Chapter 18: Sheep Will Sleep (,If You Become Fatigued)

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: Refer to the first chapter to view it.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought/Telepathy

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Antarctica

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"Grand Viper!"

Sol slid forward from his run, as small bursts of flames trailed after him. Once he was close enough, he struck That Man hard in the chest with his knee, before scraping That Man's head against a burning Fire Seal as he lept high into the air. That Man had been dragged up skyward with Sol, but recovered quickly, bashing Sol in the face with a downward fist that made Sol fall back to the ground, head first. Sol positioned himself to land on his feet. He looked to see That Man diving down at him, swinging an arm outward to send a large swath of energy in Sol's path.

"Tyrant Rave!"

Sol threw his right fist forward, a large fire ball blazing around his arm. He struck That Man's energy blast, tearing it apart before swinging up with the Fire Seal to unleash a large fire shield that pelted That Man upon his descent, before sending him flying into the snow. Sol wasted no time in rushing through his own attack to get to That Man, his body immune to the sweltering heat. Before the giant fire ball could disperse completely, Sol jumped up towards eye of the blast, letting it carry him towards That Man with greater speed. This in turn made the impact of his attack when he extended his arm and struck That Man in the chest with his hilt much greater. Even as That Man went skidding back, his feet remained firmly planted as they dug into the snow. Sol was practically flying towards That Man as he came forward with a powerful overhead slash. The attack was evaded as That Man side stepped. That Man brought an arm up to defend himself as Sol twisted around, delivering a powerful backslash towards That Man's neck. That Man went on the offensive after he pushed aside Sol's blade, making Sol go airborne slightly with the use of an open palm strike to his chin. That Man then leaned forward, using his still open palm to smash against Sol's chest. The Bounty Hunter got the wind knocked out of him as he was sent to the ground hard. Sol rolled out of the way to avoid getting hit by That Man's fist as it drove down into the snow. Sol slashed out in a switch handed motion as his sword went from his left to right hand. That Man simply caught it, swinging Sol around so his back faced him, striking Sol hard enough to fall forward. Before Sol could meet with the snow, he performed a forward flip, catching That Man in the chin and lifting him up from the snow. Sol twisted around until he faced him.

"Gun Flame!"

Sol shot a fire ball right at That Man's chest, setting him ablaze as he went plummeting with the ground. Sol landed, rushing towards That Man again with his sword held at the ready.

"Your fighting with a lot more vigor than before."

That Man commented as he blocked a slash aimed at his ribs.

"Hate builds my power. Aren't those your words?"

Sol said as he blocked a punch to the stomach, before retaliating with an elbow smash to That Man's gut.

"Finally heeding my words now, are we?"

That Man taunted. Sol sneered.

"You're the one that made me. As long as it leads to your destruction, then I could care less."

Sol stated, rushing towards That Man's retreating form. He swung out with the Fire Seal, but That Man faded from his vision, and Sol was then struck in the side of the head by a back fist from That Man as he appeared to Sol's right side.

"Then stop this nonsense. Make me and Frederick proud by accepting the duty branded upon you. In you, this world has a fighting chance."

That Man said. Sol nearly ended up laughing hysterically at the choice of words.

"That's the kind of corny bullshit boy scout would say if he were here."

Sol blurted out, regaining most of his composure. He was soon knocked off his feet as That Man kicked them out from under him.

"That may be so, but unlike him, I have the power to back up my words."

That Man stated, as Sol recovered quickly, using both feet to kick off That Man's chest.

"Riot Stamp!"

Using the momentum gained from rebounding off That Man, Sol hit the side of the mountain, bouncing off it to send his left foot right at That Man's face, knocking him back. The two continued fighting longer, losing all sense of direction amongst all the white Antarctica had to offer.

"Tell me something, Frederick...that is, Corrupted Flame...if you hadn't been around, what would I-No be doing if she still continued that -Carnival- of her's as she likes to call it without informing me first?"

That Man asked almost casually as Sol lunged in with a powerful thrust that almost succeeded in running That Man through.

"The fuck should I know? Getting punished by you after you found out, maybe?"

Sol muttered out as he crouched under an energy wave summoned out by That Man.

"Yes, but by the time I would have found out, the world would already be on it's last leg. Your already fulfilling your role that we gave you, so why do you continue to pretend your doing otherwise? The Hero..."

That Man was interrupted as Sol's foot connected with his jaw.

"Didn't I tell you once that it was too late to be singing those words of praise to me? That bitch was just a means to an end in finding you. Don't misinterpret my intentions, asshole. No amount of twisting and turning of your words is going to make me join your cause even if it is a peaceful one. Like I said before...I. Don't. Fucking. Care."

Sol growled out, leaving emphasis on his last few words before striking That Man across the face with the tip of Fire Seal. That Man began growing angry.

"I'm tired of this constant bickering. I should have disciplined you better when your mind was that of a learning child. Both you and Justice in fact. If you two hadn't left so soon, both your existence would have had some meaning, rather than engaging in this rebellious nonsense."

He said, his tone deep and irritable. Sol snorted.

"Why blame us? Maybe it was you who was the lenient parent, always letting your son and daughter get away with things they shouldn't...Or maybe the real reason your pinning the blame on us is because your in denial...Frederick was the one who first controlled this body even after he underwent the Gear Conversion. I bet you couldn't stand the way your best friend ran away from you once he finally became aware of the problems with this world and decided to abandon saving it. The last thing he was able to do was save the soon to be Leader of the Holy Order, Kliff, before he left me with permanent residence while he faded into the abyss."

Sol explained, a cruel smile showing on his lips. That Man's body began shaking ever so slightly, in rage.

"Silence..."

That Man muttered out in such a low voice, if Sol's sense of hearing weren't so keen he would have missed it.

"Time to wake up, asshole. Good old Freddie went and abandoned you, and decided to create the Outrage to stomp you and the rest of us out of existence. I'd actually admire the guy if he hadn't been so weak to die before seeing his wish fulfilled by his own hands. I should be thankful for one thing, however..."

Sol stopped talking for a bit, his fingers gliding over the worn and beaten surface of his head piece.

"...if he hadn't suppressed the beast writhing in my heart with this thing, then I would never have gotten this dark soul...I wouldn't have this overwhelming need to kill you out of hatred or any of these other feelings you humans call emotions. Which led to this moment in time. All these years, I've become more and more like the thing you wanted most...the entity that is neither Human or Gear...the entity that has risen above them."

Sol stated darkly, his hand leaving to go back into his pocket. That Man's shaking intensified.

"...a God..."

That Man said softly. Sol shrugged.

"Not quite there yet, but what makes everything so funny is that you can't stand how you have no control over me. This soon to be developed God you wanted so badly to be under your control hates your guts and there's not a fucking thing you can do about it. Only one thing would satisfy me more than getting you all riled up like just now. Your death. I'll send you to see Frederick, assuming there is an afterlife in existence."

Sol mentioned, before finally getting back into the fighting mood.

"You insolent Prototype...my words of hatred breeding power does not just apply to you. It does for me as well...and never have I felt this disturbing notion of wanting to rip you to shreds... nor will I tolerate you to talk about Frederick in such a way...if you weren't so important to me, I'd kill you where you stand. Only a severe beating would be possible..."

That Man said, his voice thick with anger. Sol smirked.

"You're a grown adult, so what's stopping you?"

Sol taunted. That Man was in front of him instantly, clocking Sol in the face with a blast of power emanating from his right arm. Sol was knocked back into the snow. He propped himself up on his elbows, wiping a small trail of blood on the corner of his lips with the back of his gloved hand. That Man stood still as he towered over Sol's lying form. Sol got up swiftly, slashing vertically upwards to strike That Man, but the attack was evaded easily, and Sol was struck hard in the stomach, flying back further. Sol landed roughly on his side, That Man's shadow casting over him from the light shining from an overhead aurora. Sol got up to his knees, gripping Fire Seal tightly.

"Gun..."

Sol swung around with inhuman speed, thrusting his sword into the ground, but before it could even make contact, That Man kicked the Fire Seal off course to the side, stopping Sol's attack before delivering a roundhouse kick to the side of Sol's head that left him spinning through the air before landing on his front. Sol got up again, but was whirled around by That Man, before a knee connected with his nose, sending Sol back further. Sol got up slowly, sitting up as his breathing became very heavy. He knew the last few attacks he had endured probably broke a few bones in his body.

'Damn...a broken nose, some broken ribs, and a dislocated left shoulder...combined with all the bleeding, I must look like I feel...shit. This situation has gotten heavy...but there's no fucking way I'm giving up now until one or both of us taken down.'

Sol stood up on his feet as quickly as he could, switching Fire Seal to his right hand. None of his injuries were serious due to his Gear powers, but he could not regenerate his body so quickly while That Man continued his offensive. Sol was kicked up into the air, before That Man followed up with a two fisted hammer punch to Sol's chest, making him hit the ground hard, but the snow buffered most of the impact damage. Sol growled as he got up, reeling his blade back before coming forward with an upper diagonal slash. That Man easily evaded, but Sol pressed on, bringing his sword back before striking with an overhead swing. That Man blocked with his wrist as it stayed shielded by an aura to keep from getting cut, before spinning around to send his foot colliding into Sol's waist. Sol grunted from the pain, before That Man followed with a series of palm strikes to Sol's head and chest. Sol brought up the Fire Seal to defend against what he could but this action in turned made That Man attack faster and harder, breaking through Sol's attempt at guarding. Sol jumped back to avoid the rest of the onslaught.

"Annoying..."

Sol said as he evaded another attack before retaliating with his right arm, smashing his fist and Fire Seal into That Man's chest. That Man skidded backward on the back of his feet. Sol came forward as he held his left arm with his right. He struck That Man viciously in the chest again by lifting up his left arm and supporting it. The action allowed Sol's dislocated shoulder to pop back in place. Sol spun in a full circle to build momentum as Fire Seal was switched off in his left hand again. That Man was hit in the throat by the hilt of the Fire Seal as Sol came rushing forward, sending That Man back further. That Man coughed slightly as he regained his breath.

"Not bad...and you haven't even used your altered state of being yet. I have misjudged you once again it seems."

That Man said, his throat stinging with his words since Sol hit him there.

"Whatever..."

Sol mentioned as he attacked again. That Man looked up to something behind Sol.

'That is...The Head Of The Colossus...Leopaldon is here!'

That Man thought to himself as Sol was almost upon him. That Man held up a hand.

"Sleep."

With that, a huge explosion flashed between the two, and Sol was thrown back violently by the blast radius after getting engulfed. Sol felt himself hit the ground and remained motionless for a bit. His vision became blurry from the attack, so he remained steady, letting his sight return to normal.

"My anger has come to past. We will meet again in the near future, like we always seem to do. Farewell."

He heard That Man say. Sol hefted himself up.

"Not yet."

Sol spoke out as his vision adjusted back to normal, but by the time that had been finished, That Man was no where in sight. Sol collapsed back down on the ground. For how long he was out, remaining in that half sleeping state, he could not be sure.

'Damn it...I thought I'd have his severed head in my hand this time, I was that close to ending it all...oh well, it's not like I'm going to kick the bucket anytime soon. Still, why did he so suddenly just up and leave? I could tell he wanted to keep fighting, probably to drill it in my head that I was the damn problem instead of Freddie. Their both stupid, righteous, self-centered bitches...hm?'

Sol's senses were picking up something close by. Something that felt strangely familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. He regenerated his wounds in record time and turned towards the source of his unease, finding a giant snow sculpture in the shape of a head not too far away.

"What the fuck is this thing doing out in the middle of nowhere?"

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Unknown

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"This could be bad. Leopaldon may have reached adulthood by now. Are we really going to leave him to handle it himself, master?"

Anji asked. That Man sat at his throne, rubbing at his sore throat.

"Leopaldon is stronger than any of us combined, the runes on the cave prove it. I don't think we can leave this to Frederick alone."

Raven also began conversing.

"He does not want to go by that name any longer. Leave him be. I want to know the true extent of his powers. He refuses to show me time and time again, so now I must rely on Leopaldon to bring them out."

That Man said, looking up as he leaned back on his throne.

'I refuse to believe Frederick is dead...he only wants you to be in control of the body for now, Sol Badguy...or perhaps he truly has passed away...I guess only time will truly give me an answer. One way or another, I will find out!'

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Transylvania, Ruins of a Castle

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"I can feel it. Leopaldon's power is seeping out from his protective cover. Sol is there as well. Come along Sharon, I want to get a first row viewing of this fight before Leopaldon truly frees itself."

Slayer stated, throwing his cape out and letting it unfold. He soon walked through it, hand in hand with Sharon.

:ToBeContinued:

Note: Sorry for the short and very confusing update. Like the last chapter, I wasn't too fond of the way I wrote this one either. I just hope it will be decent enough for the readers to enjoy. I'm going to try making my last update sometime late this month or early next month if I get lucky. It'll focus mostly on Sol and Leopaldon, rather than Sol and That Man like these chapters.