(BRICK's POV)
It had been two weeks since Butch and Buttercup were attacked by the mysterious girl. None of us knew her name or where she came from. All we knew was that she was ridiculously strong.
Luckily, their injuries didn't take too long to heal given the technology at the Utonium estate. That didn't do much to ease the dread that surrounded our little group. Butch was at a loss. He couldn't tap into his demonic power for whatever reason and he'd been training nonstop ever since he got his ass kicked. We all tried to brainstorm solutions but we couldn't figure anything out. On top of that, we didn't know when our enemies would strike again. It was as if we were all getting smothered by their very presence.
I walked into the living of the Powerpuffs and saw Boomer sitting on the couch with Blossom. She was trying to help him with his math homework while Butch and Bubbles were out in the Danger Room training. As for Buttercup, well she was just making something to eat. The two of us had spent three hours in the simulator. I couldn't really blame her for being famished. We hit level forty and nearly died. It was tough but she and I made a pretty decent team.
Now it was time to sit back and relax for a bit. We didn't have school tomorrow so we could focus on the next steps to take.
"…So the answer is three?" Boomer grumbled.
"Boomer, it can't be an odd number," Blossom said. She was trying to be nice but her annoyance was starting to show. I tried to warn her that tutoring him was a lost cause.
"Well then what about seven?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned. "Seven isn't an even number you idiot!"
"What?! But it's lucky!"
I wanted to hit him so badly but got interrupted by Butch and Bubbles walking back inside the living room. There was a stark difference in their appearance. Butch was nearly unscathed while Bubbles was beaten and battered.
"What the heck happened in there?" Blossom asked.
"That green-eyed jerk doesn't know what restraint is!"
Butch scoffed. "Is that complaining I hear?"
"It's valid! You hit me point blank with one of your stupid energy blasts while I was fighting off that serpent!" Bubbles shouted.
"And YOU failed to counter both. That's your fault! Always stay on your toes."
She glared at him and folded her arms. "I can't wait to beat the crap outta you."
He rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming, toots. You'd have a better chance finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-pop."
"Hey guys! The TV is freaking out again!" Boomer shouted.
We all gathered around the couch and stared up at the flatscreen. There was an emergency broadcast that was specifically for Townsville.
"It's those girls again," Blossom said.
Butch snarled next to me with a hate-filled expression. "They must want round two."
"Hold on a sec. Let's see what they want." I said sternly.
The reporter cleared his throat. "Hello, citizens of Townsville. We have a special-"
*WHACK*
The poor guy got punched out of the frame. He was now replaced by a redhead girl with a wild ribbon in her hair.
"Hey, cameraman! If you wanna see tomorrow, you better keep that thing on me!" She flew back up to the other two girls and gave a snap of her fingers.
The blonde girl cleared her throat and decided to speak. "Alright, Townsville! It's time to bow down to your new rulers! We will be acting as your masters. You will give us WHATEVER we want WHENEVER we want it!"
The girl with the jet-black hair stepped forward. "You fail to meet our demands…" She jumped back and launched a blast at a nearby skyscraper, reducing it to a mountain of ash along with whoever was inside. "That will be the Earth!"
The redhead cracked a grin. "Send whoever you wish to try and stop us. We'll kill them too." She lifted her palm. "Especially those pathetic heroes that you praise so much!" She ended the broadcast with a red blast to the camera.
"…"
The living room was silent and still. We were all shaken up by what we had witnessed. They even had the nerve to call us out.
"Grr…Screw this! I'm kicking some ass!" Butch barked out with his fist clenched.
"Are you stupid?! You'll get killed storming off by yourself!"
"What the hell are we supposed to do, Brick?!
"We're in dire need of a plan. We have to sit down and put our heads together! One of them took down you and Buttercup! No telling what the other two can do."
"I say we give it a shot! I'm ready this time."
I glared at him. "NO! We don't know anything about who they are or what powers they have!"
He stepped in front of me with a challenging expression. "I'm going to stop them before they kill more people."
"I said no!" He tried to walk past me but my hand grabbed his shoulder and held him in place. "Just listen to me and think this out!"
"That rotten bitch got the jump on me once! It WON'T happen again! Now get your hand off of me."
"I'm not going to tell you again. Now sit down."
"What? Brick, get the hell-" Before he could finish, I swept his legs and slammed him to the ground. "The fuck are you doing?!"
I pinned him to the ground and watched him struggle under my grip. "Teaching you a lesson." I flipped him around and put him in a rear-naked chokehold. He fought to break free but he couldn't. I had him locked in tight.
"Dude! What's the matter with you?" Boomer asked with panic in his eyes.
"You see this, Butch? You can't even stop me from choking you out. How the hell are you gonna fight the three girls by yourself?!"
"Gah! L-lemme…GO!"
"You'd better call that demon inside of you and tell him to wake up!"
"…" His face was visibly blue now.
"This is me without that little boost you've got in your back pocket! It's all me!"
"…"
"Brick! Let him go!!!" Boomer shouted.
I loosened my grip and left him on the ground. I watched with a bit of satisfaction as he struggled to catch his breath.
"You're weak, Butch. Things might've been different if you were awakened but as of right now…" I kicked him onto the couch next to Boomer. "You're officially benched."
He glared at me with rage in his eyes. "I ain't benched! I can still fight!"
My eyes glowed with the heat of ten suns. "You get up from that couch, I'll blast you back into critical condition."
"Is this necessary, Brick?" Blossom asked.
I nodded to her. "You, me, Boomer, and Buttercup are going out to challenge them. Bubbles, keep Butch here and out of the way."
"Me?! But why???" Boomer whined.
"Strength in numbers. Plus you're fast enough to get us out of a pinch if things get ugly."
"I don't wanna get beat up! Please don't make me go!"
I clenched my fist. "Get up!"
"Okay! Jeez!!!"
The four of us walked outside and started our journey towards the three "queens" of the world.
"Buttercup, you had a run-in with the green one. Anything stand out about her powers?" Blossom asked.
The green Puff frowned. "Not much to say. It was all so quick. I kicked her and she kicked me harder."
"So we're still in the dark…Damn!" I said.
"What's the point of this? You JUST said that we needed a plan! Why are we headed straight for the threat?!" Boomer asked. Blossom and her sister gave me a questioning glance as well.
"Unfortunately, no plan that we manage to come up with is gonna be worth a damn if we don't know how they fight. We need first-hand experience before a longer-term solution."
"WHAT?!? So we are flying there to get beat up like I said!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "That's not my intention. If we win, we win. If not, we strategize after the fact."
"…Screw this, I'm turning back!"
"Boomer if you leave I swear that you're going to end up missing."
As we flew through the city, more and more destruction was on display. Charred buildings and smashed cars…It was like a war zone.
The few people still in the city cheered as we flew past. Hopefully, we can put an end to this before things get worse.
We were coming up to the heart of the city, Town Hall Square. It's been quite some time since I've seen the place. Not since my brothers and I were set free.
"Hey, you guys. I think I see them!" Boomer called out.
True to his word, our three targets were sitting on their makeshift thrones atop the town hall stairs.
"Stay alert you guys. We still don't know the full extent of their powers." Blossom said.
I nodded. "If things get dicey, we bail!"
We all landed. The atmosphere was heavy and the aura they gave off was overwhelming. The girl in the middle…She seemed like the most dangerous. Her piercing stare with blood-red eyes and almost like a warning to anyone who opposed her.
"So you actually showed your faces to us? A foolish mistake that you won't live long enough to regret." The red girl said.
"What happened to your little boyfriend? He chicken out after getting his ass beat?" The green one snickered.
Buttercup gave a nasty look. "You're gonna die, bitch. I promise you that!"
The blonde gasped. "Wow! Such a filthy mouth for a hero. Also, we have names, hon." She pointed to the redhead with the wild ribbon. "That's Berserk. She's the lead!" She then pointed to the one with short black hair. "That's Brute. She likes to fuck people up."
"Let me guess…You're the cute, happy one?" I sighed.
She gave me a sinister smile. "The names Brat. I'm the one that likes to play with her toys until they break." She giggled. "Guess that makes me a bad girl."
"Enough of this meaningless chitchat!" I powered up and let my dark red aura flow. "I'm giving you one, singular chance to leave Townsville. Go and you won't get hurt!"
Berserk scoffed and stood from her throne. "From what we've heard, the green devil was the one that was cause for concern. My sister took him down with little effort. You lot are simply fodder in comparison."
"Hehehe…You're mistaken. You see my brother IS in fact strong. Unfortunately, that strength comes and goes. As for me…"
I dashed forward and sent a kick to her head. She flew back a few feet and landed with a hard thud.
"Woah!" Boomer gasped.
"…I'm consistently the real deal!" I smirked.
She stood back up and wiped the blood from her nose. Her ever-present scowl deepened with a searing rage. "You're so eager to die!" She snapped her fingers. "Brat! Give them a taste of despair."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" She clapped her hands together with a dark blue mist surrounding her. Then out of nowhere, about twenty clones of her appeared.
"Holy shit…" Buttercup muttered to herself.
"Uh, hey Brick…What's that you said about strength in-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP BOOMER!" I shouted with frustration. The encounter had just begun and we were already fighting against bullshit!
Brat pointed at us. "Murder those losers!"
The horde of clones all charged at us with full intent to kill. Thankfully, Blossom stepped up and blew a gust of her ice breath. A thick layer of ice had formed on the pavement beneath them, freezing their feet in place.
"Brick!" She signaled with a slight hand gesture.
I nodded and took the opportunity to fire off my concentrated heat vision in a large sweeping motion. Within seconds, the clones were sliced clean in half and faded away into nothingness.
"You need more than a bunch of fakes to bring us down," Blossom said confidently.
"As if!" The blonde sent out another fifteen clones. This time, they all stood back and fired a barrage of energy blasts.
"I got this." Buttercup as with a crack of her knuckles. She outstretched her arms and took a short breather before clapping her hands together. The shockwave dispersed every dark blue orb that came our way. "That shitty light show isn't gonna cut it either!"
"Brat quit screwing around and do something relatively useful!" Brute shouted.
"Hmph! How bout YOU go fight them?!"
"Fine…Juice me up!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Brat pointed at Brute and sent all of the clones after her. Each landed various punches on her.
"Are they turning against each other???" Boomer asked.
We watched in silent confusion as they continued to pummel Brute. Her balled-up fists had started to glow a bright green color. Even after all of those punches, she was still smirking.
The clones had ceased their assault and stood back. Brute was standing before us with steam rising from her skin. Her wounds were visible, but she didn't seem to care as they quickly faded away. She now held a look of satisfaction.
"God I feel so fucking good right now!" She howled with a blush on her face.
I shifted nervously into a more defensive combat stance. "Be on your guard."
The girl kicked off of the ground and made a "B-line" straight for Buttercup. The green Puff backflipped away from the initial strike and dodged the follow-up jab.
There was suddenly a flash of cobalt blue lightning. Before anyone could process what was happening, Boomer had dropkicked Brute a few yards back.
"Don't worry BC! I got your back." He said with a goofy thumbs up.
She nodded in return. "Be careful. Don't let her land a hit on you. I could feel the pressure behind those punches."
He charged up some electricity in his legs and dashed towards her. "Alright! Get ready for my special technique No.51!"
"What?!?" Brute gasped as she tried to avoid the attack. Unfortunately for her, she was far too slow and got rocked with an insane kick to the face.
"MILLION WATT STINGER!!!" He shouted.
There was a loud boom as she flew back. Then, as if he teleported, Boomer moved behind her flying body. Electricity crackled in his hands. He slid his lead foot behind him and got into a batter's stance. The electricity had reached its peak and took the shape of my brother's signature baseball bat.
"As if I'd let you!" Berserk shouted as she made a push for Boomer.
Blossom halted her with a blindingly fast punch to her face. When Brat attempted to jump in with her clones, Buttercup and I hopped into the fray to hold them back. Boomer had his opportunity to quickly end her. He WON'T miss this chance!
"DO IT!!!" I shouted.
He stared down his swiftly approaching target with more focus than I'd ever seen from him. "Special move No.4, lightning series-"
*WHAAAAAAAAAAAM*
"GOD SMASHER!!!"
He swung with enough force to shatter every window in the area. The bat smashed Brute straight in the face, launching her just below the forming cloud layer.
"BRUTE!" Brat cried out. She snapped her fingers with an angered look in her eyes. "HURRY UP AND KILL THAT BLONDE PIECE OF SHIT!!!"
Her clones made another attempt to get to Boomer. I'm not about to let that happen though!
I flew up a bit higher in the sky and aimed my palm toward the crowd of clones. I channeled my energy and condensed it until a small, bright, sphere formed. This was a technique of my own. I wasn't corny enough to scream out a name for it like Boomer…well maybe just this once.
"Special technique No.1!" I pushed the red sphere straight into the middle of the horde. Buttercup thankfully took the hint and moved for cover.
Seconds passed and there was nothing but silence.
"…"
"…"
"…"
And then…
"Prometheus Star."
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
The bright red explosion did more damage than I intended, but it should have taken care of Brat and her clones. Damn did that feel good! I mean, I kind of feel like a dork for the name but other than that, I'm a total badass!
I looked behind me and saw a huge bolt of lightning from the storm clouds strike Brute head-on. Boomer was down below with his right hand to the sky.
"STORM CATCHER!!!" He shouted.
I couldn't suppress the grin on my face. That was two down! Only one left!
"GET OFF ME!!!" Berserk shouted. She was pinned down by Blossom who had frozen her hands to the floor. I dropped down next to her with Boomer and Buttercup following suit.
"Guess, all that's left is you. Pretty pathetic display given all of that trash talk." I said smugly.
"Normally we'd take scum like you to prison," Blossom said.
Buttercup cracked her knuckles. "Sorry to say this but you're way too dangerous for that. You've gotta go!"
Berserk dropped her angry look and replaced it with a deranged smile that soon turned into a fit of laughter.
"Hey! What's so funny?" Boomer asked.
She stopped for a moment. "Oh, nothing. Just the looks on your faces."
I raised an annoyed brow. "You think shit is funny now. Just wait until I cook your sorry ass!"
CRASH*
I looked behind us and immediately felt the dread sink in as Boomer got punched through three buildings.
"B-Boomer…" I muttered. There's no way! HOW?!?!
"BRICK LOOK OUT!" Someone screamed. Was it Blossom? I couldn't tell.
*CRAAAAAACCCKK*
I wasn't sure which bones were just broken but I knew they weren't gonna heal anytime soon.
*WHACK*
Then the sudden jab to my face rattled my brain. Through my blurred vision, I could finally make out the image of Brute. She was standing before me with a traditional boxing stance and a smirk on her wicked face. The crazy thing was that she somehow was perfectly fine after all of the attacks that Boomer dealt to her.
She threw another punch that was caught by Buttercup. She countered with a kick to the midsection.
"Brick! Snap the hell out of it and go check on Boomer. He got hit pretty hard."
She's right. Damn! I need to get my mind together. I've been training way too hard to falter in a battle!
I flew in the direction of the damaged buildings and saw Boomer sprawled out in the middle of an abandoned street. His face was swollen. Blood dripped from his nostrils. How did she-
No! Be serious Brick. You know how! You have to! Use your enhanced perception and THINK! Think back to Butch's description. She coaxed him into attacking her and retaliated with a similar attack that had exponentially more power. Perhaps her ability was some form of mirrored technique or a counter of some sort. Yeah, that made the most sense.
"Nrgh…My head!" Boomer groaned.
"Boomer…" I muttered.
"Man, that hurt!" He stumbled back up and looked at his surroundings. "Is my face still pretty?" He asked with a crooked nose and a bloodied smile.
I shook my head. "It was never pretty."
We both looked to the sky and saw the two Puffs going at it with our adversaries. They were holding their own but that certainly wasn't gonna last long.
I made a move to take off but was halted by Boomer, who had a concerned look on his face.
"Somethings not right. I mean…The fact that Brute and Brat are both still unharmed SHOULD be impossible! I used like three special moves!"
I sighed at his words. I used one too even though I didn't plan on admitting it to him. Brat should be nothing more than a burning corpse. How the hell did they evade certain death?
"Damn! I can't think of anything! Maybe they are demons!"
Boomer shook his head. "I don't think so. There's something about them that doesn't seem…well, demonic."
I gave him a questioning glance. "How can you tell?"
He shrugged. "Call it a hunch. I mean, I did fight a demon with Butch recently. He was kind of a dork and we beat him up pretty easily. I even stole his book!"
"YOU WHAT?!"
He flinched. "Chill dude! It's just a stupid book. Anyway, my point is that those three girls have a pretty striking resemblance with the Puffs."
"You're not wrong…You think they have chemical X in them?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's gotta be it."
I nodded. "Okay, say we're correct in our assumption. That still doesn't explain the amped-up healing that they have. Even WE can't heal that fast."
"Maybe you're overthinking it."
I glared at him. "What was that?"
"We've seen two of their special abilities so far. One makes a bunch of copies of herself and the other hits really really really freaking hard."
"What's your point? You think the red one has cracked healing abilities?"
"…" His response was a stern look.
"Oh my god. B-but how'd you find that out so quickly?!"
"Brick…She's been sitting there talking the most crap while letting the other two fight for her. She had to be hiding something up her sleeve. This is all I could think of."
Well damn…Maybe he was smarter than I gave him credit for. So her powers are healing. Pretty ironic considering she's the one that wants to insist on blowing shit up. Quite the annoying situation we're in.
"I hate to say it but your logic is somehow sensible. If you ARE correct, it looks like this is gonna be even more of an uphill battle."
We flew back towards the battlefield and landed next to the Puffs. Both were slightly battered while their opponents were still in good health.
"What took you so long?" Buttercup asked with an agitated grunt.
Boomer scratched his head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I think I almost died."
Blossom gave him a pat on the shoulder. "That's okay Boomer. I'm glad you're still standing."
"I think we're starting to understand their dynamic now."
She quickly looked at me. "I'd love for you to enlighten me. We're getting nowhere fighting them like this."
I gave the girls a quick summary of our recent deduction. I could practically see the gears turning in my counterpart's head as though several plans were already being developed.
"Healing powers? I see…That could be a hindrance."
"What're you scum talking about?" Berserk shouted with her stare of malice. She was atop a heavily damaged building with her legs crossed.
"Oh, nothing. Only how we're gonna kick your asses!" Buttercup barked back.
The red villain scoffed. "You have no chance! You will all be bathed in your own blood by the end of this day. That's a promise that I intend to keep."
Brute flew out of the rubble and threw a punch at Blossom. She blocked the hit and pushed her back. Brute tried to land a deceptive kick but missed and got hit with a powerful laser beam.
Brat had sent another wave of clones towards us. This prompted Boomer to charge up his energy and blitz them all in seconds. One by one, he dispatched the clones. Buttercup and I made a push for Berserk who rained down red blasts from her fingertips.
We managed to avoid them and closed the gap. Berserk had a frazzled expression adorning her face. She made a move to retreat but was tackled by the faster Buttercup. She pinned her down to the roof of a damaged building with her left forearm and raised her right fist to the sky.
"Go ahead and say something else!" Buttercup growled as she brought her fist down across Berserk's face. "You talk a big game, but you're really just a fat-lipped coward that asks like the head bitch in charge!" She threw another punch. I could see the bruising on her knuckles as well as the swelling on Berserk.
"GET OFF ME!" Berserk panicked as she flailed around helplessly.
"SHUT UP!" The green Puff gave the girl another punch that cracked the entire rooftop. "You come to OUR city and cause all of this destruction just so you can act like a fucking queen?!" Another heavy punch to the jaw.
"I-I'm gonna…Kill you…"
"You called us out like we were afraid of you chumps! You might've gotten the drop on me before but that won't happen again!"
I had to stand back. The energy that she was radiating was strong and dense. It was like she had her own gravitational pull. It nearly brought me to my knees.
"Shit!" I hissed as I lost my footing. I hovered away from the two and watched from the sky as Buttercup slammed one last punch down on Berzerk. The roof caved in and sent them both crashing down to the ground level.
"SIS!!!" Brat and Brute shouted simultaneously.
"GAAAAAHHH!!!" Boomer shouted as a wild right hook from Brute sent him skidding down the road.
Brat had several clones dog pile Blossom while she and five more charged towards the collapsing building.
I flew down and cut off their path. Buttercup seemed capable enough to handle the red one. Boomer, Bloss, and I can take care of these two.
"Get the hell out of the way!" Brat snapped.
I adjusted my hat and readied myself. "You're gonna have to make me."
"Tch!" Brute sprinted over to me and threw a combination of eight different punches. I blocked a few and tanked the others. I slipped another straight to my head and tagged her with my own jab.
My eyes locked onto her left hand which had begun to glow. As if on cue, she threw a similar jab that I managed to read, react, and prepare for.
I blocked it and slid back a few feet. The jab still hurt to block but it was predictable and verified my latest hypothesis!
Brat tried to slip past me but got hit with a series of attacks that were faster than the eye could see.
"Ha! Don't count me out just yet!" Boomer said, visibly exhausted.
"Are you doing alright?"
He shrugged. "I'll be better when we finally settle this!"
The two girls were seething. Boomer and I stared them down with newfound grit. Both of us were unwavering.
Brat created two clones that leaped for us. Boomer hit the first with a spin kick and the second with a sidekick. Brat tried to create another wave but couldn't bring her hands together in time. She got grabbed from behind and struggled in his bear hug.
"Eww!!! Get your nasty hands off of me!!!"
"Heheh…I'd normally ask a pretty girl like you on a date but you're kinda wrecking my home so…SPECIAL TECHNIQUE NO.12! DESTRUCTIVE DISCHARGE!!!"
I looked away from the bright burst of electricity and kneed Brute in the jaw. Her head whipped back which opened her up for a backheel kick to the midsection. She doubled over in pain while staggering back.
"You fuckers are gonna pay!" She said in between breaths.
"You shouldn't have come here. Your first mistake was underestimating us. Your second was calling us out." I cocked back my fist. "You're third was thinking that Butch was your primary concern!"
"I…I can take it! Go ahead and hit me!" The shakiness in her tone gave me all the confidence that I needed.
I wanted to throw the punch. Unfortunately, it wouldn't land. I felt numb. It was like my body had shut down. My nervous system was unresponsive. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!
A loud bang followed by a bright red explosion went off behind me. Buttercup backflipped out of the dense cloud of smoke and landed right next to me.
"What's going on?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Not too sure. Probably something stupid given how the day has been so far." She gave me an uneasy look. "What's with the pose?"
I winced. "My body won't move."
"Well, that's not exactly good."
I sighed. "You're telling me."
"SOMEONE CATCH MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" I looked up and saw Boomer rapidly descending towards us. "Oof!" He said as hit the pavement.
"Will you stop screwing around!"
He steadily pulled himself back up to his feet. "You jerk! I know you heard me! And what's with the pose?!"
I could feel the anger rising. "I'm stuck!"
Blossom landed next to us with sweat and exhaustion painting her features. At this point, we were all gassed and running low on options.
The growing horde of Brats surrounded us with Brute and a SUPER pissed-off Berserk joining them.
"You fucking peasants are gonna learn not to challenge us!" Berserk shouted.
"What did you three do to me?!"
They all looked confused. "Why are you standing like that?" They each asked.
Before I could angrily retort, a man in a blood-red suit dropped down in front of me. He took extra precautions to not spill a drop of his red wine.
"Tsk tsk tsk…Well, would you look at this? My lord's greatest enemies and my three assets are all battling it out like savages. How distasteful."
I glared. "Who even are you?!"
"Ah yes! The red Ruff that HIM spoke of. The self-proclaimed leader and narcissist. The little boy who thinks so highly of himself while being overshadowed by his barbarian brother. It'd be funny if it wasn't so tragic."
I could feel my anger rising as he spoke. I knew that I should let a stranger's insults get to me like this but I couldn't help it. His condescending smirk and sinister eyes pissed me off.
"I asked who you were so SPEAK!" I barked aggressively.
"You wish to know my identity? Very well then. I am Lucifer. You may have heard my name echoed within the bland and over-saturated media that this human filth consumes on a daily basis. I am HIM's most trusted companion and his FIRST lord of Hell."
"Goddamn demon scum!"
He smirked and took a sip from his glass. "HIM has ordered your eradication and has chosen me to partake in your permanent execution."
My heart sank. This might be the end for us then. We were about to die…
"BOOMER!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "GRAB THE PUFFS AND RUN!!!"
"What?!" He went to protest but flinched at my glare.
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!? GOOOOOOO!!!"
In a flash of electricity, he grabbed my counterpart and Buttercup and made a break for it. Berserk audibly hissed and aimed a red blast at him. She had no intention of letting them escape. I couldn't even move to stop her!
"That's enough, my dear!" The demon said as he grabbed her open hand. I hadn't even seen him move. "This battle is finished."
"What?! NO! Not until I kill them!"
He glared and tapped her forehead. She collapsed to the ground, fast asleep. Her sister looked on in horror as the demon demonstrated his power. He looked back at me and shook his head.
"HIM ordered me to kill you. He didn't specify how I would do so. This led me to my current predicament. How do I kill you in a way that is both satisfying AND effective?"
"What are you getting at?" I asked.
"I specifically told those girls to practice patience and here they are ready to duke it out with you fools. Unfortunately for them, I don't like that storyline. No, I prefer MUCH more than just a simple-minded battle of strength." He leaned toward my ear and whispered. "I want to break your mind, your spirit, THEN your pitiful bodies."
"Fuck you! I'll never submit to a demon!" He chuckled loudly and pulled out an extremely wicked-looking dagger. "WOAH! Get that thing away from me."
"I've been watching you for a while now Brick. I know of your little insecurities. You resent your brother Butch for his hidden power and you desperately want it for yourself."
I scoffed. "Like hell! He can keep that demon shit to himself. I don't need it. I've surpassed him with my own strength."
"Come now…You know this little farce that you're showing is quite temporary. It's only a matter of time before Butch returns things to the status quo. You know deep down that if he snaps, you'll be helpless once more. Everyone knows it!"
"Why don't you cut the bullshit and kill me with that dagger already. I'm tired of hearing your voice."
His smile widened. "Oh, this won't kill you." He twirled the blade with his index finger. "It will help awaken what's already inside. All you have to do is accept it."
I grit my teeth. "No way! I'm over that shit!"
"More lies, Brick! You know you want this! I am giving you this opportunity despite HIM's wishes."
"Like hell you are! You said that you were that bastard's most trusted companion. You really think I'll believe you're helping me as a sign of good faith?! Fuck outta here you sad sack of shit!"
"Oh? Such a strong conviction! Your words sound quite genuine but I'm still not fully convinced. How about we leave it to chance, 'kay?"
"GAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" The prick shoved the dagger into my chest and pushed it deep into my heart. It was like my skin was on fire. It was unbearable! Blistering heat flooded my veins as if my blood was lava! It hurts! It hurts really bad! My paralysis faded and I dropped to the floor.
"You'll either die, or you'll reawaken. For your sake…I hope you choose the latter." He said with a snap of his fingers. "Come girls! We have much to discuss."
A portal opened up next to him. Brute scooped up Berserk while Brat had walked through. Both girls gave me a nasty look before departing. The demon stomped his shoe against my head. I gazed up at him with blurry eyes.
"Y-you won't…get away w-with…"
"Remember this, boy. Remember the feeling of you beneath my heel when you transform OR when you die and end up in Hell."
With that, he walked through the portal and disappeared, leaving me on the ground with a bloody stab wound. My body vibrated furiously. I had the nastiest migraine and my muscles felt like they were tearing themselves apart. I didn't know what I'd be feeling next but I was starting to pray for death to come.
A/N: Hello readers! Finally managed to get this done. I meant to have it finished about two weeks ago but wasn't fully satisfied with it. Made a few revisions in the end, but idk. I didn't want to put it off much longer. Will be checking for grammar and cleaning up minor errors that I might've missed.
I've got the next chapters lined up in my head so hopefully I can get to typing those sooner than later.
Thanks for reading and I appreciate any constructive feedback.