Hey guys!
This Chappies going to be a doozy, and fair warning there will be graphic descriptions of gore here. as well as sorta character death. So, if you do not like that, don't read it. If you see that its getting to that point, skip it.
This Chapter's also intending to dive deeper into Nico's psyche, his mind and all the internal issues that he's been faced with throughout the story. All them hallucinations, all those nightmares, those brief instances in the mirror world, everything's going to be brought on its head in this chapter. We'll start to see more development of his mental state, further developing his character and his role as a harem protag! Cause, lets face it, Nico's mind isn't the best for a relationship right now, there are still thing that prevent him from realizing that the girls like him that way, as indicated by IF a while back. Remember, psychological repression. Hopefully, you'll like the way I develop his character in this chapter.
in any case, lets get on with the chap.
Chapter 88 - Cowardice and Resolve
"Ugh… this is intense!"
Tekken cried that out as she lay on the Staircase, covering her face with her arms from the smoke generated by the combating Ghouls and Nico. After she had recovered from that hit, she had adjusted herself by moving off the Staircase's ledge, so that she could watch the fighting from beneath the top of the Staircase, but when that explosion came along she had to conceal her eyes lest she get dust in them. The downside for this was, that she could no longer rely on her eyes to watch the fight. Fortunately, she had her other senses, like her ears and hands. She had heard the constant sounds of weapons clashing against each other, of Skill attacks being launched from Nico's end, as well as the familiar crackling sounds from the Ghouls and their Kagune. Her hands, which were flat on the ground, felt the vibrations from each of their movements, spreading outwards like sonar waves.
This… this was the second time that she had been witness to a Ghoul fight, and like she just said it was just as intense as it was the first time.
Then, she remembered that she wasn't the only one who was witnessing this, so she looked to her sole other companion on this little adventure of theirs: her fellow dimensional travel companion, MAGES. the Mad Magician. "Hey, MAGES. how's your magic doing?" she asked her.
Said Mad Magician looked over from her spot beside the Martial Artist, her eyes glimmering with a no small amount of weariness. While the battle had been going on, MAGES. had put up a special barrier with what remained of her Mana, a barrier that she was using as a sustained ability with her Staff as a medium. Sustained abilities weren't the same kind of Spells that she had been using the last few levels of this infernal place, these particular Spells didn't drain her Mana as much as her other Spells. In fact, they drained very little, instead they took what they needed and recycled that Mana constantly, keeping the Spells active. When she dismissed the Spell however, all that Mana was dispersed into the atmosphere instead of being absorbed back into her. With all the Mana that she'd lost, it was no wonder that MAGES. didn't look too good. Hell, she practically looked like she would be keeling over at any second at this point.
The few healing Spells she had to perform on them didn't exactly help matters either.
This Particular Barrier Spell was one that functioned like a pocket dimension, like the Inventory every adventure/Guild Agent/Spec Ops (wit some exceptions) use. It isolated everything inside from the outside, and that included visibility, sounds, smells the ability to touch and even see the contents inside the barrier. After MAGES. got a quick summary of the Ghoul race by Tekken (who'd done some digging about it not long after her initial encounter with one – know the enemy, she said. If she wanted to fight one and win, she would have to learn more about her opponent, so she could formulate a strategy), she had quickly erected this Barrier so that the Ghouls wouldn't come after them and use them as a hostage against their Spec Ops Companion.
In this world, many scummy things went down, using hostages wouldn't be out of the question.
Nevertheless, the Mad Magician's stubbornness won the war within her body and kept her consciousness awake. Long enough for her to tilt her head and respond to Tekken's question. She had to keep herself from losing it, otherwise the Spell would be disabled, and the barrier would fall. "I am well, for the time being. However, I can feel the cold hands of oblivion trying to wrestle control over my consciousness away from me. I am successfully fighting them off, however I do not know when the tides of conflict will turn against me." MAGES. replied, frowning deeply. She didn't like this, not one bit. If she had more SP Chargers then she could use one to restore her Mana, she didn't want to have the others lend her one of theirs as they'd need them to replenish their own SP. That'd be selfish of her, and she was pretty sure Tekken had lent her one before. She couldn't exactly think very hard right now thanks to all that fatigue weighing on her.
You know that feeling of not wanting to think because the body was too tired and wanting rest?
Yeah, that was the feeling MAGES. was going through right now.
This clearly showed itself to Tekken, whose eyes flashed with concern for her friend. As long as she had known her, Tekken hadn't seen Tekken this worn down very many times. The last time she was like this was when she stayed up for 4 days on nothing but Doc P, designing one of her more… complex inventions as the Mage of Magic and Technology. She couldn't remember which though, her friend had invented so many in their years of friendship at this point. Plus, she'd been more focused on her training, at least until the fourth day when she had to catch MAGES. when she fell towards the floors of her Lab inside her house while paying her a visit. THAT had been a good eyeopener for her, since she'd been pretty tired from her training. "Well… just do what you can." She urged, getting a nod from her friend. "I could give you one of…"
"No. You should keep those for your own Skills. DEATHSTROKE has done well in keeping the enemy mostly focused on himself whenever they attack us till now, however even he has limits. Therefore, preserving our dwindling SP Charger supply will be vital." MAGES. replied indifferently, waving off the Martial Artist's concern. Though touched, this wasn't the time for it, right now one of their own was fighting a battle of life and death ad they had to keep themselves out of the crossfire. Normally they would have tried to help, however this wasn't any normal situation. MAGES. knew this just from the sound of Nico's voice when he told them to stay out of this.
The urgency…
Fear…
Tension…
Dread…
Along with a hint of grim determination…
These Ghouls were something that got under his skin, for what reason yet eluded the Mad Magician, however she figured that it was a grave one jut from his actions alone. She and Tekken kept in touch often through Phone Calls, considering that they were in another Dimension far more hostile than their own version, they'd need to keep in contact at all times in case of an emergency situation. On one of their many calls, Tekken had informed the Mad Magician that she had begun fighting Abnormals after she encountered one at last, after so many weeks of trying to keep out of their way. Why that was, Tekken hadn't said, but MAGES. extracted some of the truth from Tekken's words, like she had done with the main Party back at Lastation. Her mind deduced that Tekken had been forced to fight against an Abnormal, one that boiled the Martial Artist blood within her to a point that she hadn't felt in a long time, leading to the sudden desire to train and increase her strength to fight them on even ground.
That desire may have been how she got that strange power as well…
Just as she was making to resume her resting, as well as her battle to remain conscious, a feminine hand rested on her shoulder, catching her by surprise. Her eyes widened as she frantically turned her head, expecting to see an enemy or something. If that was the case, then she would be unable to do a thing to stop them. However, the moment she laid eyes on the person, her eyes filled with recognition instead.
"You…!"
'WOW, LOOK AT YOU, KING. HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN…'
HIS voice echoed from within his mind like a ghastly wail, hollow yet still with a sentience that just screamed life. It was a twisted, sinister sentience however, and it also COMMANDED Nico to pay attention to it.
The face of HIM sneered mockingly, slowly moving forwards to reveal his full white form to him. The pure whiteness that HE, the personification of the beast trapped inside, radiated gave a stark contrast inside this large, black void within Nico's mind. His form almost seemed to glow in this wretched place, something Nico paid little attention too as he had to look upwards, straining his neck to do so. He doubted his neck appreciated this, judging from the aches that assaulted it right now. Yet, all he could do was look up at the white version of himself, the sinister half. Ironic, considering his true nature was anything that white represented.
It was so ironic that it was almost sickening.
"How… How are you…?"
Having opened his mouth with sheer willpower, Nico tried to speak, momentarily breaking through whatever kept him from speaking before. However, like a massive suction, his ability to speak soon got swept away from him. His body shuddered and trembled, all the while he became distinctly aware of how his form her paused its sinking into the void, almost like the void itself was aware of the Copy's presence. In the past, Nico only heard HIS voice whenever something happened with regards to his mental state, his instincts along with THAT side to him, the beast he kept trapped inside. He never actually saw HIM fully like this and spoke face to face with HIM. HE was always just that annoying voice in the back of his mind, judging him, goading Nico into unleashing what he kept on a tight leash. Part of him felt like he didn't even need to manifest like this, that Nico knew already what he truly was, no matter what form HE took. In a sense, he could see why, as the eyes were a major giveaway. So, for HIM to fully manifest before him like this…
Just how bad were things getting?
'WHO KNOWS? NOT REALLY IMPORTANT THERE, KING. #SIGH# YOU REALLY HAVE LOST IT HAVEN'T YOU? #SHRUG SHOULDER# BUT MEH, BACK TO THE MORE IMPORTANT SHIT…'
The mocking grin only widened as the white Copy slowly kneeled down so that he was balanced perfectly on the front of his feet, allowing them to be eye level. He reached forth and harshly grasped his chin, forcing Nico to look into his crimson and black eyes with his own light blue ones. Malice and sinister intent clashed with shock, confusion and dread, it didn't need to be said which emotions belonged to which pair of eyes did it? Thought not.
'YOU'VE REALLY FALLEN QUITE A HEIGHT: BEEN GETTING CLOBBERED OUT THERE, AND NOW LOOK AT YOU. SO WEAK, SO HELPLESS. THOSE TWO CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT TO YOU, AND YOU'D BE TOO POWERLESS TO RESIST. AH, I CAN SEE IT NOW, ONE OF THEM HOLDING YOU DOWN WHILE THE OTHER HAS HIS WAY WITH YOU. HOW PATHETIC, WHAT A WEAKLING YOU ARE. YES, THAT IS YOU, KING. THAT IS WHAT YOU REALLY ARE. YOUR FANGS HAVE BEEN BLUNTED, YOUR CLAWS HAVE GROWN DULL. YOU'VE HIT ROCK BOTTOM, THE END OF THE ROAD. THIS IS THAT BITCHY KARMA COMING CALLING TO COLLECT WHAT SHE IS OWED, YA KNOW.'
Every word this other Nico said, felt like the sting of a thousand Wasps to his eardrums, yet Nico could not look away from the white copy before him. Mostly because he was restrained by these black hands while his body was halfway through the void right now. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he could only listen to the white copy's words. Though, that wasn't really much better. Not to mention how his head still felt like it was suffering under a thousand-kilogram weight at the moment, a weight that felt like it was threatening to crush him.
However, Nico refused to let this stand, he refused to be called 'weak'. Nico was not 'weak' he was not 'weak' in the slightest. He felt a bristle come along while his eyes narrowed sharply at his copy, his previous emotions slowly bleeding away to give way to the fury that was rising within his gut like a scorching heat. "I… am… not weak…!" he growled through heavy breathing. The male may have found his voice for the second time just now, but it wasn't exactly easy to speak like this, not with some of the hands feeling like they were gripping his lungs like they were anchors.
In the copy's eyes though, he may as well be.
'OH REALLY? LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT YOU, SHALL WE?'
The Copy raised a hand and began lifting fingers, listing several things that his condition showed. Each one felt like a stab to the gut nonetheless, though.
'YOUR BODY'S A WRECK, YOU CAN'T CALL ON YOUR FEEBLE DEMONIC POWER, YOUR DDD IS SHOT, YOUR LIMBS HAVE BEEN AMPUTATED AND YOU HAVE YOUR ENEMIES ABOUT TO DEFILE YOU. DID I GET THAT RIGHT? THOUGHT SO. JUST LIKE OLD TIMES, HUH? WHAT, YOU HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH YET?'
Is it just him, or was this guy just DESIGNED for the sole purpose of blurting out the truth as bluntly as a hammer? Because no matter how much Nico wanted to refute him, his mouth opening with a retort that died seconds before release, he couldn't. He just couldn't. No matter how much his mind shouted and raved at his body for refusing to answer to its commands, Nico just couldn't refute him for some reason.
Thus, Nico resorted to only glaring at him in defiance.
Seemed like that was something the copy expected however, as he let Nico's chin go in a rough, brutal manner by yanking it downwards, before he used the same hand to clutch the boy's head in a vice. Not too different for whatever was gripping his brain right now, actually.
'LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVEN'T DONE MUCH SINCE THE FIRST 'TRIAL', IT SEEMS. PATHETIC, YOU'RE A KING, WHY IS IT THAT YOU ARE SO FREAKING STUPID THAT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TRYING ANYTHING? OH WAIT, I GET IT, YOU'RE JUST A COWARD WHO CAN'T EVEN STAY TRUE TO HIS TRUE NATURE, HIS TRUE CALLING IN LIFE? I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO TRUST PEOPLE, SO WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT YET? MAYBE THIOSE GUYS WEREN'T THAT WRONG ABOUT YOU AFTER ALL, EH? THEM SAYING ALL THAT SHIT ABOUT YOU BEFORE.'
Oh, how much Nico relished the thought of knocking the Copy's teeth out. Not only insulting and demeaning him, but also referring to the ultimate risk that Nico could take? Trusting? Unlike other edgy protagonists, Nico had full reasons for not wanting to trust and rely on others! He had to be alone because that was what he deserved! Even if his heart longed for people he could trust with his life, it didn't mean that he deserved it!
Almost as if the copy could hear his thoughts, something that Nico didn't doubt considering this guy's true nature, the copy rolled his eyes while scoffing, a snort of derision coming from his lips a second later.
'SURE, YOU KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT. THOSE ARE A COWARD'S THOUGHTS IF YOU ASK ME, IF YOU HADN'T MET THOSE HINDRANCES YOU'D STILL BE THE COLD KILLING MACHINE YOU WERE IN THE PAST! THEN YOU COULD HAVE BEATEN THOSE FUCKERS INTO THE GROUND NO SWEAT! NOW LOOK AT YOU, SEEMS LIKE YOU DIDN'T HEED MY WARNING TO YOU BACK WHEN YOU FOUGHT THAT LAST GHOUL, HOW PITIFUL.'
The Copy shook his head, his earlier sinister sadism and glee replaced with frustration and disappointment. It honestly threw Nico off a little, how the Copy could use other emotions than his usual demented psychotic nature. But soon, those thoughts got thrown out of the window when the Copy opened his mouth again.
'BECAUSE YOU STUNTED YOURSELF, YOUR SO CALLED 'COMRADES' ARE GOING TO BE MURDERED, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN FUCKING DO ABOUT IT. NOT WITH THE STATE YOUR IN. YOU'RE SO WEAK, SO PATHETIC, AND THERE'S NOT A SINGLE FUCKING THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. IN FACT, WHY NOT SEE FOR YOURSELF, AFTER ALL THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL DOOM EVERYONE TO THANKS TO YOUR ACTIONS, OR LACK OF…'
Raising his hand, the Copy snapped his fingers, and everything in the void began to change. Everything distorted, shifting into the familiar settings of the Dungeon… allowing Nico to get up on his own two feet. The teen did so with gusto, just so he could get feeling back into his legs and get rid of the phantom sensations of those creepy dark arms. That had been one of the most harrowing experiences he'd ever had yet, it felt like he had been gradually getting sucked into the madness. Under no reason was he thinking that he'd been freed from the madness, he could still feel it clawing away at him, trying to bring him back into its infernal grip. To make him slip back into its waters and down into the depths of insanity. No, it would make more sense to say that the madness was ALWAYS present, like a lingering thought in the deepest recesses of his brain, a place he'd dare not venture to.
Bad things happened when his mind wandered. His head wasn't a nice place to get lost in.
Soon though, something in the distance caught his attention, a pair of figures that were fairly close together. They were so close that the teen assumed that they were practically about to touch with the proximity between them. At first, Nico could hardly make them out thanks to one thing: his having adapted to the darkness of the void. So, it would be possible to assume that the sudden shift in scenery would do wonders on his optic nerves. "Those two… what…?"
However, Nico didn't focus on that as his Copy floated just above the ground beside him, leaning downwards while the original Nico's eyes fixed themselves on the two figures. Said figures slowly revealed themselves as his eyes focused, but the Copy didn't wait for the process to fish. Instead, he spoke directly into Nico's ear, his voice bone-chilling and it made Nico shudder in both anger… and dread, especially with the words he spoke.
'BECAUSE OF YOUR COWARDICE, YOUR UNWILLINGNESS TO EMBRACE YOUR TRUE SELF AT THE CONSEQUENCE OF EXPOSURE, YOU WILL FAIL TO PROTECT THOSE WHO HAVE FOUGHT ALONGSIDE YOU. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP THEM FROM FACING THAT WHICH NO SOUL SHOULD EVER GO THROUGH…'
Finally, the figures could be seen. On one hand, one of them was Tekken, the Martial Artist lying on her back. What his attention got caught by however was her body's condition. It looked like she had been through hell, with her body riddled with various injuries, some minor, most of them major. Her eyes looked like they were struggling to stay open, even though a part of them looked like they wanted to look away for some reason. It looked like she was on death's door, and it looked like she barely had any strength left to move.
As for the looming figure looming over her…
'No… No!'
Pure horror, revulsion and all too familiar emotions swelled within his gut when he saw what he did. His stomach churned, almost forming knots tighter than a serpent coiling around its prey. His Jaw unhinged from its connection to his mouth, dropping open while his eyes practically became dots, his breath catching itself in his throat.
'No…. No, this isn't…'
What he saw was the other figure… or rather, of J Greil, looming over Tekken with a perverse expression on his features that wasn't unlike ones he'd seen before in some of the cases he'd solved. His grin looked so disturbing and disgusting that Nico wanted to look away from it to stop himself from puking in disgust. It showed his teeth, sharp as fangs they were, tainted with the stains of blood from previous victims. His form pressed itself against the downed, weakened Tekken to limit her mobility, his hands wrapped tightly around her neck with a grip that was just strong enough to make breathing difficult. He could see the skin being bunched up around the fingers and thumbs.
But… the most horrifying thing that he immediately took notice of?
It was the hip areas: Or rather the motions of thrusting that he could see there. That, and the tell-tale scent of blood, the faint pained expression on her face as she weakly struggled to break free under the Ghoul's grip.
One didn't need to be a genius to know what was going on when seeing this.
'No… No, I have to stop this!'
Instincts inside of him screamed at him to act, and act. Nico did his brain, despite the state it had been in, frantically sent orders to his legs, his motor functions to move their asses and save Tekken from what was happening to her. Thing was, this body refused, it refused to move no matter how much his mind demanded that it do what it was told. Why?! Why was his body not moving?!
Looking down, Nico got his answer, and it was the worst-case scenario for him…
He didn't have his limbs.
Being Limbless made him powerless, and that meant he could do nothing to help Tekken escape the fate planned for her by this Ghoul, something that filled his throat with disgust. Her screams grew fainter and fainter as time went on, while the defilement kept continuing unimpeded. He couldn't even see MAGES. anywhere, leading him to fret over her as well. Was she already killed? Did she go through this as well? Or did something worse happen? Part of him wondered what could be worse than what he was witnessing right now, but that part soon got quashed by the rest of his fear-riddled brain.
Once again though HIS voice cut trough his haze of thought, and it felt just as unwelcome as ever.
'HEHEHEHE, YOU SEE? YOU JUST DOOMED THOSE TWO GIRLS TO A FATE YOU WOULDN'T WISH ON ANYONE? GHOULS DO LIKE EATING PEOPLE, FOR THEM IT IS ALSO CONSIDERED… SEXUALLY PLEASING… YOU KNOW THIS, I KNOW THIS… WE BOTH ARE AWARE. KNOW THAT YOU WILL FAIL IN PROTECTING THEM FROM THE HORRORS OF GHOULS, OF WHAT THE DEVIL HAS PLANNED FOR THEM. BUT, IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE END, WHY YOU COULDN'T BE ANY MORE WRONG…'
Once again, the scene began to shift, everything distorting back into that empty black void. All colour bled into darkness, evaporating into simple mist that soon disappeared into nothingness, like it was nothing but an illusion. But to Nico, that couldn't be the truth, no. He knew… he KNEW deep down to the innermost essence of his being that was far from the truth. Still, he lacked the ability to move, his body still half-encased within the void around him. He couldn't feel the hands that gripped him before, though, so was that a good thing or not? Nico didn't know anymore at this point.
Soon enough however, once again the scene gradually changed into another setting, a bright light erupting from right in front of him. Nico quickly closed his eyes, as if that would protect him from the blinding light in front of him. Yet, as it shone brighter and brighter, brighter than the sun itself even, the teen couldn't help but feel like his eyelids were burning under the intensity, providing little protection for his vulnerable eye sockets.
Just as fast as it came though, the sense of burning light vanished, allowing Nico to open his eyes once more. Though, he waited for a few seconds before he did though, just in case it was his mind playing tricks on him. Though, one could say that his mind was ALWAYS playing tricks on him at this point, something Nico had gotten used to from many years of having those goddamn nightmares. Nevertheless, if he had known that shit like this would happen in his future, then maybe he would have appreciated the nightmares a little better. They didn't sting nearly as much as watching one of his comrades get… defiled, like that.
Opening his eyes fully, Nico took in his surroundings, eyes casting their wary gaze across them like a falcon. Once again everything looked familiar to him, only it wasn't the Dungeon that he was seeing anymore. Looking around, Nico couldn't help but notice that the room he was in, it looked like a… living room of sorts. Not just any living room though, no he recognized the layout this room had. The tan ceiling, pink pain with darker pink hearts on them, as well as the cosy, homely feeling he got from the place, it reminded him of one thing: Compa's Living room.
The familiar, warm setting this was, gave Nico some small manner of comfort, a soft sigh of relief escaping him along with the tension built up within his gut. The Living Room of his Childhood friend, someone Nico regarded as one of the few reasons he had left to fight in this wretched world, always sparked this reaction in him.
Alas, that was not to be however…
'YES, COSY HUH? A NICE LITLE SLICE OF HEAVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE HELL AND OTHER BULLSHIT YOU PUT UP WITH, RIGHT? YOUR PERSONAL LITTLE PARADISE, WHICH BY THE WAY YOU DIODN'T EVEN VIST TILL 5 YEARS PASSED. TOO BAD BECAUSE OF YOUR FAILURE, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP THOSE GUYS FROM MOVING ON TO THOSE YOU CARE ABOUT…'
Soon, HIS voice came back and shattered his peacefulness, sending Nico into a fit of shudders as he looked up. Eyes wide with fear and dread, he cast his gaze around once again, noticing something that he didn't notice before thanks to the familiarity of the place. Something he SHOULD have noticed, the one thing wrong with this paradise. The stain on an otherwise natural safe haven that he had always considered it as.
Everything… was a mess.
The floor had various stains of blood on it, all shaped differently as if something had either slammed onto it to make a circular patch, or something was dragged along it like a paint brush making a piece of art. There were holes in the walls, varying in sizes between bullets, fists, and the unmistakable size of Shards: Ukaku Shards. The Ceiling looked like it had been punched in by a giant, with how it looked indented from the outside in. faint piles of soot could be seen scattered across the floor, mixing with the bloodstains scattered across the carpet. The furniture? Don't get him started, they each looked like a bear had come in and went to town on their asses, with claw marks, both big and small, ripping through it like warm tofu. They spilled the contents out onto the floor, some also being stained by blood.
Seeing all this reminded him of when someone 'Pulled the Wool over his eyes'. It was basically a means of tricking or deceiving someone, to hide the truth till it was too late. Whatever HE was doing, Nico did in face realise that HE had just pulled the wool over his eyes just now. Nico had been so distracted with the soothing feelings this place brought him in the past that he just didn't notice the hell that it had become. It… definitely stung, he'll say that at least.
The sound of shuffling made Nico realise that he wasn't alone in this place, his head shooting towards the direction he heard the sound come from. His eyes fell on a large, masculine figure that he quickly recognised as Hol Horse, just by seeing that cowboy hat of his… and how his Ukaku Kagune was out. The wing protrusions blocked him from seeing what his arms were doing, but the teen could faintly make out something dangling from beneath them. They looked… like feet?
Oh no…
No, not that, anything but that!
'HEHEHEHEHEHE, THAT'S A BINGO! GIVE THIS BOY A PRIZE, HEH-HEEEE! BECAUSE OF YOUR WEAKNESS, YOU COULDN'T STOP THEM FROM GOING AFTER YOUR COMRADES, YOUR SO-CALLED PARTY. NO MATTER HOW STRONG THEY MAY BE, THEY ARE STILL NO MATCH FOR THESE GHOULS. GHOULS THRIVE UNDER CONFLICT, THEIR KAGUNE GROWS STRONGER WITH EACH ABNORMAL THEY CONSUME. YOU KNOW THIS, CONSIDERING…'
Glancing behind him, Hol Horse, or at least the one in this scene, looked straight at him, staring the shocked and horrified Nico straight in the eyes, before his lips curved upwards into a smug grin. His eyes shone with malice, perverse lust and a sense of pure victory in every sense of the word. That was before he turned around, and all that faded into pure sadism when he showed Nico what he was holding… or rather, WHOM he was holding.
Liliac hair…
Hoodie dress…
Striped stockings…
Creamy hair…
Woolly sweater...
Checkered skirt…
Kneesocks with pink hearts…
If his blood didn't freeze before, it certainly did just then when he saw just WHO Hol Horse held in each hand: Compa, and Neptune. Both of them looked absolutely WRECKED, and not in a joking manner. The former had pieces of her hair forcefully and mercilessly ripped from her skull and scalp, discarded messily to the floor below to leave blood staining the rest. Her face had entire portions of her cheeks and an eye ripped out, exposing the interior. Her body had similar injuries, with long gashes brought from Tail strikes, adorning her torso and limbs. By limbs, he meant an arm and a leg, she didn't have the full set anymore. Her clothes: ripped, torn and shredded till they barely hung off her unmentionables, showcasing just how brutal a treatment she had gotten.
As for the latter…
Well, Nico had seen a lot of fucked up shit. That much was for certain, having to deal with a world filled with criminals and deranged psychopaths. People who committed unspeakable horrors to their brethren like this one serial killer known as the 'Birthday Stitcher'. He'd kill his victims with string, take out their organs at the scene and make mini decorations out of them surrounding the corpse. Sort of like when people put up decorations around their homes…. Only it was a much gorier affair to witness. A complete abomination to what should be a happy occasion, and on that happy note the killer would end it with a note written in the victim's own blood. That note: 'Happy Birthday, bitch!' was his calling card.
One can imagine what Nico reacted like when he finally got his hands on that fucker.
As for Neptune's body, he could safely say that it was way up there in terms of victim remains being horrifically grotesque. Her entire torso, down to her lower abdomen, looked like it was cut open with surgical precision, letting various organs and intestines dangle outwards with bones sticking out of her flesh. Her arms and legs looked to have been bent at an unnatural angle, horrific looking gashes adorning them. Hell, it was the same for each of her fingers and toes, each one looking more and more fucked up than the last. Nico wanted to peel his eyes away from this disgusting sight, his inner desire to shudder in horror and dreads too strong to resist, but he couldn't. It was like the sight before him just compelled him to look, forcing him to take it in no matter how horrible it was. That, and there was just ONE little detail that trumped everything else, one that nearly sent his mind off the rail.
Both of them were practically dead, obvious thing was obvious. That alone nearly sent him down into the madness within. But then, he noticed their neither regions, something that wasn't as covered as their upper halves by their shredded clothing. There was blood coming from those regions, coming from THAT part of their bodies, the most sacred of a female's anatomy, at least to those two girls.
'BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE THEM. HOW COULD YOU? AFTER ALL, YOUR COWARDICE WON'T LET YOU GO ALL OUT ON THEM IF THERE'S OTHERS NEARBY. OH, WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF ME? WILL THEY THINK I'M A MONSTER AND CONDEMN ME? WILL THEY HATE ME? UGH, GET OVER YOURSELF, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION!'
HIS Voice stopped Nico's thought process just before he could slip back into that void once again, and this time Nico hardly had the strength to resist him at this point. His words, words that were sharper than any blade in existence sunk into his mind, plunging their sharpened talons into his psyche and ripping away like deranged, psychotic patients in a mental asylum.
'AND NOW… FOR THE CLINCHER…'
The same thing from before happened once again. The settings bled away just before Nico saw how Hol Horse released his Kagune to tear the girls remains to shreds in front of him, finally putting an end to that gory horror… in just as gory a manner. The teen's wide, borderline insane gaze trembled as did his body, when he once again found himself in yet another familiar setting. He found himself located within one of the Spec Ops Guild corridors, the familiar white design filling his vision.
Up ahead, he saw someone familiar to him… and fortunately for him, it wasn't a bad kind.
"IF!"
His eyes replacing insanity and madness with joy, brightened as he called out to the brunette as she walked along the corridors. His eyes, once they fell on her, quickly picked something up however, something that confused the heck out of him. Was it just him, or did she have a change of wardrobe, too? She had changed her colors slightly, her long coat having a darker blue coloring, nigh black. It reminded him of the depths of the ocean, now that he thought about it, with a fairly sinister looking high collar, which had various sharpened, elongated edges. It also had two wicked looking dark green chains dangling from it. The dark green, in contrast, reminded him of a sickly poison, which unnerved him slightly. Her coat's sleeves had both dark green vine-like designs embedded in them, and dark green cuffs with blades leaves coming out the back, while her back had what looked like… some form of bio hazard symbol, a symbol that constantly pulsated like a living organ. It also sported torn and tattered edges, almost resembling bladed leaves, along the bottom trim. These features along with everything else about her demeanor… it was not what he knew of her.
Something was wrong here, very wrong.
"Idiot…"
Eyes widened once more, as Nico heard how her voice sounded: so cold, lifeless and almost like she had been inhaling herbal narcotics. Slowly, IF turned to face him, and Nico became aware of just how much her other pieces of her outfit had changed, something that, in other circumstances would have made his jaw drop in awe. Right now, however, he could only think of one thing: what had happened to her?
IF sported a dark bluish black crop top, one that looked to be made from sharpened, blade-like leaves. There were also various Tendril-like ornaments hanging from the bottom, just reaching her belly button in length. Around her waist were a pair of shorts, something that Nico first sighed in relief from the familiar clothing style, but then he noticed that the shorts followed similar designs to the crop top, with a single garter belt coming down her left thigh and ending in a belt around there. On her hands, she wore a set of black leather gloves. She wore instead of her blue boots, a pair off black thigh high boots with stiletto heels, each foot having dark green soles. Each heel looked sharpened with plates, allowing it to be used to kick someone when needed. Honestly reminded him of Raven's boots, now that he thought about it. Her coat also showed a dark green pulsating interior… almost like his own coat, now that he thought about it.
But the moment he saw her face, Nico felt his gut practically rupture itself. Her eyes, instead of that vibrant green he had come to know from her, as well as secretly admire about her among other things he'd noticed ever since Neptune's advances made him see things… a little bit differently when it came to the girls, they now had a more poisonous color to them, like a plant/succubus mix that drew her victims in with her alluring charms, then utterly ripped them to shreds with her powers. Her pupils also looked slitted, like a cat's or a Demon's. Hell, her hair even looked between brown and black, with dark green highlights mixed in to complete the image.
And she looked at him with… nothing but disappointment, which Nico nearly shattered at.
"Why didn't you just show us already? Couldn't you have trusted us a bit more?" she asked him, frowning at his flabbergasted expression. The way she spoke just now… he KNEW he didn't like it, not one bit. It felt horrible, he couldn't truly explain it because he hadn't felt this bad about… well, anything before, but hearing her say those words in that tone just s ruptured his heart to pieces.
Then, her face turned to one of a pained grimace, as if she had just moments left to live. Horror once again found itself travelling through Nico's eyes as IF fell forwards, blood exploding out of her in various places from injuries that just appeared over her from nowhere. "But… b-because you di…d… th-this… happened…" As she fell, the two hulking figures of both Hol Horse AND J Greil appeared behind her, bloodied Kagune being held in plain sight. As if they were deliberately goading him by showing they were responsible for ending his comrades' lives.
In that moment, Nico lost it.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAH! AH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Screams. Pure SCREAMS ripped through his throat with bestial savagery. Nico's throat almost screamed alongside his vocal chords, begging him to cease the strenuous activity on its form before it ripped itself apart. Yet, Nico held no care in the world, not in that moment. All he could do was scream until his voice grew hoarse, and even then the teen continued. The pain that followed from his voice would have been a much greater welcome compared to the mental breakdown that he was experiencing right now.
'YEP, THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE OUTCOME OF THE PATH YOUR COWARDLY ACTIONS HAVE LED YOU TO. THIS IS THE PATH THOSE ACTIONS PUT YOU ON. YOU'VE LOST WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE A MONSTER.'
Nico didn't even bother denying HIS words at this point, there was no need for him to. They had been hammered home to the point where not even he could deny it. Worst part of this, was that HE was right on the money, everything he saw just then, Nico knew that would happen. He KNEW that J Greil and Hol Horse would do shit like that to his comrades. That was just how they were as Ghouls. His surroundings once more became that black void, with those arms holding him in place once again. Their grips hurt way more than before, or perhaps they never showed him their full weight. It didn't matter to him anymore.
Everything he thought he was doing for the good of his comrades, keeping them away from the beast that he held inside, everything he thought he was doing for their sake...
It would be for nothing.
All for nothing.
Ghouls wouldn't stop with just killing their prey. They'd go after their families, their friends and loved ones, the promise of flesh just as tasty as their first meal just too enticing to ignore. Ghouls feasting on people's friends and family like they do, it was much more complex than people knew, not only was it a sexual pleasure, but it was also through flesh that Ghouls could tell a lot about a person's character. It was one of the reasons why only the more vile of Ghouls end up devouring each other. And what a spectacle that would be.
It was... more than a little difficult to take in.
No... it would make more sense to say that Nico barely comprehended such logic one bit.
His mind refused to accept it, though the harsh reality burned itself into his mind despite its resistance to the truth. He'd done so much to keep his secret hidden, to keep the beast trapped inside. He'd done it to keep the others safe from what really threatened to take their lives. Not the Monsters, not the government conspiracies, not even the Abnormals or the Demons that threaten to return to Gamindustri... but himself. HE was their greatest threat. He was always closest to the girls, one wrong move and they would have met an end way worse than anything that Nico could dish out on his enemies.
He was always a monster, and he would always be one. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, that fact would never change. He was a monster in the eyes of his peers, the other Agents, the Higher ups in every Guild and Basilicom, and lastly he was a monster to his enemies. He'd not be surprised if the word 'monster' had his portrait next to it in the translation dictionary. Monsters like him, they never did get anything happy, they didn't get a good ending. Just look at fairy tails and all myths, how monsters there either end up in servitude or killed. Monsters would end up either on the other end of a blade, or devoured by another monster. That was something he'd learned and accepted a long time ago. Never stopped him from hating himself, instead it only spurned him on. Nico never saw himself as someone who was worthy of the attention the others gave him, no way, no how. He wasn't someone who deserved anything good in his life, he was someone who would be bound to a life in solitude and misery for the rest of his days... days that thanks to his DPU powers, that would likely be extended across an eternity, or at least thousands of years. Turned out that his body had been turned immortal thanks to the demonic energy, similar to that of the CPUs.
Therefore, wouldn't it make no sense for him to have anything good in his life?
Even so, Nico did have some things that were considered good, Compa, Neptune and the others. Therefore, to protect them from himself, wouldn't it have been right to keep the wool over their eyes? To make sure they don't get hurt in a world from someone else's imagination? That was what he thought at least.
Yet now, now his greatest secret seemed to be the only thing that he could resort to in order to save those he considered comrade. Comrades that were still conscious, so they'd undoubtedly see what would happen.
Ironic.
It was so ironic that if he could, Nico would have laughed hysterically at it all.
'OK, HOLD THE FUCK UP. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING A MONOLOGUE RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, C'MON KING, THERE'S REALLY NOTHING TO IS. THIS IS WHAT YOU CHOSE WITH YOUR WIMPY THOUGHTS. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED, WASN'T IT? THEM TO REMAIN UNAWARE OF YOUR SECRET? AT LEAST IN DEATH, THEY'D NEVER HAVE THE CHANCE TO FIND OUT, EVER. THEY DIE, YOU SHARPEN YOUR FANGS AGAIN AND THAT'S THAT. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL THERE IS TO IT, I MEAN REALLY, YOU KNOW THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE THIS WOULD BE TO FINALLY RELEASE THE BEAST.''
HIS words once again cut through his monologue, and Nico lowered his head back down so his hair hung over his eyes. His mind remained silent, yet the Copy knew that his words had sunken in. He could just FEEL it, since they were practically the same person, just different aspects.
'WHAT A FOOL YOU ARE, KING. AFTER ALL, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE PROTECTING THOSE USELESS BROADS. BUT WHAT YOU WERE REALLY DOING WAS FORSAKING THEM, FORSAKING THEM TO A FATE THAT YOU YOURSELF COULD HAVE PREVENTED IF YOU COULD ONLY BARE YOUR FANGS AT THE ENEMY. THE FANGS THAT HAVE GROWN DULL OVER TIME. MAN, DON'T FEEL LIKE A RIGHT IDIOT, HUH? YOU GO ON ABOUT HOW YOU'D GIVE YOUR WORD THAT THOSE GIRLS'LL MAKE IT OUT OF THIS ALIVE, BUT HERE YOU ARE LETTING THEM DIE LIKE THIS. TUT-TUT, FOR SHAME, KING, FOR SHAME.'
Once again, HE had another good point Here Nico was, staying wherever this place was in his mind, when for all he knew his comrades could still be in danger. His only option was something that he wouldn't want to use under normal circumstances, only because he had witnesses. He NEVER wanted eyewitnesses for THAT side of him, not one bit. Nope. Never. finito. But yet, he truly could see no other way, no other way to get those girls out of this alive, to rescue IF and escape this hellish place in one piece. Truly, this was a choice, a choice he had to make sooner or later.
The power that could save his comrades... it came with risks, and he had little idea as to how he'd even got it. Nico related it to his lost memories, but ever since he woke up with partial amnesia, his body was always different. He soon found out how, and thus the secrecy had came about. He hadn't stayed idle with it though, he'd made that power his own go-to whenever he went on solo missions. he trained with it, he'd trained hard to make sure he could damn well control such a power. Still, despite this Nico never actually accepted that power, at least not fully. He'd embraced his roll as a monster, but that was more because he had no other option. He literally had only one path at this point, the path of the monster. While he had no problems using it when alone, he'd never resort to it when with people, something that honestly he had never expected to be his undoing until now.
Such a choice...
Ugh, goddamnit! Fuck those Ghouls!
Fuck him for caring about others!
Fuck everything!
Every-fucking-thing!
... Wait a fucking minute...
Just when he felt like his head was about to burst, Nico remembered something, his eyes widening as memories triggered itself in the back of his mind.
(Flashback)
When one makes a promise… they should keep it otherwise they're the scum of the earth. I don't want to end up like those lying, cheating assholes in the world, I want people to be able to trust me when I give my word."
(Flashback End)
Returning to reality, Nico gasped with his eyes shining. Shock and realization dawned on him as he recalled those words he said to Neptune back when he first accessed DDD.
...
...
'That's... That's right, I always did value my word highly.' he thought in realization, slowly gritting his teeth. He remembered those words, and everything they represented. How he valued his word highly, her than even his desire for solitude. Out of everything he had, nothing was more important than his word. If he made a promise, something that was rare in this world, then Nico would do his damndest to keep it. Not a single soul would stop him from doing what he needed to do to keep his word. It was what separated him from other monsters in the world. Slowly, light began to return to his eyes, the hands of madness that held him slowly unwinding. Not soon enough for Nico, though. Gradually, he could feel a sense of cold rage begin to spark in his chest. A spark that could potentially rival the greatest firestorms ever viewed in Gamindustri's history.
But, it still needed a catalyst, something else to ignite it.
That ignition came... when another flashback triggered in his mind, one that brought him to the moment before he returned as Crimson Soul.
(Flashback)
'Do you seek to return to the world? Even if you must pay the price of losing your remaining humanity? To become the world's sole truest monster?!'
"Hell yes! I already walk the path of the monster, so fuck the thought of stopping now! I'll gladly return, even if I become so twisted that they would hate me forever, I will always, ALWAYS return to my comrades!"
(Flashback End)
Nico's eyes started to shine with a crimson red glow, his body radiating a similar aura around him. A wave of resolve washed over him, the memories of those hallucinations forcing Nico to push himself to gather what remained of his sanity and bundle it all together. The aura seemed to be highly corrosive to the hands gripping them, as they started melting off him like lumps of tar. He swore he could hear the hands screaming, as well as what was trying to get him into that pool in the first place, though Nico paid little mind to it.
No, he had MUCH more important things to focus on.
How had he forgotten? How had he forgotten the prime reason why he became a DPU in the first place? His resolve to walk the path of the monster back then, his resolve to be the strongest monster he could be, regardless of what happened between him and those he called comrades. It didn't matter that they hated him or not, he would do his best by them. No, more importantly, Nico had sworn to himself, that he would be the monster that destroys other monsters. He would not die in this world, no he would fucking SURVIVE! An abnormal's in his way, rip that fucker to pieces. Politicians? Crush them without mercy, he had the know-how to do so thanks to his training with Helen. Nico never wanted to go out like a wimp, he was NO coward. He must have had a lapse of sanity before, as otherwise he would have just went and just done something. That was what he did in the past, when something was going on Nico made sure he had something to say about it. If there was nothing to say then he would freaking DO something about it!
The male remembered something his adoptive mother had taught him early on in their training, something that she followed down to a T when she was still VALKYRIE. The words she told him played through his mind like a recorded message.
(Flashback)
"Do you see now, Nico?" Helen, clad in her VALKYRIE Armour and Sword at the ready, questioned her student/adoptive son in one of the Planeptune Spec Ops Branch's personal sparring Arenas. The Arena looked like a smaller version of Gamindustri's Colosseum, where people go to test their skills by entering simulation battles against a set of monsters of their choosing. The woman's eyes, instead of their usual teasing shine, were ice cold and dark, like that of a phantom haunting its victim to madness. Like she was one step away from ripping him to shreds.
The younger Nico however, looked he exact opposite in comparison to his adoptive mother. The teen was on one knee, stabbing Rebellion into the ground for support while panting profusely. It hadn't been long since she had started sparring with him as a means to help him figure out what Rebellion could do. The sword, in this time period anyways, remained in its sealed form since he wasn't a DPU... yet. The two had been sparring for hours upon hours, neither giving in until Helen decided to take off the kid gloves, and utter whoop his ass with no mercy. Nico hadn't known fear quite like what his adoptive mother had shown him until just now, and it had done more than just shake him a little.
He felt terrified.
Seemed like she knew what he was thinking though, since Helen pointed her Sword at him and spoke with an icy tone not unlike the cold climates of Lowee. "Never forget this, Nico. This is how NOT to wield a weapon in combat." She told him, before she raised her sword to the air. "The principal is this: Don't let your weapon show fear, for it will stunt the blade." Just then, a tremendous pressure exerted itself into the air, its source being Helen herself. The entire atmosphere turned into this thousand kilogram weight that slammed into Nico's chest with no mercy, intending to crush his lungs from the inside out. Nico could only look up in a mix of fear... and a little bit of awe at his adoptive mother, whom was surrounded by waves of rippling air that raised any debris not tied down to the air around her. Hell, her arm seemed like it was trembling, like it was struggling to hold in all the emotion she was pouring out. "When you dodge, "I'm afraid of getting cut". When you attack, "I'm afraid of cutting someone". Even when you try to protect someone; "I'm afraid of letting them die". Yes, your weapon only speaks to me of absurd fear. That's not it. What's necessary in a fight isn't fear. Nothing can be born from that. If you dodge, "I won't let them cut me". If you protect someone, "I won't let them die". If you attack, "I'll cut them". Well can't you see… the resolve to cut you reflected in my sword?"
Resolve... the resolve to cut with utter clarity, of a clear mind. The ability to focus solely on the fight at hand, that was what Nico was seeing right now. His adoptive mother had shed said role for the time being, becoming the Spec Ops Agent VALKYRIE and she did not look happy. Yet, that wasn't the message she was trying to convey. No, Nico could figure out what she was telling him, and he did so moments later. She was telling him that there was no room for fear, for hesitation, doubt or anxiety on the battlefield. Any of those emotions would end up with him six feet under, and then there would be nothing but darkness for eternity. There wasn't much proof of an afterlife, and the legend of being allowed into the realm of the Goddesses that the Basilicoms preached day in and day out DEFINITELY didn't appeal to him.
He could see the resolve, the pure emotion and determination burning within Helen's icy cold gaze, not to mention how her sword seemed almost like it was glowing a thin icy blue hue. Like it was howling, begging to be swung and battled with. In that moment, her sword no longer remained just that, a sword. No, it looked and FELT more like an extension of Helen's will, a pure manifestation of her reflection, her spirit... her resolve.
Resolve...
Resolve...
In that moment, Nico's eyes lost their fearful glint, it just vanished like it was never even there. He couldn't afford to be afraid, just like what she said. How could he call himself a Spec Ops Agent if he didn't have the resolve to back up his claim? That was what he took from her words, along with her entire philosophy about combat. His teeth gritted as he gave a defiant glare towards his ad-no, his MENTOR as he stood straight, clasping Rebellion's hilt with a firmness that he hadn't used since the start of this sparring match. His eyes, shining with his own determination, burned like fiery embers, almost rivaling the icy cold gaze that Helen was shooting his way.
Slowly, the teen raised his own awakened Devil Arm above his head, and in the exact MOMENT that his sword's tip looked at the ceiling, Nico's KI burst forth from his being. It blew away any and all surrounding dust particles in a shock-wave, flaring around him like a furious flame. His eyes almost glowed with his resolve, matching that of his mentor's as he held Rebellion high above his head with nothing but confidence and drive. Hell, just like her own sword, there was this strong reddish hue covering the sword, as well as this faint whistling sound originating from it.
He didn't see it, but a small smirk tugged at his Mentor's lips at the sight. "There... that's the way, son..."
The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, yet to an experienced fighter there looked to be much more going on behind the scenes. It looked to them, like a battle of wills, two warriors with the resolve to do what needed to be done, to do so without regret or fear holding them back. They would do what needed to be done, to fight to uphold their pride as warriors, their pride as Agents. Their pride as HUMAN BEINGS who have been struggling to survie for centuries at this point.
In that single moment, the two understood each other just by looking into each other's reflections...
Before their blades were brought down.
An eruption of pure light followed.
(Flashback End)
Honestly, he'd lost count how many times Helen had drove that through his skull during training. How she'd tell him that he shouldn't have fear in a battle, but resolve. The resolve to fight, the utter SURETY to do what he had to and see things through to the end. Damn, how humiliating, he felt like stabbing himself in the nuts for that. How could he forget one of the basic lessons his Mentor had taught him? She may have been a freaking sadist that could haunt his nightmares for years on end, but she was a damned good teacher. She taught him much of what he knew today, she passed on everything she had left: her will, her legacy. He had a responsibility to uphold his mentor's pride, this... fear he had, nope, not something that followed that creed.
'OHHHHH? LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING INTERESTING, WHAT YA GONNA DO, KING? WIMP OUT A LITTLE MORE?'
HIS taunting voice returned to the void as Nico slowly, but surely began to use what little of his stumps that remained from his earlier injuries to try and push himself out of the void. He'd clawed, he'd bit at what he could for leverage. Hands tried to gab at him, to pull him into the void of madness that always existed in the back of his mind. However, Nico refused to let it, he would NEVER forget what his adoptive mother taught him ever again, it would be a slight on her as his mentor. His eyes and heart shone with resolve, shaped like a hot furnace inside of him that fueled him, gave him purpose, a reason to continue on.
This was no time to be moping about.
Not when his comrades' lives were at stake.
Resolve is the thing that he strives for.
It was what made him decide to pursue the path of the monster in its entirety further down the line. What was once anxiety became determination.
Honestly, what had he been doing up till this point?
True, he could feel his distrust still clinging onto him, like that one toddler refusing to let go until you agreed to whatever the toddler wanted. He doubted he'd be able to trust the others just yet, Lastation and the other Nations weren't built in days after all. However, no longer would he hesitate to use it. No longer would he fear what would happen if that power was all he had left and he had eye witnesses. If he had no other option, then he would fucking release the beast on the enemy's asses. Though, Nico would be a fool if he thought that would be enough. No, after everything was said and done, he would begin some... soul searching, something he seemed to need quite badly.
He'd need to re-establish contact with THAT side, to use a whetstone and sharpen his fangs once more.
Back outside, both Ghouls loomed over Nico, whose form had gone slack with his eyes showing a lack of life. Their Kagune had been deactivated, no sense in wasting precious RC Cells after all. Though, their enhanced sense of hearing could tell that the teen was still alive. His body was simply struggling to regenerate from the wounds dealt to him by Hol Horse's Kagune, even that strange DPU power seemed to be trying to help, but in the end they could only reform the shoulders and part of the legs. Even now, they could see that the regeneration was still struggling to complete its task, a testament to Nico's drive to survive.
"So... Looks like this is it." Hol Horse remarked thoughtfully as he kicked the downed male in the chest, only to get no response. That stung slightly, he wanted to enjoy his screams a bit more, then maybe some additional screams when he finally took his prize. Then, he'd move onto those Nico knew and cared about: those two girls, and any others that he'd been acquainted with as the ultimate form of victory against the Spec Ops Agent. It would be the perfect revenge from their last battle, the battle where he had lost in the most humiliating way possible for a man. Though he'd be slow to admit it, Hol Horse actually would have died along with his partner had they not pulled a fast one and escaped when they saw a bit of Nico's true power.
Kid was scarily tough when mad, no doubt about it.
J Greil grinned, not particularly caring much about the past. Well, he did, oh how he did, but right now he just wanted to sink his teeth into what remained of Nico's flesh. It was something he'd been salivating over for a long time now, ever since he got his ass handed to him by the kid last time they fought. It had been a humiliation that J Greil had to vent by raping half a village's worth of maidens, hearing their screams as he fucked their brains out always calmed the heck out of him. "Bah, who cares, just lemme have my taste, alright? Then we can enjoy the rest once we're done with this shit head." he stated to his partner whom nodded in agreement while they crouched froggy style over the downed teen. Slowly, they reached down to grasp him, to bring his newly healed shoulders into their mouths and sink in their teeth, when...
"Sorry boys..."
#GASP#
SCHULUCK!
Eyes widened, gasps tearing from the two Ghouls' lips when all of a sudden, something slammed into their faces. Something strong, yet not even visible, and with enough force to send them toppling across the cobblestone floor. J Greil gasped, grunted and cursed as he fell onto a toppled Iron cage, while Hol Horse's back collided heavily with a wall.
It took a moment, but the two Ghouls barely regained their senses in time for them to get the same thing that hit them before... but in the gut instead. Their eyes enlarged on reflex, and saliva soon flew from their mouths from the impact alone. They were then lifted into the air by whatever it was that attacked them by their guts... before slammed several times into the ground, creating more of a dust cloud between them and the girls, and then being tossed away.
While tumbling across the ground again, the two Ghouls barely got their senses together enough to right themselves into a sliding crouch. Their movement halted seconds later, and with their Kakugan activated the two looked over to see Nico slowly getting up...
With a familiar Drive Skill activated and flaring around him like a living flame.
With the Skill activated, everything felt enhanced, including the teen's regeneration. The masses of flesh at the ends of his stumps went into overdrive (mind the pun) and worked wonders in repairing his limbs. Fleshy entrails slithered through the air mixing and mangling together to form muscle fibers. Bones formed from the calcium-like substances shooting from within the stumps, all the while every other piece of biology within the limbs was formed much faster than before. It was almost like the wounds were just normal ones, not like ones inflicted by a Kagune. In the meantime, whatever attacked them had turned itself into some form of crutch for the teen till his first two limbs, his legs, completely regenerated. Next came his arms, and finally any other injuries he'd sustained during their battle had been fully taken care of.
Looking up towards his foes, Nico grinned, a grin that didn't seem too different from the sadistic ones that Hol Horse and J Greil used to have before. His eyes shined with Demonic red energy, giving them a menacing glow. They looked like they were on the verge of changing into his DPU self's eyes, too, something both Ghouls dreaded. Strong as they may be, even they would be hesitant in challenging Crimson Soul, whose full power wasn't even known yet.
CRACK!
Nico's hands flexed in an unnatural manner, and the result was a resounding crack sound that came from his wrists.
Chills fell down their spines like cloaks being draped over them when they heard that sound.
"Now then, you took me to the cleaners before... so lemme give you some payback, you don't mind right? After all... my fangs need sharpening."
