She crushes into a tree and falling to the ground. Tamia punting excessively looks at the direction she just came from.
She picks herself up. All in her mind is weather Nero is safe or not. She runs to his direction, however Lia is already standing in front of her with a fist ready to be let go.
She tries to block but is to slow for Lia. Lia's punch sends her packing to the same tree as before.
"It would be nice to go after Nero, but after what I saw I have realized I don't stand a chance against him." Lia says standing in a fighting stance.
"So I will allow that girl to weaken him further and then strike. For now I just have to beat you again."
Tamia stands up holding her back. She turns to the tree and back to Lia.
"Why?" Tamia adds, "Why are you guys after us? From the beginning you guys have been hovering around us like bees. So tell me why?"
Lia stares at her like starring at an insect.
"I don't know for Kazuki and the Prince. For me personally, I just want to get revenge for what you did to Victus and his brothers."
"Who?"
"Don't you worry. I will make you remember them." Lia dashes. "Just to let you know I won't be holding back."
She does the Rin, Hei, Toh, Kai, Jin, Restu and Zai hand sign.
[DEMONIC ABILITY: KAGE NO IDŌ 2 SUTEPPU]
Lia dissappears - reappearing- disappearing - reappearing and five consecutive shots land on Tamia's abdomen. Tamia bends down, receiving an elbow on the back of the head.
"Have you become weak since the last time we fought."
Lia backstabs and proceeding to do her stance. A few seconds pass. Tamia begins to raise from the ground and like Lia expected she is filled with anger.
"I was correct after all." With a devilish smile. "You know how to use the Zai hand sign."
"What'chu expect. Am a Hein after all."
Tamia does the Rin,Height, Toh, Kai, Jin, Restu and Zai hand sign.
[DEMONIC ABILITY: TESTU NO BODI]
"For the first time in a while I can finally let loose without a care of being found out."
Silence fall over the two girls. Wind rattles the nearby bushes and with the sound of that they rush towards each other like two fierce animals.
Lia throws a punch, surprisingly Tamia welcomes it. It lands on her face and seemingly there is no damage on Tamia.
Who body shots Lia directly to a tree. Lia coughs out spit before falling to the ground.
"It seems my passive ability is strong after all." Laughs hysterically.
She turns and walks away, however Lia using a tree to get up says.
"You must be an idiot huh. Repeating the same mistake as last time."
[DEMONIC ABILITY: KAGE NO UGOKI 5 DANKAI]
Similar to the beginning, Lia is somehow standing in front of Tamia.
"That won't work."
Unfortunately it does. Tamia evades the initial punch, but is caught by Lia's sweep.
Tamia lands on the ground with her back. A barrage of fists follow suit.
"As I said that won't work."
Tamai grabs one of Lia's arm stopping the barrage and flipping Lia over her. She let's go of it, standing up using her legs.
She turns and like trying to step on a bug, Tamia continously stomps on Lia who evades each stomp before…
[DEMONIC ABILITY: KAGE NO UGOKI]
She dissappears from Tamia's eyesight and stands behind her using a horse stance and slams her shoulder on Tamia's back who easily stands still.
She turns and her fist swings like she's throwing a disc which connects on Lia's chest leaving her to fly to yet another tree.
Holding her chest blood burst out of her mouth.
"I finally understand your ability." She laughs. "You move in the shadows or would it better to say you teleport using shadows. No wonder I was never able to keep up with your speed using my eyes."
She marches towards Lia and holds her pony tail.
"Now that won't work anymore. So Hein, any last words."
Lia stares into her eyes.
"Do you remember Victus?"
"No."
Tamia hurls a her fist like a rock, though Lia uses the split second before the punch can land and dissappears.
"You're not the only one who has figured something out you know."
Tamia leaps away from her and her lips stretches to her ears.
"Is that so." Tamia proceeds to lunge towards her.
Ever since Tamia did the Zai hand sign, Lia has noticed that no matter how hard she punches Tamia - it somehow does no damage to her. As if she's punching steel.
The opposite however seems to be happening. Similar to the tournament, Tamia's attacks are way more dangerous than any normal punches even more than a ninja who uses the Kai hand sign.
The wind grazes her cheeks. Lia side-steps, somehow Tamia is able to grab on to her clothes. She pulls Lia towards her ready to make the punch she miss connect.
In one swift moment Lia is able to grip Tamia's wrist with her hands, twisting it like a rope and delivers an elbow directly on Tamia's nose.
Wasting no time, Lia leaps to the sky - going in between Tamia's legs - flipping her around and smashes her back once more to the ground as if bouncing a ball.
Lia let's go of her arm and moves a fewsteps breathless.
"I understand now." Her breath returning to normal. "You're ability allows you to turn your body into an unbreakable steel. On paper me and you are definitely a bad match."
"For the first time we are on the same page." Tamia picks herself up. "Since you know you don't stand a chance against me I…"
A red liquid drips on to the ground again and again. Tamia lifts her hand to her nose.
All along this red liquid was her blood. How? She does not know, even so she should still be indestructible. Tamai scrubs her nose.
"Tell me how?" Her voice filled with frustration.
"I told you we are a bad match." Lia grinning. "You're indestructibility is your weakness. All I have to do is… I won't tell." Letting out a burst of laughter.
Lia falls to one knee. She hears a song of bones singing inside her body. Another knee collapses on to the ground forcing Lia to crawl up like a baby.
"Hahaha!" Tamia adds, "I have been wondering how come you're still standing after all my attacks. Seems am the one who was right."
"Arghhh!" Her scream echoing through the forest.
"Looks like you're confused. Let me explain to you." Etching closer to Lia. "My DEMONIC ABILITY allows me to be as strong as steel. Meaning everytime I punch you with full force I can crush some of your bones."
A joyful smile replaces the anger in her eyes. She again grabs a hold of Lia's ponytail.
"Once again. Any last words Hein and don't mention Victus. Speaking of which that name does sound familiar."
Tamia notices Lia's lips moving, but she is unable to hear what she is saying. She bends down thinking she will hear better that way since it makes sense she can not project sound.
'After all I punched her lunges with her bones. '
Yet even bending closer she can not understand what Lia's saying.
"Speak up!"
Pulling her ponytail which reveals an irate expression.
"I said to give it to me dammit! I don't care about the consequences anymore! Just like she did for me, I will leave the rest up to them! So give me the power to make her pay!"
In a blink of an eye Lia disappears from the grasp of Tamia. Stunned by this she leaps upwards starring down at her shadow.
Dropping to the ground she readies her fist and awaiting Lia to come out of her shadow.
"He had a gently voice, though his brothers were irritating he was kind." She adds with a shallow voice, "So kind that he welcomed anyone who entered the tower. Yet you guys killed him for it."
"If she was there with me. I know she would have acted right there to stop you guys from butchering those three."
Tamia turns her head left, right, up and down. Each turn her breath becomes stagnet. She ask herself what Lia is talking about.
'Who is this "Victus" person?' Wondering to himself. 'Is it her brother? Or a lover? She keeps mentioning her as if am suppose to know him.'
[DEMONIC ABILITY: SHADŌMŪBUMENTO KYŪKYOKU SUKIRU TO~URŪSHADOU]
Every hair in her body rises, her eyes growing bigger that she can feel herself expanding from inside like a balloon and she explodes from that feeling. Leaving her blood gushing everywhere.
However, before her terrible end a flashback of that day came to her. Specifically the face of Victus greeting them.
On the other hand Lia is laying on where Tamia's shadow once stood - covered in blood. A flow of water drips from one of her eyes.
"It seems I failed another person again. *Sniffs*. Am sorry Victus. I couldn't make her say sorry to you."
An image of the two boys appear on her mind. With the boys giving her a grateful smile.
"Though our time was short. You guys somehow became one of my closest friends and I wish you two luck with your future. "
She closes her eyes and is soon swallowed by darkness.
At the same time, Sonya's hand is clenching around Nero's neck.
"This is for my mother!"
"Who?" Nero ask with a mischievous grin.
Sonya tightness her hand, her teeth gritted together like two ropes knotted together and her eyes glowing with rage.
TBC.
NEXT CHAPTER: PRELUDE 30