It's been a while since I've updated this story - NO, I have not abandoned
this.just put it on the shelf for a long time and neglected it a bit. So
to treat everyone, a longer than usual chapter ( The end's about to come
up, and with my exams close to finishing, you guys won't have to wait any
longer. So enjoy, and post a review to keep up my incentive to write fics (
Chapter 22
Killua growled in annoyance as he just managed to dodge a stray piece of shrapnel which had somehow made his way to his blind spot. His sweat covered his brow, partially because he had been dodging all sorts of incendiary devices for the past two hours or so, and partly because when Alluka decided to grow thirty feet tall, his stomach clenched up so badly that he thought he was bearing a child. The nen torrents were gradually dimming down, but until then, everyone felt sick and too exhausted to move.
"Killua, we better retreat back more a bit." Kurapika called to him, his chain lashing out to catch several oncoming bullets and retaliate in return. One stray shot past his face and he flinched when a trickle of blood ran down his pale cheek.
Leorio got caught within the radius of a grenade. He managed to put up his defence on time, avoiding serious injury but as a consequence of the blast, he was blown several courtyards away with his shriek flying with him.
"Leorio!" Gon cried out and immediately ran after his friend.
"No Gon! Don't get separated - " another deafening explosion cut the blond off and he grimaced in annoyance rather than pain. He peered through the thick black smokes and swirling clouds of dust and wondered how many more people were going to charge in towards them from the East Gate. If it was bad enough here, he wondered how the North Gate was holding. The palace guards around him were all injured, some even crippled and should be out of action but their faces held grim determination.
"Damnit." The younger assassin spat out as he tore at the throats of the few people who had advanced too close to his barricade of broken wooden fences and makeshift sandbags. "We don't have enough people.where's backup? Or is it up to me to give them another good does of electric shocks?" purple nen tingled around his fingers and electrifying energy danced and laced his fingers. He pressed his palm flat onto the ground and all around him the rebels shrieked in agony.
"Good thinking Killua, that should buy us some time." Kurapika commented, pulling another grateful soldier to the safety behind their makeshift barricade. He tried hard to ignore the long trail of blood left behind and went about with healing, pushing his emperor time endurance to the limit.
"Miss Karen." some of the soldiers gasped weakly. Kurapika and Killua turned and saw the young doctor covered from head to toe in dried blood, presumably none of it hers. Her eyes were unfocused and hollow and it seemed in the mere space of two hours, her cheeks had sunken and her frame seemed awfully thin.
"I'll take care of things here. The rest of you go." She murmured quietly, stepping past the protection of the makeshift barricade out onto the uneven courtyard jagged with broken rocks and marble, splinters of wood and the steaming remains of bombs.
"We better do as Miss Karen orders." A soldier gasped weakly, his hand pressed down hard on his wound. "When Miss Karen looks like that, no one can argue with her."
"She's my cousin! I can't leave her to.die!" Killua exclaimed.
"Whoever said she was going to die?" he choked for breath. "Miss Karen's going to stay here and defend the East Gate and it will not collapse. We'd do best not to interfere."
"What do you mean?"
"He means," another soldier butted in "that Miss Karen is absolutely capable of handling the situation here, and we best be on our way."
"She's a doctor for goodness sakes! We can't leave her to defend this area ALONE!?" Killua tried to keep the hysteria from his voice but found that an almost impossible task. His eardrums nearly burst as another shell exploded within close proximity of them, rocking the ground beneath his feet and depriving him of his balance.
"Dear lords...it's a Nihilist! Men, prepare to fight to the last one!" the captain of the regiment ordered, struggling to a siting position and with blood caked fingers trembling over the right levers on his rifle. When the smoke and dust cleared, a figure in the midst of the scrabbling enemy rebels clearly stood out by the sickly nen she was giving off.
Only that it was not nen. Nihilists traditionally worked towards the destruction and prevention of the use of nen which made nen users a god amongst mere the mortals who would never realize their potentials. It was an inequality that the twisted founder of the Nihilists hated with a passion like no other and thus he set about to create an organization which would wipe out every trace of nen in the world.
And at the epitome of this organization were fanatics like Altesia who proudly bore the symbol, cruelly tattooed to her forehead. She dressed in dirty leathers and furs with a savage grin on her face, glorying in the death and destruction of the very center which first developed nen for humanity. She then tilted her head back and let loose the laugh, an ugly sound which was more reminiscent of a series of growls. Was the Forbidden Palace reduced to sending out frail and little princesses to do their dirty fighting? She wondered with exaltation as she saw the fragile and slender frame of Karen Kalinnan Kastro, who stood with the utter cold calmness and precision of mind that Killua had often experienced in the past.
Karen was no doctor! She was exhibiting the aura and professionalism of an assassin - a killer through and through.
Karen never heard the large blasts of explosion ricocheting around her, nor did she falter at the surging ground. When the Nihilist fanatic appeared through the fog and smoke of debris and destruction, her mind remained as calm as the ocean before the storm, her heart did not skip a beat, and she only saw the death of the enemy so beautifully brought about by her. The bloodthirsty monster within her was fully awake, bought back to life from its dormant sleep by the call of war, the sound of bullets crackling the air, the screams and cries of men and women dying. This was its element, this was when it was alive and comfortable. O, to walk the world and trample on the blood and bones of those gone past, that, is what we killers live for it roared triumphantly in her mind. A tear may have rolled down Karen's hollow and blood caked face, but she never noticed. It was too late to go back to who she was, who she could have been. She had killed in the decade long war and now war had come back to her, and she would do what she did best.
She smiled gently at the rebels.
And Killua and Kurapika shivered with revulsion, feeling icy beads of sweat dot their brows. Who was this person? Was this the sweet and outgoing Karen- chan that they knew?
She raised her right arm, a living nightmare draped in the blood red nen, her limp limbs moving like someone had pulled on the marionette's strings, doing the awful dance of death. Small specks of red, dust sized particles shimmered about her form, and all the Imperial soldiers hurried to cover their mouths and noses.
"Poisonous gasses and small lethally toxic bugs materialized by Karen- sama's powers. I'd advise you not to breath it in." the captain hoarsely whispered to Kurapika and Killua. The young assassin immediately did as he was told, fearing that not even his training in tolerance of poisons could protect him from this. He wondered what this particular brand of poison that Karen had conjured up could do. In his stomach, a sickening feeling was starting to spread over the rest of his body, and he realized that it was cramps from the terror and dread he currently experienced. If he got out of this alive, he vehemently vowed never to return.
The red, rank cloud of death expanded and followed the wind, drifting towards the rebels. The unnatural light of the night created by the illuminators added to the whole horror to the nightmare because as the shadows danced, it gave the poisonous fog life, a sickly cancer which was looming towards its enemies, only too eager to stir its sticky fingers inside their warm bodies and do hideous things to it.
Bewildered, the rebels frantically looked about for an escape, but it was too late. Tiny little parasites injected toxins which rapidly caused their cells to rot and deteriorate. Others gagged and choked on the gas, their tongues unnaturally protruding forth, eyes impossibly bulging and the more fortunate dead were bubbling bloody froth at their gaping and silently screaming mouths.
Only Altesia stood unharmed, protected by a mechanical device which could project something similar to Illumi's Void. And so no nen touched her and she only remained safe whilst the rebels dropped like flies beside her. She grinned, displaying her pointy teeth.
"Kastro - the infamous Devil born on the Battlefields of Holt. How fitting that I should be the one to bring the monster down from its lofty throne of blood and souls? That's all nen ever does to this world - it only allows suffering to occur on a greater scale. I shall pull down this filthy institution and create an equal society, and the first people to go are people like you Kastro."
"Shut up and fight." Karen said with perfect calm and took one step forward to greet her opponent.
Every strike was deadly, aimed to take away the other's life in one swift, deft movement. A fine film of red nen covered Karen's hand, and it wasn't difficult to work out what it did to it.
"She's the reinforcement type all right." Kurapika quietly mumbled to himself. The poisonous gases was manipulation of her own nen though, and the tiny, microscopic sized toxin carrying bugs were created by materialization skill. Right now, her right hand would be as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, and it mercilessly sought each and every vulnerable point in Altesia's stance.
At close quarter fighting, Altesia could not use her massive array of projectile weapons. The device sustaining the void around her drained the battery power like crazy, and steadily, she knew that in only a minute or so, she'd be completely defenceless to the fallen angel who had arisen from the fiery depths of hell to greet her. From her training as a Nihilist, at the top ranks of the fanatics, she thought that she had seen the most resolute and unyielding fervour in the eyes of her followers. But this frail little girl of royalty before her, an ordinary girl with high aspirations of life seemed like no ordinary girl. The coldness of her very being seemed to burn her skin whenever they touched, even though Altesia swore that her Void device hadn't completely broken down on her yet.
And then a peaceful calm settled in her heart, for she knew with assured certainty that she was no match for the monstrous fiend before her who remorselessly pushed forward on the attack, never wielding an inch or quarter or an opening for her opponent to strike.
Is this what they call the perfect killing machine? Honed to the peak in every aspect and skill that a mere touch could take life away?
Dear gods, she prayed, not even zealot's training had prepared her for this! Compared to Karen Kalinnan Kastro, the legendary Demoness born on the Battlefields of Holt approximately four years ago, the ruthless and smiling killer, her own ghastly image was like child's play, a mere mask of puny horror to deceive the world and her own mind. Real intimidation needed no suicidal attitude or sharp, pointy, filed teeth or a homicidal personality. To grant eternal nightmares, you only needed to abandon your own humanity and step forth to let your enemies know the horrors you will unleash upon them.
With a hiss, her device which had been clasped tightly to her dirty old leather belt finally gave way, having used up all its power and Altesia was vulnerable. Karen suddenly dropped low and rammed her shoulder into her gut, crushing out every molecule of oxygen in Altesia's lungs and temporarily deflating them. Momentarily stunned, Karen rammed her hand into Altesia's chest without an iota of hesitation and crushed the vulnerable beating muscle within her hand.
Altesia tried to speak, working her mouth to form words which couldn't come out. Blood ran thickly down her chin and nose, her vision rapidly dimmed around her the last thing she saw on earth was the gentle smile of a natural born killer.
It had only taken a fraction of a second to destroy the source of life within her enemies body. Karen pulled her hand out as quickly as she had stuck it in and calmly looked around for more people to kill. Killua noted with rising hysteria that she wasn't even breathing hard. Rapid footsteps behind him quickly gave him something else to think about rather than this revelation of this new side to his cousin. The Master of Eunuchs sprinted towards them exuding a clear sense of urgency.
"Miss Karen!" he exclaimed between short breaths. Karen calmly looked at him.
"Are there more people for me to kill? The East Gate should be secure now that one of the ringleaders is destroyed. Where are the others?"
"I don't need you to kill right now Karen. Doctor Faust and his associates are locked in battle and the Emperor is dying. I need you to come with me to the Dais right now!"
He made as if to grab her arm and drag her along, but she jerked away. Echlan glared at her in alarm.
"I'm no doctor, Echlan." She informed him monotonously.
Under the unnatural light of the illuminators suspended in the sky, Karen looked anything but a healer of the injured or sick. She continued:
"I am a killer, and must go where the killing is."
"Young lady," Echlan began with a very patient and patronizing tone which barely hid the panic in his voice. "You will come with me this instant, or so help me god, I'll threaten your father to make you come if I have to!"
"You dare, old man?" she said, voice still calm and tranquil.
"This way, right now!" the eunuch snapped.
It was then that Killua realized that the prophecy hadn't been referring to the Zoldicks.
i~ Killers are forever killers ~ /I
It was referring to Karen.
===============
Chaos boiled unhealthily where the North Gate used to be. The once impregnable walls had cracked in many places, some groaning and swaying, threatening the crush the combatants underneath. In the many courtyards and rooms, bullets snapped in the air like static, flimsy barricades were hastily erected and when the ammo ran out, cold steel bit into flesh and drew blood.
Hisoka and Koran laughed out loud with exhilaration and danced madly, weaving and tracing their ways into large groups of rebels and nihilists wielding the bloodthirsty swords which savored the soul of each victim. Like a colourful blur, they vanished from sight, leaving only a small breeze, and they'd reappear a hundred yards away with wide grins on their faces and people falling down around them before they even knew what had taken their life. No one could touch the pair - their grace, speed and strength gave them the appearance of a demi god, wallowing gleefully in the blood and devastation around them and helping themselves to a fair share too.
But people still managed to get past them and rolled in their cannons and bazooka launchers to blast the centuries old Palace apart, room by room.
That was when they were overcome with two giant roaring lions bathed in holy flames that instantly seared their skin and set them alight just by being too close to the hapless rebels.
Kamus's scowl had become downright nasty when he noted Koran and Hisoka laughing the night away like two adolescents on a high from some highly dangerous cocktail of drugs. They were getting careless for all the slaughter they bought about.
The ashen remains of the rebels drifted away on the evening breeze and Kamus reigned back in his weapons, amazing creatures of fear and awe, fueled by his very anger and determination. The large catlike apparitions predatorily stalked around in large circles, making sure nothing alive would get past the General. To Kamus' far left, Silva and his sister were busy battling another section of the crowd where the walls had actually crumbled and the rebels had broken through. Zeno had been urgently called by Echlan to retreat back to the Dais near the throne room.
An ungodly smile graced Kamus' rough and haggard features. North Gate was going to hold, and if the rebels wanted to charge to the Throne Room from this direction, it would be over his dead body, literally.
================
Not long after the fighting had broken ought, the Palace Guardian, who was supposed to be guarding the East Gate, had been swept away by more urgent calls of a threatened breakthrough down near South Gate. So he ran like the wind to answer those calls, and a young and silent little girl who resembled a porcelain doll followed him.
He faltered in his step. "Look kid, you should be stayin' with your parents you know."
Karuto's impassively cold expression remained steady and she gazed only in the direction of the South Gate. Berenger gave a soft sigh and picked up speed again, his foot at light as the wind, the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears.
The situation at South Gate had completely collapsed. Only a handful of soldiers remained, huddled behind a particular fresco that had fallen. They eyes lit up with hope when they caught the merest glimpse of the fearful silhouette of the Palace Guardian in the clearing smoke and dust.
"General, they have a powerful nen user out there." The injured captain gasped, clenching his bleeding side in pain. "Most likely a the control type.."
"Water. We believe he controls water."
Berenger's face screwed up in disgust. He didn't have time for riddles. "There's no rain here tonight. How is he so dangerous then?" His scowl made his own men fear for their precarious safety. The Palace Guardian was one hell of a fighter, but never, ever, on general principles, ask him to solve a problem.
"What they mean is that the nen user out there could probably affect the water in our blood." Karuto quietly suggested.
"Oh.I see." Berenger chuckled, a bit embarrassed, but one thick fleshed fist stopped anyone from giggling with him too. It failed to wipe the smirk off the soldier's faces however.
"His area of control is about a two meter radius. Ammunition ran out a while ago, and we haven't been able to take him down. Non of us here are the release type." The soldiers shared the same miserable look of defeat in their downcast eyes for a brief moment.
"This is a complex situation indeed." Karuto continued but her mind was already analyzing each and every aspect. "Because he is not merely a stationary target either. If we were to launch projectiles at him, then he would naturally dodge. To enter his perimeter is to suffer agonizing pain as he controls the water within our very essence. So we must trap him." Her eyes flared for a moment, a scheme already taking shape. All the men huddled around the usually silent child and strained their ears to listen to every word she had to say.
"First, we must locate him. He's in hiding, knowing that the Palace Guardian has arrived."
"He damn well should be!" Berenger huffed with pride.
"Then we must find a suitable bait and lure him come out. Then, they must step within a meter of this man."
One of the soldiers looked shocked. "No! It'd be suicide! To step within two meters of him is to loose every ounce of strength you have. And then you are vulnerable to the rapier that he wields."
"But you can still put up your 'ten' can't you?"
The captain gave this some thought. "If Berenger goes, he could probably last three seconds most with 'ten' on. After that, he'll be vulnerable."
Under the eerie light of the Illuminators, Karuto's face was deathly pale. Whether it be the trick of the shadows and lights however, it seemed like she had formed a small smile on her expressionless face.
"That will be more than ample time. Berenger-san, can you strap Belle onto your belt please?"
The Palace Guardian dubiously took the ugly construct from Karuto's small hands and tried to look away as he tied the doll onto him. He got cold sweat just by looking at the gaping wound which was supposed to resemble a smile. The 'doll' reminded him of a limp corpse lifelessly dangling on his waist with a batch of black hair bobbing up and down, catching each little breeze.
"When he comes out, race towards him with your ten on - you MUST be within one meter of him. I won't be far behind you. Then Belle will kill him."
Berenger tried hard not to groan, but he definitely didn't like the plan. He felt like meat going for the chopping board. And how the ridiculous doll was supposed to kill the man was a mystery either. He would have had Karuto explain the situation more clearly first, but he was interrupted by the most filthily arrogant voice he had ever heard in his life, taunting and challenging him to reveal himself.
"You think that might be a trap he's trying to set up as well?"
Karuto withdrew certain items carefully concealed in her kimono sleeves. "I've got a few kunai - why don't you throw it at him and see what gives? When he has an opening, just charge right towards him."
"Ok" Berenger nodded strongly. In a low voice, he growled "All or nothing! Palace Guardian vs. strange water controlling man - Round 1! Start!"
With that, the giant man leapt from his hiding position in an explosive surge of power and relying on natural instinct alone, threw the darts in the direction where the mocking voice was coming.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Berenger's disappointment quickly melted away into discomforting elevation. Although the kunais were deeply embedded into the wood of a fallen and collapsed pillar, it had obviously pinned down something. It was a near transparent gauze cloak worn by the mysterious man who controlled water. Another nen item which could camouflage the wearer? The Palace Guardian swore that he had felt disappointed in himself when he thought that the kunais had failed to reach target, but on hearing the tearing sound of fabric, a blue haired man, slim, pale and effeminate appeared only a mere foot from where the kunais had struck. Berenger registered cautious exultation on the one hand for having spotted the target with his mere instinct alone, but growing apprehension on the other as his soldiers mentioned no camouflage cloak which could shield its wearer from sight.
"At least give me all the information before sending me out to the guillotine next time!" he muttered darkly to himself, halting whilst waiting to see if there were any more surprises that his soldiers had failed to warn him about.
The man's dainty face creased into an ugly scowl as he examined his damaged article of clothing. He spoke in a smooth silky tenor and at the same time, a delicate rapier fluidly slipped out of the jewel studded sheath with a silent hiss.
"You'll pay for this you graceless brute!"
"I beg your pardon you miserable cretin!" The Palace Guardian furiously sneered and threw the remaining darts in his hand to wipe the haughty look off the other man's face. Actually, it was almost more of a reflex reaction than a calculated move because of the insult. Battle instinct kicked in the moment the blue haired man chose to dodge the remaining kunais rather than block them with his rapier.
*He's not as confident with his weapon as I thought. All the better to execute our plans NOW then* Berenger deducted. Without further notice, he threw his large body at the lean man and made sure he had his 'ten' flaring like mad. Take him by surprise and don't give him time to think about it. However, a lot could happen in three seconds though.
Quietly and patiently waiting in Berenger's shadow was the timidly silent Karuto. One could have said that her thoughts were exactly the same as the almighty Palace Guardian's, and so she knew exactly what was going on.
The gap was now closing between Berenger and the blue haired water controller.
4 meters..
3.5 meters...
3 meters..
Nearing radius of water control. The other man had a malicious grin on his face.
And her three seconds started NOW!
Berenger knew when he entered the radius of the other man's power. He felt his blood threatening to alter its course and run backwards. His head swam with dizziness and his battle axe slipped away from his slack fingers making a loud clang on the stone courtyard. But the momentum from his charge carried him closer and closer to the tip of the rapier now aimed at where his heart would be. His legs took another step forward purely from the force of acceleration alone and the disgusting doll tied on his belt lit up. Belle exhibited a laugh so diabolically insane that Berenger would have screamed if his whole sense of being was not so distorted by the blood running madly in his veins. The gaping red sash across the mouth seemed to move, and the water user was as equally mortified and horrifically fascinated at the same time. Both incredulously allowed a brief second to stare at the obscenity now convulsing on Berenger's belt surrounded in a globe of near invisible nen. Belle continued to cackle like an evil witch from the deepest depths of the subconscious mind and her black hair struck out with incredible force at the blue haired man before her like a rain of spikes.
Berenger couldn't believe what was happening, and neither could his adversary. Dead adversary for that matter. A wire like strand of hair lashed out and wrapped itself around a slim neck and following another gleeful chuckle, it tightened and cut through skin, bone and flesh like a hot knife through butter.
Blood few out from the new orifice and drenched Berenger's scarred face and front shirt before gracelessly toppling backwards, its limbs twitching spasmodically like a headless cockroach. As his enemy died, so did his nen. On regaining his strength, the first thing the Palace Guardian did was rip the horrific creature from his belt and with trembling arms and flung it far, far away from him.
Belle sailed through the air and landed into the waiting, open arms of Karuto who remained as cool and impassive as usual. Except this time, she offered a small smile which, in other circumstances would have been cute, but in front of the defeated enemy, it was the self satisfied smile of an assassin with a job well done.
Berenger's cell phone rang several times before he recovered himself from the shock of the experience and was able to receive the call. The South Gate was all quiet now, and one could only hear the distant rumble of the war being waged at the other Gates. On the other side was the sound of heavy artillery bombardment. It was then drowned out by the exhilarated laughter of a madman singing death and misery, followed by the sounds of explosions.
"Hey Berenger - this is just a quick update. West Gate is secure - they're trying to roll in tanks, but nothing's going to get by me."
"All right Misha. The South Gate battle is over. I'm going to reinforce the East Gate again. Take care."
Misha didn't respond. He had already immersed himself in what he enjoyed best, what he lived for, what could prove his worth to the world. Gods he loved battle.
Chapter 22
Killua growled in annoyance as he just managed to dodge a stray piece of shrapnel which had somehow made his way to his blind spot. His sweat covered his brow, partially because he had been dodging all sorts of incendiary devices for the past two hours or so, and partly because when Alluka decided to grow thirty feet tall, his stomach clenched up so badly that he thought he was bearing a child. The nen torrents were gradually dimming down, but until then, everyone felt sick and too exhausted to move.
"Killua, we better retreat back more a bit." Kurapika called to him, his chain lashing out to catch several oncoming bullets and retaliate in return. One stray shot past his face and he flinched when a trickle of blood ran down his pale cheek.
Leorio got caught within the radius of a grenade. He managed to put up his defence on time, avoiding serious injury but as a consequence of the blast, he was blown several courtyards away with his shriek flying with him.
"Leorio!" Gon cried out and immediately ran after his friend.
"No Gon! Don't get separated - " another deafening explosion cut the blond off and he grimaced in annoyance rather than pain. He peered through the thick black smokes and swirling clouds of dust and wondered how many more people were going to charge in towards them from the East Gate. If it was bad enough here, he wondered how the North Gate was holding. The palace guards around him were all injured, some even crippled and should be out of action but their faces held grim determination.
"Damnit." The younger assassin spat out as he tore at the throats of the few people who had advanced too close to his barricade of broken wooden fences and makeshift sandbags. "We don't have enough people.where's backup? Or is it up to me to give them another good does of electric shocks?" purple nen tingled around his fingers and electrifying energy danced and laced his fingers. He pressed his palm flat onto the ground and all around him the rebels shrieked in agony.
"Good thinking Killua, that should buy us some time." Kurapika commented, pulling another grateful soldier to the safety behind their makeshift barricade. He tried hard to ignore the long trail of blood left behind and went about with healing, pushing his emperor time endurance to the limit.
"Miss Karen." some of the soldiers gasped weakly. Kurapika and Killua turned and saw the young doctor covered from head to toe in dried blood, presumably none of it hers. Her eyes were unfocused and hollow and it seemed in the mere space of two hours, her cheeks had sunken and her frame seemed awfully thin.
"I'll take care of things here. The rest of you go." She murmured quietly, stepping past the protection of the makeshift barricade out onto the uneven courtyard jagged with broken rocks and marble, splinters of wood and the steaming remains of bombs.
"We better do as Miss Karen orders." A soldier gasped weakly, his hand pressed down hard on his wound. "When Miss Karen looks like that, no one can argue with her."
"She's my cousin! I can't leave her to.die!" Killua exclaimed.
"Whoever said she was going to die?" he choked for breath. "Miss Karen's going to stay here and defend the East Gate and it will not collapse. We'd do best not to interfere."
"What do you mean?"
"He means," another soldier butted in "that Miss Karen is absolutely capable of handling the situation here, and we best be on our way."
"She's a doctor for goodness sakes! We can't leave her to defend this area ALONE!?" Killua tried to keep the hysteria from his voice but found that an almost impossible task. His eardrums nearly burst as another shell exploded within close proximity of them, rocking the ground beneath his feet and depriving him of his balance.
"Dear lords...it's a Nihilist! Men, prepare to fight to the last one!" the captain of the regiment ordered, struggling to a siting position and with blood caked fingers trembling over the right levers on his rifle. When the smoke and dust cleared, a figure in the midst of the scrabbling enemy rebels clearly stood out by the sickly nen she was giving off.
Only that it was not nen. Nihilists traditionally worked towards the destruction and prevention of the use of nen which made nen users a god amongst mere the mortals who would never realize their potentials. It was an inequality that the twisted founder of the Nihilists hated with a passion like no other and thus he set about to create an organization which would wipe out every trace of nen in the world.
And at the epitome of this organization were fanatics like Altesia who proudly bore the symbol, cruelly tattooed to her forehead. She dressed in dirty leathers and furs with a savage grin on her face, glorying in the death and destruction of the very center which first developed nen for humanity. She then tilted her head back and let loose the laugh, an ugly sound which was more reminiscent of a series of growls. Was the Forbidden Palace reduced to sending out frail and little princesses to do their dirty fighting? She wondered with exaltation as she saw the fragile and slender frame of Karen Kalinnan Kastro, who stood with the utter cold calmness and precision of mind that Killua had often experienced in the past.
Karen was no doctor! She was exhibiting the aura and professionalism of an assassin - a killer through and through.
Karen never heard the large blasts of explosion ricocheting around her, nor did she falter at the surging ground. When the Nihilist fanatic appeared through the fog and smoke of debris and destruction, her mind remained as calm as the ocean before the storm, her heart did not skip a beat, and she only saw the death of the enemy so beautifully brought about by her. The bloodthirsty monster within her was fully awake, bought back to life from its dormant sleep by the call of war, the sound of bullets crackling the air, the screams and cries of men and women dying. This was its element, this was when it was alive and comfortable. O, to walk the world and trample on the blood and bones of those gone past, that, is what we killers live for it roared triumphantly in her mind. A tear may have rolled down Karen's hollow and blood caked face, but she never noticed. It was too late to go back to who she was, who she could have been. She had killed in the decade long war and now war had come back to her, and she would do what she did best.
She smiled gently at the rebels.
And Killua and Kurapika shivered with revulsion, feeling icy beads of sweat dot their brows. Who was this person? Was this the sweet and outgoing Karen- chan that they knew?
She raised her right arm, a living nightmare draped in the blood red nen, her limp limbs moving like someone had pulled on the marionette's strings, doing the awful dance of death. Small specks of red, dust sized particles shimmered about her form, and all the Imperial soldiers hurried to cover their mouths and noses.
"Poisonous gasses and small lethally toxic bugs materialized by Karen- sama's powers. I'd advise you not to breath it in." the captain hoarsely whispered to Kurapika and Killua. The young assassin immediately did as he was told, fearing that not even his training in tolerance of poisons could protect him from this. He wondered what this particular brand of poison that Karen had conjured up could do. In his stomach, a sickening feeling was starting to spread over the rest of his body, and he realized that it was cramps from the terror and dread he currently experienced. If he got out of this alive, he vehemently vowed never to return.
The red, rank cloud of death expanded and followed the wind, drifting towards the rebels. The unnatural light of the night created by the illuminators added to the whole horror to the nightmare because as the shadows danced, it gave the poisonous fog life, a sickly cancer which was looming towards its enemies, only too eager to stir its sticky fingers inside their warm bodies and do hideous things to it.
Bewildered, the rebels frantically looked about for an escape, but it was too late. Tiny little parasites injected toxins which rapidly caused their cells to rot and deteriorate. Others gagged and choked on the gas, their tongues unnaturally protruding forth, eyes impossibly bulging and the more fortunate dead were bubbling bloody froth at their gaping and silently screaming mouths.
Only Altesia stood unharmed, protected by a mechanical device which could project something similar to Illumi's Void. And so no nen touched her and she only remained safe whilst the rebels dropped like flies beside her. She grinned, displaying her pointy teeth.
"Kastro - the infamous Devil born on the Battlefields of Holt. How fitting that I should be the one to bring the monster down from its lofty throne of blood and souls? That's all nen ever does to this world - it only allows suffering to occur on a greater scale. I shall pull down this filthy institution and create an equal society, and the first people to go are people like you Kastro."
"Shut up and fight." Karen said with perfect calm and took one step forward to greet her opponent.
Every strike was deadly, aimed to take away the other's life in one swift, deft movement. A fine film of red nen covered Karen's hand, and it wasn't difficult to work out what it did to it.
"She's the reinforcement type all right." Kurapika quietly mumbled to himself. The poisonous gases was manipulation of her own nen though, and the tiny, microscopic sized toxin carrying bugs were created by materialization skill. Right now, her right hand would be as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, and it mercilessly sought each and every vulnerable point in Altesia's stance.
At close quarter fighting, Altesia could not use her massive array of projectile weapons. The device sustaining the void around her drained the battery power like crazy, and steadily, she knew that in only a minute or so, she'd be completely defenceless to the fallen angel who had arisen from the fiery depths of hell to greet her. From her training as a Nihilist, at the top ranks of the fanatics, she thought that she had seen the most resolute and unyielding fervour in the eyes of her followers. But this frail little girl of royalty before her, an ordinary girl with high aspirations of life seemed like no ordinary girl. The coldness of her very being seemed to burn her skin whenever they touched, even though Altesia swore that her Void device hadn't completely broken down on her yet.
And then a peaceful calm settled in her heart, for she knew with assured certainty that she was no match for the monstrous fiend before her who remorselessly pushed forward on the attack, never wielding an inch or quarter or an opening for her opponent to strike.
Is this what they call the perfect killing machine? Honed to the peak in every aspect and skill that a mere touch could take life away?
Dear gods, she prayed, not even zealot's training had prepared her for this! Compared to Karen Kalinnan Kastro, the legendary Demoness born on the Battlefields of Holt approximately four years ago, the ruthless and smiling killer, her own ghastly image was like child's play, a mere mask of puny horror to deceive the world and her own mind. Real intimidation needed no suicidal attitude or sharp, pointy, filed teeth or a homicidal personality. To grant eternal nightmares, you only needed to abandon your own humanity and step forth to let your enemies know the horrors you will unleash upon them.
With a hiss, her device which had been clasped tightly to her dirty old leather belt finally gave way, having used up all its power and Altesia was vulnerable. Karen suddenly dropped low and rammed her shoulder into her gut, crushing out every molecule of oxygen in Altesia's lungs and temporarily deflating them. Momentarily stunned, Karen rammed her hand into Altesia's chest without an iota of hesitation and crushed the vulnerable beating muscle within her hand.
Altesia tried to speak, working her mouth to form words which couldn't come out. Blood ran thickly down her chin and nose, her vision rapidly dimmed around her the last thing she saw on earth was the gentle smile of a natural born killer.
It had only taken a fraction of a second to destroy the source of life within her enemies body. Karen pulled her hand out as quickly as she had stuck it in and calmly looked around for more people to kill. Killua noted with rising hysteria that she wasn't even breathing hard. Rapid footsteps behind him quickly gave him something else to think about rather than this revelation of this new side to his cousin. The Master of Eunuchs sprinted towards them exuding a clear sense of urgency.
"Miss Karen!" he exclaimed between short breaths. Karen calmly looked at him.
"Are there more people for me to kill? The East Gate should be secure now that one of the ringleaders is destroyed. Where are the others?"
"I don't need you to kill right now Karen. Doctor Faust and his associates are locked in battle and the Emperor is dying. I need you to come with me to the Dais right now!"
He made as if to grab her arm and drag her along, but she jerked away. Echlan glared at her in alarm.
"I'm no doctor, Echlan." She informed him monotonously.
Under the unnatural light of the illuminators suspended in the sky, Karen looked anything but a healer of the injured or sick. She continued:
"I am a killer, and must go where the killing is."
"Young lady," Echlan began with a very patient and patronizing tone which barely hid the panic in his voice. "You will come with me this instant, or so help me god, I'll threaten your father to make you come if I have to!"
"You dare, old man?" she said, voice still calm and tranquil.
"This way, right now!" the eunuch snapped.
It was then that Killua realized that the prophecy hadn't been referring to the Zoldicks.
i~ Killers are forever killers ~ /I
It was referring to Karen.
===============
Chaos boiled unhealthily where the North Gate used to be. The once impregnable walls had cracked in many places, some groaning and swaying, threatening the crush the combatants underneath. In the many courtyards and rooms, bullets snapped in the air like static, flimsy barricades were hastily erected and when the ammo ran out, cold steel bit into flesh and drew blood.
Hisoka and Koran laughed out loud with exhilaration and danced madly, weaving and tracing their ways into large groups of rebels and nihilists wielding the bloodthirsty swords which savored the soul of each victim. Like a colourful blur, they vanished from sight, leaving only a small breeze, and they'd reappear a hundred yards away with wide grins on their faces and people falling down around them before they even knew what had taken their life. No one could touch the pair - their grace, speed and strength gave them the appearance of a demi god, wallowing gleefully in the blood and devastation around them and helping themselves to a fair share too.
But people still managed to get past them and rolled in their cannons and bazooka launchers to blast the centuries old Palace apart, room by room.
That was when they were overcome with two giant roaring lions bathed in holy flames that instantly seared their skin and set them alight just by being too close to the hapless rebels.
Kamus's scowl had become downright nasty when he noted Koran and Hisoka laughing the night away like two adolescents on a high from some highly dangerous cocktail of drugs. They were getting careless for all the slaughter they bought about.
The ashen remains of the rebels drifted away on the evening breeze and Kamus reigned back in his weapons, amazing creatures of fear and awe, fueled by his very anger and determination. The large catlike apparitions predatorily stalked around in large circles, making sure nothing alive would get past the General. To Kamus' far left, Silva and his sister were busy battling another section of the crowd where the walls had actually crumbled and the rebels had broken through. Zeno had been urgently called by Echlan to retreat back to the Dais near the throne room.
An ungodly smile graced Kamus' rough and haggard features. North Gate was going to hold, and if the rebels wanted to charge to the Throne Room from this direction, it would be over his dead body, literally.
================
Not long after the fighting had broken ought, the Palace Guardian, who was supposed to be guarding the East Gate, had been swept away by more urgent calls of a threatened breakthrough down near South Gate. So he ran like the wind to answer those calls, and a young and silent little girl who resembled a porcelain doll followed him.
He faltered in his step. "Look kid, you should be stayin' with your parents you know."
Karuto's impassively cold expression remained steady and she gazed only in the direction of the South Gate. Berenger gave a soft sigh and picked up speed again, his foot at light as the wind, the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears.
The situation at South Gate had completely collapsed. Only a handful of soldiers remained, huddled behind a particular fresco that had fallen. They eyes lit up with hope when they caught the merest glimpse of the fearful silhouette of the Palace Guardian in the clearing smoke and dust.
"General, they have a powerful nen user out there." The injured captain gasped, clenching his bleeding side in pain. "Most likely a the control type.."
"Water. We believe he controls water."
Berenger's face screwed up in disgust. He didn't have time for riddles. "There's no rain here tonight. How is he so dangerous then?" His scowl made his own men fear for their precarious safety. The Palace Guardian was one hell of a fighter, but never, ever, on general principles, ask him to solve a problem.
"What they mean is that the nen user out there could probably affect the water in our blood." Karuto quietly suggested.
"Oh.I see." Berenger chuckled, a bit embarrassed, but one thick fleshed fist stopped anyone from giggling with him too. It failed to wipe the smirk off the soldier's faces however.
"His area of control is about a two meter radius. Ammunition ran out a while ago, and we haven't been able to take him down. Non of us here are the release type." The soldiers shared the same miserable look of defeat in their downcast eyes for a brief moment.
"This is a complex situation indeed." Karuto continued but her mind was already analyzing each and every aspect. "Because he is not merely a stationary target either. If we were to launch projectiles at him, then he would naturally dodge. To enter his perimeter is to suffer agonizing pain as he controls the water within our very essence. So we must trap him." Her eyes flared for a moment, a scheme already taking shape. All the men huddled around the usually silent child and strained their ears to listen to every word she had to say.
"First, we must locate him. He's in hiding, knowing that the Palace Guardian has arrived."
"He damn well should be!" Berenger huffed with pride.
"Then we must find a suitable bait and lure him come out. Then, they must step within a meter of this man."
One of the soldiers looked shocked. "No! It'd be suicide! To step within two meters of him is to loose every ounce of strength you have. And then you are vulnerable to the rapier that he wields."
"But you can still put up your 'ten' can't you?"
The captain gave this some thought. "If Berenger goes, he could probably last three seconds most with 'ten' on. After that, he'll be vulnerable."
Under the eerie light of the Illuminators, Karuto's face was deathly pale. Whether it be the trick of the shadows and lights however, it seemed like she had formed a small smile on her expressionless face.
"That will be more than ample time. Berenger-san, can you strap Belle onto your belt please?"
The Palace Guardian dubiously took the ugly construct from Karuto's small hands and tried to look away as he tied the doll onto him. He got cold sweat just by looking at the gaping wound which was supposed to resemble a smile. The 'doll' reminded him of a limp corpse lifelessly dangling on his waist with a batch of black hair bobbing up and down, catching each little breeze.
"When he comes out, race towards him with your ten on - you MUST be within one meter of him. I won't be far behind you. Then Belle will kill him."
Berenger tried hard not to groan, but he definitely didn't like the plan. He felt like meat going for the chopping board. And how the ridiculous doll was supposed to kill the man was a mystery either. He would have had Karuto explain the situation more clearly first, but he was interrupted by the most filthily arrogant voice he had ever heard in his life, taunting and challenging him to reveal himself.
"You think that might be a trap he's trying to set up as well?"
Karuto withdrew certain items carefully concealed in her kimono sleeves. "I've got a few kunai - why don't you throw it at him and see what gives? When he has an opening, just charge right towards him."
"Ok" Berenger nodded strongly. In a low voice, he growled "All or nothing! Palace Guardian vs. strange water controlling man - Round 1! Start!"
With that, the giant man leapt from his hiding position in an explosive surge of power and relying on natural instinct alone, threw the darts in the direction where the mocking voice was coming.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Berenger's disappointment quickly melted away into discomforting elevation. Although the kunais were deeply embedded into the wood of a fallen and collapsed pillar, it had obviously pinned down something. It was a near transparent gauze cloak worn by the mysterious man who controlled water. Another nen item which could camouflage the wearer? The Palace Guardian swore that he had felt disappointed in himself when he thought that the kunais had failed to reach target, but on hearing the tearing sound of fabric, a blue haired man, slim, pale and effeminate appeared only a mere foot from where the kunais had struck. Berenger registered cautious exultation on the one hand for having spotted the target with his mere instinct alone, but growing apprehension on the other as his soldiers mentioned no camouflage cloak which could shield its wearer from sight.
"At least give me all the information before sending me out to the guillotine next time!" he muttered darkly to himself, halting whilst waiting to see if there were any more surprises that his soldiers had failed to warn him about.
The man's dainty face creased into an ugly scowl as he examined his damaged article of clothing. He spoke in a smooth silky tenor and at the same time, a delicate rapier fluidly slipped out of the jewel studded sheath with a silent hiss.
"You'll pay for this you graceless brute!"
"I beg your pardon you miserable cretin!" The Palace Guardian furiously sneered and threw the remaining darts in his hand to wipe the haughty look off the other man's face. Actually, it was almost more of a reflex reaction than a calculated move because of the insult. Battle instinct kicked in the moment the blue haired man chose to dodge the remaining kunais rather than block them with his rapier.
*He's not as confident with his weapon as I thought. All the better to execute our plans NOW then* Berenger deducted. Without further notice, he threw his large body at the lean man and made sure he had his 'ten' flaring like mad. Take him by surprise and don't give him time to think about it. However, a lot could happen in three seconds though.
Quietly and patiently waiting in Berenger's shadow was the timidly silent Karuto. One could have said that her thoughts were exactly the same as the almighty Palace Guardian's, and so she knew exactly what was going on.
The gap was now closing between Berenger and the blue haired water controller.
4 meters..
3.5 meters...
3 meters..
Nearing radius of water control. The other man had a malicious grin on his face.
And her three seconds started NOW!
Berenger knew when he entered the radius of the other man's power. He felt his blood threatening to alter its course and run backwards. His head swam with dizziness and his battle axe slipped away from his slack fingers making a loud clang on the stone courtyard. But the momentum from his charge carried him closer and closer to the tip of the rapier now aimed at where his heart would be. His legs took another step forward purely from the force of acceleration alone and the disgusting doll tied on his belt lit up. Belle exhibited a laugh so diabolically insane that Berenger would have screamed if his whole sense of being was not so distorted by the blood running madly in his veins. The gaping red sash across the mouth seemed to move, and the water user was as equally mortified and horrifically fascinated at the same time. Both incredulously allowed a brief second to stare at the obscenity now convulsing on Berenger's belt surrounded in a globe of near invisible nen. Belle continued to cackle like an evil witch from the deepest depths of the subconscious mind and her black hair struck out with incredible force at the blue haired man before her like a rain of spikes.
Berenger couldn't believe what was happening, and neither could his adversary. Dead adversary for that matter. A wire like strand of hair lashed out and wrapped itself around a slim neck and following another gleeful chuckle, it tightened and cut through skin, bone and flesh like a hot knife through butter.
Blood few out from the new orifice and drenched Berenger's scarred face and front shirt before gracelessly toppling backwards, its limbs twitching spasmodically like a headless cockroach. As his enemy died, so did his nen. On regaining his strength, the first thing the Palace Guardian did was rip the horrific creature from his belt and with trembling arms and flung it far, far away from him.
Belle sailed through the air and landed into the waiting, open arms of Karuto who remained as cool and impassive as usual. Except this time, she offered a small smile which, in other circumstances would have been cute, but in front of the defeated enemy, it was the self satisfied smile of an assassin with a job well done.
Berenger's cell phone rang several times before he recovered himself from the shock of the experience and was able to receive the call. The South Gate was all quiet now, and one could only hear the distant rumble of the war being waged at the other Gates. On the other side was the sound of heavy artillery bombardment. It was then drowned out by the exhilarated laughter of a madman singing death and misery, followed by the sounds of explosions.
"Hey Berenger - this is just a quick update. West Gate is secure - they're trying to roll in tanks, but nothing's going to get by me."
"All right Misha. The South Gate battle is over. I'm going to reinforce the East Gate again. Take care."
Misha didn't respond. He had already immersed himself in what he enjoyed best, what he lived for, what could prove his worth to the world. Gods he loved battle.