A/N: And so we are reaching the end of this... overly long story... I still have to wonder how did it manage to get this long?
Those who followed this story all this time, well, it's ending soon and finally I can move on to focus on the next story. That... and I'm so lazy to go to work... Next story... Strike witches or Starcraft? Why starcraft? That's really random...
The new Angel Beats! game, titled 'Angel Beats! 1st beat', is scheduled to be released this year. The game is suppose to be in an AVG (adventure) format but it looks more like a visual novel. The official website has some cutscene photos and... IWASAWA! HOLY CRAP!
Anyway, the game system is simply a visual novel style where you choose which character you wish to interact with and the story will flow in that direction. The main character is, obviously, Otonashi. So far confirmed character routes are:
-Yuri
-Kanade
-Yui
-Iwasawa
-Matsushita 5-dan
The game is to feature 19 members of the SSS and will comprise of 6 chapters.
In somewhat related news, Maeda Jun has finally released the third volume of Hibiki no Mahou (Hibiki's magic). For those who know of it, go check it out. For those of you who don't know... well, nevermind then.
Angel Beats!
What We Live For
Operation 56
Wrath
Kurogane Kou. The leader of the Guardians. The reaper of the Sixth Division. The strongest fighter in the SSS2. A girl who had given up on everything, who lived and embraced the darkness. She was the darkness. She became a living weapon, solely bent on destroying anything and everything before her. Like an unstoppable torrent, she smashes through everything, be they friend or foe. She had no real emotions, her original being a blank slate. She was the void, consuming all. And now she stood before him, standing over the pieces of the 'most powerful' (self proclaimed) NPC that she cut sliced into pieces. Kurogane Kou suddenly raised her hand, opening up her palm to Katsuragi Rei.
"... You have it, don't you?"
She asked him. He was confused by what she meant at first and then realised what she was referring to. The disc.
"... Hand it over. There isn't enough time."
Rei was unsure of what he had to do but for some reason, he knew he could trust Kou on this. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small disc, in it was their last hope, their last salvation to prevent the worst case scenario from occurring. And with such hope clinging onto it, Rei tossed it. Kou reached out and grabbed the disc, looking at the small object in her hand.
"... Let's begin."
Kou turned and walked to the computer that still sat in the centre of the whole area. She started up the computer and inserted the disc into its disc drive. Kou crossed her arms and tapped her fingers rather impatiently as the computer slowly started up the shut-down program.
"Kou... Why... why are you helping to end the program?"
Rei asked as he struggled to his feet. Kou turned and eyed him from the corner of her eyes.
"... It is merely to fulfil a promise."
[Shut down Program detected.]
[Would you like to run the shut down program?]
[Y]
[Shut down initiated]
[System shutting down in 5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Shut down complete]
The strong winds and the thunder within the dark clouds suddenly stopped and the tremors of the tower ceased as well. The shut down... it really happened? The Apocalypse was really stopped?
"My end of the promise is done... now it is your turn, Katsuragi Rei."
Kou spoke up, making Rei turn to her.
"Promise?"
"Yes... the promise... The one I made 'that' day. The pact that I made with my sworn enemy. The promise I had made with the EX Angel. The promise... with you."
Five years ago, EX Day
To Kurogane Kou, it was just another day. She had little interest in the dealings of the people in the SSS2, nor had she paid them any mind as she walked down the corridor of Fort. Wherever she walked, people parted way for her. It was not only for the fact that her black cloak and two swords were intimidating to all. It was a sign of respect... and fear. Her cold and emotionless state made her the ultimate killing weapon. Her eyes held no life nor determination that anyone else held. She was reaper, she was the God of death incarnate. She is Kurogane Kou.
"Captain, do you really think Taeno-san will allow it?"
Amatsu Len asked, walking beside her. Kou barely answered Len as she continued to walk on. Kou had rarely given much thought to anything as her life only consisted of killing traitors, NPCs, and... herself.
"Oi oi, Amatsu-chan, you should know better than to question Kou for these sorts of things."
Takamachi Yukari said, following behind.
"Takamachi! How many times must I remind you to call her 'Captain'?!"
"Whatever."
Kou did not bother to listen in after that as the two of her own subordinates began to fight amongst themselves. Subordinates. To her they weren't really people she worked with. She was always alone. Had been and will always be. To her, they were simply... people. People who tended to follow wherever she went. It wasn't annoying since she did not really have that understanding of that annoyed emotion. She reached the doors to Yuki's office and the two guards who stood by the door snapped to attention.
Normally they would announce the arrival of whoever was at the door but Kou did not bother and just opened the door and stepped in. Yuki's office, or the Principals office, was in a mess, with paper and files all over the place and it seemed that Yuki was in the middle of a heated argument with Tatsumi Kenji. But Kou did not care about their arguments. She walked up to the desk and threw a file onto the table that was already cluttered with paper. That action alone made both leaders stop and turn to Kou.
"Kou! How many times must I tell you not to interrupt me when I'm in the middle of something? !"
Yuki snapped but Kou did not bother to acknowledge her. Yuki realised that Kou would probably never learn to change her ways, sighing as she sat back down in her chair and leaned back.
"So what is it this time?"
Yuki grabbed the file and looked through it. At this point Tatsumi Kenji simply stood there in silence, knowing better than to anger the reaper of the SSS2 herself. Yuki looked through the file and looked up at Kou.
"Are you serious? You want me to mobilise the ENTIRE SSS2?"
Yuki glared at Kou, but Kou simply remained silent, unflinching at Yuki's outburst.
"Taeno-san, if you read the captain's report-"
"I AM TALKING KOU, LIEUTENANT AMATSU, NOT YOU SO SHUT IT!"
Yuki snapped at Len, who did flinch and stepped back. Yuki then turned back to Kou.
"... Even IF... And I am talking about a BIG IF... what you say is true... that there will be a large outbreak of Angels, I cannot mobilise the ENTIRE Organisation immediately. There are many things we are working on, and the biggest thing we have is the 'Program'. After many years of testing, we're finally able to complete a full access connection with it. Today is the day we're suppose to start the connection process and there are obvious problems we have to deal with. Problems like stubborn logger heads like this Kenji idiot here, and with more than half of the entire Assault on another training camp in the mountains, the most I can mobilise is Fort and Diversion. With luck maybe Shield from Guild since Guild and the Intelligence division are the ones handling the 'Program' testing now. That only accounts for thirty percent of the entire force. Besides, what makes you so sure of this outburst?"
Kou stared silently at Yuki before answering.
"... I am."
BOOM
A sudden explosion from the courtyard outside of Fort raised alarms throughout the entire school.
"Wha-what was that?! What's going on?!"
"They're here."
Kou answered simply.
"Who-"
The door suddenly slammed open as Yuki's guards rushed in with their weapons and went to Yuki's side to form an immediate protective ring.
"Yuki-sama! We're under attack! A large number of Angels have appeared in the courtyard!"
Yuki's eyes widened as the realisation dawned upon her. Kou's report was true. Kou turned and headed towards the door.
"Kou! You..."
"I told you, Yuki... that they will come."
Kou answered as she reached the door.
"But you did not say they would appear now!"
"I did not need to say when."
Was all Kou said before she left the room.
"DAMN YOU KOU! STOP DOING THIS TO ME!"
Yuki's voice screamed from the office and could be clearly heard throughout the levels of the building.
"You sure managed to piss Yuki off again, Kou."
Yukari whistled as the three of them walked calmly through the chaotic corridors of Fort. People were now rushing all over the place, guns were being brought out, soldiers being deployed to the front. As the three reached the main entrance to Fort, they regrouped with more cloaked people who stood around with their weapons. They were all awaiting for her.
"Your weapon... leader."
One of the cloaked people passed to Kou her scythe. Her weapon, her instrument of destruction and revenge. Kou reached out and grabbed her scythe, lifting it up easily before she walked out of the building, accompanied by all of the cloaked fighters. Her fighters. They are the sixth division. They are the Guardians.
"Your orders, reaper."
"... Kill them all."
The battle was large and fierce. With more than half of the SSS2 forces elsewhere, the remaining SSS2 soldiers had to hold the line, protecting Fort as their main priority. But they were not without hope as taking the battle to the enemy were none other than the sixth Division themselves. The strongest fighters in SSS2, each having the strength of a hundred or a thousand SSS2 soldiers. They charged straight into the enemy with no care for their own lives. The Genocide Protocol. It was something only the Guardians used. The Protocol to forsake ones own life for the complete and utter destruction of the enemy. That was how the Guardians fought, that was how they lived, and that is how they will die.
Cleaving a bloody path one the field, Kurogane Kou stood drenched in the blood of her enemies, a sight that made all of the Angels afraid to go near her. With a simple spin of her weapon, she carved right through two Angels and throwing a few more into the air. Although this event was certainly unexpected to most, Kou did not care. They were all simply things to be cut. Creatures to be killed. It did not even register in her head what she was doing. All she knew was to kill. That was all. But then... she stopped. An intense wave, a powerful force that was undeniable suddenly appeared. Like a great pressure being forced down upon the entire field, be they friend or foe. Kou had never felt anything like this before and it made her chest feel... a beat.
"... Roof."
Without waiting, Kou immediately turned and headed straight for one of the main buildings.
"Captain? ! Wait for-"
Amatsu Len wanted to follow Kou but an Angel suddenly rushed out and clashed with her, preventing her from following.
"Why you- CAPTAIN!"
But Kou did not stop, running straight the first main building and rushing up the stairs all the way to the top, bursting through the door to the rooftop. And there... she saw him. Standing there all by himself, the young man had a hood over his head, covering most of his face. But this feeling... this presence. To Kou, who had thrown away all emotions in order to become a fighting machine, was feeling... fear? What's more, she had a strange sense of nostalgia. But why?
"We meet at last... Guardian."
The young man spoke with a slight hint of glee in his voice.
"..."
Kou stayed silent as she drew her weapon.
"Hmm, so you're all ready to fight then. Not that I should be surprised."
The young man raised his hand from the palm of his hand came a light that took the form of a long sword. He swung it with ease and where the blade went, it sliced through everything, including the very air. Kou knew that this fight would be dangerous. This man... was dangerous. The two simply stood there in silence, watching one another. And then... they disappeared. It had appeared as though the two of them had completely vanished into thin air, but listen in closely, and one would be able to tell that there were multiple disturbances in the air.
Invisible to most people, the speed in which the events were occurring in this relatively small space on the rooftop was beyond normal. The two powerful forces clashed with one another, exchanging multiple blows that were beyond the comprehension of others. To Kou, this enemy was someone whom she felt she may not win. This power was beyond anything she knew of, anything that she could face. She was able to fend off the attacks but Kou was not a fighter who could last long fights. She was a fighter who finished fights within seconds. But this enemy was not someone she could win in a single fight.
"What's the matter, Guardian? Getting tired?"
The young man gloated, making Kou rather angry.
"Good, good. Let that hate flow through you."
Why was he saying the same things as some old movie?
"It is better to feel hatred, than to not feel anything at all."
Those words made her chest hurt and she was forced to stop, clutching her chest as though someone had pierced it with a hot spear. The young man lightly landed on his feet as he walked towards her.
"Wha-... what did you do?!"
Kou demanded. Her head was filled with... feelings? Things she should not be having. The pain within her was beyond what she had felt before, a large surge of emotions that were forcibly turning and spinning in her, forcing her on her knees.
"I did nothing, Kurogane Kou. I did nothing... but knock on the door with the rusted lock."
The young man said, squatting on the floor to her eye level.
"Wha... do you... mean..."
"You may believe yourself to be empty, to be void of all things, but that is not possible with humans. Humans will have feelings, will have emotions, will have such thoughts, as long as they live, as long as they experience life."
"I-... have... no need... for such... frail... things..."
Kou breathed hard as the pain wrecked throughout her.
"No... not now... but soon, you will."
"?"
The young man stood back up to his feet.
"This World is corrupted, Kurogane Kou. It is corrupted with war, with suffering, with pain. You should know this."
Kou did indeed know what the young man was talking about, but what does that have to do with anything?
"The corruption cannot be undone as there are those who would see this World destroyed, but that is not something that must come to pass. Kurogane Kou, I want you to work with me-"
"I refuse."
The young man was slightly surprised by her immediate answer.
"I did not even finish talking."
"I do not... deal with my enemies."
Kou spat, struggling to her feet.
"Enemies... I see. Well, that is to be expected. Kurogane Kou, what you see before you is only one path. I have seen your past and know that you have suffered greatly. But the path you walk is merely one in the thousands that were laid out for you. Blinded by your rage, you closed off all other ways. Paths that could save this World... and the SSS2."
"I do not care for such things-"
"Because you are a weapon?"
This time it was the young man's turn to interrupt Kou.
"That pain you feel in your chest proves otherwise, Kurogane Kou. You may have said you threw away all emotion, but you simply pushed them aside and ignored them. Those feelings are the same ones that were given to you by your parents. By your friends. By Fudou Akira."
Fudou Akira.
That name.
"Aki...ra..."
"Do you want to waste what he had done?"
Waste?
Akira.
His efforts.
His work.
"Akira... is dead... killed by things... like you."
Kou glared straight at the young man, who merely nodded.
"Yes. It is true that we NPCs are the cause of his death. But you understand, don't you? You realise that the reason for the NPCs going berserk is because of this World."
Yes, Kou did realise it some time ago. She had thought once that perhaps she could change it. But she had lost herself to the same darkness that she was trying to change.
"You understand all of this, and yet you closed off all other paths to change this World. That path only led you further into the depths of despair and cause more damage to the system. Is that truly what you want?"
"I... will destroy... everything."
"... Once again, you reject everything. The hatred within you is strong, but misplaced. What do you hope to achieve by destroying everything?"
"There is... no meaning."
"So you will become a 'hakai-shin' (God of destruction) for the sake of your madness."
"I will become anything... to see you all burn."
The young man sighed, shaking his head. Kou was harder to convince than anyone he had ever known.
"This is going to be long. Just what did Kei say to do in times like this?"
Kei? Kou knew that name. It was name she was all too familiar with.
"Kei...?"
"Yes, Kei... Kurogane Kei. Your brother."
Her heart felt strained. Her brother?
"Kei... Kei... Kei..."
Her mind was going blank again. Her chest felt pained.
"What the- Oh crap, she's going into mental meltdown."
The young man quickly ran over to her and placed his hand on her head, causing her mind to relax, the pain and emotions slowly disappearing. Kou became aware once more, of her own surroundings.
"You... why did you-"
"I need your help, Kurogane Kou, and it would trouble me greatly if you were to lose yourself here."
The young man got back up to his feet.
"Why... should I?"
Kou asked, getting back up to her feet as well.
"Because you can. Your brother did not want me to involve you but I have little choice in choosing my allies."
"..."
Kou did not want to believe this NPC but for some reason she felt that she could trust him. And for one more reason. Her brother.
"... So... you want to stop... this madness?"
Kou asked, and the young man nodded.
"Of course. This is not something that should be taken lightly. Soon, this entire World will change for the worse, and when that time comes... well, we shall see what happens from there. So, do we have a deal?"
The young man asked, stretching out his hand. Kou was hesitant. To make a deal with her enemy? The one she swore revenge upon? But what he had just told her was now more important to her. The end of all Worlds. Akira would not want it. Her... brother, did not want it. But...
"... You leave me with very little choices."
Kou muttered, taking his hand firmly.
"Even I have very little choices left. I will soon 'reset' and when you find me, I will not be the same as now. Rather, 'I' as 'myself' will cease to remain. From here on out, it will be up to you... and 'my new self'."
"... What do you mean?"
The young man smiled and pulled back his hood, revealing a very familiar face to Kou.
"All will be explained in time, Kurogane Kou."
Present
"And you disappeared before me... Only to reappear in the midst of the battlefield."
Kou concluded as she sat on the table where the computer sat and propped up one of her legs onto the table as well.
"And you reappear without any memories... and with a 'soul'... my brother's soul."
Katsuragi Rei closed his eyes and sighed. His past self was very cocky person, much like his own creator.
"Kurogane Kei had given me his soul in order to infiltrate the SSS2. I do not think that using someone else's soul for such a purpose is a good idea but it was the only way."
Kou stared at Rei for a while, studying him, before speaking once more.
"... You've changed."
She noted.
"Changed?"
"... I do not... believe... you would say that... if you were the same... as five years ago."
Rei knew what she meant. Certainly, his past self would not say the same things.
"Perhaps it is the influence of having a 'soul', or maybe it was the time spent in the SSS2. I do not know."
"Maybe... it was both."
Kou said, closing her eyes in some form of satisfaction.
"And that is what you meant by 'not the same'."
Kou's words were unheard by Rei, who was having some difficulty remembering all of the events that transpired thus far. He could not access the memories from that fight with Kou, having some sort of 'blocked access' on that part of his memories.
"It does not matter... the past... is the past."
Kou waved it off and looked straight at Rei.
"You have questions... don't you?"
Rei looked up at that and nodded. He did have questions to ask. Quite a list, to be honest.
"First things first... how did Amatsukai Ichigo defeat you?"
Rei could never imagine someone as powerful as Kou could be defeated by Ichigo, although Ichigo's power was unusual.
"... He is strong."
"...Huh?"
Strong?
"Do not misunderstand my words... I never said I was defeated him... I did not even fight him."
Kou answered simply, making Rei even more confused.
"What do you mean you did not even fight him?"
"... I mean what I said... You were taking too long to arrive... so I fell asleep."
.
.
.
.
"Asleep?"
"When I woke up... I was tied up to that cross... why are my clothes ripped?"
Kou now looked down to her own clothes in puzzlement.
"W-what about the blood? Not Amatsukai's blood, I mean-
"Ketchup."
"K-ketchup?"
"Ketchup."
"..."
Apparently Kou did not want Rei to press any further than that. Still, it did bother Rei quite some bit about that. Ketchup?
"O-okay... About the 'promise' we made..."
Rei trailed off but Kou seemed to know what he was thinking about.
"... It is alright... if you do not remember... After all... it was a promise... with an EX Angel... who would not stop pestering me."
"But that 'EX Angel' is-"
"Is no longer here."
Kou cut him off.
"... Do not think of it."
Kou said, hugging her knee as she closed her eyes, making her look like she was resting. Her soft features with her long dark matted hair made her look peaceful and full of grace, if it weren't for the fact that she was covered in blood. It reminded Rei of the first time he saw her... when he was 'reset' as an 'irregular' being. After the 'reset' he had lost most of his memories from his past as a complete NPC, but managed to recover bits and pieces after meeting Kei in the 'dark World'. Speaking of which, just who is Kurogane Kei? Besides being Kurogane Kou's brother, Kei had the ability to enter the 'dark World' despite being human? Only NPCs with administrative rights could do that. He shook his head as he went back onto topic.
"Even if we made such a promise, why did you go to such lengths to ensure it happens? From covering for Tenryuu Shuusuke, to taking me in... you even made me a 'Guardian' when my identity was revealed."
Kou nodded in response to his words.
"... Yes... I did all that... and more... All for a simple promise... no... for a simple wish."
"Wish?"
Kou opened her eyes and looked at Rei silently. Her eyes seemed to hold some sort of... conflict within herself. Uncertainty, self-doubt.
"... It was... a simple wish... to perhaps... put my own past to rest..."
Her past? Rei did not understand what past she was referring to.
"Perhaps... to see someone... I thought I would never see... once more."
Those words stabbed Rei in the chest like a knife. He knew it would be like this. He knew that for Kurogane Kou, her heart still longed for Fudou Akira. Rei knew it, but his heart could not accept it. Wait... his heart?
"Is it Fudou Akira?"
Why did he ask that? He did not know, even though he was afraid of the answer, he still asked.
"... No."
Kou's answer made him surprised... and shocked.
"Akira is... no more... No matter how much I want to see him... he will never return."
Kou added on.
"The one I wanted to see... is someone... who had watched over me... who had protected me... all this time... You."
"... Huh?"
Kou swung her leg down as she got off the table.
"This World... holds us in with our regrets..."
Kou said, taking one slow step at a time towards him, dragging her scythe along the floor as she walked.
"We come here... to release our regrets... to find peace and move on... but there are those who do not... those... who are irregularities."
Kou's words were getting stronger. They were unlike her previous self. These words... had feeling.
"Irregularities... in a system made so perfect... that it in itself is flawed... Irregularities that were made by the system... and also the ones who would destroy the system."
Kou was changing. She wasn't the silent and cold person Rei knew of. No... she's now something more.
"There are those... who come to this World without regrets... the 'Lost ones'."
Otonashi Yuzuru.
"There are those... who come to this World and change their regrets... the 'Discovered ones'."
The Division leaders.
"And there are those... who had fulfilled their dues... but refuse to leave... the 'Rebels'."
The SSS and the SSS2.
"Regrets... I thought I had given up on all of that... that my only goal was to destroy... to kill everything... In a sense, I became similar to... a 'lost one'... one who is meant to be here... but thrown aside the reason for being here... I exist to kill... that should be my only path... that should be my only will... but-"
Kou stopped right before Kei, her face close to his and her eyes staring straight into his. Her scent that lingered in his nose. Her dark eyes that once held no life in them... flickered.
"... I found myself having one more regret... a regret that I should not have made... that I could not have made on my own... a regret that cannot exist... but yet persists... A regret that will haunt me... a regret... that will cost me... A regret... that I must cut loose."
Kou brought up her scythe. Bringing it down swiftly and shaving off a bit of hair as Rei managed to jump back and create the distance between them.
[Boss Fight]
[6th Division Leader: Guardians]
[Reaper / God of Death]
[Kurogane Kou]
[Alignment: Chaotic Evil]
[Type: Wrath]
[Level: 800
HP: 900000000000000
MP: 800000000000000
Strength: SSS
Agility: SSS
Endurance: D
Luck: SSS]
[Weapons List:
- Kurenai (Rank SS)
- Hikari (Rank SS)
- Scythe of the Reaper (Rank SSS)
- ? ? ? ( ? ) ]
VERSUS
[Angel Rebels]
[EX Angel]
[Katsuragi Rei]
[Alignment: Lawful Good]
[Level: 500
HP: 10000000000
MP: 20000000000
Strength: S
Agility: SS
Endurance: A
Luck: A]
[Weapons List:
- Blue Gear (Rank SSS)]
.
.
.
"I came to regret... falling in love... with you."
Kurogane Kou was a person who had thrown aside all emotions, all thoughts and distractions in order to focus on killing her enemies. She had trained and honed herself into a sharp blade with no equal but all of that changed when she met him. She had fallen in love once before, with Fudou Akira. But that was a short-lived love and it ended in tragedy. It was through his death that made her into the unstoppable killing machine that she became. It was through such a pain that made her realise that feelings were a distraction and so she threw it all away. But emotions don't get thrown away so easily. They merely get covered over, suppressed, until the right moment where they emerge even without warning. Emotions are not things to controlled by the whims of humans.
And such was the case for Kou as well. No matter how much she tried to kill off those emotions, they persisted, pestering and poking at her till she grew frustrated with them. In the beginning, she had thought Katsuragi Rei to be her enemy. He was, after all, the EX Angel, even if he did lose all of his memories and suddenly became a human hybrid. But the truth of his words and him working together with her brother was something that stopped her from outright killing him. Her brother, the one she was constantly compared to in life and the one she had to live up to. In all aspects she should have resented him, hated him for forcing the harsh life that she lived onto her. But she could not hate her brother, after all her brother did no wrong. Her brother even doted on her, cared for her and sheltered her as much as he could. She could not hate her brother no matter how much she tried.
And so she would go along with his plans. By helping Katsuragi Rei as well as Tenryuu Shuusuke, Kurogane Kou became the most powerful fighter to work... against the interest of the SSS2. In order to save the SSS2 and the Afterlife, she had to go against the other Division leaders though they did not realise it at all. The SSS2's greatest weapon was also their enemy. But Kurogane Kou did not openly object to the SSS2's goals. She hated her life and wanted to change it... but the path it took was wrong. Yuki was wrong. Kou finally realised that fact when she fought against Katsuragi Rei on the rooftop during EX day. And so she covered for Tenryuu Shuusuke and Katsuragi, moving the pieces in her hands in order to ensure that when the time came, the program would not succeed in destroying everything.
But over the days that passed, she met Katsuragi Rei and talked with him. Something about him seemed to be nagging at her from inside. He was... innocent, pure, good-willed. All the qualities she was not. He was ever forward-looking, ever positive and encouraging. It was... oddly refreshing. He was almost a complete opposite to his past NPC self. Was it the effect of transforming into a hybrid? Kou did not know, but what she did know was that Rei was... interesting. The views he held were varied and he had times when he would stumble about, lost in his thoughts and worries. He was, in a sense, more 'human' than she ever was.
And she came to hate it.
The feelings that clawed at her from within. The unquenchable thirst for more. All of it were undesired. All of it were not required. All of it were useless. All must be removed.
"And so I will cut those feelings off."
The two traded multiple blows, using their weapons to clash against one another. Kou, unrelenting and unforgiving, pursued Moving swiftly like the wind and as gracefully as a flowing river, Kou spun her entire body around, bringing her large scythe in a full arc and brought it down on Rei. For Rei, his only weapon at present was his sword, Blue Gear, but it was a weapon that would suit his needs well. Pulling the trigger, his movements were sped up, allowing him to deflect the blow from Kou. But Kou was not only fast, she was strong. The weight of her blow was more than what Rei could muster his strength against. Flicking a small switch behind the trigger, he pulled the trigger once more, and suddenly he managed to find enough power to push off Kou. Kou jumped back, showing no hint of surprise at Rei's sudden changes in his fighting abilities.
"... Blue Gear... the perfect weapon of order."
Kou muttered, swinging her scythe down.
"You know of it?"
"... Musashi did tell me... that it would be his... greatest work."
Blue gear was more than Musashi's greatest work. It was a weapon that was integrated as part of the Afterlife as a whole. Born from the purest of essences Musashi could get a hold on, it was pure and free from the madness that had plagued this World. It was a weapon made for the 'perfect' being, a weapon made for one purpose, the right the wrongs done so by madness. Shaped into a long straight single edged blade, it was comparable to a katana in its durability and cutting strength though longer by ten centimetres and being straight, rather than curved. It had a trigger on the handle under the guard of the blade which would trigger off its special abilities. The weapon's special ability lay in the pommel end of its hilt. The pommel was thicker than normal katana pommels and had two latches above one another.
Opening the first latch would flip the top portion of the pommel open, revealing two large circular holes that would fit in two rounds of specially made bullets, each half the size of a shotgun round. The second latch would reveal a full chamber for a pistol sized magazine to be fit inside. The magazine type of rounds would increase the speed of Rei's swing drastically at the cost of power for each time the trigger is pulled. The individual rounds would increase the strength of the swing while being harder to swing, with each round able to be increase the strength of the swing for a full five seconds. The 'power' round and the 'speed' round, these were the secret abilities of Blue Gear, but the 'speed' round could not be used during the time the 'power' round is in effect. However, these things were merely the abilities of the weapon... not its true power. Blue gear was a weapon that would erase any corruption, to purify any evil. It was a weapon that was akin to 'God', if such a being did exist in this World.
"So come... 'perfection'... and see if you can right my 'corruption'."
Kou charged at Rei once more. Kou swung her weapon without hesitation, clear on her intent to kill him. To kill the cause of her doubts. To sever the last connection she had to being human. She did not need to be human. She was a weapon. A weapon that served its purpose. A weapon that was covered in blood without a sheath. A weapon with no more purpose. A weapon that will turn on everything around her. And she would bare her fangs against the man she came to love.
"Why? Why must we fight?"
Rei demanded to know, even as he continued to dodge the swings of Kou's attacks.
"Because it is necessary."
Kou answered, swinging her scythe down and smashing it into the ground, creating a large crater with her attack. Each of Kou's attacks were filled with raw power and emotion. She threw her scythe at him, making it spin wildly as it flew towards him. He jumped to one side but was greeted by Kou, who drew her two katana and slashed straight at him. The twin katana of Kurogane Kou. Kurenai and Hikari. The twin swords of two lovers of tragedy. One destined to be soaked red in blood for vengeance, the other losing its shine to the rust of time. One had its owner consumed and destroyed, the other made to bear the weight of sadness of loss.
They were swords made by a smith who had hoped for them to be the way to clear doubts, for two lovers bound together by the threads of misfortune to find a way to cut through all that stood before them. But the smith was mistaken, for he could not make a blade to cut through the fate would befall them. In his despair, the smith swore to ensure that he would give his all to create a single blade that would undo this madness. To repent for his mistakes he would put in all he had into one blade, the one weapon that would change not only the sorrowful tale of the two lost lovers, but to change the entire fate of the World. The sword to challenge the sad fate of the twin swords. Blue Gear.
"We... were always standing at opposite ends... of the same field."
Kou threw a flurry of thrusts and swings at him, but Rei kept jumping aside to dodge each attack or using his sword to guard against any that he could not avoid. Kou's movements were familiar to Rei, the type of movements made by other dual wielding sword practitioners in the SSS2. Rei knew that Kou was the type of person who could 'copy' the movements of other people perfectly, essentially becoming a 'mirror' but her body is unable to cope with such movements for long. To most who knew of Kurogane Kou, she was a 'glass-cannon', someone who had explosive and all-powerful attacks, but had pure endurance and an even poorer mental stability. But she was still a powerful person, undoubtedly the strongest in the SSS2, and someone who would stop at nothing to see her goals through. With Kou's attacks getting more sluggish as they went on, Rei knew that it would be a matter of time before-
"You think too soon."
Kou muttered, flipping both swords in her hands and stabbing them down into the ground. She grabbed a barely visible string from her belt and pulled it hard. From where it landed, her large scythe flew back to her hand and now with her scythe, Kou swung it at him again, continuing her aggressive attacks. No one else in the organisation used scythes and Kou was the only person who could. It is unknown how she managed to learn to use it but no one really questioned it. She got the job done with such a weapon so whatever she was doing with it certainly works. However to Rei that was a different story. In fact, he would rather it not work at all. Swing after swing, he dodged or parried, each attack that came at him varied differently from the last. Her swing could be slow but powerful, then fast but in poor aim, and then powerful once again. And while her attacks did vary, her movements did not.
Kou was a powerful fighter, no one could doubt that, and part of the reason why people respect her was because she was powerful and graceful at the same time. A graceful murderer who paints the canvases red. Her graceful movements and serene like beauty were almost too distracting for Rei to focus completely. It almost came to the point where Rei did not mind getting hit by Kou's attack at all. Of course, that would be bad for him. Getting hit by Kou's attack was no laughing matter. He could get pulverised and disintegrated into specks of pixels if he wasn't careful. But there was one thing that bothered Rei. It was what Kou had said. She said that she had gained one more regret when she had supposedly thrown away all others. Her regret was falling in love with him. But why?
"Because you were always there."
Kou muttered, swinging down her weapon but missed and causing another hole in the ground.
"No matter where... no matter when... you were always there... you saved me when I was consumed... you watched over me through the days after... you were always there to protect me."
Those days were long gone, the days when he was still a complete NPC. He remembered that he had an interest in Kou, and that interest was so strong it stayed with him despite him becoming a hybrid. In fact, it not only stayed with him, it grew. It became a feeling he could not ignore.
"And you... appeared before me in the SSS2... you became someone else... but still you... you still tried to protect me... despite your position."
His position? As a low ranked Wolf?
"And you... even said some... weird stuff."
That day in the classroom.
"GAH! THAT'S TOO EMBARASSING! Please forget all about that!"
"I won't."
Kou answered simply.
"Huh?"
Kou stopped in her attacks and stood there, grabbing onto her own chest.
"... I won't forget... because to me... that day... those words... are too important... to forget."
Kou looked at Rei, her eyes showing something he thought he would never see. A tear?
"These... feelings... that I must cut... they can never be pushed... they can never be covered... why... why do they exist? ... Why do they keep appearing? ... Why must you keep appearing before me? ... Why... WHY?!"
Kou suddenly burst out shouting, surprising Rei. Kou was.. shouting? And with such powerful emotions.
"WHY? ! WHY DO THESE THINGS KEEP COMING TO ME? ! THE MORE I TRY TO PUSH THEM BACK THE STRONGER THEY COME AT ME! WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, ALL I SEE IS YOU! WHEN I HEAR YOUR VOICE IT MAKES ME WEAK! ALL THOSE NIGHTS BECAME COLD AND LONELY! ALL LONGING FOR YOU TO BE NEXT TO ME! WHY MUST I FEEL SUCH THINGS? ! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF I HAD NEVER KNEW OF SUCH THINGS!"
Kou screamed, tears streaming down from her eyes as her own emotions and thoughts were thrown into mass confusion.
"WHY MUST I BE HAVING DOUBTS WITHIN ME? ! YOU WERE MY ENEMY! YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE HERE! YET WHY MUST I HAVE SUCH STRONG FEELINGS FOR YOU? ! I DON'T UNDERSTAND! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MUST I FEEL SUCH PAIN WITHIN ME! WHY? ! ... Why... Why must I fall in love... with you?"
Kou cried, looking up to Rei. Her face showing her anguish over this.
"Of all people... Why...why you? ... why must it be you?"
Rei did not know this side of Kou. He knew she was frail inside, that despite her strong and cold exterior she was still a girl on the inside.
"Kou.."
He wanted to go over to her but Kou raised her scythe, pointing it at him.
"Do not... come close..."
Kou warned, but her expressions do not match her words as Rei had never seen such a sad smile like hers.
"Our... this... 'love'... cannot exist..."
"It... 'cannot exist'?"
Rei did not understand why she said that.
"You... the ideal form of humanity... the representation of Order... and I... the devil of destruction... the pure form of Chaos... We cannot exist without the other... what defines us... But even if we cannot survive without one another... we can never be together."
What Kou said made something in Rei snap.
"We can be together!"
He shouted.
"For Chaos must always go in hand with Order! Or are you saying that as Chaos, you are choosing to abide by the rules of your own definition?"
"..."
Kou looked at Rei in silence. Chaos is defined by being the opposite of Order. If Order does not exist, there is no way to define what is Chaos. And yet Chaos, by its very definition of the word, is something that does not go along the rules set in place. To be Chaos is to break the rules, and yet Kou believed herself unable to break the rule that Chaos and Order cannot be together.
"... That... is a paradoxical contradiction..."
Kou finally said with a slight smile.
"But... the fact remains... that we stand at the opposite ends... of the same field... Really... why did it have to be you?"
Kou asked once more before she tapped her scythe on the floor.
[Program: Initialized]
[Corruption level: 1000%]
[Engaging DEMON protocol]
"I am the Purest of Sins
I am the raw emotion of nature,
the blood within the veins of life.
I am the blade of evil,
And the hatred inflicted upon all.
I am the reaper,
Sweeping across the land and devouring all.
I stand as the mighty sword,
poised above to strike down at any time.
I am born from hate,
The bare natural state of the World.
I destroy Worlds,
kill species,
burn lands.
No matter where,
no matter how,
you can never escape my grasp.
I am the hatred,
I am the spite.
I am the loss of reason.
I am the vengeance that will not be denied.
I am the dark voice that makes all lose their sanity.
I sit upon my blood covered throne of thorns,
Baring my fangs to any who dare to approach.
I am the darkness that lies in wait within the Shadows.
I am the undeniable driving force of Wars.
The start of Wars,
The end of Wars,
The sole lingering survivor of Wars.
The weight of my presence will be carried throughout all generations.
Hate from parent,
Pass to child,
Then to grandchild,
I shall taint all without fail.
The blade to strike at the weakness of all.
I am the finger that accuses others,
Bringing even the best of friends to be bitter enemies.
I can rally nations,
And get them to fight over nothing.
The Chaos in physical form,
I am the Devil who stands opposed to anything.
Anger is my calling.
Violence is my creed.
Hear my name and know what you face,
I am Satan,
I am Ira,
I am
.
.
.
Wrath."
[Satan; Activate]
[Boss Fight]
[Incarnation of Wrath: Satan]
[Kurogane Kou]
[CHAOS; Activated]
[SATAN equipped]
[Alignment: Chaotic Evil]
[Level: 1000
HP: 1000000000000000
MP: 1000000000000000
Strength: EX
Agility: EX
Endurance: SSS
Luck: EX]
[Weapons List:
- Kurenai (Rank SS)
- Hikari (Rank SS)
- Scythe of the Reaper (Rank SSS)
- Blade of Bahamut (Rank SSS)
- ? ? ? ( ? ) ]
"... Let us end this..."