Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Destiny 2 or the Destiny Remake. They belong to Mutsumi Inomata, Wolf Team, Bandai Namco Games and Namco 'Tales Studio'. However any characters or ideas not present in either game are mine.
A/N: The original fic (The Axeman A'Cometh) was to feature Kyle-tachi having one final round with Anago in the 'fixed' Timeline...however I couldn't think of a decent ending for the story so I tossed it. I decided to revive the concept some 2 ½ years later as a prologue for another story Broken Chains of Fate and in turn develop one of that story's central characters.
Broken Chains of Fate
-Prologue-
Deadly Reunion
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Rimuru Aileron practiced in the backyard of her family home in Leane as she did every morning when visiting her mother Lilith. As usual she wore her navy blue sleeveless T-shirt underneath a Breast Guard strapped to twin shoulder guards. Grey jean shorts, knee high light blue boots and a hair of red and white half-gauntlet. Across her weist was a sturdy leather belt with her extra-wide sheath strapped to it. The special sheath was necessary for use of Battou-Jutsu; the art of attacking in the same motion as the draw. A difficult style for a longsword, however, as a female in the Aileron family Rimuru found a way to make that style her own.
This morning her motions, while still precise, carried a touch of anger directed at a certain spikey-haired boy snoozing away on the living room sofa. (That stupid cousin of mine... He thinks that just because he beat Stan ONCE he can skip out on training!?) Both of his companions, Loni and Reala were up, Loni chopping firewood and Reala helping with breakfast. So why wasn't Kyle up practicing with her? Rimuru stopped upon resheathing, this was obviously getting to her and would cause her to get sloppy while drawing. She took a deep breath, waited a few moments to calm down before resuming. "I'll finish up with 10 Shunraijin." Setting her sights on a large, sturdy boulder Rimuru entered the stance, her hand placed firmly on Excalibur's hilt and Light Chi began to flow. "SHUNRAI..."
WHANGWHANGWHANGWHANGWHANG!!
...A nearby tree and a human-shaped figure fell, narrowly missing the house.
(Dammit!) She cursed inwardly, though secretly relieved that the tree missed the house, incurring her mother's wrath wasn't exactly high on her prioriety list. But that sound, that ear-splitting, god-awful sound... It was the Aileron family's Higi; 'Shisha no Mezame'. A technique that involved banging a ladle against a frying pan repeatedly; sure it was simple but the sound generated was powerful enough to wake the de...epest of sleepers.
As the alarm rang she sighed, "Well these were useless..." and removed the ear plugs she'd purchased before leaving Noischtat the previous day. Then suddenly a smirk crossed her lips, if...that was audible from her position BEHIND the house, than the recipient...
...clung to a support beam. "Ete te te te te...""
The banging stopped. "Good morning Kyle." Lilith said politely.
"Mo...morning Li...Lilith-obasan."
"Breakfast will be ready shortly," She started for the kitchen then added. "would you like yours at the table or up there?"
"Eheh..." Somehow defying physics, Stan's son scratched his head while continuing to cling to the beam. "At the table, of course!" Then came crashing down...
Outside she continued to smirk. "Serves him right!"
A few moments later Lilith rounded the corner and called out to her. "Rimmy-chan! Time for breakfast!"
Rather than reply Rimuru shuddered. She loathed that nickname, since she was 7, it was something her father... Rimuru shook away those thoughts, no need opening up an old wound. After sheathing Excalibur the younger Aileron walked past her mother who approached the fallen tree, while eying the prone figure beneath a heavy limb she smiled. "That's my girl!"
The man sat in a dimly lit room, the only source of light was the monitor he faced. The screen displayed a young brunette with doll-like features. (Now bad... but could such a delicate little thing serve my purpose?) He keyed in a few commands causing a digital map of the world to appear on a larger monitor. In the northern region of the Fitzgald continent a yellow dot began to blink.
"Area Location: Northern mountain region of the Fitzgald continent. Exact Location: Leane Village." Came an electronic voice. The man sipped his coffee before keying in a few more commands, "Target area for deploying Dragonoid Weapon 'Tiamat' confirmed." Now on his screen in place of the girl was the image of a large wingless bio-mechanical dragon.
Cracking his knuckles,"Time to play..." as his finger neared the Enter key, an alarm sounded. Agitated he bit the side of his left ring finger. "Aw what the hell!?"
"An extraordinarily large power level detected!"
"So where is it!?"
"Tracing..." The blinking dot moved from Leane to an island east and a bit south from the northern region's coast.
(People have some nerve! Ruining MY grand entrance!)
"Area Location: Island southeast of Target Area. Exact Loca..."
"Dycroft's Remains, I know!" He snickered a bit. (I guess there was more things of value than I was told...) "Keep Tiamat on stand-by and continue tracking this...anomaly."
"Understood Administrator."
On a small island off the northern coast of Fitzgald lay the ruins of the Aeriel City Dycroft... or rather the only section still intact. "BUURAAA!"
...Was intact.
The dark pillar erupted without warning! Reaching high into the heavens forming thick black clouds that slowly moved west... On the island the figure stood, panting as he yanked something out of his side, it was a long saber-like sword with a bejeweled hilt. Barbatos ruthlessly tossed the weapon aside before. "Vengeance..." He muttered in a low growl, still panting. Then suddenly slammed his large cracked axe into the ground, releasing a wave of power obliterating a large section of the nearest wall. Then again and again until the ruin collapsed around him. After the muscle flexing he vanished in a dark sphere leaving the sword embedded in the ground.
"Boc...chan...I...couldn't hold..." Came a weak voice from nowhere to no one...
Breakfast was pretty silent...or at least it was to Kyle; the ringing in his ears drowned out most of what his adopted brother Loni was saying. He caught a few words here and there and noticed his aunt giggle and blush before leaving the room. End result; nothing missed. "Kyle?"
The boy couldn't hear well but he COULD still feel a gentle hand land on his shoulder. Blushing, Stan's son turned to face his girlfriend. "H...hey what's up?"
"I just," The Seijou began. "wondered if you felt okey. You looked a little pale just now."
"Well I..." While rubbing the back of his head. "Hey my hearing came back! Reala-chan's got a magic touch!" Giving her his trademarked goofy smile.
"Teehee, thank you!" The Seijou said sweetly then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before returning her food tray to the kitchen.
Kyle was left grinning like a mad man which didn't sit well with Loni. "You little..!" The teen's older brother rose from his seat and walked over to the younger Dunamis. "That was pretty slick Bro."
"Eh?"
"Reala-chan's got a magic touch! Not somethin' I'd say myself but..." Giving Kyle a noogie. "It worked."
"Eh thanks Loni but?"
"Yeah?"
"That kinda hurts."
He grinned. "And?"
"I'll gettcha for that Loni!" Kyle struggled against his brother, knocking him to the ground.
Upon hearing the commotion Rimuru stopped at the front door. (I should be prepared for the worst...) And cclutched Excalibur's hilt, now she could handle her cousins' idiocy with ease.
As the door opened Loni grinned, breaking the headlock he had on Kyle. "Now watch the master." Kyle just wanted to catch his breathl But still watched as his brothered greet his cousin... "How's it goin' Rimmy-chan?"
Just as she expected... A swift motion later and Loni was 2 meters back facing the point of the girl's holy sword. "Famous last words..."
"I...'M SORRY!" He trembled...
"Eheh...!" Kyle laughed nervously before taking a bite of his now cold breakfast...
Excalibur was resheathed... before Loni pissed himself... Rimuru took a seat across from Kyle. Her emerald eyes fixated on the boy. Kyle starred at her although his expression was demeaner was much different. "So I took out their leader wy my Kuushouzan!"
Ane eyebrow rose. "Excuse me?"
"These bandits! They totally outnumbered us but since as a future hero I took'em out no problem!" While pumping his fist into the air.
"Oi Kyle..." Loni muttered while rubbing his forehead.
Kyle was laughing but Rimuru wasn't... "So THAT's why you skipped training."
""Huh?"
"I want to know why you weren't practicing, I do every morning."
Kyle waved it off. "I beat Pop so I..."
"In a sparring match! You know, in a real fight your enemy won't stop if you pass out."
(How'd she know about that!?) "Pop taught me everything I know, so I CAN'T lose!"
"Then prove it!" She bolted from the table and unsheathed Excalibur. "Kyle Dunamis, I challenge you to a duel!"
Kyle was taken-a-back but quickly recovered. "Okey!" Giving her his cockiest grin. "I'll beat that holy sword of yours in 5 minutes!" Holding up an open palm.
"We'll see cuz!" While returning the expression.
Loni sweatdropped. "Oh brother!"
He stood on a mountain peak overlooking Leane, his presence halting the clouds' advance. A sadistic grin formed on Barbatos' face. "None of these backwater hicks can protect you. Instead they'll watch as I break you, shatter every one of your bones until ALL you know is pain! And then," Picking up a rather large rock he crushed it effortlessly, leaving nothing but dust. "I'll do this to your still beating heart!" The air was filled with maniacal laughter; if there was ANY lucidity it was gone years ago...
As Barbatos proclaimed Kyle's death sentence, he was unaware of the robot hovering above. The Administrator bit his finger while watching the display. (Damn... I wasn't expecting him to return this soon!) "But...' He keyed in a few commands, switching back to Tiamat's display. "His presence could help my experiment."
"Experiment!?"
"Oh? Did I say that out loud?" The Administrator responded with sarcasm. He resumed his train of thought and finished the final adjustments to Tiamat's marching orders. "There! The dragon's been reprogrammed to aid Barbatos...and..." He snickered as his fingers flew across the keyboard; the screen read 'Core Armed'.
"Now what are you plotting?"
He cackled. "oh just a little present, i'm sure they'll get a bang out of it!"
The 5 had gathered on the hill behind the Aileron family home; Lilith, Loni and Reala stood off to the side while the combatants faced one another. Kyle having the only weapon drawn stood there waiting, waiting for Rimuru to draw this legendary holy sword she was so proud of. After another moment or so the silence was broken. "Aren't you going to attack me?"
"Not till you draw your sword!" He didn't say it but attacking an unarmed woman wasn't something a hero would do.
"Suit yourself." She replied quickly closing the gap between them, they were only a couple of meters apart when it came! The swift drawing slash caught Kyle off-guard. Just as Loni had done before Kyle backstepped several paces before regaining his stance. "Happy now?"
Kyle scratched the back of his head. "Wow I guess I forgot about that. Eheh..."
...And it was only a half hour since he'd seen it.
She resheathed Excalibur and smirked. "You know I'd be happy to teach you that technique sometime."
"Really?" His cheerful demeanor returning. "That'd be awesome!"
"Than it's a deal!" Rimuru walked back a few paces and quickly turned. "Oh yeah 4 minutes."
"Huh? You're timing me?"
She folded her arms and nodded.'Course!"
Then he remembered; rather than continue the small talk he tightened his grip and rushed her, attacking with a swift diagonal slash. Which was met with a fierce horizontal slash. While he pressed forward she held her position for several seconds.
"3 minutes..." Her tone carrying some agitation.
Kyle mentally cursed to himself before backstepping, breaking the stalemate. Even HE realized this wasn't going well and figured the only way he'd gain an advantage was to use a Jutsu-Waza. "SOUHA..." A swift upward motion with his sword created a small air current.
However this was far from intimidating. (So NOW you get serious...) She resheathed Excalibur, "SHUNRAI..." and kept a tight grip on the hilt.
"JIN!"
The air current morphed into a green arrow-shape, sailing along the ground at remarkable speed! Meanwhile Rimuru performed a swift unsheathing motion releasing a LARGE wave of light. The 2 powers collided!
When the dust settled Kyle lay flat on his back several paces back. "Kyle!" Reala gasped, her hands cupped around her mouth.
"Holy shit!" As Loni saw what could've easily been him earlier.
Lilith however was looking elsewhere, her eyes narrowed as she saw the storm roll in. "I'd better bring in the wash." She started for the house then turned, "Don't be too rough on Kyle, Rimmy-chan." While winking. This of course made the girl twitch but she didn't make a move. Not just because Lilith was her mother but because she herself wouldn't stand a chance against Lilith's wrath.
She didn't look like it but Lilith possessed something; a unique though unrefined inner power; one that could even rival the great Swordian Dimlos which Rimuru in turn inherited. But her mother chose the life of a homemaker over that of a fighter. This was something that bothered Rimuru greatly and she decided long ago not to resign herself to the same fate, in fact this was one of the reasons she'd left home to train at such an early age, she didn't want the constant reminder waking her up, fixing her meals or doing her laundry every single day...
Shrugging away those thoughts she resheathed her sword, it was obvious as she watched his friends pick Kyle up that the match was over, damn; this may've been the perfect chance to learn about Stan's fighting style and pick up some new techniques...
The temperature around her suddenly dropped, the blonde girl looked up and noticed the black cloud advanced rather quickly from where it was a moment ago. There was also something else, a smell; it wasn't rain it was more like. Ash? Her eyes became saucers. "Oh shit!" As a large fireball struck the ground where Lilith had been standing, exploding on impact. Kyle who still tried to stand found himself being pulled by his arms by Loni and Reala. The trio narrowly avoided the 2nd fireball.
"Hey that looks like..."
"Burn Strike?" Reala interrupted Kyle as a 3rd fireball fell. Luckily nobody was in it's proximity however the Seijou wondered who would cast such a powerful spell and why?
"This someone's idea of a joke!?" Loni wasn't too far from it because SOMEONE found it funny... The group tensed as the maniacal laughter became louder..
"That way!" Kyle gestured in the direction of a crater that had been made by Belcrant not far from the village. The 4 made haste, soon running up the side of the crater. As they neared the rim the voice became clearer causing Reala to freeze in her tracks. Her expression even paler than usual. "What's up?"
But her only response was... "Ba...Ba...Barbatos!?"
"Who?" The remaining 3 asked in unison.
Their answer came soon enough as a dark sphere appeared before them. Within it stood a man; he was tall, black with long wavy blue hair and a chizzled body. Barbatos wasted no time locking his gaze onto Kyle; the boy froze in place as his own met those cold, ruthless eyes. The eyes of a predictor about to sink it's fangs into the latest kill for that sweet red liquid. Never in his life had he encountered such a stare...or had he? Kyle suddenly grabbed his forehead. "Hmph! Having trouble remembering?" His gaze slowly shifted to Reala. "Maybe you need a reminder!" Within an instant he was before her, his axe in motion!
"Reala!?" Her boyfriend cried.
"Damn...!" Loni took a step towards them, but it was too late. The strike was inevitable... Or was it?
The Cracked Axe was held in place millimeters from the Seijou's skull by Excalibur! "Rimuru-san!" She gasped.
He withdrew his axe."Little bitch!"
She ignored Barbatos' comment and looked down "Are you okey Reala?"
"Yes." The Seijou nodded.
"That was awesome Rimuru!" Kyle cheered.
Barbatos didn't think so, he had other plans. First; a swift, hard knee to the blonde's gut. Sending her tumbling down the side. Everyone watched in shock. (I'll deal with that bitch later,) While grinning hungrily. (for now...) Then lept down into the crater, Kyle-tachi continued to give chase.
The trio drew their weapons, renewed determination shown in the boy's eyes. (Okey Kyle, time to show the world what you're made of!) This was just the situation that called for a hero and besides, nobody sucker-punches his family and gets away with it! Kyle starred down...or in this case up... at the brute. (This guy's really strong...) He thought, his hand reaching...somewhere. (So I'll have to power up to beat him!)
Barbatos' eye twitched upon seeing the Flare Bottle. Reala noticed the twitch then the bottle her boyfriend was holding. "WAIT KYL..."
DELUSION BLAST CALLIBUR
"ITEM NAZZO TSUKATTEN JA NEE!"
...Too late.
"Damn that guy!" Rimuru cursed while using her sword to pick herself up. Luckily her armor absorbed much of the damage from Barbatos' knee... and the fall. But her legs weren't so fortunate being scraped and bruised while tumbling downhill.
She sat down on a nearby boulder and pulled a cloth from her jean pocket. While wiping away some blood from her leg Lilith's daughter listened to the sounds of screaming in the distance. First something about an 'item' then a severely pained scream...obviously from Kyle and slapped her forehead "That moron!" The sky suddenly reddened! She looked up and saw it open above the crater then a large fireball descend. The resulting explosion sent debris everywhere! Luckily nothing dangerous flew her way but washing all of the dirt and dust out of her hair wouldn't be fun...
Rimuru put the cloth away and grabbed her sword. While making a run for the crater another hole in the sky opened.
Another Ancient Nova?
That train of thought was derailed as a loud roar burst from the void, then soon after came the source. Rimuru moved out of the way as the bio-mechanical dragon Tiamat made it's entrance! (You're KIDDING me!? First a nutcase almost burns down my house. Now a fucking DRAGON appears outta nowhere!?) The beast glared down at her, snorting flames before releasing another thunderous roar. Lilith's daughter took an offensive stance and gripped Excalibur's hilt. "Sorry guys but I'll have to help you some other time... SHUNRAIJIN!"
Kyle, bloody and bruised backstepped, avoiding a vicious slash from Barbatos. Taking advantage of the opening Stan's son gripped his Gratius's hilt with both hands and pulled back. "KUUHA..." Then thrust forward. "ZEPPUGEKI!" The powerful thrust was met by the Cracked Axe; the blade flew a considerable distance before colliding with the rocky wall of the crater. If that wasn't enough the brute followed up with a Tackle causing Kyle to impact the ground hard.
Reala gasped upon hearing Kyle's screams coupled with that of bones snapping. (Kyle...) Taking a defensive stance with her Rod, the Seijou channeled as fast as she could. "RESSURREC..."
"Houjusu tsuKatten Ja Nee!"
...And just like Rimuru was met with a swift knee to the gut. The frail girl was launched backwards into the rocky wall.
Barbatos snickered while admiring his handiwork. "Bastard!" The brute turned to face the elder Dunamis. "A real man wouldn't do that to a defenseless girl!"
"The brother..." Barbatos muttered as he marched in Loni's direction. It was by using Loni as a hostage that Barbatos was able to strike Stan down and cripple Rutee. "I have some unfinished business with you as well..."
"Wha...what are you talking about?" His response; was for Barbatos to blur forward and swing his axe upward. "Damn...!" Reflexively the elder Dunamis shifted into a defensive stance. However the motion was swift and the dark wave launched him several meters into the air. He impacted the ground hard.
"Hmph! Even as a man you're powerless against me!" But to his surprise Loni was quickly on his feet.
"Hate to...break it to you...but I can endure more than that." He panted and readied himself to attack.
Rimuru ignored the sounds of battle from the crater as she had her own problem to deal with. Lilith's daughter easily parried a claw slash from Tiamat then used Advanced Guard to press the advantage. "RAI..." Using Advanced Guard's momentum she took to the air, lightning engulfed Excalibur's blade. "HAZAN!" The downward slash was swift and powerful, severing one of the dragon's arms. Upon landing she backstepped, distancing herself from the beast.
(Next it's your head!) She thought while readying herself for her next attack. The dragon roared in pain as blood poured and sparks flew from the stump of an arm. It angrily eyed the girl; inhaled deeply before unleashing a torrent of flame in her direction. "Damn!" Reflexively taking a guarded position she activating Suigoujin as the flames struck.
On the island where Barbatos resurrected, a black-clad figure moved stealthily to avoid detection by any of Dycroft's security systems that still functioned. Eventually reaching his quarry; the figure removed the discarded sword from the ground. Moments later a skiff departed the beach towards Fitzgald's mainland.
Loni charged Barbatos,"SHINKUU..." then thrust his Poleaxe into the ground. "KASSAJIN!" He rocketed upward, knocking the brute back a few paces. The elder Dunamis twisted in mid-air then came crashing down...
DELUSION BLAST CALLIBUR
"Take THIS! SSHINTEN..." He slashed forward, releasing a bolt of lightning. "REKKU..." Then made a horrizontol slash releasing a small shockwave on the ground, "ZANKOU..." with the momentum of his last attack; Loni executed a circular slash diagnally. "SENPUUMESSAI..." He lunged forward, his Poleaxe rending the ground... "SHINBATSU..." He continued the last attack with a raising slash, tossing his Poleaxe... which he failed to catch... But Loni wouldn't stop there. He charged forward, thrusting his fist forward. "KOU..."
...Which Barbatos caught.
Spiting up blood he starred the young man down. "Kuzuga!" And with his incredible strength, SQUEEZED Loni's fist... He grinned sadistically as the tendons and ligaments popped coupled with the cracking of bone.
"Ugh! Gaaaaah!" Loni screamed in pain, trying to pull his arm away from the brute, which surprisingly he let go... only to grab the elder Dunamis by the throat. Barbatos lifted Loni high, he tried to break free but with one of his hands broken there was little the elder Dunamis could do against Barbatos' massive arm. Barbatos held his victim like that for a moment then ruthlessly choke slammed him THROUGH the ground!
"Damn...you!" Kyle cursed as he struggled to stand. "Reala, can you heal him?"
"y...yes." The Seijou replied weakly.
Barbatos picked up his axe and turned to his original prey. "Coming at me without a weapon? You really are a fool."
"I...got everything I need to beat you..." He gestured to his chest. "In here!"
"Oh I'm sure you do..." He rose the Cracked Axe into the air...
(I just need to give Reala...a few more seconds...)
Reala channeled as fast as she could, despite the pain in her body, she knew Loni was in even more pain. No normal human could endure being driven through a meter of solid rock; she could feel his life force slipping away... "HE...HEAL!"
"BUURAAA!" Just as she got her Houjutsu off, Barbatos unleashed a Satsu-Majinken; the Ki projectile tore through the ground as it headed toward Kyle.
Stan's son braced himself for impact. "SUI...GOUJIN!" Focusing his Ki into a green barrier the boy survived the brunt of the attack but still sustained damage...
Loni grunted as he climbed out of the hole, when his head emerged the elder Dunamis looked around for Barbatos... He needn't look far as the brute picked him up by his arm and tossed him to the ground on his back.
"Loni!" Both Kyle and Reala cried.
'Dammit not again!" kyle cursed while struggling to his feet.
Barbatos grinned sadistically as he delivered stomp after thunderous stomp to Loni's midsection, each resulting in a disgusting crunch. "Enjoying...this...bitch!?" 3, 4, 5 ribs shattered. The brute gave Loni a savage kick to the side, the elder Dunamis rolled a bit landing on his stomach then vomited a dangerous amount of blood.
"Stop it!" Kyle made a mad dash for his enemy, "Leave my brother alone!" But Barbatos' foot met him halfway and he tumbled back towards Reala.
"Just stay put boy, the best part's about to come." Barbatos strolled over to where Loni lay, defenseless. The brute picked the young man up by his shoulders, lifting Loni up to about eye-level Barbatos reeled back and before Loni knew what hit him, his forehead now had a large dent from Barbatos' own brow...
'GAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed in pain which Barbatos soaked up. The brute pulled his head back and starred into the elder Dunamis' strained eyes.
'I'm through with you!' And with that Barbatos jerked Loni violently before tossing him across the width of the crater. The impact was hard; nearly caused the side to collapse. Loni tumbled down the side in a twisted...and motionless heap.
Reala was speechless. Not even Stan's murder that the 3 witnessed in Elraine's dream world was THIS brutal. She turned to her boyfriend. "Loni..." He struggled to keep it together, but the sight of Loni's lifeless body made the dam burst. "LOONIII!"
"I'll try to..."
Barbaos whipped around. "Houjutsu tsuKatten Ja Nee!"
"SHUNRAIJIN!" The light wave collided with Tiamat's flames resulting in an explosion that blasted the girl back. Not the best plan but it got her out of the dragon's line of fire so to speak; using the smoke as cover she ducked around the rim of the crater.
"I'm...NEVER...doing...that...again!" She panted while trying to catch her breath. (I've gotta wrap this up quick, and help those guys!) No sooner had she thought that, that she heard the scream of Loni's name. The tone of Kyle's voice said it all; (Oh no!) but now wasn't the time to morn. Instead Rimuru rose with her sword and returned to the battle, her body taking on a reddish glow...
The four energy balls that made up Hell Hit exploded around Reala, Kyle starred in horror as the Seijou's body flew upward from the explosions; much of her bright pink dress turned crimson... "REALA!"
Meanwhile, Barbatos laughed maniacly... "That only leaves you boy..."
"Shut up..." Kyle walked slowly, past Barbatos, past Loni.
"What is this? Is the hero going to save the..."
"JUST SHUT UP!" He reached down for the Gratius' hilt. "You can make fun of me, you threaten to kill me..." It looked as if his body temperature was rising, his skin took on a reddish glow. "I can handle that..." The glow intensified, "But for what you've done just now...to my love, to my brother..." His aura ignited! Changing from a simple reddish glow to an aurora of colors. "I'll kill you!"
"Excellent! Show me your hatred! Show me what killing that bastard and whore brought out!"
"Go to hell!" With renewed vigor from Spirit Blaster Mode Kyle charged Barbatos.
"BUURAAA!" He thrust his axe forward firing a large purple laser.
"KUUHAZEPPUGEKI!" Kyle unleashed his thrust Ougi, augmented by Spirit Blaster it effectively cancelled Genocide Braver! He continued his charge, whatever Barbatos countered with wasn't a concern... not anymore. "BAKUENKEN!" Beginning his counterattack with a flaming uppercut, Barbatos meeting it with Tsukami. The energies of flame and darkness collided with explosive results. Kyle rebounded and took to the air. "SHINKUU..." Blood splattered as Barbatos received multiple cuts. "RENSATSU..." A large gash formed on Barbatos' side from the raising spin cut. "KEN!" Even though it was nice to see Barbatos' blood spill for a change Kyle was FAR from finished... He used the momentum from his Ougi to activate it; the Aileron family's finisher! And just as Stan had used it to finish Miktran Excessive; Kyle would to take down Barbatos Goetia. "This is it Barbatos!"
DELUSION BLAST CALLIBUR
His Spirit Blaster exploded! Each slash unleashed a wave of light. "ZAN...KUU...TENSHOU...KEN!" This was it! Kyle revved up for the kill, pooling all of his strength into this uppercut... However he didn't get far, his blade was blocked by something held by someone. "No way!"
When the world returned to normal there he stood, bruised, bloody, cut and to Kyle's horror in Spirit Blaster Mode! "Pathetic!" he snarled.
Defensively Kyle swung his sword...surprisingly slower than before. "What the?"
"Since this is your first time using Spirit Blaster your body's reflexes are slower, the more often you use it the more resistance you develop to it. However... THAT was your one and only use, because I'm going to erase you from this and EVERY other world!" With that he thrust one fist into the air and his Spirit Blaster burnt out or rather was re-focused.
Kyle was blasted back from the waves of power. "What's...he doing now?"
it was now that Reala began to stir... However, a new wave of pain washed over the Seijou. "Aaaaaah!"
"Reala!" Kyle ran to her side. "You're alive!"
"Kyle...run...he's going to... Aaaaaaaah!" She collapsed into his arms.
Reala wasn't the only one; Barbatos' power was felt by certain people around the world. For example in Darilsheid, a young man narrowly avoided a Retsu-Majinken from the axe-wielder he was fighting. He prepared to counterattack when he suddenly collapsed holding his head in pain.
Tiamat roared, sending fireball after fireball. However Spirit Blaster's augmentation to Rimuru's speed and reflexes made hitting her nearly impossible. She had to admit the sheer awesomeness of this power but... this was the wrong time to enjoy it; and for that she wouldn't waste it.
The dragon inhaled deeply and let loose another large stream of fire... However this time Lilith's daughter was ready for it! Leaping towards the beast she began to unsheathe... "SHUNRAIJIN!" The powered blast was massive! Repelling the flames straight into Tiamat's face! The dragon roared in pain, when the smoke cleared the site was quite horrific, much of it's thick scaly armor had been blown off; leaving parts of it's skull, muscle tissue and internal circuitry exposed, other areas including it's right eye lids were melted from the heat of the flame. This left Tiamat blind in one eye and therefore one monitor dead.
Rimuru wasn't phased in the least, she was quite determined to finish this...thing. "Roar all you want, it doesn't matter to me..." She rose her sword high above; The silhouette of a six-winged angel appeared briefly, vanishing as a golden bolt of lightning electrified Excalibur. "Because of YOU I couldn't help them... Because I was fighting YOU someone close to him..." She brought the blade to her side. "For that...I'll send you to hell!" She lept forward. "OUGI!
Raihazan?
"RAIZANKOUTENGEKI!" It was similar, but instead of striking Tiamat Lilith's daughter struck the ground and unleashed several waves of golden lightning, the bolts tore the earth asunder along their path to the dragon. They struck hard, the left arm blown off, much of the scaly armor on it's torso was burned away.
The dragon collapsed, it's systems failing, bleeding from the many openings. That nor her Spirit Blaster wearing off prevented her from approaching. She stepped up onto Tiamat's back and readied her sword and without a second thought sliced through it's neck... A cleansing slash was performed to remove the blood before Rimuru resheathed Excalibur. She sighed, "I'll be there soon guys." and hopped off of the dragon's corpse. She was about to make a dead run up the crater when a crimson aura became visible from above the horizon. "The hell?" Shrugged it off and started sprinting, then suddenly...
"AIR PRESSURE!"
...A pit opened beneath her.
"Warning! Temporal Distortion detected!"
"That brainless barbarian!"
"Is there a problem?"
"Hmph! Someone like him isn't fit to wield that power!"A few commands later and Tiamat's backup systems were online. (I'll teach him to fuck with me!)
The dragon stirred, now operating completely on it's bionic components."Now with the guidance system out I'll have to move him by remote..." He plugged a joystick into the console. "It's just like playing a video game!" Tiamat bent over as miniature thrusters popped out of it's feet, a button later and the dragon rocketed up the side.
His maniacal laughter filled the air as Barbatos' charge neared completion. "Come on boy! Just try to stop me." The crimson glow faded, and Barbatos readied his axe.
Kyle stepped forward. "Kyle don't..." She protested again.
But Kyle had already made up his mind. Run, run where? Barbatos would follow him wherever he went and after what he'd just done to Loni... No! There was no way Stan's son would allow this monster to harm another of his loved ones. Kyle would make his stand here (I...don't have much power left, so I hope this can stop his attack...)
Readying his sword he ran... slowly... though it didn't seem like Barbatos was going to attack first, he WANTED the boy to try and fight back. With what little energy he had left Stan's son hopped onto a rock formation then sprung off towards his enemy. "GANZAN..."
Barbatos snorted. "Begone! WORLD..." His axe moved upward, creating a small tear in space itself; Kyle with his last ounce of power pressed his weapon against Barbatos' axe, as a shadow appeared overhead that moment froze...
"Heheheh... Bah-bye Barbatos!" The man mock waved.
"When I get my hands on whoever did that..." Rimuru muttered; upon reaching the outside of the pit that mysteriously appeared under her she saw it. The crater EXPPLODED!
Shockwaves from the explosion though small could be felt in Leane village. Inside her home, Lilith was busy cleaning the bedroom when one such shockwave hit. It was light, causing only one thing to move...
...Kyle's Longsword now lay on the floor.
The Administrator nearly fell out of his chair from laughter as he watched the monitor. On another screen a large red X covered Reala's data. However he paid little mind to it.
"You really are a twisted individual Gutri."
"Look at it this way Daemon, 3 less headaches to worry about."
"And Barbatos? He might have been useful in my plan."
Gutri sipped his coffee. "Bah! Nothing more than a worthless Chijou no Tami!"
"I fail to see the difference between you two."
"Hmph! I am a superior Tenjoujin! I don't need the likes of him to conquer this world."
"Oh right, how could I have forgotten? Well then 'Tenjoujin', do you have a real candidate?."
"Indeed I do Daemon, indeed I do..." By simply pressing the 'Delete' key Reala's data was erased. In it's place was the image of a young man, who appeared slightly older, maybe by a year or 2. The boy had greenish-brown hair, emerald green eyes and a fair complexion.
Rimuru starred in horror and as if possessed she found herself racing up the side, screaming their names. "KYLE! REALA!"
"Stop!" His voice commanded.
She turned, seeing a black-clad swordsman wearing a skull mask. "Are you crazy!? My cousin and his friend are..."
"Dead..." His tone though stoic had a hint of sadness. "And if I hadn't intervened you would be too.'
"Wha...you mean you opened that pit!?" She ran back down, grabbing his collar. "Answer me!"
"Well actually that was my doing..."
Rimuru did a double-take. Was she hearing things? She looked around, at the man then at his sheath. Her eyes became saucers; lilith's daughter had seen replicas of the Swordians before... well the ones belonging to the 4 Heroes anyway. But this one was foreign to her and it possessed a unique energy. This didn't seem like a replica and Rimuru was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Alright, who are you..." Her tone quite demanding.
"To them I am 'Judas', but I go by another name..." Slowly removing his mask.
Upon seeing his face Rimuru's mind flashed back to a photograph sitting atop their fireplace. Her mother said this was a man whom Stan respected very much and died protecting her uncle and his friends... Even planned to name her son after him. "You're...you can't possibly be..."
He nodded. "Yes I am Lion Magnus."
"B...but how?"
"It is a very long and complicated story..." Judas...Lion began his lengthly explanation; about his relationship with Kyle-tachi, Barbatos, the Seijou Elraine and the alternate timeline. "Barbatos, somehow he harnessed Time Travel energy into a weapon... Someone stopped him by detonating Tiamat's core but..." The masked swordsman clenched his fist.
"So that monster was called Tiamat?"
"Yes, it's a Tenjoujin weapon we've encountered before."
"But I killed it! So how did it blow up IN the crater?"
"It's bio-mechanical, part living and part machine. What you 'killed' was the living part, but someone... whoever sent it re-activated the Lens Battery and piloted Tiamat into the crater and you saw the result..."
(Whoever sent it...) She looked back at the crater, a sudden image appeared in her mind... One she hoped to never see again; a blue-haired man in his late 20's lay on their living room floor. Blood pouring from the stab wounds to his chest, an older balding man in a business suit hovering over the body. Then a neighboring farmer burst in. The men shouted but the 7-year-old girl heard nothing over the sounds of her own sobbing. And just like her counterpart; the present Rimuru broke down into tears...
End of Prologue
A/N: Yay my first 'complete' story! Well on with the ramble. The last bit leaves a few questions unanswered but I don't want to spoil everything and leave nothing for the main series which Rimuru will be a central character of hence giving her more spotlight. And as far as the series title goes; Broken Chains of Fate, doesn't mean it's about Lion like everything I've written in the past 5/6 years has been (Though he is there). The idea came from ToD2 itself and how the story is quite 'broken' due to the plot holes.
Now on to Rimuru... I modeled her appearence and part of her personality on the 'Colosseum Girl' manga story (She didn't like Kyle first because he seemed like a weird kid stalking her then after learning his name she didn't like how he ran around using Stan's name to cover his own weakness). As for her age I'm guessing she's older than Kyle (and in the manga she's taller as opposed to her sprite that looked about as tall as Judas with the mask...)
Barbatos' attacks used are: Satsu-Majinken, Burn Strike, Item-wo Nazzo tsuKatten Ja Nee, Tsukami, Death Abyss, Trample (unnamed), Genocide Braver, hell Hit and World Destroyer (partial name); I used houjutsu tsuKatten Ja Nee leaving Shoujutsu tsuKatten Ja Nee and Youyuu tsuKaten Ja Nee.
'Rimmy-chan' was given to me by a friend; KusanagiLord. Originally it was just her name with '-chan' added but it sounds much cuter this way.
The fight with Barbatos is much longer now than originally planned. I felt it didn't get enough attention in the previous revisions. Was I overpowering Barbatos? Well in the Drama CD all 10 heroes; Kyle-tachi and the 4 Swordian Masters couldn't bring him down (he 'died' after ax-ing Elraine in the back) and in-game Kyle-tachi didn't kill him either but they did 'beat' him and instead of having an eternal stalemate he threw himself into the kaminome... so no I didn't overpower him.
Also, I don't hate Loni; the only characters I do hate in the series are Zelos Wilder and to a lesser extent Assch... and if Zelo were in Loni's place he'd get it MUCH worse. I was trying to make this a bit more believable and at the same time taking a stab at the whole 'Loni the meat shield' strategy for Barbatos III... And for the record, Loni's 15 Kanji Hiougi was a BITCH to narrate!
A few game terms for those who don't know, Backstep is when a character jumps back out of strike range of an enemy. Advanced Guard/Aiming Step are similar, Advanced Guard is a rush forward (while guarding) to break the enemy's guard; Aiming Step is like that only it rushes the enemy into strike range and the character isn't guarding, this AG was in ToD2 and AS in the Remake. Spirit Blaster Mode is like Overlimits in the Team Symphonia games, you can't get guard broken and you have unlimited Spirit Points (which is the easiest way to execute a Hiougi). As for Hiougi themselves I'll use the Destiny Remake term Blast Callibur; as for how they're executed it depends on the characters.
I thought about retitling this to Kyle tsuKaten Ja Nee...but that'd make this even more morbid than it already is.
That's it for now. Any questions/comments in reviews will be answered in the next story. Till then Ja Ne!