Hi there guys! This is my first story in fanfiction.
Hope you enjoy it!
Edit: 9/7/2017: I just fixed some mistakes in the chapter that seemed somewhat stupid from my part. Special thanks to Fuyuriku for pointing them out. The content is still the same.
"Oops…" – Talks
'Ooopsy…' – Thoughts
"Blast!" – Techniques
Nighthawks
Chapter 1: Jailbreak
Ishgar.
Such is the name of the eastern continent of Earth Land, the other being Alakitasia; the western continent. Presented as a very large peninsula surrounded by a number of scattered isles of varying sizes, Ishgar populace are capable of using Magic; a spiritual power that enable the users, who are named mages, to execute specific feats that are impossible to normal humans through an energy source called ethernano. Although, not everybody is capable of using magic, so mages' number is somewhat limited to approximately ten percent of the world's populace.
It is also home to many creatures that had developed through the age of magic. Some were evolved forms of past races, most prominent examples being Weretigers and Vulcan; evolutions of tigers and gorillas, respectively, while others are more of a cross between races created through Magic, like the Rollidillo, a fusion between a crocodile and an armadillo. Though the most impressive creatures of all are the dragons; Humungous flying scale covered reptiles that can destroy a whole town with a single attack
Sadly though, they are all extinct when the story begins, but anyway…
Ishgar itself is divided in multiple countries and kingdom, which are; Fiore, Bosco, Seven, Iceberg, Stella, Minstrel, Midi, Desierto, Joya, Bellum, Sin, Caelum and Enca. Each one had its own military and politic system, though they are all ruling their domain under the jurisdiction of the Magic Council, an organization that, more or less, acts as the ruling body of all of Earth Land, or as they dub it, 'The Magic World'.
However, no one in this era, except a selected few, knew of the Magic's origin and who created it. A person's whose tale is tainted with betrayal, lies, loss, loneliness, pain, hatred and more. A man, who was worshipped by humans as a god for centuries, yet was killed by their traitorous nature, giving birth to numerous tragic events that would forever more be engraved in humanity's history.
But to know about that man and his sorrowful story, we must follow another one; one of a group of mages venturing the world in search of two things; revenge against those who destroyed their lives and a meaning to their broken existence.
And this is where our tale begins…
Unknown Location – X784
The sun had long since retreated from the sky, taking the radiant light of the day with him. The once blue heavens now embraced the darkness of the night, illuminated only by the pale full moon and the glinting stars. Soft and gentle winds traced the seawater surface; guiding minor waves of water toward a rocky surface where they crashed with a small noise.
Atop said rocky surface was located what appeared to be a prison. But judging by the patrols of guards in the external areas and the three cannons located on the west, it was more likely to assume the place was a fort of some kind. The place was quite big in size, containing three separate sections all atop one another, with the width of those sections decreasing from the ground floor to the upper.
Though, for the group that is coming in this direction, all these details were hardly an important matter.
Amidst the night sky, two objects were nearing the fort's position at a steady pace, almost two kilometer away from it. Well, not objects exactly. Rather birds, even if they were the weirdest kind of birds one would have seen around and we're talking about a world of magic here. They were featherless and pure white, and upon closer inspection, one would notice that each bird transported three crouching people on it.
"Neji." One of them spoke, apparently the leader of the group. He had spiky sun-kissed gold hair, electric blue eyes and very odd looking whisker marks scars on his cheeks; a reminiscent of a horrible event that would haunt him forever. He wore a black tight shirt under a short-sleeved black coat with the kanji of 'Fire' on his back and a red flame pattern around the hem, along with black fingerless gloves, black pants and black boots. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties; an age he shared with his team members.
The man he had addressed was a brown haired young man with blind looking eyes, though the truth was that it was his eye magic, the Byakugan. His attire was black like the whiskered blond, yet somewhat more traditional, consisting of a black kimono shirt with long loose sleeves and matching pants, a black headband around his forehead, a dark grey apron tied around his waist and finally black sandals.
As soon as the whiskered man spoke his name, veins bulged near his temple and his blind eyes took a more lavender shade. He narrowed his eyes at the fort ahead as he looking through the walls of its construction, his eyes shifting from zone to zone as he scanned everything within carefully, despite being on a distance of almost two kilometers; a perk of possessing his Eye magic. After all, he was the team's scout, and any mistake in his scan of enemy territory could beget fatal consequences.
"I see almost two hundred and thirty people inside, most of them with minor magic signatures. However, five of these signals are far much powerful, all S-class if I'm not mistaking. Our target is among them, locked in a cell in the west area of the third floor, with three cannons positioned nearby. The strongest of the other S-class signatures is located in the center of the second floor with a small number of minions, possibly the Watch room. The rest are patrolling the area carefully from both the inside and the outside, but overall it's nothing we cannot handle." The brown haired young man informed, getting a nod from the whiskered blond.
"That seems somewhat suspicious for me…" a red haired male stated calmly. His hair was combed and parted to the right, leaving enough space for the red kanji in the left side of his forehead to be apparent. Around his green eyes were weird looking black rings around his eyes. He wore a buttoned dark red trench coat with matching pants and boots.
"Oh please! Don't start with that pessimistic shit of yours again. I still haven't forgotten the last time you jinxed me with it." Another blond haired un-whiskered young man expressed angrily. One would almost mistake him for the whiskered blond because of their identical electric blue eyes and golden hair had it not been for his less spiky and less shinning golden hair, his heart shaped face that was different from the other's somewhat angular face, and lastly and most importantly, his lack of whiskers. His attire consisted of a full length black hooded coat with a waist high slit going up to the back and a large silver zipper, with black pants underneath it and black sneakers.
"Come on, Roxas, lighten up! It wasn't that bad, yeah!" A fifth person, another blond male, made his presence known. Seriously, where the hell did the author get all those blonds from?
Oh wait, I AM the author…
Hehe, my bad…
Anyway, this blond was somewhat feminine looking, especially his face. His long hair, which was almost the same shade of yellow as the whiskered blond, was tied in a ponytail that fell past his shoulders, a bang covering one of his slanted blue eyes. He wore an open black leather jacket over a V-neck, sleeveless, midriff shirt with mesh armour underneath it along with black pants and black boots.
The un-whiskered blond now known as Roxas glared lightly. "Easy for you to say, Deidara. You weren't the one who got almost raped by a crazy woman in a locked bar."
"Weren't you the one that wanted to go in alone, hmm?"
"So? I didn't know there was a cock carving bitch inside hell-bent on sucking me dry."
"I don't really see the problem in that situation. What, you're gay or something?" The sixth and final member of the group asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. His white hair matched his pale skin color, even more under the light of the dazzling moon. He wore a long black and red coat with a red zip-up hoodie/vest hybrid underneath, and finally a pair of dark blue pants and combat boots.
On his back was strapped a sword, or rather a Great Knife judging by the design. The base was ornate and etched, as well as red colored, with no actual guard and a sharp curved blade that shone lightly under the moon's pale light.
"Are you guys done?" the whiskered blond demanded with a "Shut up or else" tone and glare, and naturally they all got the message and aborted the conversation.
"Good, now here's the plan. Nero and Gaara," the whiskered man glanced at the white haired man and the redhead respectively. "You two, along with Neji, would go in and create some ruckus on the first and the second floor, drawing as much enemies as possible to you. Roxas and I are going to make a detour then crash on the third floor shortly after and secure the target. And you Deidara, provide support if needed and secure our escape way. Got it?" He finished. Everybody nodded with eager looks on their faces, except Gaara whose lips curved upward ever so slightly.
"Alright people, let's do this!"
Watch Room
Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep!
"Sir we have an emergency!" A guard stated as he checked the magic radar of the fort.
"What is it?" a middle aged man asked. He had medium length white hair that was slicked back, as well as a white moustache, a white beard and gray eyes. His attire consisted of a dark gray buttoned blazer over a white shirt, with dark gray pants and brown shoes. His hand was resting on a wooden cane with a golden tip, though anyone could clearly see that the man was not using it for its original purpose.
"An anonymous giant bird with three signals on it is approaching our position at twelve o'clock, four hundred meters away. It also had shown no sign of changing direction and is heading straight to us. Sir Divan, what are you orders?"
A frown marred the white haired man, now known as Divan, as he processed the information he just heard. "It is quite obvious from its pattern that those who are riding this bird are aware of this fort's existence, something we cannot allow. Order all our front units to shoot it down immediately. Also, tell Sindia to guard our prisoner with the units near her position."
"Yes sir." the guard acknowledged before spreading the orders via the announcement lachryma. "Attention, all units in sectors one, three, five and six. We have confirmed a suspicious volatile nearing our position. Proceed to the defensive positions near the front gate and fire until it the target is terminated."
Line-Break
Front Gate
Almost immediately after hearing the announcement, the guards of the aforementioned sectors hurried to the outside, all holding their magic rifles and ready to engage. But because of the darkness of the night, most of them couldn't perceive the volatile they were told of, as such… "There it is. Over there!" one of the guard shouted.
…Never mind.
Aiming at the target, the guards let loose countless magical bullets, all soaring like a myriad of shooting stars in the direction of the incoming hostile bird which carried none other than Nero, Gaara and Neji, all of them unfazed by the nearing projectiles of magic.
"Are they seriously thinking that this is going to stop us?" Nero asked with a dry chuckle. He reared his right arm back; a demonic arm to be precise, with sky blue skin covered with what appeared to be a red armor of some sort and vibrant blue claws, and channeled his magic into it.
"Hey morons, one giant fist coming right up!" In a swift movement, Nero punched forward, sending a big, as in VERY BIG, spectral punch of his demonic arm toward the incoming projectiles. The magic bullets couldn't even slow the fist down as it continued to speed downwards in the forts direction, brushing all projectiles in its way as if they were flies. And needless to say, this fact disturbed the guards greatly.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
"Who gives a damn?! Shoot it down!"
"Are you blind you idiot?! The bullets don't work on that shit!"
"EVERYBODY RETREAT NOW!"
Agreeing with that last guard, all guards withdrew from their positions and into the fort, but unfortunately or fortunately depending on your opinion, some weren't fast enough and, alongside the door and nearby walls, suffered the wrath of a giant fist crashing on them.
And let me inform you fellas, it hurts like a bitch.
The power of the impact was so great that created a clear entry for our trio because of the now destroyed steel main gate, a testimony to the power that the spectral fist possessed. The giant white bird landed graciously on that position and the trio jumped from it to the ground and dashed quickly to the destroyed front door, entering a large hallway and proceeding forward for a while before something caught Neji's attention.
"What the…?" he muttered while still running, sensing something above them. He raised his head to inspect the source, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Incoming!"
The ceiling above them crashed and two blurs dove down on the ground, creating a crater upon impacting and generating a lot of dust in the process. Fortunately for them, the trio stopped just in time to avoid being used as the blur's impact cushion, thanks to Neji's Eye Magic and his quick reflexes.
"Damn, what a cliché flashy entrance…" Nero stated as he coughed lightly.
"Tell me about it…" Neji added.
Gaara for his part was the only one not fazed by the dust around and gazed emotionlessly with crossed arms at the two people that stood before them, blocking the path to the main gate the trio walked through not so long ago.
The first was a muscular but lean black haired man with brown eyes. He wore nothing on his upper body, displaying the numerous scars and tattoos on his torso. White bandages covered his hands but not the fingers, and over the bandages he had yellow vambraces with a black dragon tattoo on the backside. His black pants were held with a red rope tied tightly around them, and finally red leg warmers and shoes.
The other was a tall and bulky brown haired man with matching eyes and a bit of facial hair. His attire consists of a full-length white coat with a blue belt on his waist and white shoes. On his back was a giant single-edged broadsword with a golden hilt and guard, as well as golden markings on the blade and a shining extremity.
"Halt! You three intruders shall step no further in this base. For I, the wild tiger Koki, and my colleague Kolotz here will eliminate you." The man known as Koki declared as he stepped into a fighting stance.
"Yeah, just like the shrimp said." Kolotz stated with a smirk that caused his partner to gain a tick mark. Must the taller man always refer to his shorter size in front of everyone?
"I don't know if you two dumbasses noticed or not, but the path you should have blocked is over…there…" Nero jabbed a finger backward – the direction they were running to not so long ago, only to hear a lot of footsteps echoing in the hallway. He glanced back, and found Neji starring annoyingly at an incoming group of over a hundred guards running down the stairs leading to the upper floor. "Oh…"
"It seems that you have realized the situation you are in, haven't you? We have you rats completely surrounded." Kolotz stated as he pulled his large weapon and readied himself for engaging. "I hope you three can put on a worthy fight, or else this will end quickly!"
Kolotz charged in shortly after finishing his sentence, followed closely by his partner Koki, with the guards on the other side starting firing a hail of magic bullets. The trio didn't just stand there of course, and immediately self-appointed themselves an enemy, or enemies in the guards' case, with Nero charging at Kolotz on a fierce deadlock with their respective blades, Neji engaging Koki in a hand to hand combat, and Gaara taking on the hundred incoming guards with a wave of his special red sand.
Watch Room
Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep!
"What it is it now?" Divan demanded angrily. It was bad enough that he will have to report for his superiors that three intruders have successfully localized the fort's position, destroyed the main gate and killed a number of his troops; he didn't need any more problems to add for the list.
He knew though that if they preserved their prisoner then the higher-ups would overlook everything else. If they did lose him though, it would lead to less than pleasant consequences; ones he would rather avoid.
"Sir Divan! We have another volatile similar to the last one nearing our position from nine o'clock." The guard reported with a shocked voice.
"Then what are you waiting for, you idiot!? Eliminate it with the cannons positioned there!" The white haired man ordered.
The guard, fearful of his superior's wrath, quickly began executing his orders…
BOOOM!
…Only for an explosion to greet their ears. They weren't harmed as they were quite remote from the blast radius, though the same cannot be said about the trio of cannons…
"What in the world? What just happened now?" Divan raged as his subordinate cowered before him.
"I-I don't-t know s-sir, something have exploded the cannons from the outside. It's not my fault!" The subordinate stammered, hoping that he will not be on the receiving end of his leader's fury.
Unknown to both of them, the cannons' destruction was a courtesy of the white bird where the trio of intruders landed not so long ago. Shortly after, it morphed into three smaller birds with very condensed magical signatures that made them very hard to detect by any kind of magical radar. They then flew to the west cannons and hid inside, waiting for Deidara's signal to accomplish their "artistic purpose" with a bang.
Divan, angered even more by the news, growled and slammed his cane on the ground. "Blast it! Tell Sindia to ready herself to engage whatever this bird is carrying, and also tell her that I will personally assist her in this task." He declared before stomping out of the room.
Line-Break
Third Floor
"…Dammit! Why did these bastards have to attack just a week after I was assigned to this place?" One of the guards ranted for the fifth time as he hurried with his group to the prisoner's sector.
"Because they give shit about you, that's why! Now shut your damn mouth and stop bitching about the situation already. We need to haul ass to Lady Sindia's location and provide necessary support if you wanna get out of this situation alive." Another guard yelled back at the first one that spoke, earning a growl from him and snickers from the rest at the first part.
"Barrier Surge!"
The guards halted their steps when they heard a nearby yell and readied their rifles to attack. To their surprise, the right wall a few meters ahead was blasted away as what appeared to be a transparent spherical bubble crashed into it, dissolving a second later and revealing two black clad blond haired men.
Taking advantage of the momentary stunned state of the guards, the whiskered blond quickly ignited his right arm in dazzling golden yellow flames before aimed it forward, a matching magic seal appearing before it.
"Hiken (Fire Fist)!" Just as the name stated, a blazing fist soared from his hand to the guards, its speed too quick for the fifteen guards to dodge, and so they did the only thing they could; scream like a bunch of scared school girls.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
After but a few seconds, nothing remained of the once fifteen men but their ashes and the foul smell of their burnt flesh and blood as well as some lingering flames on the ground; all in all, it was a sight most mages would have paled at and perhaps even fainted. Though that hardly fazed the two blonds; their childhood was full of similar sights so they grew somewhat accustomed to it.
As such, they straightened themselves and began running in the direction of their target, which is the prisoner's quarter, the moment the screams stopped, not sparing even one glance back at their remains, only to be met with another group of guards aiming their rifles at them.
"There they are! Someone inform Lady Sindia! The others: shoot the bastards!"
And the guards did just as was ordered, firing numerous bullets at the two blond haired men who, in their belief, had no way to dodge or escape.
But luckily for the two blonds, they knew an easy block to this assault. Well actually Roxas knew, but it was big enough to shield them both.
"Barrier!"
A spherical shield of light not too dissimilar from the one they used to crash in earlier appeared around the two just as the bullets reached them. However, each and every bullet ricocheted in random directions as they were unable of penetrating the magic sphere, though they did inflict some cracks here and there, a fact that the guards have noticed and so did not relent their assault.
The two blonds, seemingly pinned down in their own shield, exchanged a few words with each other about something, though the guards did not know it as the barrier was soundproof. Not that they cared anyway, they simply continued their firing.
Big and fatal mistake, one that would be their last.
So engrossed in shooting the intruders down, they were not prepared for any kind of counterattack that would not emanate from the blonds, but from outside the fort. Hence their surprise when a giant white bird crashed through the wall to their right, with a voice far behind yelling. "Now become art itself! Katsu!"
Their screams of horror didn't even escape their throats as they were quickly engulfed in an explosion that splattered their remains left and right as well as partially destroyed the hallway. Just then, the barrier around Roxas and his whiskered partner disappear, both smirking at the destruction before them, especially Roxas, who whistled in admiration.
"That's one way to blast problems away."
"Very true." His partner added, before the small lachryma that he hid beneath his coat glinted. He immediately took it and activated the link, where they were greeted with the familiar voice of Deidara.
"Hope you guys enjoyed my art, yeah!"
"We did, thanks for the save."
"You're welcome boss. Out!"
After that the whiskered blond hid the lachryma inside his cloak again before both he and Roxas resumed their previous run by leaping over the destroyed area of the hallway.
First Floor – Nero VS Kolotz
Sparks flew everywhere as the two swordsmen clashed against each other with their respective weapons. Metal met metal in a ferocious struggle for supremacy, but none had seemingly the upper hand, forcing the wielders to jump back and lunge at each other again, this time creating a shockwave that sent them both away from each other another time.
"I'll have to admit kid, you're really good." Kolotz praised the white haired young man in front of him with a grin. It had been a while since he fought a decent opponent in swordsmanship; so to say he was excited would be an understatement.
"I can't say the same about you." Nero replied with a grin of his own. Truth be told, he was normally at a disadvantage here, as the tall man before him was not only wielding a sword that held a great deal of power in it, but he was also capable of swinging it at speeds that far exceeds any zanbato user he ever saw. Had he been anyone else, Nero would have a hard time keeping up, let alone winning. But fortunately for the white haired man, he was not a regular mage, nor did he have a regular weapon.
"Oh really? Well how about this!" Instantly after his statement, Kolotz pinned the white haired man with his zanbatou as he slashed downward, forcing Nero to use his own sword to block along with his natural strength that came with his demonic blood.
Not seeing any other alternative, Nero used his demonic arm to create a spectral apparition of it and used it to grab Kolotz throat before throwing him away. Acting quickly, Nero thrust his weapon forward shortly after, stabbing Kolotz right in the heart.
Normally, the white haired man would have withdrawn his sword from the man's chest, clean it from blood, and go help either of his colleagues. But after fighting the man for a good five minutes, he knew that this victory was far too easy, and his assumptions were true as he sensed something odd from behind him. Acting on the instinct that helped him many times, Nero spun on his heels and outstretched his demonic arm as it shone a mixture of blue and red, a grayish purple magic seal appearing before him as he spoke the name of his signature magic.
"Hakumei Aku: Shinsei Hinoko (Twilight Arc: Unholy Sparks)!"
Five hazy purple lightning bolts surged from the magic seal and soared in a direct line, coming in contact with…Kolotz's flesh?
"Aaargh!" the brown haired tall man cried as two of the bolts pierced him on both shoulders and the third fried a part of his abdomen skin, while the other two were blocked with his giant sword that surprisingly was not damaged at all.
"Taste good, bone sac?" Nero asked with a grin, only for it to fade as the older man began to chuckle despite his somewhat severe wounds.
"…hehehe, very good brat. To think that you would be able to see through my Illusion Magic so quickly when not even my superior could discern it easily; truly impressive." Kolotz praised as his doppelganger near the white haired man faded as if he never was there.
"Sucks to be you pal, but you can't fool a demon with illusions." Nero boasted as he stepped once again in his fighting stance, but he did raise an eyebrow when he saw Kolotz pulling a potion from his pouch and gulping it in one go before tossing the bottle aside.
"Well, punk, ready for round two?" Kolotz didn't wait for a response as he instantly blitzed out of view.
With widened eyes, Nero ducked as his danger sense kicked in, barely missing his head being chopped by the brown haired man's giant sword. Kolotz however was not finished as he continued his assault with more fierce slashes that Nero evaded or blocked, albeit with great difficulty. Kolotz then finished his combo with a kick to the white haired man's chest, sending him skidding a few seconds before he regained his bearing.
'Shit, the fuck is wrong with this guy? He's like three times faster and stronger than before, and fighting him was already hard enough to begin with! Could it be that potion he drunk…?'
"Tsuchi Maho: Daitaisō Inin (Earth Magic: Battalion Spear Charge)!"
Nero was forced out of his thoughts as spears of earth jutted from the ground in his direction, forcing him to jump backward least he'll be impaled. Such an evasive manoeuvre was expected, hence why a few additional spears appeared behind him, as well as to his right and his left, leaving him with no way to escape but in the air.
And it is exactly where Nero headed as he stepped in the tip of a spear and used the momentum to propel himself high in the air, only to find Kolotz already there, a brownish yellow magic seal in front of him.
"Oh come on!" Nero yelled as his grip on his sword tightened; the blade being coated suddenly with a layer of fire.
"Too late to complain about the situation, brat." Kolotz replied with a dark smirk. "Tsuchi Maho: Dosekiryū (Earth Magic: Earth Dragon)!"
A muddy Japanese dragon emerged from the magic seal and headed straight to Nero with a loud roar, his yellow eyes glowing ominously. It dove at the white haired man with blinding speed, intending on smashing him to the ground.
But Nero had no intention of becoming a mashed up piece of flesh today, and so, with a great show of flexibility, he spun quickly vertically over himself like Sonic the Hedgehog with his flaming blade spinning with him and creating a rotating blazing circle that fearlessly went against the earth dragon. "Blazing Runner!" the white haired man shouted despite the rotation.
To Kolotz surprise, the spinning attack was slicing his earth dragon in two halves with great ease, like a hot knife through butter. It went on for a while, the fiery attack not relenting even once as Nero continued spinning and cutting through the muddy dragon. Kolotz snapped back to reality when he noticed that Nero had come far too close to his position. Kolotz annulled his spell and brought forth his zanbato and coated it with some of his earth magic to block the incoming danger, or at least deaden its effects.
A shockwave was created upon impact, one that blasted the two opponents away from each other, both landing on their feet with a small crater beneath them. Nero was panting lightly; this attack, while not as strong or taxing as some of his other techniques, always made him a little disoriented in its aftermath because he had yet to master it, albeit this side-effect only lasted for a couple of seconds, and after that he'll be ready to kick ass as he usually does.
Kolotz for his part looked okay…well as okay as one with a hole in both shoulders and a burnt abdomen could, but that's not the point. The point is that his enemy was in a stalemate with him, something that filled him with excitement instead of angering him. Being held in this godforsaken fort for three years had made him rusty, he'll admit, but he always liked challenges, and he was more than sure than this guy could sedate his thirst for combat that had been locked deep within him for so long.
"Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Air Palm)!"
Suddenly and completely out of the blue, Kolotz was sent flying as a powerful air blast slammed against his right side. The bulky man continued to sail through the air before he steadied himself and landed on his feet, glaring at the now two opponents that stood in front of him.
Nero gave a confused look at the newcomer, who was none other than Neji. "Done already?"
"Yes. You could say that I had luck on my side in the fight. I turned out to my enemy's worst opponent." Neji replied calmly, his mind recalling the fight he had a few minutes ago with his adversary. Koki was a specialist in a Magic that created magical doppelgangers to help him in the fight, somewhat like a Thought Projection, but those were invisible to the naked eye, and could deal physical damage. His style revolved around using the confusion of his opponents when they are struck with the invisible copies to deliver powerful lethal blows and quickly take them down.
Quite a sneaky and ingenious tactic, but unfortunately for Koki, Neji had easily perceived the technique using his Byakugan and countered it skillfully with his Gentle Fist Style, holding the upper hand all throughout the fight until the end, where Koki had drew his last breath.
"Guess he was just all talk after all, unlike that son of a bitch over there." Nero pointed with his sword to Kolotz. Both men readied themselves when they saw the man jump high in the air before implanting his massive sword into the ground where a magic seal was drawn.
Very shortly after, tentacles of earth sprouted from the ground in front of him and lunged at the two. However, Nero and Neji did not counter or dodge, instead they used those very tentacles to get closer to their enemy as they dashed on them, leaping occasionally from one tentacle to another.
Seeing that his attack had not fulfilled its purpose and that it only helped his foes, Kolotz quickly brought an earth wall before him, both to shield him and to give him enough time to prepare his next move.
"Oh no you won't!" Nero yelled as he punched forward, sending another spectral giant punch at the earth wall, pulverizing it completely. A big cloud of dust was created, and when it was dissipated, the body of Kolotz was nowhere to be seen. 'Where did he go…?'
"Look out!" Neji yelled, only to be hit by a nearby rock tentacle that shot at him all of a sudden, sending him to the ground.
Feeling a danger nearby as well, Nero quickly glanced at his back, Kolotz somehow appearing behind him all of a sudden. The man brought his sword down in a mighty arc which Nero evaded just barely. Nero quickly jumped onto the sword and kicked the man square in the face, sending him away while his sword was still plunged into the ground.
Not wasting time, Nero followed after the bulky man with an aerial thrust kick, this time hitting him in his burnt abdomen, stunning him momentarily as the pain from the fresh wound coursed through Kolotz's body. Nero used this time to crash his left elbow on Kolotz's ribs, followed shortly after by an uppercut to his chin and a roundhouse kick to his side. However, Kolotz grabbed the leg and squeezed it harshly, jolting Nero with pain.
The white haired man attempted another roundhouse kick with his remaining leg at Kolotz's face, only for it to be seized as well. 'Oh shit…' Nero thought with a wince, already knowing what was to come.
Kolotz spun on his heels with great speed while holding Nero by his legs. He continued to spin for a while before he finally slammed the white haired man on the floor, creating a moderate crater in the process.
Kolotz was now stepping on Nero's demonic arm and his chest with great pressure, making the white haired man groan in pain. "This is where it ends, kid." Kolotz announced, a spear of earth summoned into his hand. "Any last words you want to spare?"
Nero coughed as he replied. "Yeah, I have." His lips curved upward slightly as he spoke the next words, "Watch your back…"
Two things happened a second after Nero's statement. One, a sound of pierced flesh was heard. And two, Kolotz widened his eyes and let out a handful of blood.
Slowly, very slowly, Kolotz looked down at his chest, the source of the chilling pain he felt in his body. Red liquid was pouring endlessly down his white coat, tainting it with the bloody color as the rest fell on top of Nero's outfit. To Kolotz shock, a huge blade was sticking out of his chest, almost completely coated with blood; his blood. And upon closer inspection, he got even more shocked when he recognized the sword was his.
Coughing more blood and stumbling a few feet back, Kolotz glanced at his back, glaring at whoever had the balls to impale him with his own sword, and found none other than a heavily panting Neji, albeit at a far distance from him, leading Kolotz to believe that his sword was thrown at him instead of being stabbed with it.
Not that it mattered because the deed has been done and there is no changing it.
Kolotz then returned his focus to Nero who was now standing groggily and smirking at the bearded man.
Kolotz didn't like that smirk; the 'Your time is over, bitch' kind of smirk. It infuriated him to no end. He knew that he could do little in his current state; being still alive was a miracle in itself after all. I mean, how many people can be stabbed by a goddamn zanbato and not drop dead right after? But even so, he would not show any weakness, not even in his death. He would hold his head high to the very end.
Still, he felt the need to give one last scathing remark if he was kicking the bucket for good.
"You feel lucky, punk?" Kolotz asked with a gurgled voice, a smirk creeping its way to his face despite the blood leaking from it.
"Lucky?" Nero repeated, before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Nah, I feel good." In the time needed to blink, Nero pulled a gun that he hid in his hoodie's back and aimed it right at Kolotz's head. "Very good."
Pam! Pam!
Two simultaneous bullets pierced the taller man's head effortlessly. Kolotz leaned back slowly, almost at a snail pace, before hitting the found the ground with a loud thud, his body now lying soulless.
Nero sighed as he cracked his neck lightly. "Damn, that was one tough bastard alright. Hey Neji! You okay there?" he yelled at the Byakugan user. Said person did not answer him, opting for appearing next to him instead.
"I'm fine, though throwing that giant sword was a harsh challenge to my strength. What about you?"
"I'll live; my wounds are already starting to heal."
Neji nodded. "Good. Let's complete our mission then."
Nero returned his gun to its place, fixed his hoodie/vest, cleaned some blood that tainted it, and then turned to Neji with a wild grin.
"Lead the way, pal."
Third Floor
Back on the third floor, Roxas and the still unnamed whiskered blond (who I am SURE you know his identity by now) had finally arrived at their target's location after annihilating whatever other fools that thought they could take them on…except that Sindia woman who the guards keeps mentioning and the other S-class person that Neji reported in his recon.
The prisoner quarter's design was much like any jail normal cell; a multitude of horizontal and vertical steel bars interlocked with each, no windows, and no light inside.
"Leave me alone you bastards…Go party somewhere else…" a voice mumbled from the inside. He seems to be mistaking the assault that the group is doing for a party among the guards if his statement is anything to go by.
The whiskered blond did not answer the person and instead tore the cell's door from its place. A ball of golden flames appeared in his hands as he and Roxas walked calmly inside, the cell's now becoming clearly visible for them, not that it had much inside except for a chair with a man sitting on it, or rather held imprisoned due to the strong chain around his legs and the others on his hands.
The man was donning no shirt, displaying the numerous scars and wounds on his torso, especially one near his heart that looked like a cross or an X. His brown pants were ragged and filled with scratches and cuts, whilst his feet were left unprotected and vulnerable to the cold floor. His head was masked with a black hood.
The whiskered blond reached to the hood and quickly snatched it away, revealing the face of the captive. He was an orange haired man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, his hair almost as spiky as the whiskered man. Some hair had grown on his face, his skin being paler than what he used to be in the past.
"Go away…It isn't dinner's time yet…" The orange haired man rasped with his head hung low.
"You're right, it isn't. It's escape time…" the whiskered blond stated softly, making the orange haired man immediately snap his brown eyes into his face, making sure that he was taking every detail into account; blond hair, blue eyes and golden flames...
There was no doubt about it. Only one person in the world possessed those specific traits. A person he knew too well. A person he had shared his childhood with. A person he had fought and bled with. A person he had come to see as a friend and eventually a brother. A person…he believed was dead for five years.
"Naruto…? Is…Is that you…?" the orange haired man asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"Yeah Yahiko, it's me. I'm here to get you out of this hellhole." Naruto replied as he started burning the chains with a small portion of his golden flames.
These chains on Yahiko were made specifically to disturb someone's magic system flux once on contact with the body, hence making the use of any kind of spells very hard if not impossible. Though they could easily be destroyed by an outside force, which was exactly what he was doing with his fire.
"Hehehehe…hey…what took you so long…?" Yahiko asked jokingly with a small smirk as the chains binding him were now melted. After five years of torture in this place, freedom was finally within his grasp.
"We'll talk about that, but not here. Can you walk?" Naruto asked.
Standing groggily, Yahiko took some seconds to regain his footing before nodding, "Yeah, I'll manage…" It was then that the orange haired man noticed that the other blond with them. "Who's he?"
"His name's Roxas, and he's a whiny chicken." Naruto answered with a sly smile.
"Love you too fishcake." Roxas mimicked Naruto's smile as the whiskered blond glared at him halfheartedly before shaking his head.
"Let's just get outta here." Naruto spoke and the two other men nodded. They exited the cell and started running down the corridors of the fort. They continued their run for a while before, suddenly, a giant hand of red sand shot from below the ground and crashed against the ceiling, missing the trio only by a few meters.
"What in the hell is this!?" Yahiko yelled; eyes wide in surprise.
"That is Gaara sending someone to the afterlife." Naruto responded with a smirk. The trio then watched as the hand of sand tightened its fingers into a fist and smashed whatever was inside it into the ground. After that, the hand disintegrated into shapeless red sand and fell limply. Shortly after, a miniature sandstorm appeared near Naruto and company, revealing after its dissipation a calm Gaara with his hands crossed and a stoic face, as usual.
"Nice entry." Roxas praised.
Gaara merely nodded, and then he noticed the orange haired man "I presume that you are Yahiko-san, correct?"
"Yeah I am, and I guess you're Gaara; the one who did that sand thing just now."
"Indeed, that is me, but right now we have to hurry and leave this place. Otherwise the remaining forces will catch up to us." Gaara explained and the trio nodded, only to hear noise coming from behind them.
Turning around, the group saw another incoming group of guards, this time led with a woman that was preparing to attack while running. She had brown eyes and long purple hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a white blazer with a white shirt underneath, dark blue pants and held in her arms a green magical bow with three arrows at the ready.
"Speak of the devil…" Roxas scowled, preparing a spell to counter the attacks from the group before him.
"Forget about them! We need to hightail out of here now." Naruto ordered.
"Men! Fire at will! Do not let them escape with the prisoner." The woman, who was none other than Sindia, ordered as she fired her arrows, somehow multiplying them as they soared in the air, accompanied by a hail of bullets from the guard behind her.
"Do not think that I am out of this fight yet, intruders! You will leave this place over my cold dead body!" Divan, who was the person that Gaara's sand fist was smashing not so long ago and apparently did not die from the harsh manoeuvers, yelled as grabbed his cane and channeled his magic power into it, transforming it into a giant hammer. He then spun on his heels and threw it with all his might, making it sail at half of the bullets' speed.
Okay, let's revise the situation at hand: we have a giant hammer coming from the right, a rain of bullets and a few magic enhanced arrows coming fast from the left, and the back is blocked by a brick wall. So to put it bluntly, the guys are simply pinned down in a certain death situation…
…
…
…yeah right.
"Sabaku Marukara (Sand Round Shell)!"
A second before the impact, Gaara quickly summoned a round shield of red sand around the group, intending on defending the group from the incoming attacks. It did stand well against the bullets and the arrows as not one of them penetrated the shell. The hammer however…well it kind of blew the whole thing away, if you get what I mean, and ended up creating a giant smoke screen. Fortunately for David, he had summoned his hammer back to his hand so that it doesn't continue its flight and kill his soldiers and remaining high ranking officer.
Both sides waited patiently for the smoke screen to dissipate, ready to engage at the slightest sight of the enemy, but found none to their surprise. The only thing that Divan and the remaining guards perceived was each other, and a hole in the wall nearby; the same one that the intruders were leaning against before they were shot at.
Concluding the only possible scenario that the intruders could have followed, the remaining members of the fort hurried to that hole, their eyes greeted with a sight they were most definitively not expecting.
Out in the dark horizon, a white featherless bird was carrying the group of three intruders and the prisoner that they were told to keep locked inside this fort at all cost. Just the thought of what his superior would do to him once the news of what happened here has reached him drained Divan's face of all color.
Or perhaps he was in such a pale state because there was a huge ass folded fire column heading his way. It's kind of hard to tell.
Nobody tried to run away, their eyes and mind glued to the dazzling yet terrifying inferno heading their way. Divan, alongside Sindia and the rest of the guards would never forget this technique's name, nor will they forget its hellish effect on them.
"Hibashira (Fire Pillar)!" Naruto yelled, his voice sounding distant for the occupants of the fort. Not that they cared because right now…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"DAAAAAMN YOUUUUUU!"
…they were occupied with the job of filling the calm night with their screams of pure horror as their flesh was melted away by the scorching flames, the fort collapsed onto them gradually.
Because he had evacuated his imprisoned friend and all of his team members were extracted from the fort, Naruto allowed himself to go a bit overkill. The fire pillar he had summoned was at least six times his size, which was five feet ten inches by the way, and had created a big hole in the fort; resulting in it collapsing down on the group of screaming burning guards.
"Happy Friday!" Naruto yelled, though he had pronounced 'Fried day' instead of the regular 'Friday'. The entire group laughed at his well-placed pun, except Gaara who chuckled lightly. The whiskered blond then turned to Yahiko, "Hey Yahiko…"
"Yeah?"
"Welcome back to the Nighthawks, pal." Naruto spoke as he outstretched his hand, which Yahiko shook with a nod.
And so, the two white featherless birds sailed the dark sky with now seven people atop them, getting farther and farther from the destroyed fort, and heading to their base.
Starring
Naruto Uzumaki – Naruto
Neji Hyuuga – Naruto
Deidara – Naruto
Gaara – Naruto
Yahiko – Naruto
Nero – Devil May Cry 4
Roxas – Kingdom Hearts 2
And done!
If you guys liked this chapter and wanted another one, you have to blast me with reviews, hopefully positive ones.
Neo Madara Uchiha, Out.