"By the blade of destruction, I summon thee at the cost of my soul... Imperial Arms Faker!"
My blade of destruction suddenly exploded into several pieces. However, those pieces floated in the air for a moment, before reforming at the center. Then, they gathered back in my hand in the shape of the bow that Benjamin Morrow wielded.
I aimed it right at Benjamin and drew back an arrow with my hand; the arrow seemed to materialize in place out of the same materials as my blade of destruction. I let go of the string and the arrow flew through the air, making its way towards my target who seemed shocked by what I was doing. As it came close, the arrow seemed to disappear.
But in my vision, I could see what appeared to be several other arrows. They were traveling in an arc towards Benjamin.
'I can... control them with my mind?!?' I thought to myself. I focused on Benjamin and the arrows went flying towards him. He made no effort to dodge them, only raised his arms in defense. And thus, all of the arrows made their mark in his body.
"What?!? Y-You're using my Imperial Arms!" He shouted, blood coming from the wounds I had given him.
I drew back another arrow and fired it at him. This time, he drew his own arrow and launched it back at me. We were both staring intently at each other, concentrating all of our arrows on one another.
My arrows collided with his in midair, and I wasted no time in firing off another volley at him. I was slowly getting used to his weapon.
"You... How insolent, trying to use my own weapon against me!" Benjamin was shouting now, clearly feeling frustrated.
"I'm gonna beat you, Benjamin! My Imperial Arms is far stronger than yours!" I shouted back, launching volley after volley of arrows.
"You're wrong... You're wrong! I am the ultimate fighter! I'm stronger than Esdeath even!"
'Esdeath? Who's that?' I thought to myself at the moment.
I was interrupted as a blast came from behind me. Mine had her gun out and fired it towards Benjamin. "The townspeople have mostly cleared out. So I can start firing now." She said. Her shot was thin, but it made clear contact in Benjamin's arm, causing his firing hand to drop. "Finish him off, (f/n)!"
"Got it!" I drew back the bow once more and fired off arrows towards Benjamin. However, the arrow itself never flew. Instead, the bow exploded into pieces once more before disappearing in the same way that my blades do when I put them away.
"What happened, (f/n)?" Sheele shouted from behind me.
"I'm out of time. My trump card is done." I responded, backing away from Benjamin. "I hate to say it, but we should go..."
Benjamin had recovered from the shot Mine gave him and was slowly reloading his bow. He was struggling, but that wasn't the main issue. Behind him, guards were approaching the scene. This situation felt familiar to when we first fought Seryu.
"We're out of time, you two." I told them. "Let's go." I turned and started to run, most of my frustration fading away now.
"Right. Let's go." Sheele said, turning with Mine and starting to run. I turned as well and began to run, my wounds starting to hurt as the adrenaline began to wear off. I looked back at Benjamin, Seryu, and the guards that were approaching. Benjamin was just as injured as I was, and was really struggling to fire off another arrow volley. Seryu was trying to stop Benjamin as best she could without her arms.
And then, we were gone from the town. On that day, I relearned something very important about myself. Slowly but surely, I was gaining back the emotions that I had lost throughout my long life. I would surely learn more and more as the days went on. Alongside the emotions, I would learn all of the struggles and wonders that came from being human...
***
"...Seryu..." Benjamin Morrows was alone with Seryu in the plaza. We had all long since left. Guards were assisting him with the injuries that he had. "Why didn't you help me during the battle, Seryu?"
"Sir!" She brought up her arm to salute, before forgetting that she had no arms and gaining a slightly defeated expression. "I... I cannot use Koro at the moment. I used his berserker mode in my previous battle with Night Raid, and cannot use him as a result. And I cannot personally assist you, as I am lacking any arms to do so."
Benjamin brought up his hand suddenly and slapped Seryu, shocking the guards around him. "How frustrating your response is, Seryu! I may as well have lost that battle, and it's because I was carrying you around as deadweight! What would your father think of you if he were still alive, brought to this pathetic useless state? What would Ogre think if Night Raid hadn't killed him!"
Tears began to rise up in Seryu's eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry, sir... I'll do better next time."
"You'd better... I need to report this to the emperor. Once I recover, you're coming with me. This loss today wouldn't have happened without you." He said, walking with some guards to receive medical treatment. Seryu, shocked by the harsh words she received, followed by after several moments of shock and hesitation.