Acacius stands before a large gate with a crest posted in the center of it. He had made it. Acacius takes a deep breath and pries the gate open. In the distance, he can see a large mansion. Despite the bright blue sky and the beautiful landscaping, all he can feel is anxiety and anticipation. Acacius starts making his way down the long paved driveway. The closer he gets to the mansion, the clearer the image of a man standing on a balcony appears. He has a powerful aura emanating from his posture alone. He wields a spadroon on his waist. Acacius looks up at the man.
"Father," says Acacius
The man remains silent as he looks down at Acacius, and then he suddenly snaps his fingers. Acacius tenses up as the front door to the mansion opens up. Dozens of men and women file out from the building. Each of them brandishing short swords and a variety of firearms. As Acacius slowly becomes surrounded, each man and woman maintains an excessive amount of space away from him. Acacius' father turns and retreats into the mansion.
"You don't have to worry about him. We have our score to settle!" shouts a woman's voice
Acacius looks back down, and his eyes widen with rage. The woman's short, curly red hair bounces up and down with her every step.
"You...It can't be!" Acacius says through gritted teeth
The woman returns a devilish grin.
"So you do remember me, eh? I'm not sure if I even introduced myself. My name is Roxie" she chuckles
Acacius clenches his jaw in rage as he remembers her sword slicing through Akahito's neck.
"You and your little friends did quite a number on us. As the last heir of the Takayama family, I am obligated to return the favor" says Roxie.
She snaps her fingers and one of her goons quickly jogs towards her. He hands her a large scythe.
"No...That can't be..." says Acacius as tears well up in his eyes
"Well of course it is. I had to have a memory of that day oh so long ago, and I found it just sitting on a grave. So I took it." Roxie chuckles.
She raises the weapon into the air, confirming to Acacius that she wields Akahito's scythe. Acacius' black flames instantly ignite. His hair turns jet black as he radiates the purest form of rage.
"Now!" shouts Roxie
A series of chains flurry around Acacius. Acacius gasps as each of his limbs become entangled in the chains.
"Kill him!" shouts Roxie
Multiple goons quickly grab Acacius' chains and pull in different directions. He can't move. Acacius roars as he engulfs his entire body with black flames. The intense heat softly spreads throughout the chains.
"He's trying to break through them! Hurry!" shouts one of the goons
A woman in sleek black clothes sprints forward. She quickly unsheathes a short, but dangerously sharp blade. She speedily appears in front of Acacius and swipes her blade downwards. Acacius leans his head to the side as best as he can. The blade slices straight through the side of his neck and into his shoulder. The woman tries to yank the blade out, but it doesn't seem to budge. Acacius growls as he bares his teeth at the woman. Before anyone can react, Acacius sinks his teeth into the woman's throat. Blood streams down her neck as Acacius bites down with even more force. The goons stare at Acacius in disbelief. Acacius throws his head back; taking the woman's esophagus with him. Blood sprays out of her open wound as she desperately clutches it. The life in the woman's eyes quickly fades away. Before her body can even reach the ground, the chains around Acacius' body glow bright red and then suddenly are snapped apart. Acacius ignites his large black-flamed wings. Roxie's expression changes from confidence to worry. She remembers how terrifying and traumatic it was to fight Acacius.
"Don't just stand there!" she shouts
The surrounding goons quickly draw their swords. Black flames cover his hands as he places one onto his wound. His gloves manifest as he grips the blade in his shoulder and yanks it free. The gash almost instantaneously closes.
"No way..." Roxie mutters to herself
She turns around to see Acacius' father approaching from behind her.
"You didn't tell us any of this, Kane!" she shouts
"I told you I made him to be a monster. Whatever you assumed from that is your own fault" Kane says in a deep and stern voice.
Acacius glares at Kane from a distance as he spits out the chunk of flesh in his mouth. Roxie scoffs in frustration. The goons closest to Acacius scream at the top of their lungs as they rush Acacius. Acacius easily dodges and counters each slash. One by one the goons drop to the ground as blood seeps out of them. Roxie's breathing becomes erratic. Her grip on Akahito's scythe tightens.
"Shoot him!" she screams
The rest of her goons quickly draw their firearms and aim. Their arms shake with both fear and anticipation.
"I don't have time for this," says Acacius
He begins to walk forward to the surrounding gun line. Before a single trigger is pulled, a burst of red lightning shoots into the sky; flinging dirt into the air. Dabria steps out from the sudden dirt cloud. His bright red eyes glow from the holes in the mask. The feeling of death and dread creep down Roxie's spine. The bloodlust alone taints the atmosphere. Roxie clutches her chest as she can hardly breathe from the overwhelming energy. Dabria roars at the top of his lungs as he slams his hands onto the ground beneath his feet.
"Fire!" Roxie screams
The rest of the goons scream as well as they create a barrage of bullets. Black willpower surges into the earth. Some bullets whiz past Dabria. Some manage to chip his mask. Some even manage to puncture him in various spots. Suddenly, a large burst of black flames explodes from the ground below. The footing beneath them crumbles apart. Several shots fly into the air. Pillars of flames erupt out of the ground immediately afterward. Roxie stares speechlessly at the horrors in front of her. Several men and women wail in agony as the flames engulf their bodies. Roxie gasps in fear as Dabria bursts out from one of the flame pillars. Dabria frantically swings the short blade at Roxie. She manages to deflect with the scythe in her hands. Dabria laughs maniacally as he furiously swings his blade over and over; quickly overwhelming Roxie. As she deflects one of the swipes, Roxie desperately reaches to her waist and points a small sidearm in between Dabria's eyes. With a quick pull of the trigger, the gunshot echoes throughout the property. Dabria stumbles back as a large chunk of his mask crumbles onto the ground. He looks at Roxie with a maniacal expression. Acacius' black eyes pierce through her soul. A small stream of blood drops down the center of his face. Dabria's maniacal laughter resonates even louder. Tears well up in Roxie's eyes as her legs begin to shake. Dabria leaps forward and unleashes an even more intense flurry of slashes. Roxie desperately gasps for air from Dabria's overwhelming presence. Dabria suddenly swings his blade horizontally and slashes Roxie down her arm. She winces in pain. The scythe falls from her grasp and stabs into the ground. Roxie's eyes remain petrified in fear. Her whole body begins to shake; frozen in terror.
"Move...move...move!" she thinks to herself as Dabria slowly closes in.
Dabria ominously chuckles as he extends his flaming wings. His shadow quickly engulfs past Roxie. This last motion of dominance allows Roxie to suddenly sprint away. She desperately gasps for air as her legs move as fast as they can. Dabria continues to chuckle as he slowly draws Akahito's scythe. Black flames spread throughout the weapon and engulf the blade.
"Almost there! Almost!" Roxie thinks to herself as the gate comes closer and closer
Dabria brings his arm back and shoots it forward. Akahito's scythe spins like a helicopter blade through the air. As the spark of hope shines in Roxie's mind, it is suddenly taken away. Before she reaches the edge of the property, she can hear a faint sound of air whistling. In the blink of an eye, her torso lies on the ground.
"What..." she thinks to herself
Her legs wobble in place and then collapse before her eyes. Blood spews out of her mouth as it also heavily drains from her body. Despite how gruesome her death is, she is unable to feel an ounce of pain. Dabria walks up and retrieves the scythe. Roxie's vision blurs more with every passing second. Dabria begins to walk back, but can't help but stare into Roxie's eyes. With a devilish grin, he places his foot onto her chest. He places a little bit of pressure, but the bones in her chest loudly crack. Roxie screams as all of the pain is suddenly released within her body. It is beyond unbearable. After a minute or so passes, Dabria removes his foot off of Roxie's corpse. Her face forever stained with a look of suffering.
"One more to go" Dabria softly sings to himself
After a bit of backtracking, Dabria stands before Kane.
"It's been too long, Dabria," says Kane
Dabria chuckles.
"You have no idea how long we've waited for this. How's the hand?" he says
Kane looks at his left hand. A well-crafted prosthetic shines in the sunlight.
"As good as it can be, but I'm far too old to last a full battle against you. You can probably win if you land a single blow" says Kane
Dabria laughs in amusement.
"Well, I won't be the one facing you. It was part of our little deal. He wanted to take you on all by himself" Dabria chuckles.
"So be it," says Kane
Dabria closes his eyes. The remainder of the mask starts to crack and crumble to dust. Acacius reopens his eyes. The darkness in his eyes spread even further. His brown hair flowing with the soft breeze. Acacius clutches the scythe in anticipation. Kane sighs and steps down to Acacius' level. Acacius can only return a look of contempt.
"How have you been, so-" Kane asks
"Shut up!" shouts Acacius, "Everything! Everything that is wrong with me is your fault!"
Kane stares emotionlessly at Acacius. Acacius tightly grips the scythe in his hands.
"Everything is caving in around me...I don't care if you hate me for all of the things I've done. I've made a few mistakes, but I'm not the only one" says Acacius
Acacius dashes forward and swings the scythe. Kane leans back and avoids the blade.
"I will you never be what you want me to!" Acacius shouts as he continues his assault
"I made you to be a monster. An unstoppable weapon" says Kane.
"You pulled me under to save yourself!" Acacius shouts back, "You will never know what it was like to be me!"
Kane narrowly avoids every swipe of the scythe. Kane suddenly counters and slams his palm into Acacius' jaw; breaking his posture. Kane quickly grips the shaft of the scythe and slams his heel into Acacius' chest. All the air in Acacius' lungs is forced out from the impact. He slides back and angrily glares at Kane.
"Was there ever any question", he shouts, "On how much I could take? You kept feeding me your bullshit and just hoping I would break! Is t-"
"Nobody cares!" Kane shouts in a booming voice
Acacius clenches his jaw in frustration.
"There is no one out there who cares! There is no one listening to your daddy issues!" Kane continues
Acacius roars and dashes forward. He reaches to his waist and swings Viper's dagger outwards. Kane catches Acacius' wrist and quickly gazes upon the dagger.
"So it is true. You really did kill your own sister. It's a shame, she really looked up to you" says Kane
Acacius tries to jerk his arm free, but Kane's grip tightens. Kane twists Acacius' arm and forces him to drop the dagger in his hand. Acacius grunts in pain and discomfort. Once Acacius had released the dagger, Kane drives his knee into Acacius' chest and tosses him to the side. Acacius quickly gets back up to his feet and rushes back. No matter which way he attacked, Kane effortlessly redirects his efforts and counters with a devastating blow. Over and over Acacius slams onto the ground. Blood and dirt cover his body. Acacius rises back to his feet and bellows as loud his lungs would allow.
"That's enough!" shouts Kane
Acacius suddenly gasps as a sharp pain shoots throughout his body. He looks down to see Kane's spadroon stabbing through his chest and out his back. Kane stands in front of Acacius as blood bursts from his mouth. Kane slowly pulls out the blade; Acacius can feel every inch of it sliding out of his body. Once the blade is completely removed, Acacius falls onto his behind. He can't breathe. Blood keeps pouring from his mouth.
"I punctured your lung. You can either drown in your blood or be the monster I made you to be" says Kane
Kane swings his sword to the side and flings Acacius' blood off the blade. He smoothly sheathes it just as fast as he had drawn it.
"What will it be?" asks Kane
Acacius' eyes widen in fear. Chills travel down his spine.
"I can't win! I'll die!" Acacius thinks to himself.
Acacius quickly, but shakily rises to his feet and turns to run away.
"Come back here!" shouts Kane
Kane grips Acacius' shoulder and hurls him onto the ground.
"You think you're better than what I made you to be!?" Kane continues
Kane slams the toe of his boot into Acacius' ribs. More blood spurts out of his mouth.
"You are a hypocrite! You don't want to use your power against me to prove a point!?" shouts Kane
Acacius tries to crawl away, but Kane yanks him up and slams his fist into Acacius' face.
"Look at the carnage you caused!" Kane screams as he motions to all of the bodies littering the property
Acacius looks at Kane with shaky eyes. He can't overcome the overwhelming feeling of death.
"You killed innocents, yet you want to take the high road now!? It doesn't work like that!" Kane shouts as he slams Acacius onto the ground again.
Acacius desperately gasps for air as his lungs fill with blood. The physical and emotional pain seems almost endless.
"If you can't decide on who you are, then just die!" says Kane as he draws his sword
Acacius' eyes suddenly roll backward and his arms flop onto the ground. Kane hesitantly approaches his body when a burst of red lightning shoots into the sky. Dabria coughs and more blood splatters onto the ground. The wound in his lungs quickly closes.
"You really did a number on my body, old man," Dabria says hoarsely
Black flames and willpower engulf Dabria's body as he turns to face Kane. Kane readies himself.
"For what it's worth, he really would have let himself die," says Dabria
Black flames surge to his hands as his gloves and a large lace manifest.
"But I've come too far for you to ruin my plans" Dabria continues
"Zuni's lance. I never thought I'd see anything like it again" Kane softly chuckles.
Faster than a blink of an eye, the two suddenly appear past one another. Dabria drops to his knees and furiously coughs as he clutches his throat. Blood pours through his fingers, but it slowly stops and he shakily rises to his feet. Kane chuckles.
"Even to this day, I can't avoid that move," he says
A large gash opens on his chest and blood explodes out of his body. Kane drops to his knees and collapses face-first onto the ground. Dabria stands with his head held high as he had finally killed every last one of his targets. All wounds on his body slowly heal.
"I've expended too much energy...I need to get out of here" Dabria says
He reignites his flamed wings and soars away into the sky.