Life Within Truth

Clash of Honoured Blades

     The Sentinel slowly rises from the sand and steps into the ocean, forming deep and heavy footprints in the sand as the water aggressively splatters upon his armour. He reaches under his coat near his back, and pulls out a flawless steel cylinder painted jet-black, just like the rest of his armour.

"This canister used to hold the ashes of the last one hundred soldiers that were under my command. They asked me to release the ashes upon the highest peak in Liyue. And so I did on my own. Without order. It was my last promise to them when they were still alive, and now I have promised them I will be with them again. You do not make promises if you know you cannot keep them."

His large armoured hands rigidly crawl their way across the canister's surface before his fingers grip the container and sheath it under the layers of armour and cloth.

"Nothing lasts forever... Neither will you?"

"Nothing will and nothing has. The unwavering eternity Raiden Ei seeks is bound to break, but as long as she can stave off erosion, I will serve her order for eternity as far as I can."

Chronos summons Time's Conflux by his side before slamming it into the water and sand, flicking up a jet of water.

"Kaedehara Kazuha, excuse this formal address, but I believe it to be necessary for this request; may we cross blades?"

The samurai abruptly looks towards his friend tilting his head off to the side as the noon sun slowly drifts into the afternoon.

"A duel?" he replies, quickly pushing himself off the sand and drawing his own blade, "I would be honoured."

"Likewise," Chronos returns, snapping his stance to face Kazuha, "Let us begin."

A burst of elemental energy explodes out of their blades as they bolt to each other like strikes of lighting. Blinding Electro energy surrounds the polearm as cascading Anemo winds caress the blade. Edges strike edges, grinding against each other and wailing like knives across bone before both leap back with a blast of energy.

Without a pause, Chronos blips through a portal for a mere second, then suddenly reappears behind Kazuha. The samurai spins around as fast as a hurricane, slamming his blade against the pole of Chronos, and pushing against it as far as his body allows. An instantaneous burst of force rushes into Kazuha's body, allowing him to shove Chronos a fair distance away for an escape.

"Fallen leaves... adorn my might!" he shouts as surging gales of Anemo pour into his sword, slashing a wide area around him with thick gales. The blast was foreseen by Chronos, who had quickly teleported just outside of the blade's reach. The nearby sea water is dragged into Kazuha's tornado, Swirling a thick wash of water every so often.

"Into the wind," he whispers, dragging in a heavy vacuum of air and miscellaneous objects as light flora bows to his currents of air while leaping high into the sky. A moment later, he descends with the force of sharp gusts of wind, forming an ever-stronger vacuum of wind.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Chronos reappears mere inches from Kazuha's face with a crackling portal of Electro behind him. Kazuha bolts out of his way just before a terrifying split-blade spear falls right where his right arm would've been and quickly raises his blade to confront the spear.

Metal grinds on metal as both men attempt to push into the other, churning as much strength as possible through their bodies and Visions. A second later, Chronos drops all of his strength at once and leaps backwards, staggering Kazuha just for a moment, and in that window of opportunity, the towering soldier performs an elegant yet aggressive uppercut in the form of a crescent sweep similar to the moon.

The powerful strike sends Kazuha's blade sky-high, almost disappearing into the sun, as Chronos lowers his spear and slowly turns his gaze back to Kazuha.

"You fight as if your blade is an extension of you," he muses, catching the falling blade without even looking by its handle and handing it back to its owner, "Thank you for this duel."

"Even without using your Vision fully, your combat power is unparalleled," Kazuha replies humbly, slightly out of breath while he sheathes his sword.

"Thank you as well. It's as if you knew exactly what I was going to do."

"Unrelenting combat will sharpen your mind against all situations," Chronos says in response, "Now... how did I receive this Vision..." he murmurs, pressing the amulet almost embedded into his armour.

"Beats me. Perhaps the Shogun knows?"

"Good point. I will head to Tenshukaku now. Thank you for this time."

"Thank you, too."

"For what?"

"For being what and who you are."

"Thank you, friend."

A warm smile slowly forms on Kazuha's face as he sends his friend off towards Inazuma City. Chronos fires off a stiff salute to him before vanishing through a portal of shimmering Electro energy, disappearing as if he was never there to begin with.