Meanwhile, Sefu was in his monitoring room. One of the cameras caught the scene of Victor's invasion. As he caught wind of this incident, he panicked.
"Raasclaat! How him get in ya?! Dis a di one ting we did fear di most!" said Sefu. "Wait, dat a who? No… it cyaan be! Why she nuh evacuate yet?!"
Sefu saw, Isira reach the destroyed obelisk through his monitor.
Isira stepped off the flying papyrus. "What on earth happened here?! Who could have done this?!"
The whole area was also engulfed with flames due to Victor engaging in battle with the wounded soldiers.
Isira walked up to the shattered obelisk and knelt down at the rubble. The last memory of the warriors who fought for humanity was vandalised. She picked up one of the pieces of the debris and cupped it up in her hands. The name 'Peter X' was engrave on it. A tear ran down her cheek.
"Peter…" she muttered to herself. Images of a man in a black suit sculpting animals from the bushes in front of the porch of a giant mansion played in her mind. Images of the same man riding a carriage with a younger version of her and Renen -in an era long before Isira's hair turned white- played in her mind. "Peter…" she repeated the name again before biting her lips. She covered her mouth. Her tears rolled down her cheeks and her hands. She sobbed silently.
"Mom!" Rem jumped off the papyrus and ran towards Isira to try and comfort her. "Are you okay?" she rubbed her back, not knowing how to deal with this sort of situation. Then she thought back to all the times Isira comforted her. She thought back to how Isira comforted Nok a few moments ago as well. Rem pulled Isira's head to her chest and embraced her. "There, there…" muttered Rem. Nok walked up to them too as he also tried to comfort Isira. He and Rem look at each other. Without saying a word, they both understood that this was a matter they couldn't fully grasp, but it was clearly something that Isira valued with all of her heart.
Beyond the roaring flames beyond the rubble a familiar voice echoed. "Would you look at that. That Chi I sense right now feels so familiar." Upon hearing that voice, Isira jolted immediately. The footsteps slowly encroached upon them. Each step landed with a soft, sharp tap, almost like a claw lightly striking polished stone. These footsteps had the elegance of a predator wrapped in menace. The approaching figure was obscured by the flames, but, once he was revealed, Isira's eyes changed.
"You!" Isira growled.
"Ah, Roberta! It's been a long time hasn't it? How have you been-"
KABOOM!!
Isira blasted him with a ray of light before he could even finish his sentence. She quickly grabbed Nok and Rem's hands and dashed off with them. "Come on guys! Run as fast as you can!"
Isira and the kids jumped on the floating papyrus and flew away as fast as they could. "Mom! Who was that?! And why did he call you Roberta?!" asked Rem.
"It's a part of the past I don't really want to delve into. But, I'll tell you about it some other time. Okay?" said Isira.
"R…right…" Rem replied.
"Guys, look! He walked off that attack like it was nothing!" cried Nok.
Nok saw Victor walking out of the dust caused by the magic attack. He was clearly injured by the sudden attack, but he was so far gone with the loss of his humanity that he walked through his wounds with grace.
"Oh my, Roberta, you sure do pack one helluva punch. If you didn't hold back, you would have killed me. Alas, you lost your one chance to get out of here alive. I will be serving your head to Renen on a silver platter." Victor spread out his wings and dashed toward Isira with incredible speed.
'Dang it, he's catching up to us. If I battle him by going all out, then these kids will be collateral damage! Not to mention, the evacuation chamber is far away from here, and forcing ourselves to make it all the way there will only increase the likelihood that he will catch us. The closest safe zone to hide the kids is definitely Sefu's bar! I'll take them there. After that, I'll have no reason to hold back!' Isira thought to herself as she anxiously steered the papyrus plant to her will as she swiftly navigated the city through this high speed chase. Victor swung blades of air at her that cut through stone. She dodged at fast as she could. Each minute felt like an hour. Rem and Nok grabbed random objects from windows and marketplace stalls left over from the festival and tossed it at Victor. While Victor managed to dodge most of these objects, some of them hit him on the face. Be it porcelain, pots full of hot soup, bottles of beer, cacti and all manners of fruits and vegetables. This caused Victor to crash into a building due to these foreign elements invading his eye.
Isira was able to increase the distance between her and Victor considerably and made a break for the direction of Sefu's bar. Which was deep in a cave on a cliff by the eastern side of the of the cavern. In the outskirts of the underground city. In order to reach that cliff, Isira rose the papyrus higher into the air. Meanwhile, Victor's anger grew ever more as he growled under the debris of the building he had crashed into. "Roberta… YOU AND RAGNA HAVE HUMILIATED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!!!" He stood up with his hands rising to the air as he pushed the rubble away from him, releasing an explosive wave of demonic energy that blew everything in a 10 meter radius from him.
He breathed heavily as he stood in the middle of the crater of his own creation. Staring at Isira on her flying papyrus from a distance, with pure hatred oozing from his eyes. He squatted before launching off with the anticipation of an arrow leaving its bow. "YOU SHALL NEVER GET AWAY FROM ME, ROBERTA!!" Victor spun around, turning himself into a torpedo of wind. He managed to catch up to Isira, and when he did, his spinning body sliced the papyrus in half. Just before Isira and the children could fall, she caught them both in her arms. The three of them fell into a stack of hay.
'Oh no, what do I do now? How can I make it to Sefu now?'
She got out of the stack of hay, pulling the children out of the hay with her. The three of them dashed into the library building nearby. They scurried into the interior of the library. In that moment, she realised that she had made a big mistake leading the children here. This library was full of manuscripts and books full of knowledge about the world. Knowledge that would allow humanity to understand one another and learn from the mistakes of their ancestors. Many people risked their lives just to obtain these books. Engaging with Victor here would set humanity back. However, the enemy they were facing was formidable, and running out of the library building with the kids, without a means of transport was risky. The cliff to Sefu's bar was very close, there was even an elevator that could transport them there. Isira had what it took to escape with the kids, but there was a fear that gripped her heart. Seeing Victor again made her feel trapped in a cage. She couldn't control her breath, nor could she use her magic to her full potential. She used the idea of the kids' safety as a partial excuse. A part of her feared that her trauma would cause her to lash out, and make Rem and Nok see horrors they aren't supposed to be exposed to at their age.
Isira hid the two kids in a wooden wardrobe. "Guys, listen to me. That monster will be here any minute. I'll try my best to distract him. And when I do, please run away. Go through the entrance at the back, keep going straight ahead, until you reach the walls of the cavern, you'll come across an elevator that leads you to Sefu's bar. And by run, I mean run. Don't even look back. Do you understand me?"
The kids nodded hesitantly. Isira closed the wardrobe and walked away, placing her guard up. Boom! Victor crashed down from the ceiling. His downward descent left a crack on the library floor.
"You really thought you could escape from me Roberta? Don't be such a fool. The hands of fate will always pull us toward each other," said Victor as he walked toward Isira.
"Don't you dare take another step closer!" yelled Isira.
"Huh? Why are you playing hard to get all of a sudden Roberta? You're the one who invited me to a library date. Hahahaha!" He kept on walking closer.
"Back off!!" Roberta shot a blast of light on Victor's shoulder.
"Hrmm~! You are just as feisty as ever Roberta. Never thought I'd meet a librarian with such a fiery personality."
'I hope the kids are at a safe distance!' Isira thought to herself.
Victor vanished and appeared beside Isira ready to launch a kick. Isira tried to block the attack, but was too late and got kicked toward the other side of the room. She managed to get up.
'He was so fast! And I have a hard time detecting his presence. It's almost as if he isn't in this room, Even though I'm looking at him right now!'
Victor vanished again. Isira tried to rely on her reflexes and decided to punch where she thought Victor would appear next as a means of making up for her inability to sense him. As Victor reappeared, Isira just happened to have correctly guessed where he would appear next, however, Victor caught her fist just before it could connect to his face.
"Ooooh. You almost got me there Roberta." He twisted her wrist. Isira held back her reaction to the pain and twisted her own body to realign with her wrist. Upon doing so, she landed a devastating side kick to Victor's face. Victor did not flinch.
"Aaaah!!!" Isira howled in pain as her shin got bruised from the impact of landing her kick on Victor.
"You are skilled in your own right, I'll assure you that Roberta. However, you seem to forget that I have transcended my humanity. Such attacks don't work on me." He then went on to punch Isira on the stomach. Isira coughed up blood. "Fortunately, they still work on you."
He began to punch and kick Isira around. Isira was injured. Victor kicked her into a bookshelf, causing a quarter of the books to fall on her. Vicor slowly encroached her. "Are you enjoying our little date, Roberta?" Isira ignored his question. Her only concern was stacking the books neatly back onto the shelf while injured on her knees. Her hands shivering as she did so.
"Oh dear, you truly are a book worm huh? Focusing on books in a moment of crisis. You women have no sense of urgency, do you?" Isira ignored him again. "STOP IGNORING ME YOU WENCH!!" Victor kicked her into the wall on the other side of the room like a soccer ball.
Isira fell to the floor after hitting the wall. She coughed out blood and her sight was blurry. Victor walked up to her with more speed in his steps. Isira's heart began to race even faster. Victor picked her up by the hair.
"Aaah!!" Her scalp began to hurt as she grabbed Victor's hands in an attempt to loosen them. Victor tossed her on a table like a sack of potatoes. He pinned her arms down on the table and began to kiss her on the neck. Isira tried breaking out of his grip, while kicking and screaming.
"Do you remember this scar you gave me on the eye, Roberta? On that romantic night in Mistville? You still haven't made it up to me!" said Victor as he kissed Isira on the chest. He nibbled her ear and licked her neck.
"No! Stop it! What are you doing!" cried Isira.
"I'm merely taking what is mine! I want to have my way with you! This time, however, I've reached a new level of power! So you can't stop me! Oh, Roberta, your beauty just tempts me in ways that I cannot control! It is your fault that I'm doing this! Roberta! If you had just satisfied me all those years ago, then this wouldn't have been happening!" He spread Isira's legs and stood between them, going further by kissing and nibbling on her thigh.
"Back off you pervert! My body belongs to King Renenhotep! It belongs to him and nobody else!" cried Isira. "He is the only man who can touch me!!"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'll have my way with you, then I'll dismantle your body! I'll even do you the courtesy of delivering your butchered remains to Renen in a box! Afterall, you belong to him right?!" He carried on kissing and licking her. He licked her eyeballs as a way to dry her tears in the most spiteful manner. Isira struggled to break out of his hold. Her tears were a source of amusement to him. Those tears aroused him in the most twisted way possible.
'I refuse to let this monster do this. The only person who has the right to touch me this way is Ren. Throughout my entire marriage with Ren, I've always dreamt of giving my entire being to him, without having to worry about what might come tomorrow. It's not a matter of that act being the only way to express my love. I view it as just another way of showing him my love. I wanted him and I to indulge in our desire for one another, wholeheartedly, without shame or guilt, then wake up in his arms the next day, or his in mine, like we always do. Its crazy that we can't even do that in this world. I want my first and last time to be with Ren. Sometimes, I feel guilty when I think about Ren that way. But, I can't help it. My love for him is pure! And I will not give this bastard the satisfaction of becoming one with me when my own husband can't even have the privilege of doing so! I know Ren feels the exact same way about me too! I've seen that sad look in his eyes whenever he stares into my eyes. If Victor has his way, I'll never be able to face Ren ever again! If I can't escape, then I'm going to have to self-destruct with a magic attack that can take us both!'
"Huh? Wait a minute… I can sense a small chi emanating from your body!" said Victor in shock.
'Wait, what is he talking about?' thought Isira.
"Hahaha! You truly have no restraint! Bringing a life into a world like this?! Hahahaha! How about I do you a favour and get rid of it for you! Hahahaha!!" yelled Victor as he aimed to pierce through Isira's abdomen.
'CLUNK!!' A piece of metal knocked Victor's head. Victor turned his head around slowly. He found Rem holding a metal pipe in Renen's sword stance. "Leave my mommy alone you bastard!!"
Rem carried on with a barrage of sword-based attacks based on Renen's fighting style. Victor felt absolutely nothing. All he felt was annoyance.
"I will show you how a true swordfight looks like kid." he muttered as he pulled out his sword from the hilt and swung it at Rem. The blade slashed her shoulder, causing lots of blood to splash out.
"UWAAAAAAH~!!!!" cried Rem, in a fit of agonising pain. She collapsed in pain as she was tortured by the throbbing pain. "REM!!!" cried Isira.
Victor raised his sword again while walking slowly toward Rem. "You lay down on the floor in anguish. But you would never understand the pain that your mother put me through when she put this scar on my face that night in Mistville. Her rejection of my love damaged my pride and this scar was a symbol of that! In that same breadth, I had to attend a banquet at my squire's mansion, WITH THIS FUCKING SCAR!! THEN A MONTH LATER, I GET DEFEATED BY THAT DAMN PEASANT RAGNA!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT HURTS?!! AAAARGH!!!"
As Victor rushed towards her, Rem tried backing away as quickly as possible, with tears in her eyes. "REM!!!!" cried Isira as she shot a powerful ray of light that melted a giant gaping hole on Victor's left lung. The ray of light blew up a building near the library.
Blood started to gush out of Victor's mouth, colouring his teeth red. This infuriated Victor, causing him to raise his sword again. This time, aiming his malice toward Isira. "CURSE YOU, ROBERTA!!!"
THUD!!
The bookshelf fell on top of Victor. It was the work of Nok, who worked up the courage to come to the rescue. He lifted Rem up to her feet. "Come on, Queen Isira, we have to get out of here!" cried Nok.
"R…Right!" yelled Isira. As she got up from the table, she enveloped herself in a blinding light, and tackled the two children out of the library, dashing straight toward the elevator at the cavern walls in an incredible feat of speed that surpassed anything Renen could showcase.
"There it is, right ahead! Soon, the both of you will be safe and sound!" Isira reassured the children.
The three of them reached the elevator door. Isira pressed the button to open the door. In that moment, Victor tossed the library shelf off of him and dashed toward the direction of Isira's Chi. He broke through the wall of the library in pursuit of his target.
"CURSE YOU ROBERTA!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. His malice polluting the air.
The moment Isira caught wind of him approaching, the elevator doors finally opened.
"Go, go, go, go, go!" She beckoned the kids to quickly enter the elevator. As they finally entered, Isira anxiously pressed the up button as many times as she could as watched Victor closing in on them like a canon. "Come on, come on, come on, come on!!" she muttered in frustration as the elevator door took its sweet time closing. BOOM!!
Victor collided with the steel door of the elevator a split second after it shut down, leaving a dent shaped just like him. During the moment of impact, the three targets in the elevator jumped back in shock. Isira placed her back on the elevator wall and slid down until her buttocks touched the floor. Her breaths were heavy. Rem comforted her. "Mom, are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm okay my love. The two of you were brave out there today. I really owe you big time," said Isira as she tried to calm the situation down. Eventually, the elevator reached the summit of the cliff. As they walked out of the elevator, there they were, the scrapyard surrounding Sefu's bar. And to their surprise, Sefu had been waiting for them for a while on a gigantic motorbike he built on his own.
"S…Sefu?" Isira exclaimed.
"Di three of unnu, hop on! Now!" yelled Sefu. The three of them boarded Sefu's bike.
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME YOU BITCH!! YOU FUCKING WENCH!! YOU WON'T FUCKING LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER FUCKING DAY!!!" yelled Victor from a distance.
"Crap! He's still following us!"
"Isira, tek di wheel! Mi got dis!" Sefu got up from his driver's seat and jumped to the very back of the bike.
"W…Wait, Sefu, I don't even know how to ride any of these things!"
"Don't worry about controls! Di road ahead straight, mi friend. Tink of it like a horse. Dem gears, dem just stirrups. Yuh good, trust mi!!"
"R…right! I'll give it a shot!"
Sefu stood up at the back of the bike and extended his right arm, which suddenly split open with mechanical precision, panels sliding apart with a whirring metallic clatter. From inside, a wild array of cannons, missile pods, and bullets unfolded like a spring-loaded arsenal. The gears grinded and pistons hissed as the weapons locked into firing position. BOOM! A deafening barrage of gunfire, explosions, and smoke erupted from Sefu's arm. The recoil jolted his body slightly. He unleashed these weapons of mass destruction on Victor. Victor dodged Sefu's long distance artillery, and unleashed some long distance attacks of his own in the form of his air slashes. Sefu kept instructing Isira on the directions to swerve the bike in order to dodge these attacks. Sometimes, the air slashes would cause a shockwave once it touched the ground near the bike, causing the bike to nearly go off course on multiple occasions, but none of those situations resulted in anything that could devastatingly inconvenience the human side. This battle between Sefu and Victor was a constant back and forth. They had reached a stalemate by this point. This went on until they finally reached Sefu's bar.
"Isira keep going full speed ahead!! Go go go go go go!!" yelled Sefu.
"Well, its not like I know how to stop this thing either way!!" she yelled.
"EEEEK!!" Isira, Rem, and Nok screamed at the top of their lungs as they were about to crash into the bar's glass door. "KACLINK!!" The motorbike slammed through the glass door, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
"Guys!! Straight to di basement! Move, move!!" yelled Sefu as he dashed toward the lever by the door. As he pulled down the lever, a zinc door descended from the top. Victor was fast approaching. However, the zinc door managed to close before Victor arrived. Suddenly, BOOM!!
Victor pierced right through the zinc door, immediately tackling Sefu and smashing him into a wall.
Sefu was stuck in the wall like a modern art piece, short circuiting and spazzing out like a possessed child.
"Hmph! Piece of trash. You are nothing but a nappy headed washing machine. No matter what augmentations you add to your body, you will never surpass a demon. If you want to cast your humanity aside so much, then follow my example instead. Hahahaha!!"
Victor then followed Isira's chi to the basement. "Hmph, is this where you were planning to hide, Isira? Like I said before, you cannot hide from me. I can sense your chi from a mile away, my dear."
Isira backed away from Victor, while shielding the Rem and Nok. "Get away from me Victor!"
"I'm sick of repeating myself like a broken record you bitch. I won't be satisfied unless I get a piece of your ass and cut you up into pieces for Ragna once I'm done screwing you. What's so hard to understand about that?"
Isira shook her head slowly as she backed up. She leaned onto the table with the time machine on it after accidently bumping into it slightly.
"Maybe I should chop your limbs off so you don't have any dumb ideas about running away or giving me another scar. I'm just practising protective measures here, Roberta. I hope you understand." Victor swung his blade, hurling a blade of wind toward Isira. This attack pierced Isira's shoulder and carved deeply into her flesh, causing a splash of blood to gush out of her wound like a fountain. The blood splashed onto the roof, some on the monitors, some on Rem and Nok's faces and some on the time machine. An electric surge began to spark from the time machine. Victor got even closer to Isira and playfully slashed her all over, causing more blood splatter to colour the room.
As Isira was about to fall to her knees, Victor caught her by the chin with the hilt of her sword.
"Wow, you are so beautiful when you are all bloodied up, Roberta. This really feels like a sequel to our little adventure in that inn at Mistville. Except, this time, I can go all the way and feel those sugar walls," said Victor as he licked his lips. He then knocked Isira to the side with one of his wings. He looked around the room.
"Hm, but first I'm going to need a camera to showcase all the naughty things I'm gonna do to you for Ragna. He has the right to see his wife's final moments, doesn't he?" He glanced around the room, suddenly a peculiar object caught his eye. It was the glowing time machine covered in Isira's blood.
"What the hell is this?" He pressed one of the buttons on the machine. Its started to glow even more and created a distortion within the room. Almost as if the roof itself was being pulled like clay.
"Hey! Get 'way from dat machine yuh bastard!!" yelled Sefu as he extended one of his arms from a distance and grabbed Victor by the neck. "Gwaan from yah!!!" He threw Victor into the distance with so much force that he threw him through the roof of the bar, sending him landing in one of the heaps of scrap metal in the scrapyard.
Sefu dashed over to switch off the time machine. The machine created was creating distortions in the room.
"AAAAARGH!!!" Isira began to scream in pain. Electricity began to streak around the room. Isira seemed to be the only one screaming and glitching in the room. Sefu didn't know what was happening to her. Suddenly the time machine opened a portal. For some reason, it started pulling in Isira like a black hole. It pulled her body like a dough of clay. Rem and Nok played tug of war with the portal in their attempt to save Isira. Luckily, Sefu managed to switch the machine off in time. Everything went back to normal. Everyone in the room breathed heavily in both shock and relief. Sefu was full of questions and fear about what he might have built.
"Isira… yuh alright?"
"Victor. He's still out there…"
Sefu looked at the hole in the roof where he threw Victor. "Yeah, you're right. Rest now. Mi'll handle him, no worry." He petted Isira. "Kids, mi a beg yuh, take care of her." Sefu walked outside of his bar. The moment he walked out of the entrance, he saw Victor from the distance, casually stretching his body and ligaments like an athlete about to compete. Sefu was full of rage. Before him, stood the man who dared to lay his hands on his dear friend and dared to traumatize the children of the underground city. Sefu understood that this man in front of him had to be disposed of, immediately.
"Mi gonna burn yuh to ash, Victor. Yuh bones gon' blend nice wit' di junk and rust."
"I'd like to see you try, you walking tin can!" said Victor.
Meanwhile, back in the battle field. Wenex-su continued his flurry of punches on Renen.
"SOONER OR LATER, EVERYONE YOU LOVE SHALL DIE RENEN! THERE IS NO FUTURE FOR HUMANITY!! THERE IS NO HOPE!! THERE IS NO GOD!!" yelled Wenex-su as he kept throwing his punches.
Renen caught one of Wenex-su's punches and crushed his hand.
"AAARGH!! LET GO! LET GO!" cried Wenex-su. Renen raised his head slowly and glared at his foe with intense ferocity. His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils dilated, veins popped around his forehead and muscles along with a rise in his temperature. He pulled Wenex-su close and gave him a headbutt before knocking him backward with his sword.
Wenex-su flapped his wings as fast as he could so that he could catch his balance in the air. "Wh…what the hell was that Renenhotep?!!" he yelled. Renen just hopped back onto his flying carpet and stared at Wenex-su with contempt.
Meanwhile, Seijuro was in the air slicing demons apart. He felt a rise in Renen's chi and gave a smirk. "Seems like Renenhotep has unleashed his berserker mode huh? That demon is screwed." Suddenly, a grotesque being with a strait jacket attacked Seijuro with what seemed to be a silk ribbon that flowed around its body. Seijuro managed to block the attack in time. The impact of the attack sent Seijuro flying and splashing into the currents of the Iseru river. Seijuro swam back up the river to get air. "Cough! Cough! What the hell was that bastard's weapon made of?" He muttered to himself.
Before he could fully gather himself, the weird creature suddenly appeared by the river of the bank. "When did he get here?!" yelled Seijuro. The creature extended the ribbon in an attempt to stab Seijuro while he was in the river. The ribbon travelled at a speed even higher than a bolt of lightning. Seijuro tried to swim away from the ribbon's path, but he was too slow, thus the ribbon pierced his shoulder. Seijuro started sinking down the river, bubbles of carbon dioxide began to effervesce from his mouth as he let out a scream from the piercing pain. The ribbon felt like hot steel burrowing through his flesh, slowly cooking it. This was due to the fact that the ribbon created friction with the air that was so intense that it caught of fire.
'Damn it, the weapon is fast. I won't be able to avoid it while in the water this like. The guy doesn't seem like the type to just let me swim out of the river either. If I propel myself to the surface, he'll just catch me like a fish. I'm like prey waiting to be caught by an eagle here. I'll have to use the other side of the bank to escape. But, before doing that, I have to swim up north, as fast and far as I can. Before I lose air too. I don't know the full range of this guy's attack. So I should just assume it has a very long range scope.'
Seijuro tensed up his muscles. 'Raijuu no Gyorai!' He dashed through the river like a bullet as he kicked the water in one fell swoop. He repeated this move three times. He got 5km away from his enemy. Upon increasing his distance from the enemy, his swam to the bank of the river on the opposite side. As his head popped out of the water, he finally got some fresh air and grabbed on to the piece of land by the river bank, wheezing uncontrollably.
"Finally. So long as I'm on land, I can go all out," said Seijuro as he tried to fully catch his breath. As he looked up, there he was, the being with the strait jacket. "Wait, when did you-!" Before Seijuro could even finish his sentence, the creature tried to pierce him with the ribbon again. Luckily, Seijuro managed to catch the ribbon with his barehand before it could even pierce his heart. 'Tch! I can't fight like this!' He thought to himself as he retreated back into the deep trenches of the river.
The enemy started piercing the river with his ribbon randomly wherever he perceived any signs of life. With each stab in the water, a dead sea creature would rise to the surface. The river was being coloured red.
"Oh no! Seijuro!!" yelled Lin as he tried to dash towards the creature in the strait jacket. Suddenly, Lin was kicked into a mountain, causing it to erupt. "Your battle is with me! Your martial prowess impresses me to no end! I desire a battle to the death with you! There is no hard feelings involved. Whether it is you or I who meets their end in this battle, it will be a net positive for all sides. For we shall be doing one another a favour by snuffing one another's lives. It is unfortunate that a scenario in which both of us die at the same time is highly unlikely. However, let us both die honourably," said the demon that kicked Lin.
This demon stood like a mountain carved by war and wisdom, his breath steady, his eyes locked forward with the intensity of a man who had spent a lifetime mastering the art of destruction. His bare chest glistened under the weight of discipline, each muscle telling the story of battles won not just through brute strength, but through unbreakable will.
From his left shoulder, a golden dragon coiled protectively down his arm, its snout snarling, eyes cast in bronze fury. It wasn't just armor, it was a symbol, a guardian spirit wrought in metal, whispering tales of ancient power and prophecies of doom. Red tassels swayed from its maw like tongues of fire caught mid-breath, dancing with each slight shift of his stance.
His forearms were encased in ornate bracers, swirling with patterns older than empires, while his right hand remained partially wrapped in crimson cloth, not only for grip, but as ritual, binding flesh to spirit in preparation for combat. The red thread was worn and frayed in places, as if soaked with memory.
Around his waist, a crimson sash cinched tightly, secured by a thick rope that trailed into a pair of tassels brushing against his thigh with every motion. A long panel of fabric, torn yet regal, flowed from the sash, red as flame and studded with tiny golden diamonds, moving like the tail of a battle flag in the wind. Beneath it, his trousers were purely functional. Wide-legged for speed, bound tightly at the calves with leather and cord, channelling millenia of martial tradition.
One boot gleamed gold, a show of artistry and pride, engraved with bold patterns that spoke of legacy. The other, dark and practical, was ready to strike, a yin to its partner's yang. Both bore signs of wear and tear, evidence of life lived in the pursuit of battle in its purest essence.
He radiated fury with glowing white eyes and a wild mane of spiked purple hair. His body was carved with pulsing red markings that swirled across his muscular frame like living fire. With a snarl frozen on his face and a massive stature, he embodies an untamed rage forged for destruction.
Lin Zexu walked out of the rubble with nothing but a streak of blood running down his temple. He stared daggers at the beast that kicked him. "Get out of my way, monster," said Lin.
"Only through death shall I move out of your way, human. Now to introduce myself. I am Hong Xiren, the Life Piercer. Who would you be, human warrior?"
"I am Lin Zexu."
"It is an honour to do combat with you, Lin Zexu. Let us murder each other to our hearts' content."
The both of them struck poses and dashed towards each other at incredible speeds. Their fists clashed with the fury of titans as the two enemies collided, their power shaking the very earth around them. Lin lunged with a roar, his punch crashing against Xiren's guard with explosive forece. Veins strained, muscles locked in violent tension, and the blue heavens trembled from their onslaught.
Xiren countered with a brutal knee, driving it into Lin's side with merciless precision. The impact rippled through Lin's frame, but he didn't falter. Instead, he retaliated, twisting in the air as sparks of chi flared around them. Their battle was more than a fight, it was a storm of pride, legacy, and raw, unyielding will.
Xiren kicked Lin across the air, however, Lin was able to find his footing after a couple of backflips. With a burst of electric energy coursing through his fists, Xiren slammed his hand into the ground, halting his momentum in a blur of speed. Dust kicked up around him as the force of his stop cracked the earth beneath. Muscles tensed and eyes blazing with focus, he pivoted low, every motion a perfect blend of power and precision. In a heartbeat, he launched forward again, vanishing in a streak in an attempt to dodge Lin's flying kick, the battlefield trembling beneath the sheer intensity of his movement.
Just a Xiren reappeared behind Lin as he touched the ground from his flying kick, he tried to grapple him. Luckily, Lin caught wind of Xiren's presence and delivered a hook kick to the demon's face. Xiren compensated for the humiliation of walking into that kick by punching Lin on the side of the face at the same time, thanks to both his battle-hardened instincts as well as his large stature, which gave him the advantage of having larger limbs. As the two enemies regained consciousness, the began exchanging blows once again.
Meanwhile, Joe Cloud had exchanged blows with Borro. Borro had thrown a kick, his leg sweeping in a wide arc from the right. Joe responded instantly with a mirrored kick of his own, launching his leg upward from the left. The two kicks clashed in mid-air, their shins colliding with a loud impact burst. Immediately after the block, Borro spun into a follow-up kick with his opposite leg, a fast and fluid roundhouse, that connected directly with Joe's face. The blow landed flush, Joe's head snapping sideways as he crashed into the rock nearby.
Lying in the rubble, Joe is staggered and dizzy, blood dripping from his forehead and mouth. He was clearly losing his breath. Borro was beyond his league. His shin's ached from the constant clashing of kicks. His Splits Kwon Do was clearly outmatched.
"Do you have any last words? Joe Cloud Van Dammit?" asked Borro.
Joe Cloud looked at Renen, Lin and Seijuro as they fought their respective enemy. He forced himself up, his legs wiggling in an attempt to fight against the will of his spirit.
"Hah! Last words you say? I don't plan on having any final moment any time soon. No matter what the heavens may say. For that is not revolutionairre~!"
"What are you trying to tell me, Van Dammit?!"
"What you heard me say is exactly as your heard it demon! I ain't going anywhere! Brother Pete will have to rot like an apple on the pearly gates, cause I'm won't be meeting him there for a long~ time! Wacha!"
"I commend you for your power and honor in battle. However, for you to assume that I lack the ability to just wipe you out where you stand, is a bit of an insult to my combat prowess. Don't you say?"
"Hah! I could assume that you are the one insulting me for assuming that this was all that Splits Kwon Do can offer?"
"What are you talking about? Are you saying that you can go even further beyond than this?!!"
"Yeah. I have the power to send you to a realm of eternal damnation."
"Very well then. Show me what you have. I can prove my dominance by defeating you at your best!"
"Is that so? Don't say I didn't warn you," said Joe Cloud with a mischievous smirk. "WACHAAAA!!!!" He got in a horse stance with his fists clenched beside his waist. A strong aura radiated from him, causing strong currents of air to blow throughout the battlefield. This air blew many of the demon and human forces into the distance. All aside from Renen, Wenex-su, Lin, Xiren, Borro, the cloaked humanoid monstrosity, Njomane, Ola and Jean-Pierre. Who while unflinching in the strong shockwaves and winds caused energy, were all mesmerized by Joe Cloud's burst in power. Had Seijuro been on land, he too would have not flinched. However, he was still in the depths of the river. He used this moment to charge a powerful wind slash that could pierce through the river itself.
The cloaked monstrosity sensed something ominous coming from the river. As he slowly turned his head towards the source of that ominous feeling, he saw a giant humanoid shadowy being, with a bulbous head and tentacles, starring at him with great intensity.A deep hum had rolled through the atmosphere, low and unnatural, like the world holding its breath. The waves of the river had rippled like boiling water. Then it came.
From a single swing, a titanic slash of energy had carved through the sky; a spectral blade stretching for hundreds of meters. It had spiralled as it travelled, sheathed in swirling wind and raw force, its edge glowing with cold, blue light that had pulsed like a heartbeat. The air around it had been torn, creating screaming pressure waves that had rippled outward in concentric circles. The cloaked figure, along with a large portion of the demonic army, had been wiped out in an instant, like insignificant ants caught in a tsunami's flooding wrath.
As it had sailed forward, clouds had sheared in half, dragged apart like curtains, and the very sky had seemed to flinch. The ground beneath had buckled before contact; trees had been stripped bare by the wind alone, their trunks splintered into toothpicks. Grasses had flattened instantly in waves, chasing the blade's trajectory like ripples in water.
Then it hit.
A ridge of earth had exploded into the air, soil and stone atomized into dust. Canyons had formed where flatlands had once lain, as if a god had carved a trench with a single motion. The slash hadn't stopped, as it had cleaved through rocky hills, shearing their peaks off with clean precision, like a hot blade through wax. Forests in its path had been erased, reduced to swirling ash and flying bark.
The wake it had left was a scar…long, smouldering, and straight. Smoke had risen from fissures cut deep into the earth, glowing faintly with residual energy. The air had been thick with dust and the scent of ozone, and the only sound that had remained was a soft, lingering rumble, echoing from where the sky had been torn.
The name of this technique, was Umibozu, Seijuro's strongest technique.
The shape of the River of Iseru was forever scarred. The direction marked by the Umibozu was but an empty canyon, slowly being refilled by the water in the river as if Iseru itself was mending it's own wound.
Everyone in the battlefield was awestruck by this immense display of power. Seijuro walked out of the canyon with a battered right forearm while holding his katana in the other. His arm was as charred as a tree caused by wild fires in the savannah.
"Hmph. Guess this was the price I had to pay for taking things that far huh?" murmured Seijuro as he looked at his damaged forearm while walking out of the canyon.
Suddenly, droplets of water came raining down, even though it was not cloudy outside. This was presumably water from the river itself.
"Darn it!! Seijuro, you fool! That river is important to my people, you can't just destroy it like that!!" yelled Renen.
"C'mon Renenhotep. Its just a river."
"That's all it is to you. I'm sure you wouldn't feel good about me burning down the torii gate to your family's shrine, would you?" said Renen. "We'll deal with you once this battle is over, Seijuro."
"Hmph!" Seijuro folded his arms.
"Bold of you to assume that you'll come out of this battle alive, Renenhotep!!" yelled Wenex-su as he tried to slash Renen with his claws. Renen blocked the strike, causing a hill up ahead to be split into four section due to the impact.
"Don't piss me off, demon," said Renen with the rasp of his voice. He slashed Wenex-su, sending him flying into the distance. He dashed toward Wenex-su with his flying carpet to continue delivering an onslaught of attacks.
Meanwhile, Borro was in awe of the incredible display of strength from Renen, Joe Cloud and Seijuro.
"W…What power!" he murmured.
"Hey, Borro. Don't turn your head away from me. That's rude! WACHAA~!!" yelled Joe.
As Borro turned around, he was shocked by what he had seen. Joe Cloud became ten times more muscular. His six pack became a twelve pack, his moose like thighs looked like the drumsticks of a chicken, his legs grew as tall as that of a giraffe, his eyes blazed with red flames like hot passion, his mullet stood like the mane of a lion, his buttocks were clenched even harder than before, his jaw grew larger. His legs and groin were covered in a blue aura. As stood at the centre of a crater formed by his increased aura. Joe Cloud slowly spread his legs to do the splits. His feet carved a trail through the rocky earth like a finger trailing through the sand. BOOM!! He landed in a perfect split with his arms folded. His ball sac even carved two small craters on the ground the moment his groin touched the floor.
"This power! Who the hell are you, Joe Cloud Van Dammit?!!" yelled Borro.
"Wachaa, wachaa, ooooh~!!!" yelled Joe Cloud as he wagged his finger at Borro.
"Huh?"
"I am Joe Cloud Van Dammit, no longer. Hiyaaah~!!"
"What the hell are you on about?! If not Joe Cloud Van Dammit, then who the hell are you?!!"
"Hahahaha!" chuckled Joe Cloud. He slowly turned his head up and glared at Borro Yeung with a mischievous smirk on his face.
"I am the peak master of Splits Kwon Do. I am the legendary, Joe Cloud God-"
"- Damnit!!" yelled Sefu as he shot projectiles at Victor back at the scrapyard.
Victor kept dodging each projectile and lunged at Sefu. As he reached Sefu, he tackled him, flying to the sky with him.
While in Victor's clutches, Sefu began to punch Victor several times in the face to loosen up his jaw before firing a cannon in his mouth. Victor fell into the heap of scrap. Sefu fell to the floor with his back. After a few minutes of agonising in pain, the both of them stood up. They were breathing heavily. The scrapyard was full of craters, cracks, and fire due to the scale of their back and forth.
"You are a lot stronger than I thought, tin can."
"Yuh surprise mi too… bat."
The both of them were at a standstill. Each side was unpredictable. Isira walked out of Sefu's bar.
"Mom, please, don't go! You're still hurt!" Rem's cries caught the attention of Sefu and Victor who became accidental onlookers.
"Rem, I'll be okay. Let mommy go," said Isira as she tried to push Rem away from her leg.
"Listen to your mom Rem! She probably knows what she's doing!" yelled Nok as he tried to pull Rem away from Isira's leg.
"No!!" yelled Rem as she pushed Nok away. "Adults always say things are going to be okay! And that they'll always come back! But it's never true!"
"Rem…"
"Please, don't go mommy! Please!"
"I'm sorry, Rem," said Isira lightly hand chopping Rem at the back of the head. Isira looked at Sefu with a determined gleam within her eye. "Sefu, please allow me to put an end to this. I need the closure."
"For closure, eh? A'right then. But if tings get sticky, mi stepping in. Dis a fight to di death, no space fi honour now," said Sefu as he walked away from Victor. He and Isira walked past each other.
"Sefu, please watch over the kids."
"No problem."
"Hahaha!! You plan to put an end to this battle Roberta?! How, by opening your legs for me?! Hahahahaha!! Don't be ridiculous, you will never-"
"Haaahhh!!!" Isira yelled at the top of her lungs. A bright light consumed her. This caused a shockwave that blew Victor and the heaps of scrap metal away in an instant. Sefu covered the kids and run into the basement with them amidst the shaking caused by the shockwave.
Bolts of electricity sparked as the dust was settling.
"Cough cough!" Victor coughed because of the dust in the air. He flew into the air to get a clear view of his surroundings. "What is this powerful mana?"
As the dust settled, Isira had wings spreading like the embrace of a sky-born goddess. The wings arc outward from her shoulders. Long, elegant, and feathered in bands of gold and deep emerald. Each feather seemed etched with starlight. Her wings flared upward in a halo-like arc, the curvature of the sun's path. Suddenly, a golden ring resembling a serpent devouring itself appeared behind her head.
"Wha… what the hell are you?!" asked Victor.
"I'm going to protect the people here. I'm going to protect my future with Renen, Kiki and Rem. I'm going to protect the wishes each and everyone made. I'll protect their smiles no matter what it takes!"
"YOU CAN'T DO SHIT TO ME ROBERTA!! YOU AIN'T SHIT!!" yelled Victor as saliva jumped out of his mouth.
"Are you sure about that Victor?" Isira summoned a sword of light in her right hand. "How about we test that theory out? A duel to the death."
"Hahaha!! You got some fairy powder glistening all over you, now you think you're the shit?" Victor laughed.
"Compared to you? I could say that I am."
"Tch! Why you little…" muttered Victor.
"How about I demonstrate my abilities, since you don't believe me. Thirty seconds." She faced Victor.
"Huh?" Victor was visibly puzzled.
"Thirty seconds is all I need to eviscerate you."
"DON'T SCREW WISH ME YOU BITCH!!" He dashed towards her with all the speed he had while sending air slashes with his wings. Isira flew towards him at full speed, effortlessly dodging each slash. Both of their swords clashed, causing another shockwave. They both parried each others blades while dashing through the air so fast that it looked like they were merely streaks of light. As their blades collided while dashing through the air, they looked like fireworks in the distance.
Isira knocked Victor away by slapping him across the face with one of her wings. Victor was sent flying, but managed to regain his balance. As he did, he caught Isira dashing towards him. Victor sucked in so much air that he ended up like a blowfish.
'This one might kill you Roberta!' He thought to himself. However, the ring behind Isira's head began to emit a yellow light, causing eight small rings to appear, orbiting around the ring itself. These smaller too began to emit a radiant light in their centre as they all line up like planets in front of each other. They giant ring was like the sun. Suddenly, a gigantic beam made of light pierced the air.
"Eye of Ra!!" yelled Isira
Victor let go of his breath and blew out a black flame. 'DAMNATION SPARK!!'
The two beams clashed. Victor was preparing to go all out, only to find out that Isira's beam was being pushed away very easily.
"Hahahahaha!! What happened to all that cockiness you just had until now, Roberta?! Hahahaha!! Huh?"
He saw Roberta dashing towards the sight of the clashing beams. She pierced her own beam and absorbed it into her sword of light. The more she flew, the more energy she absorbed from her beam. Eventually, she even absorbed Victor's beam.
"No! Impossible!!"
Isira reached her opponent. And without a word, she unleashed a flurry of devastating slashes, slicing Victor up into pieces. Each swing of Isira's blade of light charred Victor's flesh. All the remained of him was his head and a part of his torso. His face was a ruin of scorched flesh and congealed blood. His blonde hair hung in clotted strands, plastered to cheeks carved by heat and trauma. A massive section of his right parietal and temporal skull was gone, vaporized clean through to the cranial cavity. The edges blackened and glassy, the telltale sign of Isira's unforgiving blade of light. His jaw hung slack; lips torn in his screams of pain. One eye remained, wide and unfocused, locked in a vacant stare. The loss of his humanity allowed him to endure the torture of being butchered like cattle. He along with his remains fell from the sky like trash being tossed into the scrapyard. Isira followed him. Both of them hung from the sky upside down in their descent. Isira stared him down out of pettiness with her arms folded.
"Fifteen seconds was all it took? I must have overestimated you, Victor."
"CURSE YOU! ROBERTA!!"
"The name is Isira." She stretched out her hand and blasted his remains with a ray of light. All that remained of his was a cloud of dust. Isira remained floating in the sky, meditating on her victory.
"Ren. Please come back home." She clasped her hands together like a prayer.
Meanwhile back on the battlefield by Iseru River. Borro was in awe by Joe Cloud's new form.
"J…Joe Cloud God Damnit?"
"Yeah, that's right. And I'm gonna bury you in the dust. WACHAA!!" said Joe Cloud God Damnit.
"Bring it on human!!" Borro dashed at Joe Cloud.
Joe charges in with a lightning-fast spinning kick, his body twisting as he delivers a powerful strike with his right leg. Borro throws a massive punch at the same time, aiming to overpower Joe through brute strength. The two blows collide violently, Joe's foot smashing into Borro's arm. The force rippled through the air, causing a crater to appear beneath them. As their attacks met, Borro was overwhelmed, his arm was knocked aside, while his feet slid back, cracking the ground beneath him. Joe followed through, keeping his guard high, showing off both his finesse and determination.
Joe, midair engulfed in blue flames, began to dash around the battlefield in a blur, delivering kicks left and right. Borro managed to keep up as he blocked each attack. However, as time went on, Joe's speed kept on increasing. Suddenly, Borro received a gash on his cheek. That was when he knew that things thing's weren't going to be in his favour much longer. So, he descended to the skies, believing that he would have a larger advantage compared to his human foe.
"Hiyah!! Not even gravity can stop me demon~! I am, revolutionairre~!!" yelled Joe as he jumped into the skies and began spinning around in the splits. His blue flames created a tornado. The blue tornado crashed onto Borro, and knocked him around the air like a snake playing with his food. This wasn't a tornado in the truest sense of the word. This was merely Joe Cloud God Damnit spinning around with his kicks.
"ENOUGH GAMES HUMAN!!" yelled Borro as he regained his balance in the air. He threw multiple punches with his four arms at Joe. Joe blocked them all with his kicks while in midair.
"NOW I HAVE THE ADVANTAGE!!" yelled Borro as he tried to throw a powerful punch at Joe. However, Joe kicked the air, launching him a few meters away from Borro. He kicked the air again to launch himself elsewhere. He then repeated this technique over and over, and picked up so much speed that he only became a blur of blue flames dashing through the sky. Borro was becoming disorientated. He managed to pick up on the fact that Joe was right behind him, so he twisted, in preparation to deliver another punch, however, Joe ducked and blitzed him. Joe lunged in and delivered a blistering right hook to Borro's ribs. A cracked echoed through the wilderness. He pivoted and launched a left roundhouse kick into Borro's side, sending the giant Oni stumbling back, breathless. Joe followed with a lighting fast jab-across combo to the face, snapping Borro's head from side to side like a rag doll. He ducked low, driving a punishing uppercut into Borro's midsection, folding him in half with a gasp of airless agony. Borro reeled and Joe leapt. With impossible grace, he unleashed a spinning jump kick to the jaw. Borro's head whipped to the side, his knees buckled. And then, Joe spun again. Another spinning heel kick, this one cracking against the side of Borro's skull. Joe blitzes his opponent again by kicking the air. He delivered a sharp open palm strike to Borro's abdomen, causing him to recoil slightly. He then followed up with a devastating high roundhouse kick to the side of Borro's face. As Borro wobbles, Joe uses a fast left hook staggering him even further.
Joe cloud continues by delivering another succession of three rapid spinning kicks, all landing on Borro's neck and head area. Each kick turned Borro's body further, breaking his balance and sending him reeling. Joe then climbed on Borro's shoulders and stomped on his face, using it as a platform to launch himself further into the air. He jumped twenty meters into the air.
Joe, descended rapidly from the air, spinning with force like a burning rollercoaster.
"GOD DAMN WANYUDO CLASH!!! HIYAH!!!!!" yelled Joe as he delivered a devastating axe kick downward, his legs blazing blue, and slammed into Borro's nasal cavity with crushing force. The impact was massive, it caused shockwaves and energy ripples through the area. Borro was sent flying and slammed into the ground like a meteor blazing in blue flames. Another crater was formed due to the crushing impact of the collision. Borro, with his body scorched by the flames, lay in it on his stomach, croaking and writhing in pain. However, Joe was not done yet.
Joe dived forward in a tight, tucked leap. He dropped down to the earth like a shooting star. It was as if he was about to finish Borro off with an ultimate banzai drop, however, the moment Joe was in proximity with Borro, he slammed feet-first into his enemy's back with brutal force. His legs impaled straight into Borro's torso, punching out the chest in a burst of gore. This brutal impalement was so devastating that it shook the earth and caused the crater they were within to further sink into the earth like a pothole.
"Revolutionairre splits!!" yelled Joe.
With his feet lodged into his opponent and the earth, he splits his legs apart, tearing Borro in half from within. Flesh and bone ripped apart along the path of Joe's limbs, blood spraying all over his legs. There Joe was, in the splits as usual. With a cold, focused expression, Joe sat in that position with the bisected demon corpse beside him, oozing entrails and blood. Joe meditated, breathing in and out, reflecting on his gruesome victory.
"HIYAHHH~!!" His battle cry echoed throughout the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the air cracked like thunder. Lin barely had time to react before Xiren descended upon him. The first punch didn't land, it detonated, sending Lin backward through sheets of stone, the ground buckling beneath each impact. Xiren wasn't brawling, he was executing. He flowed through the battlefield with eerie calm, weaving between Lin's attacks like wind through grass, and returning every blow with a silent, punishing response. A palm to the chest sent shockwaves through Lin's ribs. A spinning elbow snapped his guard open. A knee to the gut drove the breath from his lungs like a vacuum.
There was no fury in Xiren's eyes. No wasted movement, no erratic bursts. Just pure, disciplined wrath beneath a tranquil mask.
Xiren moved with the same composed dread, unshaken, unstoppable. He caught Lin mid-strike, twisted behind him, and struck a pressure point that folded the warrior forward. Then, gripping Lin's wrist with practiced ease, he hurled him across the rocky landscape without a word. By the end, Lin was coughing blood, stunned by the quiet brutality of it all. Xiren approached slowly, no malice in his eyes, just the unflinching resolves of a warrior with a heart as calm as the clouds.
"You leave me no choice," said Lin as he removed his arm guards. The moment each guard dropped to the floor, the caused the ground to shake and break. The guards were too heavy for the earth itself, thus they sunk deep into the ground.
"Interesting. Seems like you are finally going all out," said Xiren.
Lin focused both his Chi and Mana to his hands and yelled out. "Haaahh!!" As his yells echoed through the wasteland, a crater formed beneath his feet. Scales began to grow on his hands, which in turn grew in size. His nails grew ever sharper, eventually becoming claws. His arms became green dragon arms.
"You can call this form, Yù Lóng!" yelled Lin.
"This is getting interesting," said Xiren as he squinted, trying to understand what he was looking at. But he felt an enormous power. This surge in Lin's strength caught the attention of Seijuro, Renen, Joe and Wenex-su.
Xiren lunged at Lin in a calm and unshaken by the fate of his allies. Xiren threw a wild punch, Lin elegantly shifts, dodging the hit with a fluid sidestep that left an afterimage. The force of the punch he just dodged caused a trail of destruction that caused a hill in the distance to explode. Lin's counterattack came immediately, a heavy punch to Xiren's gut that sunk into his abdomen, causing a shockwave of light and energy to explode out. Xiren winced, eyes bulging in pain, as the sheer force of the punch rippled through his massive frame. Xiren breathed in an out while stepping back in order to regain his composure.
The air trembles under the weight of power. Fueled by the need to protect, Lin's chi erupts, a blazing blue aura crackles like lightning around his dragon arms. His eyes burn with purpose. When he charges, the world seems to blur. He moved with deadly intent, his claws glowing with a spiritual force. He teared through Xiren's monstrous defenses, blow after blow, each one landing like a thunderclap. Bones broke. Flesh buckled, but Lin didn't stop. Lin charged his foe with so much speed that his feet barely touched the ground as he moved like a streak of light. He slammed into Xiren with the force of a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through the air. Xiren momentarily caught off guard, tried to block, but the strength of Lin's punch was overwhelming. The impact sent him crashing into the rocky terrain, the ground cracking beneath him.
Xiren stands up after receiving a beating from Lin, and casually wipes the streak of blood from his mouth. "You are a powerful warrior indeed, Lin Zexu. Let us put an end to this battle immediately."
Xiren ascended to the sky and charged his demonic energy, causing rocks to rise up in the air. His aura was so strong that it pierced the clouds in the sky.
"Get ready! Lin Zexu!!" yelled Xiren.
Lin jumped up and pinched the air with his claws. This caused clouds to appear out of the blue in his palms. He used this magic to walk in the air. He used one of these clouds as a platform to stand on as he charged both his mana and chi until a golden dragon appeared around him, enveloping him as though protecting an egg. Lightning rippled through the air as the two enemies charging their attacks stared each other down.
"This is my final attack, Lin Zexu! Haaah!! ASHURA'S PALM!!" yelled Xiren as he unleashed a gigantic demonic hand made of pure darkness, almost as if he had infused all of his malintent into it.
The golden dragon that was summoned by Lin acted as a cloak for him and bent to his every will like a projected spiritual avatar. It became one with Lin. The dragon dashed towards the Ashura's palm that stood between it and Xiren.
"DUÓ HÚN LÓNG!!" yelled Lin Zexu.
The dragon and the ashura's palm clashed causing the earth and rocky terrain to fly into the distance like leaves in a violent breeze.
The golden dragon pierced through the Ashura's palm, causing it to exploded. However, the dragon flew right through the explosion, with Lin visible through it's transparent head. As the dragon opened its jaw as he reached Xiren, Lin Zexu made the gesture one would make when throwing a powerful punch. In that instant, the dragon consumed Xiren. During the split second before being consumed, Xiren let out a calm and serene grin, as if he had accepted his fate. The dragon ate the demon, and ascended to the sky as if it was satisfied with its meal. The moment it reached the sky, it exploded. The shockwave split the skies and shook the heavens. Like a leaf fluttering in the autumn, Lin dropped from the sky. Jean-Pierre dashed through the sky while knocking the demons that stood in his way to the side and caught Lin before he could smash into the floor.
Lin quickly regained consciousness. "Urgh, my head," muttered Lin. "Huh, Jean? W…Where's Xiren?!" asked Lin as he jolted to his feet with his guard up.
"HAH! NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT HIM! YOU KICKED HIS ASS!!" said Jean-Pierre.
"Is that so? That's a relief. I guess I can focus on the weaker demons now. I'll back you guys up!'
"ARE YOU SURE, LIN? THAT FIGHT YOU JUST WENT THROUGH MUST HAVE TAKEN A LOT OUT OF YOU, MAN!" said Jean-Pierre.
"It's fine. I can still fight!"
Meanwhile, Renen was slicing off Wenex-su's limbs and kicked him into the distance.
"Cough cough!!" Wenex-su was reaching the brink of death. "W…Why aren't you finishing me off huh?! Are you toying with me?!!"
"You could say that. I'm taking my time making you feel as much pain as possible. You demons have tormented us for far too long," said Renen. "But you're right. I might as well just behead you here and now. Farewell." Just as Renen was about to behead Wenex-su, something knocked him off his flying carpet, causing him to smash head first into the ground.
"Look at the mess you''ve gotten yourself into, Wenex-su. I made the right choice following you lot here," said the mysterious figure that stood in front of Wenex-su.
"Huh? What the-?!" Wenex-su was at a loss for words. "Xedet and Lord Kyphibabi?!"
Xedet appeared a giant gorilla-looking demon, with arms as large as boulders, hooves and jaw of a horse and the eyes and snout of a lion, along with a white mane. Their presence immediately put a stop to the battle. Xedet was also carrying the corpse of one of the human warriors.
"No way, is that…?" Renen was at a loss for words.
"Is that one of the ten Akhekhu?! What is he doing here?!" asked Seijuro.
"I heard tell that strong fighters were gatherin' here, so I figured I'd hae a go at fechtin' them. Needed tae get out an' stretch ma limbs anyway!" said the Akhekhu.
"I…I see." Wenex-su replied.
"Lord Renenhotep! We can't afford to hold back! Let's jump at him, all at once! Now!!" yelled Lin Zexu as he shook in fear.
"I know!" Renen tightened the grip on his blade. "Kiki, we are going to have to go all out! Are you ready?"
[ I'm ready when you are -kiki!]
"Great!" Renen held his arm out into the air with his eyes closed. In his mind, he imagined a chamber of swords hanging on a wall. He grabbed the golden sword. As he opened his eyes, his hand was in some sort of pocket dimension slowly pulling out the golden blade.
"Get ready Kiki! Haah!!" Renen smashed Kiki and the golden sword together. An explosion occurred due to the energy that erupted from the two blades colliding. "Transform!"
From the blinding light, Renen emerged. His eyes and locs turned gold. A giant ring with a cobra devouring itself appeared behind Renen. He held a gigantic otherworldly sword in his hand."
"Cherecherecherechere!! Sae, this is the wielder o' the Sekhem-Ma'at, is it? Hah… interestin'. Xedet, bid the lesser deils quit this place at once. Let them turn their wrath upon the mortals' lair instead.
That's what brought ye here, is it no? As for me, 'tis the wielder o' the Sekhem-Ma'at an' his comrades I'd cross blades wi'.
"Very well my lord. Everyone, take the teleportation devices from the humans if you can! Steal them from the enemy's corpses if you have to!"
"Let me ease yer labours. Here, tak' ma mana," said the Akhekhu as he extended his hand into the air releasing his dark energy into the air like poisonous fumes polluting the air. As these fumes got into contact with the remaining demons and Hoodwinked members, their muscles began to expand.
The demons began to attack the humans and dispatched them fairly easily.
"Damnit!" Renen dashed towards the Akhekhu, however, Xedet threw the corpse he was carrying toward Renen. Renen caught the body, this left him open to getting punched by the Akhekhu in the back. Renen crashed into the ground with the corpse. Just as he was sliding on the ground, Xedet appeared out of nowhere and kicked him into the air like a soccer ball.
The Akhekhu was waiting for Renen to reach him so that he could deliver another punch, however, Joe Cloud God Dammit appeared and defended Renen by blocking the Akhekhu's fist with a kick. Lin Zexu and Njomane then punched the Akhekhu in the face. Jean-Pierre and Seijuro leaped into the air and slashed the Akhekhu by the back. Ola Bishop then fired off a flurry of magic bullets to the Akhekhu's entire body. The Akhekhu was staggered, so Renen fired off a giant slash with his blade.
This slash travelled ten kilometers to the other side while piercing the sky.
The Akhekhu received a massive scar across his torso. However he didn't seem truly bothered by this. Instead he was rather gleeful at the prospect of this battle. The Akhekhu then tucked his body in and opened up like a star, releasing an explosive wave of energy that blew the warriors away.
Renen and his friends quickly regained their balance after being blown away. Just as Renen was about to launch himself back at the Akhekhu, Xedet appeared in front of him with his spear. He and Renen parried each other's attacks as their weapons collided. It was as if they were on even footing.
Renen was then able to knock Xedet's spear into the sky. Just as it seemed as if Xedet's guard was wide open, Jean-Pierre and Njomane dashed toward him from behind. As Xedet caught wind of their presence, he extended the index fingers on both of his hands as if imitating a pistol and pointed it at the two warriors behind him.
"Wind Bullet," said Xedet. Two bullets of powerful air shot out of his fingers, exploding point blank in the faces of Jean-Pierre and Njomane.
"You'll pay for that!" Renen dashed at Xedet trying to slash him, however the demon used a gust of wind to propel himself into the air to grab his spear. Suddenly, the Akhekhu's fist popped out of the dust left by Xedet's blast of wind, knocking Renen into the distance. The Akhekhu then chased after Renen with blinding speed. Xedet found the rest of Renen's teammates dashing after the Akhekhu, so he summoned powerful gusts of wind which surrounded him like a tornado.
"With this power of heka, I vow to shape and bend reality to my will. Now, scatter, o divine winds. Cut down every obstacle in your way," said Xedet. "Swift Wind: Impepo!" he yelled.
He summoned powerful blades of wind at Seijuro, Lin, Joe and Ola. Luckily, the four of them were able to avoid getting hit by them. Seijuro deflected one of the air blades.
"Xedet!! Do you remember me?!" yelled Seijuro. "You killed Yasuke!! You killed my student you monster!!"
"Seijuro Yamashita. I'm surprised that you have clung to your wretched life for so long. Yasuke… I remember him very clearly."
"Do you feel no remorse for killing a child, Xedet?!" yelled Seijuro.
"Why should I feel such a way? As far as I'm concerned I freed him from his miserable mortal coil. I did it for his own good. You should be thankful."
"He was like a son to you bastard!! Why would a parent celebrate the death of his child?!" cried Seijuro.
"Don't you dare speak to me like that you human scum. These are matter that go far beyond your mortal understanding. Humble yourself and perish into the either along with your 'son'." Xedet swung his spear, sending another air slash at Seijuro.
"You will be the one to perish you foul beast!!" yelled Seijuro as he fired off his own air slash as well. The two blades of wind clashed together.
"Hmph." Xedet scoffed with arrogance as he dashed towards his foes while spinning his spear. He partook in battle with all four of them at the same time. Njomane and Jean-Pierre eventually recovered and helped out the others. Xedet parried each and every one of their attacks with unbridled elegance. Almost as of he were dancing with all six of them at the same time.
Meanwhile, Renen and the Akhekhu traded blows and clashed attacks. Their brawl caused the earth itself to shake uncontrollably. Sparks of lightning crackled in the air and the clouds began to gather as the sky grew darker. Eventually, Renen and the Akhekhu took their battle to the skies. Clashing into each other with such speed that they looked like mere streaks of light and fireworks to the naked human eye.
Thirty minutes later, back at Sefu's bar, Isira just returned from delivering Nok back to his mother. The mother was so happy that she cried upon seeing her son again. Everyone in the evacuation chamber comforted her. However, Isira felt obligated to return to the bar, where Sefu and Rem awaited her.
She then entered Sefu's bar and went down the basement. She found Sefu and Rem looking at the monitor.
"Rem? You're awake?" Isira ran toward Rem and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"I'm glad you're okay too mom. You really scared me when you went to fight that monster on your own."
"I'm sorry for putting you through that Rem. Will you forgive me?" asked Isira. Rem nodded and hugged her even tighter.
"Oh no, dis bad, real bad! Isira, look yah so!" yelled Sefu.
"Huh? What is it?" Isira ran toward the monitor while holding Rem in her arms.
Sefu pointed at one of the monitors. "Look deh, by di ruins of di obelisk! More uninvited guests reachin'!"
"You've got to be kidding me?! What are Ren and the other's doing?" As she turned her head to the other monitor, she saw footage of Renen being carried by the Akhekhu by the neck with his shirt torn and his body battered. He still clung desperately to his sword. On the other hand, his comrades lay at the feet of Xedet, completely defeated. "I…Is that an Akhekhu? Tch! Sefu, please bring them back here! All of them! Teleport them back here specifically! I beg of you! Please!"
"Right! Mi hear yuh. Mi did a think di same ting. Time come. We haffi send Renen an' Kiki back in di past fi find di other half of di blade. We nuh have no more options!" said Sefu as he started tinkering around with the computer on his monitor. Isira and Rem were scared. "A'right then… here goes nuttin'!"
Suddenly, every warrior on the battlefield was teleported to the front of Sefu's bar. Most of them were gravely injured. So was Renen and his comrades. They were all on death's door. Little did Sefu know that the Akhekhu, Wenex-su and Xedet had stolen teleportation belts from some of the dead warriors on the battlefield, so they too, were transported to Sefu's bar.
"Could this be the mortals' ain dwellin'? Ne'er did I take them for the sort tae rush headlong intae their ain doom," said the Akhekhu as he dropped Renen to the ground like he was a bag of trash.
"Rass! How mi fall fi dat?! Now we surrounded, fi real!! Dis cyaan be how humanity done… no sah!!" cried Sefu.
"Don't beat yourself up Sefu. So long as we are still breathing… no one else shall die on our watch!!" yelled Isira as she transformed into her winged form again. She dashed out of the bar.
"Mom! Don't go!" cried Rem.
"We nuh have no choice but fi fight, Rem," muttered Sefu.
Rem looked at Sefu with fear in her eyes and turned her gaze toward the entrance of the basement.
She clasped her hands in prayer.
"Cherecherecherechere!! Nou that I've set fit here, why nae begin the slauchter? Leave nae stane unturned," yelled the Akhekhu.
"Yes, my lord," Xedet bowed. Just as he was about to float away, a charred hand grabbed on to his leg and held on tight. Xedet looked to the person holding him down with disgust. "Unhand me at once, Seijuro."
Seijuro was still laying face down to the floor, covered in injuries. "I… won't… let you… take… anything else… from me. Xedet…" said Seijuro.
"You are becoming a nuisance to me, filthy human. Perish." Xedet pointed at him with his index finger as if he were holding a pistol. "Air bullet."
Pallets of air bullets rained mercilessly upon Seijuro's back. In an instance, a ray of light blew Xedet away into the distance. Xedet regained his footing.
"What was that?" he asked himself. He then saw a winged Isira dashing towards the Akhekhu with her sword of light. The Akhekhu jumped high to avoid getting slashed by it. In that instant, Isira grabbed Renen from the floor and threw him closer to the entrance of the bar.
"Kiki! Please heal everyone including Ren! I'll buy you some time!"
[R…Right!] Kiki turned back to his plushy old self and began sprinkling dust on Renen, Joe, Lin, Jean-Pierre, Ola, Seijuro and Njomane. He also tried his best to sprinkle the dust on the remaining one hundred warriors. Isira bought him time by spamming laser blasts from her floating ring to keep the Akhekhu and Xedet away.
'Tch, I'm starting to lose energy here. Please Kiki, hurry up!' She thought as a drop of sweat ran down her forehead.
Kiki had to use his healing dust sparingly because there were too many people to heal. One by one, the warriors stood up, ready to fight. Renen too got up. He saw Kiki breathing heavily.
"Kiki, you can step back now! We… we'll handle the rest."
"What are you talking about -kiki?! You and I are going to see this fight through until the end, Renen!!"
"K…Kiki." Renen's eyes widened. "Very well. Let's do this Kiki. Transform!"
Kiki transformed into a broken blade once again. Renen smashed Kiki with the golden sword. A surge of energy exploded.
"Alright guys! Let's fight to protect our home! Even until our last breath!" yelled Renen.
"YEAH!!" All the human warriors roared as their morale boosted. Renen dashed towards Isira and stood by her side.
The underground scrapyard was a cavernous coliseum of twisted steel and broken machines, the ceiling so vast and jagged it seemed to groan under the weight of the world above. Metal towers loomed like skeletal giants, and heaps of rusted wreckage formed the mountains and valleys of this vast warzone. Then the silence shattered.
A thunderous boom cracked the air. Across the battlefield stood the behemoth, a towering Akhekhu demon of muscle and madness. Eyes like molten pits. Veins bulging, black and crimson, over skin like smouldering obsidian. He breathed like a locomotive, each exhale a hiss of infernal steam. And then he charged.
With a roar that shook the cavern, the hulk barrelled forward on all fours, knuckles cratering the floor with each bound. Renen met him mid-charge, his massive holy blade, a slab of radiant steel as long as a grown man, braced in both hands. The first clash sent a shockwave rippling through the scrapyard, tossing heaps of twisted steel like leaves in a gale. Renen's blade locked against the demon's forearm, but the sheer brute force hurled him backward into a tower of scrap, which collapsed over him in a shower of rusted shrapnel.
"Ren!" Isira's voice rang like a bell through the chaos, fierce and desperate. She burst into the air, wings of radiant light spreading wide, her sun-forged blade glowing with divine wrath. She dove like a meteor, a single scream of light slicing down. The demon caught the blade with his bare hand, it sizzled against his flesh, and still he laughed. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the cavern wall, cratering it. Blood oozed down her cheek, dark against her deep, warm skin that shimmered beneath the blood and holy light. With a cry, she blasted a focused beam of sacred fire into the demon's face, forcing him back and blasting herself free.
All around them, the scrapyard erupted into war. Hundreds of humans fought against an infernal tide, over two hundred warriors clashing with a horde of three hundred demons. The air shrieked with battle cries, clashing steel, and unholy roars. Fire and shadow collided as explosions of light and darkness turned the cavern into a strobe-lit hellscape.
Then, with a monstrous roar, the Akhekhu slammed his fists into the ground. The floor fractured, exploded. A storm of dark force radiated from him like a god's wrath. Scrap towers toppled. Dozens of humans and demons were hurled through the air, screaming, limbs flailing, weapons spinning away. They slammed into walls and debris with bone-breaking force.
The frontline disintegrated. The Akhekhu rose from the epicenter, surrounded by a crater of annihilation, laughing a deep, guttural sound that echoed through the scrapyard's skeleton.
In the madness, Renen and Isira were pulled into the storm. Dodging falling debris, fleeing collapsing towers, they were funnelled toward the heart of the battlefield by the chaos itself. They hadn't chosen this. It had chosen them.
The Akhekhu saw them. With feral focus, he lunged. He vaulted over corpses and wreckage, tearing across the field in a frenzy of hate. The world cracked beneath his feet. Renen and Isira had no time, no room to run.
Only the craters beneath them and death bearing down. Again and again, they tried to bring him down. Renen attacked with wide, luminous cleaves that painted arcs of light through the air. Isira struck from the sky, her blade a flickering sun. But the Akhekhu's hide deflected most blows. Even when they reached his neck, the one weak point, their weapons barely cut.
The Akhekhu retaliated savagely. He crushed Renen into the ground with a fist like a boulder. Isira tried to flank him, only to be swatted mid-dive and flung into a spire. Renen slashed upward, caught the jaw, but the blade slid off. The demon answered with a spinning backhand that cracked armour and threw Renen like a doll.
They regrouped. Tried a feint. Isira dove low as Renen drew the beast's eyes. She spun upward, blade screaming through the air, but again, the Akhekhu caught her by the leg and slammed her down.
At one point, he brought both feet down to crush them together. Isira was beneath him, but Renen, seeing it coming, wrapped himself around her.
His body took the blow. Bones snapped. Blood exploded from his mouth as the demon stomped again, and again. She tried to rise, but he held her down, shielding her as the Akhekhu howled overhead.
Then it leapt, to the cavern roof. Debris rained as it cratered the ceiling, and then it fell like a meteor, descending to finish them. Isira's wings flared as she grabbed Renen and dashed aside with all her might.
The impact rocked the world. They were thrown like dolls. When the dust cleared, the Akhekhu rose from the crater, eyes locked on them.
"Let's try severing his head again, Isira," Renen gasped.
They attacked together. Isira blinded it with radiant bursts. Renen blinked in with a slash that drew ichor. Isira carved an X into its back. Renen's blade slashed the neck deep, spraying black blood. Still the head held.
A storm of strikes followed. Their blades danced in harmony. They spun, blinked, dodged, dove. Renen's blade rang with every impact. Isira's wings painted streaks of fire.
She pinned the demon in place with radiant chains. Renen drove his blade through its heart. Isira let loose a beam that tore through its neck.
Flesh, bone, sinew, ripped. Only a ragged strip held it. The demon clutched its own head with both hands, lifting it like a broken crown.
It grinned through torn flesh. It advanced.
The upcoming assault became a descent into horror. The Akhekhu was no longer just a beast; it was a grotesque vision of torment and revelry. Its nearly severed head lolled sideways, tendons twitching like puppeteer strings. Its grin widened unnaturally, jaw slack, split cheeks twitching with maddening glee. The flesh split deeper with every movement, revealing glimpses of blackened muscle and broken vertebrae.
It faked a stagger, shoulders jerking like a marionette's twitch. Renen lunged to press the advantage; only for the Akhekhu to whip its dangling head into his chest like a flail. The impact made a sickening thunk; Renen's ribs cracked as he flew back, gasping.
The demon laughed, a sound like boiling tar, and cradled its own head lovingly in one arm, stroking the scalp with cracked claws before slamming it back against its neck. It stayed. Just barely. Isira struck from above, fury blazing, but the Akhekhu ducked, then hurled a corpse at her mid-flight. She veered, wings tearing through gore, only to be caught by a backhand that spun her through a wrecked vehicle. Sparks and flame burst.
It advanced in spasms; limbs jerking, spine twitching, head wobbling like a pendulum; as though death were puppeteering the body from behind a veil.
Then it sprang, laughing with gurgled glee. Its claws carved through air as it slammed both fists into Renen, lifting him off the ground with the force. It caught Isira mid-spin, dragging her across the floor in a shower of sparks and blood.
It danced on broken limbs. It revelled in the pain. And though it was dying, the joy in its mangled face was pure and wicked.
Then it leapt again, limbs spiralling, laughter echoing like fractured glass. It crashed down between them with a thunderous impact, sending both hurtling away, bodies carving their own craters as they landed.
Blood spread from them like pigment, red overflowing into the metal craters like crimson paint into the thumbhole of a painter's palette, rich, wet, and beautiful in its finality.
They reached…hands trembling, breaths hitching, the air between them thick with blood and the scent of burning metal. Their fingers brushed, then clasped. Not out of triumph, but desperation. Not to hold on to life, but to each other. Their grip was weak, slippery with blood, but unbreakable.
In that bleak hollow, beneath the earth's scar, they lay side by side, wrecked and battered, eyes locked as the world collapsed around them. Craters pooled with their mingled blood, rivulets of red threading through shattered steel and scorched soil, filling the wounds of the battlefield like crimson pigment in an artist's palette thumbhole. The ground became a canvas of their suffering, smeared in pain and defiance.
There was terror in their wounds, but peace in their closeness. A haunting kind of peace. Two souls, radiant and ruined, embraced in the wound of the world. Their hands held fast, even as strength failed, even as breath came slow and broken.
Renen coughed, a wet, rattling sound. "Isira…"
She turned her face to him, barely able to speak. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
"Can you see that, Isira? We actually defeated an Akhekhu."
Her lips trembled. "Ren... what do you mean?"
"It might not seem like it now, but that gorilla bastard's nearly done for... Hahaha-- ngh." Renen laughed, then winced, his face contorting with pain.
"Ren, please... don't talk. You have to conserve your strength."
"I just want to live long enough to see that Akhekhu topple over and kiss the dirt," he rasped, coughing violently as blood splattered from his lips.
"Don't worry, Ren. You won't be crossing over alone," she said softly, offering him a tender smile.
"No way, Isira. You're not going anywhere, not if I have anything to say about it," Renen replied, his voice cracking as another cough shook his frame.
He raised his hand and drew a black sword from a pocket dimension. "I'm sorry, Isira. I have to do this."
"What are you talking about, Ren?"
"I hope we can meet again." Renen swung the sword toward her in a wide arc.
"Ren, no!!"
The blade sliced across her chest. From the wound, a black hole bloomed, pulling at her body. She began to glitch, her form flickering unnaturally.
"Ren! What are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, Isira. This was my last resort. I'll join you soon."
Her body twisted and collapsed inward until it became a singularity, a black hole that swallowed itself and vanished.