Remember last time? The Choujins and Beth were sparring in their final examination for Ty Ko Ky. Kaname and Kyo were brawling at an evenly matched playing field, while Beth and Subaru were neck-to-neck in power and skills. But just as the battle reaches round two, trouble came! Inga, one of the Jewel Women awakened by Kagura Sohma, appeared in Air Supplena Island, and said that she has located the Super Fuji, held by Mandy. Beth is now angered by the fact that Kagura Sohma's presence has been made… but also… Subaru Mikage, one of the Chosen Choujin, was killed by Inga, during her fight. Beth's chance for payback begins… right now!

Episode XVI – Chapter 2: The Fiery Bloodstone of Passion!
Inga's Burning Attacks!

Inga was walking on the spikes, as Beth turned her attention to Inga. They were standing on the bed of spike, on the tips, using their powers.

"I know it's six days early, Inga… but I'll be taking your earrings now…" Beth jeered.

She pointed out, "That antidote! I'll be taking it, right now!"

Inga growled, "Heh. You're going to avenge your friend? Hmm… Obviously not. Out of my way, girl. I don't have the time!"

Beth said, "You don't have the time? What do you mean? You have a lot more time than I do!"

They stared down, as Inga smirked, "That was pretty sharp. You may have a little more to offer. But when someone looks at me, for an obvious challenge, like that one… They're asking for their death."

Beth hops around the spikes, hopping on each tip off the fatal spikes. Inga said, "I see… She's learning really well. It's too bad that she's not that experienced yet. But then again, I have no plans on fighting her…"

Beth beckons to her, as Inga shouted, "I'm going to tell you this, one final time! Back away! You'd know that one touch of my body, and a part of you is destroyed!"

"Just try to move me!" Beth called.

Inga lands a palm strike, but misses. Beth caught the hand, hitting her finger on Inga's palm. Inga gasped, "Ooh… What's this now?"

Beth smiled, "Oh, look. I touched your body, and I'm still here. I'm only for more important things…"

STAB!
She pushed her finger into Inga's hand, piercing through it. Inga was amazed. "Using her powers, she was able to cut through the flesh of my hand. She's allowed a great deal of training, for a short period of time…"

She clasped Beth's hand and said, "However…" and pulled her arm back.

She looked at her smoking left hand and said, "You've developed newer skills. I am rather surprised."

She pushed Beth back, still gripping her hand, "But you're a long way to go from defeating someone like me! I've met and devoured countless Ty Ko Ky and Hamon users like you, thousands of years ago!"

She twisted her arm back and said, "If I break your finger off, you won't be able to use it for anything, again!"

Beth screamed in pain, as she was trapped. Inga was about to break it off, but Beth leapt upwards. Beth hovered over Inga, as her left arm was caught in a loop of string.

"OH, you finally noticed!" Beth said, "I was hopping up and down like a bunny, as your arm was looped in silk string. And it's also coated in vegetable oil, so you know it works well with Ty Ko Ky."

Inga gasped, as the thread was wrapped around her arm. Beth said, "I'll admit, I was aiming for your neck. But you didn't give me the chance to."

Inga growled, "How could a mortal have done this to me?"

She noticed the thread was connecting from Beth's arm… to Subaru's arm. Beth said, "I could be morbid… but for my taste, first blood goes to ME AND COBRA KNIGHT!"

SLASH!
Beth pulled the thread, as Subaru's right arm moved on its own, and slashed off left arm of Inga. The arm fell into a spike, through the wrist. Beth got the thread back and said, "2,500 years ago in China, Sun Tzu wrote "The Art of War". He said this: Victory is decided, before the battle is fought. That means if you plan to win, you need to layout strategies, while your opponent is unaware. It's true that I go to school, and skip a few lessons from boring trivia, but Mom made damn sure that I studied History! So, while you may have a lot of years under your belt, you didn't leave any room for strategy!"

She kicked the severed arm, impaled in the spike, with a huge left Hamon Kick, and spun it around, disintegrating it into nothing but a skeleton arm.

Inga growled, "Grr… Graaah… How dare you?!"

Beth joked, "Aw, are you angry? Are you upset that you cannot reassemble your arm?"

She yelled in anger, "WELL, THEN, GET UPSET! I'M FAR MORE FURIOUS THAN YOU! Because of that gem you installed in my windpipe, I couldn't get a good night's sleep for weeks!"

Inga was tearing up, swelling tears from her eyes, as Beth was concerned. She was bawling and crying, screaming, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I CAN'T TAKE IT! I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!"

Beth was confused, and thought, "She's crying? I thought for sure she would go on a rampage. This isn't just weird… but embarrassing… She's like a three-year old on a tantrum, wanting what she wants… And they call me the child?"

Inga bawled, looking at her arm, which is now just bones, "MY POOR ARM!"

She held her bones, as Beth gagged, "Eugh… Some things are more creepier than mindless anger… I should finish her off, quickly, but…"

She felt a jab from her future sight, and said, "Right. I have a feeling I'm not going to fall for her sob stories… But I have a conniption that she's planning something."

Beth sneaks at Inga, and then Inga stops crying. Inga then said, "I feel better now. Sometimes I get emotional. But when I lose it, sometimes crying is the best way to go."

She turned to Beth and said, "Earlier you were referring to Sun Tzu, didn't you? I, myself, knew of him, personally. Long ago, in ancient China, I journeyed in this place to study. To fight is to delude. All war is a deception. One tries to make their enemies angrier, in order to lure them into committing costly mistakes. That is precisely what you're planning on, right? Well, it's not going to work!"

Beth was shocked, as Inga continued, "But I am delighted that you have improved so much. I admire your Ty Ko Ky ability."

She walked to Subaru's corpse, and continued on, "I've been longing for a worthy opponent. Her, however, she's nobody… Yes, she learns the Ty Ko Ky, in short time, but she cannot fully use that power… because she's frail and weak…"

SMASH!
Inga stomped on Subaru's left arm, breaking it off. Beth cried, "WHAT THE HELL? She just cleaned off Subaru's arm! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Inga attached the arm into her severed arm, and was whole, again. She stretched her left arm and said, "Well, it's a bit thin and loose, at the moment, but it'll grow thicker with the passage of time."

Beth was trembling, "Ugh… She's too much… Just a minute ago, she was crying!"

Inga smirked, "Oh, Nevins… Did I just frightened you there? Come on! Admit it! You're just a frightened child, literally speaking!"

Beth was scared, "She… I can't read her. No wonder her thoughts are blank. I'm always able to read my opponents. But this guy's personality is beyond my prowess! She's become invincible, without fault!"

Suddenly, Subaru's body was bubbling inside, exposing hot from within. Her head was split in half, showing a pool of molten hot blood. Inga said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you… You see, my gem is called the Bloodstone. Red is my color. An animal's core temperature will increase, when its fighting disease are greatly exerting itself. I can raise my blood up to 500 degrees, and shoot it within another one's body, at will. At the same time, I chopped off her arm. At the same time, I shoot of some of my blood, into her corpse to show you. You thought I drained your Cobra friend dry?"

She explained, "With her Emerald Sandstorm, Elsa can control the wind, hence her gem, the Jade. My domain is that of heat, hence my gem, the Bloodstone! I control the inferno!"

Beth said, "I see… Another fire user, like Aunt Farra. Where have I heard that before? But I'm perplexed… Jade and Bloodstone? Weird names for gems. I'll admit that desecrating a dead body is amazing, but I can also see that the reason you did that was to try and scare me!"

She unleashed her Ty Ko Ky, armed with her clackers, and shouted, "NOW TASTE THE RABBITS! My Ty Ko Ky wasn't strong, until one month later!"

She aimed her clackers at her hand. Inga's right hand was split into half, and Beth's clackers went passed her hand. Inga smirked, "I really did frighten you… You see, Bethany Nevins… Your uncontrolled emotions cause you to fight recklessly, and too soon. My veins will inject boiling lava into your skull, in quick time. And then, I'll turn your brains into a new juicy boiling stew!"

Her hand was regenerated, and her fingernails opened up, revealing her red veins, slithering out from her arm. She hollered, as the veins went closer to Beth, "THIS IS THE REASON WHY MY BLOODSTONE IS GIVEN ME THE NICKNAME, THE BURNING QUEEN!"

Beth screams, as she was caught in the attack.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Kyo and Kaname were still fighting, as they were running out of breath. Kaname said, "It appears that we're equally matched…"

Kyo said, "Well, I'm not surrendering to you…"

Kaname said, "Nor do I. But we've proven that, for the past four years, you and I were a formidable team. We're so focused, we shouldn't fight any longer."

Kyo shook her hand and said, "We passed… Didn't we?"

He walked to view Beth and Subaru's battle. Kaname asked, "I don't get it. We should join Beth and Subaru, so we can wish them luck. But… You are usually cold towards her."

Kyo said, "The only reason I was focusing on her is because we all want to pass, together… You, me, and Subaru… Beth, is another story. She knows about her father, and the accomplishments that she did against Kagura, long ago. I can't deny it. Beth seems lazy and ignorant, but deep down, she's worth having as a friend."

Kaname smiled, "Oh, ho… You're not into making friends, are you? Tohru Honda became your friend, and look what happened. Besides, you got me, right?"

Kyo smiled and laughed. He turned to the second battle, and cried out, "KANAME! LOOK!"

Kaname cried, "OH, NO! BETH! Subaru's gone too far on her!"

Kyo said, "That's not Subaru… That's… INGA!"

Beth flies out of the way, with Inga's blood on her mask. Inga dispersed and said, "Hmph! And there's another one of your clever dodges."

Beth said, as she was flying off, "Alright… The mask gave me protection, that time… but…"

The mask exploded into flames, and Beth falls into the spikes below. Her mask was ripped off, as Beth was hanging on, unharmed. She moaned, "Ungh… I can breathe again… fully… but I can't seem to move…"

Her mouth was stinging, as she held her mouth, and moaned. She stood up and growled, "Alright, that's it… Damn her and her blood! I'm finally happy to have these kissable lips back from that rotten mask… and the first thing you did was burn them off!"

Inga said, "Beth Nevins… Outside of you, you have your witty banter. But inside your head, you have all the plans, too. What's wrong? DID I HIT THE MARK? DID I HAPPEN TO HIT THE BULL'S EYYYYYYYYYE?"

Inga was mocking Beth. Beth growled, as she thought, "I think I may have a plan… but that future sight… nowhere near it… She's about to strike again, so my next choice is the string. I'm going to run around the spikes, and with each move I make, I'll form a pattern. Something she can't predict. Once I have her wrapped, I'll use my ESP Perk Hamon, for the gusto."

Inga laughs, as Beth thought, "That laugh means trouble. Could she be reading my plans? My intentions? No… This woman has NO psychic energy… but it feels like she has some ESP inside her."

She impaled herself in the spikes, and giggled. She leapt upwards and shouted, "Here comes the Burning Queen's Prison!"

Her veins stick out of her body, flailing towards Beth, as she was running away. Inga shouted, "How long have you been avoiding my attacks, Beth Nevins?"

She gasped, seeing Beth's wool knit cap shrinking. Beth said, "Well, I guess you finally noticed. What could be wrong with my hat?"

She grabbed her hat and said, "Figure it out?"

Inga looked around, and said, "Where…"

Beth said, "My hat is made of 100% wool. Perfectly useful for Hamon."

Inga smirked, "And?"

Beth shouted, "What are you smiling about? You're smiling, again! I don't like it!"

Inga said, "The next words from your mouth will be "I'm going to wipe that smirk off of your face!" Watch!"

Beth shouted, "I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face!" and then gasped in shock.

She yelled, as she was appalled, "HEY! Wait a second! That's my shtick, you plagiarist!"

Inga said, as her veins were wrapped in the spikes, "You said that you had a web? Look around you! I am the one with the web!"

Her web snapped off the wool web, and concluded, "I knew all about your web, before you did!"

She chuckled, "So, Beth… What was that little phrase you said, from earlier? Victory is decided, even when the battle is fought? Was that what it was? It's true! True! VERY TRUE!"

The veins hovered over Beth's body, spurting blood from inside. Inga called out, "Your plans are purely great, but mine are even better! MY PLANS WERE DECIDED BY VICTORY!"

Beth's arms were covered in holes, as Inga smirked, "Well, Beth Nevins… It seems that I have caught you! And soon, I'm going to turn you into an exploding cake, filled with my blood, and your head will pop off like a soda bottle!"

Kyo cried, as he viewed the action, "She's on a knife's edge. She's trapped…"

Kaname gasped, seeing Subaru's corpse, mangled and burning, "SUBARU! NO… That bitch killed Subaru! If Beth doesn't survive, then she'll go after us, next! We have to run! This woman… We cannot fight her! We're too far away to help her, anyway! I know it's painful to watch, but we have to return to Mandy, and protect the red stone! We have to train harder, and stop Kagura, one way or another, even without Beth or Subaru!"

Back in the battle, Inga called to Beth, "Let me hear your screams, Beth Nevins! Let me hear it loud, as you'll twitch and rive in despair and agony, knowing that you've lost today!"

Beth remained calm, as she smirked, and laughing. Inga shouted, "Are you laughing at me? Have you forgotten about that I am about to give you an excruciating death? YOU'RE INSANE BY THE FEAR!"

Beth stopped laughing and said, "No… I'm not… You'll notice that my arms are folded, and my eyes are closed. So, this would be one off of victory. Am I right? You're the loser here, because for the last 2,000 years, you have been asleep at the wheel!"

Inga shouted, "I LOST?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

Beth smiled, "Oh, that future sight came true on what you were about to do to me… But you can't read me, as hard as you could, huh? Let me refresh your memory. You said that your plans are deeper than mine… Well, they didn't go deeper as mine! While you were sleeping for the past 2,000 years, humans have progressed. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Legerdemain, or sleight of hand, became a very popular form of entertainment. Growing up, I'm a big fan of it, myself. ILLUSION IS MY THING!"

She pulled the string, as more string appeared from below. Inga shrieked, "NO! BUT I CUT OFF THOSE STRINGS! HOW COULD THEY-? IT CAN'T BE!"

Inga was ensnared by Beth's string, as Beth explained, "See? My rope magic works! I laid my trap, carefully. So that even if the string is cut off, it would still be whole. A simple trick."

Inga was burning in the string, as Beth cheered, "What you're going to say next is "My veins will move faster than your pathetic Psychic Powers can possibly go!" NOW!"

Inga struggled to break free, and roared out, lifting her arms up, "My veins will move faster than your Psychic Powers CAN POSSIBLY GOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And then she roars, about to strike back. Beth shone in a gold aura, and shouted, "NOW FEEL THE BEAT OF AUNTIE MICHELLE'S ESP PERK ABILITIES! FOR HER AND FOR SUBARU! ESP PERK TY KO KY OVERDRIVE!"

She slammed her hand on the wool string, and Inga was completely electrocuted by Beth's huge burst of energy. She screamed in agony, as she was breaking apart.

"I can't…" Inga was moaning, breaking away from Beth's high-powered Ty Ko Ky, "I CAN'T! You're only human! I am the evolved one! THE HIGHEST LIFEFORM! I WILL NOT! BE! BEATEN!"

Her head exploded, showing a huge horn on her head, and a chrome skull. She roared out, breathing fire, "KNOW THAT YOU PUSHED ME TOO FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

She lunged her huge horn onto Beth, straight for the head. But Beth was ready. She held her left fist up and smashed the horn into pieces. As Beth avoided the final attack, Inga's body started to shoot lights from out of her entire body.

"She's emitting huge lights, all around… That must be from the living, for millennia…" Beth said, as she pointed at her, "Now die already, Igna! Die for the thousands of innocent lives that you have taken for years on end!"

Inga exploded into nothing, reducing her into ashes.

Beth looked up and smiled, "Subaru… Know that you were the best Choujin that was nice to me… I thank you for assisting me. Mille grazie, Subaru Mikage."

Inga's earrings were all that was left, as they headed to her feet. Beth picked them up and said, "Now, the first antidote…"

She stopped and thought, "Hmm… When Helaviento was killed, she was turned to stone… except that Inga's bones were that of a skeleton, and they were completely destroyed. How is she different from the others? I have no idea, but she's dead now… and I have one of the antidotes that I was chasing after. All I need is Elsa's antidote, and I'll have Kagura and Anya to deal with, in full strength."

She opens the earring, as she was disgusted, "Ew… Reminds me of snot… It's almost like something from a slimy slug… But don't need to knock it back. Cheers!"

She chugged the antidote down, and then the gem inside her neck vanished. She felt her neck and said that she was free to breathe again. She was finally happy. Beth then said, "I have to meet up with Kyo and Kaname. Would they be surprised of how I did, and how I exterminated Inga? So then, I should return to the others, right away."

As she was walking home, she thought, "You know… Maybe I was using my head, most of the fight. My body is stiffening…"

Little does she know is that while she was walking to the boat, a living brain was latched onto her back. What sort of brain is this?

(6 days until gem in aorta releases the poison)

To be continued…