Chapter Eleven – Truth Revealed
(Readers may find some scenes that some could consider disturbing. Readers discretion is advised.)
"Tch…. Rainy Ratnapura!" shouted Green Heart as she rapidly thrusts her spear repeatedly at Magic. But Magic was agile enough to parry the attack. "Not done yet!" Green Heart continued as she spins and swings her spear sideways, and the unsuspecting Magic got hit on her side, making her fly away from impact.
"Hehe…. Nice one, CPU." Magic said haughtily after stopping in midair after getting hit. "Now, let us dance some more." And so, they once again engaged their weapons at each other. And none of the two seem to show no signs of fatigue yet despite a prolonged battle between Green Heart and Magic. And all the while, the ground beneath them definitely shows that it has become a hellish battlefield between Leanbox's forces and ASIC forces. Gunfire and explosions are being heard everywhere within and outside Virtua Forest.
"Hahahaha. Look at that. So many brave men perishing." Muttered Magic as she looks down in the battlefield.
"And this is thanks to you and your petty ambitions of reviving the evil goddess.!" Argued Green Heart. "It was the Legion and your petty ASIC that is causing all these death and despair. The Legion has already tormented enough the nation of Leanbox, and will not allow such fate to happen in any place. I will never allow the words of darkness to spread!" As she stated the last sentence, Green Heart dashed towards Magic and attacked her.
"You could've avoided their deaths, you know." Mocked Magic as she parries yet again Green Heart's attack.
"And let your twisted ideals spread throughout Gamindustri like some cancer?! Forget it!" argued Green Heart. "Those men below are willing to fight to maintain peace and order. No one forced them to fight. It is their own will to fight for what is right that drove them to do battle against your corrupt ideals!"
"Ahahaha. You make me laugh, CPU." Magic mocked once more before re-engaging with another exchange of weapon blows with Green Heart.
Meanwhile….
"We're almost there. I can sense their presence nearing." Muttered Nitroplus as she and Marianna are running towards Green Heart's location.
"Amazing. Is that the added trait you got from your Fury? Sensing someone's presence?" asked Marianna in awe.
"Ehehe. No…, not really. It's just a gut feeling." Corrected Nitroplus, passing it as a joke.
But before Marianna could say her piece, when they arrived at a clearing within the forest, Nitroplus stopped on her tracks and looked up above them. "Bingo. There they are above us."
When Marianna stopped running and looked up, she saw Green Heart and Magic still fighting each other, exchanging weapon slashes and skills use.
"Okay. Time to help. Fairize!" muttered Nitroplus. But unlike Marianna's transformation, Nitroplus' transformation is quite minimal. She only procured circular bat-like wings on her back, a pair of red chainsaws on both of her sides and the soles of her shoes ignited into flames which act like propellants to allow her flight.
And when Nitroplus slowly lifts off the ground, Marianna noticed something from her.
"W-wait…, you're wearing a shoestring undergarment?" said a baffled Marianna.
"Well…, yeah. What about it?" asked Nitroplus.
"But those kinds tend to loosen up with aggressive movements, right?" argued Marianna. "What if yours accidentally…loosens up?"
"Ehehe. Well, I have yet to encounter it loosening up during battle." Said Nitroplus confidently. "And besides, with this I can move much more freely than conventional undergarments. And also, even if it came undone during battle, the enemy would be dead before he could even get a glimpse."
"Ugh…why do I sense that you somehow are a bit…shameless….." whispered Marianna to herself in regards to what Nitroplus just said.
"Okay, off I - WHAT THE…?!" yelled Nitroplus in surprise when she felt a sudden tug from her right leg, making her fall back to the ground, landing on her bottom. "Ow…." She then found out that Marianna was the one who pulled her back. "Why did you do that?!"
"With what you are wearing, it is too risky. It might come undone during battle." Argued Marianna.
"Wait…, you're stopping me now of all times because of what I'm wearing down below?!" said a baffled Nitroplus. "Look, it never got undone during my other battles. Why stop me now?"
"A girl like you should be more careful with what you wear, you know." Marianna argued on before procuring a magic circle in her left hand and aimed it at Magic who is still up in the air fighting.
Nitroplus didn't argued anymore and just stood up and watched Marianna do her thing.
"Uh…, if that's your lightning attack, you should make sure they are a bit far from another."
"I know that, thank you very much." Replied Marianna. "You better call up to her then to know we're here to back her up."
"Heh. That was I'm about to do." Muttered Nitroplus. "Hey, Lady Vert! Over here!"
"Wait. What did you just called her?!" said Marianna in surprise.
But when Green Heart looked down and saw that Marianna was about to use a magic skill, she broke away from Magic fast.
"Now, miss Marianna!" Nitroplus called her attention.
"?! Oh.., right. Discharge!"
But before Magic could fully dodge, Marianna's lightning attack makes contact and electrocuted her on the spot.
"I'm not done yet with you." Said Marianna as she strengthens her magic circle even further. "Cloudbolt!" And out of nowhere, a single lightning bolt struck down on a still electrocuted Magic. The lightning strike was so immense that it plunged Magic down to the ground with it, creating a smoldered crater around the ground where Magic fell. She was not moving while her body is smoking due to the intensity of Marianna's magic attacks.
"Whoa. I think you just nailed it." Said Nitroplus in awe.
Shortly, Green Heart came landing down near where Magic lay. She first looked down at the still smoldering woman before looking at the two fencers' location, smiling at them.
"Miss Nitroplus, about what you mentioned earlier…." Marianna started after deactivating her magic circle, her sword, Khalara, still in hand.
"What about it?" asked Nitroplus as she looks at Marianna.
"Well you see i-"
"GAAAAH!"
When the two of them jerked their heads to look at the source of the scream, they saw Green Heart being blown away by some sort of wave energy from where she previously stood. And then they saw Magic, her right arm raised toward the direction where Green Heart got thrown away, slowly getting up. It is clear that she has inflicted some burn damage from Marianna's attack but what bothers the two is the fact that it doesn't seem to have weakened her.
"Tch…" breathed out Nitroplus as she raises her defense. But before she could even make her move…,
"Hello there, little Fencer…."
…Magic dashed towards Nitroplus, almost seemed like she teleported in front of her even.
"Ghhh…!"
Before Nitroplus could recover from the shock, Magic used the same technique she used on Green Heart on Nitroplus, making the unsuspecting girl get blown away from her position, ending up slamming violently on a nearby tree behind her.
"Gaaahhh…!"
And to make matters worse, it was clear that Magic wasn't done with her. She once again moved at tremendous speed towards Nitroplus before the girl could recover after slamming on a tree.
"Hehe."
And with one swift move, she impaled Nitroplus at her abdomen using the blade of her scythe, pinning the poor girl to the tree behind her.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!" yelled Nitroplus in intense pain and shock after feeling the blade pierce through her body, with blood gushing out from her abdomen where the blade pierced through.
"Poor thing. Let me end your misery then." Said Magic teasingly before making another swift move with her scythe. The blade of Magic's scythe escaped through Nitroplus' side, with the effect almost slicing her body in half horizontally. Nitroplus fell down to the ground with her nearly sliced body. She was still alive but she was bleeding dangerously. She was even coughing up blood in her mouth now.
"Miss Nitroplus!" yelled Marianna as she prepares to attack Magic.
But when Magic looked at Marianna and met her gaze, she felt something almost immediately after meeting Magic's gaze.
In Marianna's mind, she couldn't help but feel fear after looking at Magic's confident eyes. Never has she felt paralyzed in fear in front of an enemy before. In her mind, she wants to run away. Run away as far as possible from Magic. But she wants to help Nitroplus. And that resolve is stopping her from running away.
"My…, you have quite an interesting weapon there." Said Magic as she looks at Marianna's Fury. "A dark blade that emits quite an interesting amounts of dark energy. Could it be the one that I'm looking for…?"
This remark seemed to have made Marianna break away from paralysis. "Wh-what do you mean…? What do you know about Khalara…?"
"Oh…? So it's namesake is Khalara then." Replied Magic. "Still…, I must take a good look at it." And after saying it, she proceeded to walk towards Marianna.
"N-no…, stay away. Stay away!" Marianna yelled as she used her wind magic to blow away Magic from her. But it wasn't strong enough and Magic only ended up landing on the spot just besides a still collapsed Nitroplus.
"Is that so…?" Magic uttered. She then looked down at Nitroplus. "Hehe…. It seems your fellow Fencer here is still clinging for her dear life." She then proceeded to aim the blade of her scythe towards Nitroplus' neck. "Now…, you either show your Fury to me or I completely put your friend out of her misery. Your choice, my fair lady…."
"F-friend…?" Marianna thought in her mind. Usually, she doesn't care if other people meet their doomed fate as long as it doesn't involve her. But this time, she felt that she needs to help Nitroplus. It then occurred to her mind that Nitroplus did helped her out earlier when she got pinned down by one of the ASIC felons. For Marianna, she believes that she owes Nitroplus her safety until now. And that belief is her reason why she just can't leave the incapacitated Nitroplus behind. "F-fine. Here, have a look at my Fury…."
"Hehe. Good girl…." Breathed out Magic before retracting her scythe away from Nitroplus and slowly walks towards Marianna.
But suddenly, a rustling of the trees can be heard and its slowly getting louder and closer to their direction, like some sort of huge object ramming through the woods. And out of nowhere, a giant spear came hurtling from within the woods, breaking some trees on its path and making impact on Magic. And as fast at it could, it drove away Magic along with it, disappearing in sight as the spear continues to hurtle away from them, carrying Magic along with it. And along the way, it seemed to have exploded on a far off distance from them.
"Wh-what the…?" breathed out Marianna, still shocked on what just suddenly happened. And all of a sudden, Green Heart appeared from within the path where the giant spear pierced through the woods.
"Are you alright, Marianna?" asked Green Heart.
"Y-yes I am. But…." Marianna then looked ahead of her.
When Green Heart followed Marianna's gaze, she immediately felt shock upon seeing Nitroplus laying on the ground, now bathing on her own blood.
"Oh dear Celestia…, NITROPLUS!" yelled Green Heart while heading towards Nitroplus. When she got near, she saw Nitroplus weakly raise her head to look at Green Heart.
"H-hehe…that woman…*cough* got me good, huh…." Murmured Nitroplus weakly. Marianna then slowly gets closer to Green Heart and Nitroplus' location. And when she got near, the sight of Nitroplus made her gasp in shock. Marianna saw that Nitroplus was indeed almost got sliced in half just above her waist, with just more than an inch of flesh holding down her body.
"Hehe…that attack…*cough cough*…damaged my spine badly…." Nitroplus slowly mentions. "It…paralyzed my body…. C-can't….*cough*…move my body…except for my head…hehe…"
"Nitroplus…, we must treat your injuries quick!" Green Heart mentioned in panic as she fiddles around Nitroplus' clothes to look for something.
"But…with that much damage on miss Nitroplus…, can we even…save her…?" asked Marianna reluctantly.
"Got it…." Said Green Heart in relief as she holds out a small plastic bag of what seemed like soft gel capsules filled with green liquid. "Seriously, you should put these on a better container than a sandwich bag, Nitroplus."
"Y-yeah….but H-Harley….*cough*…said that…there was no more time to look for a…*cough*…proper container…." Nitroplus replied weakly.
"H-how are you still…alive in that condition…?" asked Marianna due to confusion. "Unless you are…"
However, before Green Heart could administer the treatment, she looked up due to a sudden weird feeling. And to prove her intuition, she saw Magic floating just above them. But it seems apparent that Green Heart's last attack dealt tremendous damage on her, where her armor and wings looked badly damaged and her once pale, smooth skin are now covered with injuries.
"Marianna, please administer this medicine to Nitroplus." Ordered Green Heart as she stood up and passed the small capsule to Marianna. "Make sure she is able to consume it properly."
"H-huh…? But what does-"
"Please. There is no time." Green Heart pleaded.
"O-okay…." Muttered Marianna as she took the capsule off Green Heart's hand and proceeded to Nitroplus' side. Slowly, she raised Nitroplus' head and made her consume the soft gel capsule. And suddenly and almost immediately, Nitroplus' injury seems to be slowly sewing itself back. And there can be heard some faint cracking of bones in her body, which could be her spine repairing itself.
"I-impossible…." Breathed out Marianna in surprise. "Nitroplus…. Your also a…FL-Virus host…?"
"Hehe…y-yeah, I guess…." Muttered Nitroplus as she lay still to wait for her healing process to complete. "And it is thanks to that unknown guy in white clothing…."
"Guy in white clothing?" Marianna wondered. "So…, she must be one of those person that Sherman was referring to." She said in her mind.
Meanwhile…, Green Heart flew up to face Magic once more.
"You seem to be badly damaged now." Green Heart mocked at Magic.
"Hehe…. Very well played, child of Celestia." Said Magic in a congratulatory tone. "You are lucky for being backed up by two Fencers. If not for them, I may have just beaten you."
"Oh, what is this? Playing the blame game now, are we?" Green Heart mocked further. "But it is time to finish you, once and for all!"
But before Green Heart could attack, Magic suddenly turned into black mist and slowly disappears.
"Tch… she really is gone. I can no longer feel her presence within the battlefield." Muttered Green Heart. And sure enough, when she looked down, she saw the enemy forces backing away. It was clear that they came out as the victor of this battle. And this made Green Heart let out a huge sigh of relief. When Green Heart lands back to see Nitroplus' condition, she saw that the girl's injury has fully sealed itself after seeing Nitroplus now leaning on the tree where Magic impaled her.
"Her body has almost fully mended now." Marianna told Green Heart. "However, she did say that her body still feels limp and numb."
"I see. It must be that the nerves on your spine hasn't fully healed yet." Concluded Green Heart.
"Yeah. Seems that way, though." Nitroplus agreed. "Well I am slowly getting some feeling in my arms but down below my waists, its still pretty numb."
"No worries, Nitroplus. I can carry you back to our base so that you can get a better rest." Said Green Heart as she started to carry Nitroplus.
"Wait." Marianna stopped Green Heart. "First, I would like to know some things before you leave."
"Marianna…." Breathed out Green Heart. "If you wish to know the things you want, come with me to our base at the Capital. I will tell you everything you want to know."
Marianna hesitated at first to Green Heart's suggestion before arriving at a conclusion.
"Very well. I will come with you."
"You can hop in my back, if you like." Green Heart offered.
"No thanks. I can fly on my own." Replied Marianna before activating Fairize to transform herself.
A few minutes past, they have arrived back at the Capital. After turning over Nitroplus to their medics, Green Heart then turned to face Marianna.
"Marianna, there is a reason why I know your name."
"Yes, and I would like to know why." Replied Marianna.
Green Heart hesitated for a moment before arriving at a conclusion. "Very well. You do deserve to know the truth."
And slowly, Green Heart reverts back to her normal form. And as Marianna slowly witness this, her expression slowly changed as well. And when Green Heart fully reverts to her normal form, Marianna's expression turned into surprise and…anger.
"Y-you…." Muttered Marianna with a shaking voice.
"Yes. It is me, Marianna." Vert told her tearfully. "I am glad that your still alive after i…*sniff*…shamefully left you behind back then…."
"It is you…." muttered Marianna, her voice shaking due to her unable to contain the rage in her heart. "Vert Gheytz…."
To be continued….