Shelter
After the Deep Sea King returns with a hole on its cheek and a dislocated jaw.
Genos struggles to pick his feet up. But regardless of his condition, he would stubbornly rise and fight even with the odds stacked against him.
"Those who can walk, leave the shelter now!" Genos shouted, "I cannot promise that I'll win. Run, while I keep him busy!"
"You all heard him! Get going!" Nadia followed,
The civilians of City - J panic and make their way to the exit while the Deep Sea King straights up and the hole in his cheek is healed on its own. Then his eyes dilate towards the running civilians, "None of you... Will escape me!"
As the Deep Sea King chases after the civilians, Genos powers up his remaining arm cannon, and launches his way towards the Deep Sea King.
The latter spots him and punches the cyborg straight into the face, but was diverted when Genos kicked the Deep Sea King right into its face.
Thanks to Genos' stubbornness, he goes on in with the Deep Sea King as they clash with a barrage of attacks while everyone else scatters away from the fight.
Nadia and Archer waited for an opening as they didn't want to get Genos caught in the crossfire of their attacks. As for Kombu Infinity, she stayed a few meters behind Nadia and watched the ongoing fight.
Though in her mind, she was praying for a particular outcome...
Before long, Nadia saw an opportunity to fight when Genos successfully landed a hit on the Deep Sea King's face. She dashes forth and lashes the Deep Sea King from the back of its kneecaps.
As soon as it falters, Genos then kicks the Deep Sea King through the ceiling and fires his arm cannon at full power while Nadia pulls back.
Then she sees Genos jumping through the hole and then a bright light shines outside the Shelter. Causing Nadia to temporarily shield her eyes from the brightness.
Genos soon returns to the shelter and was delivering a barrage of punches despite lacking his other arm. Though once they hit the ground, a large dust cloud was formed, then it clears up when it reveals the cyborg holding his ground against the Deep Sea King's punch.
As this happens, Nadia and Archer prepare themselves to assist Genos when all of a sudden.
"You can do it, Onee-chan!" A little girl cried out,
"Shut up!" The Deep Sea King yelled, and spits toward the little girl,
The cyborg eyes on the spit, and so did Nadia. From the color alone, they concluded that the Deep Sea King's spit is highly corrosive and a danger to anyone who comes in contact with it.
"Now you melt, little girl," Deep Sea King stated,
But before it even hits the girl, she and her father were saved by Assassin's fastest persona, and the spit lands on the concrete floor more than a human being.
"Are you alright?" Assassin inquired, and the girl nods in response,
Nadia sighs in relief, then frowns at the Deep Sea King,
"Huh? Another soldier dares to come before me?" The Deep Sea King questioned,
"Wrong!" Nadia yelled, and the Deep Sea King shifts its attention to her, "What you face is not a soldier. What you face..."
Nadia held her breath and the back of her right hand glows red when she finishes her sentence, "Is an entire army!"
Upon finishing her sentence, Several copies of Assassin jump in the air, and some charge toward it with their weapons at the ready.
"We as a group is an individual, and the individual, a group."
"The group's innumerable shadows possess a hundred faces."
"Now..."
"Zabaniya!"
Assassin simultaneously attacks the Deep Sea King with sheer numbers and then receives the following injuries of their assault.
Several dirks were thrown all over the Deep Sea King's body and one of those dirks hits him straight through the eye.
Several lacerations on separate parts of the body; The heel, the back of its kneecaps, the waist, the armpit, and the neck.
And Assassin's brute persona lands a few solid hits on the Deep Sea King's body; The right side of its right knee, the left side of its left knee, the waist where the liver's presumably located, and the lower right jaw.
After their attack, Assassin's personas dematerialize and Assassin enters her spirit form to preserve Nadia's mana.
This gives Genos enough time to push the Deep Sea King's arm off of him, power up his right arm, and land a powerful blow across the Deep Sea King's face.
'We've got him!' Nadia exclaimed as the Deep Sea King was knocked towards the hole,
But manages to stop its momentum by pressing its feet against the floor and digging its other hand against the floor.
"Oh come on!" Nadia complained,
Though the Deep Sea King did manage to stop its momentum, it wasn't too happy with the injuries it had suffered.
Though healing those injuries took some time especially when Assassin's dirks were still stuck all over its body. As those injuries heal, the Deep Sea King shifted its kill intent toward Nadia,
"You insufferable little runt," The Deep Sea King cursed and shifts its attention toward the two.
But its anger was shifted towards Nadia, "I will take great pleasure in killing you with my bare hands!"
Nadia tries to straighten herself up, but her mind was soon invaded by an unknown force, and she falters to her knees. What's more, she grasped her entire face as her usual demeanor had collapsed.
"Nadia!" Archer yelled,
Genos gasps as he turns to Nadia for a brief moment, but that moment caused him to lower his guard as the Deep Sea King ripped a chunk of the concrete floor and throws it toward the two.
When Genos notices took notice, he dashes forward and smashes the projectile with a single punch. But it was merely a diversion as the Deep Sea King closes the distance and grabs the cyborg with a single hand.
It then smashed the cyborg against the floor hard and caused him to lose the other arm before throwing him out of the shelter with immense force that a hole was made in the process..
Genos now out of commission, The Deep Sea King then towers before Nadia and Archer with its sadistic demeanor.
"Now..." The Deep Sea King clenches his right fist, veins popped from the back of its hand, and raises above his head, "Die!"
Archer gets in front of his Master and attempts to summon his chains to restrain the Deep Sea King's arm. But before he could do such a thing, something else occurs.
A pair of large kombu wraps around Nadia and Archer, and both were pulled out of the danger as the Deep Sea King hits the floor instead of them.
When the two recovered for a moment, Archer glances down at his and Nadia's waist, 'This is...'
Archer whipped his head at the source and realized that their savior was none other than Kombu Infinity with a calm look on her face.
"Huh?" The Deep Sea King looks up, and spots Kombu Infinity, "Oh, if it isn't the little runt of the sea..."
A Few Moments Earlier...
Kombu Infinity kept her distance and watch the ongoing fight.
Though Genos and Nadia did manage to hurt the Deep Sea King to a certain degree. But they were unable to deter his healing capabilities.
When the cyborg was beaten, The Deep Sea King turns its attention to Nadia and plans to kill her with its bare hands.
Should Nadia die right then and there, Kombu Infinity would be free of her binds, return to her leader's side, and live like a monster again.
But...
'Useless Little Runt'
'What makes you think you'll be better than us?'
'You're just the weakest link of our species. A hindrance to us all,'
'Maybe you should have lived among those apes'
The insults and slurs of her people flooded into her mind, and all she wanted to do was to silence these thoughts in her mind and prove that she was one of them.
But even as she covered her ears, and vigorously shake her head. These thoughts remained and more of them echoed in the back of her mind.
Before she could fall on her knees in her mind...
The Voices were immediately silenced, and she felt a warm feeling before turning her head up and seeing Nadia standing before her.
Though they came from different places, Nadia was the only person who had aided her at her lowest point and became the first person who have accepted her. Compared to the harsh treatment she received from her people, they were washed away by Nadia's generosity and company.
When Nadia stretched her hand to her, Kombu stretched hers and shook hands. When Nadia smiled, she smiles back...
Once she clears her mind, she spots the Deep Sea King preparing itself to finish Nadia off for the injuries it suffered. Without a moment's hesitation, she uses her hair to grab both her and her Servant and pulled them out before the Deep Sea King crushes them.
Present...
After saving Nadia from certain doom, Kombu Infinity goes to her side and checks if she was okay. Unfortunately for her, Nadia wasn't going to respond to any question as her demeanor has yet to recover.
Then the Deep Sea King spoke the following words towards Kombu infinity, "Who would have thought you'd still be alive,"
Kombu Infinity then turns to the Deep Sea King and stares into its eyes as it continues, "And helping these apes? I knew you'd fall so low..."
"Kombu, what is he talking about," Archer demanded,
Kombu Infinity was hesitant at first, but the Deep Sea King would abide by her question as he answered, "She is born in the same place as I did. Therefore, she is a member of the Deep Sea Folk Clan,"
"Deep Seafolk? So you know you two?" Archer questioned in disbelief,
"Why of course," The Deep Sea King stated, "She and I are one of the same. But comparing her to me is nothing but an insult to my people. Out of all of my species, She alone is below to us Seafolk, one might say she's comparable to these insignificant apes. Eventually, she openly declared that she alone will rise from the surface and prove herself worthy as a member of the Deep Seafolk Clan. Though, I still see her as the same weakling as I blissfully remember,"
Kombu Infinity's eyes were soon shadowed by her hair, and slowly straighten herself up from the floor. Though she has yet to show any signs of expression, her hair has grown agitated as it wiggled around her.
"But now that I think about it, I believe you may still have a chance to prove your worth," The Deep Sea King stated, then points at Nadia, "If you kill this girl now, as well as every other ape in this building. I just might recognize you and maybe even acknowledge you as my fellow clansmen. Then we will exterminate the rest from the face of the Earth and reign supreme, and then you shall be-"
"Shut up," Kombu Infinity spoke,
"What?" The Deep Sea King asked,
"I said," Kombu Infinity pauses for a moment, then glares towards the Deep Sea King, " SHUT UP! All you have ever done is insult me like every other human in this world! All you ever do is sit idly as everyone else berated me for being similar to these people! What she has done is provide the proper care and recognition that you wouldn't show to me! I'm done being a Seafolk! I'm done being a monster!"
Kombu Infinity then raises her hair and expressed a hero's resolve for all to see.
"And I'm most certainly done with you!" Kombu Infinity finished,
"So you choose to betray me?" The Deep Sea King inquired, "Then..."
The Deep Sea King clenches his fists, then dashes toward Kombu Infinity will no regard for her well-being, "You can die with the rest of these apes!"
Kombu Infinity stands her ground, but briefly recalls a memory in her mind...
Flashback...
A few days after Nadia and Kombu Infinity became Silverfang's disciples, a conversation was made between him and his newest disciples after they finished their weekly session.
"You both have improved greater than I originally expected," Bang stated, "Even more so than my previous students, However..."
Bang shifts his eyes directly to Kombu Infinity, and the latter tenses up at the mere gaze of the Class S Hero, "I feel a bit quite troubled in sharing my lessons to a monster,"
"You don't have to worry about it being misused for selfish purposes, Bang-sensei," Nadia assured, "If she goes rogue, I will be the one to take her down. After all, she's my responsibility since I was the one who brought her in the first place,"
"You are full of mystery, and yet I still feel somewhat assured of your words," Bang commented, "It's no wonder why you're so full of promise in the Ranks as well,"
Nadia sheepishly chuckled while Kombu Infinity just played along with her.
"But let me remind you both. My Martial Arts, Fist of Flowing Water Crushed Rock, has its offensive capabilities. Its true potential lies in its defensive capabilities," Bang stated, "Whether your enemy is stronger or not, It is the ultimate art of redirecting force. If used properly, your enemies will be nothing but tree leaves against the raging river,"
"Do you have to be poetic in the end?" Nadia questioned,
"You will learn when the time comes," Bang said, and the two kept those words in mind,
End of Flashback
'I understand now...' Kombu Infinity realized, then prepares for a counter-offensive,
Before the Deep Sea King could land the blow, Kombu Infinity utilizes Silverfang's martial arts with one side of her hair and redirects its attack onto the floor.
This caught the Deep Sea King off guard, but it also allowed Kombu Infinity to land a barrage of attacks on the Deep Sea King's body and knocked it back a few feet away from her.
Archer, and the Citizens of City - J were stunned at the very sight of this. Though seeing her fight against a monster much larger than her, Archer couldn't help but smile her training was paying off...
"I am not the same weakling you once know!" Kombu Infinity said, and readies her hair with a resolved look on her face, "So come at me, Deep Seafreak!"
Pretty Cool, Huh? Giving Kombu Infinity a bit of a backstory as well as the spotlight of this series?
Well, the idea originated from the scene where Kombu Infinity first appeared at the Gate of City - Z's Ghost Town looking rather soaked. So I thought that I'd make her related to the Deep Seafolk Clan, Have those monsters berate her due to her appearance closely resembling humans, and her confronting the Deep Sea King.
As for why she utilizes Silverfang's Martial Arts with her hair. I thought that it'd fit her style considering the strength she demonstrated from battling Golden Ball and Spring Mustachio.
And lastly, you've noticed that I centered and Bold the Chant of Assassin's Noble Phantasm? Well, I thought it would look cool since the Servants of the Fate Series tend to chant their Noble Phantasm before its activation.
That is all I have to say, for now, stay safe from the virus, and I will see you all in the next one!