AN: I want to wish everyone a heartfelt Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Sorry for the lack of updates. I plan to write lots more in 2019, hope to see you all there.
CHAPTER 04: Brought here to die
His name is Shizuya Kirihara, a boy of average height with short dark red hair with long bangs that framed his face and covered his forehead. He's a C-Rank Blazer who was nicknamed the "Hunter" and his abilities are mostly specialized for stealth. In the previous year he was Ikki's classmate and Hagun's representative in the Seven Star Sword Arts Festival.
Apparently he was in the area where he happened upon the mall crisis and after identifying himself as a Blazer and a Mage-knight in training to the police, they requested him to infiltrate the mall for them.
It was obvious to Ikki and his friends that Kirihara found the unconscious guards when he got in and then returned to inform the police. This probably prompted the Special Assault Team to make their move. But Shizuya made it sound like he was the one responsible for taking out the guards and they knew that was not the case but the group of female admirers that trailed behind him remained ignorant and swooned as he told his tale.
"Weren't you scared Kirihara-kun?" asked one of them.
"Kirihara-sama, You're so cool!" squealed another.
Kirihara casually shrugged with a smug grin.
"Heh, it's nothing. Someone had to bail these guys out that mess. Not everyone can stay cool under pressure."
Stella and Shizuku glowered at the braggart, neither of them being able to stand his pompous attitude; it was something that they for once agreed on. But unlike Shizuku, Stella's tolerance had reached its limit and she marched towards him in ire.
"That's enough! You weren't even there when the guards were taken out! All of that was a lie and you know it!" she snapped.
Kirihara didn't pay heed to her words and simply looked her up and down before smirking towards Ikki who was behind her.
"Your lady-friend is quite feisty, Kurogane. But heaven knows what she sees in pitiful weakling like you."
Stella growled, her fiery aura already radiating and was a moment away from summoning Laevateinn.
"You take that back, you conceited arrogant son of a-!"
But she was halted when Ikki put a hand on her shoulder.
"Stella, it's okay."
She shrugged his hand off and spun towards him.
"No, it's not okay! I'm not going to stand here and let him insult you like that!"
Kirihara couldn't help but laugh at the whole group. He pretty much knew about the princess's defeat against Kurogane and their little "arrangement" but wasn't able to fathom how the F-rank Blazer was able to gain such loyalty.
"Sounds like you got them wrapped around your little finger, Kurogane. Do they even know about the time you ran like a dog because you were afraid of the ass-whooping I was about to give you?"
Seeing Stella's eyes widen and Ikki's lack of response made Kirihara's grin grow even more.
"You didn't tell them, did you?"
"Ikki, what is he talking about?" asked Stella.
But Kurogane still kept quiet and even after studying his face, Stella wasn't able to read his expression.
"Hah! Some knight you are. In fact, I heard you couldn't even save your princess and had to rely on some tokusatsu-reject to do it for you!" Kirihara guffawed.
These words managed to get a reaction out of Ikki and the young boy drifted his gaze downwards like he was disappointed in himself. He tried not to let Kirihara's barbs get to him but this one did. Despite being thankful for the masked vigilante helping them, the very fact that he wasn't able to do anything or be there for Stella began to gnaw at his confidence.
Stella immediately fired back with renewed anger and a scornful point of her finger.
"That man was a hero, not a reject! And Ikki is ten times the knight you'll ever be!"
"I guess we'll see for ourselves won't we?" Kirihara chuckled coolly.
"What do you mean?" asked Ikki.
"Check your email, genius."
Ikki took out his phone and did just that. Right away he noticed the notification about an unread email in his inbox. His eyes widened after tapping on the mail and reading the contents; it was from the Selection Battle committee and it stated that his first opponent will be Shizuya Kirihara!
His mind spun at this. The Selection Battles were his best chance at participating at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival and his first official match was against Kirihara, someone he wasn't sure he could beat.
"That's right." Kirihara said haughtily. "I'm your first opponent! The date hasn't been set because of today's incident so that gives you another chance to turn tail and run."
He turned his back to them with the intention of walking away but looked back with a toothy grin.
"But if you do decide to face me, I'd tell you to bring your A-game but we all know you'll never be higher than F."
With that, Kirihara made his leave while laughing as his female admirers followed him. Stella and Shizuku fumed while Nagi simply remained quiet and rubbed his chin in thought. As for Ikki, the young boy's mind was heavy with conflicted emotions and he could feel worry and doubt beginning to grip him.
It had been a long day for Kurono Shinguuji but she was pleased that the hostage crisis at the mall was resolved with no casualties and that the perpetrators were taken into police custody. She was proud of Ikki and the others for handling the situation but she certainly never expected a costumed vigilante to be thrown into the mix; such a bizarre twist of events.
She had just gotten off the phone with the Superintendent-General who had thanked her for the assist and invited her for some drinks. She normally would've accepted but declined this time; her husband, Takumi, was currently away visiting family in Okinawa so she really wanted to get home to her son. Although Ayato didn't inherit her Blazer abilities, he was quite a capable and headstrong young boy but that didn't stop her from doting on him like how a mother would.
By the time she finished her remaining paperwork, it was already getting dark and was about lock up her office when suddenly her phone rang.
Kurono first thought it was Nene, Yuuri or another member of Hagun's staff but the caller ID was an unknown number. She guessed maybe it was someone from the police, probably wanting to corroborate Ikki's statements. But why? she already took care of the necessary formalities with the Superintendent.
"Hello?" she answered.
A hard raspy voice came from the other end.
"It's been a while, Shinguuji. Do you remember me?"
Kurono smirked, how could she forget. His name is Masaru Iwadare, a seasoned Mage-Knight who was part of Hagun's teaching staff last year, the time when Ikki first joined Hagun. The Kurogane family, hell-bent on halting Ikki's progress, bribed several staff members to fail him as well as make his life difficult and the most abusive of those teachers was Iwadare who was known to be particularly violent and unstable. During a training session, his violence against Ikki increased ten fold when Ikki managed to defeat him; Yuuri often recounted to her that it was a miracle that Ikki survived. Ikki's resolve to keep pushing forward won her admiration.
The first thing Kurono did after assuming her role as Director was dismiss those bribed staff members, particularly Iwadare. Needless to say, he didn't take being let go too well.
"Iwadare." she addressed as she casually lit herself a cigarette. "I was wondering when I'd hear from you. I take it that you're the one behind the e-mails. I don't care much for threats but if you have the balls to challenge me in person, I'll be happy to settle whatever insecurity issue you have."
It would seem that her little taunt did the job she intended as she could hear Iwadare's teeth grind and almost feel his anger radiate through the phone when he snapped at her.
"Don't talk to me about insecurity, you bitch! You not only took away my job but you made sure I couldn't find work elsewhere!"
"You nearly killed a student!"
"I was preserving the pecking order! If a runt doesn't know his place, what does that say for the rest of society!? Might makes right in this world!"
"Is that why you won't face me?" Kurono asked with a smug grin.
There was no immediate response from the other end and Kurono felt satisfaction from making him bite his tongue. She knew he was all bark and wouldn't have the guts to face her. He may have been strong in his own right but she was a class beyond his own.
Surprisingly, Iwadare chuckled before responding.
"Heh. I'm not stupid, Shinguuji. I know in a fair fight, you'd probably beat me. But I'm not looking to beat you, I want to destroy you just like how you destroyed my life!"
Kurono rolled her eyes at the man's raving but then things took a frightening turn for her.
"Now, I'm going to put someone on the line, someone who's been DYING to say hello."
Kurono could hear shuffling sounds from the other end but that wasn't all, in that moment she also picked up a faint noise of breathing and a whimper; the pace of her heart picked up and a sick feeling crept up on her.
"Mom!? Help!"
Her eyes enlarged and the cigarette that was confidently secured with her lips now slipped and fell to the floor.
"Ayato!?" she cried in alarm.
"Ah! Let go of me, you asshole!"
She then heard rushed movements followed by the sound of someone being hit. Immediately she felt a lead weight in her stomach and the cool laid-back persona of Kurono Shinguuji began to crumble. Iwadare's voice returned to the line.
"I'll make this simple for you to understand, Shinguuji! Play by my rules or I'll squish the brat's head like a grape!"
Anger washed over her and the urge to riddle the man full of holes with her two handguns rose within her. But she bit down on that urge knowing that expressing hostility wasn't going to ensure her son's safety. And so she instead crushed the dropped cigarette violently with her heel as she spoke calmly with a dangerous edge.
"What do you do want?"
Iwadare chuckled and though she couldn't see him, she could just imagine him grinning in satisfaction.
"Glad we're on the same page. There's a park near Shibuya that's currently closed down, do you know it?"
"I do."
"Good girl. Be here within the next hour and this goes without saying but if I see the police or anyone else from Hagun even approach this place, the boy is dead! Don't keep me waiting!"
And with that, he hung up. Kurono stilled her urge to destroy her phone and instead marched out of her office with a murderous expression. Never before did anyone push her emotions since her first encounter with Nene. The only difference being that she wasn't sure she could leave her enemy alive this time.
"Now what?" was the predominant question he asked himself.
Two hours after the mall incident and he can still see the footage of his "grand exit" broadcasted all over the country. And though he had a few ideas what his next move could be, none of them were sound.
And there was another problem: his presence on TV will probably mean that SHE was now aware that he's here, assuming that the girl with purple hair is even in this world in the first place. It also probably meant that he would need to redouble his efforts to find her but with so little to go on, he was beginning to doubt if it was even possible.
He stood at the edge atop of a building, surveying the sights around him as his cape billowed in the wind. Tokyo looked like a lit up Christmas tree at night, bedecked with neon lights and jumbo-trons. It was just as lively at dark as much as it was in the daytime but although he found it endearing, to him it was certainly no Gotham and he was already beginning to miss the gargoyles.
Batman sighed as he thought of his city, his mind bombarded with concern and worry. What was happening there since he was gone? Have the active mobs taken advantage of his absence? What if one of the Arkham inmates like Crane and Dent had broken out? Is Gordon alright? Is Alfred alright?
As much as he didn't want to admit it, the fear of being stuck here forever was plaguing his mind and he was beginning to grow desperate.
His thoughts were interrupted as static and radio chatter suddenly screeched in his ear, making him grunt in annoyance.
"Receiver's acting up. I'll have to re-tune."
Due to his ears being covered by his cowl, the inbuilt earpiece allowed him to hear his surroundings with clarity. But it also had other functions: aside from acting as his comm-link and a police scanner, it also utilized a tool in his gauntlet that worked like a parabolic microphone which allowed him to eavesdrop on distant conversations. He remembered Lucius Fox often joking that he was putting lot of trust in Bruce to not point that thing where he shouldn't.
A panel opened on his gauntlet to reveal an LCD screen displaying various touch-screen interfaces, numbers and an erratic waveform. He tinkered with different configurations as various radio transmissions cycled through the listening device until he was satisfied. With the panel still open, he decided that he might as well test out the other functions.
It was then when his earpiece picked up something unexpected.
"...I know in a fair fight, you'd probably beat me. But I'm not looking to beat you, I want to destroy you just like how you destroyed my life!"
It definitely got his attention and he looked to see that the directional mic happened to be pointing towards the park below where next to the central fountain was a man was yelling with much malice over his phone.
"Not exactly a pleasant conversation." Batman murmured.
It could mean absolutely nothing but he felt that he'd better be sure and used his cowl lenses to zoom in on the scene.
The man was large and quite muscular with short spiky white hair and a goatee. Other notable characteristics were his sharp and narrow purple eyes, one of which had a nasty looking scar that ran over it and parted his eyebrow. The individual looked like he was previously agitated but at that moment he flashed a cruel grin as he spoke to his phone.
"Now, I'm going to put someone on the line, someone who's been DYING to say hello."
It was something that previously escaped Batman's notice but now that he looked, he became aware that there was a small figure on the bench next the large man. Grabbed by the scruff on the neck, the figure was dragged it into view to reveal a small boy with back hair and dark brown eyes. The boy's arms and legs were bound by rope but it didn't stop him from trying to break free from the man's grip while calling towards the phone.
"Mom!? Help! Ah! Let go of me, you asshole!"
The boy struggled against the man's grip but was then suddenly released and backhanded against the face, sending him to the ground. With the boy silenced, the large man turned his attention back to his phone.
"I'll make this simple for you to understand, Shinguuji! play by my rules or I'll squish the brat's head like a grape!"
Batman's eyes narrowed. The situation was certainly simple enough for HIM to understand that he need to put a stop to this! Wasting no time, he leapt of the edge and spread his cape into its glide-mode.
Ayato glared defiantly at his captor as a bruise began to form on the side of his cheek. Luckily for him, the fall he took loosened the bonds on his hands a little and wouldn't be hard for him to undo them but it would take time and he had to do it without notice.
"Just you wait. My mom's a powerful Blazer and she's gonna kick your ass!" Ayato barked.
Iwadare chuckled with amusement.
"Aw how cute, he thinks his mommy's gonna to save him. Too bad she can't do shit as long as I have you!"
He then knelt in front of the boy so his eyes were leveled with his. He spoke slow and dangerously while a cruel smile.
"And when she gets here, I'll show you what real power is. I'll break her into pieces...and I'll make you watch!"
Ayato didn't respond but simply held his hateful glare. It was then when Iwadare's eyes flicked sideways as if he noticed something before he stood while smirking.
"In fact, I think I'll give you a demonstration."
With that, he tightened his fists as an orange glow appeared around his knuckles, readying to summon his device.
"Bury my foes, Terra Ferox!"
He slammed his fists together and the orange glow spread through his forearms, materializing into a pair of oversized gauntlets made of metal and stone. Iwadare reared back a fist and it at first looked like he was aiming a punch and Ayato. The boy shrank back instinctively expecting the attack but surprisingly, the large man instead spun the opposite direction and punched hard on the ground.
The impact pushes up a slab of earth followed by a bigger one and then another bigger one and so on, essentially creating a "wave" of upheaved rocks that sped towards the trees that he was facing. Just before it collided with the ill-fated foliage Batman jumped out his hiding spot and shielded himself from the explosion of dust and rock.
The Dark Knight was angry that he lost the element of surprise and figured that Iwadare somehow sensed his presence. It was unfortunate but he felt that there was no point fretting about it and readied himself for battle.
"Well Lookie here, I just flushed out a party crasher!" Iwadare laughed.
Not far from the park and atop of a building was a figure wearing a dark tactical style body suit with metallic plates. A large square-shaped telescopic lens extended, focusing on where Batman and Iwadare was while displaying graphical values within the viewfinder. The person took his sight from the bulky angular looking camera and tapped on his comm-link.
"I have the target in sight. Subject appears in be in hostile situation."
From two other locations were similarly dressed individuals, each with the same kind of contraption.
"Data-cam two and three are also in position." one of them reported.
"We have visual. Combat scenario seem likely, advise to hold positions." came a woman's voice over their radio.
The three field agents did so and through their viewfinder they could see graphical boxes surround their targets accompanied by fluctuating numbers.
"Mana readings optimal." one of them confirmed. "Control, how's the stream?"
The room receiving the communication was dim with two rows of computer workstations and a large overhead screen. Like a captain of a ship, Maya stood overseeing the personnels tapping furiously on their keyboards as three camera feeds were being displayed on the large screen simultaneously. Normally Data-Cams and setups like these were used in sponsored tournaments so it was a little unusual for them to be utilized in covert operations. After a quick assessment, Maya responded to the field agents via a Bluetooth headset she was wearing.
"Data's coming in nicely, keep it up and stand by for further instructions." Maya commanded.
Just then, a bespectacled man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail walked into the room and pulled a chair to sit. Maya was surprised by his sudden appearance.
"Professor! I didn't expect you to be joining us."
The professor smiled but Maya could tell that he was trying to hide his child-like excitement.
"Of course I'd be here, Maya. I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
At time Ayato and Iwadare weren't aware of the Dark Knight's presence on the news so for them seeing the man in the strange costume was a quite surprising. Ayato in particular was rendered speechless and thought that the man looked like a character from one of those old animes and mangas that his grandad was into. He wondered for a moment whether or not the man was friend or foe but then realized that with Iwadare's attention elsewhere, he had an opportunity to try and escape and so continued to loosen the ropes as he watched the confrontation between the two men.
"Step away from the boy. I won't ask twice!" Batman growled.
Iwadare fixed the interloper with an incredulous gaze before flashing a toothy grin.
"Little man, who the hell do think you are? Think you wearing some ridiculous getup is gonna scare me!?" he laughed.
The large man jabbed the thick rocky thumb of one his gauntlets proudly against his chest.
"Do you know who I am? I'm Masaru Iwadare! Some folks call me 'The Crusher'!"
"Hm, Original." the Dark Knight muttered with sarcasm.
Iwadare dropped his cocky persona and then his purple eyes narrowed, studying the stranger with scrutiny while stroking his goatee.
"Huh, I don't sense a shred of magic in you. I'm expecting someone and don't have any time to waste on some masked freak so I'll give you one chance to walk away and pretend you saw nothing!"
Batman only remained quiet and stood his ground. Both Iwadare's jaw and fists clenched tightly as he snorted like an enraged bull.
"Fine. Look's like I have another runt TO PUT IN HIS PLACE!"
With that roar of declaration, Iwadare charged forward with a fist reared back. Batman reacted immediately by jumping out of the way before the fist came crashing down and cratered the ground where he stood but he wasn't given any pause as Iwadare quickly followed up with an uppercut which Batman barely avoided.
The Dark Knight's mind spun as he took his fighting stance. He could see that this Blazer was capable of Geokinesis and was nothing like Bishou, not someone who tailored their magic towards baiting and countering but someone who was purely offensive. He had faced two other Blazers before but a foe like this was a totally different ballgame. Still, he knew there was a way to defeat him, he just needed to be careful and strike when the opportunity arrived.
"They've engaged in combat, sir." Maya stated.
"How fortunate!" the professor remarked with glee. "This is a much better situation for empirical study than any test we'd have to perform."
Maya then looked over one of the personnel's shoulder towards the workstation monitor screen.
"How's it looking?" she asked.
The personnel, a woman with red hair looked back and responded.
"There's an adequate flow of mana emanating from the aggressor."
"And the subject?" the professor asked excitedly.
But to his disappointment, the personnel shook her head.
"Negative, sir. We're reading zero values."
His shoulders slumped and the hopeful energy he had dissipated as he leaned back on his seat with a furrowed brow.
"Maybe..." he murmured. "Maybe this whole thing was a waste of time."
For Maya, it was disheartening for her to see the professor like this. A lot could be said about him but she knew he was one of the most passionate individuals she ever met and it was that passion that drew people to him and this project. After months of setbacks and failures, she could see that the appearance of the vigilante had intensified the small shred of hope in him but she wasn't certain why and wondered what was it about Nishimori's story that filled him with expectations.
"Professor..."
He could feel the rush of air on his exposed face when he bobbed and weaved away from every blow that Iwadare threw at him. From the sheer force of those punches, Batman couldn't help but compare his opponent to Bane and guessed that the former probably hits a lot harder but he sure as hell wasn't going to stand still to find out and so kept himself on the defensive.
Iwadare's agitation grew with every missed punch. Even after throwing a flurry of fists, the Dark Knight still somehow managed to evade him.
"How long are you going keep dodging?! Stop being a coward and fight!" he snapped.
In frustration, Blazer followed up with a sudden cross which Batman ducked under, allowing him the perfect opportunity to strike back.
"Since you asked nicely..."
Batman said plainly as he launched a series rapid strikes to his opponent's abdomen and ribs. The sudden flurry left Iwadare winded and the vigilante leapt up slightly to deliver an overhand to the back of his head, forcing him to stagger forward and allowing Batman to finish with a hard haymaker that knocked him to the ground.
"Think I haven't fought anyone like you before?" the Dark Knight growled, his eyes narrowed into dangerous white slits.
"I know your type." he stated. "You think power and strength alone puts you above others. Honestly, You're no different from any other random punk from the streets."
Iwadare pushed himself up and rocked his jaw side to side as if setting it back into place before spitting at the ground and standing up.
"Little man, You have no idea how things work around here, do you?" the Blazer chuckled.
He said so with a look of intrigue and then his lips stretched into a wild grin filled with malice.
"You got moves, I'll give you that but there's a good reason why Non-Blazers have no business challenging a high ranking Blazer like myself. Let me show you."
As he spoke, Terra Ferox began to glow orange as its welder slammed them together in a defensive cross-arm position.
"Gaia Armor!"
The activation of the Noble Art materialized several floating rock fragments around him which began to clump and assemble around him like a jigsaw puzzle to form a rocky suit of armor. There was even a helmet and a face-mask that formed around his head and levitated into place.
Batman was at first taken aback by such a sight. Despite witnessing feats of magic earlier, the whole idea of it was still something he needed to be accustomed to.
Pushing away his surprise, he charged headlong and just as he approached Iwadare, he swerved away from straight punch aimed towards him. Batman immediately struck at every potential weak point he targeted with enough force that he knew could crack concrete but there was no crack, not even a chip.
He jumped out the way from a back handed swing and put some distance between them but he wasn't given pause as Iwadare sprinted towards him with agility he would've never expected from a person in bulky armor; he would later admit to himself that he underestimated how magic could defy the physical norms of the universe.
Thinking fast, he threw down a smoke bomb in front of his opponent and vaulted over him just as he tore through the smoke. While he was in mid-air, he brandished two batarangs and flung them towards Iwadare but the projectiles simply bounced off the Blazer's armor.
He touched down some distance away and though he couldn't see his face, he had a feeling that Iwadare was smirking behind the face mask. At this point he knew he was being toyed with.
It was apparent to Batman that Iwadare's armor was not only incredibly tough but didn't impede his movement in the slightest. He briefly lamented that the sticky bomb he had used earlier would've come in handy in this situation, or any of his heavy arsenal for that matter. All he currently had was three smoke bombs and a couple of batarangs. Needless to say, he was at a severe disadvantage when it came to strength and durability. However, he did remember that Iwadare had a scar over his eye and looking at the armor again, he noticed that there was a glaring and obvious weakness. It couldn't be THAT simple, could it?
Regardless, he felt that there was no better time to test out this hypothesis and so he put his plan into action.
He took out two of his remaining smoke bombs and chucked them and Iwadare, engulfing the Blazer's peripheral in thick smoke.
Iwadare quirked a brow at this, wondering what that freak was up to now, was he trying to run away again? He was about the charge through the smoke and not give him that chance when suddenly a batarang whizzed past the smoke towards him. He swatted it away but then he had to swat away another coming from a different direction and then another and another. Just as his swatted the last one, he felt a presence rushing to flank him and realized in that short moment that the costumed person must've arced his projectiles through the smoke screen to confuse him.
He whirled around to see Batman leaping up, shadows obscuring him with his cape billowing, hurling another batarang which this time was aimed directly for Iwadare's eye.
Unfortunately, the Blazer's reflexes were too quick and he parried the projectile with one arm and then seized Batman by the neck with the other.
"Ah, ah, ah." he tutted. "I see what you were trying to do. Somebody already tried that trick with me and I don't fall for the same trick twice!"
With that statement, Iwadare chokeslammed the vigilante hard against the ground. Batman gritted his teeth and grunted from the impact but the Blazer wasn't done; he leapt into air, intending to slam both his fists into his victim. Batman's eyes widened, knowing he wouldn't be able to roll out of the way from such an attack and so with a quick thought he brandished his Grapple gun and fired a line towards one of the trees and retracted to quickly pull himself out harm's way.
When Iwadare's fist struck the earth, it created a shockwave that made Batman tumble a bit as he was pulled away but he quickly rolled himself into a crouching position.
The Dark Knight's eyes narrowed and his breathing picked up pace as well as his thoughts. This wasn't good. As much as he hated to admit it, he was running out of options. His opponent was an armored geomancer and he figured that the only way he'd stand a chance right now was to somehow change the playing field but he couldn't forget about the boy.
His eyes momentarily flicked towards the kidnapped child and he mentally reaffirmed that his priority should be to rescue him rather than focusing on winning this fight. He had one smoke bomb left and planned to use it to distract Iwadare, then make a run for the kid and use the grapple line to take him to safety. But before he could put that plan into motion, a familiar and overwhelming painful sensation gripped him like a steel trap and he almost buckled.
"Damnit!" he thought with clenched teeth. "Not again..."
He tried to fight against it and push himself up but something held him back. There was a different accompanying sensation like something constricting him. He looked towards his own body and his eyes enlarged. It flashed before his sight for just a moment but he saw it: black iron rings, steel chains wrapped around his limbs like snakes, binding his movements.
"What the hell!?"
"Subject's movements appear restricted." one of the personnels announced.
The professor was already up from his seat seeing the development, the fact that the subject looked like he was in agony didn't escape his attention and he recalled the story that Nishimori told them: about what happened when the costumed man grabbed the sword. Could this be related?
"Professor, look at this." called out Maya as she pointed towards one of the workstation monitors.
He did and his eyes tapered a little. In front of him were Mana readings of the subject, all zero values as established earlier until just a few seconds ago. There was a massive spike of magic and then just like that it dropped back to zero followed by the flat line that preceded it.
"Could this be an anomaly?" he asked.
Maya was quiet for a while and tapped her cheek in thought.
"It's possible that outside interference can result in faulty readings." she concluded.
The professor pushed his glasses up, the light from the monitor reflected on the lenses and obscured his eyes but not his frown. He remained still with an unreadable expression as he set his sights on the large monitor screen. The subject's dulled movement, he had witnessed something like this among Blazers before and it normally resulted in one of two things.
"Do you know about the nature of fate, Maya?"
Maya blinked in confusion wondering why he asked something like that all of a sudden. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat as answered.
"Of course. As you've said many times in your lectures, it is the source of a Blazer's magic. Magic is a power that changes the world beyond reason, the power of fate itself guided by the wielder's will. It's what separates a Blazer from a Non-Blazer and the basis of the Mage-Knight System. Because the fate of a Blazer been decided long before they are even born."
He nodded slightly with his eyes see glued to the screen.
"I wonder..." he murmured.
Although the wave of pain had passed, he still felt constricted and could even faintly hear the slight clang as he fought against the invisible restraints. "What the hell ARE these things!? "What's going on!?" were the questions abuzz in his mind. And then, as if something otherworldly decided to answer him, a strange idea formed. Was it because he had no chance of winning? Are these chains his..."fate"?
"Bullshit!" he internally protested. "I don't believe in fate!"
He didn't know where such a thought came from or why this craziness was happening but through his struggles he was able to push himself up slightly. Unfortunately, Iwadare had taken advantage of his momentary disability and punted him with enough force to send him on his back.
Not sparing him any time to recover, Iwadare slammed his fist into the Dark Knight's torso, then slammed his other and then repeatedly began punching him. Each blow felt like being hit with sledgehammer that was trying to drive in him into the earth but luckily the Batsuit's body armor did its job of dampening the impacts. However, the armor plates weren't designed to take this kind of abuse and were beginning to crack as Batman felt the trauma ripple through his body.
Iwadare wasn't done, he reared his fist back and activated another Noble Art.
"Ishinotsume!"
From the top of his fist grew a flat three-pronged blade like protrusion which he brought down and punctured through Batman's armor! Batman yelled in pain when it stabbed through the right side of his abdomen and then pulled out. His ears rang and his vision blurred as he instinctively held on to his wound and turned to his side.
Everyone's attention was on the large screen seeing vigilante sustain such a grievous injury. They could see that his attempt to push himself up while holding on the wound seemed to be in vain as blood leaked through his fingers and began to pool beneath him. For a short time the personnels were stunned but then relaxed into somber acceptance. This outcome was expected, they didn't understand why the professor was so interested in the costumed person. He obviously was not a Blazer, their readings said so; though he put up a decent fight, there was no way a Non-Blazer could survive a fight like this.
"Subject is loosing a lot of blood." one of them stated out loud.
The professor's shoulders slumped and sighed in discontent and defeat.
"How disappointing."
"Sir?" asked Maya.
He didn't respond, he simply sank back to his seat, interlocked his fingers and with his elbows on the armrest, raised those interwoven hands in front of his nose and lips. Maya could only see a frown of lament behind those glasses.
"I thought that maybe...he was brought here for some reason." he breathed. "For some higher purpose. To be the answer to our questions."
His eyes narrowed and his expression darkened.
"But no, it's apparent that he was only brought here to die."
With a pained grunt and clenched teeth bared, he shakily pushed himself up and managed to prop himself on one knee, ignoring his body screaming at him not to. A thin trail of blood streamed down the side of his mouth while the red cascade from his held wound was like a river with branches. Despite it all, his glare remained fixed on the armored Blazer in front of him.
"Tch. Persistent little shit, aren't you? Just die already!" Iwadare said apathetically.
Iwadare raised his fist to deliver the finishing blow when suddenly something hit and bounced off his rocky helmet.
He looked towards the object to find that it was just a wooden stick, a sizable tree branch that was picked up from one of the damaged trees.
"Leave him alone, you Dickhead!"
Iwadare turned towards the voice and was surprised to see that it was Ayato. The boy had somehow untied himself and was the one who threw the piece of wood. Batman's eyes widened in alarm seeing the child.
"G-get out of here!" he tried calling out, the modulator failing to mask the hoarseness of his voice.
Iwadare gritted his teeth and sweated. Seeing the boy reminded him that Shinguuji was on still her way here, a fact that alarmed him. Kurono Shinguuji, then known as "World Clock" Kurono Takizawa, was a legend; an accomplished warrior who's victory over the Yaksha Princess was not only renowned in Japan but all over the world. She was rank third in the King of Knights A-League and would've excelled further if not for her decision to retire and start a family.
He plotted to use that weakness against her: take advantage over the fact that he held her son's safety in his hands. Even if she would've used her Time manipulation abilities, he would've had the boy buried in the ground up to his neck so she wouldn't be able to get to him.
But with the child now free, nothing would stop her from going all out. He would be good as dead. The masked freak was right, the kid should've ran when he had the chance.
He saw Ayato looking confused at the vigilante's words and took advantage of his momentary inattention. Striking the ground, he created a similar but smaller wave of earth like he had done earlier, it was much faster and strong enough to knock Ayato off his feet. Not wasting any time, he quickly closed the distance between them and trapped the boy's head within his large hand.
"Time..." he muttered at first. "Thanks to that horn-headed freak I'm running out of time!"
He could've made a getaway with Ayato in tow but instead a more sinister idea came to his mind, an idea that brought a sadistic glint in his eyes.
"But it's not too late to leave your mommy a headless souvenir to remember me by."
Ayato may have been headstrong till now but at that moment, the boy's visible eye between the Blazer's thick digits widened in fear as he felt them begin to tighten around him.
Seeing what was about to unfold, Batman tried to force himself up but again felt held back. When he glanced around his body he could see that he was again bound by those damnable black chains that seem to extend into nothingness. The environment around him began to fade and blacken and in his state of struggle, dreaded questions came to his mind: Was this it? Is this how it would end for him? Not in Gotham but in another world where the last thing he would do was helplessly watch another child meet a horrible fate like he once did?
"No!" he thought frantically. "I can't die here! Not when someone needs saving, Not when the mission isn't over!"
"Bruce, it's alright."
Batman's eyes enlarged at the familiar voice. Raising his head, he found that he was still chained but was now in the middle a certain alley in the dead of night where the only light source was a worn looking street lamp. Standing in front of him were two people he knew all too well: a well built man with a clean mustache and a beautiful woman with a kind smile, they both had gunshot wounds.
"Dad?...Mom?"
He froze in place daring not to blink or speak as he could see Thomas and Martha smiling warmly at him despite the blood that leaked from the entry holes on their bodies. Martha knelt in front of him and ran her fingers over his cowl where his hair would be and he almost flinched from the contact. He told himself that this couldn't be real but it didn't stop from feeling comfort from his mother's caress.
"My little boy." Martha said. "It's been fifteen years and you've achieved so much from then. You've reached heights that a man can only dream of, overcome so many trails and brought peace and hope to a city that people had given up on. I don't think it's even possible for us to be more proud than we are today."
After saying that, Martha's smile dropped and so did her hand.
"But..."
Thomas sighed, shook his head sadly and took his turn to speak.
"You're a smart man, Bruce. You know very well that this crusade...this war of yours was never going to end well. Crime and injustice can never be eradicated, that's simply the nature of society. Every innocent you save in one side of Gotham, two others can die elsewhere. Each day you survive only brings you closer to the day you don't. Don't you see, son? In the end, you're just one man fighting the inevitable."
Bruce stayed silent but he still felt his father's words strike against his core. Thomas knelt down besides Martha and placed a hand on his son's shoulders.
"Son, your mother and I appreciate everything you've done for the people of Gotham as well as the people here but...we would've never wanted this for you."
Martha nodded in agreement as a tear slipped down her cheek, her emotions getting the better of her.
"That's right, Bruce. A parent would only want their child to be happy, not locked in a cycle of violence and suffering in the pursuit for vengeance. Please, enough is enough!"
"Enough?" thought Bruce.
Thomas nodded and looked him straight in the eye.
"We miss you, Bruce. You can come with us. We can be a family again but you NEED to stop."
"Stop?"
Bruce's gaze dropped downwards. Those words felt alien to him but he began to ask himself: What was he really fighting for? was he fighting for his parents or for himself?
He had thrown away his own childhood, ten years of his youth, to mold himself into a living weapon. Never allowing himself the chance to have a normal healthy life, a have actual happiness. Even just last year when Selina offered him to leave everything behind and come away with her, he just couldn't. But he should have, didn't he deserve to be in peace?
In the last four years in Gotham, what did he really achieve? He couldn't save those innocent lives the Joker took, he couldn't save Harvey Dent from becoming that monster. Maybe he should just leave it to the GCPD. He had paved a hopeful path for Gordon as the commissioner and Van Dorn as the DA, surely they were more capable of handling the city than him.
Maybe it WAS enough. Maybe this was one mission he couldn't complete.
But then his gaze returned to his parents and the alley that surrounded, reminding him of that night; the gunshots, the scattering of his mother's pearls, the pool of blood that he kneeled in and the vow that he made.
At that moment, the Batman's face hardened into a steely glare and with newfound grit, he pushed himself up. The chains pulled back in protest but this time he pushed hard against them, they constricted and bit into his body and blood flowed freely from his recent wound but he refused to stop.
His parents backed away with shocked expressions and called out to him.
"Bruce! What are you doing!?"
"Bruce, stop this at once!"
But he paid them no heed. Despite what the apparitions told him, his resolve remained.
Yes, he experienced so much suffering but it was nothing compared to the pain of loosing them. Yes, he experienced such sorrow but it was nothing compared to the rage he felt when those who preyed on the innocent went unpunished. Yes, he had failures but he'll be damned if he gave up now.
For him to stop fighting? No. Never. TO HELL WITH THAT!
His teeth bared like a wild animal and his whole body burned with excruciating pain as if begging him to stop but he wouldn't. Bit by bit, the tension between the links of chains grew.
Until finally there was a snap.
Ayato was paralyzed on the spot as he felt the stony digits begin to constrict around his head. His eyes watered and his heart hammered wildly knowing what was going happen to him but then suddenly the hand was retracted and his face tasted cool air as the armored Blazer screamed from the sudden slash behind his back, a blow that scattered small chunks of rock accompanied by a burst of sparks and blood.
The boy didn't waste time scurrying back and was about make a run for it when he froze with widened eyes seeing who attacked.
Iwadare grunted with grit teeth. He was outraged and his mind demanded to know what or who was able to penetrate his armor and dared to do so. For a brief moment he wondered with dread if it was Shinguuji but it didn't feel like that was the kind of attack she would've made. He turned towards the offender and nearly jumped at the sight.
In front of him was the Caped Crusader but he was bathe in a soft glow that radiated black smoke like a sooty flame. An aura that seemed to choke the light out of the area around him. In his hand was a certain sword with a golden cross guard.
His face was obscured by shadows with only glowing white angular eyes visible. It wasn't just his appearance that unnerved Iwadare but also the amount of magic he felt emanating from him.
"You!?" Iwadare balked "Y-you're a Blazer!?"
Of course, the atmosphere in the room had completely changed when they witnessed what had transpired on screen. The professor was already up from his seat, mouth open in astonishment and adjusting his glasses more than once.
"Professor, look!" called out Maya.
She pointed towards the screen, in particular the sword. Although the sword could mistaken as being unremarkable, she and the professor knew all too well about its origins and true nature.
"That's Branwen! He has Branwen!" she confirmed.
He didn't respond and simply looked on in awe. Since they had first discovered Branwen he had theorized about its potential and even the possibility of the blade's magic being restored again. But in everyone else's hands, it was just a hunk of metal. He realized that it would require a state of "synchronicity" between the blade and the wielder but such a thing was so unlikely that it was akin to finding two men with the same fingerprint.
And yet it happened; even after the sword was lost to them twice. He had nearly given up hope but it actually happened. To think it would happen to a man from another world who dresses like a bat. Truly fate was strange.
The personnels were in a state of frantic confusion as they read the sudden change in data on their monitors.
"What in the world!? His mana readings are going through the roof!"
"These numbers...they can't be right!"
"Is it some kind of glitch?"
"What is going on!?"
Hearing them snapped the professor out of his reverie and he hummed with a know-it-all smile while pushing his glasses up.
"Isn't it obvious?" his sudden statement drew everyone's attention towards him.
"He has awakened and become one of them." he stated.
Seeing that they still looked confused, he clarified.
"He has achieved 'Brute Soul'."
Maya reeled in shock, knowing fully well what that term meant.
"Sir, y-you don't mean..."
The professor nodded in confirmation.
"Indeed. He's now a Desperado."
TBC