Author's Note: Whew, made it.
Black Rock Shooter and co. belongs to Huke.
Despite blinking in and out of existence, Dragon Slayer could still make out the various voices, despite them being all jumbled due to what happened. She didn't expect the Spirit Eater to appear with a different form, nor attack her at various locations to shoot down any possibility of her buying B RS time. It was asinine for her to think that she could do anything against it, they were at different ends of the spectrum, even if there is possibilities of her going 'all out'. It is a tactic she didn't want to use, not only for the welfare of everyone in the area, but due to the backlash it could have on the Otherworld if she exhausted herself and gave the Spirit Eater a ticket to the Otherworld. So, she resigned herself to the haze she is in at the moment, losing herself within her own personal thoughts as she felt energy slowly run through her veins, a fact that she acknowledges, but is pushing to the side at the moment.
Dragon Slayer rested on a table, the group around the room as they looked at Dragon Slayer before looking everywhere else, wondering what could have gutted who could be the most strongest out of them all. It's a hard pill to swallow, especially for Gold Saw since Dragon Slayer crushed her like it was child's play, and it certainly left a bitter taste in her mouth. Still, seeing the hole where Dragon Slayer's gut was, the intestines reforming as the muscle tissue and skin started stitching together, whatever beaten her caused fear to grow within her. Gold Saw also knows she isn't the only one thinking about the situation, everyone else in the room, their real selves, they all feared what caused this. The only thing that left any semblance of hope in all this is B RS, and they don't even know what happened to her after they evacuated the tower.
Geshumaru sat at a bench, her fingers interlocked as her elbows rested on her knees, "Why..?"
Maid Gunner looked at Dragon Slayer's body for a moment before looking at Geshumaru, "The past was haunting her, like it haunts anyone else..."
Chariot looked at Maid Gunner, raising an eyebrow, "What?"
"Mistress couldn't understand Geshumaru logic behind sealing the Spirit Eater, since there was no basis for the machine to exist," Maid Gunner continued, "It twisted her around, the machine's imprisonment, Geshumaru's logic, and how Shooter fits into the situation"
Gold Saw looked at her, "So..?"
"Consider the Spirit Eater her most greatest failure, a monument to doomsday," Maid Gunner stated.
"Doomsday..?" Dead Master said slowly, regaining consciousness.
Vulcan nodded, "Mistress, unlike Geshumaru and Shooter, is more in tune with her 'human' side, but that caused her internal conflict, which also brought out her real persona for a moment"
"You mean that destructive aura," Gold Saw stated.
"Yes, mistress will not care about anything if the real persona comes out," Vulcan continued, "She will pursue her goal, regardless of who tries to intervene..."
Geshumaru stared at the duo before looking at Dragon Slayer, wondering what was going on in her head when all this started. Granted, Geshumaru started the challenge between them by analyzing and hunting down B RS, but Dragon Slayer pushed it further, just to end a piece of her past. Looking at everyone in the room, she couldn't help but feel as if she's responsible for what Dragon Slayer did, but that isn't true to a degree. They both caused trouble for Mato, Shooter, and their friends, with no end seemingly on the horizon until the Spirit Eater got freed. Hearing a grunt, Geshumaru looked up and saw Dragon Slayer getting up, her body slowly healing as she could still see her insides from some of the stitched up tissue that her healing abilities had done.
"If you're going to talk about me, do so after I'm killed," Dragon Slayer grunted.
Maid Gunner and Underworld Vulcan helped her up, the remaining openings stitching themselves up as Dragon Slayer looked around, "Don't look so surprised, it takes more than a hole where my gut is to kill me..."
"I think it's more than that," STR said, catching Dragon Slayer's attention, "You created this situation for your own goals, and just when we think we get everything, we don't"
"Very astute," Dragon Slayer commented as she got off the table, only to collapse a bit once her feet touched the floor, "Damn, still not healed, guess that thing had more of an effect on me..."
Gold Saw walked up to her, "What's your aim?"
"Eliminate a disaster waiting to happen while getting Shooter back on track, which all of you failed at," Dragon Slayer as she got up, using the table as support, "Her memories may have been one piece to the puzzle, but the fact she was so damn divided eluded all of you"
Chariot growled, "What?!"
"Shooter was incomplete, so I made a deal with her," Dragon Slayer told everyone, "Granted, breaking my sole moral scarred me a bit, but the issue got resolved, so drop it; Shooter is fighting against the Spirit Eater and they will land in the Palace of the End given how the abyss is the 'bridge' for this area"
"Figures... there's no other choice," Geshumaru stated, looking away.
"Did I forget to mention that once I activated a certain lock, that this area will fall and be on a collision course towards the abyss?" Dragon Slayer said, her tone grim with a sense of joy.
Geshumaru looked back at her, wide-eyed as they felt another tremor around the area before they dropped to the floor, something pulling them down. Everyone got up slowly before evacuating out of the room, the robot looking up at them with what could be an inquisitive stare. Geshumaru didn't waste time repairing it, she was too shaken up to care about anything else but getting her partner up and running again. Dragon Slayer looked at the repaired machine before moving on, all of them trying to get to the lower levels as they saw the hallways fall apart slowly. With the support of Maid Gunner, Dragon Slayer managed to stay upright as they got lower, watching the stones and chains plummet to the ground, the harden rocks breaking on impact.
They hurried down the stairs before rushing through the hallway, the pillars falling behind them as they saw the scene lying in wait for them outside. The mechanical wolves were standing out there, at least more than a couple hundred waiting to fire at them with their fireballs. They exited from the hallway to the field before them, fire brimming around the wolves mouths, black smoke coming out from their exhaust vents. Grimacing, Dragon Slayer snapped her fingers before slicing at the air, the wind following her swing before the machines before them got apart. They stared in slight surprise as invisible blades chopped through the wolves, turning them into tiny pieces of junk before the pieces fell to the ground, hidden within the grass.
"If you don't mind, I want to leave and get back home for a moment so this 'injury' doesn't irritate me any further," Dragon Slayer told them, her eyes narrowed.
They kept on moving, never looking back at the collapsing palace as they crossed through the field and entered the forest, Dragon Slayer leading them through the group of trees.
B RS fell through a dark tunnel until she saw the ground below, moving her body towards the walls before jumping off of them, dropping lower until she entered the Palace of the End. Looking up, she saw the Spirit Eater falling quickly, causing her to run far from the point of impact, unless she wants to get crushed by the machine. The Spirit Eater hit the ground hard, creating a shock-wave that sent B RS flying, sending her towards a broken pillar. She slammed against the pillar before falling to the ground, watching the Spirit Eater get up slowly before it went ballistic, firing beams and bullets all around with no sense of sanity. The attack spread itself around the area, forcing B RS to get up and run towards the nearest thing she could use as cover from the Spirit Eater's onslaught.
"That thing really changed, is it really the same one that..." B RS trailed off, watching the machine look around from the corner of the barrier.
[Rock, is that thing the Spirit Eater..?]
"Yeah, but it's definitely different from what it originally looked like," B RS commented, pulling back as the mechanical dragon looked her way, "Something went wrong and Dragon Slayer knew it"
[We saw what it did to Dragon Slayer, we can't take it on...]
"Mato, there's no reason to back off now, we either fight or let the Otherworld burn to the ground," B RS stated, frowning, "You don't have to guess which choice I'm going with"
B RS felt the air grow thin and moved away from where she was as a bream easily three times her height flowed through, eradicating the barrier and anything else in its trail. Looking at the machine, B RS saw its glowing purple eyes trace her form before it roared at her, beams streaming from the three wheels around its neck. B RS started running, looking back as she brought out her Rock Cannon and fired at the beams locked-on at her, avoiding any strays that managed to bypass her attack. B RS neared a wall and jumped on to it before jumping off, launching herself toward a set of chains and running along them. The Spirit Eater stopped firing its beams before its wings spread out, barrels appearing as bullets came at her, the small pieces of metal blowing holes all around the machine's line of sight.
B RS grunted as she flipped herself, firing her Rock Cannon at the projectiles, "Come on..!"
[We shouldn't push it, it might come back to bite us...]
"Mato..!" B RS left the warning out, focused on destroying the bullets coming at her.
Dropping from the chain link, B RS rushed through the area, running underneath the Spirit Eater as it tried to create another shock-wave while she was under it. Swapping her Rock Cannon for her Black Blade, B RS started slicing at the machine's underside, but stopped as she noticed the attacks barely cutting through, only making scratches on the armor. Grunting, B RS got out into the open area and ran towards one of the few remaining structures still intact from the Spirit Eater's attack from a year ago. The mechanical dragon roared before firing multiple beams at the spot, the energy flowing through it flaring even more than before. B RS side-stepped as each beam hit the ground, trying to throw her off course, but it failed as she managed to get inside the structure through an opening.
Looking back, B RS watched the Spirit Eater crouch down, it's tail swinging in different directions, "Damn..."
[Well, we got through that...]
"Still, no progress, and that's the problem," B RS stated, frowning, "Dragon Slayer really made a weapon"
[How can we beat it..?]
"Give it everything I got, but that just sounds like suicide to me," B RS commented.
Moving through the building, B RS examined the architecture, noting how different it was from the other part of the old palace she was in before. She wasn't sure if it was Dragon Slayer's way of showing her thoughts or just being artistic in her own way, either way, the message got through to her clearly. Pure damnation; the message that Dragon Slayer put out could drill itself into anyone and they would understand it, regardless if you're a real self or an other self. B RS could tell Mato was probably thinking along the same lines, just looking closely at how the red makings layered on the wall had a rust like color before flaking off, they knew why the area is known as the end. The area will bury anyone within it, the how still remains out in the open, and they didn't want to know how it will happen.
B RS continued walking until she reached a set of windows, which also allowed the Spirit Eater a clear sight of her, "Great..!"
The Spirit Eater roared, causing the glass to break, the shards flying and cutting B RS while the machine charged towards the structure, purple eyes blazing. B RS rushed through the hallway, narrowly avoiding the machine's head ramming through the wall, its left eye watching her as she pass through a corner. B RS heard the faint noise of something spinning before the space behind her got eradicated by multiple beams, some of them vectoring and rushing towards her at an alarming rate. Jumping in the hallway, B RS turned around and swung her Black Blade as blue fire followed the swing, rushing towards the incoming beams. The attacks collided before an explosion occurred, sending her flying through a wall and back out into the area full of junk.
B RS passed through a pile before hitting another, lying against it slightly burned, "Traded one juggernaut for another..."
[Death... is inevitable...]
B RS watched the Spirit Eater stomp towards her, its foot crushing the structure she was in a moment ago, the wheels spinning slowly as the tips of the spikes extended. B RS got up and ran, looking at the various beams vectoring around while rushing towards her, ripping through anything that got in its way. B RS brought out her Rock Cannon again and started firing, watching the beams collide against each other before leaping towards a tilted wall. Once her feet touched the surface of the wall, she pushed off until she was jumping off various objects, reaching towards a higher elevation before aiming. Getting her sights on any openings she could find on the Spirit Eater, B RS started firing, the beams hitting several open joints around the machine's body, causing it to falter before dropping to the ground.
B RS landed on a broken pillar, watching the energy flow disappear from the Spirit Eater, "Well, guess that's about it..."
[Is that it..?]
"Mato, I don't know but I rather take anything we're given with," B RS stated, turning away from the machine.
[... Can we talk about..?]
"Mato, I'm not you or your dreams, in fact, I just don't get what I am to you other than an other self," B RS explained, looking at her right hand, "Whatever I do, you have to understand that it's towards a simple goal"
[But violence isn't everything..!]
"And if I didn't fight against that juggernaut the way I did, we both be dead," B RS stated, the eyebrows furrowing in frustration, "There's no alternative in the Otherworld, you know that but choose to ignore it, that's why you feel so much pain..!"
[But-]
"Mato, what makes me different is me understanding emotions and pain, something I couldn't get completely," B RS stated, her eyes glowing, "I wish it was simple, but it isn't, and everything I do will define who I am, not you"
B RS didn't hear Mato say anything, but she knew she driven a stake through whatever thoughts of her being who she was, there was no way it would happen. B RS was about to jump when she felt the air get thin, forcing her to turn around to see the Spirit Eater charging its attack. B RS jumped to avoid the attack, but she couldn't avoid it completely as her back got ripped apart by the attack, causing her to scream throughout the entire area. She hit the ground hard, watching the erratic purple energy flow through the machine as it neared her, its wings flexing slightly as the turrets returned within the wings. The Spirit Eater eyed her before roaring into the air, the chains rattling as the erratic energy pulsated sharply, beams flying from the wheels around its neck, ripping apart multiple structures.
B RS couldn't speak, but she knew that things were far from over.
Dragon Slayer looked down at her gut, watching the last tears stitch themselves together as she replaced her lace top for another one. She knew her healing abilities would improve once she was within her castle's territory, since its goal was being a safe haven for when something was to occur. Putting her bolero jacket back on, Dragon Slayer walked over to a shelf full of book within her room, pulling one out and opening the contents. A sense of nostalgia washed over her before disgust reared its way into her, causing her to close the book. Hearing the door open and the clank of metal, Dragon Slayer didn't turn around to acknowledge the robot's presence, she just had to flare her aura a bit as an indication.
The machine looked at her, "Catching up on the past?"
"A bit, strange how everything changes in ninety years," Dragon Slayer commented, smirking a bit as she put the book back, "Tomes can barely keep my interest, but the few that manage to always gets me thinking"
"Be careful, you know how much the past can affect you, those homunculus are evidence to that fact," The robot stated, "You had too many versions of yourself run amok upon the Otherworld, it's a miracle that you managed to keep your sanity..."
Dragon Slayer looked back at the machine, "Who's to say I didn't lose it already, besides, it isn't like I made about twelve, there were only three"
"And there's one of you," The robot told her, sounding frustrated, "You've changed the most, despite living the longest, what changed you..?"
Dragon Slayer's eyelids drooped a bit before she turned around completely, "The past me wouldn't value anyone's lives except for her own, with one goal within her sights: complete domination over the Otherworld"
"Did the Spirit Eater show you the wrongs in all that?" The robot inquired as Dragon Slayer walked past it.
Looking back, Dragon Slayer narrowed her eyes, "No, it just proved that my past will haunt me regardless of anything I do"
Dragon Slayer opened the door and left her room, walking through the hallway as she passed a few homunculus, their presence a small problem as she lost herself in her thoughts. Looking past the windows, she watched the artificial forest she created shift with the wind, the trees shaking a bit as cold steel clouds covered some of the amber-colored checkerboard sky. She frowned, her thoughts taking another direction until she reached the doors of her study, the double doors blocking her entry. Opening the doors, Dragon Slayer entered to see the others sitting around, probably waiting for her given how Gold Saw looked at her once she got in. Deciding it was best to stop thinking, Dragon Slayer looked at everyone before she moved towards the bookcase behind her desk, pulling out a tome and laying it on the desk.
"It's obvious all of you have doubts about my actions, but everything I've done is to further our progression," Dragon Slayer told them, "Granted, I unleashed a juggernaut to just get back a piece of my past to destroy it, but that's hardly relevant at this point..."
Geshumaru frowned, "Not relevant, are you crazy?!"
"I'm sure all of you know the answer, but the point is that the survival of your real selves is the main problem at this point," Dragon Slayer stated, "So, a forced removal from your other selves is necessary to make sure nothing happens to them"
Dead Master's eyes widened slightly, "What, but we could-"
"Do what exactly..?" Dragon Slayer inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"If we can enter where she dropped, then we can help her out, stop that thing together," Dead Master told Dragon Slayer, causing the grown woman to laugh mirthlessly.
"While that sounds interesting, I should note that Geshumaru's home is dropping from the stratosphere and will connect with the abyss," Dragon Slayer stated, "This will start an execution command to occur within the Palace of the End, forcing everything inside to get ripped apart; I don't build things without a work-around that will remove any trace of its existence"
"So B RS is..?" STR asked, her eyes slowly widening.
"The place is damnation, hell's incarnate," Dragon Slayer told them, linking her fingers, "I designed the palace and the prison so if the Spirit Eater awakened, I could damn it by destroying its existence, but it will have to drop back inside its cell first before anything could happen"
"When does this command activate?" Chariot inquired.
"They're separated by several minutes, I didn't set the second command to activate at a specific time, so it's unknown," Dragon Slayer said as she walked from behind her desk, heading towards Gold Saw, "If anything, it could already done the job or be in its activation phase, but that's beside the point..."
Before Gold Saw could react, Dragon Slayer poked at various spots on her body, a sense of paralysis overcoming her body until the amber-eyed woman struck the place where her heart was. In an instant, she felt hollow as Saya left her, forcefully sent back to her body in the real world while Gold Saw staggered before collapsing to the floor. STR moved to attack Dragon Slayer, but the woman dodged under the attack and hit her body, doing the same thing she did to Gold Saw in seconds. Chariot slashed at Dragon Slayer's back, but the older woman grabbed her sword and pulled her in close, striking vital points before knocking Kagari out of her.
"I'm surprised you're not stopping me Geshumaru," Dragon Slayer commented as Chariot dropped to the floor, "Even you, Dead Master..."
Geshumaru sighed, "There's no point, evacuating everyone's real selves is a priority, just as Shooter stopping the Spirit Eater"
"Glad you see it my way," Dragon Slayer commented as she walked towards Dead Master, "And you..?"
"You put Yomi through hell as far as I know, but because of that, she grew in some unnatural sense," Dead Master said, "I'm not sure why you pushed to break Yomi, but it's clear that your intentions were more broad than ours"
Dragon Slayer smirked, "I suppose playing with different sides creates this sort of problem"
"You've done so many things that could benefit or damn us all, but you did so by following what you believe in," Dead Master said, staring ay Dragon Slayer's bewitching eyes, "Is that your goal for all of us"
The smirk on Dragon Slayer's face turned into a genuine, small smile, "Child, it's all trial and error"
Tapping Dead master's forehead, Yomi got forced out of her, causing the green-horned other self to drop to the floor, leaving Dragon Slayer and Geshumaru as the only two conscious. Geshumaru stared at her former teacher in amazement and confusion, unsure of how to take the smile she saw appear on Dragon Slayer's face. It wasn't like anything she ever seen from the woman; that smile was similar to the ones Naomi's mother would give her at times. Dragon Slayer sighed a bit before turning to Geshumaru, only to see the confused expression upon the girl's face, and she knows what that expression was asking from her. Sighing heavily, Dragon Slayer moved towards her desk and turned the tome towards her, opening it and reading the contents within.
"That's the first time I ever seen you smile like that," Geshumaru commented.
"What are you talking about?" Dragon Slayer said, most likely ignoring Geshumaru's comment, "Anyways, once they wake up and realize their real selves are okay, we'll travel to the abyss"
"You want to see your greatest success," Geshumaru stated, narrowing her eyes.
"It isn't a success unless Shooter survives, remember that," Dragon Slayer told her, a small amount of dread boiling inside her.
Yomi snapped awake and got up, sweating and breathing heavily as her eyes slowly adjust to the darkness in her room, remembering what Dragon Slayer did before everything went black. It felt surreal, but getting pushed into the real world like a bullet fired from a gun was a weird sensation, too quick for her to understand. Shifting her place on her bed, she sat and looked down at the floor, her green eyes shaking slightly along with her hands. She heard the doorknob turn and looked towards it, watching Kagari open and enter slowly, making sure to close it as softly as she could. The last thing either one of them wanted was for Yomi's parents to wake up, especially since they have to talk about what happened within seconds.
Kagari walked towards Yomi's bed and sat down, "I can't believe that... Dragon Slayer did that..!"
"Try to keep your voice low," Yomi whispered, listening for any footsteps, "Look, whatever Dragon Slayer did isn't that big, it's just to keep us safe"
"If you didn't notice, Dead Master didn't help us out when we got forced out of our other selves," Kagari stated, keeping her voice low, "We could have helped B RS and Mato..."
Yomi frowned slightly, "I know, but remember, that second sequence of that command Dragon Slayer talked about, there's no predicting it"
"But we could over-power that thing," Kagari said, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I don't think so, out of all of us, we can agree Saya and Gold Saw have more experience and abilities than the rest of us, sans B RS and Geshumaru to a degree," Yomi stated, raking through her hair, "Plus, that thing took down Dragon Slayer, who beaten Gold Saw and Saya easily with little effort, doesn't that scare you?"
Kagari opened her mouth, then closed it before saying, "It does, but I can't stand not doing anything..."
"What choice do we have?" Yomi inquired.
Kagari looked away after the words came out of Yomi's mouth, frustrated at how she said bluntly that there isn't anything they could do. Even if Mato got on her nerves, she's in a troublesome situation fighting against the Spirit Eater, something that could squash her if it wants. They were strong in their own rights, only together could they pull something out of the blue with no regard for limits; blasting everything they have at it was the only way it could go down, Kagari thought. Yomi tried to look at Kagari's expression, only noting the swift changes in emotion from what she could see, which wasn't much. Yomi placed a comforting hand on Kagari's left shoulder and squeezed softly, causing the blond-haired girl to look at her, confusion evident in her expression.
"If there's anything Mato can do, it's fight back when it's necessary," Yomi told her, "She's sort of persistent like that"
Kagari sighed heavily, "And that will get her killed someday..."
"Kagari..!" Yomi hissed playfully, smacking her lightly on the arm.
"It's just... if we can't do anything, then what will happen if they lose?' Kagari asked, her fingers dancing on her knees.
"I don't know, but Dragon Slayer is making a gamble that we should back on," Yomi told her, looking up at her ceiling, "Hope is all that's left, and I'm willing to take my chances on her survival"
"That's insane..." Kagari stated.
"But it's better than nothing, "Yomi said.
Huffing a bit, Kagari got off the bed and made her way to the door, "Yomi, she has to win..!"
"Well, it isn't like there's another choice for us," Yomi stated before smiling, "But after all we went through, I think a gamble like this is fine, she did fight against a juggernaut because of what happened to us"
"There was no choice in that," Kagari told her before realizing the loop of things, "Well, I fell for that one..."
"That you did," Yomi smiled.
Kagari opened the door slowly and passed through the frame, looking back at Yomi, "Well good night and see you in the morning..."
"Good night Kagari," Yomi told her, watching her door close.
Once the door was fully closed, Yomi turned herself and laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in complete uncertainty, her own faith wavering. She wasn't lying to Kagari, but even she knows that things could flip around and bite someone back, one scenario that she didn't want to see. It would take a lot more than hope for Mato and B RS to win against something that could beat Dragon Slayer, but even more so since they probably haven't seen everything it's capable of doing. Grabbing her covers, she pulled them towards her and covered her body, her head resting on the pillow as she kept on staring up at the ceiling. Fear started seeping its way through Yomi, but somehow, she managed to find a way to fall back to sleep, the thoughts of tomorrow lingering as she fell into her dreams.
B RS ran through the field of junk, the beams scattering all around as she weaved through them, some beams ripping her jacket apart as she tried to near the Spirit Eater. She was in over her head, the moment she thought she beaten the Spirit Eater, she dropped her guard and let it attack her with almost no chance of getting back the advantage. It has firepower, and knowing how it played her, it's obvious that Dragon Slayer outdid herself when building a machine like the one she's fighting against. Pushing through, B RS jumped into the air and started firing at it, electricity pulsating from the barrel of her Rock Cannon. The spikes opened up and beams fired towards her, the wheels spinning quickly as the machine's attacked spiraled and followed her, drilling through anything in its way.
"The hell?!" B RS thought as she fired at the beams, each one exploding as she started falling.
B RS kept on firing, trying to knock out as many beams as she could, glancing behind her for a moment before she stopped firing. She flipped herself around and rushed towards a pole, grabbing it and letting the momentum swing her around before catapulting towards the remaining beams herself. Lifting her Rock Cannon, she fired at them, blasting her way through as she reached the Spirit Eater, firing so she could crack through its armor. The machine roared as its wings opened up, bullets flying through the air in swarms, forcing B RS to blast her way through them, the pieces of metal becoming dust in an instant. She switched her Rock Cannon for her ax, the blue smoke surrounding it as it became a scythe, ready to rip apart anything.
B RS narrowed her eyes, "I'm still here!"
B RS landed on the body and started running while twirling her weapon around, slashing at the armor while making her way across. Smoke billowed from the Spirit Eater's mouth, it's anger rising as certain slots on the armor opened up, revealing hidden canisters that opened up silently. B RS felt something was off and looked behind her, watching missiles launching from the canisters, which forced her to turn around and run from them, jumping off when she reached the edge of the body. Her thoughts on the Spirit Eater's abilities were slowly changing, from it being destructive to a complete weapon of mass destruction, holding nothing back in its new form. She couldn't take on something like that head-on now, it was shooting down chances at winning left and right, just like it did with Dragon Slayer before drilling a hole in her.
"There's no way for that thing to die..." B RS mumbled, narrowing her eyes as she disappeared into the junk.
[It must have a weakness...]
"Mato, it isn't that simple," B RS stated, crossing through the pile silently, "That thing is making use of anything it can do, like an other self with many weapons and attacks..."
[So, can't you blow its joints then attack it..?]
B RS grimaced, "I wish it was that simple, that thing would probably expect it"
[We're screwed, right..?]
"As long as we can fight, we still got a chance to win," B RS stated.
The machine roared, firing wildly, which caught its attention, "I guess isolation from its goal tortured it"
[Maybe...]
As B RS took another step, she felt the ground shift to one direction before shifting towards another, causing her to lose her balance. Dropping to her knees, B RS looked around until she saw a circular slot on a far off wall twist before opening up, eight curved pieces pulling out as a white light encompassed the area. Another wall did the same as more followed, causing B RS to look around, wondering what exactly is going on with the area until she saw the Spirit Eater clamp itself to the ground below the junk, roaring in anger as it fired at the open slots. B RS knew something was wrong in all this, but she didn't know what until she saw pieces of junk fly into the opened slots, disappearing within the light. Eyes wide in shock, B RS got up and ran from where she was, jumping up to higher elevation as she removed her jacket, watching it fly off towards the slots.
[Wait, why did you..?]
"That thing will take anything and destroy it," B RS told her, her back up against a wall, "If it managed to attract my jacket, we would fly off into it"
[That will kill us?!]
"Only if we get sucked in..." B RS told her, watching the Spirit Eater find her.
[Slayer!]
The psychic shout that came from the Spirit Eater forced B RS to grip her head, feeling the pain coursing through the unnatural attack. Looking at it, they locked eyes for a moment before the machine roared, firing everything it had at her, intent on making her trapped as well. Jumping off, she watched the structure get ripped apart by the machine's attack before rushing towards it, her Black Blade drawn as blue fire flowed around the blade. She swung the blue fire, the flames hitting an opening in the back on its left knee, causing an influx of energy around the area. Dashing towards the machine, B RS jumped, ready to stab the knee down, but she got swatted away by the Spirit Eater's left-wing, pushing her back near a pillar.
[There is... no survival, there is... damnation to both of us...]
"Screw that, I'm getting out of here, but I'm killing you first," B RS told it, getting up.
[Then suffer, like you.. always have...]
B RS dashed towards the right, avoiding a barrage of bullets as she jumped towards the chains up above, intent to get an aerial advantage. She landed on the chain link and started running along it, trying to keep her balance as she avoided the attacks the Spirit Eater launched at her. B RS saw the pieces of junk getting sucked into the opened slots, wondering how much time was left before everything got destroyed, before they wound up getting sucked into one of the slots. Pushing the thoughts aside, B RS jumped around another barrage of bullets, not noticing how the air grew thin. Before she could defend herself easily, the Spirit Eater fired its massive energy beam, electricity sparking as B RS got hit full force before the beam stopped.
B RS's knees buckled before she fell from the chain, dropping about five meters away from one of the open slots, the vacuum pulling her towards it slowly. She looked at her hands, the skin and muscles burned completely off, leaving only the black bones that made up the rest of her body. She couldn't help but wonder if that's what Geshumaru went through, complete annihilation of her body from the skin, to her muscles, then her bones. It was scary to even imagine, but having her arms the way they are now, it didn't leave a lot to imagine. B RS tried to move them, but couldn't feel anything, there was no signal between her arms and the rest of her, just a hollowness where that connection was.
[Rock..!]
"Sorry Mato, guess I screwed us over," B RS said, feeling her skin get cut by the pieces of junk surrounding the ground.
[This isn't your fault, you just...]
"Mato, save it, there's nothing you could say that can change whatever happens now," B RS told her, her blue eyes analyzing her hands, "The Spirit Eater just ripped my arms apart, if I didn't shield myself..."
[Look, we can still fight, just... don't die...]
B RS let out a bitter laugh, "Like there's anything I can do..."
[...]
"I'm no hero, I just do things that I believe is right, and everyone will have different thoughts on that," B RS told her, "Everything I did was to survive and make sure happiness is just shining through, but an ideal like that is only damning everyone, that's why I feel like myself like this..."
[What..?]
"Mato, everything I've done now was for me, with protecting you as a second goal," B RS said, her blue eyes seeing the Spirit Eater crouch, "I fought for my memories, to come to terms with who I am and who I was, and since that's over, I know that killing is just a part of me, just like it's a part of everyone else in the Otherworld"
[But killing is...]
"It's not wrong here Mato, because we fight for what we believe is right, and I think this adventure opened that up for everyone," B RS explained, "Gold saw, Dead Master, Chariot, and even STR knew that it's a part of our existence, but didn't know what exactly for"
B RS tried to pull herself up, trying to force her arms to work despite their condition, "That's why, even if I can't do much or be the hero, I'll kill that thing because it's nothing more than a weapon, even if it means dying again"
[Rock...]
"So Mato, you have a choice, watch me die... or join me and kill that thing with our hands," B RS told her, watching the Spirit Eater prepare another beam.
The choice B RS presented to Mato left her torn between what she believes in and what was the right thing in this situation, leaving her trapped in an emotional torrent. She felt disgusted that B RS asked her to kill with her, even if the thing she was asking to kill was nothing more than a machine hellbent on destruction. She also felt relieved that B RS wasn't giving up on the fight, even with the fight turning against them, she wasn't backing down. Finally, she felt afraid about their probable death, since they have to deal with two things going against them: the Spirit Eater and the vacuums that's trying to suck them in. Even so, with the odds against them and everything that just happened, she wants to live, to survive and see the tomorrow that she expects, with the world the way it is.
[Rock, I want to live..!]
"Then let's go," B RS told her, her blue flame igniting around her left eye.
Mato felt a bridge connect between her and B RS, something like when B RS just used her body as a medium to exist in the real world, just to fight Geshumaru. Letting her emotions run wild within her, she watched the torrent she was in before calm before turning into a sea of white and azure, encompassing her. B RS's destroyed muscles and skin repaired themselves instantly before she dashed towards the machine, her Black Blade drawn as her flame grew brighter. For a moment, a violet haze caught her vision before it disappeared completely, the violet overwhelmed by pure white as B RS jumped, her body covered in flames. The Spirit Eater roared before firing multiple beams at the fireball the attacks doing nothing as the fireball disappeared and B RS came out, appearing different from before she got enveloped by the flames.
Black greaves adorned her legs, covering whatever it could without affecting the joints, with buzz-saw wheels covering the bottoms of her boots. Claw-like gauntlets covered her hands, reaching out a quarter through her arm, covered by detached sleeves. Her shorts and bikini top got replaced by a black skirt and a tank-top, a white zipper stretching over the bottom of the top diagonally. Her twin-tails spiked as her eyes and flame turned into a bright azure, energy radiating from her to the area surrounding them. The Spirit Eater couldn't understand this at first until it felt another presence and examined her closely, feeling Mato's existence blend in with B RS' like they were becoming one single entity. Whatever confusion the machine felt got replaced quickly with pure rage and blood-lust, something that isn't possible for the machine, but defines it in every way possible.
"Try shooting me down now!" B RS roared, Mato's voice blending in with hers.
[Unethical... improbable.. but you exist...]
"This feeling, just what is all this..?" B RS wondered, feeling an unnatural power surge through her body.
[Why am I... did I do this..?]
Hearing the Spirit Eater roar snap them out of their thoughts as they rushed forward, the fire surrounding the Black Blade burning brightly.
"Emotions can really change us, can't they..?" Dragon Slayer inquired, an amused smirk on her face.
Geshumaru looked at Dragon Slayer, who continued reading the tome, "Do I need to answer it?"
"No, but I should explain what I mean," Dragon Slayer told her, getting off the chair and walking up to a window, "A real self's emotions can become a blessing or a curse based on what they feel when a certain situation comes up, affecting us to a degree no one would think is possible"
Geshumaru narrowed her eyes, not sure where Dragon Slayer was taking the sudden discussion, figuring she might explain in-depth about what she did to B RS, but that didn't make any sense. She already explained her intentions when it came to her supposed betrayal, so why talk about something that holds no standpoint value to her. Perhaps the situation was weighing on Dragon Slayer's mind, but that didn't make sense as well for the same reason as before. Geshumaru tried to go over a list of why Dragon Slayer would bring it up, but each idea got shot down for one reason or another until she reached one that worked. Looking at Dragon Slayer in shock, she watched the woman's expression turn grim, as if something or someone decided to make a problem for her, a situation that tends to show Dragon Slayer's darker side for a moment.
"I've seen other selves become twisted by their real selves losing control of their emotions, or getting overwhelmed by many emotions," Dragon Slayer told Geshumaru, looking down a bit, "I couldn't understand what I was feeling the first time I killed one that went insane, but it was the twentieth that made me know that I was feeling pity; perhaps I got stuck between being an other self or an Anomaly..."
"You felt torn," Geshumaru stated.
"Yes, and that kill happened around the time my real self died, so that caused me to feel many things, but it made me who I am," Dragon Slayer told her, "I decided to make that kill into another body for me to control, one that you're familiar with"
Geshumaru grimaced, remembering the heterochromatic eyes, "Yeah, but what's the relation..?"
"Emotions drive a person, keeps them on track with their lives, but having more of one emotion could affect someone, such as Kuroi Mato and Shooter," Dragon Slayer stated, looking at her reflection, "Mato's emotions are a driving force that could change everything in Shooter if she doesn't have a clear grasp on them"
"No one can grasp them, it's difficult," Geshumaru stated, denying Dragon Slayer's claims.
Dragon Slayer looked like she was contemplating Geshumaru's words for a moment until she smirked, "Well, I guess putting it to the test will explain things"
"What..." Geshumaru muttered before understanding what Dragon Slayer said, "You..!"
Geshumaru couldn't believe what Dragon Slayer was implying, only think about how she was using Mato as a test subject, trying to tamper with how she reacts with her emotions. It's unrealistic to think someone like her would tempt fate, trying to have B RS go insane again, even if she's trying to get results that leads to the opposite direction of things. Feeling a headache coming up, Geshumaru pressed down on a pressure point on her left arm, feeling a side of her head get light before removing her thumb. There's no doubts about Dragon Slayer's decisions, contrived as they are, but the fact she made that decision to put B RS in that situation for when she failed to fight against the Spirit Eater is troubling. Now that the thought came up, Geshumaru couldn't help but wonder if Dragon Slayer informed B RS before she made the girl go insane.
"I want Mato to break and see things in multiple views, not in that distorted black and white," Dragon Slayer told Geshumaru, turning to face her, "Only then will she understand the dangers behind being such a happy person, and since Shooter's existence isn't based on happiness anymore, that leaves an open route for me to take"
Geshumaru frowned, "That's horrible..!"
"But it isn't wrong, don't forget she made things problematic for her friends, even if she resolved them, the past never goes away," Dragon Slayer told her, "It haunts you in your memories, your dreams, so the only way to fix something like that is to get stronger and deal with the issue; I didn't back away from the Spirit Eater, I got beaten easily by a machine that became more destructive than I imagined"
"Takes guts to admit something like that," Geshumaru told her.
Dragon Slayer scoffed, "I knew it would end in some way, but I certainly didn't expect the machine itself to wound up insane, it's goes beyond breaking theories..!"
"And that pisses you off, I get it," Geshumaru told her, hearing the others stirring, "So why send Shooter with a potential self-destructive girl to fight against a machine that drilled a hole where your gut is"
Dragon Slayer smirked, "If you want to kill an uncontrollable beast, send one that's in control of itself, the latter is more likely to win"
Gold Saw got up, feeling slightly dazed from Dragon Slayer's attack until she tried to communicate with Saya, only to feel nothing. She looked around and saw the others starting to get up until she saw Dragon Slayer, her anger coming full force as she rushed toward her. Dragon Slayer let the moment play out by itself as Gold Saw grabbed her by her jacket and pushed her up against the wall, red eyes glowing in anger. Geshumaru watched the entire moment occur within seconds as Maid Gunner got behind Gold Saw, a knife positioned where Gold Saw's jugular is. Throughout that sequence, Dragon Slayer didn't lose her smirk, like she was expecting Gold Saw to react that way after getting beaten quickly, when she already lost to her back in the palace.
"I suggest you put me down, unless you want Maid Gunner to kill you," Dragon Slayer told Gold Saw, "Besides, the only thing Saya will suffer from is adrenaline and sweating, so just calm down and let go of me"
Gold Saw growled before letting go of Dragon Slayer, which prompted Maid Gunner to move the knife away, "This isn't over..."
"I don't expect it to," Dragon Slayer told her, watching the rest get up, "Now, one you get a grip on your bearings, we will head towards the abyss, this isn't something you want to miss"
Even if Geshumaru didn't want to agree with Dragon Slayer, she couldn't help but to.
B RS evaded beams left and right, feeling her speed kick up as she blazed through the area and reached the Spirit Eater within seconds, her Rock Cannon materializing behind her. Grabbing the weapon, B RS started firing, electrical beams blasting through the swarm of attacks the machine was launching at her, none of them even getting through. Jumping up, B RS fired at the armor plating on the Spirit Eater's back, putting dents in it unlike before, where she could barely damage it with basic attacks. It was like Mato was on an emotional high and that was forcing her power to shine through compared to before, and that was a good thing as B RS couldn't help but make use of the power she was gaining. Watching the hidden canisters come out, B RS aimed before firing at them, putting more dent in them until her attack cut through the canisters and destroyed them.
Landing a bit off from where she jumped, B RS glared at the machine, "That's one problem dealt with..."
The Spirit Eater roared in anger as it fired more beams at her, watching B RS weave through them with ease, the energy flowing through it becoming more erratic with every movement. It was no fool, the machine was aware that her new abilities has its advantages and they were showing, but it also knew that with its advantages, there were disadvantages. Roaring, its wings started to remove themselves from its sockets before twisting, each piece connecting with the other to form two long-barrel cannons. B RS stopped dashing and examined the weapons, watching as electricity crackled within them as the floating weapons gained energy, the air thinning slightly. She watched the cannon's opening slight as beams got fired from them, bending slightly as they weaved through the air towards her, parallel to each other.
"Damn..." B RS muttered, narrowing her eyes.
[Let me handle this..!]
B RS felt Mato take control as her Black Blade appeared, blue fire encircling it as Mato raised the sword, blocking the beams once they reached her. In an instant, B RS watched her sword's form change, crystallizing into a form like Dragon Slayer's broadsword. The beams started phasing through the sword before blasting off to the side diagonally, the beams passing by her and hitting the wall. Regaining control, B RS moved the sword down, the beams rising up and damaging the wall behind her before disappearing. Looking at her sword, B RS saw the same energy trapped within before looking at the Spirit Eater, rushing towards it as she slashed at the air.
A stream of beams left her sword and hit the Spirit Eater hard, causing it to lose whatever grip it had on the ground and move back a few steps. B RS watched it glare at her before looking at the cannons, watching balls of energy getting fired from the cannons and rushing towards her. Breaking out into a run, B RS reached a nearby pillar and jumped towards the chains above, running along the links as the balls kept chasing her, damaging the walls and pillars slightly. Channeling her energy into the sword, B RS slashed at the air again, watching the stream of beams rush towards the balls and hitting them, causing an explosion. As B RS looked at the wreaked parts of the wall, an idea started coming to her until she felt a sharp pain, forcing her to stop running.
"What the... what was that feeling..?" B RS wondered.
[That feeling, it felt like.. gah!]
B RS crouched down as she felt something rippling within her, wondering if her powers are getting distorted as the pain came back full force. The armor started breaking as her clothes changed back to what they were before the transformation, her hair losing some of its spike. Feeling a bit off, B RS lost her balance and toppled on the chains, grabbing them so she could stay on the chain link. Whatever just happened, they lost their advantage, despite dealing some damage to the Spirit Eater, their task was still far from over. B RS watched the Spirit Eater make its way to her slowly before looking around, seeing the destruction they caused to the area before the idea she started thinking of came back to her, giving her a bit to strength.
"Mato... you still trust me?" B RS asked, looking back at the Spirit Eater.
[It's not like I have a choice Rock...]
B RS nodded slightly before tightening her grip on the chains, the metal digging slightly into her skin as she leaped back, towards the wall and vacuum. Mato thought she was trying to commit suicide until B RS placed her feet against the wall before pushing off, tugging harshly on the chains as the restraints broke, freeing them. B RS neared the twin cannons before she moved right, watching electricity crackle as she kicked it with all her strength, forcing it to the left as it fired. Using the kick as momentum, B RS moved towards the other one as it fired, kicking it to the right as the beam started blasting through the damaged wall. Both beams circled around as they ripped the wall apart, letting the vacuum expand as its strength grew, taking most of the junk within it before ripping them apart.
[Shooter!]
B RS looked down at the Spirit Eater, feeling its anger, "It's over..."
[I will not let my ruin be done by you!]
The Spirit Eater roared, but the roar it let out was different from all the others as it destroyed whatever structures were remaining, breaking them apart before they got sucked in by the powerful vacuum. B RS felt her inside rip themselves apart before they healed, but the process repeated itself, causing her to cough out some blood as she gripped the chains tightly. The wheels around the Spirit Eater started spinning wildly before beams got fired at high speeds, spreading out and destroying whatever it could before disappearing. B RS wrapped her left arm around the chains as she brought out her Rock Cannon, grabbing it before it got sucked into the vacuum and pointing it at the ground. She knew the added weight wouldn't help her, but as she fired at the ground around the Spirit Eater, she didn't care, she and Mato needed to survive.
[I am the immortal, the end, the oblivion... I won't die!]
"Shut... up!" B RS grunted out as she kept firing, the ground breaking apart slightly.
The Spirit Eater roared as the air grew thin, becoming suffocating as a tiny, purple ball of energy was growing beyond what B RS thought was possible. Shutting off her breathing for a moment, she watching the gigantic ball launch itself towards her, digging into the ground and ceiling as they cracked open, leaving spots that B RS could take advantage of. Looking to her left, B RS fired at a restraint, destroying it as she started swinging down to her left, brushing pass the attack by a mere inch as she started firing at the cracks on the ground. The ground started breaking open like an egg, a segment breaking off as the plates within collided, forcing the crack open as the Spirit Eater started losing its support. The vacuum grabbed a hold of the Spirit Eater, dragging it into the light as it roared in anger, tormented by B RS's victory against it, despite everything it launched at her.
[It isn't over... Savior will destroy you.. and the world..!]
B RS watched small pieces of the Spirit Eater get ripped off before flying into the vacuum, getting ripped apart within the light. Soon the parts became bigger components as the machine felt to the ground, getting dragged in slowly, the speed picking up from every piece taken from its body. The Spirit Eater roared as half of its body got consumed, the energy slowly fading as the wheels around its neck got ripped off and sucked into the vacuum, crushed into nothing before its head flew into the vacuum. B RS felt her body slowly drifting towards the vacuum as well, but before anything could happen, the light disappeared as a large sigil appeared on whatever remained of the ground, the second command Dragon Slayer implanted shutting down. B RS let go of the chain link and dropped to the ground, noting how empty the area was after everything she had to deal with in the past several minutes.
[Is it over..?]
B RS looked around before dropping, "It looks like it, we made it through Mato..."
[Whew, that was one close call...]
"Yeah, but it's over, and after all this, I think avoiding other selves would do me good," B RS said, looking up at the ceiling, "Mato, I know you don't like me killing other selves, but I will do what I have to, just to survive"
[... So, you won't change..?]
"I can't, besides, I think I'm more at risk if I'm with you as things are now..." B RS told her.
[Then... everything-]
"Mato, I'll still help you, but until you get things on your end, we can't really be partners," B RS told her, "I'm sorry, but that the truth"
[... Did Dragon Slayer tell you that..?]
B RS was about to answer when she felt the ground shake slightly, but she knew better to accept it as one minor quake and started running towards the entrance, knowing something was wrong. As she moved through the entrance, she saw the faint, small light up above being consumed by something, but she didn't know what until pieces of earth dropped on her head. Activating her flame, she saw something moving down and tried to head back to the Palace of the End, but as she took a couple of steps forward, earth and rocks dropped down, blocking her way. Looking back up, she felt the tremors originating from the ground and barred her teeth, bringing our her Rock Cannon before pointing it up. She wasn't going to let herself get trapped in her, not when there was more waiting for her up above, chances to explore and fight for her life.
As B RS started firing, earth started coming down on her, consuming whatever light remained in the abyss.
For a moment, every other self didn't know what was happening until they looked up and saw something moving down towards an unknown area. It looked like a garden, once high above in the sky now falling to their world for some unknown reason. Once it disappeared from their sights, they didn't think of anything until they felt the ground shake, causing them to move about as small cracks appeared. As they moved about, they failed to see eight other selves moving towards the area where the haven fell, but it didn't hold any importance to them. For once, what was left unknown to the current inhabitants is now revealed and there was nothing they could do about it.
The tremors stopped, the panic ceased, but they understood that there was a piece of their world missing, and it has finally returned along with its owner.
Author's Note: Wow, I got through that chapter, and I didn't want to break it up to two different pieces, that would just ruin the flow. Also, any questions you have about this chapter, or the story in general, you can ask in my ask me thread over at Tachibana Wish's forums. I'll post a link on my profile and you can check it out. So, without further ado, please review and I'll see you all for the last chapter to Fallen Blue Sky.