"Haa... Haa... Kano..."
"Ah! Mm... Akemi?"
"I want it so bad... Please..."
"Aah! I'm not going to give it to you, yet..."
"Please... PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK, KANO!" Akemi shouts so loud that it drilled into my ears, goddamn, this girl is so noisy.
While walking around looking for a 'specific thing' as Akemi instructed, we've been pretty tired, but this girl...
In fact, this girl has been asking for breaks every 2 minutes or so!
"I swear... You just let me fight that one time because you were lazy..." I said as I recall her smirking face, making fun of me everytime...
"No! I didn't just let you fight because I was lazy! I was observing your skills as a fellow Soul Device user!" So she doesn't even deny the lazy part...
This girl's personality is so irritating once you get to know her...
"Haa... Let's take a break, then, I have a lot of questions to ask, anyway." I looked for a good spot to take a break and sat down on the ground. Akemi does, too.
"Hey, Akemi, first of all, how did you know my name?" I asked first the one that have been dwindling in my mind, pretty sure I don't have a nametag anywhere on my body...
"Well, of course, because I searched for you in the class record after our encounter." I see, that answers my question.
"Okay, next question, what the hell are you? You seem to be experienced with this dungeon-like labyrinth which you called, what was it? Oh, Eclipse." I asked the second question that has been in my mind ever since.
"Is this some type of talk show... Anyway, I'm just a human that also recently awakened to her soul device, just not as recently as you, I got mine last week. In that last week, I got lost here, like you, I mean, who wouldn't get really terrified and run away from those monsters? I awakened my powers due to me being in peril and surrounded by enemies and I just slashed them with my sword like *whoosh!* *zing!*, kinda like that." Well, that was quite the story, basically like me... But how did she get the knowledge of the Eclipse and stuff relating to it?
"I see... But how did you know about the Eclipse stuff?"
"Well, after that, I met a guy claiming that he's from Nemesis, he explained me everything about the Eclipse, and stuff like that. I haven't seen him since, though." Nemesis? What's-
"Oh, and Nemesis is an organization that observes the Eclipse, heard that there was one more organization, but I forgot the name..." So there are even organizations related to the Eclipse...
Damn, within these years, no one ever knew the existence of the Eclipse? That's... actually horrifying...
"Okay, done with the questions? I'm going to teach you about soul devices and a little bit about Greed." This is the part I've been waiting for!
"First off, do you see that orb on your hatchet?" Orb...? Is she talking about the purple orb in my weapon?
"Yeah, what is it?"
"That's your attribute, basically, your type of power. Think of it like an RPG, they have elements right? Yours is Shadow, because your orb is purple." Whoa... I got some edgy element... It sounds cool though, I don't mind, in fact, I like it!
"Soul Devices are weapons that can be manifested by your own soul. But remanifesting it on your own... is pretty hard. Try hiding your weapon, just remove the power in your body and it'll disappear." Hiding my weapon? Hm, alright...
Removing the power temporarily, huh? So, I can just calm myself down and retrace the source of my weapon so it can go back in my soul?
*Whoosh*
Alright, it's in my body now.
"Now, try making it appear again." Huh? I don't understand the point of this...
Okay, I'll try reimagining that power again, and make it appear...
Hrm...
Hrhmmhmhmm...
"It can't?!" I slumped down on the floor, confused on how to do it.
"See? Hand me your Xiphone." Wha? Is this some kind of robbery because I couldn't do it–?!
"And no, this isn't a robbery, I'm just going to send you an app." Oh.
"Phew, shoulda said so earlier." I sighed as I handed her my Xiphone, she then proceeds to take out her Xiphone and fiddles with it.
"App sent." She said, returning my phone.
"What does it do, though?" I asked, I saw the app's interface and it looked pretty complex.
"It stores your Soul Device's data and lets you manifest it easily and quickly! It also does some other stuff, but I'll explain it to you when you discover it. Handy tool, huh? That guy gave it to me. Cool stuff." I see... It is pretty useful, then...
So, I just need to tap this plus sign right here and... Whoa, it registered! Now, I just need to swipe the screen to manifest it...
*SWISH!*
Ooh! It appeared right on my hand!
Technology sure is convinient.
"Lastly, let me tell you about greeds. Greeds are monsters, obviously, but they have an element too, just like yours, Shadow. There are 5 different kinds of elements, as far as I know, they're Fire, Spirit, Steel, Wind, and yours, Shadow. Your element is pretty lucky, you can deal more damage to those pesky Greed, no matter the element! Unless, there's a Light element... Well, that's all about the Greed that the guy told me. Any questions?" That was such a long explanation... I almost slept through it... So, my element is lucky? Isn't Shadow kinda a thing that villains always have? Well, that's alright, as long I can kill Greed... But, what is her element?
"Hey, what's your element, Akemi?" I asked, then she smirked, she seems to be looking at me... Wait, she seems to be looking behind me...
I looked back and I see a greed's body looming over me.
"Holy fu–!" I shouted in surprise, I didn't expect a greed to reach this place!
I readied my soul device using my weapon and then-
"Hahaha, Kano, your expression is soooo priceless!" Akemi jumped in front of me, then her soul device appeared.
"You see, Kano, you see this orb? It's green, and you know what that means, right?" She then proceeds to point the orb at the handle of her thin sword... Wait, no, it's a... Katana? It's... really shiny, and it looks different than common katana...
"Well then, this seems a good time to demonstrate how to use elements properly! Looks like the enemy's perfect for this! Wind versus Steel, the winner's obvious now!" I see! The enemy's element is Steel! The app says that the enemy is Steel... The app can analyze Greed's elements too!
"You can corporate the elements into your soul device by visualizing what you want to do! Like..." She then pulled her sword backward, and pointing it towards the greed.
"This."
*SLASH!*
Whoa. Is she... a goddamn samurai?! That was really... beautiful, actually... I still feel the gush of wind on my body... Oh! I got it... So, that's how she did it...!
"See that? I can use the wind to speed myself up! Awesome, right?" She smiled, also forming a peace sign with her hand.
Ahh... Goddamnit, here it is again, that smile is so cute...
"Hm? What's wrong, Kano?" She crept up on me... She's too close! "Get away from me! It's nothing!" I turned my face away and tried to change the topic, "Let's just get going!" I walked away from the spot we're on and Akemi follows.
"Che... What's gotten into you? Our break was too short!" Akemi pouted and complained endlessly, but she follows anyway.
"You know, I regret thinking you were cute." Ah, fuck, that slipped out of my tounge.
"Eh?! Really? Ooh, the tsundere Kano finally admits that I am cute! You really thought that I am cute, huh? Right, right?!"
Well, shit.
...
*SLICE!* *SLASH!*
"Ha!" I striked the greed with my trusty weapon, then–
"Your turn, Akemi!" Akemi nods and leaps onto the air, then pointed her katana at the greed, "Let's do this, Swift Blade!" Akemi shouts as she call her weapon's name.
"Hundred Slices of Death!" She then powers herself up using her element and sped up her attacks. That's like a cheat skill! Unfair!
"One!" She shouts as she deals the first strike,
"Two!" Then the second,
"Three!" Then the third, wait, isn't she speeding up little by little as she slices up more?!
"Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine!" Whoa, whoa, whoa!
I can't follow anymore, she's too fast!
"And... One hundred." Holy shit.
"That was an overkill..." Just imagine being in the place of the greed instead... Oh... The gruesome horror.
"Well, I just thought of it myself, anyway, we're finally here." She said, stopping at what it looks like a big door.
"Huh, what's this door lead to?" I asked, and then what she said afterwards was a mix of both hope and despair...
"It leads to the boss of this Eclipse gate... The Elder Greed."
"And..."
"Mayu Takahashi."
She said so with a straight face.
A/N: Whoa, things are heating up. Maaann, the ideas in my mind are going berserk! Looks like I won't get into a writer's block anytime soon! Hehehe
Thanks for reading, and tune in for the next chapter, またね! (Mata ne!)