The Eyes that Judge 1.1
Worm/Touhou Project
I smiled internally; time to make the world a better place.
Despite the pointlessness of the act, my power wouldn't let me make such a mistake in a situation like this, I checked over my pistol.
Some might call it nervousness, and they might even be correct – the act of killing, no matter how deserved, still bothered me to an extent even now – but I was resolved.
Two minutes until I reached it.
Even with the inevitable deaths that followed, these moments when I can completely suffuse myself in my power are the best moments of my life now days. It imparts such a sense of confidence – both that I will succeed and that I am making the world a better place in doing so – that it makes up for any amount of school.
One minute.
I glanced at the pistol once more. I had never used one before – all my previous acts were done with knives – but I had kept around all the unsavory weaponry I could keep, simply because you never know when it might come in use.
And now, it had.
I stood before a building. I didn't know what was in it, nor did I care. All that I knew was that there were evil people doing evil acts in there.
My power guided my approach, foot falls perfectly performed such that no one could notice my approach.
I pressed my pistol against the thin wooden door, and waited five seconds.
I fired, pressing my hand against the door at the same time.
A choked scream sounded inside as the door shot open.
I smoothly stepped inside, a squirming man clutching his throat on the ground before me. If only he had refrained from evil acts, this wouldn't have been his fate.
As is, I felt no pity for the evil man, only satisfaction that there was a bit less evil in the world.
There was no one else in the room, I stepped around the squirming man and calmly walked upstairs.
Step by step I walked up the stairs, skipping steps that I assumed were squeaky or trapped here and there. The rest may already know I am here, but that was no reason to give away my position.
I reached the final step, opened the door, and spun on my heel.
The arm holding my gun came up, and I began to pull the trigger.
An intricate demon mask filled my vision an instant before the pull.
The shot fired, and the demon mask collapsed around the incoming bullet.
The man fell to the ground.
I smiled internally. Oni Lee, must be the ABB. And to get a Parahuman of all things... Today was a good day.
I wasn't finished yet, however. Another turn, and found myself faced with three terrified ABB thugs.
"Oh-oh god. N-not her." Stuttered one, hand shaking so badly he would never be able to hit her.
I turned my body sideways, and raised my gun again.
They panicked, and began firing wildly.
Not a single bullet hit me either, as I put one of my own into each and every forehead there. And three bodies dropped to the ground dead, one by one, their gunfire cutting off with their lives.
I lowered my gun, satisfied with a job well done, and moved to leave.
I walked down the stairs, steps now comparatively much more awkward without the benefits of my power.
I reached the door to the small two story ABB hideout, and paused as I heard the sound of a motorcycle.
I frowned. Him again.
I swung the door open, and stepped out into the cold Brockton Bay night air.
The whine of Armsmaster's high-powered motorcycle reached a high point as the man drove onto the road before me.
Deftly moving off his motorcycle, he observed me, and the building I came from.
A glance at the dead body visible in the doorway, and what I could see of his face scrunched into a strong scowl. "Too late again." He muttered, and turned towards me with a bitter look. "How many you kill this time. Six, seven?"
"Five, thank you. I even got Oni Lee this time." I replied.
"Five... You think this is some sort of game?" He spat.
"Of course not, they were evil." I replied.
"And killing them doesn't make you evil, of course." He answered angrily.
"Of course." I spoke. This is not the first time we have had this conversation. "It is not evil, to slay evil."
"Who made you the grand arbiter of justice?" He answered snidely. "If I decided you were evil, and decided to kill you because of that, would that make me right?"
I sighed. "Must we have this conversation every time? Can't we just get this over with?"
He scowled. "Don't be so assured of your victory this time." His halberd leapt into his hands, and he sprung forward.
In response, I set my power on slaying Emma. I couldn't directly use my power on Armsmaster – nor would I want to. Despite being far closer to the gray side than any hero should be in my own opinion, he was still a good person. And so killing him was beyond both my abilities and my willingness to do so. Setting my power on someone evil, and yet far enough away to require I get away from him was the best way to get out of this situation.
The power to slay evil settled over me once more, and my hand lifted the pistol into position.
He paused fractionally; I had never brought a gun before.
That fraction was all I need, I fired-
I hesitated; the pistol was aimed for his chin, the only weak point on his armor. It would surely kill him on impact, but why would my power demand the death of a good person?
It suddenly hit me; there was no other way out. The only way for me to defeat Armsmaster and achieve my 'goal' of slaying Emma was to kill Armsmaster as well.
My hand shook, and I lowered the pistol. I couldn't kill a good person; it was out and out beyond me. I could see the good things he had done. See that he had done far more for the world than I had as of yet.
I wouldn't do it, killing Armsmaster actually would make me no better than the gangbangers I slay.
I sighed. "I surrender."
Armsmaster stepped back in shock. "Wha-no." He reaffirmed his stance. "I'm not falling for any of your tricks."
The downside of being a powerful precog: everyone assumes everything's a trick. "It's not a trick. There's no way out of this situation that doesn't result in your death. As you're still a good person, I can't bring myself to do that." A reminder to bring something other than a gun next time.
Armsmaster hesitated momentarily. After a moment's thought, he quickly spun his halberd around, and shot me with a needle in the end of it.
I didn't resist, and soon after my sight faded into darkness.