AN: So, yeah. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Special thanks to readers who gave critical reviews. A huge thanks to the guy who said my dialoguing is crap, because it really was. A very, very heartfelt thanks to that one guy who commended me on finishing Dark Souls 2 in 36 hours, it's a big deal guys!
The fact is, Sasuke can singlehandedly destroy entire nations but he doesn't do that. Why you ask? Because he's not a maniac who's too drunk on his power. Please keep your imaginations to yourselves. I know the feeling, I've played GTA.
Can anybody give me a clear explanation about the diversity of magic in Halkegenia? Regular magic, elven magic and other stuff. I read the wikia and almost died laughing. It's just Louise explaining magic to Saito copy pasted from the light novel. Bunch of lazy asshole. I also need someone to explain Julio's character to me. Is he good? Is he bad? Or is he gray?
P.S. I don't do cliché. I don't do harem. I don't ever want to hear a "Sasuke is faster than a bullet" speech from anyone ever again. God! I don't even care anymore. And finally, the pairing is not gonna be a big deal in this story, but I have something in mind. Seriously, trying to figure out an unbullshit way to pair Sasuke is freaking hard but rest assured, I've persevered. Now, on with the story.
His hunt was coming to an end.
When Saito saw Tiffania with moon eyes, he thought he was having a bad dream. When he saw her lifting Louise by her neck with one arm no less, it was officially his worst nightmare.
"Tiffa, what are you doing?", he asked, hoping with everything that it wasn't what he thought it was.
The half-elf didn't grace him with an answer, but did give a smirk that made him feel morally wrong. Tiffania would not in any circumstances smirk, ever. The boy had possessed Tiffa was the only explanation he could think of, and he doubted he was the only one having that thought, the spooky moon eyes being evidence to the contrary. In another place and time he might have had a wild imagination where he was the one possessing her body but right now, he felt only anguish in the revelation that he may have to hurt Tiffa to save Louise. Everyone were on the same page, a situation where saving Tiffa coincided with hurting her. His promise to protect both the girls, his vow to repay Tiffa for resurrecting him, suffice to say they were all shot to hell.
The boy, or rather Tiffa, looked terrifying with her moon-eyes. Her right hand was gripping Louise's neck, though fortunately she hadn't tried any vampire stuff. Her other hand was sluggishly gripping on open air and opening just as slowly. Saito understood that the window of opportunity he had to save Louise was closing fast, judging from the pace at which Tiffa was moving her left arm. The moon-eyed boy was trouble enough with just one arm, Saito didn't want to see what he could do with a pair.
However, the window was miraculously opened just then. Pissed off Tiffa was dazed at the sight of the two moons hanging in the middle of a mildly clouded sky, something Saito could have commiserated with if the situation weren't so hostile. Swiftly as possible, he grabbed Louise, who was conveniently released by the disordered half-elf and ran as fast as possible.
Not ready to abandon the opportunity, Agnès grabbed Tiffa from behind, hoping to pin her down only to find the girl disappear from her arms. A kick behind her knees made her buckle and a chop to her neck almost made her faint. Fortunately, a huge gale stopped a stunned Agnès from being kicked across the street. Kirche levitated her to safety whereas Tabitha fired an ice lance at Tiffa. The moon-eyed girl on her part, didn't even move. Instead, the projectile disappeared and reappeared right next to the one who fired it. Luckily for her, the tip was blunted, something meant to maim rather than kill.
The Dragon Knight tried to pin the girl down, only to be elbowed on the stomach, which made him involuntarily bend down and receive a devastating knee to his face. He could feel his cheek bone crack under the impact and imagined what would have happened if his helmet wasn't there to protect him. Though his helm and armor offered a level of protection, it didn't offer him any leniency from the moon-eyed girl's onslaught. Another high kick sent the Knight flying, which would be unbelievable itself with the girl's slender and petite build, however the assault didn't stop there. She delivered a barrage of punches and kicks in midair and ended with a sharp elbow that slammed the Knight on the ground, his armor dented beyond measure.
Tiffania didn't stop there. She grabbed the fallen Knight's longsword and swung it towards Kirche. The redhead ducked, and turned pale at the revelation that her long fiery red hair got neatly chopped right below her shoulders before a kick to the stomach sent her flying right towards Colbert. The two collided and collapsed in a heap. The half-elf didn't look as if she cared as she readied herself to attack the last person standing.
Saito had half a mind to run away, however Louise was behind him and he was going to keep one promise even if it took his life.
"Louise, run", she shouted, hoping with all his heart that he wouldn't have to see Louise's bravado today. That today she'd just do as he says and run away.
She didn't.
"I-I'm not leaving you b-behind Saito", she whimpered, clearly scared out of her wits, yet Saito knew that her decision wasn't going to change.
Saito was happy that Louise decided to stay, yet sad that she'd have to endure another horrible ordeal again. Nevertheless, he found comfort in the fact that the reason she choose to stay was because of him rather than some noble pride or her rule of steel. With this blissful thought in mind, he readied himself for the onslaught of Tiffa's assault, who in all honest opinion was clearly holding back till now.
But the attack never came.
Tiffa's eyes widen in shock when it abruptly started to rain, then narrowed. Saito had seen the same look on the moon-eyed boy's face when he first woke up after the summoning. It was a look of pure concentration, a look of pure calculation, moon eyes contemplating what the best course of action would be.
Saito didn't know what had Tiffa all spooked, but he wasn't going to sit by and find out. He grabbed Louise and carried her bridal style towards the others, while Tiffa started doing something strange, and was that a wand in her hand that he saw? He shook his head. He'd have to take Louise to safety first.
Everyone were, for lack of a better word, busted up. Agnès was trying to recover from her daze, or maybe it was a pressure point attack, Saito couldn't tell. Colbert was trying to help the Knight out of his armor, which by now looked like a liability more than an asset. Kirche wasn't like what he expected her to be. She wasn't fretting over her hair and was in the middle of trying to support Tabitha, who seriously looked like she'd seen better days. A water mage in their group could have made a big difference, but there was no use crying over spilt milk now.
Saito placed Louise beside the two electrocuted Knights with their dragons and shifted his attention to Tiffa, who now had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and doing something to the stack of swords she had before her. Predictably, Derfflinger was among those swords, so was Agnès's rapier, all three of the Knight's standard issue longswords and that giant claymore. He felt for the Kunai he had in his pocket, which miraculously disappeared into thin air. Further surveillance revealed it to be with Tiffa.
She can teleport anything including herself? With something like that, Saito doubted anyone could defeat her. Wait! Was she going to attack them using all of those weapons?
That proved to have been a false assumption as Tiffa quite brusquely started discarding all the weapons as if unsatisfied with them. Saito couldn't in any way comprehend why she would collect all the weapons, just to discard them.
"Why is she throwing those swords away?", he asked in complete perplexity.
"She isn't just throwing them away", Agnès disagreed. "She's making traps"
The answer Saito received only opened doorways to even more questions. Suffice to say he wasn't getting all the parts of the puzzle.
"Why would she make traps for us where it could clearly be seen? It doesn't make any sense", he asked again, unable to understand the reason behind the futile action.
"Why do you need to be so dense, darling?", Kirche voiced out in exasperation. "The traps aren't meant for us"
"What do you mean not for us?", Saito queried with a raised eyebrow, which was coincident enough to make the pissed off Agnès snap.
"Listen here you idiot! She, or rather, Moon-eyes hasn't taken us seriously since day one. What makes you think he'd make traps for us? He's clearly expecting someone else", Agnès narrowed her already glaring eyes. "The question is, who?"
"Someone who would warrant his attention this much? Whoever it is, I don't think he'll be on our side", Colbert provided.
Saito was trying to concentrate on the subject, but quite instinctually, his eyes kept straying towards Tiffa's breasts under her white shirt, which were conveniently soaked due to the rain. Then it hit him.
"She started making traps right after it started to rain. Does it seem to have any connection?", he asked in haste. The conscious Knight's expression of utter shock seemed to tell him that he was actually going somewhere here.
"Well? What is it?", Agnès asked, clearly interested in what the Knight had to say.
"It doesn't rain here in this time of year"
A cloaked and hooded figure made itself known in one of the rooftops. The face couldn't be seen from the angle but the figure radiated the same vibe as Moon-eyes. A vibe of ominous disparity that made you want to kill yourself in utter hopelessness. The half-elf was unperturbed.
"Blond hair and…", the figure spoke in Japanese, stopped midway and continued in French. "Your eyes, they look familiar. Who are you?"
The voice was smooth and young, yet having a tint of maturity. The question was obviously intended towards Tiffa as there weren't anyone with blond hair and weird eyes in the group. The moon-eyed forest fairy didn't reply.
"It's strange", the cloaked figure continued, unruffled by the lack of reply. "I finally feel something. My instincts are on high alert, something that hasn't happened ever since I woke up in this strange land..."
"...They're telling me to kill you, before you kill me"
Tiffania disappeared, and reappeared behind the cloaked figure, the kunai on her hand going right for the figure's neck. The cloaked man just uttered two words.
"Shinra Tensei"
Tiffa's eyes widened, and in a split second's time, she abandoned her assault and crossed her arms forming an X before an unseen force literally sent her flying towards a building behind her.
Suffice to say, no one expected that to happen. Moon-eyed Tiffa was in every shape and form, overpowering and invincible, able to defeat everyone in their group as efficiently and effortlessly as possible. For this new figure to have sent her flying, without even making a move no less, he had to be a monster.
"You can't sneak around me in this rain", the figure stated and uttered another two worded command that defied the laws of logic. "Bansho Tenin"
Tiffa flew out of the rubble like a ragdoll right towards the cloaked figure. At the last second, he lifted his arm and grabbed her by the neck. Tiffa was choking at the end of his pale hand, something that was considered impossible just a few minutes ago.
"Perhaps my instincts were wrong", the figure spoke in disappointment and used his other hand to remove his hood. "Tell me girl, do you recognize this face?"
The hood fell, revealing him to be a young boy maybe around Agnès's age, with vibrant red hair covering half of his face, weird light purple eyes which seemed to have an eerie glow and a complexion paler than anything anyone had ever seen before. The moon-eyed boy was pale, but this new boy changed the very definition of the word pale. It was as if he's never seen the sun in his life.
Tiffa didn't answer right away, but narrowed her eyes at the boy's eyes.
"I've never seen you in my life"
The pale boy stood silent for a few seconds before tossing the moon-eyed girl from the rooftop. Tiffa flipped in midair and landed nimbly on the street while excellently ignoring Derfflinger's annoying yapping, which magically appeared on her hand. The pale boy joined her on the street in a single leap.
"Yet, your eyes appear to have joggled my memories a bit. Let's see if you can do anymore"
Agnès knew a duel when she saw one. The two monsters disguised as people in front of her were no doubt getting ready to kill each other and judging from the dark aura both of them emanated, she was sure that anyone who got in their way wouldn't be spared.
So with great reluctancy she commanded, "Listen everyone. No one will interfere in this fight. This battle is well beyond us"
Though no one wanted to agree with the Musketeer, they doubted they could do much in their conditions. The battle that would ensue would undoubtedly be catastrophic and there were far too many injured to move them.
"What about Tiffa?", Louise questioned. "We can't leave her on her own"
"As you've noticed, Moon-eyes is currently controlling Miss Tiffania", Colbert cleared. "In the condition we're currently in, we'll be more of a burden than actual help to her"
"Let's just hope he's as ruthless to the new guy as he was to us", Kirche commented, to which everyone openly agreed with.
"Now come", the boy commanded, immediately materializing a black rod from his sleeves.
Tiffania complied and dashed towards the boy in top speed. Derf held in a reverse grip, she delivered a horizontal slash, which the boy parried effortlessly. Following the initial assault, Tiffa fluidly made several attempts at the boy's vital spots, which were all parried in as similar fashion.
"A sentient sword that consumes chakra at its purest form…", the boy said midblock. "…and the way you handle the blade"
"Everything! It feels so familiar, yet I cannot put name to face"
He blocked a particularly wide slash and pulled out another black rod to spear Tiffania. The rod however, met open air as she just vanished and reappeared behind the boy.
"That jutsu", the boy muttered and blocked the vertical two handed slash by forming an X with the two rods.
"Shinra…", he started and Tiffa quickly dashed back but couldn't make enough distance before the boy finished his command. "…Tensei"
A repulsive force of pure gravity released from the boy in the form of a sphere which expanded faster than a bullet. In a blink of an eye, the destructive force caught up with Tiffa. However, just before the technique hit her, in that split second's time she disappeared, and in her place was the one who initiated the technique. The force hit the boy like a bullet train, hurling his body through several walls, a few houses and an entire neighborhood whereas standing in the center of the huge crater was Tiffa, now closing her left eye.
It looked as if the fight was over. There was no way anyone could have survived that hit. Provided that they'd survive, it wasn't without lots and lots of broken bones. However, a nonchalant voice coming from the rubbles made the previously proclaimed assertion very doubtful.
"Kawarimi? No, it's the same jutsu you used to get behind me", the boy walked out of the rubble, relatively unharmed. "A dojutsu similar to the masked man's own, but if that is all you can do then…"
"You talk too much", Tiffa said in irritation before dashing towards the boy yet again.
The boy, composed even at the interruption just materialized the black rods in both hands and started to go on the offensive this time. The simple fact was, he was faster than Tiffa in every way. Unable to parry or block the boy's onslaught, she summoned a rapier but was quickly disarmed by a strike on the wrist. The boy took the opportunity to plunge one of his strange rods into the half-elf's chest, but the weapon didn't meet its mark as Tiffa blocked the rod at the price of getting her hand speared.
Right then she opened her left eye, and in her place came the hulking form of Sylphid. The dragon grabbed the boy with both clawed hands, effectively pinning both his arms inside. The boy simply eyed the massive beast before glancing at Tiffa, who was several meters away.
"A genjutsu", he stated, and another arm abruptly appeared from below his collar, an arm that dislodged at the wrist to reveal several segmented missiles pointed at Sylphid. They looked like fish for all she knew, so she didn't dodge the projectiles, but there wasn't actually any room to dodge at point blank range.
Three missiles fired, all three never hitting its mark as Sylphid was safely teleported beside Tiffa.
Saito was dumbstruck at the pale boy's extra robotic appendage. Bad enough that he could send people flying without making a move, but being a cyborg? He shook his head. He'd rather not think about the complication between his world and this, an extra arm acting as the staff of destruction be dammed.
"I see", came the cold voice of the pale boy, his third arm retracting back to nothingness. "I was wondering why you didn't try to flee with such a jutsu at your disposal. Then I realized that you can only use this jutsu within a certain range, which could be the reason you decided to fight. But then, my chakra rods didn't affect you in the slightest"
The boy narrowed his eyes at Tiffa and smiled.
"Furthermore, you haven't used any other jutsu. Perhaps you rely too much on your kenjutsu and dojutsu, but then again, even the way you use the blade seems forced. It's not that you don't use other jutsus, you just can't use them", he concluded. "I've been sensing a faint chakra source nearby. That isn't your real body is it?"
Tiffania didn't show any signs of approval, neither did she say anything to disapprove.
"Yes, the lack of chakra rods lead me to believe that this was your true body, but that isn't the case. You've used some other way to channel your chakra to the girl's body and have been augmenting it to suit your needs. However", the boy retorted. "The lack of chakra rods also means that you have no way to constantly supply that body with your chakra, and you're almost at your limit"
"You seem to know a lot about the Rinnegan", Tiffa accused, still nonchalant as ever.
"Is that what our eyes are called? Perhaps I do, if my memories serves right, you wouldn't be the first one to use this jutsu", the boy affirmed. "Now then, I'm sure the woman wouldn't mind me taking a detour. In fact…"
The boy didn't get to finish his words as Sylphid darted straight for him.
"It's rude to interrupt", he remarked while lifting his right hand and pointing it open palmed at the dragon. "Shinra Tensei"
This time Sylphid wasn't teleported to safety and felt the full extent of the repulsive force. The pale boy felt his neck skin crawl and quickly turned to face the teleporting Tiffa. But instead of the bewitched half-elf, the figure that appeared behind him was the bewitched dragon. Sylphid crashed onto the boy with the full force of his own technique, who didn't have enough time to reorient himself as he was teleported, yet again right onto the paths of two longswords held by Tiffa. The momentum of the collision did the job for the half-elf as the pale boy was impaled at his biceps.
But the attack didn't stop there. Tiffa reappeared behind the boy, grabbed the hilt of the two swords which made the boy's legs fly up due to inertia and stabbed the swords on the ground. She disappeared before anyone could even blink and the next thing everyone knew was the claymore, supported by Tiffa's weight, stabbed passed the boy's stomach onto the ground. She disappeared yet again and reappeared several meters away.
The whole thing lasted three seconds. In these three seconds the boy was effectively crucified to the ground by the use of swords no less. Tiffania was panting hard, with a tightly sealed left eye while the blood red one reverted back to its natural cerulean blue.
Saito figured that this chakra thing that the boy spoke of was finally out of the half-elf's system and approached her when she abruptly, started making several loops with her hands albeit sluggishly. That was all the signs he needed to know that he should get the hell out of there, but as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. He couldn't fathom what Moon-eyes was planning when his opponent was quite definitely dead.
"Are you done?" came the cold voice of the crucified boy, as if coming back from the dead just to spite him. Apparently, the pale cyborg was a juggernaut too, and it didn't look like any blood was coming from his wounds.
He lifted his head and glanced at Tiffania.
"Your hand signs mean nothing if you don't have any chakra to mold. Besides, that body requires a medium for it to exert chakra"
Tiffania didn't speak for a while, her hands making loops the only thing moving. But when she spoke, her voice was winter.
"You're right about this body. It's at its limit, so is my chakra", she sped up her hands. "But there are two things you've mistaken"
"I don't need my own chakra for this move", she crouched down, as if bracing for something.
"What do you mean…", the crucified boy started off, but was yet again interrupted by the half-elf.
"So sure of your invincibility. For the supposed leader of the Akatsuki, you sure are full of yourself"
The boy perked up. "You know who I am?"
"Yes, Orochimaru's research was very thorough. You see…", Tiffa smirked, which revealed thin wires, obstructed by the rain, which originated from her mouth all the way to the swords pinning the boy down. "…with the words replacing the hand signs, chakra is released through the mouth which is then absorbed by the catalyst and exerted at the point of focus"
A glance at the weapons widened the pale boy's eyes. Tied to the three swords were undoubtedly three wands each, which were rapidly starting to glow in power. She had used his own rain against him. Saito need for survival outweighed his curiosity and he ran away as fast as he could. He'd seen enough of Louise's explosions to know what was coming.
"Now then,", she stopped her hands at a loop where the right hand was interlaced above the left hand's index and middle finger. One look at Tiffa and the pale boy looked like he's seen a ghost. A ghost with long blond hair, blue right eye with the left covered and an insatiable love for art.
"Let me send you to a journey down memory lane"
"SHINRA…"
"KATSU!"
AN: Dun, Dun, Dun. You know, I blatantly referenced God and Pain guys. If I wanted to describe Sasuke, I'd talk about hatred and killing Danzo and betrayal and killing Danzo and vengeance and the pure satisfaction of killing Danzo.