"N-nii-san?"
"Don't move too much, good work Tatsumi," Hijiri bumped his fist against Tatsumi's shoulder playfully.
Crouching beside Akame, he opened his palm over her foot, "This'll hurt," He pressed his red hot hand on her foot, closing the wounds, a stifled groan escaping Akame. Taking a good look at her face, Hijiri sighed and turned to Kanae's crumpled body, "Oi! How long are you gonna take in healing her?!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU BRAT!" "Kanae" yelled, glancing at the crystals that coated her wounds, "THE IDIOT IS STILL TOO SCARED TO GO ALL OUT."
"Take care of their injuries when you're done."
"HAH?"
"...please." "She" sighed, shifting away.
Hijiri turned to Haruma, a black segmented arc with small holes that flames poured out of, formed at Hijiri's back. Both of his arms became pure black, a thin rock-like covering the cause, several cracks ran up both of them, pulsing with a bright orange color. Burning his shirt and ripping it off, he dusted the ash from his chest and abs, the area just beneath his armpits covered in the same material as his arms, the covering spreading from his neck to his back. A faint reddish aura leaked out of Hijiri's right eye, the tips of his silver hair becoming blood red. Tapping his forehead, he muttered, "Is this all you can give me without consuming anything?" He sighed, holding Haruma's gaze with an impassive one, the act irritating the horned man.
A gust of wind moved past Akame and Tatsumi, Haruma's fist caught in Hijiri's palm, "You're much slower than before." Pulling him closer, Hijiri slammed his shoulder into Haruma's side, knocking him a few paces away.
Dashing at him, Haruma threw a rapid set of attacks; hooks, jabs, and punches all easily deflected by Hijiri.
Haruma's head bent sideways as a hook suddenly connected with his jaw, another landing on his right, the final one slamming into his nose and sending him tumbling, Haruma hopped up from the roll, Hijiri's knee smashing his nose, blood trailing after him as he tumbled back once more. "As I said, you four are the true monsters."
Haruma leapt forward, Hijiri sidestepping and slamming his elbow on his back. "C'mon, you can do better," he stared impassively, evading a swipe from Haruma. He turned, throwing a high kick at Hijiri, a high-speed jab to his face hitting him.
"Oi, gonna keep making those flashy moves again?" Haruma glared at him, raising his palm, the spikes instantly appearing, a thunderous bang and cloud of dust following right after.
"Never liked those toothpicks," Hijiri's brows twitched as he stepped out of the crater he had created. Tapping his toes on the ground, ash fell off his feet, his expression unchanging as he pointed at Haruma, "Let me try the move," the ground beneath him glowed orange. Leaping back, he narrowly escaped the eruption, Hijiri's voice behind, surprising him, "Got ya." His shin collided with Haruma's ribs, his bones cracking and his body flying like a ragdoll, dust and debris rising from the path of his crash.
"STAY STILL BRAT AND LET ME FIX THE MAIN WOUNDS," "Kanae" frowned, holding Akame's bloody cheeks firmly and covering her face with a crystal sheet. Tatsumi returned his gaze to Hijiri, his halberd gripped firmly, his thoughts racing. Is Hijiri nii-san winning?! His cross-slit pupils dilated when he caught glimpse of Haruma, "Wa-"
Hijiri punched Haruma's fist, interrupting his jab and hopping from side to side, throwing hook, jab and punch at Haruma's face, grabbing his arm and slamming his palm on his elbow, dislocating it and planting a front kick on his chest.
Boxing and the Hono style?!
"You were right Haruma, I neglected honing my skills but today's your lucky day," Hijiri held his clenched fists before his face, his right foot sliding back, "you'll see the revival of Hono Hijiri."
"As if!" Haruma yelled, coughing. Inpeirā no noro! Hijiri's blackened palm clasped the black spikes tightly, his hand glowing a bright blue, the spines shattering in his fist.
No way!
"Ha, those things are so damn fast that if I don't focus I'll get stabbed, good one." Hijiri shrugged, a faint smirk vanishing from his lips.
THREE MINUTES LEFT.
You're counting? The ground cracked and spikes erupted throughout the entire area, Hijiri's shin slamming into Haruma's nose, the latter's dazed state deactivating the spines. Hijiri grabbed his horn and slammed his back on the ground with enough force for him to bounce up, hitting his torso with his bent knuckles, grabbing his face and tossing him aside.
Haruma crouched, gasping for air, his surprise changing to fury whilst he watched blood trickle down his nose. This damn- Hijiri's fist buried itself in Haruma's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him in the air. He squatted and leapt after him, his hand grabbing hold of Haruma's hair as he spun and swung him down. Stomping in the middle of his chest, his fist glowing blue, a chain of explosions shook the terrain, dirt and soot rising out of another hole Hijiri had created.
Snagging his horn once more, Hijiri threw him aside, slowly approaching him, while uttering, "You've grown weaker haven't ya?"
Haruma flinched, instinctively crawling back. This bastard is treating me like I'm his prey!!
"That scared look you got is real pretty, Haruma," Hijiri grinned wolfishly, his fangs suiting his sinister demeanor. His back hit a rock and he turned back, his gaze fearfully flitting between Hijiri and his obstacle. "Gonna cry?"
"You damn monster." Haruma glared, wiping the blood that spilled down his mouth, his coat exposing the large burn mark at the center of his chest.
Hijiri's smile disappeared and he closed the distance immediately, crushing Haruma's partly unscathed arm, "Fix your face."
KILL HIM ALREADY.
"Seems this is it," Hijiri picked him by his horn and flipped him to land face first on the ground. Stepping on the middle of his back, Hijiri's fingers held Haruma's hard palate, his fingers slowly heating up. Pinning down his arm and ignoring Haruma's groan, he slowly lifted his arm, the skin beneath his palm burning. Haruma attempted to scream in pain as the muscles in his jaw ripped apart, flesh giving way as the bones cracked, his mouth and face completely incinerated.
Akame drew her brows together, staring in the direction of the most recent dust cloud. "Don't worry, Akame-sen...Akame-san, nii-san will be fine," Kanae stated, swallowing a small crystal orb, grimacing shortly.
"Are you okay, Kanae?"
Smiling tiredly, she replied, "I'm alright, thank you. My sponsor did most of the work."
"Your sponsor? ...oh," Akame realized the other personality conversing with her earlier was not Kanae but her danger beast. "Does that mean the one we fought against was?"
"...yes, she usually doesn't get involved in my fights."
Or you do not let her? Murasame's wielder knew better than to ask, because, like with Hijiri, it seemed that Kanae had quite the history with her sponsor. After all that seemed like the main reason Hijiri had held back for so long, either that or he wanted to enjoy the fight. Akame shook her head mentally scolding herself. She had decided to trust Hijiri and he was not someone who would enjoy a fight with so much at stake, at least the black-haired assassin told herself that.
"I really hope nii-san didn't have to sacrifice much," Tatsumi said, staring at dust clouds in the distance.
"Sacrifice?" Akame rose a brow, surprise flitting across her features.
Staring at his hand briefly, he replied, "Earlier I heard him whisper something about being consumed."
Akame frowned in concern, her troubled stare returning to the dust plumes. I don't think I should've said anything, after all, for both nii-san and I, it is our own risk.
"And you Tatsumi?" she looked at him, earnestly worried, "how are you?"
He sighed bursting into a chuckle, "It hurts like hell but everyone's fine so that's alright."
"What's all this? Why's everyone so gloomy?" Leone laughed, pulling Tatsumi, Akame and Kanae into a tight hug.
"N-nee-san?! You're okay?!"
"Yep, yep, as good as new."
"That's good," Hijiri's comment and light landing caught the attention of the four, scanning them with an impassive stare.
"Nii-san! Shouldn't you undo the transformation?!" Kanae yelled, rushing to him and inspecting his entire body.
"You're back? Good then, let's get outta here," he glanced about, noting the destruction caused.
"Hijiri-san, are you okay?" Akame asked, a slight shiver running down her spine.
Looking into her eyes with a blank stare, he stated, "Yeah, Akame," turning to Leone, he continued, "we lost the imperial arms?"
"Mhmm," she nodded. Something about Hijiri other than his unusual appearance made the blonde uncomfortable, she guessed it was his cold demeanor and left it at that.
"Tatsumi, undo your transformation,"
"Huh?!"
"The earlier you start recovering the better."
"But-"
"That wasn't a suggestion, Tatsumi. I'll handle guarding all four of you until we get back to the base." Tatsumi frowned, reluctantly releasing Incursio, stumbling forward, exhausted. Akame and Leone caught him, Kanae anxiously hovering around him. The strain from the forced evolution kicked in and his entire body ached but Kanae had taken care of his main injuries, an act he was most grateful for.
"Let's go," Hijiri uttered, straight-faced, walking past them.
"Oh right, Hijiri," he turned back to Leone, brow raised, "the bodies of the guards-"
"I've handled it," he replied deadpan, strolling away.
You can't keep carrying all the weight yourself, nii-san. Kanae frowned, clenching her fists tightly. Leone sighed and turned to Kanae, wearing a bright grin, "So you're the new girl eh?"
"Y-yes..."
"It's Leone," the blonde smiled.
"L...Leone-san." She chuckled, standing and offering Tatsumi a hand, "You don't have to be so stuffy 'ya know."
...
Arata hopped from building to building, Ellie's melodic laughter signaling the set of explosions that followed, blue streaks of lightning destroying the arrows she fired. He spun and swung, the blunt end of his scythe slamming into Ellie's bow, hauling her away.
Flying after her, Arata stared wide-eyed, a red streak moving past his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood, a thunderous boom shattering the buildings besides the lilac-haired archer. "Oops, those heavier ones are harder to aim with," she stuck out her tongue, making a silly face while wiping the blood off her cheek.
She was not flustered at all and would have caught me off guard. He cleaned his bleeding cheek with his palm, his grip on his scythe tightening.
"Naughty naughty, Arata-tan." ...tan? He tilted his head, baffled. "Already taking Ellie-chan away from the people so you can have her all for yourself," fiddling with her bow, her cheeks reddened, her eyes avoiding his, "her heart's not ready yet-" Sparks flew about as his blade clashed with her bow, a gust of wind pushing her back.
SHE'S CAUGHT ON- A large blast flung Arata away, his surprise becoming annoyance as he peered through the smoke.
"Time to get serious✩." The soot cleared to reveal a purple-haired Ellie, a black floral pattern running from below her eyes down her neck to her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, her bright purple irises now a deep crimson. "So does Ellie-chan look prettier?"
SHE'S TAPPING INTO ARMAGEDDON'S POWER! The ground crumbled and lightning trailed after Arata, an arrow appearing before him, surprising the scythe-user. Ellie leapt back, a cluster of homing arrows chasing after him as he flew to the outer walls, pausing and swinging his scythe, an enormous serpent formed by lightning consumed the projectiles triggering another large explosion. His left arm suddenly caught an arrow a breath away from his chest. Snapping it and waving his left arm in an arch, a powerful gale moved aside the obstructions revealing the sprinting archer who was already halfway to the capital's center.
Landing on the tallest building in the district, she flicked her hair and twirled to face the glowering Arata. "Sorry Arata-tan, Ellie-chan prefers if everyone gets her love, even though she considers you special." His head swiveled back, eyes broadening at a glowing bolt by a few huddled civilians.
"Uhmm, how did Albus-chan say it? Aha, Boom♪," he whizzed through the air, grabbing hold of the arrow's shaft.
DON'T PULL! Arata jerked to a halt, diving between the bolt and the group, he held out a fist over it, a vacuum coming to exist around the weapon, "Or not, teehee♡," Ellie giggled while drawing her bow, a larger and denser mist surrounding it.
The air moved apart, the construction crumbled beneath her and a single crimson projectile soaring into the clouds, returning and splitting, like rain during a thunderstorm. "Accept Ellie-chan's love, empire!"
Arata squatted, adjusting his grip on the scythe's handle. I will need more power, please.
YOU ARE AWARE THAT YOUR BODY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE MUCH MORE OF MY POWER, ARATA?
Please.
...VERY WELL, I STILL FAIL TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GO SO FAR FOR THOSE HUMANS. The azure aura surrounding Arata became blue lightning, the scales by the corners of his eyes expanded, spreading down both sides of his neck and his arms, firebolts branched off him and he disappeared. While a majority of people in the empire couldn't see what was happening, a select few could. Within that handful, Ellie and Roland were the only ones unsurprised by what they saw. She simpered, watching the blue streak dart around the sky for the briefest of moments, deafening blasts shaking the capital to the core.
A portion of the smoke cleared as Arata hurtled down, Ellie nocking her arrow and firing, the red streak deflected by his swing, the immediate detonation knocking him to the ground. He groaned, frowning while yanking the arrows that caused him immense pain, which made him bear a resemblance close to that of a porcupine, out of his body. At this point, it is no surprise that her arrows can harm me.
He looked up seething at the pouting Ellie, "I put so much into that gift Arata-tan you meanie." Sighing, she used her index finger and thumb to form a circle around her left eye, "That's the palace, right?" Arata's astonishment was quickly replaced by anger as he hovered in place. Scarlet light split off the bow and arrow as Ellie aimed. "Bye-bye♡." Arata's blade materialized an inch away from her neck, changing paths immediately as he attempted to stop the arrow, missing by a breath.
Esdeath hopped on a roof, scanning the capital for the source of the previous wide-range attacks, a red light flying past her and startling her briefly. Just before Arata flew past her, she muttered, "Makahadoma."
The entire region assumed the almost familiar bluish shade and eerie silence. Turning back, she jumped closer to the arrow, swinging down on it, her attack achieving nothing. She stepped back startled, attempting her slash once more, the blade bounced off the arrow. Ignoring the warning signs that went off in her head, she reached for the bolt, the projectile spinning as soon as her hands closed around its shaft. Swiftly stepping back, the sounds and motion returned, the blue tint fading whilst Arata and the arrow continued their race.
Did she use her trump? FOCUS. He spared her a glance, gliding past the arrow while predicting its path, his weapon wound back for a swing.
Eh? A large shadow blotted out the sun for Arata, his baffled expression, amusing to those who had observed his usual calm and collected demeanor. Spinning out of the way, Arata shielded his face as Roland's mallet shattered the arrow, the shockwave creating cracks on the earthen wall he had created to shield the palace.
Landing on a roof, Roland looked between the two tense blue heads. "Roland,"
"Yes, Arata-sama?"
"I need you to create footholds for the general." Footholds?
"You want to attack together?" Esdeath inquired, observing the excitedly waving Ellie.
"Yes, General. I just hope you will not mind moving a bit faster?" Arata twirled the scythe in his right hand, floating beside the rooftop.
"A bit?" she smirked at Arata.
'I will clear the path for you." He dashed forward, meeting the barrage head-on and deflecting them all. The ground shook and large rocky pillars emerged, Esdeath sprinting ahead with her sheathed blade, hopping from pillar to pillar.
I feel lighter. It seems Arata's plan has begun. Assuming the stance of the Arashi's sword style, she exhaled sharply. Arata spun his scythe, the weapon creating a lightning barrier that parried the projectiles, a few cutting his skin when they bypassed his defense. "NOW!!"
"Eh♪?"
Arashi iaijutsu: Inazuma no ya! Lightning crackled around Esdeath, a blur of white and blue moving past Arata and Ellie, snowflakes drifting down the entire region.
"So closeee," Ellie sighed, peeking at the slash mark on her arm. The butt of Arata's scythe hauled her towards the capital walls, lightning striking her repeatedly as his blade pierced her chest, the two crashing amidst the rubble. He stumbled back, covering his mouth with a baffled expression. "So this is what Arata-tan tastes like, yay," Ellie tiredly pumped her fists in a celebratory manner, wincing at the stab hole in her chest that bled out. "Ellie-chan just wanted to have fun," sighing, she grinned brightly, "before Ellie-chan is gone, she has something to tell you, 'cause she liked you so much." Her breathing slowed and she held Arata's gaze, "He's free, my sponsor that is-" She spasmed, blood running down her nose and mouth. Arata approached her, placing his fingers on her neck, muttering, "She is dead."
Arata stiffened, his entire body shivering violently, a child's laughter from behind one of the many causes. He turned swiftly, the figure of a child partially obscured by smoke and the presence it gave, halting any further movement. It was common logic to believe the cackle came from the youngster but the sound seemed to surround Arata.
"Who-" Arata tried and failed to speak, his throat tightening under the immense pressure, one far more sinister than what he had sensed from Ellie.
DON'T MOVE. The storm dragon's wary tone made Arata far more tense, whoever that child was, he was clearly not normal. The kid smiled, the smoke conveniently exposing the mouth and other parts of his body. A boy?!
He pointed to the opposite side of the capital, an earth-shaking roar emerging from there. Arata moved his focus away instinctively, turning back to find the boy nowhere to be seen.
Who was that child?
...
Do you know anything, Kirin?
ARATA, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN CALLING MY NAME. THERE IS A THREAT BEYOND THE WALLS, DESTROY IT, OR THE CAPITAL FALLS.
...very well.