Post by Tulip Waterfield on Jun 10, 2017 4:51:29 GMT
Three men sprinted out of the bank, led by one huge beast. Four officers opened fire on the group, attempting to slow their pace. The huge Zoan thrust his forearms in front of his face, easily charging through the rubber rounds. Before the officers could break away and retreat, the huge Tiger swiped one arm to the side, smashing their vehicle into the air. The vehicle went flying sideways, sprinkling glass on the shocked men as the Tiger’s companions began aiming their weapons at the shocked officers.
A young boy watched in awe from his room as the officers began shooting at the huge monster barreling out of the bank. But he was unable to react in time as a huge object came soaring towards the window he peered out of. His blue eyes widened in shock as the broken car hurtled towards his room, but the boy wouldn’t escape the impact. He started to turn, but was far too slow to outrun the imminent projectile.
Boom!
The vehicle slammed into the wall with a resounding impact, but didn’t break the wall. The Tiger Zoan didn’t pay it mind, even when the vehicle slammed into the ground in the middle of the street. The kid watched in shock as a figure wearing a blue jacket with ‘BBA’ emblazoned on the back threw him a thumbs-up from their place on his window-sill. Before the boy could fully identify the person, they were already moving again.
The officers had tried to dive into cover, but without the vehicles they’d been using originally, they had next to no time. Add to that the Tiger Zoan who was easily smashing anything they hid behind, it was shaping up to be next to impossible to avoid the bullets and the Tiger’s powerful claws. A younger officer, Lieutenant Sharp, tossed caution to the wind, drawing his electric baton and charging the huge Tiger. The man grinned in excitement and swung his huge fist towards the officer.
“Reach, dammit!” The young lieutenant screamed, as he thrust the powerful stun weapon towards the huge Tiger. It wouldn’t make it; the huge Zoan was too strong for this small unit to take on. It stopped halfway, as another boom rang through the area. All the shooting stopped, as the other officers began looking towards their brave companion. The criminals stopped shooting for other reasons.
Officer Sharp’s baton hung in the air, his forearm blocked by the knee of a small woman. The Zoan’s fist was being held out by the woman’s palm, stopped just short of the Officer’s face. In her free hand she held her Bokia cell, which she was currently talking into.
“Operator Rachel, KAOS Member Tulip is on the scene. Active Bank Robbery, criminals are 4 men, 3 humans and one Tiger Zoan. The Zoan will need a special carrier; he’s stronger than the average joe.” She paused, glancing towards the other criminals. Silver knives were hanging in the air around them, brandished with the intent to pierce if movement was detected. “I’m going to tell these criminals their rights before offering them an easy trip to jail. If they decline...I’ll be calling back in five minutes with a request for an ambulance.”
The Tiger Zoan’s face warped in rage, as the woman more than 2 feet shorter than him ignored his attempts to break free. He leaped off the pavement with both of his feet, driving them into her face with a full-force dropkick. His face shifted from one of rage to shock, as the woman didn’t budge. Blood did run from her nose, as the young hybrid sighed and wiped it away with the back of her loose hand.
“Change of plans; bring an ambulance for the Tiger.” Clenching her fist tight, the woman felt the Tiger’s muscles and bones grind together in her ki-enhanced grip. He grimaced and roared in agony, right before she threw the huge Tiger into the air. Her cell entered the air, as the woman let go of the tiny device. Silver ki crackled around her fist, as she slammed it into the huge Zoan’s gut. Bile and blood sprayed from his mouth as her fist left a clear indent in the center of his stomach. Turning away, she snatched her phone from the air and continued talking. The Tiger flew through the air and slammed into the pavement behind the officers, eyes rolled back and clearly struggling to breathe. Her gaze swept the trio of men with guns, as she spoke softly but firmly. “Let’s see if the others want to fight or go along quietly. Boys?”
There was a clatter of metal, as the criminals threw their weapons onto the pavement and held their hands high. Snapping her fingers, seventeen silver knives pierced the various guns, turning them into useless metal. Turning back towards the officers, the woman motioned for them to apprehend the criminals. The operator thanked the KAOS member for her quick response, but the woman ignored the offer of praise.
“I’m just doing my job. KAOS is meant to help the people of Earth and protect them from the evil that normal strength can’t bring to justice.” The woman spoke sincerely, gaze traveling to the sky. Her conviction was real; after the turmoil of hell, the woman had finally found a reason to fight and stand tall: to protect those less fortunate than her.
That’s the words of a fool; you only seek strength to run from your own terror and self-disgust. A sudden chill ran through the woman, as a soft but clear voice rang through her mind. Her gaze shot to either side, as her mind’s eyes extended to attempt to capture the location of the voice in her mind. But she found nothing. Sweat began forming on her brow, as the woman hung up the phone with a press of a button. The young hybrid visibly swallowed and took a slow breath. A dangerous thought crossed her mind, which she expressed in a soft whisper.
“Was...that my heart speaking?”
Landing in the clearing she called home, the young woman walked over to the cleared area next to the fire-pit. Her cave had become uninhabitable when the small treasure hunt had ended up collapsing the entire mountain in on itself. The waterfall had turned into a swirling rapids leading into a much-larger lake. The wildlife bounced back quickly, which had been one of the woman’s biggest concerns. She paused overlooking the large, blue lake and sighed. The thoughts from earlier still hovered in the back of her mind, like a stinging wound. Shaking her head with disgust, the woman pulled a capsule from her pocket. Preparing to open the container, she paused when she felt something crackle behind her. Slowly stretching her ki senses to her maximum range, the woman tried to put a bead on the energy source of whatever stood behind her. When she found nothing, she started to relax...until a sharp and painful realization shot through her entire being.
This…monster has an aura that covers this entire forest.
“That’s rude. I’m just a judge of a young woman who has lived a lie since she landed on this lovely planet all those seasons past. I’m indebted to you, which I’ll openly admit. If it wasn’t for your sins and actions, I wouldn’t exist.” Tulip’s gaze landed on a short girl, who spoke softly but firmly from her place sitting next to the firepit behind the young woman. She was only a few inches shorter than the small woman, wearing a blue dress that complimented her blonde hair and blue eyes. The little girl looked up at the woman and smiled softly. “Go ahead and sit down, Tulip. Running would be a mistake, seeing as how you can already tell the difference in our strengths. I’m not here to brutally crush you like my uncle was all those months ago. I’m here to read you your crimes and execute you quickly and painlessly. After all, once I’ve accomplished that singular task, my existence will be freed from these shackles of duty.”
“Why did you wait so long to approach me?” The young woman sat down slowly across from the young girl, who was staring at the charred ashes in the fire-pit. The woman didn’t let her aura flare up, but kept her guard up. The identity of this girl was clear; her power and strange speech made the evidence crystal in its simplicity. “You should have targeted me right after I returned from Hell.”
“It’s funny, really. Despite my existence being centered around erasing yours, I found a desire to analyze your life. There was a passion there I could never understand, not with the intellect I possess. The pride in every battle lost, the sorrow in every encounter...it made no sense to me. But then I realized: you’re weaker than every person you saved.”
“What?”
“You seek justification for your power, companionship to those stronger. If my creators had met you on different circumstances, you would’ve been an eager worshiper of their potential and strength. But, since you sympathized with weaklings and sought to justify your own humanity, you rejected my father’s existence. Before he died, he sent out one last thought to the being I consider my ‘mother’. One filled with so much hatred and rage that it gave me the potential to evolve into any number of forms for the sole purpose of wiping your existence from this earth.”
“Thus I was born, a being filled with so much anger and rage it literally made the world red with its power. But, with time that rage and anger became just static in the background of my existence. I realized my Uncle and Father’s mistakes in fighting you. They challenged you, a being with so much potential for evolution where you were strongest; in a place with an audience, a group you desired to protect with every ounce of your pride. Not because it was the right thing to do...but because it was the only way for you to find the motivation to continue fighting on. I watched you, analyzing every battle you fought, all of your emotions, and all of your weaknesses. It was enough for me to sate my rage simply through imagining how satisfying your death would be at the end, when I had surpassed your strength in every manner and fashion possible.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“So imagine my surprise when you died!” The tiny girl laughed, a chilling tone that made the woman’s fears crop up even further. “The person I was supposed to fight in battle, destroy utterly, and kill when she was broken and battered beyond repair! She went and died while I watched, giving her life to save a pathetic robot without a heart. I could’ve gone out there and killed that robot myself, but I filled with a different kind of terror. Without you, my entire life suddenly lost all purpose. Without you, my strength had no purpose. What is an executioner without a prisoner to kill? Just a person with an empty title.”
“This doesn’t explain why you’re telling me all of this! Who are you, why did you wait this long, and why choose this place to confront me?!”
The woman rose to her feet, voice rising to a shout as she stared down at the smaller girl. The girl giggled softly and grinned up at the woman. “Well, since you’re in such a rush, dearly departed, I’ll skip the rest of the speech I had. My name is Hydrangea.”
She slowly stood up, straightening out the hem of her dress and curtsying towards the young woman. The grin remained, as the demon continued her speech. “I waited till you returned to your strongest before stepping forward….and the reason I chose here was so no one will hear your screams for help. Not a single person will be there to watch you die; fitting, for a woman so hell-bent on saving everyone else. Now, alone and afraid, how will you fight to survive? Will you give in to despair, struggle futilely to resist, or win? We both know the answer, don’t we?”
Tulip’s eyes widened in shock, as the air dropped more than twenty degrees. The woman created a blade, which exploded in size. Using the pommel of the blade as a springboard, the woman launched herself sideways out of the girl’s attack. A sharp crack filled the air, as her blade shattered into pieces. The woman hit the ground and rolled to a stop on all fours, as her gaze drifted to the area she’d just occupied. The entire campsite was covered in a layer of frost that emanated cold air. Her Ki Blade had been flash-frozen, instantly destroying all of the energy it contained. The woman’s eyes widened in shock as her gaze drifted towards the demon. The girl had hadn’t moved since she curtsied. The girl finally rose to standing, her smile shifting to a sinister smirk.
“That’s good. If you died with just that, my revenge would be far from complete.” The girl lifted her hands, as a single, tiny maestro’s wand appeared in her hand. Catching it with her fingertips, the girl smiled and spoke softly. “You’ll want to dodge this.”
Tulip was forced from her stupor, as dozens of blades of ice formed in the air, raining down in a torrent around her. More than half were aimed to maim the woman, but she managed to dodge most by ducking and weaving through the powerful barrage of blades. The cascade of attacks finally came to an end, as the woman slid to the stop in the center of the sea of ice. Her breath came in gasps as she struggled to maintain her composure and not panic.
“Already tired, Tulip? That’s unfortunate; that was just the opening chord our game of cat and mouse. And the chorus has already arrived.” The girl flicked upwards with her wand, as energy suddenly surged at the woman’s feet. Her gaze dropped and panic immediately shot through every nerve of her body. The ice that had been assailing the woman randomly hadn’t been ‘random’; a huge pentagram had been formed on the earth by the blades, with the young hybrid standing at the center. She started to move, as cold air surged upward from the earth. Energy and magic came together as the woman’s jacket and clothing began freezing on her. The demon’s wand came down, as a iceberg formed around the huge clearing. The demon lowered the baton, before turning away slowly. “That was a disappointing conclusion. I had hoped for so much more from the woman who was destined to be my opponent.”
A silver spark of energy flickered across the tip of the huge block of ice, before audible cracks ran through the air. A surge of ki was emanating from the huge block of ice, proof that the pathetic mortal within still lived. A single blade exploded from the ice, barely missing the demon’s head. Cracks shot through the face of the ice block, before exploding into huge shards as the hybrid within forced her ki to explode outwards. Her skin was a bright pink from the overload of cold on her small frame. Her jacket and pants shattered as the woman forced her arms down and her legs apart, ignoring the stinging pain that shot through her limbs. Her emerald gaze was on the demon, as her hands curled into fist. Her black tank-top and spandex had survived the flash-freeze miraculously, but the woman was too pissed to pay that any mind.
Digging her feet into the frozen earth, Tulip dashed forward, bringing both of her hands back and focusing her ki into each. The smaller girl simply turned, raising one hand up. The woman ducked under the blades of ice that instantly exploded towards her, evidence of the girl’s overwhelming magical strength.
“If you’re so strong at a distance, all I need to do is...SEAL YOUR ESCAPE!” As the woman planted her feet firmly and activated her first form, silver energy crackling outwards. She shot forward, instantly covering the distance between herself and the smaller demon. The girl’s eyes widened in appreciation as the woman swung her silver-coated fist towards her stomach.
Flash! Activating her strongest technique, the girl sighed softly. The entire world had stopped, frozen by her magical control over ice. Reversing the effects of cold on her own molecules, the girl could speed her body up to thousands of times faster than the world around her. She looked at the woman, frost already forming on Tulip’s fist. She had entered the absolute-zero zone that permeated the air around Hydrangea; it would kill anything human from two feet away. The fact that the hybrid had managed to get within 3 inches before the ability affected her was a miracle in itself. Whatever, thoughts of pride were not worth anything here. Setting her fingers against the hybrid’s side, the girl sighed again as ice began spreading across the woman’s shirt and through her skin below.
“So mortal; so weak.” Letting her hand drop, the girl clenched her other hand into a fist and slammed it into Tulip’s side, shattering the ice. The broken shards of her clothes flew into the air, as the skin underneath visibly cracked. Admiring the handiwork of her technique, the girl nodded once and then stepped away. Pointing a finger towards Tulip’s head, a blade of ice materialized only millimeters away. “Ha...dodge this, Demon-Slayer”
The girl blurred and vanished, as stinging pain shot through Tulip’s fist and forearm. Her ki was dispelled as ice crackled up her arm. Sharp, mind-numbing pain exploded from her side, as a blade of ice appeared next to her head. Time almost stopped, as the woman tried to wrap her mind around what had just transpired.
She vanished...Time-Stop? No, that was ‘her’ technique. She left before the demon was born. Did this demon learn it from someone else? Forcing ki through her frozen hand, a blade of silver appeared and deflected the ice to one side. Her uninjured hand went to the hybrid’s side, feeling the damage there. She winced as the feeling began returning, bringing with it an unspeakable pain. Her stomach seized up and she collapsed forward, vomiting from the reaction of her muscles. Spitting bile onto the frozen ground, the woman felt more than saw the girl step forward, hovering over her.
“You’re confused; you don’t know what I did, which fills you with fear. Don’t worry; I’ll ensure your death is monumental in its brutality.” The young woman gritted her teeth and forced her body to move, ignoring the pain that shot through every fiber of her being. The air cracked and cold assaulted every nerve of the woman’s being. She managed to throw herself out of the area that was being targeted, crashing and rolling to a stop only five meters away. The short girl shook her head and continued speaking, as the woman tried to stop the chattering in her teeth and the trembling of her limbs, Frost ran across the woman’s limbs, testimony to the gaps between their strengths. The young girl raised her hand, eliciting Tulip jerking away reflexively.
“That fear is good; I love the look of despair in your eyes. My judgement was true. Without someone to protect you, you lose all ability to muster your courage and continue fighting through pain and agony. It’s laughable, really.”
As the hand drew closer and the girl’s energy slowly rose to higher levels, the woman felt mind-crushing despair falling upon every ounce of her being. The rest of the world seemed to grow distant, as all of her being focused on the descending hand. It was the executioner, come to steal her life once more. The faces, memories, and despair from Hell came rushing back to overwhelm the woman. Her world had shrunk to one tiny circle of earth, while all the shadows and evil of reality had come to crush the woman in her worst moment. Her emerald eyes were filled with despair, as the demon’s energy reached its peak and her hand shot forward to end the hybrid’s life once and for all.
It’s okay to run when despair is all you have left! Not like really run, but stop thinking about it! You can’t let memories rule your life forever! Tulip’s eyes began to water as she saw a person she recognized the woman she called mother now. It was a welcome escape, as the girl clung to the woman’s chest and sobbed loudly. It wasn’t the memory she’d wanted; but any form of escape was more than enough. Trust your training and strength! You beat me; I know you can survive anything!
Hydrangea’s eyes widened in shock, as her hand missed. The woman hadn’t moved, but the handle of a huge blade had just knocked her hand to one side. The girl yanked her hand back and prepared to thrust again, when Tulip’s form suddenly shifted. Planting her feet onto the earth and twisting her body sideways, the woman caught the blade and slammed it against the smaller girl’s chest and stomach. Hydrangea’s eyes widened in shock as the frost from her Absolute Zero reached haflway across the blade and stopped.
The bitch is reinforcing the blade with ki! But how is she maintaining her composure with the overwhelming fear of death she possesses?! Her gaze met Tulip’s, as the woman grabbed the hilt of her huge claymore. When Hydrangea saw the emptiness in the gaze that looked back at her, she couldn’t repress the shiver that shot through her being. This idiot is unconscious! How?!
Reactivating her Absolute Freeze as the woman swung the sword up, Hydrangea narrowly avoided being cleaved in half by the huge blade. She flew backwards, landing on the ground and looking down to see her dress neatly cut down the center. Running a hand down the fabric, it instantly repaired itself. Rage twisted the girl’s face, as she looked back towards the woman trapped in her ability. Raising both of her hands, the tiny demon summoned every ounce of her magic, creating a literal sphere of hundreds of tiny ice blades. Taking a slow breath, the woman slammed her hand into a fist as the Absolute Freeze ended.
“Imploding Ice Maiden!” The blades cut through the swordsman, bringing the demon relief. Wait, why am I relieved she’s dead? I shouldn’t be afraid! I’m not afraid of some insane- Her thought was interrupted as the ice blades exploded apart. The huge sword slammed into the earth directly in front of her, as another chill ran through her body. A dark blur exploded from the huge pile of ice. “ABSOLUTE FREEZE!”
Her scream instantly activated her ability, as her heart began hammering rapidly. The hybrid had resisted her blades, somehow. The scene in front of her made the seething rage grow even further, but under that was a deep, dark throbbing. The woman had already covered the distance between the two, hand grasping the hilt of the detestable blade. Her hand rose, summoning more magical energy. If she couldn’t seal the hybrid’s movements with a layer of ice, she was going to crush the woman with another glacier! As the huge chunk of ice appeared, a sudden, stinging pain shot through the demon’s brain. Her hand closed instinctively, and the block of ice hung suspended in the frozen air. She knew that pain, and what ill news it bode. Gritting her teeth in rage, the girl ducked to one side, leaving an ice statue in the place she had just occupied. Then her [Absolute Freeze] ended, with the hybrid shooting out from under the glacier and cleaving the ice statue in half. Thy hybrid planted her feet and swung the blade to one side, aiming it at the demon stepping to one side. As her claymore neared the demon, Hydrangea thrust one palm towards the woman and shouted.
“Ice Pillar, FREEZE!”
The ice shot outwards, slamming into the hybrid’s chest and sending her sailing backwards through the air. Just before the ice slammed into Tulip, the blade cut the demon’s shoulder. She winced in pain, stumbling from the weight of the blade as it cut a deep furrow through her flesh. Ice instantly materialized within the wound, sealing her blood away, but the damage was done. Her gaze fell on the woman, who was slowly standing back up and creating a new sword.
Dammit! I can’t shake this weird feeling! I should just leave! Thrusting her hands down, the demon created a flower of ice. Stepping into the center, the leaves circled around the demon and closed, before the ice shattered. When the hybrid slammed her sword into the center of the rose, it shattered, revealing nothing within.
Tulip’s vision refocused, as all of her injuries slammed down upon her. She collapsed with a pained groan, falling to her knees. Her entire body throbbed with agony. The woman couldn’t recall the ending of the fight, her only knowledge being she slipped into a semi-lucid state. That was dangerous...really dangerous. If she shows back up...can I really beat her? She’s so much stronger than me. Pushing herself onto her back, the woman stared into the blue sky overhead, before slowly drifting to sleep. Worrying about it now...will only lead to more headaches in the future.
“What’s wrong with me!?” The short, blonde demon screamed, slamming her fist into the cold wall of ice that made up her house. The strange throbbing within her chest refused to quell itself, even hours after she’d left the fight. For one who’d contained her emotions so well, only lending herself to the rage and calculations she needed to surpass and defeat her dreaded prey, the new, strange emotion was a far more dangerous thing than any new technique the woman had dreamt up. She realized her face was contorted into a shape she didn’t recognize. Slowly walking to the ice mirror on her wall, the young blonde stared at her reflection. What she saw there made her throbbing core pause. “Am I...happy that she’s alive and so strong? Is this…excitement?”
Stepping back, the young demon began laughing, letting her frozen mask slip. Her giggling turned into full blown laughing, as the demon clutched her sides and let her emotion burst forth. Wiping a frozen tear from the corner of her eye, the young girl looked back at the mirror.
A young boy watched in awe from his room as the officers began shooting at the huge monster barreling out of the bank. But he was unable to react in time as a huge object came soaring towards the window he peered out of. His blue eyes widened in shock as the broken car hurtled towards his room, but the boy wouldn’t escape the impact. He started to turn, but was far too slow to outrun the imminent projectile.
Boom!
The vehicle slammed into the wall with a resounding impact, but didn’t break the wall. The Tiger Zoan didn’t pay it mind, even when the vehicle slammed into the ground in the middle of the street. The kid watched in shock as a figure wearing a blue jacket with ‘BBA’ emblazoned on the back threw him a thumbs-up from their place on his window-sill. Before the boy could fully identify the person, they were already moving again.
The officers had tried to dive into cover, but without the vehicles they’d been using originally, they had next to no time. Add to that the Tiger Zoan who was easily smashing anything they hid behind, it was shaping up to be next to impossible to avoid the bullets and the Tiger’s powerful claws. A younger officer, Lieutenant Sharp, tossed caution to the wind, drawing his electric baton and charging the huge Tiger. The man grinned in excitement and swung his huge fist towards the officer.
“Reach, dammit!” The young lieutenant screamed, as he thrust the powerful stun weapon towards the huge Tiger. It wouldn’t make it; the huge Zoan was too strong for this small unit to take on. It stopped halfway, as another boom rang through the area. All the shooting stopped, as the other officers began looking towards their brave companion. The criminals stopped shooting for other reasons.
Officer Sharp’s baton hung in the air, his forearm blocked by the knee of a small woman. The Zoan’s fist was being held out by the woman’s palm, stopped just short of the Officer’s face. In her free hand she held her Bokia cell, which she was currently talking into.
“Operator Rachel, KAOS Member Tulip is on the scene. Active Bank Robbery, criminals are 4 men, 3 humans and one Tiger Zoan. The Zoan will need a special carrier; he’s stronger than the average joe.” She paused, glancing towards the other criminals. Silver knives were hanging in the air around them, brandished with the intent to pierce if movement was detected. “I’m going to tell these criminals their rights before offering them an easy trip to jail. If they decline...I’ll be calling back in five minutes with a request for an ambulance.”
The Tiger Zoan’s face warped in rage, as the woman more than 2 feet shorter than him ignored his attempts to break free. He leaped off the pavement with both of his feet, driving them into her face with a full-force dropkick. His face shifted from one of rage to shock, as the woman didn’t budge. Blood did run from her nose, as the young hybrid sighed and wiped it away with the back of her loose hand.
“Change of plans; bring an ambulance for the Tiger.” Clenching her fist tight, the woman felt the Tiger’s muscles and bones grind together in her ki-enhanced grip. He grimaced and roared in agony, right before she threw the huge Tiger into the air. Her cell entered the air, as the woman let go of the tiny device. Silver ki crackled around her fist, as she slammed it into the huge Zoan’s gut. Bile and blood sprayed from his mouth as her fist left a clear indent in the center of his stomach. Turning away, she snatched her phone from the air and continued talking. The Tiger flew through the air and slammed into the pavement behind the officers, eyes rolled back and clearly struggling to breathe. Her gaze swept the trio of men with guns, as she spoke softly but firmly. “Let’s see if the others want to fight or go along quietly. Boys?”
There was a clatter of metal, as the criminals threw their weapons onto the pavement and held their hands high. Snapping her fingers, seventeen silver knives pierced the various guns, turning them into useless metal. Turning back towards the officers, the woman motioned for them to apprehend the criminals. The operator thanked the KAOS member for her quick response, but the woman ignored the offer of praise.
“I’m just doing my job. KAOS is meant to help the people of Earth and protect them from the evil that normal strength can’t bring to justice.” The woman spoke sincerely, gaze traveling to the sky. Her conviction was real; after the turmoil of hell, the woman had finally found a reason to fight and stand tall: to protect those less fortunate than her.
That’s the words of a fool; you only seek strength to run from your own terror and self-disgust. A sudden chill ran through the woman, as a soft but clear voice rang through her mind. Her gaze shot to either side, as her mind’s eyes extended to attempt to capture the location of the voice in her mind. But she found nothing. Sweat began forming on her brow, as the woman hung up the phone with a press of a button. The young hybrid visibly swallowed and took a slow breath. A dangerous thought crossed her mind, which she expressed in a soft whisper.
“Was...that my heart speaking?”
Landing in the clearing she called home, the young woman walked over to the cleared area next to the fire-pit. Her cave had become uninhabitable when the small treasure hunt had ended up collapsing the entire mountain in on itself. The waterfall had turned into a swirling rapids leading into a much-larger lake. The wildlife bounced back quickly, which had been one of the woman’s biggest concerns. She paused overlooking the large, blue lake and sighed. The thoughts from earlier still hovered in the back of her mind, like a stinging wound. Shaking her head with disgust, the woman pulled a capsule from her pocket. Preparing to open the container, she paused when she felt something crackle behind her. Slowly stretching her ki senses to her maximum range, the woman tried to put a bead on the energy source of whatever stood behind her. When she found nothing, she started to relax...until a sharp and painful realization shot through her entire being.
This…monster has an aura that covers this entire forest.
“That’s rude. I’m just a judge of a young woman who has lived a lie since she landed on this lovely planet all those seasons past. I’m indebted to you, which I’ll openly admit. If it wasn’t for your sins and actions, I wouldn’t exist.” Tulip’s gaze landed on a short girl, who spoke softly but firmly from her place sitting next to the firepit behind the young woman. She was only a few inches shorter than the small woman, wearing a blue dress that complimented her blonde hair and blue eyes. The little girl looked up at the woman and smiled softly. “Go ahead and sit down, Tulip. Running would be a mistake, seeing as how you can already tell the difference in our strengths. I’m not here to brutally crush you like my uncle was all those months ago. I’m here to read you your crimes and execute you quickly and painlessly. After all, once I’ve accomplished that singular task, my existence will be freed from these shackles of duty.”
“Why did you wait so long to approach me?” The young woman sat down slowly across from the young girl, who was staring at the charred ashes in the fire-pit. The woman didn’t let her aura flare up, but kept her guard up. The identity of this girl was clear; her power and strange speech made the evidence crystal in its simplicity. “You should have targeted me right after I returned from Hell.”
“It’s funny, really. Despite my existence being centered around erasing yours, I found a desire to analyze your life. There was a passion there I could never understand, not with the intellect I possess. The pride in every battle lost, the sorrow in every encounter...it made no sense to me. But then I realized: you’re weaker than every person you saved.”
“What?”
“You seek justification for your power, companionship to those stronger. If my creators had met you on different circumstances, you would’ve been an eager worshiper of their potential and strength. But, since you sympathized with weaklings and sought to justify your own humanity, you rejected my father’s existence. Before he died, he sent out one last thought to the being I consider my ‘mother’. One filled with so much hatred and rage that it gave me the potential to evolve into any number of forms for the sole purpose of wiping your existence from this earth.”
“Thus I was born, a being filled with so much anger and rage it literally made the world red with its power. But, with time that rage and anger became just static in the background of my existence. I realized my Uncle and Father’s mistakes in fighting you. They challenged you, a being with so much potential for evolution where you were strongest; in a place with an audience, a group you desired to protect with every ounce of your pride. Not because it was the right thing to do...but because it was the only way for you to find the motivation to continue fighting on. I watched you, analyzing every battle you fought, all of your emotions, and all of your weaknesses. It was enough for me to sate my rage simply through imagining how satisfying your death would be at the end, when I had surpassed your strength in every manner and fashion possible.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“So imagine my surprise when you died!” The tiny girl laughed, a chilling tone that made the woman’s fears crop up even further. “The person I was supposed to fight in battle, destroy utterly, and kill when she was broken and battered beyond repair! She went and died while I watched, giving her life to save a pathetic robot without a heart. I could’ve gone out there and killed that robot myself, but I filled with a different kind of terror. Without you, my entire life suddenly lost all purpose. Without you, my strength had no purpose. What is an executioner without a prisoner to kill? Just a person with an empty title.”
“This doesn’t explain why you’re telling me all of this! Who are you, why did you wait this long, and why choose this place to confront me?!”
The woman rose to her feet, voice rising to a shout as she stared down at the smaller girl. The girl giggled softly and grinned up at the woman. “Well, since you’re in such a rush, dearly departed, I’ll skip the rest of the speech I had. My name is Hydrangea.”
She slowly stood up, straightening out the hem of her dress and curtsying towards the young woman. The grin remained, as the demon continued her speech. “I waited till you returned to your strongest before stepping forward….and the reason I chose here was so no one will hear your screams for help. Not a single person will be there to watch you die; fitting, for a woman so hell-bent on saving everyone else. Now, alone and afraid, how will you fight to survive? Will you give in to despair, struggle futilely to resist, or win? We both know the answer, don’t we?”
Tulip’s eyes widened in shock, as the air dropped more than twenty degrees. The woman created a blade, which exploded in size. Using the pommel of the blade as a springboard, the woman launched herself sideways out of the girl’s attack. A sharp crack filled the air, as her blade shattered into pieces. The woman hit the ground and rolled to a stop on all fours, as her gaze drifted to the area she’d just occupied. The entire campsite was covered in a layer of frost that emanated cold air. Her Ki Blade had been flash-frozen, instantly destroying all of the energy it contained. The woman’s eyes widened in shock as her gaze drifted towards the demon. The girl had hadn’t moved since she curtsied. The girl finally rose to standing, her smile shifting to a sinister smirk.
“That’s good. If you died with just that, my revenge would be far from complete.” The girl lifted her hands, as a single, tiny maestro’s wand appeared in her hand. Catching it with her fingertips, the girl smiled and spoke softly. “You’ll want to dodge this.”
Tulip was forced from her stupor, as dozens of blades of ice formed in the air, raining down in a torrent around her. More than half were aimed to maim the woman, but she managed to dodge most by ducking and weaving through the powerful barrage of blades. The cascade of attacks finally came to an end, as the woman slid to the stop in the center of the sea of ice. Her breath came in gasps as she struggled to maintain her composure and not panic.
“Already tired, Tulip? That’s unfortunate; that was just the opening chord our game of cat and mouse. And the chorus has already arrived.” The girl flicked upwards with her wand, as energy suddenly surged at the woman’s feet. Her gaze dropped and panic immediately shot through every nerve of her body. The ice that had been assailing the woman randomly hadn’t been ‘random’; a huge pentagram had been formed on the earth by the blades, with the young hybrid standing at the center. She started to move, as cold air surged upward from the earth. Energy and magic came together as the woman’s jacket and clothing began freezing on her. The demon’s wand came down, as a iceberg formed around the huge clearing. The demon lowered the baton, before turning away slowly. “That was a disappointing conclusion. I had hoped for so much more from the woman who was destined to be my opponent.”
A silver spark of energy flickered across the tip of the huge block of ice, before audible cracks ran through the air. A surge of ki was emanating from the huge block of ice, proof that the pathetic mortal within still lived. A single blade exploded from the ice, barely missing the demon’s head. Cracks shot through the face of the ice block, before exploding into huge shards as the hybrid within forced her ki to explode outwards. Her skin was a bright pink from the overload of cold on her small frame. Her jacket and pants shattered as the woman forced her arms down and her legs apart, ignoring the stinging pain that shot through her limbs. Her emerald gaze was on the demon, as her hands curled into fist. Her black tank-top and spandex had survived the flash-freeze miraculously, but the woman was too pissed to pay that any mind.
Digging her feet into the frozen earth, Tulip dashed forward, bringing both of her hands back and focusing her ki into each. The smaller girl simply turned, raising one hand up. The woman ducked under the blades of ice that instantly exploded towards her, evidence of the girl’s overwhelming magical strength.
“If you’re so strong at a distance, all I need to do is...SEAL YOUR ESCAPE!” As the woman planted her feet firmly and activated her first form, silver energy crackling outwards. She shot forward, instantly covering the distance between herself and the smaller demon. The girl’s eyes widened in appreciation as the woman swung her silver-coated fist towards her stomach.
Flash! Activating her strongest technique, the girl sighed softly. The entire world had stopped, frozen by her magical control over ice. Reversing the effects of cold on her own molecules, the girl could speed her body up to thousands of times faster than the world around her. She looked at the woman, frost already forming on Tulip’s fist. She had entered the absolute-zero zone that permeated the air around Hydrangea; it would kill anything human from two feet away. The fact that the hybrid had managed to get within 3 inches before the ability affected her was a miracle in itself. Whatever, thoughts of pride were not worth anything here. Setting her fingers against the hybrid’s side, the girl sighed again as ice began spreading across the woman’s shirt and through her skin below.
“So mortal; so weak.” Letting her hand drop, the girl clenched her other hand into a fist and slammed it into Tulip’s side, shattering the ice. The broken shards of her clothes flew into the air, as the skin underneath visibly cracked. Admiring the handiwork of her technique, the girl nodded once and then stepped away. Pointing a finger towards Tulip’s head, a blade of ice materialized only millimeters away. “Ha...dodge this, Demon-Slayer”
The girl blurred and vanished, as stinging pain shot through Tulip’s fist and forearm. Her ki was dispelled as ice crackled up her arm. Sharp, mind-numbing pain exploded from her side, as a blade of ice appeared next to her head. Time almost stopped, as the woman tried to wrap her mind around what had just transpired.
She vanished...Time-Stop? No, that was ‘her’ technique. She left before the demon was born. Did this demon learn it from someone else? Forcing ki through her frozen hand, a blade of silver appeared and deflected the ice to one side. Her uninjured hand went to the hybrid’s side, feeling the damage there. She winced as the feeling began returning, bringing with it an unspeakable pain. Her stomach seized up and she collapsed forward, vomiting from the reaction of her muscles. Spitting bile onto the frozen ground, the woman felt more than saw the girl step forward, hovering over her.
“You’re confused; you don’t know what I did, which fills you with fear. Don’t worry; I’ll ensure your death is monumental in its brutality.” The young woman gritted her teeth and forced her body to move, ignoring the pain that shot through every fiber of her being. The air cracked and cold assaulted every nerve of the woman’s being. She managed to throw herself out of the area that was being targeted, crashing and rolling to a stop only five meters away. The short girl shook her head and continued speaking, as the woman tried to stop the chattering in her teeth and the trembling of her limbs, Frost ran across the woman’s limbs, testimony to the gaps between their strengths. The young girl raised her hand, eliciting Tulip jerking away reflexively.
“That fear is good; I love the look of despair in your eyes. My judgement was true. Without someone to protect you, you lose all ability to muster your courage and continue fighting through pain and agony. It’s laughable, really.”
As the hand drew closer and the girl’s energy slowly rose to higher levels, the woman felt mind-crushing despair falling upon every ounce of her being. The rest of the world seemed to grow distant, as all of her being focused on the descending hand. It was the executioner, come to steal her life once more. The faces, memories, and despair from Hell came rushing back to overwhelm the woman. Her world had shrunk to one tiny circle of earth, while all the shadows and evil of reality had come to crush the woman in her worst moment. Her emerald eyes were filled with despair, as the demon’s energy reached its peak and her hand shot forward to end the hybrid’s life once and for all.
It’s okay to run when despair is all you have left! Not like really run, but stop thinking about it! You can’t let memories rule your life forever! Tulip’s eyes began to water as she saw a person she recognized the woman she called mother now. It was a welcome escape, as the girl clung to the woman’s chest and sobbed loudly. It wasn’t the memory she’d wanted; but any form of escape was more than enough. Trust your training and strength! You beat me; I know you can survive anything!
Hydrangea’s eyes widened in shock, as her hand missed. The woman hadn’t moved, but the handle of a huge blade had just knocked her hand to one side. The girl yanked her hand back and prepared to thrust again, when Tulip’s form suddenly shifted. Planting her feet onto the earth and twisting her body sideways, the woman caught the blade and slammed it against the smaller girl’s chest and stomach. Hydrangea’s eyes widened in shock as the frost from her Absolute Zero reached haflway across the blade and stopped.
The bitch is reinforcing the blade with ki! But how is she maintaining her composure with the overwhelming fear of death she possesses?! Her gaze met Tulip’s, as the woman grabbed the hilt of her huge claymore. When Hydrangea saw the emptiness in the gaze that looked back at her, she couldn’t repress the shiver that shot through her being. This idiot is unconscious! How?!
Reactivating her Absolute Freeze as the woman swung the sword up, Hydrangea narrowly avoided being cleaved in half by the huge blade. She flew backwards, landing on the ground and looking down to see her dress neatly cut down the center. Running a hand down the fabric, it instantly repaired itself. Rage twisted the girl’s face, as she looked back towards the woman trapped in her ability. Raising both of her hands, the tiny demon summoned every ounce of her magic, creating a literal sphere of hundreds of tiny ice blades. Taking a slow breath, the woman slammed her hand into a fist as the Absolute Freeze ended.
“Imploding Ice Maiden!” The blades cut through the swordsman, bringing the demon relief. Wait, why am I relieved she’s dead? I shouldn’t be afraid! I’m not afraid of some insane- Her thought was interrupted as the ice blades exploded apart. The huge sword slammed into the earth directly in front of her, as another chill ran through her body. A dark blur exploded from the huge pile of ice. “ABSOLUTE FREEZE!”
Her scream instantly activated her ability, as her heart began hammering rapidly. The hybrid had resisted her blades, somehow. The scene in front of her made the seething rage grow even further, but under that was a deep, dark throbbing. The woman had already covered the distance between the two, hand grasping the hilt of the detestable blade. Her hand rose, summoning more magical energy. If she couldn’t seal the hybrid’s movements with a layer of ice, she was going to crush the woman with another glacier! As the huge chunk of ice appeared, a sudden, stinging pain shot through the demon’s brain. Her hand closed instinctively, and the block of ice hung suspended in the frozen air. She knew that pain, and what ill news it bode. Gritting her teeth in rage, the girl ducked to one side, leaving an ice statue in the place she had just occupied. Then her [Absolute Freeze] ended, with the hybrid shooting out from under the glacier and cleaving the ice statue in half. Thy hybrid planted her feet and swung the blade to one side, aiming it at the demon stepping to one side. As her claymore neared the demon, Hydrangea thrust one palm towards the woman and shouted.
“Ice Pillar, FREEZE!”
The ice shot outwards, slamming into the hybrid’s chest and sending her sailing backwards through the air. Just before the ice slammed into Tulip, the blade cut the demon’s shoulder. She winced in pain, stumbling from the weight of the blade as it cut a deep furrow through her flesh. Ice instantly materialized within the wound, sealing her blood away, but the damage was done. Her gaze fell on the woman, who was slowly standing back up and creating a new sword.
Dammit! I can’t shake this weird feeling! I should just leave! Thrusting her hands down, the demon created a flower of ice. Stepping into the center, the leaves circled around the demon and closed, before the ice shattered. When the hybrid slammed her sword into the center of the rose, it shattered, revealing nothing within.
Tulip’s vision refocused, as all of her injuries slammed down upon her. She collapsed with a pained groan, falling to her knees. Her entire body throbbed with agony. The woman couldn’t recall the ending of the fight, her only knowledge being she slipped into a semi-lucid state. That was dangerous...really dangerous. If she shows back up...can I really beat her? She’s so much stronger than me. Pushing herself onto her back, the woman stared into the blue sky overhead, before slowly drifting to sleep. Worrying about it now...will only lead to more headaches in the future.
“What’s wrong with me!?” The short, blonde demon screamed, slamming her fist into the cold wall of ice that made up her house. The strange throbbing within her chest refused to quell itself, even hours after she’d left the fight. For one who’d contained her emotions so well, only lending herself to the rage and calculations she needed to surpass and defeat her dreaded prey, the new, strange emotion was a far more dangerous thing than any new technique the woman had dreamt up. She realized her face was contorted into a shape she didn’t recognize. Slowly walking to the ice mirror on her wall, the young blonde stared at her reflection. What she saw there made her throbbing core pause. “Am I...happy that she’s alive and so strong? Is this…excitement?”
Stepping back, the young demon began laughing, letting her frozen mask slip. Her giggling turned into full blown laughing, as the demon clutched her sides and let her emotion burst forth. Wiping a frozen tear from the corner of her eye, the young girl looked back at the mirror.
“I’m going to regret having to kill you...Tulip.”