Yay! I'm safe…for now. Still burning up, but at least I have no school till next week!
I'm happy how my story's finally gonna end. It's kinda hard for me to get to the internet since my connection keeps getting lost, and I spend half of the day trying to reconnect it. But, life goes on…like how this story should go on. Let's start!
Chapter 15
Back in the Nexus Hub, not everything was still and silent. In fact, it was the direct opposite.
Protecting and guarding the pillar of energy, Souma raised his fists against the ninth tail, Hebiko. He arrived just in time to help the others in the battle against the Kyuubi, although he wasn't sure he could actually get rid of one of the nine enemies.
Hebiko smirked as more of her beloved serpents were summoned out of her arms, hissing and slithering towards the boy.
"Why don't you be a good little boy and DIE!?" she threatened. Her slitted pupils cast a feeling of terror to their target, but Souma didn't even quiver.
"No thanks. Got people here that need saving." He gave a little smirk, finding confidence within. "On the other hand, YOUR death would actually mean something: the safety of the entire universe!"
Hebiko gritted her teeth and flared her nostrils. "This is why I hate kids!!"
From all around, serpents of every species surrounded the young gym instructor. Rattlesnakes, vipers, and even cobras thirsted for Souma's blood.
But he stood confident. Everything was at a stalemate until a venomous mamba struck at his left side. Souma dodged the fangs, but as soon as he did, a coral snake struck on his right. One by one, he evaded his attackers, but they all knew his speed was lessening. Sooner or later, Souma was snake food.
He glanced over at a small cache he gained access to prior to the fight.
'That's it!'
Souma was about to take a step forward until cottonmouths and bushmasters blocked his path, baring their fangs. The boy gritted his teeth, his legs trembled with fear, but confidence flowed through him. Souma put on a bold expression and dashed to the side towards the wall; the serpents tailed him.
He propped his feet up against the wall, perpendicular to Hebiko's position. The snakes till rushed to him, but by then, Souma sprung his feet off of the wall and flew to the opposite side of the Hub. The snakes stopped dead in their tracks or made a U-turn. They sped in the other direction to catch the young man, but Souma already sprung his legs off the wall again. He picked up speed and ricocheted back to the first wall.
The snakes kept swerving back and forth, trying to catch him with their piercing teeth, but he kept jumping closer and closer to the mysterious cache.
Souma reached out into the hidden place while flying past it in midair. His stretched arm commanded his fingers to grasp onto a long object. Souma wrenched it out of the cache before finally landing on the ground.
'What the…!?' Hebiko thought deeply. 'What kind of trick is he pulling??'
He placed his hands on both ends of the object. Slowly, but surely, Souma slid one side off, detaching it from the whole thing. A long curved blade revealed itself and gleamed in his eyes. He finally pulled the blade out of the sheath and swung it to point in Hebiko's direction.
'Give me strength…brother Tsubasa!!'
She watched in fright as Souma rushed up towards her horde of serpents. Despite threatening glares and hisses, they didn't stop the young man from bringing the cold steel down on their necks. It sliced through their hard scales like butter…or softer than it.
The decapitated heads went flying in the air, the fountain of blood followed right behind. Gore splattered on the ground like rain as Souma slashed through the boomslangs, tree snakes, cobras, mambas…creating carnage behind everywhere he went.
His slays came to a halt once he diced the innards of a king cobra, drowning in the serpent gore. As he looked up at the frozen Hebiko, his hazel orbs reflected the bloodlust and battle that just happened.
'Those wild eyes…!!'
She wheeled around and set her running destination to an invisible portal she created.
Hebiko's feet were commanded to move…but all her nerves and senses to her lower body were instantly cut off. A slow but grievous pain came from her abdomen. Fear crept into her mind, but Hebiko decided to look down.
A blade protruded from her chest; blood dripped off from the end and stained her ragged clothes. It faced upward, dreading her thoughts even more…until Souma carved through the upper body vertically, drawing closer to her brain.
'Stupid kids…'
Her skull was split in half before Souma brought the sword around and decapitated Hebiko. The two pieces of her head rolled in opposite directions. Hebiko's crimson insides drenched the young instructor with gore.
'That's that.'
Souma turned his head, seeing two characters fight from a far distance.
Armed with Chikane's tanto, the solar priestess lunged and slashed at her opponent, but the eighth tail snickered as she dodged with ease. Mujina made sure her purple highlights didn't sway into her line of sight.
"You suck, solar priestess!!" She rushed up and dodged Himeko's lame attempts, earning a blow to her abdomen.
Himeko felt like puking. Stepping back, she coughed and gasped for air while holding tightly onto her ribcage. She took deep breaths while looking up at Mujina achingly.
"It's impossible for you to hurt me, let alone kill me," the eighth tail sneered. "All the others, including the lunar priestess, have enough power and durability to last in a battle against a Kyuubi...you do not."
She gritted her teeth as she considered Mujina's concept. It was somewhat true: she hasn't done as much fighting as Souma and Chikane in her life; the boys were blessed with strength. All of them had strong, energetic brawn in them to help their situations.
Himeko felt like sinking in the background. She could not rise up to their high levels of power.
'Chikane, I love you…but how can I do that if I don't have enough strength to fight!?'
"I must say, Miss Kurusugawa…"
Freezing in place, she suddenly remembered the words of Souma's adoptive brother, Kazuki Ohgami.
"That was a very powerful summoning. It was deemed impossible to resurrect Ame no Murakumo with only one priestess. But you have proven it wrong."
She remembered them clearly. Those words of gratitude made her feel like she accomplished something important.
"You may not have as much physical energy as much as Souma and Miss Himemiya…"
Gripping the tanto, Himeko pointed it towards Mujina in a stabbing-like manner. As she prepared to strike, badgers revealed themselves from behind the Kyuubi, longing to taste her crimson insides.
"But you do have a substantial amount of spiritual energy."
She felt it. Strong forces mustered inside her as she finally charged into the oncoming stampede of badgers.
'God of Takemi Katana… God of Iwatsutsu no O… God of Kanayama Hiko…God of Kanayama Hime…God of Tsurugi no Ikusa… God of Tate no Ikusa… Please!'
It was small at first, but strong ferocious energy grew immensely as she held out the tanto.
The gods heard her prayers.
Himeko raised the tanto above her head and brought it down through the badger's skull. The bone spilt in two as blood in warm temperature spilled out of the mouth and eye sockets.
Then and only then did Himeko's purple orbs glow in a crimson bloodlust. She felt the power surge through her veins. In an instant, Himeko pulled the tanto out of the badger and jumped a great distance towards Mujina.
The two girls were practically toe-to-toe when the solar priestess appeared before the eighth tail. Mujina was taken over by shock, but her predatory instincts helped bring her arms in hook swings. Himeko ducked to dodge them before sticking the tanto through her jaw and brain, stabbing Mujina in the head.
Her jaw was locked tight as blood spurted out onto Himeko's hand. It leaked through her mouth and eye sockets, which slowly hardened to stone. Her creature followers roared out and scratched their nails, trying to endure the internal pain. But it was all too late.
Their stony figures eventually became dirt and dust. Mujina's remains scattered on Himeko's palm as she panted with exhaustion.
'I did it…I really did it!!'
She stood up straight and lightly brushed her arms. There were other Kyuubi to worry about.
'I hope Chikane and Souma are all right…'
She had no time to check on Katashi or Volca. Everyone else was in the similar situation…or worse.
Chikane was almost out of breath, but she continued pacing herself towards Aquis, where Isamu's condition was yet to be confirmed. She rushed through the gate with high pride, finding courage and strength all around.
The moment she entered the realm of water, Chikane's blue eyes found Isamu standing on the shore of the lake. As she tried to approach him, she noticed his form in a steady position, waiting to make a move.
"Gogyou?"
He turned, saw the lunar priestess approaching, and became terrified. The green orbs held fright and concern.
"Miss Himemiya, no!!"
But it was too late. Out of the thicket, a tall figure reached out and collided into Chikane. The force threw her off balance, despite how much she struggled. Chikane and the figure plunged into the deep lake as she dropped her quiver and bow.
"Miss Himemiya!!"
Isamu ran to the edge of the lake, but the priestess was already halfway across the water. He was able to catch a glimpse of spiky orange hair ripping through the waves.
'It's Fukaso!'
Chikane gasped for breath as she was dragged through the waters. But strong hands gripped tightly on her neck, limiting her air supply. She was able to open an eyelid and spot the obscenely sharp teeth. His gray eyes looked upon her with a deep craving as she realized who it was.
'I'm in trouble…'
"WATER STYLE: FIVE EATING SHARKS!!"
Isamu placed his hands along the shore and sent energy through the water, forming shark figures. Fukaso kept swimming faster and faster as the ninja ordered his creations to pursue them.
"It's useless!!" Fukaso cried. As the water-based sharks drew closer, he held out his free hand towards the creatures. With all his power he churned the lake waters and ripped apart the sharks' forms.
"You can't get to me!!"
Chikane was almost at her limit. Water rushed up her nose; if she opened her mouth even for a split second she would drown; also, Fukaso tightened his grip around her slender neck. All her senses began to go numb as her consciousness drifted away.
'Is…this it…?'
Isamu fell to his hands and knees. He tried everything to save the lunar priestess and none of it worked.
'No…Miss Himemiya…'
"Quit being a wimp."
His head jerked to the side and his eyes widened. Hikaru caught a casual personality as he tried to ready an arrow on the bow.
"K-Kasai!!"
The wind ninja kept his concentration on the bow. "I thought you finally changed. "He looked down at Isamu. "Well…you changed a LITTLE."
Right then, Isamu saw something he never thought he would see. It was faint, but the slightest grin emerged from Hikaru's face. That kind of smile would only come from a friend. And then it was finally the day Isamu felt like he belonged.
He continued and finally had the sharp arrow prepared. Stretching the line, he took aim at the fourth tail. Slowly following Fukaso's path, the ninja thought of what he was about to do: murder his cousin to avenge his brother. Would that have made him inhuman? Killing a close relative would be hard to do. But to let him live and terrorize the universe would be hard as well.
Making sure to miss Chikane, Hikaru took aim and finally released the arrow.
The fourth tail enjoyed torturing the lunar priestess. His heart was pounding with excitement…until his heart was pounding no more. Sharp metal pierced through Fukaso's back and poked through his chest. Grip weakening, he eased off of Chikane and held onto the arrow of death.
Chikane swam to the surface and finally gasped for breath. Her throat ached for nurturing as she watched Fukaso's still form sink deeper and deeper into the lake. Looking towards the shore, she saw Hikaru lower her bow to his side.
'I owe you one, Kasai.'
All her muscles carried no energy after the draining struggle. Isamu helped her out by creating a wave to move her towards the shore. Together, he and Hikaru helped Chikane to her feet and began dragging her back to the Nexus.
Surprisingly, Hikaru felt relieved: he carried no grief over his cousin's death. He was jus glad that he could help the world.
'What about Aisu and Ikazuchi?'
Yay! My damn internet keeps disappearing. But I'll do my best to keep posting up chapters. Almost done with the story, so stay tuned!!