A few minutes earlier.
Sonya raises her arms, one shorter than the other and both pointing directly to Nero.
"What's wrong?" Sonya continues, "I thought you couldn't wait to fight me."
Like starring at a blank page, Nero does the Rin, Hei, Toh and Kai hand sign. He immediately runs to her direction.
Sonya shocked by how fast Nero is - she does the Rin and Hei hand sign, but is to slow to complete the sequence she wanted. Nero uses her slowness to his advantage to blitz her with a fierce elbow followed by a punch to her jaw.
She falls to the ground, however Nero is not done. He uses his left index finger and thumb to grab a hold of Sonya's eyelid.
He pulls it upward and his right index finger heads to Sonya's pupil.
'He's so fast!' Sonya thinking to herself.
Similar to putting a wedding ring, Nero's finger pierce Sonya's eye right through. He then steps back a few meters.
"Arghhh!" She yells in anguish. Holding her punched left eye and her red tears dripping from her hand.
A hysterical laugh escapes Nero from hearing Sonya's scream. A memory of the first time he killed flashes in his mind.
"Stand up. There's more I want to hear and feel from you."
Sonya stands up, pulling out a white cloth from her pocket and covers her eye with it.
"You really are a monster."
Sonya does the Rin, Hei, Toh and Kai hand sign. She raises her arms above her head and does the same with her left leg - only difference is that she raises it to her waist
The wind blows past them. The two runs towards each other. A finger flies to her remaining eye, fortunately this time Sonya is prepared.
Her forearm stops the finger. Not wasting no time her arm twist and turn like a snake on Nero's arm and gets a hold of it.
She drags Nero to her, delivering a rocket punch straight to his stomach. Nero bows down and using her leg she stomps his neck.
"This will be for my mother."
She picks him up from the ground. Her hand wrapped around his throat.
"Who?" Levitating in the air, he grins.
Not once, not twice, not thrice, not even 10 times but 100 rapid fists all land on Nero's face over and over.
Nero wonder how come his head is still intact to his neck.
Everytime she punches Nero a memory of someone in her village pops up. Her friend Nica, Aunty Mia and many more.
She let's go off Nero's neck who collapses to the ground. A fountain of tears begin to fall from her eye.
She two collapses to the ground with her knees. She tries to wipe the tears, however the fountain refuses to stop flowing.
"Mom…I did it."
"You're boring. "
Hearing Nero's voice she crawls away from him. Nero picks himself up with his devilish grin no more in his face.
"Was your eyes a lie all this time.?"
"What are you talking about?!"
"I wish he was the first person I met. His eyes are a once in a lifetime beauty to look at."
Sonya stands up. Her tears replaced with bewilderment.
"Stay down. Killing you will leave a bad taste in my mouth."
"Shut up!" Looking at Nero intently. "I should be the one to say that! You came to my village and destroyed it! You killed my mother and smiled about it!"
Nero exhales, turning his back to her.
"You say that, but you know from your heart that you are scared to kill. That must be why you thought punching me so many times with your weak use of Ryusei would be enough. "
From her expectations that attack should have been enough to knockout an large animal, yet Nero is still standing with only a nose bleed.
Not only that, Nero has realized her intentions. Though Nero killed her mother she can not bring the resolve to do what Nero did. Believing that all she would be doing is dishonoring her mother's life.
Her plan was to knock him out and tell the Shogunate who and what Nero did to her village. Yet how can she do that when Nero is unfazed by her attacks.
"So what?!" Her hand clenched. "I may not want to kill you, but it won't stop me from making sure you won't harm anyone else."
She dashes straight to him.
"That's how you want to do it. Well, come."
He faces her and does the Rin,Hei,Toh, Kai, Jin,Restu and Zai hand sign.
[DEMONIC ABILITY: KYŪSHU SHITE]
As she gets closer, Nero extend his right hand. She steps aside from Nero's palm - unfortunately Nero still grabs her arm.
Sonya tries to unsheeth it, however she feels her strength is seeping away slowly as time goes by.
Her skin begins to turn white as snow, her heart beats at its own pace and her bone beginning to be visible. She tries to punch Nero, but her body has no strength left.
She can tell that this might be her end. Her healthy body has now become hollow. Nero let's go of her and she falls to the ground.
"I want you to die in pain for disappointing me."
He gives her his back, to stroll away. The more Nero moves away from her the more it gets blurry for her to see.
A hand brushes her skin. She floats in the sky…no, someone is picking her up. The person picking her up leans her back against a tree. She directs her eyes upwards.
It's the boy from earlier. His eyes pulsing with fury.
"Am sorry am late. Once this is over I will rush you to the infirmary."
Reiji let's go of her, ambling away from her. Though her body is dried up of all liquid the tears in her eye continue to flow.
"Unlike Kazuki, I never had any hate towards you. As long as I could stop you from spying I was happy to fight you."
"…" Nero halting his movement.
"Hearing Sonya's story I wished for someone to come hit me in the face for thinking you were a ninja doing his mission." Reiji adds, "And seeing what you did to her, I have realized I was wrong about you." His fist clenches.
Nero slowly turns to him. A menacing grin on his expression.
"So I'll not wait for Kazuki anymore."
"Today must be a good day. I get to kill three people in one day." Licking his lips. "Oh, how I've missed this. Hahaha!"
Reiji does the Rin, Hei, Toh and Kai hand sign. He proceeds to extend his left arm and place his right arm on his waist.
"Since I have already revealed my ability it would be pointless to hide it."
Nero does the Rin, Hei, Toh, Kai, Jin, Restu and Zai hand sign.
[DEMONIC ABILITY: KYŪSHU SHITE]
Reiji blazes to him. Since Ion told him Nero's ability; he has been wondering how it works.
If he touches him with his right hand does it matter the distance or does it have to be direct contact.
Could Nero be able to absorb unlimited blood or is there a limit? All this questions have been eating at him when ever he thought about Nero.
However, in all this questions one he is curious about is weather Nero is absorbing blood or Sei.
Nero extend his right hand, but Reiji is able to dodge it - shooting him straight in his chest. Nero slides back holding on to his chest. Reiji once again dashes to him.
While dashing Reiji bites himself allowing blood to gush from his palm. He grabs Nero's right hand smearing his blood on his palm.
The results… the blood is not being absorbed. Reiji inwardly smile confirming that Nero absorbs the Sei in one's body.
"No wonder Sonya's eye was not dried up." Whispering to himself.
Nero pulls his hand away. He does the Rin, Hei, Toh, Kai, Jin, Restu and Zai hand.
[DEMONIC ABILITY: HŌSHUTSU SURA]
Nero points his left arm at Reiji. A blue light emits from it. Reiji crosses his forearms and like hitting a ball with a bat the light shoots him far away from Nero.
"Blasting you was not the plan, but you figured one of my abilities I thought how about I show you my other one."
Reiji slams on to a tree. The clothing he had on his forearm is torn apart. He stands grabbing his shaking arm.
"How did he do that?"
He runs back to where he comes from. Excitement begins to build up that he figured out Nero's ability and is still living.
From what his gathered so far is that Nero uses his right hand to absorb Sei from another person and needs direct contact to do so.
All he has to do now is try and figure out how he was able to emit the blue light from his left palm.
The excitement sadly dies out. Nero's right palm is placed around Sonya's neck.
"Stop!"
Nero diverts his eyes to him.
"You're back so fast." Nero says with a smirk on his face. "Do you know that everytime I use my earlier ability my Ryusei reduces making me weaker."
Reiji sprints towards him. His teeth gritted together.
"To stop this and continue to be strong. I have to absorb someone's Sei."
"Don't do it!" His hand extending foward.
TBC.
NEXT CHAPTER: PRELUDE 31