Kozuna
No need for my regular equipment anymore. It was helpful for a little while. But now? I'm going go all out- with every last drop of power I can muster.
Pistols placed back into their holsters, I bolted to the ground with a quake. Energy built in the soles of my feet.
The soft, silky sand made it hard for me to get a grip before dashing in, but that didn't stop me. When I charged at Nazun, I called forth more power than before. Moving faster than his eyes could likely follow, I sent a kick right into the blob of energy surrounding his physical body.
His Soul Colossus remained intact, I'd only made a slight indentation. His energy reformed itself in seconds. And as it did, I was simply standing there like a total loser, watching in shock.
My kick barely did anything. Even after charging it up?
For the time, my apparent best move was to get away, narrowly avoiding the sword that came crashing into the ground moments later, creating yet ANOTHER fissure. By then, energy was venting from the ground so much that my vision was growing impaired. But it bewildered me that Nazun could still locate me so effortlessly.
Nazun won't make this easy. And there's no way to know if I'll have reinforcements.
I slowly cocked my head up to meet eyes with the Soul Colossus. The golden glow shined down on me in the dark of night. That was when the realization hit me: Nazun could see everything through the eyes of the Soul Colossus, despite being on the ground.
The gaze of the Colossus peered down at me judgmentally. "Is this your best, Kozuna?"
Playing it safe won't get me anywhere. I need to start taking risks!
I pulled my foot back, my gaze darting from one point to another. There was no plan brewing in my brain; the only thing I could think of was breaking through the Soul Colossus.
My fingernails dug into the sand as I assumed the stance of a professional runner. Energy built in my toes, as well as the sensation of pressure readying to blow my feet clean off my ankles. I opted to let Nazun go on the offensive that time. Wasn't like the Soul Colossus hadn't been staring down at me, lifting the sword high into the sky.
My peripheral vision provided enough vision to predict where that blade would come crashing down. I zoomed across the battlefield faster than Nazun could possibly follow.
More power. More speed!
With an orange trail of dust left in my wake, I zigzagged past fissures of volatile energy and rushed straight in toward Nazun, just for him to slam his sword into the ground, right in front of my face. But I predicted he'd use his ONLY means of capturing me in that exact moment. I knew he didn't want me getting in close.
That was where I could do the most damage.
With all those thoughts pouring into my brain, my curse reacted on its own, supporting my movements and aiding my natural ambidexterity.
When I closed in, I pivoted to the side on my left foot. As the heel of my boot lifted off the ground, all of the energy stored there released in an instant, allowing me to gain higher speeds and zip around back, right out of Nazun's sight.
In a flash, I'd arrived behind the Soul Colossus, and with the remaining energy in my right, I launched the most intense kick I could muster at Nazun's poorly defended rear.
That time, instead of an indentation, I smashed right through the barrier and reached my goal. I made it inside the walls of the Soul Colossus, and from there, it was much smoother sailing. My kick had not only broken through, but slammed into Nazun himself!
By then, I had to let my momentum take control: a barrage of close-quarter strikes beat an off guard Nazun into the dirt with ease. Momentarily, the Soul Colossus began dissolving. All that remained was his physical body lying unconscious in the sand. Without him awake, his abilities were nothing to be feared.
I took a deep breath, then fell to one knee.
"That took a lot outta me. Using that much power at once- I'm barely even able to contain it, let alone it."
Everything was calm for a moment as I let my body take a break from the strain while my curse somehow remained active. In the distance, someone was shouting my name. I could faintly hear them. Though, I had no idea who it was.
Curious, I got to my feet and took a short-lived walk, to see a few familiar faces appear around the bend of the nearest fissure. Helix and Shin were there, carrying an unconscious Kaiten and Anari.
They hurried toward me while Helix asked, "You defeated him?"
I naturally fixed my squint back to Nazun's immobile body, lying in the sand.
"I think so. But, I need to check one thing."
Upon taking one step toward Nazun, a strange sensation trickled up my arms. I hesitated to move closer. Subsequently, Nazun's lifeless body started fidgeting. Nazun appeared to have reanimated, with the way his body levitated off the ground spine-first, and limbs-second.
Fuck.
"I'm… done going easy on you, Kozuna."
Nazun's toes only briefly touched the ground before his curse energy swirled violently, like yet another stationary tornado. Changing to a darker hue, his power carried him high into the air.
I slowly began stepping back, with gradual fear setting in.
How can he- I put so much force into that kick! He should be unconscious right now!
"It's time I showcase level two. My Armored Colossus."
Rising into the sky, the blackish energy reformed the Soul Colossus once again. That time, what appeared to be smoke-like armor wrapped around the base, arms, and head. Furthermore, a large rounded shield manifested in the second hand. The stature of Nazun's monstrosity was about five stories tall by then.
How do they expect me to beat him now?
The Armored Colossus wound back its arm in a grandiose fashion. Nazun was obviously proud of his power. He created a tornado that blew our way in seconds with nothing more than a single sword slash.
"Shin, Helix! Get to the side of the road!"
"Do you have some sort of plan?"
I didn't have an immediate answer. I could only push the two of them away with explosive force and followed up by getting myself out of the tornado's destructive path. We ducked inside of a building; that was the best option available.
"Protecting others will make you weak, Kozuna!"
Nazun really was holding back. Shit. And to think Orion said Nazun wasn't all that powerful. Can't be true.
"Helix, Shin- take Kaiten and Anari and get outta here. Contact Zara. See if she can help."
Helix was quick to nod, but Shin tugged him with a scowl. "We managed to get a hold of her before the crash. But, Kozuna, you can't hold out against him by yourself. Nazun's too strong!"
"Shin, I appreciate the gesture, but there just isn't much you guys can do."
Barely anything I can do. They'll tear the whole city apart to find Nikai if Nazun manages to stop me.
Upon motioning for Shin and Helix to take a different route out of the building, I stepped into view of the Soul Colossus.
"Done planning your strategy? I'm starting to get lonely over here!" Nazun laughed proudly. "Not just lonely, but bored too!"
I slapped my face a couple of times and took a deep breath. "Yeah keep talking, Nazun. Step outside of your armor and fight me like a man!"
"Sure, cause that'll work. You're using your curse. I'll use mine."
Nazun pressed his shield against the ground and called forth a potent vortex from the center, with a pull more inescapable than anything Nazun had showcased. I tried planting my feet into the ground, but the loose sands of the unpaved road gave me zero footing. Stabbing my knives into the ground did me no good either, being ripped right out mere seconds later as the vortex carried me off my feet.
"As I told you. Your capture was foretold, Kozuna."
Nazun's vortex gradually changed shape, closing and shrinking around me. In the same moment, the intense pull faded away. I was starting to pick up on some things.
Shaping his energy like a dome? What's his plan?
I patted my body down in a hurry and came to the realization that my grappling gun was still locked safely in its holster. It was my one chance of not getting captured.
Hopefully, this works!
Pointing the gun away from Nazun, the grappling hook fired before the dome could seal shut. The hook sunk into the base of another window it broke through and somehow managed to hold on. I clicked the trigger again, and flew out probably seconds before being shut inside the dome.
Nazun lifted his energy sword while shaking his physical head. "You won't outlast the likes of me, Kozuna!"
The moment Nazun's sword barreled down, his shield's shape-shifting stopped. He cut the wire in half, causing me to plummet straight into the dirt. Still, I dashed inside the nearest building. With my back against the wall, I peeked out, careful not to let Nazun notice me again.
Close-quarters won't work. Speed's my only advantage. Problem is, it took everything in me to break through the basic Soul Colossus. How do I bust through this one?
The walls, ceiling, and floor rumbled from above and shook the whole structure. It didn't take me long to realize what was going on. I darted through the busted halls of the building, looking for an alternate route out. And upon finding another way out, I made eye contact with Helix and Shin, a bit further up the road.
Shin pointed to the sky, mouthing the words, "On your left."
I looked up and saw several attack helicopters coming from the south. My ears registered the noise as some small relief. Just as I had hoped, Zara was visibly present, accompanied by Yvira. They stood at the doorway of the helicopter as it descended on my location.
"Get your ass in here, Kozuna!" Zara hissed, frantically waving at me.
I quickly glanced back at an abandoned Nazun, confirming he hadn't located me just yet, and subsequently hopped into the aircraft. We promptly assumed a birds-eye view, and I finally got to see just how much damage Nazun and his forces had already done to the clan.
The road was ripped to shreds, and all the nearby buildings were damaged, while others had collapsed entirely. Blood splatters littered the paved roads in other directions. Finally, smoke and flames were visible everywhere the eye could see. It wasn't a pleasant view, and it only angered me further.
Yvira grabbed me by the hand and pulled me away from the doorway, sweating and shaking. "K-Kozuna, are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"
I brushed Yvira off with a deep, labored breath. "Zara, do you have anything to handle that?" I pointed at the towering Soul Colossus. "It's too much to explain, but Nazun's in there. I can't get close without snatched up. And even if I could, I don't do enough damage to penetrate. Ideas? Preferably before he realizes I'm up here in the sky and slices the helicopter in half? We need a way to knock him out, at least. His physical body, that is."
"I'm the foremost inventor of the Ozukashi. The one who came up with our original anti-curse technology. Our choppers have anti-curse artillery. If what you're saying is true, and he can destroy our choppers with one sweep, we can't risk getting in close. Not without a diversion, that is."
"Yeah, well, last time I tried to get in close, Nazun almost captured me. I only escaped on a, uhh, technicality. I'm not running back in there without at least some sort of strategy."
Zara and I both went silent for a moment, she folded her arms, and I unconsciously started gnawing on one of my fingers. We averted our gaze from one another; there was no plan coming to mind. And, given how the member of my squad reputed as the most clever was me, I found myself at a loss for words. It was truly a first-time experience.
"You said you can't do enough damage to break through, right Kozuna?" mumbled Yvira.
Zara and I gazed over at Yvira quietly for a brief few seconds.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, maybe you don't need to break through. Maybe you can just block Nazun's line of sight. Say, using your power to kick something large his way. He'll have to defend himself, right? When he does that, it'll impair his view. And while his focus is on you and clouded, the choppers can swoop in and shoot him down!"
"Okay, let's say I do that. What exactly am I kicking at him?"
"The buildings have already been turned to rubble. I say toss one of those lesser-crumbled walls at Nazun. Unnnlessss you have a better idea?"
"Gimme a second." I glanced out the window at the Soul Colossus and rubbed my forehead. "Nope. I got nothin.'"
Zara handed me a headset while Yvira gave off a cocky grin in the background. "We'll need to stay at a distance, Kozuna. And once you head back into battle, I doubt you'll just be able to flee again. I shouldn't have to say this, but I will anyway. Don't be rash."
I nodded, briefly shutting my eyes before smirking. "Yeah, I'll try. And I mean it this time."
Zara scoffed as Yvira clasped her hands near her chest. Our planning took in total only a few minutes. I found myself leaping from the helicopter and landing with a thunderous boom. I hurried back to the scene of disaster, where Nazun was waiting, making sure that he knew right where I was.
Okay, I need to distract Nazun and blind him. Without getting caught in those vortexes.
"Hey Nazun! Looking for me? Or did you drop your common sense somewhere?"
"Oh, please."
Nazun had fooled me last time, but he didn't manage to kill my allies. I had to ensure his gaze was fixated on me that time. I dashed further away from the helicopters, trying to draw his attention to me alone, and the fists of the Soul Colossus itself began to clench hard.
Nazun had brought his blade smashing down on my position several times. I evaded each slash with ease and bounced around enough to piss him off. He soon opened the Soul Colossus' armor-plated mouth and let out a giant breath of black energy, almost resembling flames.
"Quit wasting my time, Kozuna!"
Nazun even lifted his shield and flung it at me like a disc. With my eyes widening, I barely managed to duck away in time, but I could feel myself slowing down even more than earlier. My legs were feeling weak. I was sweating profusely.
"Is that all you can do at this point, Kozuna? Run? How much longer until you roll over and let the inevitable happen?"
Manifesting another shield, Nazun gawked at me behind the safety of his Soul Colossus barrier. My breath was becoming heavier than my own body weight. Rather than the overuse of my curse, I needed more stamina to keep up. I probably only had a few more minutes before I'd pass out.
I need to make a move- now. There's no time to waste.
"Zara, Yvira?" I pressed my headset with a single finger, slowing my breathing. "Be ready."
Nazun, seemingly detecting my intentions, raised his sword high into the sky, forming a new tornado above the tip, with the dangerous darker-hued energy. It built up rapidly, and the new whirlwind was far more significant than anything he'd created before.
If I run, he'll just release that thing! It won't do any good if I close the gap, though!
I bolted forward with an electrical sensation surging through my veins. Nazun grinned at the sight of me charging into my own demise. The tornado dissipated immediately, and he cast a swirling vortex from his shield instead.
I've got one chance! I'll give him a piece of that building!
I flashed to my right, staying just out of his vortex's reach, and released a speed-boosted kick into the wall of a building. I aimed the kick inward for a moment, then led outward, sending a chunk of a brick wall flying at Nazun. He suddenly deactivated his vortex with an annoyed, audible grunt and sliced through the wall.
"The hell do you even think you're doing? This is your last ditch effort?"
I can go one step further! I already created the distraction, but I can do more!
Utilizing my momentum, I sprung from the building and landed atop the chunk of wall flying BACK at me. At long last, Nazun was caught off guard. And finally, I found a use for my explosive force.
I let out a wicked battle cry as I leaped forward one last time, twisting my entire body and letting loose the full force of my curse to send his sword swinging back at his body with a single kick.
For just a split second, I felt pain. However, it was removed by the relief of my off-the-cuff strategy working some sort of magic.
Though my kick missed the desired target- the head- Nazun's sword ended up swinging backward and slicing straight through his chest. Struck with his own power, the Soul Colossus staggered back, its armor vanishing into nothingness.
I may not be strong enough on my own, but there was something of use here all along.
Following my shining moment and well-earned smirk, I fell to the sand, landing on one knee. Giving me a perfect view from the ground as I heard Zara's voice echo through my headset.
"FIRE!"
Armed with anti-curse ammunition, the helicopters rained hellfire down on Nazun. One magazine after another. They made sure to put an end to his treachery.
Thankfully, the Soul Colossus disengaged. Nazun fell back into the sand. And that time, I didn't get weird sensations. I knew he was down for the count.
It took me a little while to get back on both feet before trudging over to Nazun. He was groaning in pain. Some of the bullets had managed to reach his physical body. It didn't seem he was hit in any vitals, but he bled badly.
"You turned my power against me. Nice job. How'd you figure that one out?"
"I didn't figure anything out. Your weapon was simply the best one on the battlefield. I mean, that sword should've been just as strong as your armor, right?"
"You're lucky I can't use souls to recover after being hit with them." Nazun struggled to keep his eyes open, lifting his shaking hand up to the sky. "G-get me out of here, Dri."
Why is he speaking like that? Who are you talking to, Nazun!?