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Post by Kuma on Jul 24, 2018 4:40:27 GMT
Even before Akane came to talk to him, the Beast Knight could feel the hairs on the back of his neck starting to raise up. The killing intent came in waves towards them, just like the sea. It was a feeling he didn’t miss at all, as the last months had been occupied with JHWAB testing and training. Callis eyesight was good, but not good enough to see the four figures, but still, he knew which beach this flood of sinister intentions was flowing from. He was at least capable of articulating short sentences in presence of Akane after some minutes of sailing, but her serious tone snapped him to full shape. -Yes, Messa Musashi, I can feel it…- He replied to her inquiry, nodding with the same resolute tone she had. The Beast Knight started gathering his resolve, as he knew that fighting would be impossible to avoid. At the very least he would try to perform during the next battle, so he could attempt to wash the stains he had been leaving on the JHWAB’s reputation being an agent of such organization and fainting for no reason.
-I have not heard the name, the BHA has many members and I am just familiarized with the ones in the Kyoto branch.- Callis narrowed his eyes, using his hand as cover for the sun, finally managing to get a glimpse of the 4 shapes. -If he is a member of the BHA he must be here for a reason.- He turned to her. -I would like to attempt to talk to him and whoever is with him, try to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.- Callis pointed at the others. -We do have a numeric superiority, so we could use that as leverage.- He quickly added. -But of course, the diplomatic path is only open if they do not attack us on sight.- Callis lowered his eyes, his brow casting a shadow over them. -If that’s the case we will not have any other thing to do than reply in kind.- The Beast Knight left the wheel, grabbing the open cabin railing and talking loud enough for everybody in the boat to hear him. -We are about to engage probable hostile forces, everybody ready up.- His tone clearly wasn’t the tone of somebody who wants to get questions about what he said, so the trio of hunters started to get ready.
Ginger started transforming, but Crevil placed his massive hand on her shoulder. -No powers, not now.- She turned around. -But, but, but…- The Russian Cyborg shook his head. -No buts and no powers Ginger.- The Chinese Shapeshifter looked at her comrade with pleading eyes. -What will I do?- Crevil, without losing a step, took out two combat knives. -Here, you handy with knives, da?- She nodded. - Use Ki, do not transform.- She nodded again, lowering her head. Meanwhile Paprika was already floating, her Hacking Wand in hand, ready to twist the realms of possibility with his unusual powers. Chambara was still frozen in place, unaffected by anything Callis said. The Beast Knight returned to the helm, making his approach to the island, directly towards the beach, as unluckily for them, it was the closest one and with the wind, as it was turning around would slow them a lot, maybe enough for Hidden Denizens to be able to follow on foot. Callis slowly turned upon reaching the bay, the ship’s keel sinking into the sand of the coast.
Now everybody could see the 4 figures. Zan was wiping his tears, his black and grey kimono fluttering with the wind. San was standing besides her brother, her face a mask of rage, veins popping out from her skin as the very faint demonic silhouette surrounding her body emitted a soft blue glow. Chriselda was standing behind them, her spear over her shoulder, looking at the incoming intruders with cold eyes. Percival was lagging behind, without any weapons, actually surprised from meeting Akane here, maybe he could talk to her about the situation, she might listen. The Old Knight weighed his options and realized it was now or never, before the others could move. -I've got a plan, give me 5 minutes.- He said to the others, to cover his real intent as he rushed forward, zipping past the others, while he had his hands up. Crevil aimed to guns at him, Paprika aimed his wand, but Callis, who had stepped down from the cabin, rose his hand, stopping them. Percival started wading through the tide, being glared at by the other Swordsmen, confused by the situation. -Wait, wait, don’t kill me!- He said, with a nervous smile, as he moved closer to the boat. -Stop right there.- Callis proclaimed, raising his hand, gesturing Percival to stop. The Old Knight complied, stopping right on his tracks. -Who are you and what is your purpose here?- The Old Mercenary replied to Callis inquiry. -I’m Percival Peregrine, Silver Star ranked Bounty Hunter of the Hong Kong Branch, I’m here investigating a strange phenomenon, but I found out more than enough and I need help stopping it.-
Callis scanned the man standing below him from top to bottom. Percival noticed this analysis and added, talking to Akane. -Hello Ms. Musashi, fancy meeting you here, how’s Ann?- Behind him, the other swordsmen were getting restless, staring at Percival and Callis' group. Thankfully none of them had enhanced healing, so they couldn't listen to thanks to the wind and waves, that crashed against the sides of the bay, breaking into foam, covering the tall cliffsides.
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Post by othus on Jul 24, 2018 5:45:59 GMT
"Numbers might not be as big of a deterrent as you think, Nomene-san, especially if our opponents are strong" Akane responded to the beast knight while still looking at the figures on the shore, Akane never liked diplomacy, every time she tried doing it things just got out of control, she liked the idea of striking first and striking hard as her ancestor did, had Miyamoto Musashi not taken the chance to kill Arima Kibie back when Musashi was still a kid, then perhaps the legendary swordsman would have died young. Nonetheless, Akane went with Callis' strategy out of respect for the man and for Ann's sake, so, if possible, she would avoid harming the old man. If she went this route, she would have to take it to the last of consequences though. "Never regret what you've done" her ancestor used to say.
Akane did not let her guard down upon seeing the old knight getting closer, not even when he addressed her so casually.
"Ann is fine, she's grown a lot stronger since the last time you saw her, you would be surprised." Akane was for a moment glad Ann did not come with her, emotions would be a serious liability for this mission, and with Ann's current strength, she had the power to stop her, what was her sister thinking when she gave Ann the strongest virtual machine since the overlord model? Code Artemis was an entirely new generation of Virtual Machine, far more advanced than her Two-Heavens model. Akane however, had no time to wonder any longer about that, she looked at the rest of Percival's group, and she knew something was clearly wrong in here, she examined them for a while trying to gauge their strength. In the school of Niten Ichi-Ryu, everything came down to properly measuring the opponent's strength and rhythm, while rhythm could only be discovered through battle, strength was most of the time evident, small gestures, body language, killing intent. Akane would rarely find herself unable to read a person, if someone was weaker than her, she would kill the target in the spot, if someone was stronger, she would wait for a vulnerability, they had to eat, they had to sleep, some couldn't control their lust, some would love their family too much, all living beings have a weakness.
A quick glance at the rest of Percival's group delivered some bad news, it would seem all of them were on the very least as strong as the ancient warrior, a second, more detailed look made things even more obvious, the tall Amazon-like warrior? perhaps number 3 or 4 in strength, the bounty hunter trio could probably take her on as they had a lot of versatility and probably even teamwork on their side. the actual problem were the other two, Akane couldn't get a proper reading on their strength, -*tch, Monsters*- she immediately thought, peeking into their strength was like looking inside a bottomless well. This prognostic was bad, if things developed into a conflict, she wouldn't come out unscathed, she already had exerted herself too much, when Chambara came to the Musashi castle, she expected to travel to the island and fight against the creature in perfect conditions, Akane was agile, and had technique, but her body lacked stamina, plus, she would have to preserve the points for the final fight, perfect warrior was not a technique she could use so nonchalantly, and fighting Musashi without all of her potential unlocked was suicidal, especially if the creature was strong enough to command those two. Akane looked back at Percival, if he was not on their side then perhaps he could help beat the Amazonian and then overwhelm the other two, but first, she had to make sure, Akane gripped her blades even tighter as she pointed at him with her wakizashi.
"Let's not play fool any longer, Percival Peregrine. what is going on here? If you say that you need help why is it that your group reeks of hostility towards us?"
Akane readied for an attack with no stance, she knew anything could happen at that point, the fact that Percival was so nonchalant gave her a really bad feeling about the entire situation, the way he tried to make Callis drop his guard by referring to her so casually did not go unnoticed by the heir of the Musashi.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 25, 2018 4:25:39 GMT
-Ms. Musashi, your winning personality remains the same it seems.- Percival commented, getting a giggle out of Ginger and Crevil. The Old Knight looked over his shoulder at his companions. -I followed the whispers of something guiding me here, so did them.- He pointed at the other three with a gesture of his head, trying to be subtle. -I wasn’t as entranced as them, maybe because my skill set, but still, I was in the area and I needed to find out if whatever was summoning me was dangerous.- He kept explaining as fast as he could, trying to get as much information out before the others realized what was happening. -So, I followed the whispers and met those three, all of them heard them and they guided us to this island, up ahead, at the foot of the nearest peak.- His expression went from relaxed to deadly serious. -There is a cursed weapon there, sending the summons, hoping to find a new host body, as his current host looks quite rotten, looking like a decaying samurai.- Chambara, for the first time in half an hour, moved, looking down on Percival from above. The Spirit of Japan had been interested in Percival, as he sensed something inside the Old Knight, a strange sense of kinship with him.
-I tried to talk them out from it, but it seems that the three behind him want the sword, and the sword ordered them to kill you lot.- He tried to sound calm, but he was actually worried about the situation. Callis instantly looked at the trio, scanning them. He couldn’t sense anything off about Zan, except that he was crying. Chriselda looked intimidating and there was a faint magical aura around her, but he wasn’t very well versed in magical detection to properly gauge her power. But the moment he looked at Sen, the Beast Knight gave an instinctive step back, a shiver going down his spine. -Do you know anything about their powers?- Callis asked Percival, more or less believing the Old Knight’s story, at least for the time being. -The one crying is a really good swordsman, crazy fast.- He continued. -The young woman is his sister and I don’t know what she can do, she seems to have some sort of demon or something alike inside her.- Percival ended. -And the big woman in the armor, she seems to be more of the physical specialist, I saw her lifting a boulder and throwing it at a whale, just to see if she could.- The Beast Knight turned to the rest of the boat. -So what do you think it should be our course of action?- He asked all of them, hoping to get some ideas to work from.
-I say we jump off this boat and rush them, we have more numbers and we’re better.- Ginger was slowly regaining her spunky and tomboyish attitude, now armed with two knives and seemingly ready to rumble. -I think we should wait and see, da?- Crevil talked in soft whispers, a bit different from his usually boisterous tone. -We hunt beasts, we do not hunt people, I do not know what powers they have.- Paprika merely shrugged and didn’t bother to reply. -I’ll go back there and place myself in the back laddie.- Percival let out a cunning smile. -While you bunch attack I could pick off one of them from the back.- Callis finally turned to Akane. -What do you say, Messa Musashi?- But while the Beast Knight was trying to handle this in a calm and orderly manner, those words weren’t anywhere to be found in Criselda's mind. The Armored Amazon grasped her spear with both hands. Quite the strange weapon for somebody a Cursed Blade summoned, but truly, the spear wasn’t quite that, it was a weapon, but it was just in a shape easier to carry around. Because Criselda was a member of the Schwarzwald Clan, a family of monster hunters coming from Germany who specializes in hunting Giants and Trolls.
“Riesigermorder” was the name of her weapon, one she grabbed with both hands, clutching it tightly as the small spearhead, fed by her magical energy started becoming wide and longer, becoming a massive 15 mt tall blade in a split second, just as Callis was asking Akane about their strategy. -YOU TALK TO FICKEN MUCH!- She shouted as she lowered the massive swords towards the boat. Both Zan and Sen looking at her with a mix of shock and surprise.
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Post by othus on Jul 25, 2018 6:45:00 GMT
Akane tried not to look bothered by Percival's response, though she did want to slap the hell out of him, she wasn't joking, not with those people threatening them. She listened to Percival's explanation and then heard the opinions of the rest, for a moment she even felt like agreeing with Ginger, as it would be dangerous to just let them go like that.
Akane wouldn't have much time to even consider any other course of action as the large woman loudly began to call her attack, Akane looked at the giant blade almost dumbfounded, not because she thought she was in danger, but rather because she was a sword geek, and was enamored by the sight. it wasn't until the warrior lowered it down that she actually noticed she would be screwed for good if she didn't dodge, Akane bolted out of the boat and landed on the beach, she did not rush towards the attack, as she still wanted to measure her rhythm. Akane's style was especially effective against hot-headed foes, for she knew the same thing as Miyamoto Musashi, provocation often left those types of foes full of openings. Akane shouted at Callis, making sure the woman heard as well.
"Nomene-San, the brute is mine, I'll leave the rest to your group!"
she walked towards the Amazonian-like warrior, it wasn't often that Akane would see a woman taller than her.
"You are one loud bitch aren't you? you'll pay for interrupting our conversation" Akane finally dashed towards the woman, she expected that weapon of hers to be able to shift in size just as easily as it changed the first time, so she wouldn't compromise her attack too much, it would be better to wear her down with conservative blows first, so she aimed at the joints of the armor, especially the ones on the armpit, she knew the warrior had enough strength to end her in a single blow, so she had to be extremely careful, a couple of extremely precise blows were released before Akane was ready to retreat. That might not look pretty, but it would keep her alive.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 26, 2018 4:34:18 GMT
The whistling wind following the massive blade swing reached Callis’ acute ears with enough anticipation for him to warn the others. -DODGE!- He exclaimed and every soul in the boat managed to notice the sword coming down, managing to dodge fast enough to remain inside their respective bodies. “Riesigermorder” crashed down, sundering the boat from deck to keel, splitting it in half from front to back. Callis landed with a roll, avoiding the water and standing up. He heard Akane and nodded, getting ready to attack as well. They still had the numbers, so they could attack in teams. But before he could instruct the Spice Rack Trio, a loud roar echoed from inside the jungle and a large number of Tachijin burst out of the treeline, swinging their bladed appendages with berserker fury. Crevil, who landed the closest to him, noticed this and looked at Callis. -I deal with horde, we do.- He pointed at the others, signaling to join him. - You stronger, you fight leaders.- The Beast Knight was surprised by Crevil’s composure and leadership skills, he was much different from who he was when he met him earlier on this day.
Callis didn’t have time to consider that idea long enough, as his keen instincts flared up, reacting to them as Crevil rallied his comrades charging at the incoming monsters, guns blazing. The Beast Knight cartwheeled to the side, avoiding something, he didn’t see what, but his body reacted on his own, avoiding it, or mostly avoiding it, as a good piece of his jacket was sliced off, falling on the sand below him. Callis turned to face the attacker, meeting Zan, the Weeping Blade, face to face. -How sad, how sad, that I must kill somebody like you…- Zan spoke as he wiped his tears. -I’ve heard of you Callis Nomene, the Drifter of Kyoto.- The Weeping Swordsman took an Iaijutsu stance. -You defeated our friend Akuto.- Callis winced upon hearing the name of Akuto Akunin, the criminal he helped stop during a BHA mission in Kyoto. Zan wiped more tears, as they kept flowing. -He was our friend, how sad, how terribly sad is to see a friend go.- His hand clutched the handle of his sword. -Is painful, truly, terribly painful, allow me to teach you about this pain.- The Beast Knight was so pressured by Zan’s killing intent that he wasn’t even able to summon his blades.
While that standoff happened, Akane was charging in aiming her attack towards Criselda, who was handling her massive sword, returning it to its previous spear form, but not fast enough to use it as a defense against the charging heiress of the Musashi Clan. Still, she didn’t need to defend, as Sen rushed from the side, running on her legs and arms, like a wild beast, scooping shovel loads of sand with each of her frantic steps. The demon surrounding her was now brighter and easily seen, it looked like some sort of Oni, also taking the same stance as the Raging Blade. -dᵢₑ Yₒᵤ ₛₐₘᵤᵣₐᵢ bᵢₜCₕ!!! ᵢ Wᵢₗₗ ₘₐₖₑ Yₒᵤ cₕₒₖₑ ₒₙ Yₒᵤᵣ BₗₒₒD!!! ₖᵤₖᵤₖᵤₖᵤₖᵤₖᵤₖᵤ- Sen pounced against Akane, getting in-between the Musashi Heiress and the Armored Amazon, who took advantage of the attack to back out. Sen’s fingers were surrounded by the demonic aura, turning them into sharp and jagged talons, ready to rend Akane into pieces. There was some heat to the blue flames forming the yokai silhouette around Sen, akin to the fire from a forge, a kind of heat Akane surely knew. Seemingly Percival didn’t charge her, because he was involved in another standoff.
Crevil led his comrades into the horde of enemies, him being the “tank” taking their attacks while Ginger flanked him, taking out anybody he downed using the combat knives infused with a layer of azure ki. They drew the attention of the enemies as Paprika, floating behind them, rained digital death made a reality on the incoming enemies, reducing the number Crevil had to mow down as he advanced showcasing inhuman gun-kata skills. But behind them, far behind the battle, standing on the waves of the coast, water hitting their ankles, with the boat behind them, Chambara and Percival stood face to face, with the Spirit of Japan blocking Percival’s path. -C’mon mate, I want to help your crew, don’t block me.- Percival pleaded, trying to move to the side, but Chambara sidestepped, blocking him again. -What’s this, a bloody rom-com? Let me go through, your guys need help!- Percival tried to push Chambara, but when his hand got closer to the Spirit of Japan, something curious happened, he felt like he was touching the cold armor of the being in front of him, but his hand wasn’t making contact. Chambara looked down on him, while Percival looked at his hand with a puzzled expression. There was something around his hand, a phantasmagorical image surrounding his arm, like a ghostly heavy gauntlet. The Spirit of Japan’s empty eyes gleamed with twin points of reddish light.
Ỳ̸̯̫̀ȯ̶͚̈́ȕ̸̮̩̱̅̚ ̸̻̏d̶̹̞̙͂͒͑o̸͔̣̊̎ ̵̩̆̅n̸̢͂̍o̷͖͉͌t̵̯̬͙̓͒ ̶̦̽b̸̘̠̦́̈́̒e̸̼̥̒̌͝ͅl̶̲̓̅ö̵͔͚́n̵͈͓͕͒ǵ̸̢̢̬ ̶͕͌h̶͚̏̾ẻ̴̥̱̜́r̴͔͇̗̅̓é̷̢̘́,̴̰͕͑ ̴̢̣̺͒̔̈́ÿ̷̤͔́o̶͋̈́͘͜u̴͈͑̈̋ ̵͈͎̳͋ä̵͙͇͈́̄r̷̖̓̀é̵̛̜ ̶̤̱́̽a̸͚̾̚ ̷̯͍̈́m̷̡̠̊̃͝a̷̛̭͎͋͝ń̸̝̼̱̔̒ ̶̞̬̫̑̇͒ẁ̴̠̻̃͠i̴̝̲̒t̸͔̜͔̎͒h̷̤̬͍͊̈̕ ̵̢̒͊a̷̜͈͚͆͂͠ ̵̢̨͉̒̈́d̶̢͓͚̉ȩ̷̀͂s̸̰̯͈̏̚t̴͔̹̗̓̂ĭ̶̘͇̥͂͒ñ̶̯̗͘ẙ̶̱͍̅,̵͓̍̐͝ ̶̦̏̽a̴͓̩̋ ̶̠͑d̷̺͈̍͝é̶͔̰̩̇̚s̵̺͌̔ṯ̷̈́͛̔ĭ̵̝͇͑ṉ̵̟̈͠ỵ̵͕̒ ̵̼̜̆͘ͅl̷̮̥͉̇̆͝i̸̩̖̼͝ǩ̵̫͖̌̇e̸̙̽͋ ̷̯̼̠͒̕͝t̸̙̽ḩ̶͉̈͆̚e̶͖̪̽̈́ ̶̬̬̽͘͝ờ̶̳̒ṋ̸͇̋͂e̷̫̪̓̀̋ ̸̩͕̇̌͛t̴͙̀h̴̤̠̄͌̐ȧ̵͙̓̏t̸̡̲̱͆̿̔ ̶̜͍̑t̸̥̀̐̈́ṵ̶͓̞͋̀͝r̷͖͔̭̃n̴̮͌̚ȅ̸͚̫̲d̵̛̖̼͖̄̓ ̵̯̳̮͊́̓a̶̞͂ ̶̰͖̳͠m̷̟̊͋̅͜͜ā̴̞̲n̵͖͖̹͂̀ ̵̨̞̔͌i̴̡͙̭̋͠ñ̵͍t̸̡͔̑̔ó̸̤͝ ̸͕͖̾͊m̷̱̈y̷̢̛̻̑̊s̶̼̔̈́ě̴̢͎̗͝͝l̶̤͕̞̿̀̈́f̴̤͈̆͒̀.̵̠̅͜ͅ.̴̩̤̫̑.̴̳̖̎͘ ̶͖̥̔͠
R̵͓̜̰͝ė̴̼̟̠̄t̴̰͎̉̋͂ú̶̙̙̈̇r̴̩̃̿̓ņ̵͇͚̓̈́̎ ̴̹̜̍̆t̵̗͝ͅo̴͈̠̎ ̴̨̻̦͆y̶̜͉̌o̴̹̍̂ű̶͈̽̎ṙ̷̫̻̚ ̷̡̗̋̾ḧ̶͈́̆o̵͍̍m̶̞̅e̶̘̤̒ľ̸͓̂a̵͚̤̘͆̆n̴̰̈d̷̨̐̕ͅ,̸̺͂ ̸̱̩̀̃̕y̷̠͉̿o̵̦̫̅͐͘u̴̲̙͓͘ ̶̺̬͓̅͘͝c̷̰͖͊ȁ̴̹̬ͅn̴̟͖͑n̴̮̒̍͜͝ò̷̩͗͘t̵̤̪̹̾̊̾ ̵͚͒ḇ̵́͋͝ē̴̹͙͉̐ ̴̨̹̃h̷͖̱̎e̵͕͚̫͒̉̅r̴̩̆̊͋e̶͈͖͗̈́,̷͍̦͖̀ ̸̼͊̀ȳ̵̫̞̘o̶̮̼̅͝u̸͔̯̺͐̆ ̴̼̄̑̐s̷̥̯̓̊h̵̻͒̃o̶̩͙͓͒͂ũ̷͕̥̐l̸̯͇̯̋d̶̗̓̓ ̴̹̖̇͘b̶̩̂̈́̓ͅe̶̺̮̍̽̊ ̸̫̔d̸̗̐̅̉e̴̝̹͐̕ͅf̶͇̀̒͝e̶̟͔̰͑̾͗n̷͖͖̖̄̊̀d̶̢̦̒͝i̴͕̐ṅ̴͎ǧ̸͎ ̸̜̯͌̉i̸̝͑t̵͕͋̊̃,̶̗͇̬͛ ̵͉̼̀a̶̯̓̑̈s̸̭̩̏͝ ̷͇̔t̸͇͙̓̅͜h̵̡̐̆ǎ̸̹̘̬̈͝t̴̻͕̪̑ ̶̤̲̥̒͊į̴̘̞͊s̷̰̜̓ ̶͙̠͘y̵̠̏ơ̶̫̙̍̑u̵̧͍̟͊ŕ̴̩̟̰̊̽ ̶̢̮͆f̸̙͗͐͌a̸̧͐̌̕ẗ̵̡͖̗́e̷̥͙̋̌,̸̢͎̰͆̓̕ ̵̳̬͐̀͜ ̷͖̕P̸̺͍̱̂̑e̷̞͎͗r̵͉̠̆̎̑ë̴̳̮̬́d̵̮͚͉̿̚u̶̖͕̔͒͘r̸̬̯͋̾̕ ̶̯̏̎͘ͅs̴͔̈o̸̟̅̊͜͝ṉ̶͒ ̸̞̞͕̎̔o̴̩͐̔͝f̴̘̱̼̄͌ ̸͈̌̐Ȇ̷͖̞f̸̛̟̈͝ẃ̸͈͕̑c̴̟̀̔̌.̴̟̃ Percival listened to him with a confused look. How did this Samurai know his name? And what was that about becoming something like him? What was him? The Old Knight removed his hand, that returned to normal. -I don’t care about any destiny apart from the one I already know.- He slowly unsheathed his blade, the worn yet well-kept broadsword screeched out of the metal sheath. -And right now even that destiny is secondary mate, so get a move on, or I’ll have to carve you out that overly designed can you call an armor.- Chambara, without replying to the provocation just took an Iaijutsu stance, not too different from Zan’s. -If that’s what you want, let’s bloody do it!- Percival swung his blade down, clashing against the incoming attack by the Spirit of Japan. For a moment it seemed like they were evenly matched, as Percival hands and blade seemed to be covered by the same spectral image as before, seeming bigger and covered in armor, his sword turning into a greatsword. Yet that moment of balance was shattered the moment Chambara put his weight behind the blow, sending Percival flying back, landing on his back, on luckily deeper waters. -Dagnabit, that wanker is strong.- Percival proclaimed as he started standing up.
The Legendary Samurai did this on purpose, attempting to stop Percival from stepping on dry land. Chambara advanced towards the Old Knight with his blade once again inside its sheath, ready for another attack, while Percival hastily dipped his fingers inside the inner pocket loaded with holy oil.
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Post by othus on Jul 26, 2018 5:49:00 GMT
Out of every single type of creature that roamed the earth, demons were the ones Akane hated the most, she deliberately tried to avoid clashing against the demonic woman in order to get a breath of fresh air, she would be surprised and furious at the same time to see that the demonic woman would rush her, Akane reacted to her initial attack by parrying the claws as they came, but she kept getting pushed back by the unending barrage of demonic attacks
*Why me?! every single time I have to deal with these god damn demons!*
Akane finally found herself unable to parry any longer as one of the attacks broke through her guard, the demonic talon pierced the virtual machine armor, melting through the carbon plates as sparks flashed, a spray of blood rushed out of Akane's shoulder, she screamed in pain as she wildly swung at Sen in an attempt to make some distance. the shoulder plate of her virtual machine was not just ruined, but also covered by the blood of the Musashi. Akane panted as she looked at the damage, the virtual machine had never been effective against heat-based attacks.
It was imperative for her to act now or else she would lose consciousness, it wasn't the proper time, but she had to go all out or she would die.
-Hyshiryo- Activate -Fudoshin- Activate
Akane released the complete perfect warrior combo, this was only the second time she fully activated the two abilities at the same time, the first time being against her father. within a split second her body began to swell to the point her musculature was apparent even through the armor, veins on her temple all the way to her eyes were visible as well, the changes while subtle, meant a tremendous internal body transformation involving a complete manipulation and revamp of her autonomic nerves as well as the deployment of an aggressive cocktail made out of dozens of different endocrinal glands and hormones. Akane's shoulder injury began to heal at an almost impossible rate, with new tissue visibly appearing right before the naked eye, the original perfect warrior would turn her into a bloodthirsty monster, but her other technique controlled her autonomic nerves to an incredible degree, keeping her mind focused and dozens of times sharper than before. she began to move at a walking speed towards sen, her combat pose now being the exact same as that of Miyamoto Musashi, with her blades naturally pointing towards the floor and her back slightly curved to the front.
If Sen were to enter Akane's maai now, she would discover something no other swordsman had shown her before.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 27, 2018 3:35:52 GMT
Sen jumped away, spinning several times mid-air before landing on all fours, now floating inside the image surrounding her. Criselda reduced her sword to its original size and pierced it on the floor, pulling her broad short sword. Akin to a Roman gladius, it was a heavy and thick blade with a peculiar pattern, as the material was marked by interlocking angled lines, hundreds of crosses connected, carvings on the blade. Both saw as Akane’s body swelled in size while getting ready to attack. Sen’s demonic shape-shifted from a distorted humanoid into a demonic sabertooth tiger, with long fangs coming out its grotesque mouth, a pair going up and the other going down, its three eyes locked on the Musashi Heiress. -fₐₙCy ₛₐₘᵤᵣₐᵢ gᵢᵣₗ gₒₜ BᵢG? ₘₒᵣₑ fₒᵣ ₘₑ ₜₒ Bᵢₜₑ ₒfF!!!!- Sen exclaimed, before releasing a cackling torrent of disturbing laughter. Criselda looked down at the Raging Blade, weirded out by the sudden change in demeanor. Sen roared forward once again scooping out large portions of sand with each of her beast-like strides. She jumped to the side, circling around Akane aiming for an attack from the flank, while Criselda, snapping out from her confusion decided to attack.
-NO! SHE IS MY FICKEN PREY!- The Armored Amazon swung her short blade with killing intent, something that at first seemed ridiculous, considering how far she was from Akane, but soon it was evident why did she do it. He short sword split up into 5 whips, loaded with the shards of her blade. Her swing propelled the 5 heads at Mach speed, aiming to flail the Musashi Heiress all across her body. Sen, instead of attacking, sunk her burning hands in the sand, turning it into glass as she circled around Akane, using one hand to burn and the other to launch jagged fragments of glass while running around, outside the Musashi Heiress’ Maai.
Meanwhile, the Spice Rack Trio kept fighting against an ever-increasing horde of Tachijin. Crevil and Ginger were fighting back to back, The Russian Cyborg shooting everything that got near him. The Chinese Shapeshifter swung the combat knives with frantic determination, delivering swift coup de graces to any downed enemy. Paprika was having troubles, the density of his data clusters was dropping and he could barely stay levitating. The Tachijin gathering below him piled up the fallen among themselves, trying to create a makeshift tower to reach him. Things looked dire for the trio, as Ginger had many painful lacerations, while they had breached even Crevil’s impressive armor, with the Tachijin coordinating attacks to the same areas, as if every one of them had the same mind and same intent. -We will get overrun if I don’t do something!- Ginger shouted as she kicked and incoming attack away while stabbing both knives into a single target. -No! NO TRANSFORMATIONS!- Crevil spoke as his head did a full 360 while his arms moved around his body, not just spinning with his shoulder as an axis, but his whole upper body was spinning in a different direction to his head.
As this happened, Callis and Zan engaged in a stare-off. A tingling sensation reached Callis' skin, his senses flaring up, as he knew his smallest movement would be taken as an invitation by Zan, who was ready to strike. Callis blue eyes homed to Zan’s dirty green ones. The Beast Knight knew he was inside the range of Zan, but he sensed that something was off, he couldn't put his finger on it. He did a quick scan of his opponent. “His feet are too close to be in a wide stance, he should not be able to have the range he has” He then moved towards Zan’s hands, one grabbing the sheath and the other right over the hilt ready to strike. “There is something wrong with that sword… Something on the hilt? Or is on the circle gua-” Callis train of thought derailed as he sensed incoming danger. His uncanny reflexes saved his life, as he dodged left, a burning pain jolted on the base of his neck. A large wound appeared, right over his clavicle, just a superficial cut. -What?- Callis muttered, after standing from rolling out of the way. The Beast Knight touched the wound, almost a perfect slash, the skin was still smooth, even around the wound itself. If he hadn’t moved, he would have lost his head. At least he summoned one blade while dodging and now he was armed, standing in a fencing stance, his free hand behind his back, his body turned to the side, just showing his flank to Zan, who was wiping his tears. -How sad, how terribly sad, that you didn't die from that first attack, now I'll have to fight seriously.- The Weeping Blade threatened to a confused Beast Knight. How did Zan attack, Callis was looking at his blade and it didn’t move or maybe it moved so fast he couldn’t perceive it? Both possibilities were dangerous. Once again both fighters stood paralyzed, measuring each other, preparing their next move.
Among the crashing waves, Percival fought a losing battle against Chambara, who kept pushing. The Spirit of Japan won each clash of their sword overpowering the Old Knight, who felt his whole skeleton cracking each time he parried a blow from the Spectral Samurai. Their fight wasn’t even 1 minute long and Percival was covered in wounds. -Is it because I teased your boss mate!?- He asked as a full spin swing of his blade was repelled by Chambara’s gauntlet. -Because she isn't Miss CongenialiWHOA!- With a loud CLANG, Percival’s sword flew away from his hand, landing in the sand, too far away for the Old Knight to pick it up. Soaked in sea water, crawling on his back, Percival glared at the ever-encroaching Chambara, who was sheathing his blade ready for a final Iai. Percival tried to beg for his life once again. -C’mon mate, I wanted to help your crew, don’t chop my head for that.- The Spirit of Japan ignored Percival’s words and readied his blade.
Y̷o̸u̴r̶ ̴e̸x̴i̶s̸t̴e̷n̶c̵e̴ ̴w̷i̵l̵l̵ ̶n̸o̷t̷ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̷l̸l̷o̸w̷e̶d̴ ̷i̶n̶ ̷t̵h̶i̸s̷ ̴n̴a̸t̴i̸o̴n̸,̴ ̴y̴o̶u̸ ̸b̵e̷l̴o̶n̷g̸ ̷t̶o̵ ̴y̵o̷u̵r̶ ̶h̴o̷m̴e̵l̴a̴n̸d̶,̷ ̷l̸i̶k̷e̶ ̸I̵ ̴b̵e̸l̷o̸n̵g̴ ̸t̵o̷ ̴m̵i̶n̸e̶.̵
̴P̷e̷r̶e̵d̶u̷r̸ ̷s̵o̶n̶ ̷o̴f̷ ̵E̸f̶w̸c̵ ̴y̴o̴u̴ ̵m̷u̶s̵t̴ ̴l̴e̶a̷v̷e̴ ̵a̵n̸d̸ ̷b̶e̵c̷o̷m̵e̶ ̸T̶h̶e̸ ̸K̷n̶i̸g̷h̸t̵.̴ ̷R̷e̷t̵u̷r̴n̵ ̵t̴o̷ ̵B̸r̶i̸t̸a̵n̴n̵i̶a̸,̸ ̴r̶e̷t̸u̷r̴n̴ ̶t̵o̴ ̵y̵o̵u̵r̵ ̵h̶o̵m̸e̷l̷a̵n̸d̸.̸ ̵
-Become the Knight?- Percival asked, puzzled. -I’m already a Knight dagnabit!- He cursed, ready to face his fate, but then he smirked as if he knew something Chambara didn’t. -I’m enough of a Knight to know you don’t bloody play with a weaker opponent.- Golden light shone out Percival’s hand, the same hand he dipped in the Holy Oil he used as a medium for spells. -Next time you should avoid being cryptic instead of fighting, or you’ll give enough time for a cornered mouse to bite back.- He lifted his hand, palm facing Chambara and shouted, with hundreds of ancient druidic voices accompanying his own.
gαєтнѕι∂
𝔉𝔩𝔬𝔡𝔶𝔭𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔩
A wave of light blasted of Percival’s hand, pushing Chambara back, for a moment it seemed it wouldn’t work, but the Old Knight added a third word to his incantation.
вℓє∂мιℓ
And several spots on the surface of the sea lit up, like golden pools of water, the first one being underneath Chambara. A series of timed Geysers, shaped as jumping whales hit the Spirit of Japan, pushing him back until one separated him from the ground and the remaining three hit him mid-air, sending him into higher altitudes until he came crashing down into the waves. Percival fell on one knee, panting. -Huf.. huf… Hitting a Japanese bloke... with whales…- He popped the bones of his neck. -Seemed the bloody right thing to do…- He crawled towards his sword, but he heard armored greaves splashing on low water, as from the crater he formed upon falling, Chambara stood up, resuming his advance towards Percival, unscathed walking against the waves. -Bollocks.- The Old Knight only uttered this, as he rushed to get his blade, followed by a charging Chambara.
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Post by othus on Jul 27, 2018 7:05:16 GMT
Akane's lifeless glance was centered neither in the Amazonian warrior nor in the demonic girl, the samurai girl was apparently staring at nothing, she kept walking as the whips and glass came towards her.
In what seemed like a split second Akane looked at the individual movement of the whips, and despite their movement being erratic, there was a moment where 4 aligned in a horizontal line, Akane released her blade repelling four of the whips at that exact moment, while taking the last one in the forehead, the whip instantly tore through her skin, opening a splash of blood and tearing the thin muscle, her new bone density however repelled any further damage.
The glass shards likewise, dug deep into her face as some bounced against the rest of her armor, a large piece outright pierced between her cheek and was only stopped because Akane bit into it the moment it came on the other side, the smaller pieces were also embedded into her flesh, with Akane tilting her head enough to avoid the glass getting on her eyes.
Even so, dozens of pieces had connected, the samurai had no reaction to neither attack, as her Autonomic nerves were regulated to the point she would only feel them, but no pain signal would be carried to her brain. she chewed the pieces of glass as she spat it along with blood at a tremendous speed towards Criselda in order to blind her, it was a projectile with speed akin to a gunshot, this too was a Niten-Ichi Ryu technique. Akane’s smaller wounds began to recover at an astounding rate, while her tore cheek and forehead recovered at a much slower rate.
Right after spitting the glass shards Akane finally turned her head towards Sen, her body posture immediately shifted as she relaxed her body almost to the point of dropping her blades, it was at that moment that she rushed towards the demonic woman at an incredible speed, and even though Sen was still outside Akane’s maai, she would begin to see swords appear one after the other out of thin air ready to cut her down.
The closer Akane was, the more swords she would see, and the moment Akane found Sen inside her Maii a blossom of swords would appear, creating an effect akin to that of a Kaleidoscope, this was generated as Akane forced killing intent, feints, the length difference between her blades, Kaneshige’s own bloodlust and hundreds of Niten-Ichi Ryu techniques into a single attack, the end result was a flower of death that delivered precision cuts and shifted depending on the enemy’s reaction.
This was the only Niten-Ichi Ryu technique that was passed down only from one heir to the next, this technique was as important to the way of the sword, as Beethoven’s 5th was to music, it was simply a masterpiece improved by the heir of each generation of Niten Ichi Ryu over the course of 400 years, the technique still had no name, as the elders estimate it wouldn't be fully completed until a thousand years of refinement had passed. when Akane had to ascend as head of the clan, she too would have to improve that technique. even so, in its current state, any other sword school would consider it one of the greatest examples of an Ougi, with Orochi Musashi adding the latest move.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 30, 2018 4:40:17 GMT
Criselda lost her balance as her whip got parried away, staggering from the impact, but that wasn’t enough to topple her. -FICKEN BITCH!- She bellowed as the sand below her shift under her immense weight and movement. The glass came flying, but it was child's game for the Armored Amazon to react to it, even with her poor footing. Criselda just tilted her head forward, the sharp and jagged fragment crashing against his armored forehead, shattering into a hundred small pieces. -Try better than that little girl!- Even with her enhancements, Akane was smaller than Criselda, a tower of a woman. The Armored Amazon smirked with confidence, but soon that smile went sour, as Akane ignored her, charging against Sen.
The Raging Blade stopped her mad dash around Akane as the Musashi Heiress closed in. Somebody with regular perception would witness the kaleidoscope of blades and feel the icy grasp of dread closing around their hearts, but Sen, in her current form, saw the impossible number of blades closing in as a challenge. -yEaH! yEaH! yEaH! mOrE! cAlL tHe HeLLiSh CaRnAgE fRoM hEaVeN!- She shrieked as the hits poured down. Akane’s blade clashed against the figure overlapping Sen’s body, releasing jolts of blue sparks exploding from each wound, akin fireworks being set off upon each impact. Her expression was one of total ecstasy as if she was enjoying being hit. Wounds appeared on her body, but not cut, only bruises, her armor working as Kevlar stopping bullets, avoiding the cuts, but incapable of reducing force behind the impact.
The last hit of the massive combo sent the Possessed Warrior flying, spinning in the air before crashing hard against the wet sand, sinking into it, creating an imprint of her body, her limbs twisted into impossible angles, her clothing torn into ribbons, revealing hundred if not thousands of scars covering her skin, hidden by her bulky Miko clothing. Made on purpose and with an order, following her muscles from joint to joint, creating the illusion that her muscle fibers popped through her skin, a sight too hideous to behold, with signs of mutilation in her chest and other areas. -mOrE! mOrE! mOrE! mOrE! mOoOoOoOoOoOrE!- She whispered as she stood and those whispers turned into shrieking. She screamed from the top of her lungs, her voice echoing around the beach as the figure surrounding her reformed the parts bent or broken after her clash with Akane.
Blood leaked out her eyes and the sides of her mouth, blue and black spots covering her scarred body, the result of Akane’s attacks, but none of these things was the most noteworthy one. Before it seemed as if she had breasts, but that was only cloth hiding something else. In the middle of her chest, there was a bizarre handle of a sword sticking out. -yOu ArE gOiNg To dIe HeRe!- Sen shouted at Akane, as she grasped the grip, pulling with all her might. It siphoned the blue lights surrounding towards the cross-guard, becoming a flaming blue blade, forming as she pulled the weapon out from her own body. She swung the blade, cutting the air in front of her, while the flames shifted from blue to crimson red. -kUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkU- She chuckled filled with madness, swing her blade around like a mad dance. Her skin turning black, like a moonless night, her body shifting, cracking of bones being displaced or enlarged accompanied by the grotesque sounds of tissue being torn and reformed in instants.
Sen stood in front of Akane, with matching height, but with a different body type, her whole body becoming sharp and angular, triangular shapes with the edge pointing forward with some curves here and there to give more aerodynamic properties. Even her face became a long beak-like protuberance with three sets of red eyes. The blade in her hand burned crimson, but had the same design styling as her body, the only visible difference being paper charms covering the grip of the blade. The transformation had an alien feel to it, bizarre and otherworldly. For a moment the Raging Blade transfigured form stood there, looking at Akane, and in what seemed an instant, accompanied by a loud “BOOM” she appeared right beside the Musashi Heiress. She launched three slashes, that formed a perfect triangle. It would hit both of Akane’s arms, her chin, and her waist. Behind her, a blast of sand shot out like an explosion, thanks to her strong and fast initial step.
Percival, standing on shaky legs, was glaring at the charging Chambara, cursing his luck. “Why did I come to Japan for again?” He asked himself while the Spirit of Japan, blade ready to strike, closed the distance. “I bet it was this or fighting ninjas, I bloody hate ninjas” He commented, with the Spectral Samurai getting ever closer. He knew even trying to block this wouldn’t end well as his arms were shaking and his bones were close to dust he would have better luck trying to block the blade with his head. The Old Knight accepted he would have to use his canteen again after getting hit, hoping that the attack wouldn’t be too powerful, so he could heal faster. Ready for whatever fate held for him, Percival let go of his sword and opened the arms, prepared to take the hit. But millimeters before reaching his body Chambara’s sword stopped. The sounds of distant battle and waves crashing filled Percival’s ears, who dared to open his eyes, seeing Chambara standing in front of him, sword already sheathed.
The Old Knight was about to ask a question, when a massive sword crashed against Chambara’s side, sending the Spectral Samurai skipping across the ocean. Criselda, who got terrified upon witnessing Akane’s impressive technique, booked it and take advantage of Chambara’s focus on Percival. -You owe me one Ficken old timer!- The Armored Amazon didn’t know the Old Knight wasn’t on her side, so she helped, using her enlarged blade to land a sea-splitting lunge attack on Chambara, who unaware of it got caught by the freight trained sized weapon. Percival turned to Criselda with his jaw hanging, touching the waves below him. He then pointed in the direction she sent Chambara flying. Criselda, looked him, expecting a sign of gratitude, asked -What? What?- And his reply? More insistent gesturing.
-Shite.- She turned to stare what he was pointing and from below the waves, the sharp horns of Chambara’s helmet surfaced, followed by the rest of the Spectral Samurai, unfazed after being hit with a blow could derail a speeding train. It was Criselda’s jaw time to drop. The Old Knight and the Armored Amazon stood there dumbstruck as the Spectral Samurai got closer and closer, walking with his sword unsheathed. As this happened the Spice Rack Trio kept fighting their losing battle against the Tachijin. One of the Cursed Human grasped Paprika’s foot, with his comrades pulling from his legs to ground the Organic Hacker. The Korean Hunter fought a losing battle, incapable of getting help as Crevil, who had exposed wires coming out from sparking wounds and Ginger, who was getting exhausted, sweat covering her head to toe. -We need regroup!- The Russian Cyborg shouted, buckling under the hail of bladed arms hitting his external hull. Paprika, seconded that. -Yes, I approve of that protocol.- But Ginger, being able to survey more of the battlefield thanks to her position realized that even running away won't solve their problems and it would just endanger the others. -No! What we need is...- She talked, but Crevil turned around to interrupt her, poking her with his finger. -I will not say again, no transfor- WHOA!- She was counting on his reaction grabbing his arm and using his own weight to launch him over her head, using her own Ki-reinforced leg as a catapult. Crevil crashed against the line of Tachijin trying to lower Paprika, freeing the Hacker.
Crevil tried to stand up, but his exposed wires got entangled with the sharp edges of the downed Tachijin. -Ginger! NO!- He pleaded, extending his robotic arm, but she replied to it with a sad smile. -Please, kill if I go insane…- She asked as the Tachijin converged on her, as she let go of Crevil’s knives. The Cursed Humans piled on top of her, her body vanishing under several layers of sword-flesh. For a moment it looked as if the Tachijin were dismembering her, but soon they got pushed back by a bright light followed by a detonation. Many of them exploding into ash and molten metal. Standing in the middle of the conflagration was Ginger, her body becoming more slender and her figure more elegant. Crimson and Golden feathers covered her body while a pair of massive feathered wings sprouted from her back. Golden fire burst from her pores, reflecting on her opalescent feathers as the Tachijin burned around her.
The last of the duels between the groups kept is slow and methodical pace, even among the surrounding mayhem. Callis and Zan kept measuring each other. The Beast Knight was trying to understand if his opponent was too fast for him to even notice or if there was a trick involved. Zan dilemma was less complex, he only wanted to predict in which direction Callis planned to evade his next attack. -How sad, how terribly sad... - Zan spoke, while wiping his tears. -I cannot remember the last time I found an enemy capable of dodging my attacks. Next time I’ll have your head...- He blew his nose without losing eye contact. -In another life, we could've been friends.- Callis shuddered at the thought. - I doubt it.- He replied, taking the reins of the conversation. -I cannot lie, I'm surprised upon hearing the name of Akuto Akunin coming out of your mouth, but once you said I remembered that I had seen your face somewhere.- The Beast Knight glared at Zan, proclaiming his name. -Zan, the Weeping Blade, a criminal with a bounty in the Kyoto HQ.- Callis had seen the reward posters both for Zan and Sen and he remembered something from them. They listed Zan as a Magic User.
-I’m infamous enough to get the attention of the famous “Drifter from Kyoto”.- He talked with sarcasm. -I could be happy if seeing you alive wasn’t sad, terribly sad.- His vacant expression, of unfathomable sadness, cracked for a second, with a twitch of anger in his brow. That was Callis’ cue. The moment Zan’s demeanor changed, the Beast Knight exploded into action with his characteristic uncanny agility. Summoning a second blade, as he knew his opponent was dangerous enough to need them, he charged forward, with steps so fast and light he didn’t even leave a footprint on the sand. Zan, reacted a moment slower than he should, thanks to his emotional turmoil surfacing, attacking a mere moment later than he should. This allowed Callis not to react to an attack he couldn’t see, but to act beforehand. A strange noise, a high-pitched screech, reached Callis as he advanced, with his arms crossed and his blades covering the sides of his neck, since Zan threatened to attack that. Zan wasn’t using his sword as it was chained to the sheath. It was his tears, he was projecting his tears at high pressure, a hydro-cutter. The water blades crashed against the Gainen Blades the Beast Knight summoned, turning into more or less harmless spray.
Callis, using this lucky moment to his advantage, closed the gap between them and unleashed two consecutive full spin slashes, becoming a whirlwind of silver as he passed by Zan, listening to a disgusting wet sound upon contact. The Beast Knight stopped 7 ft behind Zan, waiting for the swordsman to fall, but to his surprise, Callis was the one who ended up in the floor. His vision went blurry, and he felt a pounding pain on his chin and the side of his head. He landed on his knee, using it as a pivot to turn around, just as Zan did the same, looking at him with impossible sadness. From the Weeping Blade, eyes came out two massive arms made of murky water. The sound Callis heard were his blades hitting those arms, who transferred the energy of his attacks into counterattacks, hitting him in the face and gut. This won't be an easy fight for Callis.
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Post by othus on Jul 30, 2018 6:13:59 GMT
Akane could not believe even that technique wasn't enough to bring Sen down, this was the strongest opponent she had ever faced so far.
The battle had pushed her to the limits and the demon was still standing, but she wouldn't back down, for she was a Musashi.
Akane had been fully silent from the moment her autonomic nerves were modified, she had to focus every inch of her being to control the readjustment, it was almost as if she had been trapped in someone else’s body, but the adjustment period was over, and Akane was fully in control of her body again, as the creature began to modify her body even further and release her full power, Akane too knew this fight wouldn't last much longer, she witnessed the entire transformation equal parts shocking and disgusting, Akane closed her visor as she focused all her senses on her target readying to put Sen’s words to the test.
The demon lounged with incredible speed at Akane, the Musashi barely reacted as the attack came through despite her having enhanced senses, she partially parried the slash but she knew she would be immediately overpowered, Sen’s blade began to tear through the virtual machine as Akane saw her life flash before her eyes, in that microsecond, her virtual machine triggered the Mushin skill, the strain would push the perfect warrior mode to its utmost limits as Akane backstepped at a speed almost inconceivable to her, her virtual machine could not withstand neither the force of Sen’s slashes nor the force on Akane’s backstep, Sen’s sword skill tore through the armor but Akane was no longer there, Akane now stripped of her armor was left with just a thin bodysuit which had small cut marks where Sen had originally aimed, her chin also bleeding a little.
Akane’s armor was gone, so she knew this would be her last and final effort, her prism attack had blessed her with enough points for one final attack using everything she had, Akane dropped her Wakizashi on the sand as she readied her Kaneshige blade with both hands, raising it above her head. Akane released the ultimate ability of her virtual machine
“Blade of Masamune, listen to my command and grant me the power to slice my enemies!!”
-Satori-Activated
The Kaneshige blade suddenly peeled its blue aura, leaving a clear metal look that shone like the sun, the beauty on the engravings of the blade would reflect the greatness of the land of the rising sun. A shockwave came out of the blade slicing the clouds above. A spirit figure appeared behind Akane, looking like a younger version of the Musashi, the spirit of the blade looked directly at Sen.
“You...I am not here to see you...I am here to merge the Soul and the Flesh of Musashi as one once again, move, for I will slice you, the blade of blades and the gods themselves in order to see it happen”
The blade’s Light made Akane look like a deity, a proper figure to fight against the black demon, she would activate her Mushin skill one last time and put her life on the line, relying everything on a simple skill: a Judan stance slash, this was the most basic of the movements within kendo, but Akane had the technique ingrained on her mind as she practiced the move millions of times over and over since she was little, Akane would train the move day and night until her hands bled out, this was the move that introduced her to the way of the sword, she would live by it and she would die by it, it was her destiny. In the end, it was her blade, her loyal companion bounded by fate and her skill the only things that would be by her side.
*This is the way of the warrior*
-Mushin-
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Post by Kuma on Aug 6, 2018 0:08:05 GMT
The transfigured Raging Blade stood tall, not showing concern when facing the final technique of Akane Musashi. Something about the creature was wrong, as if its mere presence distorted the space around it, not in a strong enough way to affect space, but more of a natural dynamic between the mysterious material the armor was made off and reality itself. A very different voice came out from Sen’s throat, lacking any of the insanity she had before. <Uhm… I’ve been unsealed once again... But… something… something here…> While Akane was preparing her weapon, the Raging Blade scanned the area until her six his locked on Callis. <How fortunate of me, part of myself is here> Sen’s crimson eyes returned to Akane, readying her blade. The Satori empowered Masamune was actually a great weapon, possibly one of the sharpest blades humanity could conceive. But against Sen, or what Sen became, it wouldn’t fare as well as Akane was intending, since the black armor surrounding the Raging Blade was not of this Earth and not of this Dimension.
As the Musashi Heiress charged forward, Sen copied her speed, moving at the same pace but preparing a different move, starting from the Chudan Stance. The Raging Blade swung her blade, mimicking Akane’s speed and aiming to clash with her blade against Akane’s sword and lock weapons, as the crimson blade on her hands wasn’t of this world. Sen didn’t just want to block the attack and parry it, she wanted to break Akane’s spirit, matching her strength, to cut down her determinations and slash her hopes in two. <Musashi brat! Fear my wrath!> She shouted with the strange otherworldly voice coming from nowhere, as this form lacked a mouth. The creature sealed inside the strange hilt Sen carried piercing her chest knew the Musashi Clan, as anybody who spent enough time around Hidden Swordsmen knows them. Their clash would at the very least cause a massive shockwave, as both were moving at speed too fast for the eye to see.
But the Raging Blade committed a grave mistake since she just matched her opponent movements and tried to use a counter technique. She might have the basics down, but the quality of it was severely lacking. It also lacked the determination and drive pushing Akane, as this current form she was sporting had more in common with Chambara’s passionless style of swordsmanship. Her moves might’ve been perfect and her counter astounding, but there was no heart behind her blade, no drive, no will, just martial zeal. The clash of both blades sent sparks and shockwaves around them, lifting the sand into massive clouds surrounding them, obscuring their bodies, only seen through flashes of infernal red and burning hot white. For a moment their strength was balanced, but soon, the nanites, working as a microscopic buzzsaw, managed to overpower Sen’s sword, cutting through the crimson blade and managing to get an equally crimson jet of blood out of the Raging Blade’s body, upon hitting her with the slash.
Akane pretty much bisected Sen, her blade entering through the Raging Blade’s shoulder and coming out from her waist in the opposite side. Sen’s arrogance was her undoing. Overconfident about her skills and incapable of understanding how Akane, which she considered her inferior, managed to defeat her. The black armor turned into specks of light, slowly coalescing towards the blade’s grip, now resting on the floor, still wrapped in paper charms.
Callis wasn’t faring well. Zan had taken the total initiative of the fight, showering the Beast Knight with punches and slashes with the water tendrils coming out from his lacrimals. Callis could barely minimize the damage, as the enemy’s attacks could slither through his guard. -How sad, how terribly sad, you aren’t able to avoid my attacks, oh, “Drifter of Kyoto”- The Weeping Blade mocked Callis while the hydro-assault continued, pummelling the Beast Knight into the air with a double ascending hammer fist, just to extend and repeat the process, in a downward motion, to send the Beast Knight spiralling against the sand, crashing and creating a small crater, with sand clouds obscuring the view. -This is all the famed “Blond Menace” has to offer? How sad, how terribly sad...- Zan taunted Callis, standing at the rim of the crater, looking down on the Beast Knight, who was struggling to get up, face down on the sand. -Ugh… ugh…- Callis could only cough blood as a reply, wetting the sand with crimson specks of liquid. Zan expression kept being the same mask of sadness, but a sadistic spark gleamed behind his dirty green eyes.
The Beast Knight, barely able to breath, supported his weight on his knees and hands. His head was caught in a daze, his vision blurry. He tried to focus on the enemy, standing meters away, but he couldn’t, forcing him to close his eyes. The sounds of fighting around him numbed by the pulsing pain on his head. The silence and darkness took him over, as he remembered what Norio taught him during JHWAB training. “You’re one of the best fighters I’ve seen, but you waste a lot of energy, you waste a lot of time and you waste your potential” At the time Callis got flustered for the praise and then accepted the criticism. He was still in Centris, at least on his heart, not even his resolution after the incident in the bizarre Laboratory could take him out of his mentality. He was accustomed to Knightly duties, it was something he had done for over 20 years. “You’ve been around Mercenaries for 4 years and you haven’t learned this?” Was one of the questions Norio did upon reading Callis paperwork. “We’re going to fix that, the first thing we do in training in fact” The Intelligence Inspector was adamant that the Beast Knight would learn this skill, not just for fighting, but for everyday use. At first, Callis wasn’t keen on it, until finally, he accepted that it was a huge blind-spot and he knew many people who used it to great effect.
-What’s taking you so long?- Zan taunted, readying the Water Elemental trapped inside him, to attack. -Staying so sad for so long isn’t good for my health.- He kept talking, revealing maybe an important point about his powers. -I’m running out of handker…- He stopped mid-sentence as Callis wasn’t there anymore. -Huh?- He asked, confused -Wh- Zan continued but was interrupted by a massive BOOOM! that shook the beach, sending an explosion of sand towards the jungle in front of the Weeping Blade. If he wasn’t deafened by the sonic boom, Zan might have heard the soft sound of silk sliding down skin, or the sprouting of blood out of many, many wounds. Callis was standing behind Zan, covered in wounds, with gleaming golden light covering his body as an aura. With some difficulty the Beast Knight stood up straight and turned around, his back turned to the sea, two white blades surrounded by golden grasped in his hands.
The Weeping Blade slowly turned around, wounds appearing on his body, like clothing getting torn, opening from the initial strike following a straight line, less sword slashes and more looking like being hit by sharp high speed fragments of something. -What… what…- Callis swung one blade with a flourish in front of him, placing the hilt at head’s height.
-Nomene Style Swordsmanship - Aureus Fulguris.-
Callis proclaimed as the Golden Aura died down. The Beast Knight just powered up his inhuman body with Ki. But it wasn’t only that, as unlike most of his attacks, always moving in curves and arches, this time around, he pulled all his strength into a straight line, unleashing a blinding rain of Ki-Empowered stabs, while breaking the sound barrier. Callis did the flourish in reverse, while vanishing both blades and Zan fell down to the floor defeated. The Beast Knight managed to stay standing, but he wasn’t moving, the tension on his over-strained muscles being the only thing keeping him upright. The Weeping Swordsman was defeated, but somehow his blood wasn’t coming out, maybe his Water Elemental was keeping it inside, yet all the damage done to his muscles and bones was more than enough to keep him off the fight.
Percival was the one in the direst situation, as Chambara charged directly at him. -How is he Ficken stan- Criselda attempted to ask a question, just to get The Spirit of Japan hand closing in around her face, something nobody could ever do, considering the size of her head. With overwhelming strength and complete emotional detachment, Chambara performed a Jiu Jitsu leg sweep takedown, sinking the Armored Amazon into the sea with his hand, sending her head deep into the wet sand beneath them. The impact was so powerful it caused a massive explosion of water, one Percival had to brace for, or he would’ve been sent flying away. The Armored Amazon was still groggy when Chambara kicked her out of the sand and jumped with clear intentions to slash down adding the force generated by his descent.
The Old Knight, knowing that this could mean death for Criselda, who to his knowledge the biggest crime she did was attacking them while being under the influence of an evil relic, decided that he couldn’t just ignore. Against his better judgement, he charged in-between them, placing his sword ready to block Chambara’s attack. Both blades clashed, the sound of metal against metal echoing across the beach. Percival was ready to be really hurt, but surprisingly he wasn’t harmed, in fact, he managed to stop the blade. But something was off, he was taller, he felt stronger and inside his head, a disembodied voice talked to him.
-Well done Percival, the next stretch of your journey is opening up.-
He only felt weird, anybody looking at their clash would see the Spectral Samurai matched by a Phantom Knight, dressed in full plate armor, with a blue and silver tabard and a red feather coming out of the top of his helmet. He was using a greatsword and had a heavy shield hanging on his back. Chambara, the Spirit of Japan, might’ve found his match.
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Post by othus on Aug 7, 2018 20:32:35 GMT
Akane unleashed a battle roar as the blades were about to collide, making even the usually calm spirit of the Masamune roar in unison, Akane felt equally matched by the demon, but she wouldn't give up just like that, she witnessed as the creature screamed her name, demanding fear of her part, but Akane's resolution was absolute, it was the way of the warrior to live and die by the blade, and fear was not in the vocabulary of the Musashi.
With one final effort, Akane pushed forward with everything she had, her father's teachings, the blade of her ancestor and the help of her sister, The heir of Musashi pushed with the legacy of them all, carrying their will and parts of their strength into her last attack. For a moment her father and her sister were as visible to Akane as the spirit of Kaneshige pushing by her side, the blade of her enemy began to shatter and Akane pushed once again with newfound strength, the final clash that lasted for a fraction of a second felt to Akane like an eternity, her muscle mass, despite being powered by the perfect warrior resented the damage that came with using the Mushin technique too many times already. Akane panted looking at nowhere, she knew she had cheated death once again, and that her family had protected her.
The spirit of Kaneshige vanished as the heir Musashi sheathed her blade. She slowly turned around, witnessing how the armor was turned into light and then absorbed by the shattered blade, perhaps her opponent was not what she thought. She walked still panting towards the location of the blade, placing the broken part and the hilt together as she kneeled in respect before the weapon that nearly took her life, Akane embraced both parts of the shattered blade and wrapped it with one of her torn sleeves.
"Thank you, for I have grown stronger thanks to you"
A sudden thought came to her mind, she didn’t know why she had it, but the words of the beast warrior came to her mind: *true power comes from belief and virtue, from discipline and control, true power comes from the heart*
Akane gave a faint smile while still knelt on the sand.
*Perhaps...I have also grown stronger because of you as well...*
The Musashi was immersed in her thoughts, and other fights still developed as she finally stood up, she felt relieved to see Callis still standing as his opponent fell to the ground, a loud clash of weapons however took her by surprise, The spirit of Japan was fighting against an equally impressive knight, Percival had now changed of form, and Akane would have never guessed he was so formidable as to stop Chambara.
"Percival?!"
Akane wanted to stop both of them from fighting further, but her injuries were too many and too deep, it would take some time for the perfect warrior to heal the many torn muscles within her body, she slowly walked to Callis with her kaneshige blade on one side, and the shattered Raging blade in the other, when she got close enough to the beast warrior Akane noticed his fight hadn't been a walk in the park for him as well.
"Nomene-san! are you ok?!”
Akane looked at the weeping blade’s body, it was unnatural, though that much was expected as she also fought something out of this world.
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Post by Kuma on Aug 9, 2018 23:51:01 GMT
A strange sensation would course through Akane’s body once she got hold of the Raging Blade grip. It was a slightly warm, emanating from inside the blade. It didn’t generate heat, but the feel of it was like surrounding a flame with both hands from a safe distance. There was some kind of pressure coming out from it, contained, but pushing outwards. It was a sealed artifact. The material was unlike anything she would have ever encountered, for a moment she might even think is some kind of insectoid exoskeleton, like the shell of a beetle. While she walked towards Callis, a voice will creep from the back of her head towards her ears.
<Kill him… Kill him… You’ll get a power greater than my last host had.>
The closer she got to Callis this subconscious voice kept pestering.
<He is weak, undeserving of the gift he has, take it for yourself>
Callis, who was still dazed from the hits he received could barely focus in anything apart from the ringing on his head and the pain on his joints. The parts of his jacket ruined by Zan’s attacks revealed rings of bruises around his shoulder and his knee, the sudden increase in speed wasn’t something he practiced a lot and using it under battle conditions seemed to have been quite taxing. He was barely hanging on, and as soon as he saw a blurry figure closing in he attempted to put his guard up, but soon he realized it was the wrong thing to do, losing his precarious balance and falling on the ground. He heard, through the ringing, Akane’s voice, asking him how he was.
-I’m fine.- He lied, covered in cuts and bruises. -I’m fine.- He repeated, with the same tone, as if he didn’t realize that he already said it. The Beast Knight shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts and focus his vision, finally getting the ringing out of his head. Using his sleeve, the only one remaining, he swiped the bloody sand out of his face, trying to clear his eyes. As he did, still trying to gather his wits he sensed something, close to him… something on Akane’s person. -Gainen energy.- Callis muttered as he looked at the Musashi Heiress, trying to locate the source of the energy, his tired eyes finally locked on the sword hilt, emanating an invisible pulse. If Akane’s armor had some kind of energy sensing capabilities she would notice the resonating frequencies between the hilt and Callis.
<He will try to take you from me… kill the half-blood… kill the monster… that’s your job, isn’t it?>
-Messa Musashi, you need to let go of that sword, right now.- Callis pointed at the broke Raging Blade, speaking with a cautious whisper.
Ginger stood triumphantly among the charred remains of the Tachijin. Her crimson flames licking the sand below her, turning it into glass from the intense heat. -Yes! I needed this!- Crevil, looked at his comrade horrified, using his metallic body, that was heating up, to protect Paprika. -No, stop! Too much heat!- The Russian Cyborg shouted at Ginger, who glanced over her shoulder with eyes full of arrogance and disgust. -You don’t order me around pile of scrap, nobody orders the Majestic Suzaku.- She waved her hand launching a blast of heated wind towards her comrades, sending them flying away. Both Crevil and Paprika landed on the water, as with a high-pitched fiery screech, Ginger flew away, leaving the beach and moving inland.
Chambara and Percival stood motionless, waves crashing against their heels, swords locked against each other, with small sparks coming from the friction between both blades. Their larger than life bodies, almost statuesque in cut, not moving an inch. -Thee bett'r stand ho, 'r i shall has't to destroyeth thee, Warri'r of the East- Percival spoke with a voice not of his own, akin to Chambara’s. They locked eyes for a moment, exchanging glances as sharp as their swords and finally released the pressure of the blades. -I und'rstand anon, i knoweth mine own role in the w'rld, but th're is a mission I might not but doth first- The Knight explained to the Samurai, as the Ghostly Armor slowly vanished, revealing a very tired, very shook Percival beneath.
Chambara nodded, lowering his blade and then sheathing it with slow ceremonial movements. Percival sighed, turning around and dragging his feet towards the coast. He attempted to drag the downed Criselda with him, but she weighed too much and only managed to turn her around, so she wouldn’t drown. Tired, feeling his body heavy between the pain and the soaked clothing he fell on his ass, trying to understand what just happened. “So, I’m in route to become an entity such at that Samurai… a “National Spirit” So I’m not going to die and I can’t avoid it… Dagnabit” He lowered his head, looking at the sand with some sadness. He was tempted to take a chug from his canteen, but he would have to explain how did he heal himself and how he couldn’t heal others. Quite bothersome. He thought about his mission in Japan, he didn't meet anybody with swords made of light yet, maybe he was involved in a wild goose chase.
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Post by othus on Aug 10, 2018 0:52:45 GMT
Akane felt as the blade spoke to her, she squirmed for a moment, trying not to hear the words of the being within, but if there was some truth to its words she would become invincible, her entire life she felt outclassed by everyone, no matter how hard she trained, no matter how much she struggled, she was no match for biologic advantages, the gift of KI, the gift of espers, why was she the only one without a gift?!...she could finally close the gap with this power!
The heir of Musashi moved yet closer to Callis as the blade kept persuading her, the blood within her body rushed and heated like a volcano about to erupt, the beast knight was now a friend of hers, but she wouldn't listen to him just like that, she didn't know him well enough to give the potential for power away just like that.
"Drop it? why should I? do you fear death, beast-warrior?" The Musashi looked down on Callis with a cold stare, eyes crimson like blood, her rage had finally built up to the point it was no longer concealable, she shouted at Callis in frustration still trying not to kill him, but slowly convincing herself of doing so.
"I EARNED THIS WITH MY OWN BLOOD AND SWEAT! THE BLADE IS MINE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME! YOU WANT ALL THE POWER FOR YOURSELF DONT YOU?! YOU WON'T SHARE EVEN A FRACTION OF IT WITH ANYONE!! YOU AR-"
Akane once more squirmed in pain, there was now yet another presence looming within her mind, it was the spirit of her Masamune blade
"This is not the way you will become stronger, Musashi. Deliver the blade to the Beast warrior, for the source of your true power lies ahead, it would be in your best interest to remember his words as well."
The heir of Musashi heavily panted as she dropped the raging blade on the sand a meter or two away, she had forgotten her one true gift, as being the reincarnation of Musashi was not a curse but a blessing.
"Once the flesh and the spirit of Musashi become one once again, that's when your true might will awaken"
Akane shed some tears as she tried to help Callis up from the floor
"I...I'm sorry Nomene san...for a moment I was thinking...I'm sorry"
The Musashi couldn't bring herself to say she was getting persuaded by the sword, the frustration of being weak had traumatized her for too long, how could she even think about harming the man who had helped her? After all, it was Nomene's words that saved her earlier in that fight.
"strength comes from the heart, I swear I will not forget that," she said, thinking out loud, still wiping her tears away.
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Post by Kuma on Aug 11, 2018 3:28:06 GMT
Callis almost jumped into action when Akane started shouting, but thankfully she managed to defeat the influence of the blade. He accepted her help, standing up with great difficulty. His body felt like it was made of lead. -You must not touch that blade Messa Musashi.- He looked at her with deadly serious eyes, but upon seeing her tears his expression softened. Callis rummaged through what little of his coat remained until he found an intact handkerchief, offering it to Akane. -That weapon carries dangerous powers, akin to the ones that suddenly manifested in me after an incident in an island called Sakurajima.- The Beast Knight created a blade of light and moved it closer to the Raging Blade. -I can create blades of light that respond to my will, according to the sages of the Bureau, somehow I am connected to realm beyond this world, a place called <Gainen Space>- The Beast Knight was about to explain the basics about the Gainen Space but he was interrupted by Percival, who rushed towards him, grabbing Callis from the shoulders. -DID YOU SAY BLADES OF LIGHT!?- The Old Knight looked at the Beast Knight weapon and took a couple of steps back.
It fitted, blond, red jacket and white swords. This was the man he was looking for. Callis, looking at Percival, weirded out by the actions of the Immortal Knight, only managed to say. -Yes… I said that.- Displaying his power by creating another blade, grabbing it. Percival fell on his knees, kissing the sand below him, muttering. -Finally… finally, I found you…- The Beast Knight was getting more and more confused, kneeling to be at eye level with Percival, who started sobbing. -Found me? You were looking for me Mes Peregrine?- The Old Knight was choked with emotion, trying to talk, but incapable of emitting a sound. As he tried to gather the words, a cry for help interrupted him. -HELP!- For a moment the voice sounded weird, but soon it was clear that the source of it was Paprika, who in complete panic and absolutely outside anything she shown so far, was shouting his lungs out. -PLEASE HELP!- She was shouting surrounded by the scorched remains of dozens upon dozens of Tachijin. He was kneeling down beside a downed Crevil, most of his armor was warped by heat, curved in weird shapes or cooling off after dropping to the ground, fusing the Russian Hunter into a bed of dirty glass.
Callis looked up and rushed towards them, in pain and staggering all the way, leaving Percival, who was sobbing on the beach, alone with Akane.
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Post by othus on Aug 11, 2018 18:37:28 GMT
Akane immediately stopped her tears as she looked at the scene with Crevil terribly damaged, the worst thing about it was that it was caused by friendly fire, Akane stood up once again, slowly going back to her normal state, for a moment she felt anger, enough to murder Ginger right on the spot, but then she reflected on what happened to herself, the power almost got the better of her as well, was she really one to judge Ginger?
Akane ran towards the rest, there was nothing she could do to save the cyborg, her armor was destroyed, and she had no way of dealing with those flames, someone else had to do something!
"Nomene-San, We need to help him! Ginger as well...In her current state, it would be dangerous for her if she met with our target!"
Akane sliced at the pieces of crystal, looking to separate Crevil from the melted ground, as for moving him out of the harm's way, she was useless, she didn't have the strength nor the durability to move him even a couple of centimeters.
Then she thought about Ginger, she had to get to the target before her if she wanted to save her! Akane rushed towards Criselda, surely she would know where to find the creature! Akane got mounted on the Amazon as she slapped at her and shook her by the shoulders in an attempt to make her gain consciousness, the woman was incredibly heavy and tough looking, so Akane wasn't sure how much force she should use to wake her up.
"Get up! we need to get going you idiot!"
Akane kept the slapping but with the current situation it was no good, she began to lose her patience as there were people not doing anything whatsoever
"PERCIVAL! GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME WAKE HER UP! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!!"
Akane contacted her clan, her armor was done, and she would definitely need it!
"Mai, my armor is done, I'm going to need a replacement fast!"
back at the comms, Ann was the one to respond, the audio wasn't the best, as the glass that was tossed at her damaged her device.
"Akane! are you ok? the footage from the armor was lost and i feared the worst! a-anyway! your sister isn't here! looking at the database I don't think she ever made a replacement for you either!"
"Ann is that you?! fuck! my sister really doesn't give a damn about me doesn't she?!- Akane once more looked at the ancient warrior- PERCIVAL! GET HERE ALREADY!"
"I'll try to contact her! please tell Percival I say hi"
"NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAT ANN!!"
"Y-YES!!! I KNOWWW!!!" Ann nervously replied as she left the comms, bolting out of her seat in an attempt to find Akane's sister within the castle grounds.
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Post by Kuma on Aug 15, 2018 3:03:32 GMT
Callis looked down at Crevil, who was cooling off. Those were good and bad news, as he was cool enough to be moved, but he was currently fused to a slab of glass in the floor, thankfully his inner structure, holding artificial and actual organs was intact, so he was mostly just paralyzed and his life wasn’t at risk. -Mes Crevil, can you hear me?- Callis asked with worry noticeable on his voice, kneeling beside the Russian Cyborg. -Forget about me…- He weakly replied. -No, we need to help you!- Paprika, still too shocked to be sullen, was crying, finally reaching for Crevil, trying to see what she could do to help him. -Do not cry little one, I am okay, body melted many times when I was with the Union.- He was surprisingly chill about the whole situation. -No inner mechanism harmed, I am good.- Crevil attempted to turn towards Callis, but his head was locked in place, so his electronic eyes, now lacking the contacts that made them look almost human, being black spheres with red dots, turned to see Callis.
-Leave, find Ginger, she needs help.- Crevil words carried a weight larger than anything he said before. -Her powers, her powers hurt her and she hurts others.- He looked away. -Please, do not kill her, she is just out of control.- Callis nodded, understanding what he was talking about. -I will do what I can Mes Crevil, you have my word.- The Russian Cyborg nodded with his eyes. Callis locked eyes with Paprika. -Remain here and protect him, I will search for Messa Ginger, is my responsibility as the team leader.- The Beast Knight stood up, turning away as Korean Hacker nodded in silence. -Messa Musashi, is imperative that we retrieve our team member.- Callis locked eyes with Akane, no sign of wavering or embarrassment whatsoever. -That is our priority, when we have Messa Ginger under control and then eliminate the source of this pernicious infection before it extends, I have some experience on that front, unluckily.- His face turned into a grim mask of regret for a moment, lowering his eyes and shoulders, as the flood of memories from his past hit him harder than Zan’s attacks.
The Beast Knight didn’t wallow in self-pity for too long, before rising his blue eyes and focusing them again on Akane. -I will scout ahead, you stay here until your armor arrives.- Callis overheard her and his tone wasn’t one open to discussion, he threw a communicator earpiece to her. -Contact me if there is any trouble.- Without any other word he started limping his way to the forest, at first moving really slow, but soon he started gaining speed, gritting his teeth and fighting through the pain, moving to almost a full sprint. He was in pain, but he wouldn’t allow himself to fail on his first mission, nor allow any of the people working with him to be injured. -I can smell the charred trail.- He whispered to himself, letting his nose guide him towards Ginger, who left a blazing path of clues behind her, with her flaming wings burning leaves.
Meanwhile, Percival was still in shock. He heard Akane’s request but was too stunned to act on it. The Old Knight followed Callis with his eyes, as the Beast Knight left and attempted to stand up, finally realizing that his legs had given out after taking so many blows from Chambara. He staggered and then dropped on the sand, face first. His hand slowly crept under him, looking for his flask, almost as an alien hand syndrome. He was too hurt and too tired to stop it, so, the best he could do was turn to his side to block Akane’s view, hoping she was too busy with her armor to notice him collapsing. He took a swig from his golden canteen and felt the energy coursing through his body, reaching each injury, break, bruise and wound and slowly stitching them from the inside. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” counts double when you actually can’t die. His healing had him develop stronger bones, just as a martial artist strengthens his knuckles by hitting hard surfaces, Percival body was quite stronger than the average person, at least when it came to taking damage.
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Post by othus on Aug 17, 2018 7:57:23 GMT
-MUSASHI CASTLE-
Ann desperately ran through the halls of the castle, she tried contacting Mai through the virtual machine, but there was no response, she felt anxiety crippling down on her as she knew time was of the essence, her efforts seemed futile until she finally had an idea. the virtual warrior headed towards Soon's room, it would be better to get help from the esper rather than looking for her alone, she jumped from the fifth floor, breaking her fall by jumping mid-air as she gracefully landed on the third, there was no time for stairs!
Ann desperately knocked on Soon's room, wondering if the esper even was there
"Soon! are you there?! I need your help!"
The door slightly creaked as it opened, a girl with purple hair and blue eyes wearing an oversized t-shirt stood at the entrance
"Ann? what is so urgent? I cannot play street fighter right now, I'm busy..."- The esper said as she stretched, lifting the shirt just enough for Ann to notice she was wearing nothing, The virtual warrior wondered just for how long she was inside that room,it was pitch black but the entrance seemed like a mess.
"You certainly don't look busy! Anyway, I not here for that! I'm looking for Mai, have you seen her around?! It's extremely important!"
"Mai? ah right, let me use my powers to check where she is now"
Ann's eyes shone a little with hope, "Please do!" she replied as she still nervously looked around, the esper closed her eyes and touched her temples with both hands
"Hmmm...yes...I see something...she is...."
"WHERE?!"
"On my bed" Soon said as she pointed inside the room, the esper lit the room as Mai covered herself with the sheets
"I told you it was urgent!! Akane is gonna kill me!" Ann replied as she rushed inside, the smell inside paralyzed her almost immediately, not that it was bad, but it was...distinctive.
"Oh god, what have you two been doing here?" Ann said while trying to stomach the odor.
"having tea, now if you have any more stupid questions I'll gladly let you take her"
Ann finally pulled through the shock as she immediately rolled Mai with the sheets and carried her out of the room, the muffled voice of the Musashi could still be heard complaining and cursing every now and then.
"You are coming with me, Akane needs a new armor!"
The virtual warrior carried her through the hallway as Mai finally managed to pop her head out of the bedroll.
"Nee-san lower me the down! why would my stupid sister even need a new armor?!"- The Musashi further struggled as she finally ripped her way out of the sheets, which then promptly used as rags to cover herself, she was wearing them nonchalantly as if wearing sheets was a normal thing for her, Ann couldn't help but wonder if that was the case, but other things were more important now!
"The bloody armor you made was outright flammable Mai! for a second I thought that demon had killed her!"
"Flames again? hey, It's not my fault she keeps picking fights with demons over and over! Is she retarded? It was the same thing back at the tropical resort, I had to end up saving her ass as well" Mai looked elsewhere, it was almost as if she didn't care about what happened to her sister at all, her body language just pissed Ann even further, the virtual warrior ultimately decided to set her straight.
"MAI! she is your sister and she needs your help!" Mai glanced at Ann noticing she was about to cry, and while she did not care about her sister, THAT made her feel bad.
"Okay, okay, I get it, come with me, I'll fetch her a new armor"
The Musashi grabbed Ann by the shoulder as she teleported them to another area within the castle, the place seemed like a lab, even more equipped than the command center
"Where are we?" Ann replied, baffled by the number of servers, screens, and computers, cutting-edge didn't even begin to describe the place.
"This is my personal lab, this is where I developed all virtual machines, I usually go here alone, but since it's you it's ok."- Mai said as she looked at a list of materials within one of the screens, Ann was still with eyes wide open, she could even see some armor models on the back, and several of the sacred treasures, Mai's Yata no Kagami included.
"Making a new virtual machine is extremely difficult, replacing the armor, however, is much easier, I just need the right materials and imagination"
The Musashi selected some materials and a machine immediately dropped them over the center table, some aramid fibers, metals, powders and electric components were on sight, a couple dozen more materials Ann didn't even understand were at display as well. She walked by the table as she picked and examined some of them.
"Carbon nanotubes are light, flexible and fairly durable, but the fact that they are weak against heat-based attacks seems to be bothering sister a lot, perhaps I ought to do something about that"- Mai picked up a titanium plate just like the ones she used on her armor
"Hmmm, unfortunately, I don't think I can use Titanium for her armor, my full plate ended up weighing 100 kilos, and with her puny strength I dont think she would be able to move unless she used perfect warrior...still i heard she is hunting one of our own...cutting resistance is the top priority in that case"
she stood looking at the materials without saying anything for a good minute or so until she finally pieced the parts together.
"I got it! I will keep the carbon nanotubes and Add plates, the weight will increase, but I think it will ultimately end up in a better armor, I just hope she doesn't end up getting in fights with thunderclouds or something, cause this will conduct for sure"
"What materials are you gonna be using then?!" Ann curiously asked.
"Mangalloy as base, Tantalum Carbide for coating, carbon nanotubes elsewhere, silicon...plus nanomachines...its a relatively long list, and the thing will probably end up weighing 5 times more, but it will be worth it," Mai replied as she picked some boxes, Ann stood there without saying a thing simply because she had no idea what most of those materials were.
"Ok, seems the materials are all set, time to put my powers to good use"-The Musashi said as she put her hands over the materials, A bright light akin to the one that knocked Ann unconscious when she first got her machine shone on the materials, Ann heard some rustling and in an instant a fully made armor was created, the whole thing made her jaw drop.
"How did you...?!"
"I've had these powers since forever so it's been getting easier every time, but don't be surprised by something like this, the Artemis model you use took me three years to develop... I suppose this armor is the two heavens model 2.0...well, time to send it to my sister"
Back where Akane was, The Musashi could barely hold her anger, Callis had left her behind with a communicator while she wondered if there was such a thing as another armor, a comms message appeared on her interface, perhaps Ann had some good news!
"Yo sis! I heard you are not doing so well! fortunately for you, Ann-onee convinced me to make you a new one, standby, I'll teleport it right away!"
"Thanks...I am in your debt Mai"
"S-shut up! there's the armor! consider us even for that time with Laura"
The new armor was teleported over Akane, the design was similar, though the black plates made it seem a lot more robust, Akane liked the fitments, and though they were heavier, she was actually thankful for those, especially after barely escaping with her life on her previous fight.
Akane contacted Callis, she had to let him know she was back
"Nomene-san, I have my armor back, I'll be following your trail and catching up to you soon"
The Musashi looked at Paprika and Crevil one last time before leaving
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to bring Ginger back, I owe you two that much."
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Post by Kuma on Aug 18, 2018 21:00:45 GMT
Callis kept running as fast as he could, tracking the trail left by the fiery wings of Ginger’s Phoenix Form. The Beast Knight could feel his muscles screaming in pain and his bones creaking with each step, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. -Cannot stop now.- He muttered to himself as he vaulted over a fallen tree, spinning mid-air before landing, keeping his momentum intact. His sole focus right now was finding Ginger, not because it would make the JHWAB look bad, not because losing a member of his team would make him look bad. He wanted to help, he wanted to know all the members of his squad survived. He saw many die over the years, many times asking himself “Why them? Why not me? Why do I survive?” That crisis birthed a promise to himself. To never leave somebody behind. With that thought in mind, he pushed his body through the agony left behind by the recent fight, getting ever closer to Ginger.
The Beast Knight nose was overwhelmed by the sulfuric trail left by Ginger, meaning that she was close by. Soon he reached her location, a clearing inside the jungle, surrounding a calm mountain pond. Floating above it, barely touching the surface with the tip of talon turned feet, was Ginger. Callis stopped running, reaching the edge of the pond. -Messa Ginger! You need to come back with me.- He pleaded, getting the attention of the Transfigured Chinese Huntress. She turned around, still flying thanks to her flaming wings, looking down on Callis. -Oh, what a wonderful surprise, her knight in shining armor has come.- Her mocking tone wasn’t directed to Callis, but to herself. The Beast Knight didn’t understand what was happening at first, but as soon as she kept talking he got the gist of the situation. -Ginger is not available at the moment darling, I’m Suzaku, the Immortal Vermillion Bird of the South.- She performed a deep and theatrical bow.
-Messa Suzaku, if you would not mind, could you allow Ginger to return to us.- Callis, understanding the importance, or at the very least the self-importance of the being in front of him, decided to play to his strengths, using court diplomacy and etiquette. -You seem like such a kind and caring individual, you would not mind releasing your control over Messa Ginger’s body, would you?- A wicked smile curled in her face, as her fiery red eyes were locked on Callis. -I do love a good boot licking, but right now my only desire is to be free, free from the prison those monks put me in, free of shackles created by “Ginger’s” will.- Her smiled vanished, her eyes shining dangerously. - So you better leave before I burn that pretty face of yours.- Callis, realizing that diplomacy wouldn’t cut it any longer, summoned two blades. -I am sorry to say I cannot fulfill your wishes Messa Suzaku…- Callis' eyes started shining with white flames. -As I will not leave unless I leave with Messa Ginger.-
As he proclaimed this he heard Akane’s message. -I am going to need help as soon, as possible.- He whispered in response, as he started jumping around, dodging jets of crimson flames bursting out from Suzaku’s hands.
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Post by othus on Aug 20, 2018 20:57:43 GMT
Akane began to run after Callis, she knew time was of the essence since Ginger was out of control, while she tracked the beast warrior's steps, Ann filled her in on the information about her new armor
"Akane, Mai has left me some instructions on your new armor, the data is too much so I'll just summarize it briefly: The dark plates you see all over your armor are a mix of Mangalloy and nanomachines which are both extremely effective against puncturing and slashing weapons and the entire armor now has a coating of Tantalum carbide, which should help refract most thermal attacks, the new materials, however, are conductors, and while the suit is insulated, any type of breach could still prove fatal against a powerful electric attack, be especially mindful of those- she said."
There was a lot more to the armor than that, but Akane wouldn't have paid much more attention to it, she was finally getting near as her visor allowed her to track with ease Callis' path
Upon arriving the battle was already on the move, Ginger was attacking Nomene with powerful flames, while the beast warrior was doing his best not to get burnt to a crisp, Akane called at Ginger in an attempt to stop her from rampaging anymore
"Ginger! you need to stop this now! we are not your enemies!"- The Musashi grabbed hold of her blade but she did not release it from its sheath, she had to make her come to her senses without fighting!
"I'll help you monitor the status of your armor and deploying the upgrades from your armory, you just focus on saving that girl!"- Ann said as the data of Akane's virtual machine was displayed on her screen, manually inputting the codes would only slow the Musashi down, so Ann would do that for her, she had already seen footage of her fighting thousands of times, so she knew when it would be best to activate certain upgrades.
"I'm counting on you Ann!" Akane ran towards Ginger, she had to be close enough to defend herself should things go south, she wouldn't be able to use her blades, but the back of her kaneshige should still be strong enough to use as a blunt weapon, the Musashi called for Callis to see if he was faring well with the situation
"Nomene-san! are you ok? we need to avoid senseless fighting! let's try to restrain her movements!" Akane moved yet even closer to Ginger, if Callis could get to her from a different angle, then perhaps they would be able to restrain her.
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