TW/ Blood and gore, extreme violence
Like an old school western showdown, Kevin and Hunter faced off against one another. Kevin's hands were at his side, clenching and unclenching, as Hunter gripped his staff. The area was quiet save for a few chirps and the rustling of branches from the wind.
'My body can't take much more of this; I'm nearing my limit faster than I thought. I need to end this quickly. 50% should hopefully be enough to finish this once and for all,' Kevin thought to himself, the blue electricity sparking across his body once more. 'One For All, 50%!'
Digging his heels into the dirt, he launched forward like a bullet across the open field, kicking up a wave of dust and dirt from the incredible speed. His eyes were locked onto the witch, not allowing him out of his sight. He cocked his arm back, his fist launching forward with every intention to knock Hunter away. He punched, but Hunter wasn't the one who received the devastating blow. A red bubble formed around Hunter, absorbing the punch and protecting the witch. Kevin's eyes widened in surprise as the force of his punch sent a vortex of wind and dust throughout the area.
With a grunt, Kevin landed on his feet, twisting his body and sending a roundhouse kick to the bubble as well, causing the same result. He growled, and in a flash he was behind Hunter, futilely punching the bubble. Again and again, he attacked the bubble, locking his hands together and slamming them on top, yet nothing happened. The bubble wasn't even dented. But the force was strong enough to leave a crater in the ground.
The witch watched the human, studying his movements, his speed and strength. He was strong; surely any of those attacks could've rendered even Hunter himself unconscious and out for the count. Kevin had tricks up his sleeves, but unluckily for him, so did Hunter.
Hunter drew a spell circle as Kevin sent another punch towards the bubble, causing a small hole to open in its side and aimed at Kevin. It seemingly happened in slow motion; Kevin's eyes widening in surprise as he watched the circle glow a bright red. He closed his eyes, and suddenly a blazing burst of fire shot from the circle and out the bubble, growing and growing like a tsunami and evaporating countless trees and creatures caught in its path. The attack and bubble died down, leaving Hunter to stare at the wave of destruction, which notably lacked any hint of a roasted human.
"You're faster than I expected," Hunter said as Kevin flashed across the field behind him. The human was panting, his arm ever so slightly burned from the surprise attack.
"I'm full of surprises," Kevin said with a smile, but on the inside he was furious. 'Goddamn bubble, not even a scratch. Need to up the power; can't afford to let him have the upper hand.'
"I figured; I was just testing you. I have a few tricks up my sleeves myself. Literally," Hunter said, rolling up one of his sleeves to reveal various markings on his arms. They were glyphs. "I've been studying your friend for a while now and the magic she can use. These glyphs increase my strength, speed, and allow me to heal quicker. Suffice to say, you're outmatched," Hunter said with a grin while rolling his sleeve back down.
"You're not the first evil asshole who's said that to me, and I doubt you'll be the last," Kevin said as his hands clenched. 'Gotta get those glyphs off of him. Need to burn his arms. Or better yet, burn him alive,' he thought to himself before shaking his head. Damn Taiko messing with his train of thought.
Sensing a disturbance, Kevin dodged out of the way as Hunter summoned a sharp stalagmite from the ground, nearly spearing the human. From the side, sharpened spears of rock shot out towards Kevin, but the human was prepared this time. Rock rose from the ground and covered his hands like gloves, protecting him as he blocked the attack.
Upping One For All to 60%, Kevin dashed forward yet again, kicking up more dust and dirt than last time. He dodged from the right to the left and back as Hunter summoned more and more pillars of sharpened rock from the ground. Some Kevin easily dodged while others he smashed his way through like they were nothing. When in spitting distance, he thrust his hands forward and launched the rock around them towards Hunter. But instead of attacking him like the witch thought they would, they instead covered his hands, stopping him from controlling them and keeping him from being able to cast any summoning circles.
Hunter was helpless as Kevin grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him over his head before proceeding to slam the witch into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Grabbing the witch, Kevin lifted him back up, cocked his fist back, and punched him square in the chest, sending him flying through the trees. The witch flew through several trees, smashing through each one and ragdolling onto the ground, bouncing like a stone on water. The teen finally came to a stop as he slammed into the back side of a medium sized hill. He groaned as he stood back up, body covered with bruises and cuts, which slowly healed thanks to his glyph. He pulled at the stone, but it was too tightly clamped around his hands to do anything. With a growl of annoyance, he used his foot and drew a spell circle in the dirt. Abomination goo rose from the ground, working its way under the stone to try and slowly peel it off of him.
"Neat trick, am I right? The Dai Li taught me that," a voice said, causing Hunter's eyes to widen. He looked up and jumped out of the way, nearly avoiding Kevin as he launched out of the woods and towards him like a missile. The human boy smashed into the hill, cracking it, making it explode into countless pieces that shot up into the air. "What's wrong? I thought I was 'outmatched'? What happened to all that confidence?" Kevin asked with a grin.
"And here I thought I talked too much," Hunter quipped, the goo allowing him to break free from his restraints at last. He drew a circle, the rocks that were floating in the air froze before sharpening to a fine point. They aimed at Kevin and fired. The human blinked out of the attack and dodged it. The witch growled before turning, using his staff to block another punch from Kevin. In another blink, the human was gone, appearing right behind Hunter with lighting speed, fist launching forward with almost killer intent. Hunter blocked the attack again. The two entered a stalemate of power as they pushed back against one another. "You're more trouble than I initially thought, I'll give you that. But you're still outmatched!"
Hunter managed to push Kevin away, the human's feet skidding across the battlefield as he stood tall. The witch drew a spell circle in the air, thrusting his hand through it and summoning a blast of fire. lazing heat filled the air and melted anything in its path. Kevin thrust his hands forward, his own fire blast shooting out and meeting Hunter's head on. The attacks met, cranking up the temperature in the area even higher than before. The two started to pant and sweat from the heat, each trying to overpower the other. Kevin started putting more into it, even as his skin started to burn, and his flames started pushing Hunter's back. The witch growled and planted his staff in the ground as he used his free hand to draw a new spell circle. Thrusting his hand forward through that one, he brought it over to the original and combined them, making his blast even more powerful as he put every ounce of strength and anger into it, something Kevin could sense.
"Your hatred is strong; you would've made a great sith. But my will is stronger!"
He upped the juice, One For All flowing through his body as he pushed past the boundary he had set for himself. The skin on his arms burned quicker as his fire increased in power and heat, melting the ground as it pushed back against Hunter and his own fire. Hunter was forced to watch and feel as his flames were slowly outmatched. The witch growled again as he used his foot and drew a circle into the dirt. A portal opened above them and dumped water out by the gallons, extinguishing the fire and falling onto the melting ground. Steam rose as the two mixed and quickly covered the area like a thick fog; giving the witch plenty of time to draw a portal and stepping through.
Hunter breathed in and out as he rested against a tree, using the tree and the steam as cover as he hid and planned his next move. This human… he was a lot tougher than Hunter thought he would be. Even with keeping constant watch on him, both via his scouts and even himself like when Kevin and Luz visited Belos' old castle, he knew the human would be strong. But not this strong. He had been hiding his true power, which raised the question; how much more was he hiding?
"Where oh where has my prey gone? What's wrong? Scared all of a sudden? I thought you were going to kill me," Kevin's voice echoed throughout the area, preventing Hunter from pinpointing his exact location. "Using the steam as cover is clever. You can't see me… but I can see you."
Hunter's eyes widened, and suddenly, he was made very aware of an arrow that now stuck through the tree he was hiding behind; the point a mere inch away from where his head was. He dodged out of the way as three more cut straight through the tree, which would've made him into a voodoo doll had he not moved in time. He rose from the ground, using his staff to block another arrow before hiding behind another tree. How? How could the human know where he was? Steam was everywhere! Could he see through it? Was that another power he possessed?
An arrow zipped past Hunter, hitting a tree in front of him before it broke apart, scattering into several more arrows that ricothed around. Three of the six new arrows cut and tore into Hunter's flesh on each leg and his right arm, causing him to grunt in pain. Hunter peeked from behind his cover and drew a spell circle, causing a powerful gust of wind to fly through the area and clear it of smoke, revealing Kevin's position. Hunter growled, using the speed glyph drawn on his body to move lightning fast towards the human, dodging several more arrows before he appeared in front of Kevin.
Hunter reached forward, grabbing Kevin by his throat and squeezing it tight. He drew a spell circle and touched it, increasing his speed by nearly triple before he sped off. Kicking dust up into the air, Hunter started slamming Kevin through tree after tree, like a battering ram against a castle's doors. Mighty tree after mighty tree fell as Kevin fought to breathe, an arrow forming in his hand before he firmy stuck it on Hunter's mask. The arrow blinked and beeped, growing louder and brighter until it suddenly flashed white; the arrow exploded, sending the two combatants flying away from one another and tumbling onto the ground.
Hunter groaned as he lay on the ground, using his hands to push himself up he grabbed his staff and stood. He watched as something gold fell to the ground and he reached up, feeling how his mask had been cracked even further. The piece around his left eye was completely gone. He heard laughter and turned, watching as Kevin came to his feet.
"That was a trick arrow, my old buddy Hawkeye showed me how he made them," he said, raising his face and staring at Hunter with a grin. Blood dripped down from his forehead as he held onto his right arm, which looked like it had been dislocated. He twisted his arm, popping it back into place. He rolled it around, making sure it was good to go. Obviously, he'd need to rest for it to be 100% again, but for now it would do the trick.
"It's going to take more than cheap parlor tricks to defeat me. If this is the best you have to offer, then you're just wasting my time," Hunter said, irritated, annoyed, and angered. He gripped his staff tighter. "It's time to end this, once and for all."
"Awww, do we have to? It's been a while since I've had this much fun!" Kevin cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Besides, there are still a few moves I wanna try out on you!"
After he said that, Hunter started to notice the flowers and other foliage in the surrounding area started to grow gray and lifeless. Hunter looked up. The moisture was levitating into the air into a giant ball of water. Kevin grinned as he closed his hands, making the water transform into hundreds of sharpened icicles before throwing his hands down, the icicles flying down towards Hunter.
Hunter drew a large spell circle above him, swallowing the icicles whole before he drew another circle aimed at Kevin; the icicles that were once Kevin's shot out towards him. The human raised his hands and fired a fire blast, melting the ice and creating a steam cloud. Hunter was on his guard and watched as something flew through the steam. The witch watched the object, which looked like a shield, fly towards him before he smacked it away with his staff and into a tree.
"If you think a shield is enough to defeat me, you have another thing com—" Hunter started to say before the object bounced off the tree and smacked him right upside his head, disorientating him for a second and before he watched as it flew back to Kevin's arm.
"Much more than an ordinary shield. It's too bad Cap wouldn't let me keep the real one," Kevin sighed as a clone appeared beside him, his own shield forming. "I'll hit him high, you hit him low. Don't give him a chance to think or draw a spell circle. Go!"
Kevin charged straight towards Hunter while One went with a more obtuse route, ducking into the trees and circling around to try and flank the witch. Kevin threw his shield and Hunter blocked it with his staff, sending it right back towards Kevin right before something smashed Hunter upside his head. He turned, drawing a spell circle and casting a bolt of lighting into the trees, missing his target before Kevin's shield slammed into the other side of his head. Hunter turned again as he tried attacking Kevin only for the same thing to happen, the clone's shield slammed against his head and ruined his concentration. Again and again, the witch tried to attack only to be interrupted as the shields ricocheted off his head. He screamed in anger and slammed his staff into the ground. A swirling vortex rose from the ground and swiped up Kevin and his clone, launching them backwards to where they originally stood.
"Enough! I'm sick and tired of this, of you! It feels like you think this is some sort of game or something! Who treats a life or death situation like it's nothing?"
"When you've been in life or death situations more times than you can count, it does become like a game, or even a joke. And buddy, you're the biggest joke I've seen in a long time," Kevin quipped as he and his Clone's shields disappeared. They clasped hands, the clone glowing bright white as he started to transform; the light soon dying down to reveal a scythe grasped in Kevin's hands. "Life can be gloomy, dreadful, a real pain to deal and live with. It's why you gotta make it worth living, even if you gotta make mundane things like fighting for your life joyful."
"You think fighting for your life is 'mundane'?" Hunter asked, shocked and confused at the revelation. Who could possibly think such a thing?
"I do. That's the difference between you and I, Hunter," Kevin said with a manic grin as he readied his weapon. He blinked out of sight. The hairs on Hunter's neck stood straight on end as he turned and blocked Kevin's scythe with his sword. "I don't care if I die or not!" he exclaimed madly, pulling back and swiping at Hunter again. The witch ducked under the attack, and watched as the force of the scythe's wind cut down several trees in the surrounding vicinity.
"Then why are you fighting so hard?" Hunter asked, blocking strike after strike of Kevin's weapon.
"I'm not some lowly worm that'll allow himself to be killed! You must earn your kill!" Kevin shouted as he raised his scythe and slammed it into the ground, causing it to rumble as spikes started rising from the ground. Hunter tried his best to dodge but couldn't avoid them all, getting cut in several places by the sharpened rock. With blinking red eyes, Kevin cut through the stone with one good slash before hurtling the chunks towards Hunter as he tried to block them. "It's one reason I hate you, Hunter, one of many. You're weak! How does it feel? Knowing your life's work will be ruined by a mere human."
A loud explosion was heard off in the distance, shaking the ground violently like an earthquake. Hunter felt his blood run cold at the sound and turned, watching as black smoke slowly rose to the sky and filled the air… right where his castle once, but no longer, stood. His heart dropped as he continued staring at the rising smoke, a wide array of feelings and emotions hitting him at once: pain, gloom, sadness, emptiness, like there was a new and large void in his chest. The sadness and pain were soon overtaken by a new emotion as he watched all his research go up in literal flames; red hot, burning anger. He clenched his sword and screamed, charging at Kevin with killer intent before his attack was blocked.
"I'll kill you!" he shouted with vigor, slashing again and again as he tried hitting his target. He was mad, like a bull who had just seen red, as he moved faster and faster, using his glyphs to their fullest potential, even if it meant he'd suffer from the consequences later on. "How dare you call me weak? At least I have a goal in my life! What are you? A useless and stupid human's guard dog! Is that what you're going to be for the rest of your life? I really should kill you and end your pathetic existence!" he growled. "Better yet, I'll capture you and keep you alive! Then you can watch as I torture your friend until she's begging for death!"
"Luz isn't useless or stupid! And I'd sooner die than let you further harm a hair on her head!"
Their attacks met once again, full power behind each strike as the combatants put everything they had into it. Kevin's scythe broke, the clone disappearing and creating a thick smoke cloud across the field. Hunter knew how to deal with this and drew a spell circle, summoning a strong wind to clear the smoke and revealing Kevin close by. Hunter gave a war cry and rushed forward in the blink of an eye, driving his sword right into Kevin's chest.
An audible cry of pain escaped Kevin as Hunter pushed him against a tree. Blood leaked from the human's mouth as Hunter watched and reveled in sickening delight as Kevin helplessly tried pushing him away, the fighting growing less and less as he suddenly fell limp. Hunter nodded as he pulled his sword out, covered in fresh and red blood. Using his gloved hand, he wiped the blood off before pausing, noticing the blood wasn't running down like it should've been. If anything, it was more oozing. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed, his eyes widening in surprise. It wasn't blood, it was—
"Tree sap?" he asked, taking a step back and watching as Kevin suddenly poofed into a cloud of smoke, and a log of wood fell in his place. "No, no, no, no! Where is he?" Hunter asked, panicked, until he felt a violent pain behind his back. He stood paralyzed as something sharp entered his back, a cry of pain escaping him as some unknown object cut and tore through his insides before tearing through his skin, popping out of the upper right of his chest. It was a blue kunai, which opened similar to a claw and dug further into his skin, further trapping him. Kevin was behind him across the field, a blue chain gripped tightly in his hands.
"GET OVER HERE!"
Hunter felt himself get yanked back across the field, the kunai keeping him from getting away. Blue electricity danced across Kevin's fist as he reeled it back, uppercutting Hunter's jaw and feeling it crack and break as he was launched into the air. He didn't get far as Kevin pulled him back down and kneed him in the gut. The witch felt something burst as he fell to the ground. Kevin reeled back and punched the witch in the square of his back, feeling his spine break and crack from the force like a twig. The force left a large crater in the ground, the wind from the punch pushing and almost knocking several trees to the ground.
Hunter twitched. He had never experienced such immense, unending pain. Already, he could feel his body repairing itself as he looked up, attempting to reach his staff in front of him before something was wrapped around his neck. It was Kevin, using the blue chain and wrapping it around Hunter's neck before pulling, choking the witch. Hunter struggled for his staff with one hand and used the other to try and undo the chain. Kevin slammed the witch into the ground, and his hand started to glow red as he touched where Hunter's tattoos were. The smell of burning fiber and flesh filled the air as Hunter struggled more, feeling as the glyphs were burned away. Once it was all said done, Kevin further wrapped the chain around Hunter's neck before dragging him towards a tree. He tossed one end over a sturdy branch and pulled, hoisting the witch up until he was left hanging, using his hands as he struggled to give himself some room to breathe.
"I've studied your species closely since my arrival. You know it takes an average human between 10 and 20 seconds before passing out from strangulation, and death can occur anywhere within five minutes. But you're a witch, and while your autonomy is close to my own, it still differs in vast ways. Case in point, it'll take roughly a minute or so before you pass out. Which is good, because I want you awake for this," Kevin said as he formed a knife in his hand. He cut and ripped off the clothing around Hunter's stomach and noticed a scar there like some of the other witches. Kevin hummed to himself as he started making small cuts and incisions across his stomach and chest. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing, correct? It's called Lingchi, or 'death by a thousand cuts', a form of torture created thousands of years ago," he said, continuing to cut as he listened to Hunter as he struggled to breathe; it was quite literally music to his ears. "It's magnificent, isn't it? For hundreds of thousands of years, ever since humans first came to be, we have thought about and created new, exciting, and horrific ways to hurt and kill our fellow man. You see, that's a key difference about us and our species as a whole. You witches are only dangerous because of your magic. We humans are dangerous because of our imaginations!" His words left a chill down Hunter's spine.
"B-bastard!" Hunter choked, still struggling to break free as he kicked his feet towards Kevin. But the human easily blocked and smacked them away.
"I know I am. My methods are cruel, but they get results. Now before you pass out, answer me this question; why did you kidnap Luz?" he asked, making three more small cuts and watching as the blood slowly started to flow down Hunter's skin.
"S-she t-took Lord B-Belos away," Hunter said through choked breaths. "H-he was a-all I h-had. I-I'm all a-alone now."
Call him crazy, but… Kevin did feel a ping of sympathy for the witch. He didn't know the relationship between Hunter and Belos, but he too knew what it felt like to lose those close to him. "We're the same, you and I. I had a family as well… but they were taken away from me when I was young," Kevin said as he fiddled with the knife, staring at his own reflection. "I got my revenge, and made those bastards pay for what they did."
"T-then you, of a-all p-people, understand w-why I h-have to do t-this!" Hunter exclaimed, turning blue.
"I do, truly I do. But if I let you leave, you'll keep coming back again and again until you either complete your mission, or until you die. That's why I have to stop you, no matter the cost," Kevin said as he clutched his knife. "Even if it means I have to break a promise. I can't let you leave here… and it means I can't let you live."
The sound of a whistle suddenly blew through the area, and Kevin looked up to see Hunter using his finger to whistle out for someone, or something. There was silence, but was followed by a loud and horrid screech that echoed through the forest. A giant shadow loomed over Kevin and he looked up before he was suddenly snatched up and flown into the sky. He screamed as something sharp dug and tore into his flesh before the thing flew down and slammed him into the ground. It felt as if the weight of the world pressed down upon him. He could hardly breathe as his ribs were crushed. He looked up, coming eye to eye with this dimension's griffin, its pigeon head glaring down at him before it let out another terrifying, loud screech. Spiders slowly crawled in and out of its mouth. It squeezed harder, claws ripping further into Kevin's sides as he screamed in pain.
"Get off of me you beast!" Kevin shouted as he summoned a machete in his hand. With a hard swipe, he managed to chop off the griffin's foot cleanly, and the creature cried out in pain as it wobbled from its missing foot. Kevin chopped off the claws that were still dug into his sides and pushed the foot off, managing to get to his feet. He ducked as the griffin tried swiping at him with its right foot, the maneuver allowing Kevin to get under and slash the griffin's throat. Dark crimson shot out of the creature's neck and stained the ground as it slowly crumpled and collapsed. Kevin stared down at the beast, shuddering in disgust as a few spiders crawled out of its mouth.
"Okay bastard, your pet is dead. And soon, so shall—"
"AHHHH!"
Kevin turned toward the warcry and screamed as he felt a sharp, piercing pain rip through his stomach as he choked and suddenly coughed up blood. He stared down at the sword that had been stabbed into his stomach, roughly halfway if he had to guess. He looked up and stared into the angry red eyes of his opponent, feeling as the witch tried shoving the sword in more and more. Kevin grabbed onto the blade, the sharpened side cutting into his hand as he tried keeping it from going in any further. He felt himself getting pushed backwards, his strength almost gone before his back met a tree. His legs suddenly gave out and he fell, sliding down the tree until he was sitting amongst its roots. Weak breaths left him as blood dripped from all of his wounds, the sword stopped in his tracks by his hands.
Hunter breathed in and out heavily before standing up and staring at his opponent. The human looked so pale, slowly entering the abyss of death where he belonged. The witch stared down at his own hands, covered and drenched in blood; he didn't know which was his and which belonged to his opponent. He clenched them, shaking from his pain, from his anger, from his hate. He stared down at the human. The weight in his chest and on his shoulders felt lightened from seeing the human with his eyes closed. He didn't know if he was dead yet or not, but the witch turned and walked away; he was in desperate need of medical treatment, and was sure the human would be dead by any second now.
He stopped in his tracks, an overwhelming sense of dread and annoyance washing over him as he heard shifting and pained panting. He turned, groaning as he watched the bloodied human stand weakiy, as if coming back to life. He grabbed the hilt of Hunter's sword and pulled it out, brandishing the weapon tightly in his shaking hands.
"By the titan, I-I thought I killed you that time," Hunter stuttered, taking a step back. "Just what are you?"
"You thought you killed me, huh? You thought this was over? Tell me, who decided that?" Kevin asked, spitting out some blood before giving a pained smile and pointing the sword at Hunter. "I will be the one to decide, both when I die, and when this is over. And, I think it's about time to end this, once and for all," Kevin said as he narrowed his eyes. "Now die!"
Blue electricity danced across his body as he launched forward, dripping blood on the ground as he rushed and charged across the field. He slashed at the opponent, only to be met with resistance as Hunter summoned a bubble and blocked the attack. A vortex of wind shot out from the attack, blowing and nearly toppling trees over. Kevin growled and blinked back across the field, staring at the bubble with spite and anger.
"If that's the route we wanna go, fine with me. Everything breaks, and soon, so shall you," he said menacingly as blue electricity danced across his body once again, this time far more intense, nearly mimicking a lighting strike as the ground started to shake. He swished the blade around his body, causing a blue dragon to sprout from the handle before entering the blade. "One For All at 100%, mixed with Dragonblade. I hope you're ready; you meet your fate today!"
The ground crumbled beneath his feet as he pushed forward, kicking wind and dirt into the air as he launched himself across the field faster than any previous attempt. He appeared in front of Hunter, staring at the witch as if he were a caged animal and roared as he swung the sword. The sword slashed against the bubble, the witch's defense holding on just barely as Hunter put everything he had into it. Kevin put his back into it, giving the attack everything he had as he exerted pressure onto the bubble, watching as Hunter slowly crumbled and fell to his knees. The human grinned as upped his pressure, roaring in anger as the bubble started to crack and finally broke.
A bright light enveloped the two as an explosion suddenly rocked the area, similar to that of a bomb going off. The ground shook for miles as dirt was kicked up high into the air, trees getting torn from their roots or incinerated down to their very core. The wind helped blow the dirt and dust away, revealing the battlefield in all its destroyed glory. Coughing could be heard as Kevin stood, rubble and dirt falling off of him as he got back onto his feet. He felt disoriented as he grabbed the sword before looking around, spotting Hunter on the ground back across the field. He started walking towards the witch to see if he was still alive before his foot kicked something. He looked down, eyes widening in surprise as he smirked, which then turned into full-blown laughter as he reached down to grab what he had kicked.
"H-Hey Hunter? Do you… need a hand?" Kevin asked, laughing as he held and raised up Hunter's severed left arm in celebration, almost like a trophy. He chuckled with sadistic glee as he tossed it onto the ground and continued walking over to the witch, staring down at the unconscious form of his opponent, blood pooling around his body as it dripped from where his arm once was. "Dying by one's own weapon is poetic, don't you think? The thing used to protect you ends up being your own downfall… can't believe I'm wasting such good material on someone who's unconscious. Goodbye Hunter, and I'll see you in whatever version of hell this dimension has," Kevin said as he raised the sword and went to plunge into Hunter's heart.
Only, he never got the chance.
Before Kevin could finish the job however, a red force field appeared above Hunter and blocked the attack. The human's eyes widened in surprise as it appeared out of thin air, and the surprise was soon replaced with panic as it started to grow to great lengths vertically and horizontally. Soon the small force field grew into a giant wall that cut him off from his prey.
"No. No, no, no!" he shouted as he pounded and slashed against the wall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, and watched as several figures appeared and walked towards Hunter. They were witches, but not the typical guards that guarded the castle. These witches were adorned in pure black uniforms with golden hems; their masks were black as well but had blood red pupils. There were seven of them total, with four of them gathering around Hunter as the other three kept their eyes on Kevin. Two witches picked Hunter up and started carrying him away, the others soon following. They must've been his elite guard who came to rescue him. "Hey! Hey, don't you dare take him away! He's trying to hurt my friend; he shouldn't be allowed to leave!" Kevin shouted as he continued to attack the wall. "If you take him away, my clones and I will scour through this world and hunt every last one of you down! Do you hear me? There are some fates worse than death!"
With every step they took, his emotions wildly fluctuated, anger, rage, fear, worry, and so much more. He growled, breathing in and out heavily like a wild animal; the human could only see red as his rage and anger took control. He roared and slashed at the wall.
As the guards took away their leader, the roar followed by a sudden cracking sound caught their attention. They turned, bracing themselves as a sudden and violent gust of wind flew out towards them. Once it died down they lowered their arms, seeing that the wall they each helped put up was completely and totally shattered, with Kevin standing at the base. His head was lowered, as was his sword as it smoked from the attack. Hunter groaned as he awakened, staring at the twitching human in front of them.
"He's weak from our fight. Kill him, kill him now before it's too late!" he shouted towards his elites. The front two nodded, pulling swords from their cloaks. They rushed forward, weapons drawn and ready to end this battle once and for all. The first guard was closer, meaning he could end this with one good strike.
He raised his sword, readying himself to slash the human in half, when Kevin suddenly raised his head.
The guard felt time freeze, a shudder running down his spine as the temperature around them seemed to drop tremendously. He couldn't breathe, as if a snake was wrapping itself around his entire body and squeezing the life out of him. He couldn't move, fear coming over him as a thick, overwhelming force of bloodlust filled the air. Red eyes and slit pupils like a snake, full of sick and twisted horror and hatred stared back at him, the very definition of evil. What added to the fear factor was blood running over them from the human's forehead.
No… this wasn't a human, at least not any more. The being before him was something parents told their kids about to get them to behave. This… this thing was pure evil incarnate.
It happened faster than anyone could blink. The guard's head came tumbling off and fell to the ground with a horrid thud. His still-standing body twitched before blood came gushing out from where his head once was, spraying the human before the body dropped and fell to the ground. The witches stood in shocked silence, too afraid to move even an inch. The being before them grinned, which soon turned into a horrifying and maddening laughter, one that would surely give them nightmares for the rest of their days. They looked into his eyes, no longer the usual hazel brown, but a deep and terrifying red.
His neck twisted with a horrific crunch as he turned and stared at the second witch, grinning from ear to ear before blinking out of sight. The witch was scared as she looked around, trying to see where he was coming from in order to prevent any sort of attack. The being suddenly was in front of her, sword raised high into the air. She jumped in surprise, raising her sword to guard the attack, but it was futile. Hunter and the others could only watch in terror as the human brought his sword down, cutting through the sword with ease before slicing her head in two, perfectly symmetrical. Her body spasmed as she fell, mask falling off so one of her blue eyes could stare at Hunter and the others in fear; the other stared at the human.
"Ah, feels good to be out," he said, flexing his hands and fingers, doing his neck and shoulders and letting out several popping sounds.
"Who are you?" Hunter asked, his guards readying themselves in case of a surprise attack. "You may have his body, but you're not the Kevin I was fighting before. You're different. You're… you're perhaps the evilest thing I've ever sensed in my lifetime," Hunter said, causing the being to laugh.
"Quite perceptive, aren't you? Seems like the mutual pain in our asses has yet to introduce me. I'm quite hurt," it chuckled again. "The name's Taiko, the psycho. I'm a personality my warden has locked up 24/7, unless he gets really pissed off. Congrats on making him reach that point! Taking control of that clone and killing those puny guards on the tower wasn't satisfying enough; my ambitions and goals are much higher! I wanted to actually control him, and you've made it possible," Taiko grinned menacingly. "I'm going to kill you myself. Then, I can move after my great white whale. That miserable little girl," he growled, confusing Hunter.
"You… you mean Luz?" Hunter asked, causing Taiko to nod. "But why? He's trying to protect her, and you want to kill her?"
"Just because we share the same body doesn't mean we share the same ideas or goals. That girl… she's made him weak. Before she came into the picture, he was a ruthless warrior who never hesitated or held back! She's ruined him, tainted him, made him soft. I hate it, hate it, hate it!" Taiko shouted in anger, the bloodlust returning tenfold and filling the entire area, making Hunter and the others woozy as if they were going to pass out. "But with her gone, and killed by his very own hands no less, imagine what'll happen! Kevin will snap and fall into despair, it'll be worse than ever before! Then I'll be in control forever and he'll be trapped in a little padded cell! Cities and countries will run with the blood of the evil and, with me in control, the innocent too! And the only person standing in the way of me and that dream, is you. So do me a favor, will ya? And die already!"
"Kill him where he stands!" Hunter shouted, causing the other three witches to prepare themselves. They stood in front of Hunter and drew spell circles, attacks of fire, lighting, and ice shooting out of all three and heading towards Taiko.
Taiko grinned, shifting his foot and forcing a giant wall of stone to rise in front of him. The wall blocked the attacks with ease before the psycho burst through the stone and grabbed the nearest witch. He lifted him into the air and stabbed him in the chest, the sword plunging and dragging his heart out through the witch's back, still beating with life. He pulled out the sword and dropped the body to the ground before turning, staring at the remaining four with a smile before blinking out of thin air. The evil being appeared between the two other witches, Hunter's sword in one hand and a blue one in the other. He slashed, slitting the necks of the witches until only a little bit of skin held their heads to their bodies. Their heads flopped backwards, staring at Hunter and the two remaining witches before they dropped to the ground in lifeless heaps.
"Is this really the best this dimension has to offer? Quite pathetic, if you ask me. Your lives are on the line, and here you are dropping faster than flies," Taiko said as he turned to face the remaining opponents, only to see them stepping through a portal in an attempt to escape. He changed his grip on the sword and threw it like a javelin through the portal, hearing something, or someone, fall to the ground with a thud before it closed. If it was Hunter, that meant the mission was complete. If it was one of his guards, that meant less protection. Either way, the chances of Hunter surviving should, and when, they meet again were nonexistent. "Now, time to deal with that pesky girl," Taiko said before a wave of nausea hit him. His legs started to shake as he gripped his head as it pounded. Despite the pain, he grinned. "Well well, was wondering when you'd show up!"
"Get out of my head," Kevin, the real Kevin, groaned as he took back control, head snapping towards the right.
"Why? You're wasting your potential! You would've been dead if it wasn't for me!" Taiko said, head snapping to the left.
"I'd rather be dead than to still deal with you!"
"You can't protect her forever, or any of them for that matter. One way or another, I'll be released again and kill them. I'll even save Luz for last!"
"Not. If I. CAN HELP IT!" Kevin shouted towards the heavens, breathing and panting heavily as he finally took back control, hearing Taiko laugh madly in the back of his mind.
With him back in control, Kevin could feed the extent of the damage; it felt as though a giant boulder had fallen on him. He stumbled as he walked, turning and sliding down a tree and sitting at its base. His hand started to glowing red as he placed it against his wounds, screaming in pain as he cauterized himself to stop any further bleeding or infection. He was paler than pale at this point, covered in blood that was a mixture of his own and the others. His breathing was irregular, slow, and heavy, almost lifeless. The sky was a blazing orange as the sun slowly set, a beautiful end to a horrific day.
"Is this it?" he asked with a weak chuckle. "The end? A lot less flashy than I would've liked… but perhaps it's for the best. If I die, so does he. Luz will be safer that way… Amity, Boscha too," he trailed off, closing his eyes and accepting fate.
Even with the sun shining down upon him, he was still so, so cold.
"Do you think that shit's funny?!"
"Heh, is that rhetorical?" he asked, remembering the first thing Boscha had ever said to him.
"Because I actually care about you and your wellbeing and want you to get better. To me, it sounds like those guys were more like acquaintances than actual friends. Friends are supposed to help you when you're hurting and be there for you, but it sounds like they didn't try and let you suffer in silence instead. Am I right?"
"I… guess they could've been better," he sighed, remembering how Luz chastised him over his drinking problem.
"I-I know we aren't the closest, but I do consider you a friend. If you ever need to talk, well, I'm here for you."
"Thank you, Amity, I appreciate it. The same goes for you as well," he mumbled with a smile.
"Friends forever?"
"Yeah, friends forever," Kevin said while roasting his pinky, remembering the promise he and Luz made before entering the Demon Realm.
"I don't care about the past or the things you've done; I care about the present, here and now, you and me. I care about the future we'll build together, and I want to spend every waking moment of it with you. And I will gladly scream it from the rooftops or even this titan forsaken mountain that I love you with all my heart, Kevin. And, I always will."
"I love you too Boscha," he breathed out slowly, forcing his eyes open with a smile.
No, he was not going to die in this goddamn forest. That witch was still out there, and who knows if he was going to go after Luz again or not. He could not, he would not die; he would choose when he died, not some freak in a golden bird mask.
Already weak from using too much stamina, he had enough juice for one last play.
His cards appeared before him, no longer in a neat and tidy stack like he was used to, but a jumbled and scattered mess on his lap and on the ground as his concentration and consciousness slowly dimmed. The battle to keep his eyes open proved to be much more difficult than the battle he had just partaken in. He shifted through his cards, all stained and wet from the crimson he was spilling. He finally found the two he was looking for, and with what little energy he had left, placed them onto the ground.
"Take me home," he muttered, eyelids growing heavy as they finally closed. The sounds of heavy boots hitting the ground and a horse neighing were the last things he heard before he lost consciousness.
BONUS/DELETED/ALTERED SCENES
Chapter 20
"Fuck the boy who lived. I'm the boy who can't be killed."
Chapter 20
"If it means I can keep Luz safe, I will fight with my last BREATH! SO COME, LET'S KEEP GOING! I'M NOT AFRAID OF DYING!"
or
"I told you already, I refuse to die as long as you're still standing. I'll continue to push myself until I can no longer fight, and even then, that won't stop me. If it means I can keep Luz safe, I will fight with my last BREATH! SO COME, LET'S KEEP GOING! I'M NOT AFRAID OF DYING!"
Chapter 20
"I want to look you in the eye as I slowly steal your life away."
Chapter 20
"Let this be a lesson to you and your followers. You don't mess with As-AHHH!"
Chapter 20
"What ARE you?!"
"I don't even know anymore," he said before laughing crazily. "I-Isn't that fucked up?"
NOTES
One more chapter down. Two chapters left until this story is finally over, and of course, the bonus furry chapter that was originally supposed to be chapter 17. I took some creative liberties with this chapter, as some of you may have been able to tell. To me, witches are higher beings, an evolution if you will. So they, like Hunter, can take more pain and damage compared to a human. And Kevin, well, he's persistent, you've gotta give him that. Any questions feel free to ask!
Lots of references in this chapter! Can you name them all? I'm curious, lol.
My Discord is officially opened, if anyone wants an invite just lmk.
Don't know what else to say... you know, it's hard to believe it's nearly been 2 whole years since I started this story. We, as as a community, have laughed together, cried together, cheered together, gasped together, and much, much more. I thank you, all of you, for sticking around and joining me on this journey. And, thank you for loving Kevin as much as I do. Sure I have tons of OCs, but he was the first I ever made. He means a lot to me, he's apart of me. Thank you all for everything.
Join me next time in the aftermath of the fight. Will Kevin survive? See ya in chapter 21!
