Outcasts and Outlaws

Volume 3, Chapter 27

Face to Face

Opening Music: https/youtu.be/KSLG_oeD1yw [Attention Question- Tohka]

! Means a beat in the music

Music Starts

(Shows Daryl standing in Dust Valley, holding a gun. He raises his arm and points the gun whilst flashbacks of his team and his past appear behind him)

Music stops for about a split second then starts again

(Shows Connor standing in Dust Valley, looking at the ground with hair covering his eyes. He looks up as flashbacks of Team Kalos and the rest of his friends appear behind him)

(Connor runs at Daryl and aims a punch)

(Daryl fires his gun)

OUTCASTS AND OUTLAWS!

Are kore kakaekonde omoeba iranai mono made

(Shows Connor sitting with his head between his legs)

Umaku naru iiwake to myou

(Shows Ruby sitting inside of Connor's head with her legs drawn up to her chest)

na PURIADO!

(Shows Kalos sitting on top of the stone wall)

Jibun wo tana ni agete (Shows Jim, Yang, Kane, Irileth, Mars, and Stephane standing in Dust Valley, their hair and clothesflapping in the wind)

hito no koto aadakouda!

(Shows Murlough standing on the naval platform amongst the dead bodies of the generals)

Iu tsumori mo nai kedo!

(Zooms in on Murlough's face as he punches his hand and grins evilly)

Mukishitsuni

(Shows Daryl towards someone) Mawaru Tic and Tac!

(Shows Damien walking towards Daryl)

Ganbaru tte

(Connor and Kane approach Daryl from either side)

nandarou!

(Connor and Kane charge at Daryl) Attention! Question! Nantonaku nagasateru socchi no mizu wa (Shows Connor and Kane fighting Daryl with their semblances)

amai desuka!

(They hit Daryl's air current barrier with their golden light and black clouds)

YES/NO!

(Shows Isabella in tattered clothes with purple energy around her) YES/NO!

(Shows Mars with green energy around him)

Atari mimawashita totan ni!

(They shoot their energy blasts at each other)

Koko dake

(Connor goes into Dragon State and launches himself off a rock face)

toki ga tomaru

(He flies out and hits Daryl) COLOUR!

(Shows a massive light in Dust Valley)

(Shows Connor on the naval platform)

(Shows Murlough on the naval platform)

(Shows Murlough and Connor looking at each other from afar, Murlough with black clouds trailing from him, Connor with golden light trailing from one hand and black clouds trailing from the other) (They charge at each other)

END

Once the explosion died down, all that remained was rubble. Slabs of stone and chunks of metal were piled on top of each other, leaving no trace of any survivors. Yang stared out at the ruined building, desperately looking for any sign of Jim, but couldn't find him. Connor thought she was going to turn around and hit him for leaving Jim there, but he was shocked to see that she was crying instead. He was clueless as to what to do as she stood there sobbing, periodically wiping her eyes with her arm as she came to terms with what had happened. Feeling sorry for her for once, Connor reached out a hand to comfort her.

Before he could however, movement was heard in the rubble and both their heads shot up hopefully. As they watched, a large slab of stone was lifted and two people emerged from underneath it. The first was Damien, who was holding the rubble above the pair with his semblance, using the air currents to keep it from falling on top of them. The second, with one arm around Damien for support and his metal arm cut clean at the wrist, was Jim. It took Yang a few seconds to process it as the two of them limped over from the wreckage, but as soon as she came to her senses she rushed over to them. Seeing her, Jim let go of Damien and hugged her close to his chest as she sobbed into it. After a moment though, she stepped back and broke into joyful laughter, obviously very pleased to see Jim alive.

After their happy reunion, the three made their way over to the group, standing in the middle of the platform away from the rubble. Jim and Yang strolled over with their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling at Mars as they neared him. Damien headed straight for Connor sensing he should speak to him.

"You saved Jim's life?" Connor asked Damien as he got closer, his opinion of the former criminal starting to change.

"I found him with his arm stuck in the thing, cut his metal hand off clean, then ran out of there with him." Damien explained, wondering what Connor's reaction would be. "We didn't make it to the exit, but I used my semblance to make sure neither the explosion or the rubble hit me or him."

"Thank you...for saving him." Connor slightly awkwardly said, feeling strange thanking the man who had once held Ruby at gunpoint.

"Anyone can change, no matter how bad the sin. I'm just doing my best to make up for mine." Damien replied, patting Connor on the shoulder as he walked past him to rejoin the rest of the group, who were merrily celebrating their apparent victory. Connor really wasn't sure what to think about Damien anymore, he seemed to genuinely want to repent for what he had done in the past, but those actions couldn't simply be forgotten.

Just as Connor let himself relax and turn to join the rest of the team, a loud boom was heard amongst the rubble. Everyone looked in that direction, seeing the rubble move apart as if something was pushing it outwards in a circle. For a moment after the rubble stopped moving, there was silence, everyone trying to see the cause of the disturbance. They then saw a figure walking out of the ruins, small on the horizon but coming closer. As it did so and they all realised who it was, their eyes widened in disbelief.

It was Daryl.

Music: https/youtu.be/kCkB61zVgEQ [Log Horizon OST- Akunin Makariodoru]

He strolled out of the ruins and onto the main platform, his boots clanking on the metal. His military uniform was slightly dirtied, though his medals still shone. His long brown coat flapped in the ocean breeze, his scraggy brown hair and beard doing the same. As he walked he gave of an atmosphere of great power, the look on his face completely serious and even a little frightening. It was the face of a general whose men had been murdered.

When he finally came to a stop a while in front of the group, everything was silent for a moment until he spoke. When he did, his gravelly voice was mixed in with anger. "Little brother Damien..." He said, calmly observing the group, before losing his temper and yelling, "You killed my generals!"

"They were just as unhinged as you, older brother Daryl." Damien responded with unexpected formality, clenching his fists while he tried to hold back from instantly attacking. "To stop your ways, your chain of command was the obvious first target."

"I see their bodies..." Daryl scowled, looking around the battlefield at the remains of his four fallen generals and gesturing to them each with his hands. "You disgraced them, their honour, their loyalty to me. You broke their bodies and mangled their corpses, it is not enough to simply kill them?"

"You know better than anyone that they did not make it so easy, brother." Damien responded, sensing the tension of the rest of the group behind him rising. "They fought for your wicked ways with such force, the only to beat them was as violently as this."

"Why do you come now, Damien?!" Daryl bellowed out to his younger brother. "What has changed since you turned tail and ran all those years ago to inspire you with enough confidence to return here?"

"I could not stand by and watch you kill innocents and other undeserving people any longer, I tried, but ever since I swore to change my ways I have been unable to ignore the foulness of yours." Damien responded, turning up his lip at the mention of his older sibling's dirty deeds. "I requested assistance from this group you see behind me, this ragtag team of warriors, and here we are. We have defeated your generals and you are all that is left standing. Do you have anything to say before we end you?"

"Why do they follow you?" Daryl questioned, doubtful of the trust the others had in Damien. "How did he convince you all to let him lead you into battle against me? Did he bribe you, or threaten you? Did he blackmail you or maybe even capture you and force you to do his bidding? That's my brother in a nutshell, he's a criminal at heart and he knows it."

Everyone was quite shocked at that, surprised by the way Daryl saw his brother. They had expected the two to have an unhealthy relationship, but this seemed to them like the kind of hatred that had been building up for years. Connor was the first to step forward, answering, "He did no such thing, he simply asked us for his help. After he showed us what you were doing, we were more than convinced to help take you down."

"He asked you? Oh really? I find that difficult to believe." Daryl almost mockingly replied. "My brother is a liar, a scumbag and a thief. Why in heavens name would you want to help someone like him kill someone like me, a respected military leader?"

"You're a murderer! You kill innocent people!" Connor snapped, losing his hold on his temper, Damien growing worried he would ruin their opportunity and provoke an earlier attack than planned.

"I kill those who deserve it, those who must pay for their heinous crimes." Daryl cooly responded, unaffected by Connor's sudden burst of anger.

"You've killed so many innocent people!" Connor shouted furiously, angered beyond belief that Daryl saw his murderous ways in such a light. Before he could continue however, Damien stepped in front of him and pushed him backwards with the back of his arm, sensing that Daryl was now starting to get riled up.

"This has already gone on long enough, let's end this now Daryl." Damien declared, knowing that Daryl was growing angry enough to possibly strike first at any point soon. "Whether we die, or you die, it'll be over today, here and now."

"That would be grand, but I don't think so." Daryl disagreed, spotting something moving through the rubble behind him out of the corner of his eye. "You are under the assumption that you have defeated all of my soldiers, that is not the case. I have one more asset, someone I think you all know quite well."

"Who?" Damien questioned curiously, not having heard of anyone else being under Daryl's wing.

Music: http/youtu.be/3t9RdJtdpzE [SAO OST- Death Gun]

As they all wondered who it might, a shape appeared, walking amongst the ruins. All they could see at first was a silhouette, one of a man coming closer and closer, over the wreckage towards them. As he neared, they could all hear the clink of his feet on the ground, as if he was wearing ironclad boots. The were slowly able to make out features, black eyes, a body surrounded by dark clouds. He had muscly arms and a chest that was just the same, but somehow different. As he stepped into the light next to Daryl, they all realised who he was and gaped at him in shock.

The man's entire body was made out of a smooth and shiny metal, coloured dark but still reflecting light and looking pristine. He wore nothing on his upper half, his muscly steel chest shown for everyone to see. On his legs he simply wore ragged beige shorts, torn and dirtied. The feature everyone was immediately drawn to however, was his face. His eyes were completely back, his bristly hair of the same colour reaching down the back of his neck and draping around it. They all immediately recognised him, his malicious grin and his dark aura, and were to stunned by his presence to speak.

"I'm back bitches, and this time, you're all gonna die." Murlough cursed at them, dark clouds circling his body intimidatingly.

Ending Music: http/youtu.be/YRLW-llroVw [Fuyugyaku Replace]

! Means a beat in the music

Wake in loneliness! Loneliness!

(Shows Connor standing on the naval platform)

Falling inside your story!

(Shows Murlough standing opposite him)

Walking after you! After you! (Zooms in Connor's face)

I will share my time!

(Shows naval platform)

(Shows Connor in Dragon State) OUTCASTS AND OUTLAWS Maykoinda sekai de!

(Shows young Connor in front of his parents bodies)

Boku no kage to kasanatte

(Shows Murlough in Connor's hometown)

Ima! I can't go back!

(Shows Connor losing control of the dark clouds in his hometown) Ketteiteki no boku shoumei wa! (Shows Connor in his original outfit) Jidai wo ima koete monogataru! (Shows Ruby reach out in front of her)

I will be the brand new age!

(Shows Team Kalos and Allies) Yeah! From this day!

(Shows young Connor and Murlough walking)

I will save myself!

(Shows Connor with Kane's shadow behind him)

And the time is now!

(Connor opens his eyes, one is black, one is gold)

Kill my weakness!

(Shows Connor in his original outfit running towards volume 2 Murlough)

Weakness!

(They change to their volume 3 versions)

Kanarazu koete naite satte!

(Shows a flashback of the Murlough VS Connor fight from volume 2)

And I stay alive!

(Their semblances hit each other) Alive!

(Shows the naval base in a fiery explosion)

Saigo wo shinjitaku wa nakute! (Shows Connor's village being destroyed by black clouds)

Kill my weakness! Weakness! (Shows Murlough summoning dark clouds all around him)

Itsuka kidsuita to shita mo!

(Shows Connor going into Dragon State)

I will prove myself that I have lived today!

(Shows Connor and Murlough fighting in their most powerful states)

Starting now!

(They both hit each other's fists and let off their semblances)

END