The Shattered Blade
Chapter VI: Evolution
(BGM: Wild Arms the Best Rocking Heart – There's Only One Family Named Schrodinger)
"Waaa-SHIT!" Zero's body was flung into a near wall painfully. He coughed and sputtered, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The battle, if one could call it that, had not been going well.
In fact, the next move completely ended it. The armored man, Zeik thrust his mighty spear through Zero's chest as he lay against the wall. The young warrior's eyes widened in shock as he felt the bladed weapon pierce his body.
A scream of pure anguish erupted from the throat of Elmina, Zeik's sister, being held by two maid dressed Kasumi clones.
Next to the young warrior's impaled and bleeding body, lay the now shattered Kitetsu. It was in that instant that the blade broke did the battle fully turn against Zero's favor. It was bad enough that his eyes were unable to see anything, line or point, upon Zeik's weapon, but when a possibly decisive over-head swing was met with the demonic blade shattering suddenly…the battle then ended. Zero continued to fight valiantly, if pointlessly, hurling all forms of elemental and energy attacks possible…but the half-demon Zeik possessed power as well…enough to counter Zero's efforts. The following thrust was too fast…Zero had no time to recover, let alone call upon the Dark Dragon's power.
Suddenly, a bright violet glow behind the half-demon surprised the armored man. A glowing rift had torn itself open by means of the shard of the Dark Dragon Blade held in Donovan's hands. Understanding what it meant, Zeik lifted Zero's still impaled body and tossed it into the portal, banishing the young warrior to the Demon Realm, in the off chance the boy survived.
Elmina dropped to her knees silently. She knew Zero was strong enough to handle Zeik, even with the sudden upgrade he got through the shard…but something…something stopped the young man from doing anything. For a brief moment, Zeik held a look of pity in his eyes, his heart clenching from the sheer devastated look on his sister's face…but he steeled his emotions…only for a sudden burst of power to rush through him, propelling him through the air and onto his back next to his sister.
"What is the meaning of this Donovan?!"
"With that damned boy out of my way, I've no use for you. You have done well my pet, but now it's time for you to be put down before you become a threat!"
The Kasumi clones responded to the unspoken command, readying themselves for battle.
"You would dare betray me Donovan?"
"How can it be a betrayal when I never intended to honor our deal in the first place? Now with three shards, I can finally move on to the next stage…"
Zeik tried to rise, but found his energy nearly sapped.
"Oh don't bother trying to get up demon. The connection forged between you and the shard, however faint, is enough for me to control how much, or how little power you have…now my pets…kill him…kill both of them."
Lifeless the Kasumi Clones nodded, drawing their own weapons to deliver a fatal strike…when Zeik's weapon pulsed. Everyone watched as the blood from Zero's body streaked down the tip of the blade, onto the massive 'eye', just above the hilt. The 'eye' flared silver for a moment, then returned to its usual red. Zeik however…felt the connection between himself and the Dark Dragon Blade's shard vanish, his energy partially restored in an instant.
My gods…Zed was right…this boy DOES hold the favor of the Dark Dragon…to think…he would show mercy…no. He shows me no mercy…
Zeik cast a silent but quick glance to the nearly naked red-haired woman next to him.
Elmina…I do not know how…but she has somehow gained the boy's favor…his blood reacts not for my sake, but hers. I shall not waste your gift Shinji Miyamoto.
With every ounce of strength he had, Zeik rose faster than the clones could react.
"Negative Rainbow!"
The world seemed to darken as energy gathered within the center of his demonic lance, Glumzamber. Slamming the tip of the lance on the ground, a wave of pure energy rocketed from the center of the weapon, filling the room with a blinding light and causing a great gust of air to blow through the area.
When the light faded, Zeik and Elmina were nowhere to be found, but Donovan noticed the shattered window. The clones made to go after them but the conceited man stopped them.
"Leave them be. They are no longer a problem."
One of the clones spoke. "Then shall we move on with the plan Master?"
"No…let us enjoy this time. All obstacles have been removed…we can wait a little while…"
What he didn't realize then…was that he was making the biggest and last mistake of his life…
Laying in the center of a crater, surrounded by a black dome of energy, body bleeding, battered and slowly waning…was Zero. Dead to the world, his heart slowing, mind weakening, the young warrior slowly slipped into the embrace of death…unknowing of the change that was to come.
"You have come for him."
On a separate plain of existence, a world unseen by mortals, the human personification of the Dark Dragon, Tiamat kneeled. She was on bended knees, next to the body of the young warrior, and last Miyamoto. Behind her a hauntingly beautiful woman, skin as white as snow, with flowing hair like waves of moonlight, wearing naught more than an open black cloak stood.
"Indeed I have. Though sudden, his soul must pass."
"I cannot allow that."
"Deity you may be, you cannot interfere with this natural order. His time has come."
"You know as well as I do, I have the power and obviously, the mindset to defy you Death. I can rend your precious natural order from its course and send this entire universe into Chaos."
The other woman, Death, faltered.
"But I will not."
Now she was just confused.
"I have no desire to see my Zero-kun die like this. I have no desire to let that foolish human Victor Donovan use my power to his will."
Death gasped. "You can't mean…"
"Yes…it is time I performed the Rite of Succession."
"He…is to be your successor?"
"Indeed. He has a much greater mindset than I did…and my power…it flows so freely within him."
"You are to make him the next Dark Dragon then?"
"Look at me Death. I am weak, old. Though my form is that of a young female…my power has not been complete in Millennia. I spent most of my existence sealed within a blasted sword, my power used and abused by foolish beings who thought it simple to wield…and then that accursed Hayabusa shattered my home, though not breaking my seal. Then…I met him…"
"What is it about this mortal that makes you choose such an action?"
"He showed me what it was I failed to see so long ago…"
"Finally."
Tiamat gave a hollow laugh.
"Yes…finally. He has shown me what it meant to be mortal…to be human…to have emotions. I now understand what it was I failed to so long ago. I understand the truth of my existence now…and for that I wished to be with him for as long as he lived…but it would seem the Fates have other plans."
"I was surprised when I sensed his soul reach this point…"
"I had no time to give him even a slight portion of my power…the shattering of the demon blade Kitetsu surprised us both into inaction…"
"Something that irritates me greatly."
Whirling around both Deities saw the ghostly form of the demonic samurai, Doku. Death prepared to excise him from their plain when he held out a single hand.
"Stay thy weapon Lady Death, I seek no quarrel."
"Then why are you here Fallen Spirit? You should have been sent back, to be cleansed."
"The blade, Kitetsu, had fed off my soul long enough for us to be linked. When the boy's own natural aura repulsed, and then bonded with the blade, I became aware of his every move, unable to completely pass because of the part of my own existence tied to his weapon. With my beloved blade now shattered, my soul fades…however…the blade itself grew…fond of the boy."
Death was impressed. "Interesting…not only does he gain the favor of the Dark Dragon, but also a soul eating sword…this boy is full of surprises."
"Indeed. I am here to represent the blade's will. Though broken, it still has a majority of its power, and has sensed what you planned to do. It knows of what will come when you perform the Rite of Succession, and wishes for its will to be realized."
"And what is its will?"
"Your blade, the shards of which that housed your power, when combined with a piece fully released by the boy's blood, they fused into a powerful ring weapon capable of effecting the very physical structure of things. A power much like his sight, only based in the realm of the physical, rather than existence itself."
"His sight?"
Tiamat held up a hand, requesting silence. She motioned for Doku to continue.
"It wishes for its few shards to be used as such, bound together by the fusion between his, its and your power, to perform an action similar, only effecting the essence of an object, rather than its physical form."
"And how, might I ask, does it expect me to be able to grant its request?"
"The Rite of Succession transfers a Deity's knowledge and power into a receiving soul, correct?"
A nod of affirmation.
"Now that I have told you its will, you know what it wishes, and you can then transfer that knowledge to the boy. Thus HE will know its will, and can act upon it."
"Impressive. Very well, because it seeks what I seek, the continued existence of my Zero-kun, I will follow its request."
"Then my purpose here has ended."
And in a wave of blue flame, the remaining essence of the Demon Samurai, Doku…vanished.
Death turned to Tiamat. "His sight?"
Tiamat smiled. "The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."
Death gasped. "I thought that died out with Tohno Shiki!"
"I think my power sparked it within him."
"Amazing…how far did he get?"
"The third level…he didn't have the power for anything beyond that…but…"
"With the Rite of Succession he will. Very well. For doing me such a favor in showing you the truth of humanity, I'll remove the strain upon his mind such power has."
"You're giving him the full power?"
"Why not? Think of it as a test…to see just how special your successor is."
"…Zero-kun…I hope you forgive me for this…"
The dome constricted itself, changing from black to dark violet. Winds kicked up around it as the dome became a pillar of light. The pillar released a shockwave…and with that shockwave…every single piece of the Dark Dragon Blade…turned to dust.
The Rite of Succession had begun…and the Shards…parts of a blade connected to the old Dark Dragon, no longer held her power…thus were erased. All that power became centered upon Zero's existence. His body, once dead, suddenly lurched as new life awoke within it. It twisted, changed, grew…until he was Miyamoto Shinji no longer…
Now…the false persona he adopted…was now his new life…
On that day…the last Miyamoto finally perished…but in his place…
Zero Shinzaki…
Was born.
This chapter is much shorter than all the others due to this being a very good point to stop. The next chapter, which though not written, already has been planned out. There will be a timeskip. Somewhere between six months and a year.
Sakura999: man…what is it with people and trying to refer me to other sites? Am I that good? I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering…anyway, I'm glad you like the story. It's been a while since an update, but here one is. Not the same length, but hopefully similar quality.