Before we move on, I have some things to say. First of all... sorry for the long updates. I'm feeling major fatigue as we go into the endgame of this powerful story.
Secondly, a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: I'd like you all to join me in thanking my good friend RobertCop3. I was fully preparing to scrap the Kasumi Todoh arc, as I simply did not have time for it... but RobertCop has taken it upon himself to finish it, with my blessing. So, to anyone who wants to know how Kasumi's story plays out... stay tuned for this story, to be published by RobertCop3. He's a good guy. God bless him.
Okay! Without further ado, let's get this big damn anime battle started!
All Hell had broken loose in Odeonsplatz Square.
Burnov lowered his head and charged at Ralf, leaving a flame trail in his wake...he tried to ram him, but the Ikari Warrior stopped him in his tracks with raw strength, although he felt his feet being pushed back... finally, he planted his foot hard, like slamming the brakes, drew his head back... and he rammed, full force, into the masked face of Burnov. A massive uppercut came after, knocking the colossal fatty onto his back.
Abobo came down on Clark with an overhead smash; Clark wisely rolled to the side, avoiding the attack, and he threw himself at the muscular giant, locking around his neck in a bulldog headlock, and bringing him crashing down to the asphalt. He held onto the submission, despite Abobo's flailing legs and desperate tapping.
Nick Commando charged at Ramon; the luchador countered him perfectly, whipping him over his head with an over-the-shoulder arm drag. Ramon sprang to his feet, just in time to do a standing dropkick, blasting Jack the Ripper and sending him stumbling backwards. Joker came at him, swinging his hammer; Ramon captured his arm, spun around, and slammed the appendage over his shoulder, causing Joker to yelp in pain and drop the weapon. Ramon then controlled the limb, twisting the clown around, and he fired a knee to his body, before finishing him off with a forearm smash to the face.
Earthquake charged at Vanessa, swinging his kusarigama; he let the blunt end fly, aimed at her stomach. Vanessa dodged it and closed in with a vicious body punch... but the man was so fat, he merely laughed it off, and retracted his chained weapon, bringing it back the other way.
"Shit!" Vanessa sidestepped it just in time, and tried to nail Earthquake with another punch; once again, he no-sold it.
...It wasn't until Mary came flying at him, locking her legs around his neck and slamming him to the ground, that Vanessa was able to get in his face and start pounding him against the concrete.
"HYAAAAAH!" a newcomer jumped in, swinging a large, butcher's carving knife. Vanessa, sensing the danger, backed away just in time before Raiga's blade could pierce her flesh.
"There's a price on your heads, evildoers!" the fabled hunter proclaimed. "On my honor as a bounty hunter, I'll TAKE your heads!"
He swung at her again, with another fierce slash, Vanessa just barely dodged it, as the blade cut slightly across her top. "Ungh! We're not evildoers, you misguided son of a-"
"There's no point in getting through to them!" Mary yelled as she jumped in. "They'll convince themselves any way they can that they're doing the right thing, but this is about pure greed and malice, no matter how they shake it!"
Mary tried to shoot on him with a single-leg... but Raiga's strength was too great, and he picked Mary up with ease, by the scruff of her top, and slammed her into the ground.
"Unghhh!"
Planting a foot on her chest, he raised the knife, preparing to plunge it into her...
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAI!"
...Just as the blade came down, Adelheid jumped in, with his slashing G Cross, knocking the knife from Raiga's hand with his patented kick coursing with silver chi. Adelheid rolled with the momentum, spinning around into a back kick that sent Raiga flying backwards off his feet.
Not stopping for a second, Adelheid snatched Mary by the hand and hoisted her back up.
"Take it easy out there, Miss Ryan. You still have injuries from earlier this week."
Mary blushed slightly. "Oh.. uh... y-yeah. Guess we're even now."
Meanwhile, Iroha and a deadly swordswoman named Sinclair were locked in a duel of blades. Sinclair twirled her scimitar with impressive skill, before getting a running start and spinning around, to gather momentum for a massive overhead slash. Her blade struck the twin butterfly knives of Iroha, who crossed them in defense and flung Sinclair back. The crane maid danced forward with a flurrying windmill of strikes, going left, right, left, right... her twirling movements backing Sinclair up significantly.
Finally, Sinclair parried the next left, and redirected Iroha into a stumble, countering with a WIDE horizontal slash. Iroha yelped, as she just barely backpedaled in time.
"That's a lovely outfit." Sinclair fake-complimented. "I'll be sure to try it out after I kill you!"
...But Sinclair never had the chance, as she tried to charge at Iroha, only to receive a faceful of feathers. "AH! AHHHH!"
As always, Mamahaha proved to be an excellent distraction, as it gave Nakoruru the perfect opening to jump in and drop Sinclair with a perfect handle strike to the noggin.
Iroha bowed. "Thank you, Nakoruru-chan~!"
Nakoruru smiled. "Heehee! Anytime, Iroha-chan! I'm here for you!"
Iroha raised her head back up... just in time, as her face twisted to concern. "LOOK OUT!"
Iroha shoved Nakoruru away, just in time to receive a raging green gremlin's slashing claw. "GEH HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!"
After being knocked back a fair distance, Iroha finally found her footing. She readied her knives, and stared down the green creature... someone she had already interacted with.
"Hey, butt lady!" Genan Shiranui taunted. "TIME FOR SOME PAYBACK!"
The deranged yūrei Basara, reborn to human flesh, twirled his chained shuriken above his head and let it fly... towards a shaking, cowering Hyena.
"AHHH!" the pink-nosed Frenchman yelped and collapsed to his knees, as the shuriken just missed his head and crashed on the ground.
Silber stepped forward, grabbing the chain and yanking it, causing Basara to fly directly at him. A well-placed backfist smacked Basara in mid-air, laying him out flat.
"Just go hide, Hyena. You're f***ing useless." Silber urged to his reluctant colleague.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Hyena cried. "They're all yours, big boy!"
Silber was a true force of nature. Jack the Ripper ran directly at him, only to receive a fist to his stomach that folded him, and Silber brought that same hand upwards, with a backhanded chop to the jaw. Ryofu the Chinese Spearman was the next to go at Silber; he thrust his spear, and Silber sidestepped it and closed in deep, seizing Ryofu in a head clinch. Controlling his opponent, Silber drove his foot low, taking out his stance, before finishing Ryofu off with a brutal knifehand to the cheekbone.
Finally, the crazed slasher Shikyoh rushed Silber with his dual swords, swinging wildly. Silber parried the left with his bare forearm, and stopped the right with nothing but the edge of his palm. Shoving Shikyoh's arms off-balance, he fired a left body kick, a right body kick, spinning around into a back kick, all three hitting Shikyoh in the torso and dropping the man to his knees... finally, Silber delivered the executing hit, raining a chop on the back of his head that laid him out.
"WOOOOOOO GONNA KICK SOME ASS FOR MURICA! YEEEEAH! MURICA'S HERE TO SAVE THE MOTHER F-Oooof...!"
Nick Commando didn't get to finish his patriotic rambling, as Seth stepped forward and hit him with a hard body shot. Nick Commando recoiled in pain, and Seth nailed him with a knee to the same area, wise to not attack his head and risk injuring his hand on that cast-iron mask.
"Maaaan, I've seen patriots, and then I've seen batshit insane." Seth noted. "You're the latter."
It was impossible to read Nick Commando's emotions, as the mask obscured his face... but the way his voice raised, and he presented a green, pineapple-shaped object from his utility belt, suggested he was NOT pleased.
"OH YEAH! YOU WANNA SEE CRAZY! I'LL SHOW YOU F***ING CRAZY! GRENADE OUT!"
"Oh shit!"
Seth acted fast; just as Nick Commando drew back to throw it, Seth flopped and went low with a leg trip. This caused Nick Commando to lose his balance, thus dropping the grenade, with the pin off... and the dim-witted soldier fell facefirst on top of it.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
It was lucky for him that the iron mask saved his life; however, the resulting explosion knocked him out cold, and put to bed any idea of Nick Commando ever getting back in this fight. As many predicted, he was the first to go down.
"Whew... lucked out on that one." Seth spoke to himself, nervously massaging his suspender straps.
"...You won't get so lucky with me." a British female voice cut into his solitude.
"Wha...?!"
Seth recognized the voice easily; it could belong to no other. He turned, and his eyes confirmed the truth, as did the dropping of his mouth when he saw her: standing tall, poised, ever-distracting with her alluring body, yet her gauntlet and menacing eyes relished in devouring unwitting fools.
"You... YOU'RE here?!" Seth growled.
Lien's lips curved with a sly smile. "Look who it is: the man who delivered Fate to me. Tell me, does it ever keep you up at night, knowing what you cost those poor boys?"
Seth swung his arm defiantly. "I've already made peace with that. Because I know that no matter what, I could never compare to cold-hearted monsters like you or Duke! My hands are clean! If anyone should check themselves... it's you."
Lien chuckled softly. "Hm... sorry, I still sleep just fine. It was nothing to me. It was as easy as picking off a scab... just like THIS will be."
Seth scowled with pity, as he took his fighting stance. "You're cold as ice, baby... but that just makes you easier to break."
Lien wasted no more words; she rushed her old enemy head on, launching a huge right roundhouse, a left behind it... Seth bounced the kicks off his shoulders, and she spun around with a backfist from her heavy-duty gauntlet. Seth managed to catch her arm; he dipped a foot low and tripped her leg, bringing her down to one knee, and he straightened the arm out flat, putting her in a straight armbar.
Lien grit her strained teeth... Seth was a strong man, and could easily break her arm from this position. Determined to not give him the chance, Lien hooked a foot around his ankle, and the two of them tumbled forward into a roll, that resulted in Lien breaking free. To gain distance, she rammed a back elbow into his face, stunning him.
As Seth stumbled back, disoriented, that gave Lien all the time she needed. She raised her gauntlet-clad fist, as it coursed with a malevolent green energy... she stepped forward, and took her best swing.
Seth raised his arms against his chest, best he could, but the impact from Lien's super-powered fist caused literal ripples in the air, and the next thing he knew, his body had flown backwards and smashed into the nearest wall.
"SETH!" Vanessa punched Joker away just long enough to show concern.
"I'm alright!" Seth yelled, from his grounded position. "I've got her!"
"Got me? You've 'got me'?" Lien mocked her downed opponent as she slowly approached, until her shadow loomed over him. "Allow me to show you just how in control of this situation you are. HYAAAH!"
Lien raised her foot, and tried to come down on Seth... that's when his defensive techniques sprang into action, and he brought his right foot up to parry her own. Flinging her kick away, he locked his feet around her stationary leg- one on her calf, one on the back of her knee- and leverage took care of the rest, as Lien suddenly found herself falling backwards like a Jenga tower.
In two swift movements, Seth had reversed their positions. Now Lien was grounded... and Seth was the one above.
"Not bad." Lien smirked. "But barely passable."
A vengeful Seth achieved a top mount and tried to rain a punch down on her; Lien grabbed his arm and jerked him off balance, and Seth's time on top was short-lived. A small scramble ensued, and Lien was able to sneak out the back... and she made Seth pay, locking her arms around his neck, and putting him in a deadly sleeper hold.
"GGGhhh! GHhhhrrrkkkk...!" Seth felt his airways cut off in an instant. It wasn't just a pair of arms, choking him; it was that huge gauntlet, pressed against his neck, able to choke his life out in a way that two normal appendages couldn't. He had to act fast... or he was dead.
"Close your eyes." Lien whispered into his ear with bedside manner. "When you open them, you'll be with Fate in Heaven."
Darkness closed in around Seth's misty eyes... hysterical strength kicked in, to compliment his defensive abilities, and Seth acted out of desperation; he hooked his foot around her calf and tripped her off-balance, while simultaneously prying her arms free JUST enough to get some air back... when breathing was restored, he took a hard breath and muscled out of the choke, getting just enough arm reach that he could slide his hand underneath her jawline, and shove her head backwards, finally separating the two.
Lien, angry that she couldn't finish, raised her gauntlet and pressed it to her lips, to utter a specific command...
...But she cursed a second later, remembering that Addes had cut off her connection to the satellite weapon that she commanded in the past.
"Damn."
On the other fronts, Ralf, Clark, and friends continued to repel all attackers.
Ralf was now single-handedly taking on Burnov and Abobo, who were attempting some tag team action. Burnov tried a spinning clothesline, but Ralf ducked it and nailed the fat man with a HUGE body punch; Burnov folded, right into Ralf... who scooped the man up and threw him behind his head.
Abobo tried to rush in... and this is where things got freaky.
"YOU WANNA SEE SOMETHING, LITTLE MAN? HRRRRAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ralf was at a loss for words instantly, even going so far as to take steps backwards in disgust, at the abominable sight he was seeing. Abobo had... somehow... blown his body up, until his muscles were bloated to inhuman proportions. His grotesque body looked like someone had stuck an air tube in him and pumped way too much.
"WHADDAYA THINK OF THAT! HAAA HAAHAHAHA!" he spoke taunting words from his gross, puffed up face.
"Dude, what the f*** is wrong with you?!" Ralf blurted. "Clark, look at this motherf***er!"
Clark, who had just got done hitting Joker with an Argentine Back Breaker, turned to look... and his face too twisted with shock.
"WHAT THE F*** did someone stick a fire hose up his ass?!"
Abobo, the only one seemingly oblivious to how horrific he looked, rushed forward with confidence. "I'LL BUST YOU LITTLE PIMPLES!"
The giant, inflated man charged with a massive punch: Ralf and Clark played the matador, stepping away and letting him go past.
"Clark, hold him!"
"Roger that." Clark obeyed, as he got behind Abobo and leaped on his back, sinking his arms around the man's fat, thick neck. Abobo immediately protested, spinning around wildly, trying to fling the grappler off him.
"GET OFF! GET THE HELL OFF MEEE!"
Clark, who was being taken for a wild ride, wailed. "RALF HIT HIM FAST! HIT HIM! I CAN'T HOLD HIM!"
Ralf didn't need to be told twice. He stepped forward, his body charging with all the tension his muscles could produce...
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...!"
And he stepped forward and swung, unleashing it all at once.
"GALACTIC... PHANTOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"
Clark knew it was a good idea to leap off; he did, just in time, as Ralf unleashed his super punch into Abobo's face, sending the giant soaring across the square... until his body crashed into a wall, and Abobo fell to the ground, immobile. His body returned to normal, to the disappointment of no one.
A weary Ralf approached Clark... extending his fist, Ralf met knuckle with knuckle.
"Thank god. I was tired of looking at that." Ralf puffed.
Clark grinned. "Really? Cuz I saw your eyes linger for just a few extra seconds. You like em chunky?"
"F*** you."
Adelheid was currently surrounded: facing three men, to his one. For anyone else, this was unlucky odds... for him, it was practice.
Sokaku raised his staff to prepare a hellish incantation; Adelheid's leg soared truer than a sword, knocking the staff from his hands. Sokaku instinctively reached out in vain; this earned him a pump kick to the stomach, that sent him rocketing backwards off his feet.
Not even looking behind, Adelheid shifted his foot the other way, to kick Jack the Ripper in the stomach and give him the same fate. Finally, he turned and fired a silver Reppuken at Earthquake, who was trying to flank him. The tubby man was nailed by the blast.
Adelheid was in no hurry; with all the confidence, he stood there, allowing them to regain themselves, to welcome them for another round. Slowly but surely, they recovered, and began to surround him again, Jack with shimmering claws, Earthquake twirling his kusarigama...
...They attacked! Earthquake launched the blunt end; Adelheid activated his Dark Barrier and sent it flying right back, smashing into Earthquake's gut and causing a ripple.
Jack lunged at Adel with slashing attacks, swinging wildly with no real discipline...Adel was able to easily juke them all, until a surprise kick came from the mohawk serial killer... this one slightly threw Adel off, as he was NOT expecting a blade to extract where the man's foot should have been.
Adel just barely dodged the first lunging kick, then Jack raised his foot and tried to come down on him with a vertical slash... this allowed Adel to catch the leg before it arrived, and he fired a nasty stomping kick into the slasher's pelvis. Jack the Ripper yelped loudly and went down, Adel carrying his leg with him... and he went airborne, raining a thunderous heel strike on Jack's stomach to seal the deal.
Sokaku, who had taken longer to recover, had finally scampered over to his discarded staff and scooped it up. He hurriedly took his praying stance, to conjure up a demon... he managed a quick something, as a portal opened up at Adelheid's feet, and an arm tried to trip him up.
Adel, though surprised, didn't fall for it; he leaped over, and got a running start at Sokaku, who immediately started to panic. The disgraced Buddhist reached into his pocket and flung out a handful of caltrops, to try and trip him up; this too failed, as Adelheid easily cleared then, and finally arrived at his target...
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI!" Upon which Adelheid slammed into him with his patented Body Press, and sent Sokaku halfway across the square, into the nearest wall.
Adelheid exhaled sharply, releasing the tension of the moment... before setting off to find other targets. As long as even one of them stood, the battle wasn't won.
The Bounty Hunter Raiga resumed his idealistic assault, knocking Mary to the ground with a stomping kick to the stomach. Mary lay there, awaiting him to come at her... Raiga did, attempting to go down and carve her stomach open with his large knife. Mary's counter was perfect, locking her legs around his neck in a triangle choke, and SLAMMING him against the concrete. She held Raiga there, squeezing the consciousness from him, as he fought desperately to breathe...
"Mary, over there!" Vanessa pointed to the distance urgently. "The boys are in trouble!"
Mary cranked on Raiga's neck one last time, before removing herself from the man, and leaving him to wallow in pain.
"What the f..."
The two agents made their way over to the besieged boys' position, where they appeared to be greatly struggling against some mysterious assailant... a slender-looking figure, clad completely in black, the hood obscuring his face so greatly that only a black abyss could be seen. The only notable distinction on the shadowy figure was the white braid hanging out...
Regardless of appearance, the figure appeared to handle himself quite well. He parried Ralf's hook and countered with a palm to the body, then nailing him to the face. Clark closed in from the other side and tried to shoot on him, but the figure redirected him past, and the figure spun back around, just in time to catch Ramon's arm and thrust a knifehand into his throat. Ramon fell down with a gurgle, and the dark figure kicked him in the face, before turning back around and landing a flying kick on Clark.
Ralf came in with a nasty combination, going left body hook and right uppercut; the shadowy figure weaved through them and chopped Ralf in the back of the neck, sending him stumbling, and Clark tried to come in hard with a drop kick... this is when the man finally demonstrated his TRUE abilities, as he suddenly disappeared before their eyes, sinking into a pile of sand on the floor!
The sand reappeared behind the recovering Clark... and Clark turned around just in time to take two punches to the kidneys, and a third jab to the nose.
Finally, Ramon tried one more time, in vain to come at the mystery man... the black figure thrust his hand, summoning a gritty sand from his palm, blinding Ramon in his one good eye. Ramon helplessly took a kick to the groin, followed by a blow to the chest that knocked him away.
"Jesus, we can't even touch this guy!" Ralf cursed.
It was at this point that Vanessa and Mary finally entered the fray. Vanessa quickly approached her fallen partner, tears leaking from his sand-blinded eye.
"Vanessa baby, your turn!" Ramon yelped, slapping her hand. "Tag in!"
Vanessa eyeballed the mysterious newcomer with vengeful eyes. "Don't mind if I do."
The two women agents approached the newcomer, who turned to face them... for the first time, a voice was heard.
"Finally. I got tired of the damn sausage fest, all these dicks flopping around. Now THAT'S what I want full-contract with." he pointed to them with excitement.
Most mysterious hooded figures had a sinister, theatrical tone... but this guy was just plain rude and brash. It threw the women for a loop, and understandably got them riled up.
"I'll show you full contact, you perverted piece of s-"
Mary charged at him and threw herself low, to trip up his legs; the dark figure easily hurdled over her, getting behind her. Mary rose to her feet... and she felt herself get hit.
SLAP!
...It wasn't anywhere she expected to; the place where his hand connected made her stand up straight, stiff as a board. She reached one hand down, to place it on the area, to truly confirm she had just gotten slapped there...
...Red engulfed her vision, and she swung like a madman. A backfist, as she spun around and threw a wild combination 1-2, following up with a body kick. The hooded man easily weaved the punches, and extended his leg to parry the kick, throwing Mary off balance.
Mary felt herself get spun around... and the man's hungry hands attacked again.
"H-HEY! MOTHER...!"
"Damn girl, you are f***ing built." the pervy man spoke again. "What are you, an F?"
Mary was close to expelling steam from her nostrils. She forcefully pried the hands from her breasts and hooked them under her armpits. She drew her head forward, and sent it backwards, headbutting him in the face, before freefalling backwards and planting the two of them on the ground.
Mary smoothly rolled through it, and scrambled atop him, hooking his arm and pulling back with a traditional armbar... unfortunately, a second later, she felt the solid form dissolve around her, and the next thing she knew, a pile of sand was on the ground.
"Damn!" she rolled backwards, and the sand took solid form again... the hooded man stood before her once again.
He started to take a step forward... but his head suddenly turned the other way, as some object in the distance caught his attention.
"...Holy shit...!"
Mary tilted her head in confusion, as the man in black had completely stopped moving. He was standing there, frozen, his head stuck in its same turned position. She wondered what it was he was looking at, until she looked over and saw it herself...
...He was looking at Iroha from behind, who was locked in battle with Genan.
POWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
The peep show officially ended, as a speeding train of a fist crashed into the hooded man's jaw, sending him into a literal spiral from the force of the blow. His body hit the ground... and he was out like a light.
Mary looked down at his unconscious body, then up at the perpetrator: an angry, panting Vanessa, her fist extended post-swing.
"Thanks, Nes."
Vanessa's angry eyes still didn't leave the guy. "What the hell was that guy's problem? Was he even an assassin, or just some creep looking for ass?"
Mary joined her, staring down at the comatose figure. "I dunno. F*** that guy, though."
Iroha and Nakoruru were holding their own against their respective opponents...though both held the same undesirable quality: the thirst for human blood.
"Eek!" Nakoruru just barely brought her blade up in time to parry the dual swords held by Shikyoh, a crazed, white-haired swordsman with eyes devoid of humanity.
"Geh heh heh heh heh heh! HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Shikyoh cackled like a madman as he pushed Nakoruru back with a barrage of overhead strikes. Like banging a drum, he was producing sparks from Nakoruru's raised sword and backing the girl up, to the extent that she could barely remain on her feet.
"Heeeee... GEEEH!" he howled and threw a kick to her midsection with his geta-clad foot, sending the raven-haired girl into a wild tumble.
Nakoruru sprang up to her feet, staring at her opponent... her face twisted with disgust as he took on of his blades, and ran it across his tongue... and a grip crept on his lips.
"Heh. Still dry. Needs a nice red TOUCH!"
Nakoruru raised her weapon in defense as Shikyoh came back towards her... but the white-haired man had a new toy; he had combined his blades at the handle, to form a singular, double-bladed weapon.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" He cackled menacingly as he twirled the blade above his head, then let it fly at Nakoruru like a projectile.
"Ahhh!" Nako just barely blocked it with her steel, but was knocked onto her butt, as the weapon boomeranged back to his arms. She had to act fast; she rolled backwards and returned upright, just in time for him to come in, twirling his weapon, before letting it swing. She ducked the first one, and he swung so wildly he was nearly off balance, but he twirled the weapon again and let it fly the other way; Nakoruru rolled passed it, and sprinted to distance.
"KyeeeeeeeeeeeHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!"
Shikyoh smelled blood, as he charged at Nakoruru with his weapon twirling above his head like a propeller...
FLUTTER!
As was the case many times, Mamahaha came in with the rescue, scooping up Nako in its talons, just at the moment Shikyoh swung. He watched with displeasure as Nako was lifted high into the air, out of reach...
...And then the bird let go of her, and she came down on Shikyoh with a picture perfect slash across his ribcage.
Despite the fresh cut, the pooling blood, the pain... Shikyoh strangely smiled, as the weapon fell from his hands, and he dropped to his knees.
Nakoruru let out a sigh... but her face returned to a smile when Mamahaha landed on her shoulder. She leaned over, gently kissing the bird on its head.
Iroha was also locked in battle with the little green gremlin she had bested once before.
"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE!" Genan cackled as he charged at Iroha, his body rolled into a ball, shooting at her like a spinning sphere of death.
Iroha gracefully leaped over, and his body passed underneath her, though he was able to stop himself.
The two turned to face each other. Genan rushed her with his menacing claw gauntlet, but Iroha easily parried it with one butterfly knife, redirecting his hand, and spinning around to try and slash him with the other knife. Genan was able to leap back; upon landing, he extended his hand... and his gauntlet stretched forward, reaching Iroha with ease.
"Ah!" Iroha crossed her blades in defense, but the gauntlet's impact knocked her on her backside.
Genan sensed his moment. "I'M GONNA FEAST ON YOU, BIRD GIRL! KEEEEEEEEE!"
Iroha rolled to the side, just as Genan's giant claw struck the ground, and she upkicked him in the face. Taking advantage of the moment to roll to safety, Iroha unleashed her attack. Going airborne, her body twirling around and around like a spinning turbine, she gathered intense speed and momentum as she rocketeted towards the green monster...
CLANG! Steel on steel produced sparks, and neither was sure who won the standoff...
...Until a large, clawed gauntlet went flying through the air, and Genan reached out in vain.
"M-MY CLAW! GAAAAH!"
Iroha did a beautiful spinning back kick, and Genan got to enjoy the rear view for a split second before his lights went dark.
The two characters of similar history approached each other... Iroha smiled, raising her hand, and Nakoruru merrily leaped up, meeting her with a high five.
"I do apologize for the inconvenience, but Miss Rose is not seeing anybody right now. Please come back at a more opportune time."
"Move it, Jeeves! I take the girl!"
Burnov was currently in a standoff with the "humble" butler himself, Hein, who had positioned himself in front of the door to the building Rose had holed herself up in.
The fat man, who easily towered over him, took another step forward; Hein gently extended his hand in a halting motion.
"Sir, I'm afraid I must insist." Hein responded politely. "Miss Rose is not seeing anybody right now. I must ask you to leave, or suffer the consequences."
Burnov chuckled. "Heh heh heh heh! What you do, serve me to death?"
The fat man brazenly extended a rough hand, placing it on Hein's shoulder...
...Hein's glasses shimmered.
"GAH! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Before Burnov knew what was happening, he was screaming in agony, his body enveloped in a hellish dark red aura. Hein was just... standing there... two fingers on his glasses, as his body appeared to be the source of this demonic energy. It pulsated all around him, bathing the two of them in crimson light...
By the time the energy died down, Burnov was on his knees, his quivering arm reaching up in anguish... and Hein gently extended his gloved hand, to shove his head backwards and send him to the ground.
"Don't even begin to talk to me about death."
Even Hyena, whose retreat was unsuccessful, found a playmate in Sinclair. The deadly, focused swordswoman twirled her scimitar with lethal skill as she swung at the Frenchman, with every intent to decapitate him.
Hyena was a quaking mess as he just barely dodged the strikes coming at him. He yelped as he ducked low, left, right, swayed his head back... Sinclair aimed the tip and lunged, and their bodies crossed. In a fortuitous move, her foot got tangled with his leg, and Hyena inadvertently nailed the first hit, as Sinclair tripped and landed on her face.
"Sorry!"
Sinclair got back up, scowling. Hyena fumbled in his coat and threw one of his playing cards at her, but the swordswoman easily cleaved it in half and kept charging at him. He squeaked as she swung deep, and their bodies collided, Hyena taking advantage of the confusion to get behind her. The resulting scramble was more like a sloppy dance, as their backs stayed pressed together and Sinclair angrily tried to keep spinning around, only for Hyena to stay glued to her.
Finally, Hyena took a bad step... his foot accidentally came down on her calf, Sinclair buckled, and the back of her head connected with Hyena's elbow.
"Sorry!"
Sinclair once again, returned, growling MAD. She swished her sword left and right, but went low, attempting to swipe his leg. Hyena leaped back, but landed on his feet in a wild stumble. Sinclair rushed him and tried a backhanded swing towards his head: Hyena limbo'd backwards, but lost his balance and fell... as he hit the ground, his feet were extended slightly too far, and he somehow kicked out Sinclair's ankles, causing the swordswoman to hit the ground for the third time.
"I-I'm really attracted to you! I love strong women!" Hyena attempted to woo her in his strange way.
"DIE, BIG NOSE!" Sinclair cursed at him, lunging to her feet and charging him.
"Ah! AHHHH!" Hyena fumbled in his green shirt and tried to draw more cards... but they all fell out of his nervous hands. Finally, the man accepted his fate, fell to his knees and turtled...
...Out of nowhere, a fierce knifehand strike came, laying Sinclair out mid-run. The woman literally did a somersault, as her speed was so high, and she hit the ground.
Hyena, realizing he was still alive, rose back to his feet... he saw his well-built, white-haired hero, who curled his fingers back to knuckles, complete with a crackling of bone.
"Jeeez Silber, why you gotta always show off!" Hyena showed a complete lack of gratitude.
Silber puffed air from his nostrils. "Shut up, big nose."
Suddenly, the door to the Theatine Church opened; the clacking of fancy black slippers indicated Rose had indeed stuck her face out, for the first time of the night.
Looking down at the bodies around her, her nose curling, she lifted her dress slightly and made her way to where her three men were standing. "Well done, gentlemen. How goes the battle?"
Silber scoffed. "Pfeh. Hardly even one. This'll be over before you know it."
"Speak for yourself!" Hyena grunted.
Hein, the most professional of the three, focused solely on her well-being. "Miss Rose, it's unsafe to be out here. You're painting a huge target on yourself. Shall I escort you back inside?"
Rose chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Thank you, Hein, but I won't be cowering indoors for a moment longer of this battle. I must show that I'm not afraid of these ruffians. Besides... I must look after my dear brother, of course. Ohohohohohohoho~"
"Like your brother needs it." Hyena pointed to the distance... where Adelheid was burrowing his foot deep into the gut of Raiga, followed by a massive aerial heel drop on the thick man's dome.
Rose looked at him with admiring eyes. "Yes... my brother truly is the champion of champions. He shouldn't even be out there, dirtying his hands. These other peasants aren't worthy of the honor his help. Sigh... but my brother is how he is. Always the soft one. Do go and take care of him, will you? Make sure he doesn't get himself hurt before his big fight tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am." Hein bowed.
"Whatever." Silber grunted.
The two walked away... leaving a green-clad man with a big pink nose standing there, pointing at himself questioningly.
"That means you too, Hyena."
"DAMN IIIIT!"
In the midst of all the rampant, isolated battles going on... the fight between Seth and Lien still raged on strong, since the beginning. For these two, who had a moderate history together, the circumstances were slightly more personal than all the other mindless goons attacking.
Seth pumped out two quick jabs; Lien dodged them, and she brought her gauntlet close to block the left uppercut that came after, and she countered with a high kick. Seth bounced it off his shoulder, and Lien tried to follow up with a body kick... Seth caught her leg, went in close and shoved a forearm against her torso, sending her weight backwards and toppling her to the ground. He tried to mount, but Lien's leg was there to kick him away, and bring herself back to safety.
They returned to their feet, and Seth addressed her. "What is this to you, Lien?!"
Lien raised her fists once more. "It's just a job. Nothing more."
"You're willing to go this far for a simple payday?!"
Lien initially scowled... but her lips curved upwards, and she slightly chuckled. "Hm hm hm... it's always funny when people try to dig deeper, peel back layers that aren't there, find some bigger narrative... it's a bad habit of good guys. Sorry Seth, but there's nothing more to this story: I want the money, plain and simple."
Seth started to attack... but he felt strangely compelled to refrain, as he lowered his fists to his sides.
"You know what, Lien?" he addressed. "I was wrong about you. I realize it now... nothing you do is ever of your own will. You're just a puppet. Whether it's Addes, Mephistopheles, Duke or just a dollar bill... you're just dancing on strings. I pity you, honestly."
...That one seemed to get under Lien's skin, as the usually-cold assassin's face twisted to something... something that was more emotion than she had shown in a WHILE.
"I'm a puppet? I'M... a PUPPET?!" Lien's voice raised.
The blonde woman extended her finger, pointing out to the distance, to all the fellow cutthroats engaged in battle. "You wanna see a puppet? Look at THEM! I'm not bound to anyone's word or authority, like those mind-controlled freaks! I do what I want, WHEN I WANT IT. That's called being a human being. That's called having a life! An identity! A future! Everything I do... I do for me! ME!"
Seth's eyes squinted quizzically, catching the subtext in what she was saying. "Mind controlled... what are you talking about?"
Lien swung her arm. "Can you honestly not see it? They probably don't even know who the hell they are right now. They're all being manipulated by some... some woman. I heard her bragging about it. They all do what she says, like weak-willed, stupid little cattle! That's not me! That'll NEVER be me!"
Seth was starting to put two and two together, and FAST. "Oh no... is it that... puppetmaster... is it Botan?!"
Lien was silent.
"ANSWER ME!" Seth demanded.
Lien simply put her fists back up. "I've given you enough... come and take the rest."
They rushed each other at the same time. Lien cocked her gauntlet hand back and swung on him... Seth slipped it, and he timed her body perfectly, ramming his knee into her stomach. Lien gasped, as her momentum caused her feet to leave her, and she flipped over his knee, hitting the ground hard.
Seth tried to come down on her, but she kicked him off and sprang back up. She appeared to be seriously shook up from that body hit, as she wobbled intensely for a moment... Seth sensed she was hurt, and she rushed her.
Lien grunted in anguish and tried to counter him with a right cross; Seth slipped it once again, seizing her arm, spinning around and throwing her over his shoulder, slamming her to the ground. He dropped down and tried to pull an armbar...
...This proved to be Seth's one major mistake, as he had tried to crank on her gauntlet arm.
Lien hissed, as her gauntlet began to power up, glowing with green energy...Seth knew something was wrong, when Lien was muscling back to her feet, and Seth's body left the ground... she was carrying his entire weight on that arm!
Before Seth could curse his mistake, Lien lifted him high... and SLAMMED him against the concrete, complete with a green, pulsating shockwave. That was the most damning hit of the fight yet, leaving Seth laid out, barely clinging to consciousness.
Lien raised her fist, to finish the job... when a fluttering of wings interrupted her.
FLUTTER!
"Urgh...!" Lien ducked it, as the winged creature flew over her head. She put a hand on her head, feeling a light residue left behind... she brushed it free, looking down at it, as it hit the ground...
...A black feather.
She looked up, confirming it. "It's that bloody crow..."
The mysterious black crow had returned once again, but unlike the other times, when it had circled the sky and faded to obscurity... this time, it seemed intent to stick around.
Everyone started to notice, going so far as to cease their battles.
Ralf uppercut Joker, before stopping and looking up at it. "Whoa... what's that bird doing?"
Nakoruru withheld her sword, also looking up. "I... I've seen that bird before!"
At this point, the crow had everyone's attention. It continued to circle around... around... but it's course seemed to lower, gradually...
...Finally, it began to be a LOT more noticeable, as the bird started to descend upon the ground... it was touching down...!
...And finally, the crow parked itself, right smack dab in the middle of the square.
Every single eye in the area was on it. Silence.
...Suddenly, the crow morphed into a black shadow!
"AH!" Nakoruru steeled herself.
"What...?!" Mary grunted.
The shadow grew, stretching out, taking form.. yet the red eyes remained, glowing brighter and brighter, as the darkness began to shape into a humanoid form...arms... legs... distinct-looking armor, a strange, beaked face...
The darkness dissipated around him, and color was given to the form...
Dark green fabric, reinforced with gold plated kneecaps, as well as the braces on his arms. Gold pauldrons, on his shoulders, complimented his gold mask... curved into the shape of a crow's beak. A golden skull necklace, around his neck. A mane of white hair.
After all that... those red eyes still remained, and they seemed to fixate on a single person. As soon as they found their target... the eyes glowed bright.
"Haa... h-haaaah...!" Joker gasped, seemingly the only person here who actuallly knew who the guy was. "It's... JYAZU!"
Suddenly, two figures landed, in perfect sync, to Jyazu's sides: one red, one blue. Their gi and armor were similar to his own, except their metal pieces were a shimmering silver.
"Adelheid Bernstein." Jyazu spoke, for the first time. "The Jaguar Clan does not forgive, and it does not forget. Judgement is upon you... eye for an eye."
Rose gasped; she too recognized at least one of those guys: the red one, as he had tried to kill her earlier in the week.
"Great, so now we got more assholes to deal with..." Vanessa griped.
Jyazu extended his left arm to Adel... from the gold piece on his bracer, two razor talons sprang out. He raised his other arm; two more identical blades unleashed.
"Gozu. Mezu. It's time." He spoke. "Our revenge happens now. Kill them both, and anyone who gets in your way."
Adelheid was unconcerned with newcomers. To him, whether they were old enemies, or fresh faces... anyone who threatened him or his sister would meet the same fate.
"Come and get me."
WHEEEEWWWWWWWWWEEEE! It's getting good here, gents! I'm having fun again! This is only part one of the massive Second Battle of Odeonsplatz. Tune in next time for more chaos to come!
To help you all out, here's a tiny reference guide of all the heels that have shown up to this battle so far...
JOKER, GOZU, MEZU: Savage Reign, Kizuna Encounter. SNK fighting game series from 1995 and 1996. Joker is a clown gang leader, currently under Botan's control. Gozu and Mezu are Jyazu's clansmen, and they're here solely for revenge on Adelheid for nearly killing Gozu.
JYAZU: Final boss of Kizuna Encounter. A crow demon, leader of the Jaguar Clan. Here of his own free will, to avenge Gozu's defeat to Adelheid earlier in the story.
GENAN, EARTHQUAKE, BASARA: Baddies from Samurai Shodown. Under Botan's control.
SINCLAIR: Sub boss from Art of Fighting 3. Wyler's right hand woman. She appeared in the first Kumite, lost to Yamazaki, then tried to steal the prize money with Bonne Jenet and Malin. Currently under Botan's control.
JACK, RYOFU: Sub bosses from World Heroes. Jack is supposed to be Jack the Ripper, Ryofu is a Chinese spearman. Both under Botan's control.
SOKAKU: Demon-conjurer from Fatal Fury. He has a onesided rivalry with Mai Shiranui. Under Botan's control.
SHIKYOH: A crazed slasher from The Last Blade. He flails his tongue, cackles, and loves to cut things. Under Botan's control.
RAIGA: From an obscure game called Ninja Master's: Hao Ninpo Cho. It was another joint ADK/SNK publication. He's just a famous bounty hunter, plain and simple. He's under Botan's control, but I like to think his sense of bounty hunting duty is being preyed on.
BURNOV, ABOBO: Hehehe... did you know SNK made a Double Dragon fighting game based on a Double Dragon MOVIE? Yes, they did. These two came from that. They're ugly ass jobbers. Under Botan's control.
KUKRI: A newcomer from KOF XIV. I threw him in for funsies. He's not under Botan's control or trying to kill anybody, he was just there being a creepy pervert. It sucks that that's his identity now. Thanks a lot, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy.
LIEN NEVILLE: The femme fatale and sexiest thing to come out of KOF Maximum Impact. She's not under Botan's control. Seth holds a grudge against her for killing a man named Fate, who was Alba and Soiree's dad. They blame Seth for encouraging their dad to go against Duke, which resulted in Lien killing him.
NICK COMMANDO: He's from a game you've never heard of, called Fight Fever. I'm not even sure this is a legit SNK game. It was released by Viccom, which was apparently a Korean subsidiary of SNK. I stretched pretty far on this one, looking for stupid jobbers. Obviously this this guy was under Botan's control. And he sucks.
That's about it! Until next time!