Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 224: Arc 4, Act II, - 69: Tussle in the Rainforest
"BLAST!" "FTWHING!" "FWISH!" Four of Arabella’s Royal Guard functioned as marksmen with their rifles, providing cover fire for the other guards charging in with far-reaching halberds.
The panicked rebels aimed back and forth, uncoordinated and reckless in their shots. Arabella swished the ash from her eye, across the barrel of the rifle, slicing the middle off.
Some got up and attempted to get their firearms ready, however the Royal Guard rushing in halted them first, using the blunt ends to bash the rebels’ sides and causing groans to spurt out.
One of the rogue Royal Guards aimed a rifle to the admiral but with a "BASH!" the blade made a chip against the gun and knocked it to the side.
The guard still grasping onto it faced to what had hit it, only to see a wide, deep purple blade "SMASH!" into the side of his head. The armour clanked to the ground with the guard.
Daiyu brought the blade back up with both hands, using the middle of her greatsword to bludgeon. She took a deep breath and grinned.
"It’s the princess!!!" one of the rogue guards exclaimed and aimed her rifle. "Shink! SCREEECH!" Fumeko carved into the guard’s armour and sliced across the back, "GAAH!!" causing her to blank out before Fumeko kicked the back of her knees to the ground.
Fumeko blinked back into the greens. About twenty or so rebels were immediately subdued by the Royal Guard. Ten or so clustered in a circle, keeping their muskets and rifles at the ready.
Within their circle appeared, paw by paw and with a low growl a panther "ROAR!!!"-ed. The group jumped and recoiled away, scattering like roaches.
"Panthers don’t roar Asobi!" Hotaru yelled from the shrubs.
"Got it!" an invisible voice replied. "MEOW!!!" The panther shifted tone.
"Who cares!?" the brunette’s voice travelled.
Jotou rolled her eyes; if anyone could see her eyes that is. The blonde rushed into the middle of those who fled, the spark of her blade could not remain invisible as she spun forth.
She kept her knees low and slashed the back of their legs while they panicked more. Eight fell and the spark dissipated to leave thin air in its place.
To her right she spotted shots being fired by a rogue guard, now aiming to Daiyu. Jotou slid forward into a roll... The leaves and dirt stuck to her as she couldn’t quite roll into a ball and instead rolled sideways till she got close to him.
She grabbed the metal of his armour and "Zap."
"GHHH!!!" his arms twitched and teeth rattled before he fell to the floor, breathing in quick pants.
Jotou could see the leaves and nature stuck in her invisible blonde hair... ’Needs work.’ Luckily no one could see that roll.
Arabella’s sabre plus two of her ash-like blades corralled most of the rebels inwards, leaving six or so more adept fighters left in the fight to defend themselves; instead they decided to flee into the rainforest.
Fumeko blinked to one, slicing up the thigh. To another and nearly the same injury, then another, then another; dropping them like flies to a swatter.
Hotaru saw one fleeing her way and stuck her leg out. The rebel squinted and hopped over. "Hey!" Hotaru’s ears and tail spiked. A shadow formed and a dagger stabbed into the right leg.
"AH!" the last rebel fell and "Thump!" was concussed by the tree roots sticking out.
"Slowpoke~" Fumeko smiled back. Hotaru folded her arms and gave a tight-lipped frown.
Daiyu swung the two-handed blade to a Royal Guard that was trained on her. "BLAST!" "Tr...DFFT!" The guard shot her in the torso; the bullet ripped past her clothing.
However, a layer of brown rocks covered her skin, deflecting the bullet just as it was about to penetrate her skin. "CLUNG!" Daiyu bashed her sword to the side of the guard.
"HaAH!" she staggered back from the impact to her helmet. "CLANG!" Daiyu brought the edge of the blade to the side of her breastplate and cleaved slightly into the metal.
The rogue guard, with what remaining strength left turned and attempted to run. "Upheaval!" Daiyu stomped her foot down and the ground beneath the guard...
"SHRUCK!" Part of the ground around the guard shot up in a platform, launching her into the air. The small mass of land with ripped tree roots and shrubs floated for but a couple of seconds.
"DUFF!" It fell back to where the earth had been displaced, like nothing had been disturbed; except the tree roots and the mild cracks around where Daiyu lifted the earth.
The guard propelled up followed the momentum back down. "CLANG! THUD!" She fell onto the rainforest floor with a loud groan.
Daiyu walked over while the rest gathered and arrested the rebellion. She crouched down and lifted the head of the guard, dark brown hair and brown skin with dark eyes. "’Jinny’ I presume?"
’Jinny’ wheezed and coughed, spitting out blood onto the ground. What remained in her mouth, she scowled to the princess and spat crimson.
Daiyu sided her head to the side, the blood landing behind her. "Seen that move one too many times," she gave a half-cocked glare.
Fumeko blinked over and put a foot onto the guard’s back, "Answer, or else..." she let the Sun gleam off her dagger into Rajina’s eye.
"...Pretender. ...Bastard. You don’t deserve the crown..." she sneered.
Daiyu’s expression barely shifted, "What makes you so sure...? Have you met the rest of the council? It’s filled with asshats running the country; and somehow ’me having amnesia’ warranted all this?"
"Amnesia... You even lie to yourself now?" Rajina’s nose crumpled.
"Whether or not that’s the case, it’s not the point," Fumeko pressed her foot down. Although, her strength did not make it that much of a difference.
"Why are so many people hellbent on ending me? I seriously don’t get it. Is it just fun to start rebellions? Scratch that, it probably is."
"You’re not wrong."
"Thanks Fumes~"
"Just kill me already!"
"Who the fuck do you take me for?" Daiyu shifted back with a glare. "Some sorta tyrant? What did I do, huh? ’Pretend’? How did I make your life worse huh? Answer me!" she yanked the head further back.
"...You’re not the rightful heir... You’re some other person from another world; the princess is dead; the monarch is dead. You bring nothing good and ever since you arrived the council’s been in chaos."
"Chaos people like you made," Daiyu retorted. The rebellion was rounded up. Much of them were in their late twenties to early forties; one or two much older among them.
All of them sported frowns and scowls, some gulped in worry, their hearts beating quicker. Fumeko narrowed her gaze, "It’s not like everything was fine with the council before.
I doubt all the shady shit that’s been going on only happened after Daiyu came around. And because she’s here, all the corruption’s just been brought out.
Of course it seems like chaos when you untangle so many webs. You should be thanking her for revealing all the crap that’s been going around right under your noses; and me, thank me too."
Daiyu looked to Fumeko, batting her eyes... "Yeah, of course I can’t make things better till I get rid of all the bullshit in the system. Call me what you want, but I’m doing what’s best for Cravolta.
Over half the council never gave me a chance, how did you expect things to be better? How can I bring anything good? Well, I ain’t walking on eggshells no more," she let go of her head as it planted into the dirt.
"Need some help?" Jotou walked over.
"Take this one too, it’s Jinny," Fumeko took her foot off.
"Nice work detective, you too."
Daiyu crossed her arms and glanced around for the sheath she threw somewhere... "Wasn’t the fight I was hoping for," she sighed, sticking the tip of the blade into the ground to lean on.
"You expected better of some slapdash rebellion who can barely aim guns?" the blonde sheathed her sword.
"Eh, nice to get out at least. It’s a nice picnic spot," Daiyu glanced to the treeline.
"With that thing around?" Fumeko pointed to the illusory panther dancing with its hind legs; with its front legs crossed above its chest, it gave an open-mouthed smile.
"It can probably scare predators away."
"Yeah, in confusion instead of fear."
"Well," the blonde crouched down to pick up the guard. Jinny got up and huffed, not giving much of a struggle as Jotou pushed her along. "You have things to do princess. I think you can start trying to make things better~"
"Eavesdropper," Daiyu half-closed her right eye. Jotou stuck her tongue out and gave a wink. Daiyu stuck her tongue out in response whilst she walked away.
"Hey Fumes?" Daiyu raised her chin.
"I’m not looking for your sheath."
"No dumbass," the princess’s eyes softened, "Thanks, for sayin’ that stuff."
"Hmph," her hands went to her hips, a half-cocked smirk painting itself across her face. "I accept payments in armite, thank you."
Daiyu shook her head and gave a light punch to her shoulder. "Ow," Fumeko rubbed; as ’light’ as Daiyu could go. "Wait. One, two..." Fumeko looked to her right, to where the rebellion was being gathered. She squinted, "We’re missing a rogue Royal Guard."
"I’m sure Ara and the Royal Guard can find the last one. I’ll tell ’em to get right on it."
From behind a trunk, from the greenery a barrel exposed itself. It followed a purple-haired woman with a tiara. A finger began pressing down on the trigger.
...
No blast fired, instead, "Huh! Ha!" the gun dropped from the last rogue guard’s grasp. The guard winced and everyone in the vicinity swivelled to find the sound.
Two claws of shadow swiped across the guard’s face drawing sanguine fluid from his cheeks and nose. One hand—where shadows formed into a claw—grabbed the left side of his face.
The other grabbed the front of his neck from behind and the shadows pierced the skin. The guard grunted and took deeper breaths, trying to wriggle free, hands grappling onto the arms around him.
His skin went paler by the second, his face sagging in spots with dark circles beginning to form. His arms grew limper and limper till his legs could not hold on any longer.
"Thud." "Rustle..." The guard fell. "There is always one who tries to be clever," the shadows retracted from Feyan’s hands. He dusted them off and looked up.
Daiyu’s lips curled, "Nice work Feyan. We really should spar," she lifted the great sword.
"Uhm..." Feyan could already feel his bones ache, despite the spell giving him vigour. "I hate to refuse the chance my lady... but-"
"Great."
"Oh no..."
"Back to the palace then?" Hotaru still concentrated on the protective aura around them. Arabella tasked the Royal Guard to check the perimeter before she nodded to Hotaru.
