clones are only a passive manifestation of her Sublime Vagary. She hasn’t spoken its name.”

Shine scattered her copies. Once she’d gained space, she dispelled the magic, revealing her true self. She raised her fist, gripping a sparkling ball of power, and screamed, “Are you ready?”

As the crowd shrieked in anticipation, the blazing light coalesced into a white feathered musketeer hat. Donning the item, she shouted, “’Radiant——” She then spun sideways while replicating herself. With each rotation, she adopted a new pose and left another after-image. Once nine identical divas stood side by side, they cried in unison, “——Masquerade’!”

Before the spectacle, Light murmured, “Don’t tell me…”

“That every one of them is the real Shine Balladeer? That’s exactly the case.” Emelia confirmed. “It’s ridiculously overpowered. No one but a saint or an immortal can defeat her.” Sounds as if she’s speaking from experience.

The matched ended fairly quickly. Even Dawn couldn’t win a nine to one battle against someone of Shine’s caliber. She did well in taking out two.

Light watched Dawn exit, her face a picture of discontent, “Satisfied now?”

“Yes, I believe I am.” Emelia slunk in her seat, stretching. “I owe her five, but I’ll settle with one. I’m out of time anyway…”

Out of time… “Is the Barsal Empire calling you back?” Light had anticipated this.

“Rather, it’s my family. Between Kain’s arm and Lily’s grudge match with the Northern Emperor, the situation has turned too dire for them to stomach. Mother in particular has been begging me to return. The last twenty four hours pushed these concerns to a feverish pitch. Seeing the writing on the wall, I leveraged their desperation to setup this evening. In exchange, I promised to warp back.”

I see. His young instructor had helped him greatly over the last few days. His foundations had been solidified, and he knew what to work on. He’d also gotten used to Emelia ——No, Vanessa’s—— boisterous presence. The Isle would feel empty without her.

“Cheer up, it’s not like we’ll never meet again.” Vanessa rose to her feet. “Besides, if the council votes against Lily, it might be quite soon.”

“I pray it doesn’t come to that.” Light replied flatly. Your occasional lack of tact won’t be missed.

On the elevator down, Vanessa peered at him intently, “Tell me the truth, there’s someone you like isn’t there?”

“How’d you know?” Light had made great efforts to keep away from Hope. I can’t believe I was seen through that easily.

“Well, we’ve spent nearly a week together, and you aren’t madly in love with me.“ Venessa explained. “That was the only explanation I could think of.” What self-assured arrogance… He could only marvel at it.

“I guess this is goodbye.” Vanessa said once they exited.

Light bowed, “Thank you for everything.”

With a nod and a wave, the golden ninja walked away, and Vanessa Goldstone left the Isle.