Killua finally comes face-to-face with Victor's aura, prepared to take him on.
Killua reached a higher stratum, a plateau which could easily be used to observe the spot where he originally started this mission from. He no longer needed to rely on Daniel's ability to anchor himself to the world's surroundings, to stop himself from falling back to the lower floor.
The plateau acted as a new domain, the second part to his mission.
Although, now that he was here, the raging storm that was once consuming the sky that had towered over him, now resided at eye level; purple, navy blue and black shadows fighting over one another. It now explained what Daniel's childlike shadow was originally pointing to; it was the on-going battle between Victor and himself… or at least his original form.
But from what Scarlet said, there should be only two people who were anthropomorphised, yet this world had three…
Maybe Daniel's childlike form was just the world, trying to guide him to where he needs to go. It doesn't explain why he temporarily had access to Daniel's ability, but then again, explaining how this world worked would be next to impossible without Scarlet's help.
For now, he had a new goal, but first, he had to see if his suspicions were correct, "Daniel… you want me to go towards the heart of the storm, correct?"
He didn't receive a verbal response, just Daniel's shadow which now resided around him, forming a hand which was used to confirm his suspicion. It was pointing directly towards his end goal, the storm. Killua picked up the pace, checking his watch as he ran.
8 minutes to go…
"~"
Scarlet checked the time once more, "Shit…" There are less than 8 minutes to go. There hadn't been a single physical or observable change in their aura, from either Daniel… or Killua for that matter. Usually, once the battle between entities has gone underway, Daniel would have glowed; purple and navy blue consuming one another, until a victor has been announced.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm worried about Killua and Daniel. Victor must have constructed a maze inside that boy, to hold back his partner for as long as possible…"
"What do you mean by a maze…?"
"Depending on the differences between, in this case, Daniel and Victor…" The woman paused, trying to look over her shoulder towards Alluka, but the girl was in an awkward position, completely out of her eyesight, "Victor would be able to alter Killua's perspective of Daniel's internal struggles. But considering Daniel's connection to Killua, I would've thought Daniel would've found a way to circumvent that…"
Scarlet paused, looking back towards the boys being held in suspension, "Have I made a mistake…?"
Alluka stepped forward, clasping Scarlet's hand within her own. She offered the woman a smile that would hopefully ease her serious concerns, and words to back up her claims she had witnessed so far. Neither of the boys was weak. They held on to their claims, their desires and goals, the need to be beside each other in the most difficult of situations.
While she hadn't seen it first hand, Nanika described to her what Daniel had done for her brother… going against his wishes, against the family's wishes… just to be by Killua side. When her brother was having a breakdown over what transpired with Gon, he fought, even resorting to begging, pleading with Tsubone, just to be by the boy's side "I believe in my brother… I believe in Daniel! They're really strong. If anyone could beat Victor, it's them together…"
Scarlet closed her eyes at the words, yes… Killua had a strong flow of aura surrounding him, his body gesture and movements giving away the fact he had been in many battles before this one.
His sister trusts him, as well as Daniel… even Zaikaria, Daniel's sister who coddled the boy since birth, protecting him from the outside world of all dangers, sent Killua instead of her being there for him. She knew the risks, yet she wasn't here performing this exorcism with her… Killua was…
Maybe she was able to lay witness to their connection, to see if anyone has a chance, it was Killua. Or maybe, she wasn't aware of how much of Victor's aura, had consumed her brother…
"Alluka, out of curiosity… What is Daniel's ability?"
"To manipulated his shadows into certain forms, why?"
"That's…" Scarlet looked over the boy's body, "that's interesting…" Depending on Daniel's Hatsu, because his body made out of aura, he might be able to manipulate his body into various forms… which means, Killua could attack Victor constantly from all sides. He has a chance…
Let's just hope that Killua knows how to maximise Daniel's ability…
"~"
Killua heard the sounds before witnessing the scene, the sounds of explosions, from two violent aura clashing against one another. It's the first time he was able to hear sound, other than his own voice, and a brief encounter with Daniel's childlike form.
There were no voices to be heard, just the constant clash of powers fighting each other.
Killua felt a repeat of history within the moment of meeting Daniel and Victor, Victor's mass of aura managing to knock Daniel down with barely any need to force his strength. It was like seeing Gon fighting Pitou's corpse all over again, the whistling aura…
The splatting noise of muscles grinding flesh, blood and bone into the dust…
Although, due to the changes in circumstance, it was more like two opposing, intangible, entities duking it out. Nor was there any blood able to be spilled…
Killua didn't know if Victor's stand-in was smiling at Daniel's weakness. The anthropomorphise aura had a lack of features to give away any of his expressions.
However, from the way Victor pressed his foot down on Daniel's head, it showed a sign dominance; it had given away the fact, that he saw the boy as a lesser threat. Killua's claws sharpened at the scene, his aura giving away his position before he could think to contain it.
When Victor's head turned in his direction, he noticed the man's lack of movement. It's uncaring nature towards the boy's sudden presence. It could also be possible; he simply didn't see Killua as a threat… yet!
When he raised his foot to meet the boy's intention to fight, Killua had already moved, Victor's aura instinctually moving to block the attack. Killua dug his hands into the enemy's arms, ripping away the limps as if they were made out of paper.
He was surprised at his own strength, his ability to dismember something that wasn't even real.
As the arms disappearing into the shadowy floor, unable to be recovered, Victor backed off from the attack. Killua's hands now worked towards comforting Daniel, or at least his aura, in this case, making sure the boy was still intact and not on the verge of being snuffed out.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to thoroughly inspect the boy, Victor already attacking while he was distracted. Killua managed to block the first attack, but the second one caught him off guard, the boy taken aback by the fact Victor's arms had already been regenerated.
He held fast to his position, only sliding a few feet back. The boy tried to quickly decipher why the man could regrow limbs. Maybe that assumption was wrong… His mass of aura being contained within a single location was the very reason, he was able to continue to fight. It wasn't regenerating, but rather, resetting his figure…
Which means, the weaker the man gets… the less explosive his attacks become.
The boy filed the possibility away in the back of his mind, for now, already working towards getting the next attack in. With aura consuming his eyes, he watched the condensed mass of aura attack him back.
There was an explosion of aura rocking the darkened world, Killua gritting his teeth as he held back the first of many attacks to come.
"~"
Scarlet felt it before she witnessed it, Daniel's body glowing before it was consumed by Victor's aura. It didn't mean anything bad had happened yet, as Tarot XIII, or Mr Dandy as she calls him, hadn't reacted at all to the change of the situation.
But it didn't mean good news either. By observing Daniel's body, Killua was in for a long trek. Victor's mass encased Daniel's body, completely surpassing Daniel's own. It was a cage designed to perfectly trap the boy's body in endless torment. Victor's area was decreasing at a steady pace; however, it just wasn't fast enough to mean Killua still had a chance of beating him before the timer runs out…
"Killua, I know you can't hear me right now… but you have to realise this sooner, rather than later. You need to combine forces with Daniel… hurry…" She whispered the words to herself, hoping that Killua will come to the exact same conclusion soon.
"~"
Shifting his footwork, Killua twisted around Victor like a graceful cat, landing strikes when he could. He didn't feel like he was doing much damage, at least not as much as Victor was doing.
There was a sudden shift of weight, Victor slamming his elbow into Killua, connecting the attack with the boy's nose. While he wasn't disorientated from the attack, it was enough to stun him, for the man to get in one more attack. He slammed his palm into the boy's chest, launching him further away from his real target.
Killua slammed his claws into the ground, forcing his body to remain within range of the battlefield. Instead, what he felt was a pillowy figure embracing him from behind him, stopping him skidding any further.
The boy's head turned, thinking it was Daniel's childlike aura helping him. What he instead witnessed, was a larger mass of navy-blue aura behind him, acting as a brace for Victor's last attack. Daniel hadn't reacted like his face has been ground, pummelled against the floor earlier… at all.
Neither Daniel nor Victor suffered from pain in this world, but Killua on the other hand does. It's just his used to it, the feeling of knives slicing into his skin, electricity burning through his body, a whip bruising his flesh, making it rise, blister and welt on every snap.
He's been on that end, and there's nothing Victor could achieve if he intends to harm him… at least, not while his mouth was glued shut. It can inflict as much damage as he wants, but only words could hurt him right now…
Killua felt a surge of aura combine with his own. Daniel's aura was weaving its way into his body, joining forces with the childlike aura he had collected earlier. It didn't feel like his overall strength had increased, but if Victor intended to hurt Daniel, he now had to go through him… literary.
Scarlet did mention they had to combine forces if they planned on defeating Victor. He just didn't know how to use Daniel's ability. When he was jumping through the sky, he just needed to feel Daniel's presence in order to walk in the air…
But in this case, it's different. He needs to somehow physically tap into Daniel's aura reserves, to control and manipulate the shadows around him. This world has no light source, no way to control the battlefield.
If he could use his electricity as a light source, he could combine forces with Daniel to rip through the man's defences. But if he did… he risked hurting Daniel as well. He is the abnormality right now… He is the one who shouldn't be here. Sure, the rules apply to Victor's aura as well… but that creature is made entirely out of aura.
He is a physical being…
Killua shifted his foot, bringing up his hands to defend against Victor's next incoming attack. He forced his body to dodge at the last second, digging his claws into Victor's chest, intending to rip away some of the aura.
What instead he got was a counter to his counter, Victor slamming his knee into Killua's side. He half expected to see the explosive force send him hurtling through the world. Instead, he felt Daniel's aura react on instinct, acting as a shield to his physical form. He didn't waste the chance given to him, bringing his claws down to sever the man's leg while Daniel held onto it.
The leg was discarded as Daniel's aura pulled back into him, Killua smiling inwardly at the action. Daniel had protected him, even though he should be doing the complete opposite right now. He needs to make sure that Daniel was safe while he works towards weakening Victor's grip on the boy.
Wait a second… Daniel is able to move like a shadow in this world, even when there was no light source… Clenching his fist, he withdrew his claws, taking a deep breath as he focused on a single image. One of Daniel's earlier abilities was to shape his shadow into simple forms.
As he opened his eyes, Victor came back to attack him while he was distracted. He moved back, focusing his mind on a single image. Scarlet wants him to fight together, so he'll fight like they're one.
He tried to envision a pair of yo-yos in his hand, Victor coming back to greet him once more. He pinned his attention to Daniel's shadowy aura, hoping that his mind could articulate what he wanted to achieve with his partner's help.
"Don't fail me now Daniel. Please…" He went through the motions, directing his hands through the air, "help me out!"
"~"
Scarlet shifted her body posture, her head snapping in the direction of Daniel's body. For a split second, she thought she imagined the sudden change. The flow of Victor's aura just had a chunk shaved off.
At first, she thought it was a trick being playing on her. She was under stress… worried that Killua might not make it, that he and Daniel will die before they can see the next sun or moon rise.
But it was a real situation; Victor's aura did in fact just dramatically reduce right now. She can't see what is happening in that world, but she knows one thing for certain… Killua managed to score a critical hit.
She really hopes that was to their combined force, and not Killua pushing himself. The last thing either of them needs right now, is for Killua to burn himself out…
From the looks of things, Killua wasn't going to be the only one… Daniel was doing so too. The boy's aura was draining at a faster rate, one she hopes Killua would realise sooner… rather than later.
Alluka rested her hand against Daniel's forehead, checking the boy's towel. It had become too warm, something which she needed to replace now. She left the room in a hurry, her eyes barely catching Scarlet's worried gaze.
She knows they'll be ok. She has seen them triumph against all odds several times already…
This time, will be no exception…
"~"
Killua felt his wish upon a star moment come true, Daniel's aura syncing with his own. He mentally conjured up yo-yos in his head, imagining the most simplistic of designs, including how they'll work in this world.
It would be attached to a black string of aura, wrapped around his middle finger, while the oval mechanism which attached to the string, would extend every time he flicked his wrist.
The moment he swung out his wrists, there were the two little black blobs, extending like little-distorted amalgamations, designed to look like yo-yos. But the impact they made, made the shoddy workmanship work within the moment.
It doesn't matter if Victor managed to bring his arms up in time to defend himself; the impact of the strike wasn't lessened when it slammed into Victor's chest. There was more than enough power behind the attack to severely hurt it, to break through the man's defences like a battering ram. Killua continued to swing them around like whips, wailing on the enemy before him.
The only problem is the yo-yos moved in straight lines… always horizontal or vertical. He could never get them to surround his body in a perfect circle like he was able to do so with his old yo-yos. He could only work with what he had, rather than what he wants…
He didn't give Victor time to recuperate, slamming the makeshift weapons into the man constantly, forcing him into an always defensive state. Killua grinned as watched the man's aura decrease with each attack, lips widening as Victor was unable to launch a counter back.
He thought he could keep this going, but something seemed amiss…
Something felt absolutely wrong with the situation. He pulled back the yo-yos, kicking back to distance himself from Victor. He was right to do so, forced to go back into hiding because of his actions.
Daniel had become weaker… the flow that once surrounded him had decreased drastically. Was he wrong to assume that Daniel would have improved that technique…? No, it would be wrong to think that! He shouldn't have even stopped attacking in the first place.
He was on the time limit…
He can't escape this fact, not when their lives were on the line. He needs to improvise, to use Daniel's aura more effectively… Like…
Killua was forced to back away, Victor coming out from behind a corner, hunting him down like a ravenous beast without expressions. He caught the man's blow, deflecting it before creating a distance between them once more.
He needs to think of a better way to attack…
Killua cracked his knuckles, a finger being held out to Victor, gesturing for him to make the next move. The boy's eyes dilated, activating his assassin mode while his fingernails sharpened.
He can't stop now…
He has to keep attacking until he thinks of something. Heavy impacts and cutting off limbs seem to do the most damage, so he'll need to find the right scenario to deal heavier damage.
Time is running out… and when he looked at his watch, he saw that he only had 4 minutes and 2 seconds left…
Victor's mass easily eclipsed Daniel's right now… the aura outweighing it 6:1. He needed to get Victor to submit to Daniel's, without using too much of the boy's remaining aura. Think, Killua… think! The boy demanded himself, slamming his foot into Victor's head, to do as much damage as he can.
When Victor attempted a back elbow strike, Killua wrapped his legs around the man's arm, holding it in place. He drew his claws down, severing the limb as he moved towards launching a counter attack.
Daniel manipulates shadows, but this whole world is made up of Victor and Daniel's aura. The black splotches in-between the areas where only for decoration… Unless… Killua thought, directing his eyes towards a black patch closest to Victor. What if I've been wrong this entire time, that thinking about this world as being made entirely out of aura is Bullcrap!
Light and dark seemed to work here. He could tell the difference between the floor, Victor and Daniel… He may be looking at the scenario wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have kept Daniel inside me for so long… I should have split from him, commanded him to continuously wrap his shadows around Victor, severing every limb until Victor gave up.
He still had time… he still had the upper hand. He just needed to push himself to breaking point. Checking the time one last time, Killua directed his eyes to the watch. Three minutes to go… It's do, or die…
Killua directed his fingertips, Daniel's body splitting from his own. The moment he did so, Victor directed his attention away from him, going straight for Daniel. This is my last-ditch effort…
He twisted one hand, making gestures towards Daniel behind Victor's back. The figure seemed to understand, even without eyes and a face, the head bopping once before stepping back. Planting his feet down, the boy threw out both arms, the world coming to life as Killua pushed his body to go forward.
The moment Daniel's shadows wrapped around Victor, Killua, made his last move, severing the man's arms fist. He moved on, whipping the man's arms and legs as quickly as he could reform, the limbs returning as fast as the boy could remove it.
This move made Daniel's aura decrease drastically, but the more limbs he removed, the weaker the man got. He just hoped he could drop the man's strength before Daniel broke first…
The last thing he needs, is for Daniel to drop dead…
"~"
Scarlet's eyes widened once more, reaching out to Killua and Daniel "No! Don't do that… YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Her words may have startled Killua's sister, but the change of situation made her worry more about the boys than the sibling still on the outside.
Daniel's aura was draining drastically, at the same time as Victor's, it was a last-ditch effort to erase Victor before Daniel passes out. And while Victor's aura was decreasing faster than Daniel's, the speed of loss was at a similar percentage rate.
Daniel's complete faith was being put in a madman, well… mad-boy…
Yet, she couldn't believe her eyes. Even as Victor and Daniel continued to struggle for dominance, Daniel still trusted Killua… They could boy die if Killua, even for a second failed to keep up. A single miss would be all that's needed, for Killua to doom them both.
She can't stop her ability…
She can't pull Killua out at the last second. Once the time runs out, Tarot XIII will judge them… the winner to be decided between Daniel and Victor. Whoever has the most aura, wins. Even the tiniest sliver, could change their fate. She wants to trust Killua, but the boy's reckless abandon, makes her think otherwise.
Alluka hadn't reacted at all to the change… she mustn't be able to see what she can see. Should she tell her the bad news, or hide the fact to the very end?
Alluka took hold of Daniel's hand, whispering into the boy's ear, "I'm not too sure if you can hear this or not… but please protect big brother. I'm not sure how long you have left… but continue to be strong for him. He will stop at nothing to protect you… and I know you'll do the same for him. Please… pull through…"
"Alluka, they-"
"Killua is strong! He'll come back! He won't fail… I know it… He always does!"
Scarlet held her tongue back at the words, envious of Alluka's faith in her brother and his partner. She still believed, regardless of the current situation, that Killua and Daniel will be the last one standing…
So she will too…
"~"
Killua gestured with his left hand, forcing his partner to release Victor. He still had the upper hand, but he wanted to preserve what remained of Daniel's strength, however, he wouldn't give up until Victor was brought to his knees.
So he continued attacking, digging his claws into the man's aura. Fingers dug into the menacing aura, shredding and severing what remained of the titan he once feared. With Daniel's help, he was able to drop him down to inferior levels. Even as the man struck him back, they felt more like bee stings now, only able to at most, push him back a few feet.
He was lucky too, after the stunt he just pulled off. He felt his muscles contract on every movement, every breath sounded ghastly, heavy with tiredness. A drip of sweat lingered along his heated flesh, forced to dodge one of Victor's attacks at the last second.
The boy shifted his weight, dragging his hand along the arm, claws digging through the aura once more before flicking off the arm, Victor's arm being severed once more, although, this time it didn't come back.
Instead, Victor fell to the floor, his remaining arm taking hold of the stump, his lack of features making it impossible for him to read. Was he too weak to move…? Had Killua and Daniel won?
He wasn't too sure…
But he knew one thing for certain. He needed to secure their win, to complete the goal. Killua closes one eye once he felt the sweat drop, a stinging burning sensation rippling along his body. He curled his fingers inward, arms relaxed as he calculated every step forward… his feet shuffling due to his tiredness.
He glanced at the watch hopefully for the last time…
Less than two minutes to go…
Killua stopped at Victor's feet, the man's body still hunched over. The boy brought up his hand, intending to finish his main goal. He wanted to be out of this world, to be able to hug Alluka once more, to be proud of himself…
He beat Victor against all odds; the man's remaining strength diminishing as the seconds passed. One strike was all he needed, and then the task will be completed.
Just as Killua made his last move, so did Victor. Killua's fingers missed the man by a split second, the nails cutting through what was supposed to be hair. It clipped a fraction of the aura, but not enough to weaken the desperate suicide attempt.
He held out his hand, pleading the voiceless entity to stop, "NO!"
But it hadn't, its fingers outreached, inches away from the boy who barely had any time to move. Tears fell freely as he was forced to chase after him, but no matter how fast he could move… it was too late.
On the fifth step, Killua could only watch as Victor plunged his ethereal fingertips through Daniel's body, right where his heart would've been. In a desperate attempt, even though he knew it was far too late… he willed his body to move, Killua's eyes darkening as he caught up, Victor unable to move due to how weak his form was now.
His fingers curled around the man's neck, not wanting to let him go with a quick neck break, a curtsy instant death. He wanted the man to suffer, even if it wasn't real… his fingers found a purchase, digging into the ethereal flesh. With his claws, he dug inward, exerting all his strength to effectively rip Victor's head off…
It came off with ease, not a pop or a geyser of blood to signify the damage. The man's body collapsed, falling onto its knees before collapsing to its sides. Killua wasted no time, discarding the head, even as it disintegrated into tiny particles… left to be dealt with no one.
He pushed his body to be beside Daniel's, holding onto the boy whose body slowly joined the rest of the world. He clung to him, desperately hoping that he could prolong the evitable moment. Killua sobbed silently into the crane of the boy's neck, every second feeling like an eternity had passed by.
He failed… and now he has to watch not only himself, but Daniel's body rot as well… he had to see his terrified sister's reaction to their final moments of existence pass by her. As soon as he's gone, nobody would be able to stop his family from taking her away again…
He won't even be able to say goodbye to Gon… Sakura… Kurapika… or even that dork, Leorio! He failed… all he could do now, was wait for the moment he was pulled back into the real world.
There was a tap at his back, the boy's head turning, expecting Mr Dandy to be behind him. Instead, what he found was a child's shadow, standing before him. It hadn't occurred to him… he thought it would have joined alongside the other body, combining to make a single body.
But it hadn't… instead, it lingered as a separate entity, one which Killua could now hold in his arms. Even if he failed… at least he could hold Daniel's childlike body as a last fleeting moment, a wishful thought…
Even if he doesn't get to hold the boy out there before they pass, at least he could do it in here. He clung to Daniel, waiting for the moment before he was booted back into the real world…
What he instead got was a message reverberating throughout his body, is flesh feeling the sound just as much as much as his ears heard it. His eyes widened at the news, the tears almost stopping…
"We… won…"
Killua closed his eyes, hoping that the next moment he opens them; he'll see a blinding light searing his vision, a smile from Alluka and Daniel's warm expression to greet him.