Book V Finale
Chapter XLII
"I need help."
"You... you're different from other people here, young one... Who are you?"
"My name is Acacia Uzuki, I've been on the run with my sister for a long time, I need a job. Can you help me?"
"I smell the blood of those you've killed. Who?"
"...What?"
"Who did you kill?"
"...A man who claimed to be my father."
"Interesting, I may have something for you. Do you have anyone close to you other than your sister?"
"No, people are despicable, I want nothing to do with them anymore. I only care for her."
"I need you to leave her, and you can't tell her where you're going, do you understand? I will take care of her myself."
"You will?"
"So what makes you think I'm not despicable?"
"You are despicable, but I've run out of options."
"Good, then we see eye-to-eye. You're clever for your age, how old are you?"
"Do we have a deal or not?"
"Right. Very well, pack your lack of belongings, ditch your sister, and we will begin, Crimson Butterfly."
...
"So who are you now?"
"I don't know"
"What are you going to do?"
"The day the Crimson Butterfly wars against the Crimson Rose, history will change."
"So are you the Crimson Butterfly?"
"I don't know."
"Then you will lose."
"How do I find who I am?"
"Quit doing it alone."
"I don't need anyone else."
"Is that why you joined them?"
"Shut up, I don't know who you are."
"I'm part of you, so who are you?"
...
"I've been waiting for you."
"Of course, here I am," Acacia said, holding her blade in hand.
"So you're ready to end this?" Violet asked as she drew her own katana. A black blade with a black handle wrapped in a crimson thread, a crimson rose etched on the blade near the tsuba.
"Are you?" Acacia asked.
"No, I don't think you're ready to be honest," Violet responded. "You don't even know what you are, it's why I'm Donny's favorite. I know my role."
"Your role? You mean on a leash with his other bitches?" Acacia said.
Violet giggled. "I've been called worse."
They stood at the edge of Addam's Ravine. It was a massive canyon at the north edge of civilization. On the other side was a mountain range called the Jin Mountains. The unknown land on the other side was simply called "Architect's Land", simply because no one knew what was on the other side. It was too costly to try to cross through. However now it would serve as the first true battle between the Experimental Soldier Program, the Crimsons.
https/youtu.be/HgknAaKNaMM
"Enough talk?" Violet asked.
"Agreed."
They held their blades up in sync as they eyed each other. Acacia stared into the purple eyes of the only person that mattered to her. Today, on this day, she'd kill the only reason she lived this long. Was she even sure she wanted to do this? Hell, she didn't even know herself. This isn't what she wanted, but this was how history decided to turn its pages, so it would end here. All of the pain, the drinks, the tears, the failures, they meant nothing, because it was about to end.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Win."
"I am ready," she decided.
Before anyone could have even seen, their blades slammed into each other, immediately throwing trees into the air. They moved quickly, slashing faster than any mortal man could see, narrowly dodging and parrying every single swipe. Do or die, step-by-step, breath-to-breath, they clashed before throwing themselves back.
"Petals of Pain!" Violet shouted before slashing a wave of ether rose petals at Acacia.
"Wings of Blood!" Acacia shouted before blocking them with Crimson Butterfly wings that appeared in front of her.
Violet immediately shot through, breaking her Wings of Blood and knocking Acacia to the ground.
"You still don't even get it, do ya sis?" Violet asked. "I know who I am, and here you are, broken beyond repair."
"That may be true, but we broke together, you never fixed yourself either, that's what makes this so hard," Acacia replied.
Violet giggled. "When I kill you, I will be made whole, as one, as it should be."
"So that's all I need to become whole? To kill you?" Acacia questioned.
Violet scoffed at her sister. "You make it sound like that'll be easy."
Acacia laughed. "It won't be, but it's definitely doable."
"Then quit holding back!"
"Winged Blades!" Acacia shouted as she became surrounded in ether and she rushed her sister.
Violet quickly moved as their blades once again met with intense ferocity.
"Beauty in Thorns!" Violet said as her blade shot out a multitude of thorns, pelting Acacia with ether damage.
"Ah!" Acacia shouted before gritting her teeth and tearing through the pain.
Acacia's very steps began uprooting the grass. Violet giggled before slamming her foot on the ground, causing a shock wave that made Acacia stumble.
"Leaves of Suffering," Violet uttered as ether vines, covered in leaves, sprouted from the ground and impaled Acacia throughout her body.
"Now die!" Violet shouted as she drove her sword down through her sister.
Acacia, quickly moved, taking the sword to her hip, it did physical damage this time, and she began bleeding profusely. She slashed back and Violet was forced to jump back.
Acacia, covered in blood and in terrible pain, stood up once again to face Violet.
"Still?!" Violet retorted. "Why?! What do you even have left to fight for, just DIE!!"
Violet slashed aggressively at Acacia, who was forced to drop to one knee and parry Violet's attacks repeatedly.
Acacia yelped in pain as she tried to stop every attack, her focus, her skill, it diminished as Violet brought her sword down and shattered the Crimson Butterfly into nothing.
The sheer energy from the destruction of this sword was enough to blow Violet through four trees, finally stopping at one. The last tree, a very large puzzletree, fell down, completely uprooted.
Acacia was blown into Addam's Ravine, left to fall to her death.
"So did you find out who you were?"
"How could I have? I was given no answer!" Acacia argued.
"Well part of you has come to help you, be safe, and learn from her."
"I... don't understand what you're saying."
"You don't need to, but one day, you will. And on that day, you will become the true Crimson Butterfly."
And at this moment, while falling, Acacia lost consciousness.
...
"Where do you think you're going KOS-MOS?"
"Life signs critical, I am taking her to receive medical treatment," KOS-MOS replied. "I advise you to do the same."
T-Elos laughed. "My driver can wait, I'm going to tear apart your pathetic existence first."
KOS-MOS stopped to run some analyses. After deciding on the most correct action, she set Acacia down before summoning her own blade weapon.
"New objective prioritized, defeat T-Elos," she stated.
"Good, now that we're on the same page...," T-Elos said before her large purple and black scythe appeared in her hand. "Let's end this."
https/youtu.be/OS-UjCmrJh0
"I must warn you though," KOS-MOS added as her weapon began charging. "Without our drivers, I am far superior to you."
"Oh spare me the theatrics," T-Elos sighed, rolling her eyes. "Since when has your existence ever mattered?"
"Since you stepped in between my driver and I," KOS-MOS finished.
KOS-MOS fired a blast out of her ether cannon, to which T-Elos swiftly dodged. T-Elos sprinted towards KOS-MOS, slashing at her with the scythe. KOS-MOS jumped backwards, landing on her hands before backflipping back on her feet. T-Elos's scythe left a huge gash in the ground.
KOS-MOS extended her R-Blade from her wrist and lunged at T-Elos, chopping a lock of her hair. T-Elos jump-kicked KOS-MOS back before slamming her scythe into the ground in front of KOS-MOS. She then spun around the scythe's handle as she kicked KOS-MOS square in the jaw. T-Elos then extended her own R-Blade, slashing at KOS-MOS.
KOS-MOS parried the blade before shifting her other hand into her R-Cannon. She aimed at T-Elos, who pulled a pistol and shot directly into KOS-MOS' R-Cannon, causing it to backfire and shoot out ether damage in all directions.
KOS-MOS hit the ground first, and she quickly recovered and lowered the mechanical parts of her heels into the ground, firmly planting herself as her headset came down, shielding her eyes.
"Two people can play at that game KOS-MOS," T-Elos warned as a three metal prongs extended out from her cleavage, and a large red ball of pure ether energy began to grow in size.
"X-Buster," KOS-MOS uttered, not holding back.
"As you wish," T-Elos responded. "U-Teneritas."
KOS-MOS released a large amount of blue ether rays as T-Elos' U-Teneritas tore through them.
"You are inferior KOS-MOS, just give up!" T-Elos yelled.
T-Elos then released another ball of ether energy and blew it into the first, creating an even more powerful burst that tore through the area, destroying everything in its wake.
"Error in logic detected, you've been outmaneuvered," KOS-MOS, who was now behind T-Elos, pointed out before slamming T-Elos into a tree.
"DAMN YOU KOS-MOS!!" she shrieked as she pulled out her pistol.
"Stop T-Elos," another voice interrupted, it was Violet's.
T-Elos, absolutely livid, continued to hold her weapon. "I'll kill her right now!"
"No, you won't. Our mission was completed successfully, we need to head back to Adonis," she continued.
T-Elos sighed before lowering her weapon. "Break the Crimson Butterfly was successful. Leaving as commanded."
"Good," Violet said before coughing up blood and passing out.
KOS-MOS let out a sigh of relief before T-Elos spoke again.
"I will kill you KOS-MOS. That's my duty," she said as a large Titanless ship came down from the sky, making everything hard to hear.
T-Elos picked up Violet's unconscious body and carried her into the ship, where Pyra was waiting. The cargo door closed and they disappeared.
KOS-MOS then looked over to her own driver, but could spend no time tending to her wounds as she heard heavy footsteps, however it sounded as if someone small was carrying something much larger than they could bear.
"H-Help... We need... help!" a tiny voice cried out. "H-He's going to die!"
KOS-MOS turned to see a small, green bird-like creature. At first she thought it was a tirkin, but on closer inspection, she realized that the creature was a blade.
"I can't hold him any longer! Help me!" she cried out.
KOS-MOS soon realized that this little blade was lugging around the body of a male. He was severely injured, barely had a pulse, and was soaking wet in both water and blood.
"New objective prioritized, administering first aid to both drivers," KOS-MOS said before taking the man off the blade's hands. Her immense strength made this a simple task.
"What is your name?" KOS-MOS asked.
"Name?" the blade asked as she took a second to think, as if she'd forgotten her own name. "Oh! Right... uh... I'm Finch!"
"Finch? My name is Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operation System," KOS-MOS replied.
"Oh... thanks System!" Finch replied.
"You are welcome, let us get back to ship, you can rest there." KOS-MOS looked at the man, calculating the odds of his survival. "I will assist in his survival."
Readability Level: 11-12th Grade
Time Taken: 4.5 Hours