Hello once again, dear readers, and welcome to chapter 14. This chapter is awful, just a heads up ^.^ I can't write battle scenes to save my life and this is definitely something that I'm not proud of in the slightest...but I did try at least. -.- Hopefully it's at least half-decent ^.^"
What'll it take to subdue the 14th? What if the price is too high?
D Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~
Broken Moonlight
Chapter 14: Inhuman
"Why the hostile tone, dear family?" the 14th questioned sibilantly, his eyes narrowed with sadistic glee that spoke of savage cruelty. It was enough to cause the less matured of the Noah, namely the twins, to take a few strides back in face of the pressurizing ruthlessness.
Tyki's vaguely narrowed eyes drifted over to the Headquarters. His eyes caught sight of the exorcists that had been recalled to the stronghold. A sigh passed his lips as he allowed his teezes out of his body, both standard and advanced.
"Supervisor, stay back," he instructed. "This is our battle - not yours."
The Noah glanced around at his fellow family, a frown marring his lips. "Mightra - go alert Duke Millennium immediately. Tryde, what's his state?"
"That is not the 14th," the taciturn Noah stated simply.
"Fiddler, Mercym. Attack him. Sheril, try to hold him back as well as you can."
The three Noah nodded in accordance to his words and carried out what had been commanded them. Loosing his teezes, he allowed them to join in the skirmish between the two Noah that had begun to advance.
From his distance in the sky with Road, Sheril focused his manipulation upon the rampaging 14th, struggling to restrict the white-haired destroyer's movement while ensuring that Road could not fly down and act irrationally.
The 14th had gone mad; that was easy enough to see. What they would soon set out to put an end to was not the man known as Neah, but the Noah of destruction. There was no remorse that they could allow themselves to feel as long as they could put an end to this unforeseen turn of events.
"I knew he would do this again," Devit hissed in ire.
"It was only a matter of time," Jasdero agreed, his arms crossing over his chest.
"If it passed your heads, this is not him," Tyki stated bluntly before heading for the melee himself. "Now hurry and join us before we all die. Lulu, you move as you see fit - we must stop him."
The woman nodded, her arm extending and narrowing an extending into a long whip which was lashed towards the white-haired 14th.
The twins were less eager to take on their task, watching the skirmish with faint repulsion. "Do we have to?" they complained.
With a sigh, Sheril moved the two so that their revolvers were aimed at each other's skulls. "Yes you do," he stated simply.
"Ugh...fine."
The gunshots rang through the air as Jasdevi merged into re-existence. The long-haired Noah smirked and dashed for the 14th, hair flaring out on either side of him.
The grin of the Noah of bonds screamed sadistic glee as his hair easily wove through the other Noah to run through body of the 14th.
The white-haired creature whirled around, abruptly yanking the hair from where it had penetrated his midriff and wrenched it powerfully, pulling the long-haired Noah from his feet. Immediately, the hair slipped from his grip only to wrap around his neck.
Lulu Bell's whip then wrapped around his wrist, which the woman tugged abruptly, shifting his centre of gravity sharply and causing him to stumble. The movement caused Jasdevi's hair to tighten around his neck, his mouth opening slightly in attempts to draw in breath.
Taking advantage of the opening, a parasite falling from his tongue and into the partially parted lips of the 14th. However, before it could slip down his throat, it was demolished by a sharp snap of his jaw, bisecting the eyeball-like creature.
Shifting, the white-haired creature grasped the hair around his neck, pulling at it and snapping it off with sheer strength, tugging taut the whip of the Noah of lust.
The tresses that drifted to the ground immediately grew stiff and moved, running through his body at whichever angle was possible. A hiss of irritation passed the 14th's lips, but was quickly cut off as one of Mercym's fists sent him flying back.
Digging his feet into the bloodied earth, he stared at the six Noah who were advancing on his battered body, their eyes emotionless; even the ones who rarely hid their sentiments wore inscrutable expressions. Slowly, he moved back to his feet, motioning to his body, bleeding from the multiple wounds that had been inflicted upon him.
"Isn't it ecstasy?" he purred his tongue flicking out to taste the red liquid from his wrist. "The sensation of drawing blood is bliss."
Dodging the beams of energy that were fired at him from Tyki's advanced teezes, he swiftly stole behind Lulu Bell, who whirled around, her whip moving to entrap his body.
"Ah… good night, sister," he crooned, his hand sweeping towards her with a deadly grace. As her whip entrapped his body, his hand contacted the base of her skull, cracking it and flinging her to the side.
The ground promptly broke to cushion the body of the fallen Noah of lust. Sheril drew her back and suspended her limp figure at his side, his eyes narrowing at the 14th.
"Who next?" the white-haired beast murmured sibilantly, his eyes drifting to the remaining five Noah as he continued to evade the beams of energy and bombs courtesy of Jasdevi and the teezes.
Before he could assault one of the five remaining Noah, darkness encased his vision as spikes of iron drove through his body. His golden eyes widened before narrowing, a smirk stealing over his dark features. Remaining stationary for a few moments, he revelled in the pain running through his body.
"Ah, this is hardly fair," he mock-complained. "I must return the favour."
Moving one arm, he gripped one iron spike that protruded from the wall of the confines, and abruptly twisted his wrist, wrenching the spike from the device. Brandishing the weapon, he slashed through the prison of iron with ease, a manic grin spread over his features.
"You next," he decided, launching at the red-cloaked Noah. As his hand moved to tear through Jasdevi's flesh, it slammed into a shield. A sigh left his lips as he swung back, dodging a blow from Mercym and swinging his leg back to contact that of the Noah of pity and break it.
With a crazed laugh, the 14th proceeded to reach down and tear into the broken appendage, ripping it apart by each string of muscle and stepping on the fallen Noah's back, crushing his ribs against his organs. "Two," he sighed blissfully, stepping off the still body.
Sheril's tense figure retrieved the Noah of pity as well, his amber eyes surveying the scene grimly as he held on to the two with his ability whilst keeping Road constrained despite the irrepressible tears that flowed down her young face.
Tyki's eyes narrowed as he ran towards the white-haired 14th. His eyes sighted a matching pair catching his movements. As a brutal hand, dripping with blood, launched itself at him, he allowed it to pass through his body before turning abruptly and rupturing the first organ his fingers enclosed upon.
A harsh cough left the umber lips of the 14th as blood spewed from his mouth to stain the ground. His eyes narrowed as his body doubled over onto the blood-soaked ground, remaining still despite the energy beams that cut through his already torn and thoroughly blood-covered body. Even his once pristine white hair had stained red with the life fluid he had spilled.
His gaze drifted back to the one that had attacked him, an unhinged grin still spread over his features as he pushed himself to his feet and moved with an almost blinding speed. "Farewell, Joyd," he hissed into the taller male's ear, his nails digging through fabric, skin and flesh..
Unable to utilize his Choose quickly enough Tyki could only stand helplessly as fingers gasped his heart in the same fashion that he had done with so many of his own victims. The light left his amber eyes even before the organ was ruptured inside of him.
The 14th chuckled and set a foot upon his neck, crushing it into the ground before lifting his body and throwing it at the remaining four Noah. His eyes remained narrowed and his smile was retained upon bloodied lips which his tongue snaked out to clean.
"Our dear family is falling apart piece by piece," he declared sibilantly. "I will destroy it all."
"Yeah, yeah - huge villain announcement and stuff…" Three pairs of amber eyes drifted over to the red-clad Noah of bonds, who was inspecting his nails almost boredly. Buffing them against the chest of his clothing, he glanced back up at the white-haired destroyer. "You done yet? If I cry over everyone now, it'll mess with my vision and my mascara will run," he informed, his tone almost mockingly frank.
The eyes of the 14th Noah stared almost blankly at Jasdevi for a few moments, as if attempting to register what had been stated multiple times through his mind. The air practically crackled as the merged twins lowered their hand and snorted.
"You haven't even landed a single blow on us," he taunted, his head tilting slightly as his hair flared out, blocking the two other Noah that remained wordlessly at his side from the range of the rampaging 14th. "What makes you think you'll get away with this?"
"..." Without responding verbally, The 14th ran towards him. Grabbing him by his lock gold and black locks, he wrenched the Noah forward sharply before hurling him gracelessly towards where Sheril remained in the air with Road and the other two lifeless Noah.
The force of the throw caused the merged Noah of bonds to collide with the brother of the most recently killed Pleasure, causing him to relinquish his grip on all whom he had previously held out of the reach of the 14th. The five landed gracelessly upon the reddened earthen ground, Sheril cushioning the fall of the twins.
Immediately, Road ran for the blood-soaked form of the 14th, throwing her arms around his neck in a near desperate movement and staring despairingly into his amber eyes.
"Allen! Allen - I know you're there… Stop this! Stop it! Stop…" Her words were abruptly cut off by a sob as she sighted nothing but murderous intent within the golden eyes of the Noah of destruction. Her head fell against his chest as she disregarded the blood that seeped into her dark blue tresses.
"Why are you doing this again… Allen!" the name left her lips as a howl of anguish.
Staring down at her, the white-haired creature's hand raised to bury itself in her hair in a movement that was almost gentle, did it not reek of evil intent.
"Road!" the unbecomingly high pitched scream of warning resounded through the air from the lips of the Noah of desire. With a smirk, the 14th's eyes fixed upon the man as he ran his hand through her bluish-black locks. A chuckle elicited from his lips.
"Too late," he whispered, his hand abruptly clenching into a fist.
The shocked expression on the first disciple's face did not remain for long as her skull was shattered by the destructive power in his grip, her golden eyes falling from their sockets and her brain rupturing into distasteful residue which splattered upon his arm the movement was so brutal that it had wrenched what had been her head from her neck entirely, decapitating her.
Dropping her headless figure upon the ground, he balanced one foot upon it, lifting his hand, shorn with blood, strings of the organ, bone fragments, and dark hairs tauntingly into the air, his gaze still directed at Sheril. "Oh, Father dear, you could not protect your daughter," he mocked, voice heightening into a falsetto.
"You..!" Rage boiled in the eyes of the Noah of desire as he lifted his own hand, pulling Road's body into his arms. Holding her with one, he reached out for Neah with the other, malice clear in his gaze as he abruptly pulled the 14th towards himself. "I'll kill you.." he hissed, his eyes shining with mad grief.
"Such is the familial bond," the white-haired creature sneered. "That never existed in the first place." Pulling himself from the grip of the Noah of desires, he smirked at the brother of Pleasure. "Desires, Desires, Desires," he chanted the Noah's name like a mantra. "I will show you my desires unlike you've ever experienced," he assured threat laced in his voice.
"Your beloved daughter is gone, as is your dear brother. The rest of your family will join you soon, Desires," he murmured into the ear of the long-haired male who had frozen in his grip. Road had fallen to the ground at some point during the one-sided exchange as his amber eyes stared, transfixed, at the monster before him.
Leaning forward, the 14th's teeth buried themselves within umber skin, breaking it and causing blood to flow into his mouth. Jerking his head back in a brusque movement, tearing a strip of skin from the Noah's body. Pinning him to the ground, a hand wrapped around his neck, the white-haired creature relished in the agonized cries that evoked from the helpless Noah's lips as he flayed him alive with no hesitation in his movements.
"These are my desires," he hissed, even as he dug his nails into the glistening red flesh of the Noah. "This is the destruction that Noah desires."
His body stiffened as a pain ripped through his back. His eyes drifted down to see a large blade buried within his chest, before glancing back to find himself staring into the narrowed, expressionless eyes of the judge of the Noah.
Standing, he pulled the sword from his body and stared at the red liquid that dripped down it. Flicking his tongue out, he licked some of the fluid from the weapon, his smirk returning to his features. A laugh passed his lips as he tossed the weapon back to its wielder.
"You won't kill me just like that," he stated simply. "I'd be long dead if you could."
True to his words, the wounds that should have been dire enough to hamper his movement seemed to do little to hinder him. Without a sound, the unruly-haired Noah moved away from him, sword at the ready in case he attacked.
The gaze of the 14th drifted down to the Noah of desire, who stared blankly up at him. Regarding him well incapacitated, the white-haired destroyer stepped away from the body and towards the silent judge of Noah.
His veins protruded through his skin over the entirety of his body as the wound that had been created by Tryde no longer bled in crimson, but a sinister dark purple. His gaze darkened and his smile grew sickeningly sweet as he reached up to the wound, capturing some of the purplish substance that flowed like blood from his body.
"I've stinted myself enough," he announced, a shiver running down his back as a chuckle passed his lips. "I've waited for so long - I've waited for nearly seven thousand years to manifest….finally!"
His head tilted back as his gaze fixated the sky, narrowed in elation. "Noah! Father!" he cried out emphatically, the veins at his body rupturing and more of the dark substance spilling viscously instead of the blood that would have been expected. The dark matter began to flow from his eye sockets, ears and mouth as a demented smile spread over his lips. "Watch! I will destroy this wicked world for you!"
"Maybe I hit your head too hard…" Wisely sighed, watching over the still body of the second exorcist. The cries in the distance had quieted somewhat, but the stench of blood that wafted through the atmosphere was heavy, even to the Noah who had retreated to the forest.
In his mind, he realized that the one he had awaited for had arrived. He sighed, but made no move to return to the battlefield, instead opting to wait until the long-haired exorcist regenerated his brain. Hopefully it wouldn't take much longer - the turn of events that he had expected would not be pleasant in the slightest.
His thoughts were rarely imprecise, and if the events proceeded as expected, the results would be immense destruction. He rested his cheek against his hand which was propped up by the elbow upon one of his crossed legs as he stared at the raven.
Despite not revealing anything through his features, he felt a twinge of desperation within his chest. Perhaps he had indeed unintentionally ended the exorcist? That was a disastrous move. His lips curled into a frown.
As a weight landed on his shoulder, he started, his head flying to stare at the golden golem that had alighted upon his shoulder. He relaxed and puffed out a slightly exasperated sigh. "Little beast - you almost gave me a heart attack," he stated in a monotone, flicking the creature between the horns.
In response, Timcanpy opened his mouth and lodged his teeth into the ear of the Noah of wisdom, causing Wisely to jump slightly once again and tug at his tail sharply in attempts to pull him off. "Let go of me…!" he yelped gracelessly.
After a moment's hesitation, the golem obeyed, lifting from his shoulder and lowering to the ground in front of him. He glared half-heartedly at the creature, poking it sharply. "Troublesome thing," he snapped lazily.
Timcanpy's mouth abruptly snapped open and bit Wisely's finger, causing a few small beads of blood to gather where his serrated teeth had broken skin. The white-haired Noah shook his hand, shaking the golem along with it until he released the digit.
"What do you want?" he inquired, resting his chin upon his hand once again and staring down at the creature, with an aloof expression plastered inadequately over his dark features.
In response, Timcanpy opened his mouth to display a projection of the events that had occurred upon the battlefield. The Noah of wisdom watched with a mild interest in his gaze and a neutral frown upon his lips, his chin not leaving where it was cushioned against his palm.
"So it's begun," he stated. Timcanpy allowed his mouth to close and nodded at the white-haired Noah. Wisely sighed. "I guess the Earl should show up soon." His face remained as withdrawn as usual as he stared down at the golden, spherical creature on the ground.
His indifferent eyes began to pool with tears that spilled down his cheeks, and he reached up to wipe them away, regardless of the pointlessness of the action. Another sigh passed his lips and he ran his hand through his partially bloodstained locks, tugging at clumps of hair that had adhered to each other by cause of coagulated blood.
His gaze drifted up to the darkening sky, obscured by clouds, his frown deepening slightly. "Hurry up and wake up, exorcist," he muttered under his breath, his gaze drifting down to Kanda's body but his head not lowering from where it was tilted back to face the heavens.
Timcanpy padded over to where Kanda lay, sitting himself down before the raven's vacant, pale eyes. Opening his mouth, he grabbed a section of the second exorcist's fringe, and chewing on it impatiently.
The silence that progressed between the three figures was nothing short of odd, Wisely couldn't help but think: A Noah, a seemingly dead exorcist, and a golem in the same clearing while battle raged outside of the forest that acted as a temporary shield for them.
He would have laughed at the curiosity of the scene, but that was a trivial task, and he would much rather not. Besides - if he were to place a decent excuse on it, the situation at hand was no laughing matter. A sigh passed his lips as he surveyed the darkening sky that seemed to reflect the ground that had been washed in crimson.
Kanda's dull eyes slowly began to darken once again as life flooded into them. He blinked, his vision trying to focus on that annoyingly yellow thing that was in front of him…what was it? He blinked a few more times before catching sight of his fringe in Timcanpy's mouth.
"Why you..?!" Immediately, he shot up, his sword poking at the golden golem that he had not seen in a long while. The speed in which he had moved caused a dizziness to flood his mind, causing his body to sway. Nearly falling back onto the ground, he reached down to steady himself.
Releasing his fringe, Timcanpy fluttered around his head in impatient circles, headbutting him every so often causing a groan to elicit from the pale lips of the second exorcist. Rubbing his head irritatedly, he scanned the clearing.
His eyes fell upon the white-haired Noah who was staring indifferently at him. A tick of irritation popped at his forehead as he brandished his sword precariously close to the Noah's face. "Where the hell are we, you bastard?"
"That's rude," Wisely complained distantly, moving to push Mugen away from his face. "You just got back from the dead - you shouldn't be moving around like that for a minute or two."
"You're the cause of it, just in case you forgot," Kanda snapped, as always, never in the best of moods.
Wisely shrugged. "Well you wouldn't have followed me if I asked you politely," he countered languidly. "So I had to use force, and I think I sprained a muscle," he complained dryly, flexing his arm.
"I'll cut you again," Kanda hissed between gritted teeth.
Raising his hands placatingly, Wisely lowered his head slightly to divert the wrath of the exorcist. "It's not me you need to point that thing at," he informed in a frank tone.
"I know," Kanda stated, lowering his sword and standing, a grim expression on his features. "I'm heading back for the battlefield."
Once again, I sincerely apologize for this chapter -.- And there is a severe lack of Millennium Earl that needs to be remedied.