[Secession Studios – As Above, So Below]


残り:四の影/ Remnant's Four Shadows

End of Remnant, Episode 24: A Walking Shadow No Longer


[With 'Canon' Remnant]

The war for Atlas had been put on an awkward pause as they were hooked on watching the more interesting battle. It was odd to see a version of them all fighting together with various people from across different universe to save it. But then the image in the sky for them cracked before turning into a portal…the same color as the one Griseo was thrown into.

The moment he saw Griseo and Yuki come out of it, he recalled them to give them room. He was hoping that maybe Salem would get killed in the process. Frankly, he was praying for it at this point.

Griseo regained his awareness before stopping himself from falling, now floating in the air.

"What the-"

Yuki had punched him into the head of the giant Grimm whale.

"It's just you and me, Griseo. And I don't have to hold anything back anymore." Yuki said gleefully. "All my life, I've restrained myself. For everyone to underestimate me, but now….I stand before you as something you've failed at getting. A god. It's ironic because I never had the desire to be one."

[Cues: Dragon Ball Z: Budōkai Tenkaichi 2 - "Granulated Oblivion"]

Griseo blazed up from the whale winding up a punch only for Yuki to zip down to dodge it and grab his leg. He flew down dragging Griseo before slamming him into the whale making another hole into it. Yuki used his own aura blazing it around him to burn a hole in the whale before letting it fade on his feet hit the floor.

"Fight me, if you're ready to die." Yuki said as Griseo roared out blazing with blackened aura.

Griseo and him traded blows with each of them causing a torrent of violent shockwaves that rumbled and rattled the insides of the whale. It was growing clear to Yuki that Griseo was drawing the fighting styles on the people he was leeching off from those cursed pearls.

"How? How is he this skilled?" Griseo thought angrily as they fought. "The power I absorbed should overwhelm him!"

Griseo smirked before leaping back to put his hand onto the wall of the Grimm whale as black Litchenstein veins formed all over it.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. If my hand is removed off this, the whole whal-AARRGHH!"

An Armis-empowered knife was thrown into Griseo's hand as Yuki was walking away.

"What are you doing?!" Griseo screamed.

"Leaving. Pick your sorry ass up once you hit the snow, Grease Stain." Yuki said nonchalantly.

He turned intangible phasing out of the whale as the knife exploded triggering the much larger explosion of the entire whale. Yuki turned back to be tangible flying back over to where Ironwood's army was as the chunks of burning Grimm blubber rained onto the snow. Those were in it hit the snow…and were lucky to have survived.

[Music Ends]

Yuki just watched waiting for Griseo to pull his sorry self out from the rubble. Out from the rubble came Salem who angrily wondered who ruined her whale. She was damaged with several burns and cuts on her body. One of her arms had a deep gash bleeding from the shoulder and her hair was burnt given she was close to the blast radius. Yuki had an idea and broke Salem's other arm.

[-]

Griseo got out causing from him as his eyes were twitching as he was looking around for Yuki only to see him in the distance. Dark magic flowed in his injured hand as he tore the knife before throwing it at him before blasting him with a barrage of blasts.

[Cues: Shikabane Hime ~ Kuro OST – En Toiu Kizuna]

"What's the matter? No screams, you whelp." Griseo said. "Don't bother, you're already in despair in your death."

Then he heard footsteps with the illusion fading to reveal an unharmed Yuki walking forward dragging Salem's body which took the brunt of Griseo's attacks.

"I'm not impressed at all. You have all that power that you're throwing around with no thought for technique. You coast on being a leech of many trades, you don't bother to study the power you siphon, you parasite." Yuki said before looking at the battered Salem. "You couldn't even kill this loathesome cunt. Speaking of which…"

He tossed Salem into the air before putting a bullet through her head before using Nova Aurora before slashing bisecting her, her body burning into sliver flames until there was nothing left from ash that blew into the cold. Oscar and the others that were climbing out of the ruins of the whale had watched the display in horror. Griseo cringed at the sight, but he looked at Yuki's cold eyes.

"I assure you that your death will not be as painless as hers." Yuki said icily.

[Music Ends]

"And you think I'm afraid of your threat?" Griseo brashly snapping his fingers as Yuki sheathed Nova Aurora.

[Cues: Shikabane Hime ~ Kuro OST – Shi he no Sanbika]

He began absorbing the dark essence from the Grimm and the remains of the whale causing them to dissipate and him to bulk for a split second. Griseo closed the distance before attempting to punch Yuki only for the Slayer to effortlessly catch his wrist and squeezed tightly.

"You should be." Yuki said before slamming him in the stomach getting Griseo to wheeze in pain.

Griseo staggered back only to try to attack. His attack was blocked with a backhanded slap into the snow.

"Get up." Yuki said as Griseo vaulted up.

He extended his backhand blades to stab Yuki only for him to shatter the blade with an Armis-coated chop. Griseo just started rapidly throwing blows at Yuki, who was idly dodging them. He supposed that Maria's semblance was not all so redundant after all when combined with Ruby's semblance. It had made everything around him feel like slow-motion and really showed how much of a novice Griseo was at using the power he leeched off others. He never adjusted his fighting style for them, just haphazardly using moves from others without the finesse to them.

It hit Yuki. How much Griseo and him were almost alike…not that Griseo realized it. Serena was actively reading Griseo like a case file. What she called having the 'God code' allowed for more detailed scans to allow a read of a person's history…even details on their psychology. It scared him…more than Griseo. His newfound potential…but there was the tinge of excitement.

"Why won't you die?!" Griseo screamed as Yuki sighed.

He grabbed Griseo by his throat as Griseo could feel a burning sensation…and had a look of abject horror as Yuki's hand turned to lava. Griseo let out a gargled gagging sound frantically trying to cut Yuki's arm off only to burn himself as the whole arm had the properties of lava.

"Why don't you?" Yuki said before digging his fingers into Griseo's throat.

With his hand, he cleaved through Griseo's throat as the burning head landed in the snow.

[Music Ends]

Yuki's arm returned to normal as he looked down the body of the being who threatened so many universes. He sighed in relief that was over. His body turned to dust as Yuki felt the Voyden essence flow into him. But it was different. He did not feel like he absorbed Griseo….

"Serena, what the hell did we just absorb?" Yuki asked.

"It seems like an amalgamation of the Shredders Griseo was milking for power. Shall I list off the new abilities?" Serena said. "Especially the mutated one because this one is definitely going to be useful."

His durability drastically shot up with his new healing factor kicked in to heal his injuries. From what the data showed him, his natural strength and speed (without aura needed) shot up. Some of the existing semblances he had got some new data. But the mutated one was the thing that got him grinning like a loon. Being able potentially manipulate and control people with Voyd Pearls was a nifty thing. He noticed the Voyd Pearl Griseo left behind, a big one which had a human heart in it…Raven's.

He told it up.

"I guess it's over…" Yuki said before feeling the glow of it. "Oh no…"

He sensed it.

"Griseo, you fucking weasel!" Yuki roared with his aura blazing before taking off to the skies.

The shockwave from that sudden movement sent everyone tumbling to the ground.


(A/N: What did Griseo pull? You'll find out, but not in the next chapter. Next chapter is detailing things from Chronoa and the other side of things, and the chapter after next will continue both this and the next chapter. )

(A/N2: (Update 7/25/2022) Wanted to clean up the fight. As for the major change of Yuki killing Salem, I realized that Yuki now stands on a similar level of power to the Brothers. Considering the Brothers cursed Salem and they can interfere with each others' antics, there was nothing saying Yuki could not kill Salem and make it stick. And I wanted to confirm the survival of that world's Oscar and those in the whale. Why? Possible future plans.)