Chapter 143 - Okada vs Nico
Like lions, the two men circled each other with their weapons poised to strike at their opponents, not paying any attention to the rest of their surroundings as they took up the space at the centre of the crater. Both males, one of them having been concealed by his Armour, sported bloodthirsty looks whilst their weapons shined with their intent to kill. It wouldn't be long now, for a sword fight to the death would soon begin. That fact firmly burned itself into their minds, bodies and very beings. Every cell, undead and not Undead, awoke from the bloodlust surging through the air and became red alert. Every opening would be exploited, every weakness noted, and no room would be made for any form of mercy. Not only that, but their auras may as well have filled up the entire crater with how thick and large they were, saturating the air inside and warning any and all lifeforms that they forfeit their lives should they get too close.
Yeah…
Intense would be an UNDERSTATEMENT if it were used to describe this tension between these two swordsmen.
Neither of them paid any particular attention, but the girls and Arfoire had each taken to the airspace above the Crater that was once halo mountain, as with the recovery of their stamina from the SP Chargers allowed Noire (Purple Heart regaining her strength and Vert's regaining of her powers restoring her strength anyways) to retake her HDD form. Not to mention that she had begun to be able to use Balmung to it's previous power level once more, the same thing happening to Green Heart as her Share Energy became enough to restore the power that Gungnir had lost. Compa had taken to the skies with her Angel Metatron primed and ready for combat, each pillar thrumming with pure Mana that was ready to be launched at her opponent. IF had sprouted her wings alongside her claws and armour before following them, whilst Guts had left to go after the girls too. Even tough he couldn't fly, jumping wasn't a particular problem for him.
None of them wanted to get in the way of these two men, which had been the reason why they had given them the entire crater for space. The girls and Guts because they had experience with the strength Okada put behind his sword swings, not only that though but also so that Nico didn't have to worry about them getting damaged in the crossfire. Arfoire with her Glaive at the ready, was the one whom had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes, they just knew it. She had been the one to poison Nico, she had been the one to feed intel to Maghda in addition to the rest of the enemy (although they had no proof of that one, it was just their gut instinct talking there), and she had been the one to cause untold casualties across the entirety of Leanbox. Therefore, how could they NOT want to get revenge on her for the sake of those whom had been wrongfully killed, all the innocents that had been made to suffer at her hands, directly or indirectly? Plus, there was a large part of them wanted to beat Arfoire's face in, so that was something to consider as well.
Therefore, up above the two males (not like they paid any attention to it) the sounds of explosions rang out throughout the airspace as one big attack after another was launched at the silver haired witch, whom simply used her Glaive to parry and fight back against every attack aimed at her.
But, that battle wasn't the one that would end up being the more anticipated however…
In one second, the two men stopped moving, sliding their feet across the ground. Small dust clouds formed from their foot movements that soon dissipated into nothingness, unnoticed and uncared for. The air's tension skyrocketed to unbelievable degrees, as if every particle around them became a living weapon to attack their enemy. Their stances became set, their swords became primed and ready. Ouranos pulsated and crackled with dangerous dark violet Lightning that radiated from it's blade like a thick cloak, filling the air around it's wielder with static. On the other side, Okada's sword almost looked like it was ringing, as the sword itself seemed to shimmer and shake as if it were a bell or a gong freshly rung from atop a high vantage point.
The next thing anyone would see, would be the two dashing towards one another with speed that surpassed anything a mere normal human could ever accomplish. One of them dashed forward with Lightning sparking around him whilst the other simply became a red blur, the two colliding with tremendous strength that made the crater they fought in, which was already deep enough, a full 4 feet deeper. In addition to that, vicious whipping winds and shockwaves by the dozens were released from the point of impact, ripping through both earth and air itself. This was merely one strike though, as Ouranos and the nameless sword collided and grinded away against each other with vicious sparks flying off them. The sparks being a mix of normal ones generated when weapons clash, and the Lightning sparks from Ouranos' blade.
CLANG- CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG- CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
More strikes hammered home against one another like two great earthquakes meeting, tearing through the crater and making it bigger and bigger each time. The sheer force would have blown away small buildings if they were close, never mind any people that were nearby. It had been a great call for the girls, Guts and Arfoire to take their battle elsewhere, as things down in the crater kept heating up to a huge degree, one which surpassed the amount of combat the girls managed to inflict with Okada by far. Sword strikes were made, Lightning erupted through the air, and kinetic energy was manipulated to enhance one sword whilst slowing the other.
'This guy…' Nico thought to himself, pulling Ouranos back and twirling into a reverse side slash which Okada blocked. The teen however, refused to back down and, even though he usually used this with Rebellion, swiftly activated his Quicksword technique to launch a series of high-speed Slashes. As a result of Kinetic Energy manipulation, though, Ouranos' speed increased even more, to the point where multiple Archdevil Arm blades tore through the air and rammed themselves onto Okada's blade like a pack of vicious, hungry wolves. Even so, his sword held firm, just like it had done when going up against his Party, the male mused. 'Looks like he really is no joke. I can see why the girls were having trouble with this guy.'
Finally, the two broke away from each other, taking a few steps backwards which prompted Okada to swing his sword sideways, Nico obeying his instincts and jumping to the side whilst focusing kinetic energy into his legs to gain greater jumping distance. Good thing too, cause Nico just BARELY, as in a hair's breath, avoided a torrent of wind that would be as large as the crater was deep. The moment that it hit the side, it literally blew a long, deep and wide canyon through the Landmass itself. 'Holy, fucking shit, now I see why Neptune told me to avoid that blade…'
'It would… be wise to not let that sword hit you directly.'
'Yup, so don't need to be told that twice!'
"Nice job dodging that one." Okada commented as he held the blade in his ready stance. He had a slight smirk on his lips whilst eyeing Nico's form, the sword he used and the stance he wielded. It didn't look like much, and there wasn't much technique to it. "Looks like you were mostly self-taught, then some actual instruction got piled on top. That's your sword style in a nutshell, and while it's not half bad…" The man made several front slashes, swinging down once, bringing it back so that he made a wheel-like motion for another slash, before slashing diagonally to let the blade end up at his side. "Its more like a mess than an actual sword style."
Nico narrowed his eyes behind his helmet at that, not liking the cocky tone that this man was using. Not to mention that the fact was, that Okada was pretty much spot on. Nico's fighting style when he used the sword was mainly freestyle, as before he got taken under his mother's wing Nico had been training by himself. He'd only started his sword training for a short time before Helen took him as her student, but until then his sword style was simply a self-taught one and it worked for him, until Helen helped him refine it in her own… unique way. His style then evolved from there so that it could counter any kind of opponent, which was why he was so good at what he could do with a sword. Heck, swords and claws were something he found himself quite fond with, even though he had skills in a plethora of weapons. How else could he have learned to harness so many Devil Arms. Though, he didn't take too kindly to having his skills called a 'mess' though.
'Just with that short clash though, he figured out my methods… he's REALLY good.' Nico couldn't help but think. "Even if that's the case, this way of fighting's served me well since I went onto the battlefield, so I'll not let anyone mock what I spent a hell of a time refining!" he bellowed, eyes shining brightly. 'Say, Biko. You told me that Archdevil Arms give me Boons, right? Like extra perks to them that only certain ones have. So, what does Ouranos let me have?'
'According to my research, Ouranos is an Archdevil Arm which specializes in Movement and Lightning based Arts. As such, it's Boons follow that path. The one we should use most is 'Kinetic Vision' which is the use of Kinetic Energy sent to the eyes to perceive high speed attacks. Right now, this Boon makes it so you can perceive attacks at a speed of up to Mach 5, but the stronger it becomes the greater the perceptibility. There's little time left, so I'll explain the others later.'
'Got it, thanks.' The male mentally replied, giving a mental nod before cutting the link and returning his focus to the battle at hand. He raised Ouranos and used it's Kinetic energy manipulation to lower the attack speed of the incoming sword swing to his head, resulting in it being a slightly above average slash that he easily blocked. 'Whew, that was a close one, Kinetic Vision actually saved my ass there,' the male thought, mentally whistling at the potential this Boon had.
Growling behind his helmet, Nico dragged his right leg through the ground behind him, generating his own Kinetic Energy and having Ouranos absorb it, amplifying it's own which allowed Nico to push Okada backwards. With the Kinetic Energy inside of it, Nico dashed forwards and went straight for a beheading towards the man, who quickly reacted by ducking under it to let the male pass him from overhead. He made to stab him from behind just as he passed over him, but Nico twisted out of the way and used the momentum to make a reverse slash towards him, one that Okada sidestepped.
As Nico landed on the ground and slid to a halt, he quickly sent the harnessed Kinetic energy into Ouranos, sparks dangerously flying from the blade before he burst forth in a shocking display of speed. The ground literally broke beneath his feet not that he noticed, when he did so. The two men quickly clashed blades once more and sent many sparks flying between their blades, whist winds whipped around them. Honestly, even if someone WANTED to lend Nico their aid (everyone was too focused on fighting Arfoire above them), they wouldn't be able to get one step closer to the two at this point.
With the Kinetic Energy generating itself within the Archdevil Arm however, Nico managed to push it out of Ouranos and throw Okada backwards, quickly dashing forth to swing at his exposed side. However, the swordsman simply stomped his feet, firmly planting them on the ground and brought his sword down on Nico's head… for the teen to twirl around him and swing at his back. Okada responded to this, by moving his sword so that it was over his shoulder and parallel to his back, blocking the swing with ease.
"If you're so good and such a prodigy, then what the hell are you doing with a woman like her?" Nico questioned during a slash bout between them. He had to be careful here, he didn't want to overextend his Archdevil Arm otherwise he might pay for it dearly, and injuries weren't something he was after. "Is she like your master or something?"Vaguely, Nico recalled some rumors he'd heard about how there was once a time in Leanbox that was heavily oriented around knights and their kings. Their relationship felt like a master and servant type of deal, just like with this guy and Arfoire. Though, just by the skill of his sword, Nico didn't get why he would be with someone like her.
All Okada did was shrug. "Master? I'll humbly decline from dealing with that kind of thing. All a manslayer has to think about is killing. It is more enjoyable and less complicated if you don't bother with unnecessary things. That being said..." Just then, Okada's eyes seemed to almost flash as his speed suddenly increased, catching Nico off guard as he quickly put Ouranos up for defense. With a mighty metallic sound, the two weapons clashed with earthquake inducing viciousness. "I bear no grudge against you. This too is just a job... Divine! Punishment! UAAAAAA―――!"
In an instant Nico found himself having to spam Quicksword, cause if he didn't then the barrage of high speed slashes that followed would have certainly tore him into pieces. That feeling of impending death had suddenly rose trough his gut and went straight for his head, forcing Nico to react that way as the sounds of heavy metal meeting the metal of a sword ringing in his ears, as if they were bells being rung right next to him.
Several slashes later, Nico made an under-arching swing, Ouranos digging into the ground and generating much Kinetic Energy through the friction of moving through the earth. Okada noticed however, and soon swung his sword to meet it, generating a large shockwave throughout the crater. Nico remained headstrong however as he stepped forwards, shoulder tackling the swordsman whom had countered with the same move. Not to be outdone and twirling on his feet, the redhead swung at Okada from the left in this position, which he parried so he struck from the opposite side as well. Bending his legs, Nico pumped SP into them and jumped into the air, somersaulting over the man and slashing at him all the while. Slashes that were parried by his sword until Nico landed on the opposite side, His eyes widened behind his helmet when he saw a rising upward slash coming his way, and though he jumped back in time, the sword still slashed through his Armour by going in and out of the shoulder, leaving a vicious tear in it and destroying one of it's shoulder guards.
'Guh!'
'Nico use your DEMONIC OVERDRIVE, it should along with Kinetic Energy, help you move fast enough to get a hit in!'
Nico cringed in his mind but nodded at Biko's suggestion, landing on the ground and manipulating Kinetic energy to halt his movements, pushing it into Ouranos. Then, he had Ouranos pump Kinetic Energy through him once more, all the while Nico activated DEMONIC OVERDRIVE to increase his physical parameters alongside it. That ended up in him dashing back forth like a flash of lightning, his Armour regenerating what it had lost from that previous attack.
Just before he was about to clash with the man, Nico jumped into a rapid series of spinning slashes that were faster than the human eye could track, ones that Okada parried with ease before he came out into an overhead smash with Ouranos heavily enhanced by both his own Overdrive Skill as well as the generated Kinetic Energy. This ended up causing the ground beneath them to buckle when Okada raised his sword and brought it down upon the slash.
CLANG!
SPARK-SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK- SPARK!
The sounds of sparks flying resonated throughout the crater whilst Ouranos and Okada's sword duked it out in a contest of strength. Despite the size going for it, Ouranos remained in the middle ground as it pushed against Okada's sword, said sword's wielder not giving an inch either. Even so, the man looked Nico up and down and, whilst noticing the aura around him, focused his gaze upon the Archdevil Arm. "Ahhh, I see. That beasties got some nasty bite to it, doesn't it?" Okada mused, his smirk widening slightly.
"What?"
"I'm talking about your sword." The man responded, gesturing to Ouranos with his sole free hand thanks to using his one-handed sword to block Ouranos' attack. "From the way you swing it, it's obvious you haven't gotten a full grasp of what it can do, but you do have prior experience in swinging heavy swords around to compensate. This entire time, you've been trying to learn how to properly wield that sword instead of just fighting me." Okada explained with an all-knowing glint in his eye. "Please, like a genius like me wouldn't notice something as obvious as that. Give me all the credit."
'Wow... this guy really likes tooting his own horn...' Nico thought in a form of frustrated anger. He'd seen quite a few people who were like this guy in both the Spec Ops and in the Guild. People whom were so arrogant due to their skills being supposedly 'better than anyone else' to the point where they bully other Agents and harass them. The men would be beaten beyond recognition, some of them even died because nobody cared to try and give them any aid for fear of being targeted as well, whilst the women... well, he didn't want to get into that. Lets just say that they would never be the same as they once were. That one Spec Ops scumbag called Saizou was just one example, and he would not be kidding when he stated that he was actually one of the 'kinder' of these people.
Dicks, the lot of them... and Nico had been a target for a fair few of them himself. He just laid the smack-down on those assholes when they tried anything.
However, the difference between them and this guy was that this guy actually had the skill to back them up. By now, he would have had a chance to get a few good strikes onto their bodies with either his Claws, sword or whatever weapon he had chosen to summon at the time. However, this guy had much more skill than any of them, he would be classed as one of those people who were arrogant, but only because their strength allowed them to be. Those kinds of people were even more annoying to deal with cause their bite was just as good as their bark as.
'Nico, incoming!'
"?!"
Quickly, Nico's eyes widened behind his Helmet as he rolled to the side, continuing it to channel Kinetic Energy to get increased speed. Good thing too cause he had avoided a thrust from Okada's sword. That thrust turned out to be JUST as deadly as that one attack which caused a long canyon to form, something which Nico would have thanked the Goddesses that he'd reacted in time if he believed in any of them in the first place. The moment that he got up again however, the teen found himself on the defensive as Okada charged at him and continuously slashed away at him. He used techniques that Nico hadn't even seen before among the ones that he had, his sword nothing but a crimson blur as he tried to defend himself against them.
Unfortunately, Nico couldn't defend against them all even with his Quicksword technique which he practically ABUSED in order to keep up with the strikes. That, combined with Ouranos' Kinetic Energy manipulation and his DEMONIC OVERDRIVE Skill being pushed to their limits, still couldn't save them when one particular thrust went right past his side... and the wind blast opened a hole the size of a basket ball. Not even his Armour managed to completely protect it, as with the power in his strike, Nico felt like it would have went through his entire abdomen no matter where he struck.
"Tch!"
Pushing through the pain whilst he jumped away, Nico quickly performed a Windcutter, which aptly got used to cut through several vacuums which Okada sent to him. 'Damnit, this guy's...!' the teen cursed in his mind whilst his wound began to heal. However, his eyes widened behind his helmet when he sensed a shadowy presence looming behind him.
He didn't need to be told anything to know who it was as he raised Ouranos in time, blocking a sharp strike towards where his neck and shoulder met that would have cleaved him in two Armour be damned, but it did send him crashing into the ground with the force of a meteor. Nico however, refused to stay down especially when he saw Okada coming down with the intend to stab through his head. The male almost felt like time was slowing down as the blade neared him, however Nico rolled out the way just seconds before the blade could reach it's target.
Rolling to his feet, Nico slashed upwards to get Okada to pause his next attempt to take his head, only to see him vanish into nothingness. His instincts saved him as he ducked though, quickly slashing towards him only to hit air. Kinetic Vision however, helped him follow his movements in order to apply his Windcutter to attack his opponent's near-supersonic slashes. If he could use the Shadowhunter technique which allowed him to constantly swing his blade towards his enemy's signature then that would have made this fight a whole lot easier. However, because of his undead body, Okada didn't HAVE a signature to track which meant that he had an immunity to that technique.
The Dust Eater sword technique was also out since it was too big of a risk wit the speed his opponent was capable of. The technique's weakness was that if one was faster than the user, then they could block not only their swings but strike at the vulnerable head whilst they were moving parallel to the ground. Whilst reading up and learning the technique, Nico had seen a couple times where this technique's original user had encountered that problem, which lead her to either a loss or a long, drawn out battle.
He did NOT want to give Okada that opening, especially with this ridiculous speed of his.
"Just what the heck is that sword...?" Nico muttered under his breath whilst he blocked a swing to his left shoulder, then one to his hip, torso and abdomen... although other areas got cut through by that simple blade. "It has to have some sort of name or power to it... there's no way that sword is any ordinary one." Teeth clenched as he regenerated from his wounds, just in time to get one of his arms severed by Okada as he rushed by him.
The man however, had heard his words thanks to his undead body having better hearing than his human one. A thoughtful look crossed onto his face whilst fleshy strands shot out of the severed limb, Nico's stump, and mangled together to bring the arm back into the socket with a ZOOP! sound. "The name of my blade? A blade's only purpose is to cut down others. A man-slaying blade does not need a name. In short, it's skill that matters, you know - Skill." He explained uncaringly, also making quotation marks when he spoke the last word. "I'm not like you, who has to depend on swords with strange abilities to get stronger, all your seeing right now? Its my genius strength!" he boasted, cackling as he dashed towards him to make a cut at his neck, only for Nico to block it with Ouranos.
... He would not lie and say that he wasn't pissed by that mocking.
Pushing Okada back then jumping away to get some distance, Nico quickly figured out that he needed an edge, and fast. Therefore, Nico decided to activate one of his Skills, the first time he had done so since waking up from his 2 week long coma. Skills had been a large part of his skillset before all this shit happened, he should always remember them. The male growled as he called out the name of his Skill, all the while his Ouranos being coated in purple energy. "PHANTOM EDGE!" With the Kinetic Energy and DEMONIC OVERDRIVE flooding his system, Nico dashed forwards which prompted Okada to do the same, laughing all the while as the two clashed in the middle... before dashing past each other the next second.
For a moment, Nico and Okada remained in their stances, until the redhead male gasped when he felt multiple deep lacerations, on top of his right leg being hacked to pieces all the way to it's socket appear on his body. Blood in the gallons tore exploded out of his new wounds, splattering against the ground whilst Okada merely stood tall with a cocky smirk. "Sorry kid, but Skill attacks like that won't deceive this prodigy's eyes." he spoke as if chastising him.
Even so, the teen refused to go down as he felt his regeneration kicking in. His leg regrew itself thanks to the original having been destroyed to the point where full reconstruction had to be necessary. 'Tch... shit!' Nico cursed, quickly employing the Windcutter to defend against a series of vacuum slashes, before he noted Okada's presence before him with the blade just inches from his face. However, Nico bent backwards to avoid getting stabbed there knowing that his Helmet wouldn't provide enough protection against that sword. He then used his sole functional leg to hop and kick into his chest, though Okada withdrew his previous attack to use his sword to block it in a manner of nanoseconds.
Whilst he flipped backwards and his regeneration finished up with his leg, his minor wounds being next, Nico quickly heard Biko's voice once more.
'Nico, start using Lightning Manipulation.'
'You sure?'
'Indeed. Ouranos may manipulate Kinetic energy and Magnetism, but Lightning is it's primary ability. It's signature ability is it's ability to manipulate Lightning in all it's forms, no matter where it would be located. It has the power to freely control it, better than anything Alastor ever could. Not only does it have the power to control, but it constantly generates Lighting within it powerful enough to obliterate continents with a single cut. In addition, it is able to manipulate and absorb any Lightning based attack, regardless of its source, in order to either use it to strengthen itself or the one who wields it, by disassembling it and merging it with the user's energy, it can refill a user's power with the Lightning inside. Bioelectricity will be useless here, however, as this man's form is that of an undead, therefore he has no Bioelectricity to absorb or control.'
'Alright then.' Nico thought, grimacing. To be honest, ever since he first laid eyes on this man, Nico had wanted to try and beat him through sheer swordplay alone. To test his metal against a warrior such as this would be a great achievement to him, he felt. Perhaps it was his inner Leanbox native speaking, but combat with the sword always felt… personal, to him. However, Nico wanted to return to the girls as soon as possible, and that outweighed any sense of enjoying this fight to the fullest.
That wasn't even beginning to take into account how he had been getting his ass kicked by this guy for a while now, the more that they fought the greater chance that he would have to resort to using IT or his DPU form, something that Nico refused to do unless he absolutely had to. Regeneration was all fine and dandy, but Nico would rather not have to risk possibly exposing his secret, cause this guy';s observational skills were uncanny, and depending on what he had known then he may figure out that his secret existed. Maybe that might be a little much, but right now Nico just wanted to get this fight ended already.
Gripping Ouranos in his right hand, Nico mentally sent it a command, and the Archdevil Arm delivered when it suddenly erupted into a blade of lightning. As in, Lightning exploded out of the blade whilst concealing it's long, wide form from view. Lightning arced across the crater, churning up dust and debris all around the two warriors like a deadly song that ravaged the battlefield with just it's presence alone. "Oh? So, that sword's an elemental type huh? Haven't fought one of those in a while…" The man mused, before setting his sword in front of him with a battle-ready expression on his lips. "Heh, then come on then! Show me the type of power that sword possesses! Like the prodigy I am, I'll take it on myself!"
"Heh!" Nico, in response to the bloodlust generated by Okada's words, could only smirk behind his Helmet whilst the Lightning from Ouranos got even wilder. "Alright then, but don't come crying to me if you lose!" he bellowed, the male could sense Ouranos was reaching the limits of it's ability to contain the lightning anyways, so it was already time to release it.
With that though, Nico gripped the Archdevil Arm in both hands as he reared it back. Having a Lightning Archdevil Arm wasn't the same as having a fire one, and it wasn't anything like Soul Edge either. However, the best way for one to learn about a weapon, would DEFINITELY be the weapon itself, and as such…
"HAVE A TASTE OF THIS!"
Alongside that roar, a roar filled with all the feelings that a warrior could possess in the heat of battle, Nico twisted the Archdevil Arm's grip so that he could perform a horizontal swing. The thing was, that when he did Ouranos generated over 20 electrical Spheres that appeared in an arch in front of him, spheres that both rivalled the size of small houses and were utterly COURSING with condensed Lightning. Each one then shot off towards Okada whilst leaving trails behind them, shooting through the air like the bullets fired from a gun as the air itself felt like it got heated up just by being near it. Some of the dirt and ground turned hotter when they streaked past.
Okada meanwhile just grinned as he held his sword at the ready…
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM- BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM- BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
20 large explosions of Lightning filled the crater like the bubbles popping inside a liquid inside a pan, each of them sending rippling tremors throughout the entire continent. Lightning exploded everywhere, be it into the far distant reaches of the Leanbox landmass or upwards towards the battling women (plus Guts).
"Whoa!"
"Eek!"
"My goodness...!"
"Tch!"
"What the heck?! What the heck is Nico doing down there?!"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Noire!"
"Thanks, IF!"
"No prob!"
Each of them (Purple Heart, Compa, Green Heart, Guts who used various offshoots generated by IF to jump about, Black Heart and IF herself) made startled exclamations when they had to be forced to get out of the way. It would be either that though, or to be roasted alive by vicious Lighting sparks that danced across the airspace.
Arfoire meanwhile could only growl in frustration whilst flying about to avoid the sparks... which for some reason seemed to be very much attracted to her. 'Tch, those two going at it hard down there... Though, I should not expect anything less from the famous Manslayer of Leanbox. A master worthy of heaven's wrath, Okada Izou. 'Manslayer' Izou's swordplay, while being an assassin, rivals that of the fiercest of warriors. For his involvement with numerous assassinations during the early stages of the Console War, he was eventually imprisoned and executed. Overly boastful of his own abilities, he had a tendency to look down on all other swordsmen, but reputed as 'One with the sword, swift and nimble as a falcon,' his sword arm was the genuine work of a genius. That brat down there may be strong, but against that monster he will likely have no chance of winning. He's someone who fought the CPUs themselves to a standstill, and nearly won had that brat not interfered. Once I deal with these broads, those two will be next!'
Down towards the depths of the Crater however, the smoke began to clear up, only to be dispersed by a slightly winded Okada, whose upper half had been stripped of all his clothing whilst his sword crackled with resident electricity. Aside from that, the man looked relatively unharmed, as if none of those attacks had even touched him… all the while many holes the same size as the spheres from before dotted the crater's interior with cracks spreading forth from them forming a massive web of destruction.
"Heh, not bad… you actually managed to make me get a bit more serious there…" Okada commented as he looked towards the direction of Nico's position with a cocky grin on his lips. Those Spheres had quite the punch to them, they made him think back to a time when he had to assassinate a Mage that would be attacking his contractor's home from her ship which had docked in the southern lands of Leanbox. Kind of like a knife to the back strategy, which ironically was the same kind of tactic he had used to end her life before she could even take one breath. She did however, have more than a few magical guardians that he had to take down with the best stealth possible, and when they DID manage to hit him (which was only once) they had a surprising level of strength to them. "If I had to say, that attack could have done me in otherwise, but you held that sword's power back at the last second, knowing that if you fired it off recklessly you would have likely destroyed the entire Continent with it's powers. Not bad handling, I'll say. Shame that you couldn't hit me with it… Huh?" Just before he could continue, Okada's eyes narrowed when he looked to the direction of where Nico had been standing, the place where he had been…
There was nothing there…
The kid had literally Vanished.
'What the...?' Okada thought as he looked around for the kid's whereabouts. Okada held his sword at the ready as he circled around a full 360 degrees. His eyes, sharp like a hawk's gazed throughout the desolate battleground in search of his prey. The Manslayer would not allow anyone to get the jump on him, especially a kid like this one.
"Looks like you fell for my distraction…"
"!"
Realization dawned on him as Okada, for the first time in this entire fight AND in the fight with the girls, found himself caught off guard. Caught off guard when he heard Nico's voice coming from right behind him, the redhead Armoured teen kneeling behind him with one hand on the ground and the other holding Ouranos sideways. The blade of the Archdevil Arm constantly crackled with Kinetic Energy whilst it undulated like a viper, a sign of Nico having activated the Vipersword technique.
SWING!
SCHULUCK!
"Guh!"
Then, Nico dashed forward while pushing his DEMONIC OVERDRIVE and Kinetic Energy as far as they could go. He became a blur, a blur which crackled with electric sparks while the ground broke beneath him, shooting past Okada and stopping about 40 meters away from him. The repeated use of Kinetic Energy, combined with Kinetic Vision, allowed him to get used to this kind of movement at this point, not to mention… he had managed to pull it off. Something which none of the girls, and any of their other comrades had been able to do for multiple chapters, but he managed to do it in one…
At that moment, Nico swore that he could have died happy right then and there cause the accomplishment he had just pulled off would likely be something that very few could have done unless they trained well over a hundred years, and even then, it would be no cakewalk…
He managed to cause damage to Okada's body.
The cut wasn't a very deep one, well, as deep as he had wanted it to be anyways. The cut went over his right breast, over his shoulder and down to his upper back with a small amount of… something being squirted out of him. He didn't think it was blood when Nico turned and looked back to him, thinking it to be more like tar or something as it dripped onto the ground like small dribbles of paint on a canvas. Not to mention that the smell definitely matched that of tar. But still, the fact of the matter was that Nico had managed to cut through Okada's body for the first time during this entire battle, that fact alone could not be denied. He recalled how his mother once told him that the first blow always was the most important one, and that he should always clear his mind of anything else when making to land that blow.
One step closer to his victory, Nico had gotten.
'Biko… the plan was a success! Thanks for telling me about that Boon!' Nico thought to himself, mentally grinning at his Demon Persona. They had done it before the moment that Okada had made that proclamation earlier about receiving his Lightning Spheres before, Biko had sneakily spoken to him, informing him that he had a plan in mind that he'd made whilst watching Okada's movements through Nico's own eyes. Thus, since he was literally the most logical of his aspects, Nico chose to listen to him, and this was the result of that action.
'It is a relief that it succeeded. Had he suspected we were up to something else just then, the plan would have had a 70% chance of failing… however, it appears that the 60% chance of success pulled itself into our favor.'
What he had done was use the second Boon that Ouranos granted him, and that one was called Warpspeed, which was basically where thanks to it's ability to use Lightning and Kinetic Energy, Ouranos makes it to where those who can Warp have that ability bolstered to a degree where they can Warp across vast distances. Biko had stated to him that the speed was so great that he hardly made a sound whilst moving, and at the moment the maximum range Warpspeed was capable of was moving across Continents.
However, one problem had been addressed with this plan when they had come up with it. That was the fact that Nico had little experience or training, if at all, in controlling his newfound Archdevil Arm's power. By extension, that meant the Boon as well. If he didn't learn how to control it fast, then if he were to Warp when using this Archdevil Arm, then he would likely have Warped over to Lastation or some other far off place. The only reason why he hadn't experienced that previously when he got Vert her powers back was because this Boon was an 'Active' type Boon. Active Boons needed to be activated manually, as in through thought, in order to work and they could only be activated when the specific Archdevil Arm they came with was summoned to him.
As for Kinetic Vision, that Boon was a Passive one, which meant that it automatically activated and would stay active the moment that he summoned Ouranos. Biko had already classified it as such and informed him of the difference during their brief discussion with their plan of attack.
It would have been a struggle to contain that kind of power to this battlefield, which was why he limit the ability with Ouranos' Lightning power. That way, he could Warp behind Okada whilst the spheres, which were heavily influenced by Lightning and Kinetic Energy to make them move as fast as they did, without him noticing to finish him off.
Unfortunately for him, the finishing him off part was where Nico had fallen short. He had realized this the second his blade met the man's flesh that he wouldn't have been able to finish him there. Perhaps it was due to the amount of experience this man portrayed, but the way he moved more than confirmed it for the redhead. But nonetheless, Nico had felt it happen not just seen and heard it. Okada had reacted just in time, a show of superb instinct and reflexes in order to step backwards just as the blade was about to meet his undead body, limiting the blow to the minor wound that he had sustained as Nico flew past him.
'Still, this Warpspeed is no freaking joke. If I can properly control that Boon's power, not only will I be able to Warp further than I could without it, but perhaps I can apply it in other possibilities as well such as getting to comrades quicker, or evacuating wounded Agents…' the male mused, his mind whirling with possibilities that this Boon, and by extension the Archdevil Arm itself, granted him. Not to mention if he activated DEMONIC OVERDRIVE along with it, just who knows what kind of badass shit he could pull off in the future.
Once he looked back to Okada, Nico narrowed his eyes towards the wound that he had caused the man. His previous feeling of success soon faded away, and the serious tense expression he had through this entire fight returned…. Although, it would remain hidden thanks to his Armour. The moment that he noticed that wound, the teen couldn't shake the feeling that something was up. It took him a while to notice, but that wound finally cinched it for him. 'Hey, Biko… I know we succeeded and all, but why do I get the feeling that this guy's something of a life support?'
'That will likely be our senses. Now that I look at him though your eyes and senses, I too sense something very 'abnormal' about him. Its… almost as if he is like a puppet, strings being attached to him which allow the puppeteer to manipulate his every actions. There's no life in him that feels natural, or his own. At first, I thought that it was to do with him being an undead of sorts since he reminds me of those Skeletons from Leoric's Cursed Hold… but now, I am unsure.'
'Best be on our guard then…'
'Indeed.'
The sound of flesh patting against flesh filled his ears, bringing Nico out of his mental conversation with Biko and back towards the swordsman whom looked to be smacking imaginary dust from his wounded arm. Not a shred of pain could be seen on the guy's face, likely due to him being undead. But still, Nico couldn't help but feel he had gotten some headway for some reason, and NOT just because he had managed to cut the guy. "Whew, now THAT is impressive. The fact that you were actually able to land a wound on me… damn, I'm impressed kid. Like, legitimately." Okada mused, and for once Nico couldn't sense any of this guy's previous cockiness in his words. No, the teen could only feel like this would be the first time during this battle that Okada had actually said something so sincere. He may not know that much about him, but just from clashing with this guy, Nico could tell that he had experienced his fair share of battles. In that case, the difficulty he had in getting one cut in showed that he was used to getting as few injuries as possible from all of them. "Not even those two guys I disposed of, that one with the golden looking sword, or that one with the metal over his body and strange weapons, could touch me like this."
'… Wait, golden sword? Metal body? I know that last one can't be Guts, I saw him back then, which can only mean…' Nico thought, slowly widening his eyes in shock as he figured out whom Okada was talking about. "You… you KILLED Stefan and Isaac?!" he shouted, his Demonic Energy flaring around him. Those two, he didn't know all too well, but even so he had enough experience to see that they were good people! The fact that they were dead… The male looked down and refused to allow the urge to gulp and sweat bullets to take hold of him as he took deep breaths to keep calm. His composure couldn't be shaken right now, not when it was in the middle of combat!
Nico had seen many of his fellow Spec Ops Agents die on the field of battle. Gunned down by bandits with stolen tech, eaten alive by monsters of all shapes and sizes, even betrayed by their own fellow Spec Ops. He had seen many die, and thus he had become used to it… though, thinking back it had helped that he had lost faith in pretty much 95% of them at that point, which lead to him being indifferent towards them when they kicked the bucket, as people say. It wasn't like he knew about them personally, it wasn't like he gave a damn whether they lived or died… Nico was no hero, he was nothing but a monster, a beast just like the things he hunted. Heck, the Armour that he wears now, in addition to what he wore once before, symbolized that as it came from the Armour design of a villain. Right now, he'd consider himself a monster as in a demonic knight of hell, ready to rip, tear and shred his enemies with no remorse.
But, Stefan Von Kessel and Isaac Clarke? Those two had been among the 5% he could find himself placing his faith in.
"Well, one of them anyways, that guy with the ginger golden Armour." Okada replied, rubbing the back of his head whilst slashing his sword downwards. Since there was no strength behind it, it remained just an ordinary slash. "The other one got away with only a leg lost. He was the smart one, a prodigy like myself wouldn't have let him live anyways, plus my boss told me to so that was something. Still, that guy didn't really strike me as the warrior type, and those who don't have the warrior spirit on the battlefield usually end up dying first…" His mind then went over to the one that he killed, remembering the events with vivid detail. "That other guy with the golden sword and Armour though, he definitely had such a spirit. The strong survive the weak die however, and I was just stronger than him. Still, he was an interesting one, so I cut him down swiftly enough, he didn't provoke me enough to want to end him slowly."
Hearing those words… Nico scowled behind his helmet, clenching his fists as he forced himself to calm down. Rage and resentment fought for control inside his mind and body, something which he felt glad he wasn't using his Red Rage Ring to boost his powers with otherwise it would have been mush harder to control himself. The words he said with complete disinterest… they weren't necessarily wrong though. It was a harsh truth, but it was exactly as Okada had said. The strong survive longer than the weak because of the great power they wield. In jungle terms, they were the higher ups on the food chain and they had the right to dominate over the other races. It just so happened that Okada fit into the 'strong' category whilst Stefan apparently wasn't. That was al there was to it…
Even so… Nico still couldn't help but feel utterly pissed that he was dead!
'… Nico, I have something.'
Just then however, Biko's words cut through his mind, breaking Nico out of his previous stupor like sharp blades cutting through air. It never ceased to amaze him how Biko, a construct from the Demonic side to his power set which SHOULD operate under rage and hatred, could calm him and keep him sane. It's one ironic situation, huh? In the outside world. Nico blinked as he heard the Demon Persona's voice. 'Huh? What is it, Biko?'
'I have been studying him through the use of our demonic senses, compiling what we know about necromancy to reach a theory. This man… this Undead being is not of this world, but his soul has been anchored down to it. Anchored by some external force. Normally undead are just corpses reanimated into mobile forces to fight, but this is more of a mix between undead and resurrection, just like that one technique used in that anime filled with ninjas. However, thanks to us being able to cut him, I can sense what is chaining his soul to this world, keeping it in this realm and not in the afterlife where he should have been. Its… not something I can identify, as I have never seen the likes of it before. Its not Demonic Power, nor is it Mana or SP, its something else entirely. However, regardless of what it is, I know a way we can cut the link between this power and Okada Izou.'
Now THAT drew Nico's attention, especially when Biko mentioned the stuff about necromancy. He had more than his fair share of enemies who delved into that stinking art, and everything Biko had said rang true with those experiences. Normally Necromancers used their Mana to resurrect corpses or reanimate them into undead servants to fight for them. It was either reanimation or full-on resurrection however, therefore the fact that this was a mix (with a reference added in he might add), according to him, felt like an even worse perversion of the laws of life. He could only imagine how MAGES. would have reacted to seeing this, recalling her state in the Cursed Hold. But, the part about the energy source keeping Okada anchored to this world worried him, if it wasn't anything natural (even for necromancy), then it had to be some very bad news. Bad news indeed, what if it were a Satanic Treasure? What if it were something that was a remnant of the DPU era being used by a mortal? So much damage could be created if they were able to summon someone of Okada's Calibur into this world from the dead…
Though, this link cutting business DID intrigue him…
'It's a Death Parade.'
...
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'...HUH?! WHAT THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN SMOKING, BIKO?! HOW THE HELL CAN WE DO THAT?!'
'After we defeated Logan, I began researching it myself by looking through the fractured memories. It was not easy, but I managed to find out how to generate one we can use, like the rest of Demonkind seems to be able to. Not only will it trap us within an isolated space to mitigate any damage inside, but it will completely cut us off from outside interference…'
'…Including from whatever's anchoring Okada to the world of the living!' Nico realized, finishing Biko's speech himself. That really WOULD be of a great help to him, to be able to generate a field like that so that he could fight his opponents without anyone from the outside to interfere with him. Plus, it had already been established that these fields packed a lot of power, since not even his own power would be enough to break through one. He knew this back from his fight with Logan, when one attack caused one of his stronger attacks to fade away into the Death Parade itself. 'But, since he's been here for so long, wouldn't that mean he wouldn't return to the afterlife right away?'
'That appears to be the case, sadly. Okada Izou has been around for a fair amount of time, not to mention that this power chaining him to this world is quite potent. I do not believe we will be able to do anything to the energy directly, therefore this will be our only way to shorten this fight considerably.'
Nico didn't like the sound of that possibility, no, CERTAINTY since Biko usually had sharp wits about this stuff due to his nature. The fact that he would have to waste time fighting this guy when he could be lending his aid to the girls against Arfoire. However, Nico also wouldn't lie and say that he wanted to pay this guy back for killing Stefan by defeating him. Not to mention that it wasn't really Okada who killed Stefan but the one who summoned him. One shouldn't hate the weapon but the wielder, that was something he had learned during his many missions for the Spec Ops community. Therefore, he couldn't place the full blame on this guy, only part of it. 'Alright then, tell me what to do…'
'Heh, this kid…' Okada thought to himself as he examined his wound. It wasn't as bad as it could have been thanks to his quick reflexes, but the fact that he had done one on him when his companions didn't spoke a lot about his skill. None of those sexy ladies from earlier could have cut him, even with that larger attack where he had to put in all the strength a one-handed stance could afford him to withstand it. It wasn't just that sword that gave him an edge in battle, it seemed, which had been something that Okada had thought upon initially meeting him.
To be honest, fighting in this era felt much better than he had initially thought. Just from hearing the words that witch-like woman who definitely needed to get better fashion sense, the Manslayer had assumed that he would be fighting a bunch of weaklings. Though, he would admit that they were definitely weak in comparison to him, but the warriors of this era at least had the POTENTIAL, to grow stronger. Even under all his boasting and bravado, Okada had seen such potential in every one of the warriors he had fought today, even that one whom he had killed. It was obvious that those women had been training intensely to get as strong as they were, but it was nothing compared to the training he had went through back when he was alive. The problem was that none of them had the drive to learn more, to discover new ways to get stronger aside from external forces. Though, he didn't really care much to delve deeper into that thought process. Okada considered himself a warrior, for it was in his blood. Combat was in his blood, and as a Manslayer, he would kill and kill till he had to go back to the afterlife. That was basically all that he cared about, well aside from drinking, gambling and possibly meeting some lovely ladies on the side.
For the time that he had been born in, that had been fine for him. Killing was all he was good for anyways, so why not enjoy it?
'He may have a few, no, maybe a LOT of gaps to fill if he is to reach the same level the genius me reached when I was in my prime. If it weren't for my 'boss' and this pathetic excuse for a body, then I'd have cleaned this kid's clock by now. If I were a full on human, then he would have lost practically instantly, 10 out of 10. But even with all that reliance on trinkets, anyone who can cut me even just a little bit has to have SOME skill. Maybe he could be…'
Just then, he looked around when he heard sounds of flames, only to find there to be a ring of fire around him. "Huh? What the-this is new…" he whispered, blinking when he eyes the flames. This wasn't something he had seen before back when he was still alive. Not to mention that it reminded him somewhat of Loweean magics when they tried to trap him within barriers or different traps during his assassinations. However, this definitely didn't feel like anything they would use, even if this era was not the same as the one he was brought up in that spec of snow should still have some elements that are reminiscent of his era.
He tried to slash them with his sword, but to his surprise nothing happened. He soon noticed a series of runes beneath them though, and soon it clicked to him. "Must be some type of reality marble rip-off… though even if it's a rip-off, it seems pretty powerful to be able to resist my sword…" the man mused thoughtfully. Plus, if it was strong enough to keep HIM in this small space, then that would likely be because of his undead bod yet again. If he was in his human body that would likely be a whole different story in his eyes. "Not to mention it feels like HIM…"
"Looks like it worked." Okada looked towards Nico who now pointed Ouranos towards him, and while his Armour covered his face Okada could imagine the look of fiery determination he would have on right now. "Call this the Death Parade, basically put its a violent 'trial by combat' where the losers fate is decided by the winner. No outside interference allowed, not even that energy source that anchors you to this world. Of course, since you have energy still in you, its not like you'll fade away quickly, probably in about 5 minutes."
"Heh, fancy stuff. I don't see much of a point in it as I already would be killing you anyway, so trying to lock this genius me with you is sort of stupid, but hey if you are looking to die I can help anyway." Okada said smugly, he was ordered to kill Nico and the others by his summoner anyway so he didn't have much of a choice, besides it was not like he was worried about living or dying anyway.
For him, this that was happening was more akin to extra time to let him enjoy what he liked and if there was people to fight and hot chicks around he had no big complaints.
"This is the final round, Okada! Let's do this!"
"Well... it seems like you all have gotten quite stronger since I last saw you all..."
Arfoire remarked this to herself as she floated above the ground beside the crater, having decided AGAINST flying over the place with loads of shockwaves and sparks flying everywhere. Seemed a LITTLE to close to getting electrocuted and she did NOT want that. Not to mention that each and every Spark that nearly hither had enough voltage to butcher a whole Army of warriors should it get the chance to do so. She didn't want to feel what it would do to HER. 'Tch, this is getting ridiculous. I won;t be able to continue my plans as of right now since these broads and that muscle-head are blocking my escape route.' she thought as she glanced at the people surrounding her, refusing to let her escape. Each one of them had utterly furious looks on their faces, whilst looking like they were one step away from utterly tearing her apart.
In addition, she didn't want to reveal her hand too quickly, she didn't have enough time...
"Flattery will get you nowhere..." Green Heart replied with a cold smirk forming on her lips. Her eyes shined with the intent to kill, as if to say 'shut the fuck up and lemme rip out your guts'... in a more ladylike manner, but basically that was what that look boiled down to. She twirled the rejuvenated Gungnir in one hand, before she pointed it towards Arfoire with her body radiating hostility in waves. "Now, I will make you PAY for your transgressions against Leanbox."
In response, Arfoire rolled her eyes whilst scoffing. "Oh, please. Quit trying to be the better person here." Arfoire commented, twirling her Glaive in a similar manner to Green Heart. She even placed her free hand on her hip whilst her grin spread across her face. "What I have done is HARDLY comparable to all the thousands of lives your actions ended." she stated, and when she got no response Arfoire continued. "Who was it that engaged in a war against the other Goddesses and left her Nation to fend for itself? Who was it that didn't do anything whilst so many people got needlessly slaughtered, allowed many injustices to happen across the centuries? If anything, the one who should be punished is a certain someone in front of me, not myself."
"Grk!"
Green Heart growled at that, but didn't respond due to Arfoire not technically being wrong. It was similar to Yvoire, what he did was wrong on so many levels, the same with Arfoire whose actions resulted in the deaths of a lot of innocent people, but the biggest murderer was herself. After all, it was her whom had settled Leanbox's fate when she left for the Console War. Her kill count must have superseded Arfoire's by a large margin.
"Okay, that is quite enough, you!" Purple Heart scowled as she lifted a hand and a pillar of crystal rose in a diagonal angle, aimed at Arfoire's back. The woman however, reflexively turned and blew it away in one slash,before turning back to her. "The biggest difference between you two, is at least she is making amends for her actions, whilst YOU are merely enjoying it! Green Heart is much better than you, so do not try and demean her!" she bellowed, her eyes almost glowing with the rage in them.
Though, it definitely surprised both Arfoire AND Green Heart that she would defend her fellow CPU like that. "Neptune..." the latter muttered in shock and surprise... though a warmth spread in her chest at that. 'She really HAS changed... I know I've seen it before, but its still surprising me...'
"Pft." Arfoire snorted however, waving a hand dismissively. "No matter how much you slice it, that gaming junkie is still to blame for all those lives lost. But enough of this nonesense, it is time that we continue this." she stated darkly, and with that she vanished and thus, began the fight again.
Back within the crater...
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It is not like you need to shout, after all now that I know you can take what I can dish out, I might as well-"
SLICE
"Go all out." Okada finished as Nico's left hand dropped to the floor.
'Wha... What the hell?!' The redhead thought in surprise as that happened, all the while his hand quickly regenerated. That had definitely felt like a sword slash just now, but... what the hell, that had been just WAY too fast, faster than anything Okada had done before even. It was like trying to compare an Olympic athlete who specialized in dashing to the speed of a jet engine if it could go to max momentum instantly. Nico could only barely jump to the side, but if earlier of his had saved him from injury, now it had barely saved his life.
A creepy feeling rose like the head of a lion when it noticed something off from within Nico's soul that if he were to let this happen again, Okada would already be capable of fully countering this evasion of his.
Okada did not let up, he advanced towards Nico at speeds that he had to put everything he could just to barely follow with his eyes. Eyes that were improved with his Kinetic Vision. Part of him wondered about using his other side for this, and in the end (which only lasted about one or two strikes), Nico managed to manifest IT in it's invisible nature to bring to bear against his opponent. After all, it wasn't like the girls were going to be able to see it or even realize he was doing this since they were too busy fighting Arfoire according to his senses.
However, even with the speed that it traveled at being as such that not even chain gun fire would be able to hit him when he was standing still, Okada merely deflected each of their strikes with practiced ease. Whether or not he even noticed the oddity that was something invisible blocking his attacks Nico didn't know, but he DID get the feeling that he didn't even care.
And, the most terrifying thing? Was that he was still only had ONE hand holding the sword. He still could cut and be more powerful, he just chose for some reason not to. If it was due to pride or something else was something Nico did not know, what he did know was that even his Warpspeed was accounted for, as every-time he tried to Warp, Okada would either interrupt it (one time nearly going for his groin. Dick move man, even if it was meant for his abdomen) or simply guess where he would appear and be ready to counter it instantly.
It was like when Nico was younger and he tried fighting his mother during the spars. It was the difference in technique as if he was just a child in front of a master.
Even so, the male refused to let this deter him. He'd make sure to last until Okada's soul no longer had an anchor to this world, of that Nico vowed on his pride as DEATHSTROKE. Therefore, to keep that vow, the teen mentally discarded all thoughts about relying solely on swordplay, as it became obvious to him that it alone wouldn't help him last against this guy.
As the two clashed once more, albeit briefly, Nico lifted his hand off Ouranos, his Kinetic Vision allowing him to see Okada's sword already coming at that said hand. Just a second before it hit though, Nico it his hand up in Hellfire, surprising the Manslayer and grasping the blade in a firm grip. Bit of an unorthodox method, and he could still feel the metal biting into his hand despite the flames around it, but it gave him a chance to react in time. The teen quickly slammed a knee into Okada's stomach, which prompted Okada to respond by stepping sideways to dodge it, then throw a punch to his face with just as much speed as his sword swings.
In response, Nico ducked under it and then threw Okada's sword aside, swinging Ouranos just as quickly to try and get a hit in. Just as he feared though, his attack failed as Okada easily brought his sword back to block it. Nico then had Ouranos unleash it's Lightning just a second too late, and as a result Okada managed to slice through his chest, stomach and shoulders at the same time. He would have done more, if Nico hadn't slammed IT into the space that he had once occupied,, appearing behind him to slash at his back.
Nico retaliated by Warping, where Okada dashed towards the spot he reappeared in and went for another beheading for Nico to catch it in Ouranos' grip. Pulling it back, Okada quickly slammed into him again and again, aiming for different organs each time which forced the redhead to angle his Ouranos to parry them. Though, not all of them were blocked, as some ripped through his Armour and flesh as if it were warm tofu. Nico even lost his non-weapon arm more than a few times for his regeneration to kick in and recall them.
Eventually, the redhead managed to knock Okada back by slamming a foot onto one of his feet and then shoulder. Just as he fell though, Okada used the momentum to bend backwards, slamming his free hand onto the ground beneath him to push him up into the air again. Just in time to avoid a blast of Lightning from Ouranos, something that Nico didn't let up on as he aimed the Archdevil Arm towards his foe and began unleashing more blasts the size of a truck. This prompted Manslayer to slash each of them in half with his sword, and the moment that his feet touched the ground Okada blurred forth leaving a sonic wave in his wake.
'Here he comes!' Nico thought, preparing to meet his opponent. Just as he got into the reach of Ouranos, and as Nico made to swing at his head, Okada merely chuckled as he vanished from sight. This succeeded in the task of catching Nico by surprise, as he almost lost his balance had IT not helped stabilize him. Saved by instinct once again he had been, for an explosion of KI appeared behind him whilst the sound of metal cutting through air filled his ears. That instinct caused him to Warp out of the way with Warpspeed Enhancing it... only for Okada to follow him and strike where he Warped back into reality, cutting diagonally through Nico's chest.
"Tch...!" Nico grunted as his healing began kicking in, before he turned to the Manslayer and held Ouranos at the ready with a look of steely determination. 'This guy... he's been holding back this whole time, and its really starting to piss me off. Its honestly taking all of my strength just to keep up with him, and its not like I've had any chances to land a hit in on him, he's just too fast. Ouranos' Kinetic Vision Boon is barely able to keep up with his speed, and even then I find myself relying on my instinct...!' the male thought whilst he gritted his teeth within his Helmet.
'Perhaps you can try to manipulate the Magnetic fields around us, such as the ones around the debris from your conflict. Deep within those pieces are bits of iron, which you and I both know has high magnetic properties.'
'Not so sure that would work on this guy, Biko.'
'Worth a try... not like you have many options, this Death Parade may shorten the time of the fight, but it also is a double-edged sword due to limited space.'
'True...'
With those thoughts in mind, Nico gripped his Archdevil Arm tightly with his hands, glaring through his helmet at his opponent. 'This better work...' he could only think as Nico raised Ouranos and called upon its ability to manipulate Magnetism. The blade quickly began emitting a large amount of Demonic Power, something which Okada took note of as he got ready for the next attack.
Not like it would do anything to him, he was just that good at what he did.
The magnetic powers of Ouranos however, didn't go for his blade like Okada had assumed. Instead, they went towards the small specs of dirt around them, as a result of their constant clashes. The debris and all the dust particles scattered about, drawn to the magnetic power that Ouranos possessed, each began to spiral around the Death Parade's interior, spurned on like a flame being fed more and more oxygen for its burning. The storm quickly grew in its intensity, swirling around the area inside the Death Parade as it reached the point of blocking any and all view. Not to mention how it blew through Okada's hair like a furious hurricane, his clothes flapping wildly in the winds. Pretty soon, the entire interior got covered with a spiraling sandstorm, something which the Swordsman noticed as he held himself ready. A small smirk etched itself onto his face as he spoke. "Heh, another one of your tricks? When will you learn that they will NOT work on this GENIUS?!"
With that bellow, Okada swiftly swung his blade in a wide arc, an arc that was swung in the opposite direction of the spiraling sand storm generated by Ouranos. Both powers collided when he did so, and just as Okada had expected, the sandstorm got obliterated with just that one slash. Something which only boosted his ego as he held his sword whilst looking for his opponent...
Only to jump upwards when a swing from behind nearly hit the nape of his neck.
'Shoot, so close!' Nico cursed in his mind, blocking a slash from his opponent as he channeled Kinetic Energy to get some distance. Though, thanks to the Death Parade he had little space to move about in. That lack of space, was why he didn't bother with any of his Devil Arms, as each of them had destructive powers that make them too much for them to be properly effective in this battle. Though, that DID limit his actions quite a bit, and since Okada was one tough cookie, Nico needed to plan his next move if he wanted to take him down before the time limit hit. If he were to win only through stalling for time, Nico would likely get a bad taste in his mouth, a very uncomfortable one at that which would be way worse than sampling the best cooked human foods the human race had to offer. Call him prideful and arrogant, but this was what he felt deep inside.
Mentally, he checked the time that was left...
And he began to curse under his breath.
'God fucking dammit! Only 3 minutes left! I can already sense Okada's soul vanishing from this world, i'll need to make this quick!' he thought to himself. 'But how the fuck can I do that?!'
It did NOT sit well with him that he would win this through outliving this man, this warrior who, whilst from an era way before his own, had more strength than anything Nico had ever experienced. None of the CPUs or many of the demons he'd fought compared to this guy, so he wanted to fight him for as long as he could... though, that was also the warrior side of him speaking whilst the other side, the one born from being around Neptune and the girls for so long, told him that this would be good since he could reinforce them if Arfoire is kicking their asses.
In addition, it didn't help that Okada had only fought him one-handed, he wanted to see that guy go all out at least once goddammit!
Oh, and just for reference, the two had been clashing in a mad frenzy of blades during his monologue.
SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH!
They went, circling each other whilst their blades constantly clashed with each other at speeds where they could even see the blurry illusions of them colliding with each other. Not exactly afterimages, but pretty similar which showed that the two definite superseded ordinary warriors. At least, warriors of this day and age, as the difference between Nico's era and Okada's could be seen as clear as day throughout the battles that the latter had fought in.
"Heh, although you don't quite measure up to the sods I fought back when I was alive..." Okada suddenly spoke when they clashed once more, catching Nico by surprise. This nearly costed him, as Okada twirled into a reverse slash towards his neck. However, Nico managed to barely block in time with Ouranos, coating the blade in Lightning so concentrated that, if Okada were a normal human, then he would have died by electrocution... though, the redhead teen doubted this guy had been normal to begin with. He lacked proper SP training, as his movements suggested that he didn't even bother training to utilize it. Instead, he went and followed the way of the sword in his own mannerisms, becoming a man-killing monster worse than a large proportion of Abnormals. Nico could see that, and by now the male had come to accept this difference in strength. "The fact that you're able to fight me like this at all indicates you have potential, kid. Though, I think you know this too..." he continued, before pausing and leaning forward to speak barely above a whisper. "That if I were A: in my human body, in addition to not having been just recovered from a fight with those hot chicks, then you would be nothing but a smear on the floor."
Nico growled behind his Helmet, but he didn't say anything that implied he disagreed with that statement. "Yeah... as much as it pains me to admit it...!" the male spat, each word feeling like a knife to his gut. "You're definitely someone whom I, at my current level, couldn't hope to have defeated if I fought you fair and square." he admitted, and the pain and humiliation for this revelation sickened him to the core. This... This was the first time he had felt this way in a long time, the last time he recalled this feeling was when he kept fighting against his adoptive mom in their spars. The sheer weight of the difference in strength between them, the revelation that he wouldn't have been able to defeat her even after decades of experience...
That feeling filled him up once more, after so many years of being able to emerge victorious.
It was... both a humbling experience, and a humiliating one.
"Heh, it is just a shame that I was too soft with you all." Okada commented, making Nico feel as if this was a confirmation of what he already know. That ALL of this until now, all the blood and desperation of him and the others, even the death of someone he could say was amongst the best people he has ever known, was all nothing more than a 'game' of sorts. That despite everything, he and the others never reached a point where they were worthy of being called his 'enemy'. "*SIGH*, It is as my old friend Ryoma used to say, I play too much. I guess that I can't blame him for saying that, the only ones that could ever during my life force me to go all out was him and those other old bastards. But I must say, you all are damn lucky that the one that was brought up was me instead of them, otherwise this piece of rock we are standing now would be ash long ago. Kakakaka, I guess at the very least I can show you all, show the world what a single sword can do. No fancy tricks! No depending on special powers! No nothing! All I have, and all I need is my sword to end this whole thing! Met God, slay God! Met Budha, slay Budha! Everything is just things waiting to be cut down by my sword, and this is the path I have chosen. NOW, TRY AND STOP ME BRAT!"
Now THAT caught Nico's attention as Okada jumped to the opposite side of the Death Parade. Even as his body degenerated, Okada's blood-lust skyrocketed to unnatural levels, almost causing Nico to freeze in place since not even the blood thirstiest of Ghouls could match the bloodlust that he just felt right now. The redhead quickly responded by jumping to the opposite side too, quickly getting into a stance of his own, though he then saw something that completely blew away what composure Nico had regained at this point...
Two hands.
Okada was holding his sword in TWO HANDS!
Oh shit, he would be FUCKED after this!
Nico recalled how much power Okada had exerted as someone who used the one handed sword style, of how he took out the four CPUs (though that almost seemed like a bit of a warm-up to him, he suspected) like it was nothing but a chore. Not to mention how he fought against high-level Spec Ops Agents like Guts, Stefan and Isaac. Not only did he fight them, but he killed one and wounded the other. Not something that could easily be done, though he would refrain from admitting that so this guy didn't get a bigger ego than it already was.
Now though, now that he was holding his sword in two hands, Nico INSTANTLY realized a blood-curdling truth. A truth he became all too aware of when he sensed the massive spike in power coming from the warrior before him. Not to mention the sheer feeling of 'DEATH' that came from the man in droves whilst he held his sword in the traditional kendo stance, pointing the blade at him which almost seemed like it was alive. The reason why he thought that was how the blade's aura almost felt like a living being, a wild and bloodthirsty animal hell bent on tearing through flesh and bone. This would be the first, and likely the ONLY time, where Nico would have the chance to face off against Okada at full power. Though, he partially wished to have fought him in his human body, Nico couldn't afford to be picky.
But... if he wanted to answer that demonstration with one of his own...
"I see... so THAT's your angle..." Nico muttered under his breath, as realization dawned on him. This situation, it reminded him heavily of tat time when he had a flashback to when he sparred with his mother, whom then prepared to teach him the meaning of resolve. He couldn't help but imagine her standing there instead of Okada, holding her sword at the ready with the look that promised nothing but pain. Okada's face soon replaced her, as well as her form, as he returned to reality and glared towards the Manslayer.
Nico saw, at that moment, that this would be the last attack according to this fight. Nothing but sheer power could be felt from the swordsman before him right now, but it was the type of power which would only come when the battle would reach its epic conclusion. The feeling of the end times, that was what he felt right now, and if he wanted to survive this attack, he would have to go all out. As much as his inner logic protested against the idea (even though he so vehemently wanted to listen to it this time around) Nico dismissed Ouranos which vanished in a flash of Lightning. The male quickly noted how he felt the Boons that automatically applied to him disappear alongside it. 'Hmmm, that'll need to be investigated after this...' the male thought, before focusing back onto the battle.
"Then, you won't mind..."
Closing his eyes, Nico mentally focuses, reaching deep for his Demonic Power and calling it forth, from deep within his being as flames quickly cocooned him. The signature sign of his DDD Transformation ladies and gentlemen, the first time he had transformed since awakening from his coma. When the flames dissipated, Nico now floated above the ground as Crimson Soul, his aura flaring like a wild flame whilst his crimson eyes sported their glowing black slitted power button symbols. In his hands, the true form of Soul Edge thrummed with untapped power, chaotic energies wrapping around the long blade whilst he held it in two hands. Crimson Soul narrowed his eyes as he quickly got into a battle stance one which involved him bending his legs, as if prepping to run, while his sword went behind him as if he were going to make a huge sweeping horizontal arc with it. "If I were to go all out too."
This would be it, the male thought even under the influence of his Demonic Power thanks to DDD rewriting his personality. This would be the way that he would show his respect for the Manslayer before him. Crimson Soul was no fool, through the entire battle that they shared, he felt the raw emotions present in Okada's sword. He may call a sword as a tool for killing, but in his experience when two powerful warriors clash, they can feel each other's emotions through their fists or in this case, the swing of their blades. All Crimson Soul had gotten from him first had been the enjoyment of someone who enjoyed killing people, but as the battle dragged on, slowly that began to change. Into what, the DPU wasn't exactly certain, but he could not deny that deep within his being, he grew a strong respect for this person's skills.
If things were different, he would have liked to spar with this guy again in the future, but this time with a proper body and everything. He just seemed so... interesting, as if deep within him, Crimson Soul wanted to learn more about this man. What drove him? What inspired him to become the Manslayer he was today? What was his life like? So many questions filled his mind regarding this man, but the DPU soon put them to rest. That was not what he was supposed to be thinking about right now, instead he should focus on this one strike.
One strike which would decide the battle.
"Heh, nice parlor trick, kid. Too bad that it won't save you from me." Okada sneered with a cocky smile, his eyes shining as he reared his sword back for a swing from his right shoulder. The sword itself though, it seemed to glow alight with Killing Intent, shimmering red and almost looking like it was vibrating so fast that phantom illusions of the blade swirled around it.
Crimson Soul merely readied his own sword which would be swung from the opposite angle. Soul Edge, under the influence of PREDATOR, thrummed with power as chaotic as the nature of Crimson Soul himself, a crimson hue bathing it whilst violent electricity danced around it. Hellfire fumes also danced around the blade the more he put Demonic Power into it. Not to mention that Crimson Soul focused on his Red Rage Ring, to activate it and amplify his powers with the rage it produced inside of it. "We shall see. Now, then, come!" he bellowed, and with that war cry, Crimson Soul charged forth, flying through the air with his wings releasing their flames like jet engines to increase his speed. The roar of airplanes could be heard as he flew through the air towards his opponent, who literally broke the ground beneath his feet when he moved so fast he made a sonic boom.
Both men unleashed huge war cries, cries that resonated deep within their souls whilst they swung their weapons once in range.
In that moment, everything around them lost its form thanks to the energy released.
"Oh? LOOKS like the BATTLE'S nearing its END..."
The figure mused this to himself as he stood up from his former seated position. The figure's eyes cast their gaze over the battle between Nico as he transformed into his DPU form to strike his enemy, who simply responded in kind. Whatever fighting that Arfoire was doing no longer mattered to him once he saw those two sparring within the Death Parade, for not only did the intensity heighten the thrill of the fight, the figure's own heart thrummed when the figure watched it. The battle ignited his warrior-like desire to go down there and test out the boy now that he had gone all out. The desire to pit himself against him and utterly crush everything he held dear in his own hand.
"It seems like the kid will be 'advancing' too, his Demonic Powers have swollen highly in terms of quantity and quality, purified to a higher degree, thanks to that Archdevil Arm." the figure mused further, chuckling deeply and with a tone that distorted the voice the figure made. Disappointing that he didn't show more of its destructive powers, as he so LOVED that kind of thing (especially when he heard the screams of women and children as their lives got extinguished. The look of utter shock and despair on their faces was just beyond priceless to him).
It was also a rather clever idea for him to learn to activate a Death Parade like that, isolating Okada Izou (though he honestly wanted to throttle that idiot for not going all out in the first place, those bitches would have been torn to shreds if that happened, which had been his original desire in the first place) from the others. Not to mention his own power which anchored the battle-loving scumbag to this world. However, now that the battle would be concluded soon, the figure felt like the time was right. Not only did Arfoire look like she was slowly losing against those broads (he expected nothing left for a 'meager' existence like her, he only followed her out of a reluctant respect for her ambitions, ambitions that they had agreed to work together for). But, this battle had reached the point where he could no longer hold himself back from joining in.
"LETS see how they FARE against a SUPERIOR being, such as MYSELF..."
Chapter end!
WHEW! This was a long one, I had feared this one would end up like the Compa chapter which went over 27K words last time I checked.
In any case, I chose to complete the Nico/Okada fight in one chapter cause I REALLY want to get this part done with so I can focus on the REAL bad boy of this story. No not the sexy kind that Nico has unwittingly become with his new look (it was inspired by an otome game after all) but the type that gives no fucks about skullfucking anything that gets in his way. Next chapter though will show some... interesting elements, especially with what this mystery person said about Nico's powers.
Not to mention that Arfoire won't be featured in a battle like this till the end of the Lowee Arc, which is quite a ways to go yet as there'll be chapters focused mostly around getting stronger between this arc, the Spec Ops Exam, and then the road to Lowee, those in-between moments being hopefully lighter in tone than what's been going on so far.
In any case, read, review, fave all that stuff please, it really makes me smile seeing how you guys like my stuff.
Peace out!
