Julia didn't even look back as she finished slicing the last soldier's neck. The Shooting Star Unit's armour was strong and built to withstand Orichalcum – something they hadn't known before – and it had made her task more tedious than it should have been.
Luckily, it hadn't taken her long to figure out the armour's weak points on the joints. There was a particularly useful weak point on the side of the neck that she had used to slice through every single one of the soldier's necks.
Still, it had taken her longer than expected, and Lia was impatient and anxious as she dashed through the corridors. She had to trust that Jenos and the others were all right – but the lack of communication still placed her on edge.
Not to mention… Her eyes narrowed.
It could have been her imagination, but she swore she'd heard a wolf's howl earlier. It had been faint but she'd thought it was coming from the centre of the castle. And her gut was telling her that, despite the illogic of it, she hadn't been hearing things.
Lia followed the sounds of banging and loud voices, going deeper into the castle.
She ran around a corner and out onto a bridge just in time to see Belga hammering Creed over the head with his Verethragna, sending the man crashing into the bridge railings.
They were all there, Cerberus, Creed, and several Apostles of the Stars. Though, Lia noticed with a clenched jaw, she didn't see Durham Glaster, the ki shot revolver user and a known member of the Apostles of the Stars.
Jenos noticed Lia's arrival, but few others did, not even Maro and a Taoist wrapped up from head to toe in some kind of fabric, both of whom stood closest to Lia, near Jenos. Belga was focused on Creed while Nizer was too injured… Lia's eyes narrowed as she saw him looking like he was on death's door as he bled everywhere from where he was on his knees on the far side of the bridge.
"Train…"
Lia's head jerked over to Creed, who was bleeding heavily from his head where Belga had apparently hit him. The man sat against the bridge's stone railings, but he barely seemed to notice his injuries as he continued to mumble, "I thought… you finally realized… and… felt happy… for it…"
Lia frowned in confusion – why was Creed bringing up Train of all people, now?
Jenos suddenly shifted, and Lia's eyes steeled over.
Now wasn't the time for questions – they needed to move if they were going to take advantage of whatever crisis Lia had just missed.
Lia leapt forward, flying passed Jenos as he threw out his Excelion, just as Maro took a step forward as he cried, "Creed!"
The Taoist froze as he saw something reflecting light right in front of his face, and the Taoist stood in shock as Jenos stepped in front of the large man.
"I warn you!" Jenos smirked as he stared the Taoist down. "Take one more step forward, and you'll become ham!"
"… You…!" Maro snarled, but even moving his facial muscles in anger brought his cheek too close and a cut appeared where Excelion's Orichalcum wires sliced his flesh.
Lia, safely on Jenos's other side thanks to their quick eye signals and teamwork, straightened as Jenos informed Maro and the other Taoist, "I'm very sorry, but I will not let you guys get in the way of us when we kill Creed!"
It was then that Belga noticed Lia, and his jaw set with determination. She nodded as she looked at Creed, sitting bleeding right before Belga. They were so close… they might actually do it…
Creed suddenly stood up, lifting his sword; Kotetsu, as Lia remembered it was called. The blade was invisible – Creed's specialty and his Tao power – but what made Belga and Lia tense was the man's strange aura.
Belga held his bazooka before him warily as a shield as Creed said slowly, his face hidden beneath his bangs, "… I'm so sad…"
"Creed!"
Lia glanced back as the strange, covered Taoist shouted furiously, "That's enough! Hurry and wake up; don't think about Black Cat anymore! Calm down, think it through, and you'll understand! That man will never become our partner!"
'What?' Lia wondered, her eyes widening slightly. 'Was Creed… trying to recruit Train?! Did he really think Train would join him after what he's done…?'
"Shut up!"
Lia looked over at Creed's snarl, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose at the pure killing aura that surrounded Creed.
The man's face was twisted into an ugly, unrecognizable mask as he snarled at the Taoist, "I'll kill you!"
Lia tensed, while Creed continued, "You… how can you understand my feelings? Train… in that secret organization, he was the only one different from the rest…! He hates this world, doesn't trust anyone but himself, and he only chases after strength!"
Lia stared as Creed started to really lose it.
"He is almost… just like me!" Creed shrieked. "Can you understand?! You don't know about him… the him that's a devil…!"
It was more than Creed's tone that stunned Julia though.
His description of Train reminded Lia of the first time she'd ever met Train what felt like eons ago. She could still remember those gold eyes that had shone with darkness and glinted dangerously from beneath a permanent scowl under bronze bangs. Except... Creed was wrong. That wasn't all Train had been. Even back then… he'd always been more.
And Lia jolted as she realized she'd been referring to him as 'Train' again, even if only in her head. Her jaw clenched as she forced herself to refocus – now wasn't the time to be lost in the past.
But it was so difficult with Creed right there in front of her, and the knowledge that Tr-Black Cat had to have just been there. It was the only explanation for Creed's breakdown and the Taoist's shouts to try and wake Creed up.
'Concentrate! You can't afford to make any mistakes today!' Lia scolded herself mentally as Creed continued to lose it. 'If nothing else, do it for her!'
"It's impossible for you to understand!"
Lia jerked as Creed threw his head back, having lost it completely as he screamed, "IMPOSSIBLE!"
There was a bright flash of light as Creed lifted his Imagine Blade, and Lia's eyes went wide, along with Jenos and Belga's. Because suddenly, there was a visible blade in front of Creed… if it could be called a blade.
It was shaped roughly like a regular large blade; except for the face on the side and the gaping mouth in the centre of the blade that was baring its teeth at them even now.
Just when things looked like it couldn't get worse, there was a sudden large and strange boom as the entire castle shook.
Apparently, it took the Taoists by surprise as well as Maro snapped, "What is it this time?!"
The pretty green-haired woman who'd been standing near Creed – one of only two Apostles who weren't surprised beside Creed (though Creed was so far gone beyond the line of sanity that it was unclear if he was unsurprised because he'd been aware this was going to happen or because he couldn't care less) – looked up as small bits of rubble started to fall down on them.
At the same time, the covered Taoist asked, "Explosion…? This is…"
The Taoist whirled on the other unsurprised Apostle, a young dark-haired man in a white lab coat who was standing beside the pretty, green-haired woman.
"Doctor!" The covered Taoist shouted, and the man – Doctor – answered casually, "It seems like it's about time."
"… What?" The covered Taoist demanded, while Lia and Jenos also looked over sharply.
"This castle," Doctor explained, "will explode very soon."
Lia's jaw clenched as she turned back to Creed, who was looking unperturbed.
He didn't even seem to have noticed the collapsing castle as he stared at the Numbers, saying with a manic look in his eyes, "It seems Kotetsu is thirsty for blood… This sadness… I'll use your death to make it go away!"
Lia's eyes narrowed as the sword began to laugh, it's mouth opening wide as it cackled as Creed slowly lifted his blade against Belga.
"I'm coming!" Creed yelled as he leapt at Belga, smashing his Kotetsu against Belga's Verethragna.
And Lia sucked in a sharp breath as the blade actually cracked the Orichalcum casing on Belga's bazooka.
"Let me see your blood!" Creed screamed, and his blade twisted, suddenly losing its fixed form as it bent and came flying down on Belga's shoulder, cutting him deeply as it took the Number by surprise.
Creed laughed, when suddenly he felt something coming at him.
He leapt back just as Lia smashed her Elysium into the ground where Creed had been less than a second before.
"Che!" She spat as she spun and swung at Creed again, while he dodged her.
"Hehe, Julia Hazard!" Creed declared, his eyes wild. "Train's old 'pupil'."
Lia's jaw locked, while Creed mocked, "It's been a long time – though we've never actually met! Did you get my present back then? Did it hurt?! That's the pain I feel in my heart right now!"
Lia snarled as she swiped at Creed, landing a blow as her blade cut across Creed's chest. But it may as well have been a small paper cut for all it stopped Creed as he made to swing his own blade down on Lia.
He stopped however, as he felt another presence appear behind him, and Creed glanced back to see Jenos coming towards him. Creed leapt out of the way as Jenos's Excelion wires came flying in, the wires slicing through the ground where Creed had been.
"Don't think of escaping!" Jenos shouted as he continued to swipe his hand around, manipulating the wires on his Excelion to go after Creed.
Lia leapt in to join the fray, moving to block Creed as the man dodged Jenos's attacks. She swung Elysium around, and Creed was forced to pause in his fast dance against Jenos as he blocked her blade with his own. He swung them around, however, placing Lia between himself and Jenos.
"Che!" Jenos tsked as he quickly changed his wires' directions to avoid hurting his sister, while Lia's eyes hardened.
"Nice try." Lia snarled before she shoved and pushed Creed's blade off of hers. "Not good enough though!"
She swiped Elysium around once more, this time causing a deep cut on Creed's leg. It should have stopped his movements completely, at least on that leg; but Lia frowned as Creed still moved.
He had slowed, however, and Jenos saw an opportunity.
"Bastard!" Jenos shouted as he came in closer, "I'm taking your head!"
A gun suddenly appeared against his temple, the hand holding it coming out of a portal of some kind.
"Jenos!" Lia shouted as she was distracted by his plight, and Jenos barely dodged the attack with his own quick reflexes, managing to duck just before the gun fired.
"Sh*t…!" Jenos muttered as he turned sharply to see where the source of the attack had come from, and he spotted the strange green-haired woman standing on the other side of the bridge, the only Apostle left as the others had somehow disappeared.
"… That woman…?" Lia wondered, when she suddenly flinched as Creed screamed from near her, "Echidna! I am enjoying this! Do not interfere!"
The woman – Echidna – jumped, as startled by Creed's declaration as Jenos and Lia were.
"What…?" Lia began, when Jenos yelled, "Lia! Look out-!"
Lia leapt out of the way, but she was a beat too late and she grunted as Kotetsu cut her deeply on her right side.
"Urgh!" She bit out as she landed a little unsteadily, holding her heavily bleeding side.
Jenos spat as he started to lunge for Creed, "You, son of a-?!"
Jenos paused in shock and confusion as Nizer suddenly appeared behind Creed, the severely injured man using one of his tonfas to hold Creed tightly against his chest.
"Nizer?!" Jenos cried, while Lia gasped the same.
"… What do you think you are doing?" Creed taunted as he glanced back at Nizer, unable to move away but not too worried at the moment. "With you pitiful body like that..."
Nizer ignored the other man and the way his own blood was dripping like rain onto the ground from his open wounds, as he shouted, "Belga!"
Lia looked over in alarm as she heard a low smack, and she saw Belga aiming his Verethragna… right at Creed… and Nizer.
"Belga?!" Lia cried, while Jenos shouted, "Wa-wait a second! Belga! What do you think you're doing."
Belga didn't answer at once, as more of the castle fell apart around them, before he said grimly, "This is… the style of the Chronos Numbers."
Lia's eyes went wide, while Jenos jerked in surprise.
"No, Belga-!" Lia screamed, just as Belga fired.
Echidna started forwards as well in alarm, reaching for Creed, while Lia could only watch helplessly, knowing it was too late… And the shot missed.
Lia shuddered in a mix of relief and anxiety, while Belga slowly turned as he asked, "Jenos… why did you stop me?"
Jenos just tightened his fingers where his Excelion's wires were wrapped around the mouth of Belga's Verethragna.
"I still… cannot approve…" Jenos bit out as he clenched his hand, tugging further on Belga's bazooka. "Our mission is to destroy Creed…!"
He raised his head, looking right at Belga as he demanded, "But even if the mission was accomplished; what is the use if we lose our comrades!"
Belga's eyes widened as he stared at Jenos, while Nizer shouted angrily, "Stop messing around, Jenos! Leave me alone-!"
He gasped, choking out a spray of blood before he collapsed as his body couldn't take the strain anymore and succumbed to his wounds.
"Nizer!" Lia shouted, while Creed looked down at Nizer coolly as he commented, "My… you're too impressive, Nizer. You were supposed to be dead."
"Shut up!" Lia yelled as she sliced at Creed, who dodged, while Jenos shouted at the same time, "Bastard!"
Jenos's wires caught Creed before he could fully avoid the attack, and Lia ran forward as Creed's arm was sliced off by Jenos's weapon. But the man wasn't even fazed as he simply smirked at Jenos, who snarled as he too raced towards Creed.
"Creed! We should go now!" Echidna cried, and Lia snarled; "You're not going anywhere!"
She swung at Creed, even as the bridge started to crumble around them. Creed dodged, before swinging his own sword on her.
Lia blocked the attack, before she was forced to leap back as Creed's Kotetsu started to bend again, reaching for her shoulder – and she hissed as it still managed to cut her deeply across her left shoulder anyway.
Echidna opened another portal right behind Creed, and the pair turned towards it while Jenos yelled, "You won't escape!"
But the floor right in front of him collapsed, and Jenos realized that if he continued after Creed, he would end up killing all of them without any guarantee of success. Creed was already almost gone…
"Lia!" Jenos shouted as he saw his sister snarling as she tried to go after Creed anyway. "Lia, we've got to go!"
"No! He's right there!" Lia shouted, her eyes filled with rage and despair as she switched Elysium to rifle form and began firing at Creed only for Echidna to use her portals to alter the bullets' paths away from Creed.
"Get back here! I'm not losing you like this!" Jenos snapped. "Don't you DARE do that to me!"
That made her hesitate, and she lost her timing to chase Creed: he was gone.
With a clenched jaw, Lia turned towards Jenos, when the bridge gave out beneath her feet.
"LIA!" Jenos yelled in alarm, and his sister quickly leapt back and away.
It took her to the other side of the castle, and Jenos looked up as the ceiling started to cave in.
"Lia, get out!" He ordered as he pointed to the other side of the bridge. "Get out; we'll regroup outside!"
"Right" Lia shouted as she turned, away from her brother and Belga and the fallen Nizer, and she ran for the other side of the bridge as Cerberus escaped out the other way. The castle was quickly falling all around her, and she realized she wouldn't make it to the stairs – she'd be lucky if she made it to a window. And with the loss of anger-fueled adrenaline after losing Creed yet again, she was starting to feel her deep injuries far more acutely than she wished she would.
"Urgh!" Lia growled as she avoided another piece of collapsing ceiling, her shoulder and side throbbing. She'd lost too much blood… she wasn't going to make it…
"Don't you DARE do that to me!"
"Just a window…" She panted as she pushed herself to run, even as the ceiling started to fall around her. She couldn't die on her brother now. "If I can… just…"
She saw one as she ran out into a corridor, and Lia didn't even think twice. She ran straight for it, crashing through the window and falling out just as the ceiling collapsed behind her, almost crushing her.
"Ugh…" Lia gasped as she went into free-fall.
There was a lake… but… would she make it? And even if she did…
Lia lost consciousness as she landed with a smack and a splash in the lake, the force of the blow when she hit the water knocking her out.
Below the castle
Eve was trying to cheer Sven up about the ruined car – which had become damaged as they'd sped for their lives away from the exploding castle – that they'd now have to replace while Rinslet stared worriedly at the smoke as the castle continued to implode.
"You really care, about the Chronos Numbers." Train commented as he came up behind the purple-haired woman.
"Well…" Rinslet hesitated. "They also saved me before… and…"
They all looked up as they heard a faint smashing sound in the distance, and Rinslet's eyes went wide as she saw the distinctly feminine figure clad in all black falling out a window from the collapsing castle and towards the lake.
"Is that…?" Sven began in surprise, recognizing the long blue hair, while Rinslet gasped as she cried, "She looks injured!"
"Will she be able to swim-?" Eve was saying at the same time, when suddenly there was a whoosh from beside them that cut them all off.
"Train?!" Sven called, but the brunette male didn't even glance over as he raced towards the lake.
Rinslet, having been the only one facing Train when he started sprinting, saw the look on his face as he ran, and her eyes widened while Train sped by her to dive right into the lake just as Lia hit the water with a large splash.
"Train!" Sven yelled, while Eve gaped in shock.
Rinslet could only stand, stunned, as she slowly turned to stare at where they could see Train swimming swiftly to where Lia had sunk below the water's surface, the woman obviously knocked out. The look on his face… it had been pure, absolute, desperate fear. It wasn't the face of someone worried for another human being; nor was it simply the face of someone seeing an acquaintance – even friend - in trouble.
Train's face had been the face of a man who had just seen his very life fly by before him – and there was only one reason Rinslet could think of for him to look that way.
*A/N Song of the Day: Meikyuu Butterfly from Shugo Chara. The link is: /4Z13QSpPi-0