Chapter 107 - Repentance
[Abandoned Desert City - Sahara Desert]
"I, Charlotte Artura Georgina, hereby challenge you to a duel!"
"Your majesty!" Victoria shouted
"What is it with you and duels?" Erika asked
"If I win, you will let Victoria and me go."
"And if you lose?"
"Then do as you please with our lives."
"Hmm, alright then, if I win then I will kill Victoria and you will be my slave for the rest of your life. How about that?"
"I accept."
"Please don't do this Charlotte! Your life is far more important than mine!"
"I'm sorry Victoria, for everything, but this was all I could think of."
(Erika then picks up the glove thrown at her showing that she has accepted the challenge. She had a very evil smile on her face because this was what she wanted all along and the duel was all part of her plan.)
"I, Itsumi Erika, accept your challenge!"
(Charlotte and Erike then prepared for their duel.)
"Bakatora, I'm going to have to borrow your katana again."
"Sure!"
"You're not going to stop me?"
"You wouldn't stop even if I tried and my body isn't in a good condition to stop you by force."
"I'm happy that you know me so well.."
"You don't want any tips?"
"Nope.."
"Ehh..Why not?"
"I already know her strengths and weaknesses so any tips would just throw off my strategy."
"How the heck did you know that when you haven't even fought her once?!"
"Don't need to fight an enemy in order to know how to beat them. Sometimes all you need to do is observe carefully."
"Tell me then, what did you find out?"
"Why? Don't tell me you still haven't figured it out?" Erika teased
"O-Of course I know already! I just want to make sure that our thoughts are aligned! That's all!"
"Pfft..good thing you're not Pinocchio or else your broken nose would hurt from growing too long.."
"A-Anyways, she's strong so be careful. She was trained by Phantom after all."
"So?"
"Just don't underestimate her."
"I won't, I already know how strong she is because I watched a recording of your duel last night from the drone feed."
"Is that so? I guess I was worried for nothing then!"
"Stop pouting now..I'll explain it to you after I win.."
(Erika then gave Gero a sweet kiss on his forehead to cheer him up)
"I'll be going now." Erika smiled
"Yeah, goodluck!"
(Erika then headed off to fight the duel which was at the center of the city and a lot of people were there to watch. Some of them even started betting some money on who'll win)
"My name is General Nehanda and I'll be the one to oversee this duel. Everyone else here will be witnesses to everything that shall occur during the duel. Is that acceptable to both of you?"
"No problem here.." Erika said
"Yes, that is fine with me." Charlotte said
"Very well, the duel will end when one of the parties is unable to fight anymore or surrenders, weapons will only be melee and no firearms, nobody dies. Both parties please state your terms and conditions if you win."
"If I win, both me and Victoria will walk away from this situation alive."
"If I win, I will kill Victoria and Charlotte will become my slave for life."
"The terms and conditions have now been stated, both parties please get ready!"
(Charlotte then unsheathed her sabre and took her stance but Erika on the other hand just stood still and showed no signs of holding her katana)
"This duel shall now, BEGIN!" Nehanda announced
(Charlotte took the initiative and dashed straight in first, closing the gap very quickly. She aimed a thrust towards Erika's shoulder but she was taken aback after seeing an evil smile on Erika's face)
"Nishizumi Style: Wolf's Gaze.."
(Erika activated another unique skill of hers which is similar to Gero's Murderous Intent skill. It sent a very heavy and powerful wave of bloodlust to Charlotte shaking her with fear down to her soul. This made her wobbly for a bit but still managed to push through to her attack but Erika managed to evade the attack with ease)
"No hesitation at the get go, looks like you'll be entertaining.." Erika smiled
"What the hell kind of killing intent is this?! It's totally different from last night!" Charlotte said in her mind
"What's wrong? Too scared to move? Victoria will die at this rate.."
"Shut the hell up!"
(Charlotte then attacked once more but this time she mixed in different combinations of swordplay. Erika was just dodging and evading every attack that the princess made and she noticed that she wasn't slowing down even with the effects of Wolf's Gaze. What surprised her the most is Charlotte is even getting faster and faster as the fight continues)
"Aren't you going to draw your sword?" Charlotte asked
"Hmmm, not yet, if I unsheath this sword it will mean death for you after all.."
"Is that so? I don't get it even more now.."
"Get what?"
"I don't get why you're taking orders from the White Tiger? You're clearly stronger than him!"
(Erika then made a completely confused expression on her face then it turned into a very serious one)
"You must be making a very grave misunderstanding here, princess. I'm in no way stronger than him. The mere fact that you think I'm stronger than him is already an insult to him."
"You must be joking right? Him? Stronger than you-"
(Erika suddenly dashed forward towards Charlotte and interrupted her by throwing a punch at her. Erika was so fast that the princess had to block with her arms instead of dodging. Charlotte had to back away from her as she felt her arms go numb for a bit after blocking that punch)
"That speed and power, that just makes it harder to believe that he's stronger than you. He's nowhere near that last night!"
"Ahaha, that stings.." Gero laughed at the side while watching
"Let me ask you this princess, did you feel any kind of bloodlust or killing intent from Gero during your duel last night?" Erika asked
"I.."
(Charlotte then recalled their duel last night and she in fact did not feel any kind of bloodlust or killing intent from Gero. She was baffled at herself for now even noticing it all this time because she was so consumed by rage and revenge at the time)
"I didn't.."
"I thought not, do you know why?"
"He was underestimating me that's why! He lost because of that!"
"Get your head out of your ass princess, he didn't have any kind of bloodlust towards you because he found out that you were Phantom's disciple, that's why!"
"What?! What does that have to do with anything?!"
"It has everything to do with it!"
"Erika, I don't think you should.."
"Shut up Bakatora!"
"Y-Yes ma'am.."
"Listen well princess, the night that Gero killed Phantom, he planted a curse on Gero just before his head rolled on the floor!"
"A curse?! What the hell are you blabbering about?!" Charlotte was very confused
"By his dying wish, he asked Gero to not kill his disciple." Erika said
(Charlotte then remembered what Gero said to her last night about the last words of Phantom)
"Those words have become a curse for him! Gero is a kind and gentle person! He values honor and he respects even his enemies! So he decided long ago to respect Phantom's dying wish but that disciple ended up being you! Right now, the only person in this world that could kill Gero is you, because you have the perfect reason to kill him for the sake of your fallen teacher, and Gero can't even kill you even if he wanted to because of Phantom's wish and because you're the princess of Britain. Do you understand now, princess?" Erika explained
"Is that true, Gero?" Charlotte asked
"Yes.."
"I see..I guess Chen was right also, I truly have become arrogant.."
"But I'm different from Gero.." Erika suddenly said
(Erika then suddenly unsheathed her katana and started going on the offensive. She swung the katana fast and hard at Charlotte and forced her into a defensive state. The princess could feel every hit she blocked would rip her arms off)
"I don't care about Phantom's dying wish! Everyone here doesn't give a shit about his dying wish aside from Gero! And I sure as hell don't care if you're a princess or not!" Erika said
"Go to hell!" Charlotte said
(Both of them had an intense duel of back and forth between offense and defense. Everyone watching was at the edge of their seats because the outcome of the fight was still unclear. Erika then made a wide overhead swing but Charlotte was waiting for this. Just before Erika's swing went down the princess made a quick upward strike which sent the katana flying and disarmed Erika. She then made a follow up swing aiming for Erika's left arm. Her sabre was about to hit its target but this very moment was what Erika was waiting for. Just as the sabre was about to hit Erika, she just carefully made a sidestep and right behind her was the sun rising. The sunlight shone brightly towards Charlotte and blinded her eyes. The next thing Charlotte saw was the blue sky above her because she was already down on the ground with a bleeding nose)
"Your majesty! Charlotte! Please get up!" Victoria shouted
"W-What just happened.." Charlotte said
"I just landed a perfect counterpunch on your chin, that's what happened.."
(Charlotte then slowly tried to get up but the hit she took just shook her entire body. Erika then picked up her katana and started walking towards Charlotte who was having a hard time staying up. The princess did a simple thrust with her sabre and Erika just did the same thing again. She made a quick side step and the sun blinded Charlotte's eyes once more. This time Erika landed a gut punch to the princess' stomach and made her puke on the sand)
"Is this the first time you got punched in the face, princess?" Erika asked
"What..are..you doing..?"
"How about you stand up and try again? Third time's the charm so you might get it!"
(Charlotte then stood up again and swung her sabre at Erika which she avoided easily. Erika then did a kick towards Charlotte's head so she raised her arms to block but she was surprised that the kick landed on her left ribs and not on her head. The kick sent her flying across the sand in pain)
"Ooofff..I guess the third time is NOT the charm.."
"The..sun.."
"Oh! Looks like you got it after all! That's right! I'm not your only enemy here but the sun as well.."
"What a cheap trick.."
"Oh I'll use everything I can to defeat my opponents. Especially if my opponents have the same eyes as you."
(Charlotte was surprised at what Erika just said to her.)
"H-How did you know?" she asked
"About what? Your perfect Kinetic Vision?"
"Only my teacher, Bryan Williams knows about it. So it should've been impossible for you to know about it!" Charlotte shouted
"Nothing's impossible as long as you have the patience for it..I have been very interested in your reaction time ever since your first fight with Gero back at the Semisphere. Then there was that fight against the Chinese Team and then your second duel with Gero last night. A lot of clues led me to figuring out your true strength, Conquering Princess."
"You found that out just from watching me and my matches?" Charlotte asked
"That's right, to go into more detail, your first strength lies in your eyes. Your eyes have the perfect motion perception that gives you the ability to look into the smallest changes that happen to your opponents, such as the subtle twitch of their muscle, the direction of their eyes, the shift in the fabric of their clothes, and tons of tiny little things that might signal their immediate intention. You have the ability to accurately deduce what your opponent would do next and the crazy part is that your brain is capable of processing the necessary information needed to take action. The better your opponent is at something, the better you can predict their movements because they usually employ a strict and predictable range of motion."
"Is that even possible for a human being?!" Kaede reacted
"Yes it is, the princess is living proof of it. Her second strength is her superhuman reaction time. A normal human's reaction time is about 0.15 seconds, my reaction time after years of training and experience has reached 0.13 seconds. However, Charlotte's is 0.11 seconds since birth and her body has been toned to use that gift to its maximum capabilities. She was also trained by Phantom, one of the best Navy Seals in his time and the strongest soldier of Pandora." Erika explained
(Charlotte then stood up suddenly and attacked Erika once again. This time she changed her approach making sure that the sun was behind her this time and not in front of her. Of course Erika already had a counter to this and it was by using the katana to reflect the sun's light from it and blinded Charlotte's eyes once again. The moment her eyes closed Erika swung her katana and disarmed Charlotte with ease and sent her sabre flying.)
"Those eyes of yours are both your strength and your weakness. Your superhuman reaction time will only work as long as you can see the attack that's aimed at you. That's why you can perfectly shoot a tank shell with your anti-tank rifle. Your reaction time is also affected by your body's physical condition. It's pointless if you can see the attack but your body has no strength to react to it. That's why I made you swing and miss early in our fight. All I had to do next was forcefully close your eyes one way or another. I could've thrown sand in your eyes or even gouged your eyes out and you'll no longer be able to fight. Without those eyes you are nothing."
"The fight's still not over!"
(Charlotte then charged Erika and tried to punch her as a last effort attack but she was blinded again by the sunlight from Erika's katana. Erika swung her katana again and used the blunt side of the katana to strike the princess on her stomach again forcing her to kneel in pain. Erika then kicked her on the chest and then she fell on her back on the sand. This time Charlotte had exerted all of her strength and could no longer move a muscle.)
"It's over now.."
"THAT'S ENOUGH! THE WINNER OF THIS DUEL IS LADY ERIKA!" General Nehanda announced
(The duel ended with Erika's victory and the soldiers cheered for Erika but she wasn't done. She slowly walked up to Charlotte who was knocked down and looked at her with cold eyes.)
"This might be the one and only time this strategy will work on her. When she recovers she will be able to find a way to do something about her weakness. She was born to be the best and was trained specifically to kill Gero. This woman is a threat to us and to everyone. Should I just kill her now?" Erika said in her mind
(As Erika was deep in her thoughts she was already raising her katana and aimed it towards Charlotte's head)
"Charlotte!" Victoria cried
"Erika!" Gero shouted
(Erika then thrusted her katana towards Charlotte's head but the tip of the katana stopped just before her forehead. In a blink of an eye, Kay, Darjeeling, Mika, and Kaede were already beside Erika and stopped her from killing the princess. Even Gero was surprised that the other four girls were fast and strong enough to stop Erika on their own)
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Erika asked
"We should be asking you that, do you not remember the general saying that nobody dies?" Kaede asked
"I remember and I don't care, this woman is responsible for everything that happened here. It's her fault Gero is so hurt right now! It's her fault that Lt. Amir's team had so many wounded!"
"Killing her won't change that and you know it!" Darjeeling said
"She is a threat to all of us!"
"She's just a princess that was used by evil people! She is still the princess of Britain! We can still save her!" Kay said
"Killing is also a form of salvation! Let go of me!"
"Normally I'd agree with you on this one but keep in mind that killing her will just create more problems for Ro-chan! Worst case there will be a war between Japan and Britain!" Mika said
"I SAID LET GO OF ME!" Erika shouted
"We won't let go.."
"THIS BITCH HASN'T EVEN APOLOGIZED NOT ONCE TO GERO!"
(Everyone could feel the anger and pain in Erika's voice. They all felt how she was truly worried for Gero and just couldn't show it. One person among them heard her voice clearly and felt her emotions. That person was none other than Charlotte herself)
"I..s..o..y.."
"What did you say?"
"I'm..sorry.."
(Erika and the girls then looked at Charlotte who was on the ground. They saw her in tears and she was apologizing non-stop. Erika's rage began to subside after seeing the princess in such a sorry state. Erika suddenly remembered a time when Gero was in a similar state of pain and was saying the exact same words of apologies. She loosened her grip on her katana which Kaede immediately took from her. The girls also loosened their grip on Erika after seeing her bloodlust disappear)
"I'm..so..sorry.."
"Nana, grab the princess and take her to the hospital on our carrier." Erika ordered
"Understood, what about this one?"
"Let her be by her majesty's side.."
"Eh? Then..?"
"That's enough killing for today.."
"T-Thank you! Thank you very much for sparing my life and her majesty's!" Victoria bowed her head on top of the sand
"I'm still making her my slave for the rest of her life though.."
"Geez, Erika you're gonna give me a heart attack! I guess that's that! Everyone mount up! Time to go home!"
"Yes sir!" everyone answered
(The lives of Charlotte and Victoria were then spared by Erika. They quickly mounted up and returned back to their carrier to get proper rest and treatment. Several hours later the JNST then returned back to their carrier as well and visited Gero. They took turns in visiting him in his hospital room since they wouldn't be able to fit in one room. The last ones to visit were his crew, his close friends and his family)
[JSS Hakugei - Hospital]
"Onii-sama!"
"Onii-chan!"
"Miho, Maho, I'm glad that you're alright!"
"We're the ones who should be saying that! Look at you! What happened?!" Maho asked
"When we noticed that you were missing the Semisphere went into a Lockdown and we couldn't leave! We were so worried!"
"I'm sorry..but everything has been handled so no need to worry anymore.."
"As long as Pandora is still out there then there's still danger right?" Maho asked
"She's right, telling them not to worry isn't going to work anymore. Not just them but the whole team is worried. They're not stupid to not realize what's happening. I think we should tell them." Erika suggested
"I guess there's no use in hiding it when they've seen me in this state again huh?"
"Yup, it's not like you've been hospitalized like what, five times already?" Ono jokes
"Hey, two of those times you guys were with me!"
"That doesn't make it any better aniki!" Kin said
"S-Sorry.."
"Want me to tell them?" Erika asked
"No, I should be the one to tell them. Let's just wait until I'm more presentable alright?"
"Alright.."
(Kay, Darjeeling, Mika and Kaede then arrived and brought some stuff like futon beds, pillows, and snacks since they planned on staying with Gero in his room to care for him)
"You guys having a sleepover or something?" Hajime asked
"Something like that!" Kay smiled
(Shiho then started to walk towards the four girls and suddenly hugged all of them as best and as tight as she could. The girls were surprised for it was really something they didn't expect a person like Shiho would do)
"I heard from Erika-kun about what you did. Thank you so much for saving my son. I will be forever in your debt." Shiho said softly
"We would do it again if the time comes ma'am.." Kaede said
"And we will do it because we want to!" Darjeeling said
"Is that so? I welcome you all to the family then!" Shiho smiled
"Then with your permission Shiho-sama, may we spend the nights here with Gero to nurse him back to strength?" Kay asked
"Ehh?!"
"I don't see why not? You may do as you please!" Shiho said
"Don't I get a say in this?"
"Nope!" the girls answered
"Right.."
"Look at you! Having four personal nurses to help you get better!" Chouno teased
"Five actually.." Erika said
"Anyways! Chouno nee-chan, any word on the boat we were looking for in Nigeria?
"Yes, the boat was located and there were no hostiles on board but a number of kidnapped Africans were saved. Their numbers reached three thousand just as the princess mentioned."
"Are they all alive?"
"Yes, the majority of them have been starved and beaten badly but they're all alive. We just made it in time thanks to the princess. We might've never found out about it if you weren't kidnapped actually."
"Should I get kidnapped more often then?"
"Stop saying that!" Miho pouted
"S-Sorry..just trying to be funny but I guess not appropriate huh?"
"What about the people responsible for allowing this to happen in the first place?" Chiyo asked
"We caught two government officials that confessed to their sins. The reason why they did it was because they were threatened by Pandora."
"Of course they were, any evidence of them receiving a bribe from Pandora?" Erika asked
"One of the two received payment. He says he was forced to accept the payment." Chouno said
"Did he spend any of the payments he got?"
"Yes. Bought a car and a house."
"Then kill him and torch the house and car he bought. Lock the other one up for life."
"Eririn!" Miho reacted
"I'm sorry Miho but this is something you can never convince me to change my mind on."
"I know that but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't say those things in front of me or the others! We all know why you have to do this but atleast give the house and car to someone that really needs it instead of burning it!" Miho suggested
"You're right, I'm sorry..it won't happen again."
"As expected of the only person that could poke Erika's soft side with ease!"
"Shut up Bakatora!"
"Onii-sama.."
"Yes Maho?"
"Can you teach me how to activate Sacred Possession?"
(Everyone was shocked at Maho's sudden request to learn more about Sacred Possession. Gero's smile disappeared and he got really serious)
"What's with this sudden request?"
"I hate that I'm always getting left behind and not being able to help you! I want to get stronger so that I can fight alongside you!"
"You're helping me by being safe and the main reason why we are fighting in the first place is so that you don't have to!"
"So are we just to remain safe and powerless while you and Erika go out there and face danger all by yourselves?!"
"Maho, listen to me, Sacred Possession is something I don't ever want you to learn. The methods to achieve it are brutal and traumatic. The first time I activated it was when I thought Miho was going to die during the Joint Tournament. The second time was during the semi-finals where I thought I was going to die. I don't want you to experience those."
"You don't think we have experienced those already!? How many times did we think that YOU were going to die?! How many times did we think that YOU weren't going to come home anymore?! If experiencing painful and traumatic things is the key to achieving it then Miho and I should've gotten it a long time ago!" Maho shouted
"Onee-chan.."
"I'm sorry Maho, but I still can't teach you that."
(Maho was saddened of Gero's rejection on teaching her how to achieve Sacred Possession)
"I can't, but maybe okaa-chan can.."
"Ehh?"
"The reason why you still haven't achieved Sacred Possession is maybe because the conditions for females are different from males. What do you think, okaa-chan?"
"It's possible, because in my case my Sacred Possession activated during a Senshado match. My desire to win was the condition for me to activate it." Shiho said
"Then is it the same for me as well?" Maho asked
"I'm not sure but we can try. I'll only be helping you on one condition."
"What is it, okaa-sama?"
"You'll be learning it under the conditions of only using it to protect yourself and others around you. If you have any desire to fight Pandora with this then I won't teach you." Shiho said
"I understand, I accept those conditions."
"Very well, what about you Miho?"
"I too want to get stronger, not just for onii-chan but for the entire team as well! Please teach me okaa-sama!" Miho smiled
"Alright then, let's start right away!"
"Thank you very much!"
"Don't thank me, thank your brother since he's the one that suggested it."
"Thank you onii-chan!"
"Thank you so much onii-sama! I love you!"
(Miho and Maho then gave Gero a kiss on both his cheeks. Shiho and his sisters now left the room along with the others. The only ones left were Erika, Mika, Kay, Darjeeling, and Kaede. They all saw that Gero has a very worried expression on his face)
"Don't worry too much, I'll also keep an eye on them." Erika said
"Us too! Leave it to us darling!" Kay smiled
"I too want my sisters to get stronger but if they start to rely too much on the Sacred Blood and Sacred Possession they might end up forgetting their real selves..just like me.."
"What do you mean by that, Ro-chan?" Mika asked
"I.."
"Don't you think it's time to tell them? I think they're ready to hear it." Erika asked
"Tell us what?" Kay asked
(Gero started to shiver and clenched his fists. He had a very uncomfortable expression on his face and it was clear to the girls that he was in pain. They knew that he wanted to tell them something but he was too afraid to speak)
"If it makes you this uncomfortable, you don't have to force yourself to tell us Eiji-kun!"
"That's right! You can just tell us when you're ready!" Darjeeling said
"W-Would that really be alright?"
"Of course!"
"Thank you.."
"Since that has been agreed on, I think it's time to nurse this Bakatora properly with love, right girls?"
"Yes!"
"Eh?"
(The five girls then suddenly changed their clothes into nurse uniforms and surprised Gero. He blushed so hard as he saw the sexy outfits of the girls that love him. His embarrassment went through the roof but that didn't stop the girls from nursing him with love and taking care of him. The day went by quickly and it was already night. Gero and the girls were asleep except for Erika who was on guard duty. The girls decided to take turns in keeping watch so that nothing bad would happen. Suddenly Gero started shaking in his sleep and this woke up the other girls. They got so worried about what was happening to him)
"W-What's happening?!" Kaede asked
"Shh..he's having a nightmare..he's been having them ever since we arrived in Africa.." Erika said while stroking Gero's hair
"All this time?"
"Remember that he was late for the match between China and Britain? He's been having trouble sleeping, that's why the boys let him oversleep."
"Poor darling, he must've been so sleep deprived and yet he never showed it.."
"I'm sure he didn't want to make us worry, it's even amazing he was able to do so great during our match in his condition.." Darjeeling said
"Ro-chan is the White Tiger after all!" Mika smiled
(Gero's nightmares seemed to worsen as he started to cry in his sleep. The girls got so sad at the sight of him in tears because they were not used to seeing him in this state. Gero then started sleep talking and the words they heard from him made them even more sadder)
"I'm..sorry..I'm..so..sorry.."
"Why is he apologizing? Who is he apologizing to?" Darjeeling asked
"To the people he couldn't save, and to the lives he took.." Erika answered
"Is it about the stuff he was trying to tell us this morning but couldn't?" Mika asked
"Yes.."
"What could've happened for darling to be in so much pain?"
"You'll soon find out when he's ready. And when he does tell you, I hope the way you look at him won't change, but I would understand if it did change." Erika said
"That won't happen, I can guarantee you right here, no matter what he's done or what couldn't do, we will still love him for who he is." Darjeeling said
"Thank you..all of you.." Erika smiled
"I've got an idea on how we can stop his nightmares!" Kaede said
(The girls then slowly and gently carried Gero and placed his bed's mattress on the floor. They then surrounded his bed with their futons and snuggled up all around him to keep him warm. They held his hands and hugged him until the shaking stopped. Then they each gave him a sweet goodnight kiss and slept all together. At that moment Gero's nightmares stopped and he was able to have a good night's sleep in a very long time.)
Coming Up Next : Chapter 108 - Total Possession
Author's Note :
Hi everyone! The duel between Erika and Charlotte was so intense with Erika winning by miles! What did you think of their fight and about Erika's unique skills she showcased! She called her skills Wolf's Lair and Wolf's Gaze because she was once called the White Wolf of Kuromorimine!
We also finally found out what Charlotte's strength is and it was her eyes with perfect Kinetic Vision! Here we also saw Gero with some PTSD regarding some stuff that happened in the past. Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter! See you all there!