Chasing Dreams (Dropped)

Chapter 115: Sun & Moon

The air trembled.

Hot winds quickly rushed in every direction with the clash of the falling Moon and the rising Sun.

"What are you doing?" Makoto asked, his dark eyes remained cool and firm despite his dire position. In contrast Irene's eyes were bright and fiery emulating her burning emotions at this very moment.

Makoto was the key, the prize she needed to drag back to gift her the freedom she wanted. The freedom to be with her daughter, and continue to live her life as she sees fit. "Killing a demon." Irene's words were a bit cold. It was a sudden shift she'd make during all of her battles.

The mental shift of choosing to defeat her opponent to outright killing them. Even though by nature Irene didn't view herself as a blood thirsty person, or even ruthless. The years in the Hero Association taught her to be.

Her experience as a hero, as well as her experience as a fighter has taught her that being reluctant only causes more problems. It can cause situations to happen that could have easily been prevented, and conjure up mistakes that would later tax the mind.

Even now Irene was watching the flow of battle, using her future sight to show her every possible future to develop a strategy to counter any attack Makoto may throw at her. Whether it was a palm thrust, a dynamic kick, or a deadly punch.

But to Irene's surprise she saw nothing, no movements beyond defensive ones.

Irene grit her teeth quickly sharpening her mind as the marks on her face glowed. They held a scarlet hue producing Reiki that resembled the flames her son would later have. Twisting her body Irene altered her position, by focusing her upper body Irene flung herself forward doing a full fledged circular turn so she could strike Makoto's backside. With her quick turn Irene once again raised her sword, using Feather's inherent speed to her advantage.

Seven slashes, Irene let them out like a whip conjuring up a hurricane of hot winds. Once again flaming winds swirled throughout Tengoku Shrine giving the impression that the sun was still floating overhead.

Makoto's face once again darkened. Masking his entire face in a deep shadow leaving nothing but his bloody eyes to glow in the darkness. "A demon..." He muttered, his voice lowering as if falling into an abyss. "..." He let out a heavy sigh, as if his very heart was being pulled down by the weight of the world. "I guess you aren't any different than those whiteys are you?"

Makoto's body responded as if acting on its own accord. His back muscles rippled, firing off electrical signals to flex harder than they had ever before. Makoto's face intensified, forming veins from the base of his forehead to the bottom of his neck.

"...?!" Irene couldn't even act fast enough to say anything in response to how quickly his body was changing. "A muscle enhancement power?" Irene thought before finally striking, but as if her sword had connected against steel sparks flew off of Makoto's back and Feather was repelled back.

A look of genuine shock rolled from the corners of Irene's face making Irene look like a shaken child. It didn't take long for her to recollect herself when he struck again with just as much force. But this time Makoto preformed a back flip blocking her attack with the base of his foot.

Once again Irene frowned, trying to hide her astonishment behind a powerful stare. But Makoto could see through it, the look Irene had was no different than any other warrior who dared crossed his path.

A look of fear.

Like very few who came before her, Irene had rarely been challenged. Most of the people who crossed her path, Irene was able to deal with without much effort. It didn't matter if they were criminals, aspiring heroes, or even friends like Zhu Li. All of those who tried to fight her ended up on their knees.