Chapter 3: Invasion Part 2
I own neither Tokyo Ghoul or Sekirei
The naval phenomenon that was the Japanese battleship inched slowly around the island, searching for any signs of life. At least a kilometer in length, the massive warship was armed with a plethora of high-tech weaponry including AA guns and ballistic missiles. The thick metal plating covering the outside of the ship was designed to repel torpedos, missiles, and even head-on collisions with other ships. It was truly a deadly weapon of war, designed to withstand the long days, months, and even years of battle. Unfortunately for the ship's occupants, none of that mattered when faced with a Sekirei.
With a loud thrum, a shockwave of power ripped through the center of the ship lengthwise, tearing the entire thing in half. It tore through the hull like a sword through paper, continued throughout the entire ship without halting, and erupted from the back of the ship in a burst of shattered metal. There was a brief metallic shriek before the center of the ship swiftly transformed into a massive cloud of fire. An enormous explosion erupted from the engine room, as the fragile chemical balance was broken which caused a chain-reaction that engulfed the entire ship. With a single blow one-third of the fleet sent to secure Kamikura island had already fallen.
Miya looked over the destruction she created and prepared for another attack. She raised her sword, readying herself to unleash another shockwave to destroy the second battleship. The very air around her seemed to vibrate in preparation as though nature itself was eagerly waiting to be unleashed. Just as she was about to discharge it, she received a call from Matsu.
"Yes, Matsu?"
"Miya! There is a group of two people making their way towards the embryos, as well as another group of two people running to Minaka's position. I don't know how, but I can't hit them! They just keep dodging all my satellite blasts."
"I understand. Leave them alone and assist Karasuba with her battle, I will order her to take care of those intruders headed to Minaka's position. I will head to Mutsu's position and take over his fight in order to let him eliminate the other two."
"On it Miya, Matsu out."
Kaneki and Noro ran up the side of the mountain in the center of the island, aiming to catch a flash of white that they had spotted on a high rock shelf. The differences in their movement were never more starkly different than when they were running. Kaneki leaped from rock to rock, quickly moving up the steep path. He was like a coiled spring, or a venomous snake, waiting to strike in quick, sure strikes. Noro, on the other hand, seemed to float gracefully across the ground, each of his jumps taking him up high before gently landing back down. He moved in an ethereal manner; graceful and soft, despite his incredible power.
However, the main difference, in this case, was the fact that Kaneki was leaping far higher in the air than Noro and that made him an easy, immobile target.
In mid-jump, something caught Kaneki's attention, and he turned to identify it only for his eyes to widen in shock as a booted foot slammed into his side with astounding strength. In a single instant, three ribs shattered and his entire body seemed to crumple in on itself like a can of soda being crushed under heel. He flew through the air and smashed into the side of a cliff, before falling several feet and landing on a jagged rock with a sickening crack. He stayed on the ground, feigning unconsciousness but listening carefully for an opening to sneak up to reach the flash of white.
"Well, that was pathetic. I was hoping for more of a fight." Karasuba sounded bored as she landed solidly on the ground and turned to face Noro who had stopped his ascension of the mountain. "Oh well, one sided-massacres are fun too." At this, her mouth curled into a violent smile and her sword emerged from its sheath with a sound of shrieking steel. Noro did not respond besides a slight motion of his head to the side which gave Karasuba the impression of a crow.
"Let's get this over with," said Karasuba, before lunging forward her sword out in front of her; poised to remove Noro's head from his body. The ghoul leaped backward just in time to avoid the blade with only inches to spare and then dodged the next strike at his neck with a simple bob of his head. Karasuba's visage morphed into an expression of mild interest.
"Not bad, maybe you'll actually be a challenge," she said, almost excitedly as her eyes lit up with a kind of feverish fire. She lunged again, her sword arcing down towards Noro's head with a speed he rarely saw. He elegantly twisted his body parallel to the blade, allowing it to pass along his body and almost strike the ground at his feet. He then leaped back again to increase the distance between them and waited. Karasuba did not disappoint, her saber transformed into a whirling circle of enhanced steel as she chased after the elusive ghoul. Every slash and stab was avoided as Noro moved like a dancer, twisting and gliding from stone to stone in an attempt to escape. Or so Karasuba thought.
However, no matter how skilled one is, nobody is perfect, not even a ghoul as experienced as Noro. Then, Karasuba found her opening. It came as Noro leaped onto a weak rock, which subsequently broke down the center. He lost his balance and desperately tried to reassert himself on the larger half of the shattered stone. He never got the chance. The Sekirei took immediate advantage, and with a brutal horizontal slash completely bisected the ghoul. The enhanced nodachi tore through flesh and muscle with abandon; ignoring the hardened bone as though it didn't even exist. Noro's lower half crumpled forwards, while his top half toppled backward off the unstable rock and landed on a shelf below with a squelching sound. Karasuba's eyes hardened, and her smile faded as she turned her back on the fallen ghoul in disappointment,
"I hoped you would be more of a challenge, what a let-down," she muttered to her fallen opponent as she wiped her blade on a nearby slab of rock. Switching the hilt to her left hand, she reached up with her right and contacted Miya.
"Miya, both intruders who were after Minaka are dead."
"Excellent, anything to suggest to Mutsu as he goes to face them?" Karasuba's snort of disgust echoed throughout Miya's earbuds.
"He won't need any, I don't even see why all of us need to be he-" Karasuba's words suddenly stopped short as an unfamiliar sensation coursed through her body: Pain. With a clatter, her nodachi fell to the ground as her unwilling fingers released the hilt. Sheer, unmitigated pain enveloped her nerves, and she gasped.
"Karasuba! What's happening over there?" Miya's only response was a choked gurgle, as a gasp mixed with blood and saliva burst from her mouth. It dribbled out of her mouth in rivers of red and splashed on the ground at her feet. Karasuba glanced down at her stomach and found something that should not have been there. Instead of the front of her gray kimono, a massive tail was protruding from her midsection, completely covered in blood and gore. The sharp point was enveloped with her torn skin and her organs hung limply around it. She leaned forward and grasped the tail before wrenching herself off of it with another choked, bloody gasp. She fell to her knees and let loose a round of crimson vomit. Clutching the hole in her body to prevent her organs from littering the ground, she turned around.
It was the most horrific and beautiful thing she had ever seen in her entire life. Thick, black tendrils were emerging from the ghoul's waist and reaching down over the cliffside. The injured Sekirei watched in fascination as the tendrils slowly rose up again, carrying with them Noro's upper half. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; the tendrils stitched together the two halves as though there had never been a wound in the first place. The eerie mask stared at her once again, as though daring her to attack. Karasuba's dark chuckle devolved into a bloody gargle after only a second, but it had gotten through to Noro. He cocked his head to the side and pulled his kagune back for another strike.
"Oh my god," coughed out Karasuba, "You're perfect."
Out of all the things Noro had expected to happen, that had not been one of them. Usually, his victims cursed him or screamed in terror as they cringed away from him in utter horror. Never before had one of them called him anything remotely resembling a compliment and never had any looked at him with eyes like that. Her eyes were full and staring; they almost seemed to glow in her sockets as they gazed into his own. It was like looking into a blender of emotions; glee, horror, excitement, anger and even arousal all swirled around in a convoluted mixture of volatile sentiments. It was unlike anything Noro had ever seen before.
He watched in fascination as the woman got to her feet, and hobbled towards him with unsteady, uneven steps. She staggered over the jagged shale, chuckling and gurgling and staring at him. Her eyes, still swirling, seemed to combine to form what appeared to be a desperate obsession. Noro remained motionless as she made her way to him, even as the woman latched onto his robe and dragged herself up so that their faces met. With slow, deliberate motions her palms moved from his bloodstained robes to cup his hidden cheeks. She hooked her fingers underneath his mask and lifted. He didn't expect it to move, especially in her current state. With her lifeblood leaking on the rocks at his feet, he could not believe that she managed to pry his mask off his face. His mask fell from her fingers, and her hands came up again grab hold of his face with what little strength she had left.
Karasuba was not what anyone would call an emotional person. Her entire being, her entire reason for existence revolved battle and around her bloodstained blade. Perhaps, she was simply born in the wrong century. In a time of knights, samurai, clans, and an endless source of opponents for her nodachi to pierce; she would have thrived. Her very identity could be broken down into her hatred of humanity and her incredible lust for a strong opponent; for blood. And those two portions reacted upon the sight of Noro's abilities.
The sunken eyes, lack of nose, and apparent mummification did not mean anything to her. He was beautiful for the reason that he was a monster; inhuman and powerful. A man, no, this was no man, that she could fight, kill, and fight, and kill over and over again.
That speed, that power, and that massive, red, pulsing tail. A warm feeling grew in her chest, one that was distinctly different than the hot dripping blood around the gaping hole in her midsection. It took her a moment to realize what it was, and it left her shocked. The burning sensation in her abdomen was growing hotter, and it was spreading. She chuckled and then smiled at him.
"You're my Ashikabi," she said softly, and then she brought her lips to his. For the first time in the history of the Disciplinary Squad, a Sekirei was winged. And together they would become a force that would shake the very foundations of the earth.
Noro did not know what had just happened, but it did not bode well. This strange woman had removed his mask, kissed him, referred to him as her, 'Ashikabi' was it? He couldn't remember exactly. While all of that was strange, it was no cause for alarm, and Noro's curiosity wanted to see what she would do next. What happened next, however, completely stopped Noro's curiosity in its tracks. Bright red fluorescent wings erupted from the woman's back, and a blinding light began to envelop them. While that was worrying it was not nearly as worrying as the fact that the woman's wounds had all disappeared. The gaping hole in her stomach was gone, and smooth skin covered it once again. Two thoughts rushed through Noro's head in the span of half a second: kagune and danger, and so he reacted.
Karasuba felt amazing. She was the first; the first Sekirei to experience the power and joy that came with being winged. It penetrated her very being; every pore, every part of her was laid bare for the incredible energy flowing into her body. She felt her skin knitting back together; she could feel herself becoming whole again. The gaping hole in her middle was disappearing, and being replaced by new smooth skin with fully functioning organs underneath. It felt amazing, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. The warm burning feeling had escalated, and her entire being felt as though it was on fire. Then it was suddenly cut short by a massive influx of pain.
Their lips were separated as Noro's kagune ripped bodily through the center of her sternum, tearing a new hole where the old one had been. Karasuba was lifted into the air, gasping and shuddering as her blood and organs splattered all over the rocks beneath her. She opened her mouth to say something, but Noro brutally flicked his tail and hurled her into the side of a nearby wall of shale. She crashed into it with so much force that it cracked; sending a spiderweb of breaks all throughout the shale. She cried out sharply before her lifeblood filled her throat and she fell on the jagged rocks, where she cracked her head and fell unconscious.
Noro stared after her in confusion, trying to process what had just happened. He put his mask back on and walked over to the woman's prone body. He knelt down beside her and peered at her face, where a smile was etched upon it.
'She is rather attractive. How did I not notice that before?' he thought curiously before a realization dawned on him. 'The Kiss' he understood, 'that must be what caused this sudden change in my emotions.'
He had never encountered anything like that before; something or someone that could instantly shift your emotions in whatever direction they chose. Such a versatile ability could be quite dangerous, and potentially useful.
Despite the strange and unusual circumstances of the change, Noro forced himself to be pragmatic. The woman was strong, incredibly so. If he hadn't surprised her with his regenerative abilities, it was entirely possible that she could have defeated him. With that in mind taking her back with them was incredibly risky, especially considering that her allies would pursue them. The fact that she was speaking to another person unveiled the possibility of there being more beings just like her. She appeared to be attracted to him, which could make her a pliable asset perhaps even a willing one. Killing such an asset to Aogiri Tree would be a waste, and Noro despised waste. Finally, Noro came to a decision. He tucked his arms underneath her; one under her bent knees and one behind her back and went to find Kaneki. He never noticed that the gaping wound was gradually getting smaller.
"Noro, I have captured Minaka Hiroto and one other scientist. Hiroto referred to him as Takehito. What should I do with them?" Kaneki glanced over at Noro's blood-covered body and the body in his arms before returning his gaze to the two unconscious scientists at his feet. They hadn't put up much of a fight; it had been rather pathetic. After Kaneki had ambushed Takehito and knocked him unconscious, Hiroto had just let loose a high pitched scream and ran for his life while calling out for help. Kaneki wasted no time in removing him from the equation as well. Once Noro had made his way up as well, Kaneki had already tied up both scientists gagged them, and laid them up against a large stone.
Noro looked at their two prisoners, face unreadable behind his mask. Hiroto was one of the primary objectives of the mission, the other being the advanced technology; however, Eto didn't say anything about taking other prisoners. The woman was almost certainly related to the advanced technology in some way, whether she was a product or a creator. No ordinary human would have been able to slash him in half or keep up with his speed. Not only that, but it was also becoming clear to Noro that shifting her allegiances would not be as hard as he initially thought.
This man was different; he was not nearly the level of risk as the woman. Given the fact that Kaneki defeated them both with ease proved that. With that in mind, it would not be dangerous to take him as well. Noro cocked his head to the side and motioned towards the beach as well as the transport they had hijacked. Kaneki nodded, picked up both scientists and began to make his way down towards their ship.
Noro followed closely behind.
On a higher plateau, Eto and Tatara raced across the dusty ground, moving steadily towards the strange metal object that they could see near the uppermost point of the island. They ran in the same fashion, bending close to the ground and streamlining their bodies so that the wind only passed them by, instead of impeding their progress. After the blasts of energy from the sky had ceased the two ghouls had increased their speed, favoring it over the agility they needed to avoid the massive bolts. As they neared closer to the object, which seemed to be a building of some sort, Eto suddenly felt a shift in the earth. A massive cracking sound split the air as the ground below them exploded in a flurry of shattered stone. Large boulders erupted from the ground slamming into the two ghouls and sending them flying into the air.
While airborne Tatara quickly analyzed their surroundings; the large cracks in the earth all stemmed from one place or rather one person. A single figure who had just finished tearing their sword from the surface was beginning to rush towards them. Tatara's analysis revealed several things; the figure was a male with silver hair, who carried a sword, wore a grey cloak, and moved with a speed he had only seen matched from a few particular ghouls and the God of Death himself. Tatara's eyes widened imperceptibly as he flipped through the air, righted himself and landed on the ground in a crouched position. He set himself for the incoming swordsman and prepared for the battle to begin. But the initial attack never came.
Suddenly, Tatara found himself thrown to the side by an unseen force and he felt a massive explosion behind him. A wave of blistering heat seared the back of his cloak and pushed him even further away from the center of the blast. Twisting in midair, he stared at the large crater that had been formed behind him and laid in the middle of it was Eto.
'What?' questioned Tatara internally, 'The laser is back online?' The answer to his question came as another blast shot down from the sky towards his position. He leaped backward to avoid it before running to Eto's side, where she lay charred and covered in blood. Her mask was torn to shreds and small pieces of white fabric stuck to her face with crimson glue. He knelt down beside and grabbed her wrist; he felt a pulse. 'Well that's good.' thought Tatara, an Eto began to cough. Blood dribbled down from her mouth as she retched and hacked, splattering crimson globules across the ground. She grimaced and managed to croak out an order.
"Tatara, I don't care how but you need to destroy whatever is firing that beam. Go, I'll be fine." The white-haired ghoul hesitated for a second, then his eyes hardened, and he bolted into the rising cloud of dust. Eto braced her left arm on the ground and pushed herself up to her knees with her right arm wrapped around her waist. She could feel her wounds closing, the burns all over her body being overtaken with new unblemished skin. A chuckle escaped her, followed by a creepy giggle. Eto's mouth contorted, twisting itself into unnatural shapes before settling into a savage smile. Her tongue darted out between her lips tasting the red liquid that clung to them. Her soft laughter continued as she swept her hand over her mouth, covering it with a thick film of blood. Her kakugen activated twisting her appearance from moderately frightening to utterly demonic. As she rose to her feet, her hands curled into fists and she raised her head to stare down the swordsman who had just emerged from the dust of fragmented rock.
"Do you want to play with me?" she asked with her soft, yet terrifying smile on her face. The swordsman did not respond with words, but with action. Holding his sword out to his side, he rushed towards her before swinging his sword horizontally at her neck: a killing strike if it had landed. Against nearly any other opponent it would have torn their head from their shoulders, but against Eto, things would be a little different. The One-Eyed-Owl twisted her body backward, bending over backward as the blade passed only a few inches above her face. Her grin widened as the swordsman leaped back, and his expression suddenly shifted to shock and surprise.
"So you do want to play. I hope you'll be fun," she said sadistically, before lunging forward as her ukaku emerged from her back in a crimson fan.
Mutsu was unsure what to expect from these two new invaders. All that Miya had told him was that two people were heading towards the embryos and that Matsu had been unable to shoot them down. Despite number two's inability to engage in direct physical combat, her accuracy with technological weapons was unparalleled. Her skill, combined with the large radius that the satellite beam provided, served to make her beams of searing heat almost impossible to avoid for even the fastest of humans.
For not only one, but two individuals, to continually avoid a ceaseless barrage coming from Matsu, they would have to be impossibly skilled or even enhanced. That was probably the best way to describe Mutsu's thoughts on the matter: an impossibility. When he finally found them, he supposed it made sense that they were unlike anyone he had ever seen before.
They were both wearing strange masks that prevented him from seeing their faces. The taller male was wearing a metallic crimson mask that covered the bottom half of his face leaving his dark red eyes and white hair visible. The woman wore a mummy mask; a plethora of bandages that wrapped around her face that also extended along her arms and legs, completely hiding her skin from view. The two of them wore identical black cloaks which reached all the way to the ground, yet somehow they were running streamlined along the ground with a speed Mutsu had never seen in any other human.
'Special operations?' questioned Mutsu, and he peered closer to get a better look. The cloaks had no identifying marks, all that he had to go on was the solid black color. Even with his Sekirei eye-sight, his observations rendered no fruit for his labors. The intricate masks could provide some blues, however with them on Matsu would be unable to run any facial recognition on them.
"How annoying," he grumbled to himself, as the two figures came even closer to his position. In a fluid, practiced motion his right hand latched onto the hilt of his sword while his left took a light grip on the sheath. He lifted it above his head before slamming it into the ground. The ground cracked around it and sent a shockwave through the rock, causing a chain-reaction that shot a surge of energy towards the two runners.
The quake slammed into them with enough force to total a tank and knocked them high into the air. Mutsu rushed towards them, unsheathing his sword as he ran. The blade emerged almost silently, save for the sound of the wind parting before it. The woman seemed to float through the air like a feather; she merely turned her body slightly and landed lightly on the ground. The man, however, twisted himself midair to look directly at him, then flipped through the air, over and over before striking the ground harshly in a crouch with one hand braced on the ground. He then set himself in a defensive position and looked ready for a fight. Mutsu was prepared to slice the invader's head from his shoulders before he was interrupted.
"Mutsu, incoming." Matsu's rang in his ears, and then familiar thrum of the satellite sounded. The destructive beam raced towards the unsuspecting man with incredible speed, but he was saved at the last second. The woman lunged at the man and bodily hurled him out of the way of the massive blast. Mutsu's eyes widened as the man went flying through the air just before the laser crashed into the woman, throwing up an explosion of dust as a heavy thrum emanated from the point of impact.
Mutsu covered his face from the dust storm, and walked towards the woman would be. No doubt, the man would return for her, and with the lack of visibility, he would be an easy target. He made his way slowly through the billowing flakes of broken rock, sword in hand. A little farther in front of him, he heard the sounds of splattering blood and harsh coughing. He stepped out of the dust and he saw the woman. She was curled up with her arm around her waist in the center of a massive crater, at least 80 meters in diameter. She was covered head to toe in blood, the rocks underneath her were drenched in it. The bandages and dress that had wrapped her were in tatters. Small strips and pieces of the white fabric clung to her limbs and face while the black cloak had massive tears in it, exposing her burned flesh. Her green hair covered her right eye, while her left eye held a sort of sadistic glee that was mirrored in her insane grin. Her madness was proven further by her next words.
"Do you want to play with me?" she asked softly, her deranged smile growing. 'Disgusting,' thought Mutsu. His lip curled in disgust; he sprinted at her and brought his arm back for a powerful slash at her exposed neck. His weapon leaped forward; slashing in a wide arc that split the air in its wake, causing a sharp whistling noise to cut through the sounds of crumbling rock. In an impossible move, she leaned back so that her back was parallel to the ground and his sword passed over her face. It had been so close that the wind blew her hair into a frenzy and almost blew her over. Mutsu's eyes widened in surprise as his mind tried to process how a woman with her injuries could dodge his strike.
"Mutsu," screamed Miya's voice in his ear, "Get out there now!" Mutsu was about to reply, but another frantic order rang through his earpiece. "Hurry, I don't know who these people are, but Karasuba is down!"
"What?" asked Mutsu in shock. Karasuba was defeated? There was no way that was possible; she was the most powerful Sekirei besides for Miya! This didn't make any sense to Mutsu, and it felt like his entire world was collapsing.
Mutsu, as the fifth and therefore newest Sekirei, was the least exposed to the world as well as the most susceptible to the influences of his older sisters. While it could have been a good thing, where his sister Sekirei showed him the ways of humanity as well as how they fit in with their own unique niche, it was not to be. Karasuba's views of any being that was not a Sekirei were derisive and dismissive. In her mind, any existence that was not a Sekirei was like an ant waiting to be squashed; humans topped that list of squashing. The main difference between Karasuba and Mutsu was their demeanor towards fighting with humans.
Karasuba greatly enjoyed crushing them; her sadistic tendencies drove her to kill as many humans as she possibly could. Karasuba's ideal day would be twenty-four hours of non-stop human carnage, and being always surrounded by the harsh scent of blood as well as the hundreds of fresh corpses. Karasuba was genuinely insane, and even she didn't know why.
Mutsu was somewhat different than Karasuba though. Despite his distaste for humans and his belief in their inferiority, he did not take the same joy in bloodshed that Karasuba did. Whereas Karasuba would dive headlong into any conflict that presented itself, Mutsu preferred to avoid it. It was not the battle he disliked, rather his proximity to humans. The Number 04 was the unstoppable beast that reveled in slaughter while Number 05 was the cold and unflinching machine that dispatched its opponents with unwavering precision. If any of the Sekirei were to challenge him to a duel, he would greatly enjoy it. The thrill of battle coupled with the adrenaline which came with the possibility of defeat was what he enjoyed, not the slaughter of defenseless insects. Despite his dislike of mindless killing, he had the mindset that Sekirei were the ultimate beings on Earth and that nothing could come close to matching them. Suddenly his entire worldview was twisted on its axis, and all because a Sekirei was wounded.
"So you do want to play. I hope you'll be fun." The words snapped Mutsu out of his shock, and they probably saved his life. Just as his eyes refocused on the figure before him, he realized that something was flying directly towards his face. With inhuman reactions, Mutsu twisted his head to the side as a red crystal streaked past his cheek. While Mutsu's life was spared, he did not escape unscathed. The shard tore through his left ear, ripping through skin and muscle like wet paper. The projectile covered the left side of his face with blood and completely destroyed his earbud. Miya's frantic voice disappeared in the sudden flurry of red, both crystal and fluid, and Mutsu felt fear for the first time in his life. Never before had an enemy struck fear into a Sekirei. They were beyond human and possessed strength and skills that elevated them beyond, in certain minds, earthly things. Unfortunately for the Sekirei, Ghouls were a wrongness in the world, and they too were beyond human.
More red shards erupted from the ghoul's back as her hands reached out to grasp the Sekirei, only for him to leap backward to create distance between them. With the added range, he finally got a good look at his opponent. The insane smile on her lips brutally shattered the appearance of a weak, injured human and the red wings protruding from her back. As she rushed forward, the wind flew by her, blowing her hair out of her face and revealing her right eye for Mutsu's analysis. For the second time, Mutsu's face contorted and his eyes went wide in horror.
Her left eye was dark green and was set in a white sclera which surrounded the small black pupil in the center. A normal eye with nothing to set it apart from all the others in the world. Her right eye was entirely different.
It was like looking into hell itself; a conflagration of burning red flames set in an abyss of infinite darkness lurked within her eye sockets. The eye itself, with its eerie colors, was terrifying enough, but within it was a sadistic intellect; one that seemed eerily like Karasuba's. And that focused intelligence that zeroed in on Mutsu's eyes seemed to wrap around his heart and constrict it. He had never felt this level of fear before, and he was in for the fight of his life, as he had just met his first equal.
AN: Welp, here it is the actual battle has begun. To be totally honest, I probably rewrote this more times than necessary. There were so many story choices that I had to consider, and the directions that the story would take would be completely different based on those small choices.
I must have spent hours ruminating on whether or not to have Noro take Karasuba instead of leaving her there. In the end, I decided to have him take her, and I think that this will close off some paths, but it will open others at the same time.
Geez, it feels like I'm playing one of those choose your adventure books, except I'm writing my own path through it. I digress though. I really hope that I didn't make my characters too OOC... writing Karasuba is hard.
But, on another note, I wanted to talk about my rationale behind the "power levels" in my story. Mainly, the relationship between ghouls and Sekirei.
The fact is that both are inhuman creatures who are far stronger than the ordinary human, but there is a difference. In Sekirei canon, a small number of Sekirei were able to slaughter entire armies of well-trained soldiers and, to the best of my knowledge, they do not have the impenetrable skin that the ghouls possess. If a small number of ghouls had to face off against an enemy with long-range weaponry that could kill them, it would be challenging for them to win. Based on that benchmark, the average Sekirei is stronger than the average ghoul if they have a weapon that can inflict damage on them. Of course, there are exceptions such as the strongest of S class ghouls, but even they pale when compared to someone like Miya.
So I had to do some adjustments. Just a few minor ones, but I had to power up the TG universe just a little bit. If I hadn't then Mutsu might have just taken Eto's head off, and that would've sucked. But, even so, the Sekirei are generally stronger than ghouls so don't mistake the fights in this chapter as a representation of all of them.
Karasuba's fight, for example, was an excellent example of an early battle between two parties who have no idea what the other can do. If Noro didn't have his healing factor, he would have died, no question. Of course, if Karasuba hadn't gotten winged than she would've died after losing so much blood or after Noro tore her head off as a finisher. In an all-out battle, where they understand each other's abilities and can counteract them, it would be a much longer fight as well as a sight to behold.
Anyway, this Authors Note has gone for a little too long, but please review. I really want to get better as a writer and make this story the best it can possibly be, so your ideas and thoughts on my writing and story are most appreciated. Thanks so much for reading this, hope you enjoyed, and I hope to see you guys for the next installment.