A.N: New chapter, folks. We'll be seeing a fight-heavy chapter as our heroes struggle to survive and protect Whale Island.
Chapter 22: Battle For Whale Island
At the docks of Whale Island, Sojiro's group had won an early victory. In the span of a few minutes, Kinpatsu was standing over a small mountain of defeated and deceased Acolytes. Taiyomaru was hefted atop his shoulder. Noriko, for her part, could not help but gaze at Kinpatsu in a sense of awe. Kinpatsu's presence boosts our fighting strength exponentially. She acknowledged. Even though the Grandmaster is the one with the name and the prestige...as his nurse I cannot deny it, he has become quite weak.
So Sir Kinpatsu's presence is welcome. Noriko noted. We struggled against a few Acolytes back in Ruby's world, but with him, Acolytes aren't a big threat to us anymore.
Still...we still have several other ranked members of the Cult to worry about. Deacons, Bishops, Cardinals, that Matriarch, and the one who commands all of them. Noriko added before heaving a sigh. I guess...we'll just have to take things as they go, right?
"Okay," Kinpatsu spoke up, "I think we've secured the docks. Let's hurry back to the rest of our group and give them some aid."
Noriko raised an eyebrow, surprised at Kinpatsu's stamina. "You're something," she complimented, "you being here definitely gives me a bit more comfort fighting these people."
Kinpatsu hummed at this. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment." He said, confusing Noriko.
"As strong as I am, you need to put your faith in those who can continue to grow as warriors." Kinpatsu pointed out. "I understand that as a medic, you need to think a bit more realistically than others, but I believe faith and logic both have a place in the field of medicine."
Noriko was taken aback by this for a moment before scowling. "Whatever you say, Kinpatsu." She said.
"Do you disagree?" Kinpatsu asked.
"I am here for one reason and one reason only, to help people with my medical skills." Noriko claimed. "I...don't have the warrior's spirit or faith or whatever you want to call it. Just a desire to preserve life with my healing powers. To be honest, I despise the foolish war games that warriors play. It was why I wanted to be a medic instead of a soldier. And it was why I volunteered to act as the Grandmaster's personal nurse. I wanted a quiet job to ease a good man's pain as he passes on. Not just be a part of some war machine. And instead...I end up here."
Kinpatsu fell silent for a moment before smiling. "I won't ask you to explain yourself to me. But however you feel...please remember that there is more to being a warrior than just war."
Kinpatsu then gasped, sensing a particularly ruthless presence coming close to him. "Be on guard, Noriko!" He yelled to the nurse. "Someone else is here, and he's not like the rest!"
Noriko was wondering just who Kinpatsu was referring to, until a familiar black suit of armor suddenly landed in front of her and Kinpatsu. Her eyes widened in horror. "You can't be serious!" She yelled in shock. "He's still alive?"
The Black Knight stood before Kinpatsu and Noriko. "Kill...all of you…" The Black Knight muttered in a demonic tone of voice.
"Noriko...go to the others, I can handle this guy on my own." Kinpatsu told them. "You're the medic, so I trust you to be able to figure out who needs the most help at the moment. You do your duty and I'll do mine."
Noriko nodded, taking one last look at the Black Knight. Her eyes widened when he noticed that he was gazing particularly at her with some sort of strange interest. Why me? She wondered. I'm no fighter. Why would he be interested in me?
"Go, Noriko!" Kinpatsu ordered.
"Er...right!" Noriko began to flee.
I don't know what that...thing's deal is, but if anyone can put him down for good, it would be Kinpatsu. She thought. I'll just focus on what I can do for now. The question now is...how will their fights go? Everyone, be careful!
Elsewhere, Yang Xiao Long gave a smirk, cocking Ember Celica in preparation to strike out at Seiji, the Deacon she was currently face to face with. Seiji's fang-like grin reared its ugly hid as he showed it off to Yang in all its splendor.
"Before we begin, I'd like to make something clear to you, just so you know just how doomed you are, Blondie." Seiji told her. "I've never been wounded once in a fight. Not a single foe has been able to touch me!"
Yang responded by firing several shotgun shells from Ember Celica. "First time for everything, right jackass?" She responded.
Seiji just laughed. "Not in this case there isn't!" He claimed as electricity began to appear around his body. "Static Discharge!"
With that, electricity exploded from Seiji's body in a 50 foot radius. Yang watched in surprise as the electricity blasted her shotgun shells into nothingness. "See? My Art is the ultimate offense and defense." Seiji claimed. "It's got the destructive force that man knew and feared in ancient times, but it also acts as a barrier to all attacks. It all comes down to the best offense being a strong defense, you get me?"
Yang scowled. "Well, that Art sucks." She said bluntly. "But, if I get inside your defense, that means I can punch you without any problem, right?"
Seiji laughed. "You think it's that simple? Go ahead, show me how simple you think it is!" He declared.
Yang took the bait and rocketed towards Seiji with Ember Celica's help. She then threw a punch with her left arm that Seiji just smirked at. Then, much to Yang's shock, static electricity sprang up out of nowhere, striking her in the arm. Yang screamed in pain as the static electricity coursed through her arm to the rest of her body. The force of the blast pushed her away from Seiji.
Seiji's smug smirk seemed to grow at the sight of Yang's failure. "Moron," he taunted, "this is the true strength of Static. It is my defense: Current Barrier."
"What the hell…" Yang muttered, getting to her feet. "That static busted right through my Aura?"
"That's what static electricity is, ya dumb blonde." Seiji taunted. "Science lesson, and pay attention, 'cause I'm only going to say it once!"
"Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material." Seiji explained. "The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge."
"I'm constantly charged up with static electricity." Seiji revealed. "In other words, no matter how many times you try and attack me, my Current Barrier will just stop you dead in your tracks and blast you with hundreds...no thousands of volts of electricity."
"A punchy brawler like you actually thought you stood a chance?" Seiji looked amused at the thought. "What a laugh! You were doomed the minute you had the misfortune of taking me as your enemy! I'm your worst nightmare, blondie!"
"So your Art is amplified static electricity." Yang summarized.
Yang then got to her feet. "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained." She smirked. "I let myself falter before and it was the biggest mistake I've made in years. I won't make that mistake again."
"It's Seiji, right?" Yang continued. "Okay, Seiji, let me make something clear to you."
"I'm going to beat that stupid barrier of yours." Yang promised. "I've worked too hard to get back to my little sister's side to lose to a prick like you!"
Seiji grinned. "Guess I fried your brain with that last blast." He noted. "Most people would run away when they realize attacking their enemy isn't going to work, you fool!"
Seiji then stomped downwards. "Static Wave!" He yelled, stomping the ground in front of him and shooting a wave of static electricity that tore across the ground towards Yang.
Yang rocketed above the Static Wave with Ember Celica. She fired off several shotgun shells once more, aimed directly at Seiji. "Like I already showed you, that's not going to work on me!" Seiji yelled. "Static Discharge!"
Another wave of static electricity exploded outwards, destroying the shotgun shells once more. Yang rocketed towards Seiji with the use of her right arm as the Static Discharge began to dissipate. Let's see if there's a delay between his offense and defense. Yang decided.
Yang threw a punch with her left arm once more, only for Seiji to smirk and strike back at Yang with his Current Barrier once more. Yang yelled in pain as she was blasted away once more by Seiji's powerful static electricity.
"Offense, defense, I have both at the ready." Seiji claimed. "Carve this into your memories: you cannot possibly harm me. You can't defeat me."
Yang's hair flickered with flames, a sign that the damage she was sustaining was starting to power her up. She scowled in frustration. That doesn't mean much if I can't even hit the bastard! She complained. I'll just waste the energy I'm accumulating.
And what's more, I can't even hope to defend myself and power up. She continued. His Static Discharge busts right through my Aura and damages me. His power really is an incredible mix of offense and defense.
Guess I'm just going to have to experiment to figure this guy out! She decided before smashing her hands into the ground and ripping out several jagged pieces of earth and tossing them upwards towards Seiji.
Seiji narrowed his eyes slightly, preparing to use Static Discharge once more to avoid being struck by the upended ground. Then, much to his surprise, Yang fired several shotgun shells from Ember Celica that struck the pieces of ground she had tossed into the air. Seiji gasped as the pieces of earth were destroyed, creating debris and dust that blinded him for a moment.
Damn it, she's trying to blind me so that I can't use my Static. Seiji frowned before smirking. She's an idiot, I have no problem keeping Static Discharge up as long as possible before she gets the message that she can't attack!
Seiji's Static Discharge suddenly appeared, stopping Yang before she could attack him, making her frown. Seriously? She complained. I was really hoping that blinding him would keep him from using his Art.
Yang looked at the dome of static electricity that surrounded Seiji in a barrier. How long can he even keep this up? Yang wondered, watching him keep up the barrier as a safety measure. She frowned at the sight. What a coward. It's no wonder he's never been hit before. Dude keeps up his defenses to a completely paranoid level.
The Static Discharge then flickered off like lights, making Yang's eyes widen in surprise. She had a look on her face that looked like she was asking: "Did I really just see that?"
Seiji sputtered at this, losing his perpetually smug face and replacing it with a bit of a nervous one. "Oh, so you can't keep it up forever, huh?" Yang deadpanned before rocketing towards him. "What, you need batteries or something?!"
Seiji stepped backwards and avoided Yang's punches as the punchy blonde landed in front of him. Seiji slowly regained his composure and laughed. "Moron!" He taunted. "Even if I do need to recharge my Static on occasion, it doesn't matter. You can't hit me!"
"I'm sure you were pretty damn fast and strong in your world, against your opponents. But against Watchers like me, you're nothing! This is what happens when big fish like you swim out of your small little ponds. You get devoured by sharks in the ocean!"
"Oh by the way, you really should've waited to see how long it takes for me to recharge my Static, Blondie!" Seiji told her. "That little mistake is going to cost you!
Suddenly, as a punch from Yang's left arm got close enough to the point where she believed she was about to connect, Seiji's Current Barrier formed around him once more. Yang screamed in pain as she was struck by powerful static electricity once more. Once again, it was blasting right through her Aura.
"Now then, I think I will go on the offensive now!" Seiji decided before holding out the palm of his hand.
Static electricity gathered in his palm. "Discharge Thrust!" Seiji yelled, striking Yang in the stomach with a palm filled with electricity, blasting Yang off her feet and away from the Cultist.
Yang landed on her back. Seiji folded his arms. "I told you, there's nothing you can do to me. I've never been hit. And a girl like you, who's only talent is punching things. You can't beat me! It's that simple!"
Yang groaned slightly, forcing herself to her feet, making Seiji laugh. "And still you get up." He taunted. "I think you should just lay down and get fried already. It would make things so much easier for the both of us."
I really can't punch him, no matter what I do. Yang realized. He's a smug bastard, but he knows how to use that power of his.
"Fight smarter, not harder." Sojiro had told her.
Know when to take a hit and know when to avoid one. I've got all this power, but I've got no way of hitting him. Yang complained. Damn it, why did static electricity have to get so brutal all of a sudden! I liked it better when it was just Ruby rubbing her feet on the carpet, building up the static and then shocking me.
"Do you have nothing left to say to me, Blondie?" Seiji continued to taunt. "If that's the case, then let's end this. I'm honestly starting to get bored here."
"Fight smarter, not harder." Sojiro's words rang out in Yang's head once more.
Well, smart at this point would be to run away. Yang acknowledged. If I can't punch him, I need to go and get someone who can, right?
Yang knew that was not a viable option at all. Screw that, I haven't lived my life to run away from my problems like I did after Beacon fell. I became a Huntress to live every day as if it were my last and to help people, like Ruby wants to help people.
In the end, it's just like the Grandmaster said. The fight may have changed, but the mission hasn't. That's why I'm here, and that's how it's going to be. Screw being smart and retreating. If everything I've been through hasn't beaten me down yet, neither will this fanged jackass.
"Fight smarter, not harder." Sojiro's words rang out in Yang's head a third time.
Yang smirked. Besides, staying in the fight doesn't make me an idiot, it's staying in the fight without a plan that makes me an idiot. If this guy really was invincible, he'd be the big boss. That means he's got some sort of weakness that I just haven't found yet.
Wait...if his power is centered around static...doesn't that mean the actual rules about static electricity apply here?
"Hey, come on, Blondie." Seiji growled. "Just because I want to end this, doesn't mean you can be rude and ignore me. I'd much rather you try and talk yourself into thinking you can still win. It makes crushing that hope a lot more fun, ya know."
"Sorry, Fangs, but if anyone's hope is getting crushed it's going to be yours." Yang promised. "I intend to snatch this victory right out from under your nose."
Seiji scowled before stomping onto the ground. "We'll see about that, you damn bimbo! Take this, Static Wave!" He yelled, sending out a wave of static electricity towards Yang once more.
Yang dodged the Static Wave as her hair suddenly burst into flames. It was time for her to burn with power and passion. The hell is she planning? Seiji wondered. Her power's shooting up right now…
Bah, it really doesn't matter. She can't hit me. My Current Barrier will just stop whatever punch she throws at me in its tracks and she'll take the damage instead. I've got this match in the bag! Seiji declared inwardly.
Yang then rocketed towards Seiji with Ember Celica's aid once more. Seiji just laughed at this. "It's not going to work, dumbass, but by all means, try anyway! It'll just make things easier for me, after all!"
Yang then smirked and threw a powerful right hook. "Current Barrier!" Seiji yelled as his body was surrounded by a barrier of static electricity.
I'll even charge up my Current Barrier with a bit more power. Seiji grinned. If this doesn't kill you, my next attack will. But this will leave you on the brink of death. Enjoy the pain, Blondie!
Then, much to Seiji's shock, Yang's right hook went right through his barrier and punched him square in the jaw. Seiji yelled in shock and pain as blood flew from his mouth and nose. Yang then fired off a shotgun shell right into Seiji's face, blasting him far away from her. Yang could not help the smirk in satisfaction at the sight. She was really starting to hate him.
"GYAGH!" Seiji yelled, rolling around in pain. "WHAT THE HELL?! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO BADLY! SHE...SHE ACTUALLY HURT ME!"
"Well, what do you know." Yang smirked. "It looks like I'm the first person to actually land a hit on you, jackass."
"I don't understand." Seiji muttered, now staring at Yang in fear, his confidence completely shattered. "How did you do it? How did you manage to hit me?!"
"You don't know much about static and conductors for electricity, huh?" Yang smirked, advancing on him. "Well, how about this for a lesson, you punk."
Yang held up her right arm, revealing the prosthetic limb at the end of it. Seiji's eyes widened. "Some metals are great conductors for electricity. Some aren't." Yang explained. "And considering how prosthetic limbs are supposed to remain in working condition to replace the limbs they've lost, this one isn't a good conductor."
"In other words, my prosthetic has stopped your stupid static electricity right in its tracks." Yang declared. "You may be able to shock everything else, but as long as I'm punching your sorry face with my right arm, your Current Barrier doesn't mean a damn thing to me."
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Seiji could only scream in disbelief at his beloved power being beaten by real life science, of all things.
"You know, I actually thought you were pretty damn intimidating when I couldn't hit you, but now that I've got you bleeding like that, you look seriously lame right now." Yang held both her shotgun gauntlets behind her, ready to rocket towards Seiji and put an end to this.
"Sh-shut up! Get away from me, damn it! Don't you dare hurt me again!" Seiji screamed.
Yang smirked. She had him right where she wanted him now. She then threw a right haymaker that nailed Seiji right in the jaw. Then, she fired off a shotgun shell. Actually, she did not fire one shotgun shell. She emptied an entire magazine of shotgun shells right into Seiji's face.
Seiji let out a muffled scream of pain before being smashed into the ground by Yang's final punch. Yang just smirked victoriously as she stared down at the bloody face of Seiji. She saw his clearly shattered jaw and many, many broken teeth. He was not getting up from that blow.
"A guy who's only trick is putting up a 'near impenetrable defense' has one very crippling weakness." Yang told the unconscious Seiji. "And that's himself. You spent so much time keeping yourself from getting hit, you didn't even bother training any part of yourself."
"You take life after life, but you don't have the balls to stand and take a hit yourself." Yang scowled. "You deserve to get the hell beaten out of you for both of those reasons."
At that moment, as Yang began to walk away from the beaten Seiji to try and help her friends, she swayed slightly on her feet before collapsing to her knees. "Aww man," she muttered, still feeling the aftereffects of incredibly powerful static electricity striking her repeatedly, "hopefully the Grandmaster doesn't get too pissed about me getting hurt. He says to play more defensively, but it's not like I could, when his static just punches right through my Aura."
"Still, I guess I'm starting to get what he said." Yang admitted, thinking back to those two powerful punches she had dealt right to Seiji's face. "In that moment I controlled my 'flame,' I didn't let it just burn out of control. The old me would've just kept punching at him, trying to build up enough power to just punch right through his static. But because I stayed under control...I knocked him out in two hits."
"Heh, guess I've gotten stronger." Yang smiled before wincing, feeling the aftereffects of the static electricity once more.
Yang panted before looking over her shoulder, back at the unconscious Seiji. "You bastard," she muttered, "you and all your dumb friends are going to pay for attacking all these nice islanders, and for shocking me too."
Elsewhere, Weiss Schnee and Noelle Silva stared down Deacon Yoshikawa. Noelle's grimoire floated in front of her. Weiss had Myrtenaster pointed right at him. Yoshikawa gave an amused chuckle at the sight of his two newest victims.
"So, anyway, greetings darlings." Yoshikawa said to them in a rather foppish tone of voice. "As I have said before, I am Yoshikawa. A Deacon of our faith."
Yoshikawa took a moment to sense for the Acolytes under his command. He frowned when he could not sense any of their Reiki. "I'd introduce you to my darling subordinates, but it seems they've got a case of death." Yoshikawa noted. "I suppose the three of us will simply have to play together."
"You think you can handle both of us?" Weiss demanded.
"I don't think you children appreciate the sheer number of people I've killed throughout my travels." Yoshikawa replied. "And you girls have had how many years of life? It's simple math, darlings."
"I'll give you simple math you freak," Noelle growled, "two is greater than one. And because it's Weiss and me, you're screwed."
Yoshikawa chuckled before raising his right hand into the air. "Alright then, I'll play your game." He said. "Two is greater than one. But you want to know what's even greater than two? A thousand!"
Weiss and Noelle watched in shock as several balls of water the size of tennis balls suddenly appeared, surrounding them in what was basically a dome of death. "Bullet Rain!" Yoshikawa flicked his hand forward as the balls of water were launched towards Noelle and Weiss simultaneously.
"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!" Noelle quickly formed a defensive dome of water to protect her and Weiss from water bullets.
Yoshikawa scowled as his Bullet Rain projectiles were stopped easily by Noelle's defensive magic. Unfortunately, spreading out Reiki like I do for my Bullet Rain lessens the power, so there's no way it could possibly penetrate that barrier of hers. He admitted inwardly.
The scowl then transformed into a smirk as he formed a large lance of water. But a concentrated piercing attack...that should do the trick. I'll take the one with more power first…
"Piercing Hydro Lance!" Yoshikawa threw his arm forward, telepathically launching the aquatic lance forward.
Noelle gasped when she saw Yoshikawa's Piercing Hydro Lance ram into her Sea Dragon's Lair. Noelle then gasped as the lance penetrated through the barrier before rushing towards her.
"I don't think so!" Weiss yelled, stepping in front of Weiss before forming three defensive glyphs in front of them, in a line.
Yoshikawa smiled with glee as his Piercing Hydro Lance got through Weiss' first two glyphs before being stopped in its tracks on the third one. Ah good, so I just have to break them down a little before their defenses are nothing to me.
Yoshikawa chuckled in anticipation. Tormenting adorable things like these two...it really is the best part of my life.
"You okay, Noelle?" Weiss asked her partner for this fight.
"Yeah, thanks to you." Noelle smiled before looking at Yoshikawa. "Weiss, we can't hope to win this if all we do is defend. He'll break our defenses sooner or later as our energy wears out."
"I know," Weiss nodded, "he's definitely a tough one. Nowhere near those Bishops we ran into in our world, but he's still tough."
Noelle nodded. "I could immediately go on the offensive if I used my Valkyrie Dress. Meanwhile, you could provide support."
"That would beat him for sure, but there is something we need to consider." Weiss pointed out to Noelle.
"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Noelle asked curiously.
"If these guys really came here because they sensed our presence, how long before Bishop-level fighters show up?" Weiss asked. "Even worse, how long before a Cardinal-level fighter shows up?"
Noelle shuddered at this, remembering the hellish experience that was Yakuma's near unstoppable rampage through the capital. A rampage that was only stopped because they caught a lucky break in the form of Julius Novachrono exploiting a loophole in an otherworld seal.
"I know it may sound ridiculous, but I think if it's the two of us, as long as we work together, we can take this guy down without using our best moves." Weiss claimed with a confident smile. "We can save our 'super moves' as Yang would call them for the big boss."
"You are something else." Noelle smiled back. "You're not worried at all about whether we can beat him or not?"
"I'm not worried," Weiss shook her head, "I've got you with me, Noelle. We're more than enough."
Noelle nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She said. "Okay, let's take him down!"
Noelle dropped her Sea Dragon's Lair. Weiss, meanwhile, formed a line of glyphs between herself and her destination: Yoshikawa. Weiss then propelled herself across the glyphs with the grace of a figure skater. "Straight at me, huh?" Yoshikawa chuckled. "Usually, I love it when beauty throws itself at me. In this case though, I think I'm going to have to make an exception."
Yoshikawa then gasped as several large balls of water flew towards him, courtesy of Noelle, glaring at him. He quickly countered with balls of water of his own that cancelled out Noelle's flurry of water blasts. As Weiss neared him, however, Yoshikawa pointed a finger gun aimed right at her. He fired a blast of high-pressured water at Weiss, intent on piercing her skull with the attack.
Weiss, however, propelled herself into the air, avoiding the blast. She then created another glyph midair that she used to propel herself back towards Yoshikawa, Myrtenaster first. Yoshikawa scowled and jumped away, avoiding Weiss' downwards stab. "You're wide open!" He yelled, preparing to fire another burst of high-pressure water from his finger.
Weiss, however, countered by spinning the revolver chamber built into Myrtenaster and then swinging her rapier upwards, creating a line of fire from the blade that managed to strike Yoshikawa, knocking him further back.
"Gah!" Yoshikawa quickly brushed the flames off his body. "So she uses fire along with those strange patterns? Great, so she's a walking, talking swiss army knife. I can't stand fighting people like that."
Weiss then stabbed towards Yoshikawa once more. Yoshikawa leaned to the side and slammed his palm Weiss in the stomach. "Ugh!" Weiss grunted in pain before flying back.
Weiss' Aura, thankfully, absorbed the damage, but she still felt the strength behind Yoshikawa's blow. Yoshikawa narrowed his eyes at Weiss, viewing her as the greater threat of the two based on her versatility alone. "You can play with this instead." Yoshikawa claimed as several puddles of water appeared around him. "Dance water!"
"Aquatic Festival!" Weiss and Noelle watched as several humanoid figures formed from Yoshikawa's commands.
The aquatic figures' arms then formed blades. "Weiss!" Noelle called out in concern, rushing to her friend's side.
"Kill them!" Yoshikawa commanded as his water puppets rushed the two girls.
"I guess this is what he really meant when he said a thousand beats two." Weiss noted. "That being said, I count...like a hundred."
"I really don't think now's the time to be making jokes, Weiss." Noelle muttered as the puppets neared them.
"Well, taking down large numbers of things is kind of my specialty as a Huntress." Weiss smiled confidently. "We fight monsters called Grimm and they almost always hunt in groups. Something like this is nothing!"
Weiss leapt into the crowd of puppets and began slashing them down one by one with Myrtenaster. The grace of a figure skater was gone, replaced with the image of one dancing in an almost ruthless fashion.
Noelle smiled slightly. I guess she does have every reason to be confident. She acknowledged. I'm royalty, I can't allow myself to fall behind someone like this, especially considering in a fight between the two of us, I came out the winner.
With that, Noelle began firing off projectiles of water that blasted a puppet apart with each one that connected. That's right, the two of us together are more than enough to shut this bastard down. No way are we going to lose to him! Noelle declared inwardly.
As Noelle continued to act as Weiss' long-ranged support, she could not help but note how unbelievable Weiss looked when swinging that rapier. I wonder if this is how my brother felt when he watched Mother fight. Noelle thought to herself. She was supposed to be some sort of war maiden that danced gracefully on the battlefield, after all. Weiss fights like she's dancing as well.
I can't be like that...so I'll just focus on how I do things. I'll brutally push forward with all my strength! With that declaration, Noelle continued to fire into the crowd of water puppets, helping Weiss to clear them out as fast as they could.
Yoshikawa, however, had other ideas. He pointed his finger gun right at Weiss. Idiots, the both of them. I'm well aware my Aquatic Festival can't beat you two, but when you have disposable soldiers like these...you can do something like this!
With that, Yoshikawa fired another high-pressure blast of water from his finger tip. The blast was unseen by both Weiss and Noelle for one reason. Their vision was being obscured by the Aquatic Festival.
Then, a puppet standing right in front of Weiss exploded from the force of Yoshikawa's blast. The blast then struck Weiss right in the chest. Her Aura became visible. Her eyes widened in disbelief from the sheer force of the attack. Much like before, she was not damaged, but she still felt it. Then she remembered. At the right force and pressure applied, water could destroy even steel.
"Weiss!" Noelle called out to Weiss in concern as she ran towards her friend.
Yoshikawa then trained his finger onto Noelle. A puppet then moved between the two of them, obscuring the Deacon from Noelle's vision. I've got you! Yoshikawa excitedly thought before firing another blast from his finger tip.
The blast tore through the puppet between him and Noelle. Noelle gasped, seeing the blast of high-pressure water coming towards her. Not good, need Mana Skin, now! Noelle frantically thought, trying to apply defensive Mana Skin to protect herself from Yoshikawa's attack.
"Noelle!" Weiss yelled as the blast hit Noelle right in the forehead.
As Noelle began to fall backwards, she formed a large ball of water and flug it right at Yoshikawa. Yoshikawa gasped in surprise as Noelle seemed to manage one last attack in a 'last gasp'. His shock prevented him from dodging and he was struck in the chest by Noelle's ball of water.
"Noelle!" Weiss yelled again, charging towards her friend to see if she was okay.
Weiss swung Myrtenaster, cutting down every single puppet in her way. She soon reached Noelle, checking to see if she was still alive from that attack. Her eyes then widened when she noticed Noelle smiling right up at her. Give him hell. She mouthed towards her.
Realizing that Noelle needed to play dead for a brief moment, Weiss turned her attention right to Yoshikawa. Yoshikawa frowned slightly. He was not fooled at all. He could sense that Noelle was still alive. I don't know how she survived that headshot, but it looks like I at least incapacitated her. Yoshikawa noted with relief. Between the two of them, that one with the Water Magic was a far greater threat.
With her out of the way, victory is mine!
"Still, I should probably make sure they're both dead." Yoshikawa noted, holding both his hands out in front of him. Water began to bubble and form in front of his palms. "Geyser Cannon!"
Weiss spun the revolver chamber in Myrtenaster in response as a giant blast of high-pressure water came rushing towards her and Noelle. She then created a giant white glyph to act as a wall.
Yoshikawa simply laughed at this. "That barrier of yours may have been able to stop my Geyser Cannon before, but you had multiple ones to help! One can't possibly stop my Geyser Cannon, no matter how large it is!"
"Now let's see how you die! Shattered bones? Drowning? Crushed to bits? Let's see how those adorable faces of yours are ripped to shreds!" Yoshikawa declared with sadistic glee.
Weiss then smirked as the Geyser Cannon neared her and her glyph. "You're right, this glyph wouldn't be strong enough to hold back your Geyser Cannon. That would be a problem...if it was designed to be defensive."
Yoshikawa's eyes widened. "What?" He said, wondering what Weiss meant by that.
Then, Yoshikawa's Geyser Cannon struck Weiss' glyph and immediately froze over into a giant column of ice. "What? The damn thing froze my attack?" Yoshikawa could not believe his eyes.
"Glyphs mixed with ice dust." Weiss revealed. "Schnees may be able to summon our defeated foes...but our greatest strength will always lie in what we can do with our glyphs!"
Weiss then spun the revolver chamber once more to wind dust. She quickly created a brand new glyph that suddenly blasted the column of ice right at Yoshikawa. She used ice dust to stop my attack and wind dust to turn my attack against me! Yoshikawa realized. Damn it, I was wrong! They're both equal threats, for very different reasons!
"I won't let my own attack be what does me in, damn it!" Yoshikawa yelled before firing a blast of water that shattered the giant column of ice into pieces, creating a white mist that obscured Yoshikawa's vision.
Yoshikawa's eyes widened, realizing that this may have also been part of Weiss' plan. Damn it! He cursed in fury as a line of glyphs suddenly appeared in front of him.
Then, Weiss came charging out like a speed skater. Yoshikawa had no time to react as he was slashed across the chest by Myrtenaster. "Agh!" The Deacon yelled as he stumbled back from the force of Weiss' slash. The Huntress in training skidded to a stop behind him.
"You little...this won't be enough to stop me!" Yoshikawa snarled, turning to strike Weiss from behind.
"Of course not, you're pretty strong after all." Weiss smirked. "That's why all this...was meant to distract you. Isn't that right, Noelle?"
Yoshikawa's eyes widened. No way! He yelled inwardly, turning back around.
"Damn straight," the mist cleared, revealing Noelle had finished charging up a particularly powerful spell. She smiled at Weiss. "Thanks Weiss, you bought me the time I needed."
This level of power...not good! Yoshikawa frantically noted, quickly creating an attack of his own to try and stop Noelle's attack.
"Water Creation Magic…" Noelle began as her magic began to form into a familiar sea dragon.
"This isn't over!" Yoshikawa yelled as his attack formed into a large drill bit made of water. "I'll rip that dragon in half! Piercing Oceanic Drill!"
Yoshikawa fired the water drill bit at Noelle. "Sea Dragon's Roar!" Noelle yelled, launching the water dragon at Yoshikawa.
That attack is an even stronger version of my Piercing Hydro Lance. It consumes a tremendous amount of Reiki. But it will get her for sure!
Enjoy watching your final hope be blasted to bits, you fool! Yoshikawa declared as the sea dragon opened its mouth as the drill bit neared it.
Yoshikawa's Piercing Oceanic Drill then clashed with Noelle's Sea Dragon's Roar. The shockwave between two powerful attacks that resulted nearly blew both individuals right off their feet. Yoshikawa kept his confident smirk. "It'll drill right through you, your hope is gone!" He declared.
Noelle's smirk, however, threw him off guard. It was the smirk of someone who believed they had already won. "My hope is gone? Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong." She claimed. "Because as long as I know my friends are behind me, supporting me, I can push through anything with everything I've got! My hope is them and their love and support for me!"
"So how about I drill through your attack instead, you bastard!" Noelle yelled. "And then I'll drill into you!"
The Sea Dragon's Roar then smashed right through the Piercing Oceanic Drill. "Wh-what?!" Yoshikawa gasped in disbelief.
Okay, calm down, I can just dodge it and then...wait, why can't I move? Yoshikawa gasped, feeling that he was indeed stuck in place.
"You forgot about me, didn't you?" Yoshikawa's eyes widened at the sound of Weiss's voice. "I created a time-dilation glyph to slow you down. Like we've been saying. It's the two of us, so we're more than enough to shut you down!"
With that, Weiss moved out of the way, leaving Yoshikawa alone to take the full brunt of Noelle's mighty attack. At that moment, Yoshikawa realized they were right. They were enough for him. Two was indeed better than one. And it was still hard for him to comprehend. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Yoshikawa could only exclaim in disbelief as the Sea Dragon's Roar was right in front of him.
The powerful attack collided with the Deacon, hitting him with enough force to wrench him free from Weiss' time-dilation glyph. Weiss and Noelle watched with looks of triumph as their foe was flung into the air, mouth and eyes wide open in a silent scream. The Deacon then landed flat on his back and laid there, motionlessly.
At that moment, it fully registered with Weiss and Noelle that they had beaten their foe. The two then smiled at one another and cheered. "Alright!" Weiss yelled.
"The victory is ours!" Noelle added as the two 'princesses' of the group hi-fived.
"Your glyphs are amazing, Weiss!" Noelle complimented. "Seriously, I'd be in trouble against you if I wasn't able to fall back on how destructive my magic is."
Weiss laughed. "Yeah, but honestly, it was all it took just to keep up with you." She admitted. "Semblances can drain your stamina, and that was no exception."
Weiss tumbled a little, Noelle caught her. "Whoa, you weren't kidding." Noelle gasped.
"Don't worry, I just need to catch my breath." Weiss assured her. "Sorry if I'm worrying you, it's just with how awesome you were doing, I just didn't want to get left behind."
Noelle smiled. "It all worked out, so great job, Weiss." She said sincerely.
Meanwhile, Yami Sukehiro grinned in anticipation, readying his katana and his Dark Magic for battle with his lanky, long-haired foe. "I am Suzukaze of the Slashing Tempest. I carve a bloody path in the name of my god." Suzukaze properly introduced himself.
"Cool, I'm Yami Sukehiro and I really don't care." Yami responded.
"The Destroyer God of the Magic Knights. You I have certainly heard of." Suzukaze acknowledged. "The remnants of the Eye of the Midnight Sun warned us of you, Sukehiro."
"I heard you guys are holding the Eye of the Midnight Sun by the balls by controlling their leader, Patolli." Yami claimed. "Kind of a low blow, don't you think."
"Only a few of them." Suzukaze shrugged. "The others fell in line surprisingly easily. This may surprise you, Sukehiro but most terrorists don't really need a reason to accept a free pass to destroy everything in sight. The only ones who needed to be persuaded as such were those Third Eye fools."
"You know, the fact you can say that without any empathy should piss me off, but I've kinda figured you were the bad guys, so of course you wouldn't have any empathy." Yami snarkily noted.
Suzukaze responded by swinging his sword, sending out crescent-shaped waves of wind. Yami easily blocked them with his katana. "Oh, good, we're starting, I was getting sick of this nonsense anyway."
"My, my, you are an odd one." Suzukaze mused.
Yami responded by rushing Suzukaze with a battle-hungry grin on his face. "Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Lightless Slash!" Yami yelled, sending a flying slash of dark magic at Suzukaze.
Suzukaze then smirked. "But, I can sense your lust for battle from here. I think I'm going to enjoy this." He claimed before slashing in the shape of a cross. "Cross Kamaitachi!"
With that, Suzukaze sent a cross-shaped slash of wind that clashed against Yami's Lightless Slash. Yami then leapt right at Suzukaze, katana raised high. He's gutsy to try to fight me at close range...or rather, perhaps he thinks because my Art is wind-based, I can't fight up close and personal.
Truth be told, we're actually quite similar, Yami Sukehiro! Suzukaze declared inwardly before swinging his blade horizontally. Steel met steel as Suzukaze's katana clashed against Yami's.
Suzukaze then tapped his foot on the ground, creating a gust of wind that blew him away from Yami, allowing him to put some distance between the two. Yami grinned. "You're not getting away that easily, Suzukaze!" He declared, turning the blade of his katana upwards.
Another one of those Lightless Slashes? Suzukaze was confused. Why use the same technique when he already knows it doesn't work.
"Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Black Blade!" Yami yelled, swinging upwards. Suzukaze then gasped when he saw darkness extend from the blade. He was wrong. Yami was not attacking with a flying slash. He was attacking with something to extend his regular blade. And because he had guessed wrong, Suzukaze could not stop the attack.
Suzukaze grunted in pain as he felt Yami's Black Blade slash through his flesh. I see the Magic Knight Captains indeed aren't to be underestimated. This is exactly why I warned my subordinates not to discount men like this after word of Cardinal Yakuma's rampage got out. Cardinal Yakuma is one thing, we are another.
Suzukaze sighed. And it appears my men are dead, too. They must've run into quite the monster. Hmm...well, whoever that man is, he's run into quite the monster as well. That Black Knight...he really is an oddity…
Ah, right, I shouldn't be too distracted. I myself am fighting quite a monster.
Suzukaze then watched as Yami rushed him once more. He responded by stabbing into the ground. "Rising Cyclone!" He yelled as a massive cyclone sprung up in front of him, blasting Yami into the air.
"Was definitely not expecting this…" Yami mused nonchalantly before looking out to see the open waters. "...huh, I guess when we do finally leave, we have quite the trip ahead of us. That's a lot of ocean."
"Wild Kamaitachi!" Yami looked down to see Suzukaze swinging his katana wildly, sending out a flurry of crescent-shaped wind slashes.
"Dark Magic," Yami quickly countered by swinging his blade wildly as well, "Dark Cloaked Lightless Slash Storm!"
Suzukaze watched as Yami's own flurry of dark slashes cancelled out his flurry. Yami then landed on the ground. He quickly rushed Suzukaze once more, firing off a few more Lightless Slashes for good measure. Suzukaze responded by blocking those slashes with his bare blade. Then, as Yami neared him, Suzukaze held his blade out in front of him, as though he were about to stab forward. And he did.
"Jukendo!" Suzukaze yelled.
Yami gasped slightly at the sight. Jukendo...just like back home. He noted. A kendo style likened to sojutsu...spear fighting. So it's a thrust forward.
And with my reaction time...something like this is easily avoided! Yami pivoted and spun past the thrust, preparing to take Suzukaze's head off with a single swing.
Suzukaze smirked. "This was only part one of the technique." He revealed. "Jukendo: Tempest Buzzsaw!"
Slashing winds suddenly appeared on the sides of Suzukaze's katana, digging into Yami's side like a buzzsaw. Yami grunted in pain. His swing stopped dead in its tracks. Well that was a rookie mistake. He groaned inwardly. I should've realized he'd have something like this up his sleeve!
Well, I'd never have made it as far as I have if I let a mistake stop me! Gritting his teeth, Yami blocked out the pain as best as he could before resuming his attack.
He could not regain his momentum and decapitate Suzukaze, so he kicked the Deacon away from him instead. Suzukaze gasped at Yami's pain tolerance. He managed to fight through the pain to separate us!
"Dark Magic!" Yami yelled, pointing his katana right at Suzukaze. "Dark Cloaked Black Spear!"
A pointed black line shot out from the tip of Yami's katana, piercing through Suzukaze's stomach. A new spell? He's just filled with surprises! Suzukaze noted, eyes wide from the pain.
Suzukaze dug his feet in the ground and placed both hands on his katana. He could not help but smile slightly, sincerely growing to appreciate Yami as an opponent. I must admit, even I had miscalculated how much of a threat this man was. He admitted inwardly. I rarely use Jukendo because of how easily people at my level of strength and above can avoid it. However, this man's reckless abandon for the sake of victory...actually forced me to invent a new technique on the spot.
Out of respect, I shall bring him down with one of the two strongest techniques in my repertoire. This technique...even places the Bishops on guard!
Suzukaze raised his blade into the air. "You have been a superb opponent, Yami Sukehiro, but it is over now. I will now push myself to the limit and crush you!" He declared.
Yami grinned, noticing the familiarity of Suzukaze's new sword stance. It was kendo. "Bring it then!" He yelled, charging right at Suzukaze with that reckless abandon the Deacon had come to admire.
"Kendo," Suzukaze began as a massive amount of wind swirled around the blade, turning it into a giant blade of wind, "Falling Tempest!"
"Dark Magic…" Yami muttered quietly, beginning to swing his katana forward, his grimoire going to work.
As the Falling Tempest struck the ground and enveloped Yami, the sheer destructive force of the tempest created a fissure that went all the way into the forest of Whale Island. Suzukaze smiled slightly, thinking he had been victorious. "A splendid fight, Yami Sukehiro…" He said before a black blade came out of nowhere and not only slashed through his katana, but his body as well.
Suzukaze's eyes widened. What? He could only think as the blade fell to the ground. Now, he was only holding the hilt.
Yami then revealed himself, inside of what appeared to be a black cocoon of sorts. Inside, he was grinning, and somewhat bloodied, but grinning all the same. Suzukaze gasped. "You cast a defensive spell at the last moment!"
"Dark Magic: Black Cocoon," Yami revealed, "of course, I knew it wouldn't stop your attack completely. I just needed the damage mitigated. And with the Black Cocoon cracked like an egg, I could see exactly what I needed: you."
Suzukaze managed to grin in spite of the pain he was in from this latest wound. Seriously, this guy...he just doesn't give a damn. He'll push past anything to win. Pain, low odds of victory, all of it.
"Still, I have to admit, I was actually a bit concerned when you started breaking through the Black Cocoon. That Falling Tempest was damn strong." Yami said sincerely.
"You used one of your strongest techniques on me, so I figured the best thing I had to do was put my all in surviving it." Yami told him. "Sorry I couldn't respect you back by hitting you with an attack just as strong. I'd rather not destroy this island. I happen to like one of the residents. He's a good kid."
"No, it's fine. A trick like this is permitted in a fight for survival." Suzukaze told Yami before blasting the Magic Knight Captain away with a gust of wind. He then picked up his hiltless blade and sighed, dropping the hilt and sheathing the blade.
"I must admit, Yami Sukehiro, you dealt some impressive damage. Kudos to you." Suzukaze told him. "I had been curious about the Magic Knights after hearing the report from Cardinal Yakuma and his men...and you have not disappointed."
"In any other situation...this would be my limit." Suzukaze acknowledged. "And so, out of respect for one of the finest opponents I've ever thought. Allow me to break that limit and show you my other strongest technique."
"Truth be told, when killing people, I prefer to do so directly. Their deaths already have meaning, so I at least want them to feel they have meaning when I kill them with my own blade." Suzukaze explained. "So I don't use this technique as often as you may think. It's just not...personal enough for my tastes."
"But now that you've broken my blade, allow me to show you the true strength of my Art: Tempest."
"Zone of Death: Reaper's Tempest!" Suzukaze yelled as the wind suddenly picked up around him Yami.
Then, much to Yami's surprise, a dome of razor wind formed around them, making the violent winds even stronger. What the hell…
Then, suddenly, a slash of wind came out of nowhere, striking Yami across the back. Then one hit him across the chest. "Gah!" Yami yelled in pain.
"The Zone of Death, the ultimate killing-technique. Another technique that would even give a Bishop pause." Suzukaze revealed. "All who step inside this zone are marked for death by the Reaper's Tempest."
Yami continued to be slashed repeatedly by the Reaper's Tempest. "This tempest will seek out any life inside of the zone and will attack them repeatedly until those inside collapse."
"Then why the hell aren't you getting slashed?" Yami demanded. "You cheating?"
"No, I happen to be standing inside of the lone protection zone of a 3 meter radius." Suzukaze shook his head. "As long as I remain here, I can simply watch you die, Yami."
"Sounds like all I have to do is step into that protection zone and kick your ass." Yami noted.
Yami then managed to block one of the slashes, only to take another to the back. "That's not going to happen I'm afraid. You simply don't have it in you to block all of my attacks." Suzukaze calmly told him. "Up, down, left and right, you cannot anticipate all of my attacks. You are doomed against me now, Yami."
He's right, I can predict these attacks with ki, but the problem is, these attacks come so fast and from so many different angles, I can't pick up on them all! Yami realized.
"Mana Skin!" Yami yelled, covering himself in a reinforced barrier of Mana.
"An interesting tactic, but all you've done is delayed the inevitable. Accept your end with dignity and grace, Yami. One befitting the finest opponent I've come across." Suzukaze told him.
"Screw that," Yami responded with a grin, "just you watch, Suzukaze. Now that you've pushed me into a corner, this will be where I push past my limits!"
Suzukaze frowned at this. Funny...I actually want to see if he can do it.
Yami tried to push his ki further and further to try and block the slashes and to make sure his Mana Skin does not break before he breaks his limits. After everything I've been through, after everything I've done for Lord Julius and my idiot subordinates...there's no way in hell a man like me is going to die in a place like this! Yami screamed inwardly.
"You really think my Dark Magic is a blessing, Captain Julius?" A young Yami Sukehiro asked Julius Novachrono, Captain of the Grey Deer at the time.
"Of course, because it is a reflection of how much you care, Yami." Julius had told him. "Darkness envelops everything. Just as you, no matter how much you want to deny it, want to envelop the things that are precious to you and protect it."
"If you say I'm that sappy again, I'm going to kill you."
Julius had just laughed. "So you say, Yami, but you can't deny what's in your heart. You will grow into a fine man because you are kinder than most in this world."
Guess I really can't deny it anymore. Yami smiled inwardly.
That's right, I am darkness itself. A darkness that envelops my foes...a darkness that envelops the things that are precious to me. So that I can protect what is precious to me! Yami declared. And if everything I've been through hasn't broken me down, neither will this! I will surpass my limits, and my darkness will envelop you too, Suzukaze!
And with that declaration, two new pages appeared in Yami Sukehiro's grimoire. Yami grinned, knowing exactly how he was going to win now. You were wrong to think that Reiki can't be absorbed by non-Reiki techniques. Or rather, you just didn't consider all the possibilities. He thought, remembering Vangeance's words to him after the fight with Yakuma. In the end, what made Vangeance's technique fail...was that his roots were treated like regular roots, absorbing something that shouldn't be fed to roots, like actual plants.
However, darkness is different. Darkness is a gravity that envelops and absorbs everything! No matter what it is!
"Mana Zone!" Yami yelled as a dome suddenly surrounded Suzukaze, Yami and the Zone of Death. A black hole suddenly appeared above the Zone of Death and below the top of the dome. "Dark Magic: Black Moon!"
At that moment, Suzukaze noticed something that worried him tremendously. The slashes from the Reaper's Tempest were beginning to weaken. What is happening...wait, that technique! Suzukaze's eyes widened. No, it can't be!
Suzukaze then saw the black hole just above his weakening Zone of Death. That black hole...it's...drawing in my Reiki!
I don't need to absorb all of it. Yami noted, sheathing his katana. Just enough to weaken the effects of this technique, so that I can focus all my strength into this one final blow.
As the effects began to weaken, Suzukaze realized his Zone of Death no longer had the strength to cut through Yami's Mana Skin. He looked at his ruined blade. I must end this here!
Suzukaze winced. Damn it, he also drew in my own Reiki...and I've used so much of my Reiki after using two of my strongest attacks in such quick succession. I need to go for a short-ranged attack to end this, like my Jukendo!
Suzukaze used the Vanishing Walk to speed towards Yami. Track him with your ki, Yami. Yami reminded himself as he condensed Black Moon into his sheathed katana. And then, when he's in range...hit him with the finishing blow that will end this!
I thank you Suzukaze, I enjoyed this fight as well!
"Tempest Slash!" Suzukaze yelled, using a basic slashing technique aimed right at Yami's neck. It was all he had the energy to use.
"Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked…" Yami rapidly unsheathed his sword, striking Suzukaze across the abdomen. "Iai Slash!"
Suzukaze's eyes widened at the force of Yami's Iai Slash. A fatal blow, right across the abdomen. He could feel the blood flow freely below him. He fell to his knees. "I've...lost." He realized.
Yami sighed. "Yeah, you did." He said.
Suzukaze smiled slightly. "Guess...I was just a step too slow, huh?" He noted. "Still...I can think of worse ways to go out. That was...a hell of a fight, Yami"
"Well...done…" Suzukaze fell forward, dead before he hit the ground.
Yami heaved a sigh, sheathing his katana and lighting a cigarette. "It really is too bad, Suzukaze." He admitted. "If we weren't enemies...I would've offered you a drink, instead of a fight. Rotten bastard you were, for fighting for a genocidal cult...you might not have been that bad a guy in different circumstances."
"If there is a shared afterlife in this big, big universe of ours, when I bite the big one, let's see if we can share that drink." Yami told his defeated foe.
Yami then groaned, falling onto his rear. "Damn, that fight took more out of me than I thought. Sorry, everyone, guess I'm going to have to rest for a bit."
However, while Sojiro's group had achieved several victories already, the same could not be said for three other fights. Asta was currently getting tossed around by Moriboshi's vines. Suddenly, a particularly large vine rose up and slammed Asta into the ground, creating a crater. "D-damn it…" Asta groaned in pain. "What is up with this guy? He's running circles around me."
"Meteor Jab!" Elsewhere, Enko fired a blast of fireballs from her fists that struck Izuku Midoriya in multiple areas.
Izuku yelled in pain. She was catching up to his Full Cowling at 20%. "Those flames...they're as hot as Shoto's!" He realized.
And finally, Ruby Rose attempted to strike Hotaru with Crescent Rose, only to be surrounded by balls of light. "Firefly Lightshow!"
The balls of light transformed into beams of light that struck Ruby in multiple places, making her scream in pain and allowing Hotaru to safely speed away with Vanishing Walk. "Swarming Fireflies!" She yelled as balls of light appeared behind her before firing at Ruby with laser beams.
Ruby gasped and managed to dodge, only for Hotaru to close the distance between them and kick her in the stomach, knocking her further back. "This is just getting sad." Hotaru taunted with a cruel smile. "You promised you'd fight and protect those kids and the other people of this island, right?"
"I can't believe your mouth just went and wrote a check that your body just can't cash." Hotaru sighed. "That's just lame."
"I can...still fight!" Ruby declared.
"Of course you can," Hotaru rolled her eyes before sighing again, "you know, I honestly don't get you…"
Enko seemingly picked up the speech, giving Izuku the same speech. "You're not from this world, right? Why are you here risking your life for these people?"
"They are strangers to you," Moriboshi gave the same speech to Asta as well, "there is no reason for you to fight to protect them. No reason to die for their sake."
Asta glared at Moriboshi. He got to his feet without hesitation and responded. "No reason?" He yelled furiously.
Izuku took a deep breath. "Yeah, maybe there is no reason for you." He said. "Because you're right, these people are strangers to me."
"But they are still people with lives, hopes and dreams." Ruby reminded her foe. "Lives, hopes and dreams that you want to stomp on, for some idiotic reason! That's all the reason I need!"
With that, the three young aspiring heroes dug their heels in, glaring at their foes, resolving themselves to fight their foes until the bitter end, and to protect the people of Whale Island from the Cult of the End."
"That's why I'm going to protect them!" All three young heroes declared in unison, ready to continue the fight for Whale Island.
A.N: So we've got some victories. Yang took advantage of her prosthetic arm. Weiss and Noelle took advantage of their numbers and teamwork. And Yami was simply...Yami. Still, the fact that Yami had trouble with a Deacon should give you an idea of how much of a threat these guys are to this world.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Next time, a chapter devoted to Ruby, Izuku and Asta.