Notes: A few days late... I know. you have no idea how hard this chapter was to write.
Inside Mount Fuji
Kendo and Bakugo stared in anger at the action Itkomi had just done. The bleeding red head looked down to the feet of the spider woman, the shattered pieces of the necklace scattered beneath the woman. She had always seen the necklace around Katara's neck over the months, but simply assumed it was a simple personal accessory, never knowing it was something so precious to her. She turned to the waterbender on her knees, worried that something like this was going to make her act too much out of anger.
And she was right.
The air in the cavern suddenly had a strange chill run through, causing everyone to look in confusion at Katara. The water around her was beginning to slowly spin in the air around her, the speed causing her hair to shift in the breeze. Kendo's eyes widened as she stared at the waterbender, watching the girl slowly stand up, her head still hanging low towards the ground. "K-Katara?" She whispered.
Itkomi tilted her head curiously to the sudden change, her instincts making her take a single step back. Her eyes shifted to the blood dripping down Katara's hand, moments before the water shifted up and engulfed her bleeding injury. Instantly, the water shifted a bright white, followed by the bleeding ceasing a few moments later. "Healing as well?" She said surprised, not knowing this kid could do that either. There was something else however that was making her senses go off, realizing this is what Kavik was talking about with her power.
'There is something different about her…' She said internally, her neck feeling a chill as she always did with a powerful opponent. her own hands opened up, focusing on her web glands before smirking. "Sorry about that necklace, but kids need to learn shit happens sometimes in life." She taunted, wanting to get the teen to act on anger and make her attack blindly to finish this battle. What she didn't expect was when Katara turned her head up, revealing the bright, glowing eyes. "Hmm?"
Katara bared her teeth as she thrust her arms upward, the water across the cavern rushing at her before bursting up behind her. The sudden force crashed into Kendo, the teen yelping as she was thrown back before being caught by Bakugo. They all looked up in surprise as the water spiraled behind the waterbender, growing higher and higher before it launched at the tall woman.
"You keep wanting to fight, do you?!" Itkomi shouted as she unleashed a web above and pulled herself out of the way, flipping forward and slashing down with a pair of her strings. To her surprise, Katara didn't look up as her arms swung out, shooting a pair of water streams out and clashing into the webs before they split and shot at Itkomi. "So annoying!"
Pulling herself out of the way, Itkomi spun out of the way as several water streams speared into the wall. Kicking off the stone, Itkomi glared in surprise at the speed of the water, it being faster than what came before as she shot forth her webbing at the teen, only to watch as Katara shielded herself with a wall of ice around her. The ice suddenly burst out and launched its chunks at the spider, having to flip and maneuver herself through the air to dodge the pieces before slashing down at the teen. Before it landed however, Katara burst forward with the water gathered at her feet, skimming over the surface at shocking speed.
"The hell?!" Bakugo said out loud, not ever seeing Katara move so fast before.
Zooming across the cavern, Katara whipped her arms at the hunter, launching several waves forth and following it with a barrage of ice spikes. Pulling herself over the water, Itkomi hissed as her legs smashed the incoming ice, shooting her webbing out and pulling herself out of the way as a rush of water nearly engulfed her. "This kids' attacks are faster than before…" she said to herself, ducking her head underneath multiple ice spikes while slashing out at the teen, only to have multiple water streams clash into her attacks stifling them. "And the water…. It's being condensed and is stronger as well."
From her spot on top, Burnin stared wide eyed at the situation below, confused by the sudden change of the girl she'd worked with. "The hell is going on?" she said.
"What's happening?" Kendo asked, staring as Katara rushed across the cavern and pulled at the water pouring from the broken pipe, launching it and crashing into the floor at the evading hunter. "What happened to Katara?"
Bakugo watched silently as his classmate slammed the water down, the surge bursting out and unleashing a massive barrage of ice at the midair hunter. Hissing, Itkomi struggled to block all of them with her spider legs, a few getting through and slashing across her side and cheek. As the spider woman prepared to shoot her webs at the waterbender, she retreated as Katara burst off the ground on a column of spinning water chasing her, whipping a long water whip around her body and shooting it after Itkomi. Even he was confused by the sudden boost in strength, her techniques even faster than when he faced her the night before in the training field.
"Tsk…" Itkomi growled as she spun between three incoming streams and slashed her webbing around herself, cutting through two of the streams and launching several more webs at Katara and yanking them downward. While blocking most of the webs, a single one got through and sliced Katara across the shoulder, but to the hunters shock the girl didn't even look phased as she redirected the water in the air and engulfed her ankles. She gasped as she was flung through the cavern, glaring as she slashed her webbing out and cut through the stream freeing herself before she was slammed into the wall, bracing the impact with her spider legs.
Jumping out of the way, Itkomi watched as Katara summoned a large wave of water and leaped on top of it, riding it as it chased her down through the cavern. She also noticed the large patch of water engulfing the teens shoulder, the bright glow as it quickly healed the deep cut on her shoulder. Before she even finished closing the injury, Katara shot out a mass of water tentacles and launched them at the hunter, only for Itkomi to bring her palms together and focus the webbing before yelling and launching out a massive netting of strings above and bring it down at the waterbender.
"Not so fast!" Bakugo yelled as he brought his hands up, fighting through the intense pain as he focused his attack. "AP auto cannon!"
The barrage of blasts coming out from Bakugo's palm shot out and cut through a large section of webbing, causing the attack to collapse partially as the hunter glared in anger. "Damn you…" With the weakened webbing, Katara's water whips slashed through a majority of the rest while the remaining water lashed out at the hunter. She struck at what she could with her legs, spraying webs at the others before she suddenly felt strain coming from her wrists. "What?!"
Before Itkomi could comment on what happened, she gasped as a powerful stream crashed into her back and slammed her into the cavern floor, the slowly rising water engulfing her as she couldn't breathe. Glaring, she stabbed her legs into the stone floor and pushed up, bursting her head above the surface as she took a deep breath. Before she could escape however, she was pulled underneath once more by the current, the water growing tighter and keeping her movements limited.
After a few moments, the others in the cavern stared at the thrashing inside the water, their eyes going between that and the waterbenders glowing stare as she kept her hands focused on the sphere. Kendo had a strange feeling as she stared at her friend, the cold feeling coming from the waterbender making her shiver. It wasn't because of the sudden rise in power coming from her, but the intent of the attacks coming from her that was making her worried.
'She'll stop…" Kendo tried convincing herself as the water continued engulfing the hunter, ice beginning to form on the outside of the water. "She won't kill her."
Bakugo and the others however weren't so sure, seeing her not letting up as the thrashing inside the water became less and less. Burnin watched in shock as the movement inside the ice-covered sphere seemed to stop, looking over to Katara. "Okay, looks like you got her! You can stop this and-
The loud crack of the ice breaking silenced her, the multiple spider legs stabbing out and shattering the sphere. Through the water, a single thick strand of webbing shot out and slashed across the cavern, Burnin and the others gasping and jumping out of the way before it cut through them. As the water split open, Itkomi gasped for air as she launched herself at the teen. "You little bitch!"
The two collided in the air, Itkomi's legs stabbing at the teen's ice shield she had formed in front of her. Before Itkomi could pull her legs back, the ice shifted to water and rushed up the spider legs. "Damn you!" she shouted and flicked her powerful legs out, breaking free of the water and driving her razor sharp nails into Katara's shoulder.
"Katara!" Kendo yelled out, seeing Katara gasping at the attack. "We have to help her!"
"You really think you can stop me?!" Itkomi hissed out as she drove her nails deeper into the teens muscle, "I have lost count of how many I've killed! You think some little brats from school will bring me down?!"
Gritting her teeth, Katara arched her hand and twisted it up, the column of water she was on splitting out and launching up between herself and the large woman breaking them apart. Itkomi growled as she shot her webs to the ceiling pulling herself out of the way, her wrists beginning to shake from overusing her webs. "I'm done playing this shit with you!" she shouted, flinging herself down at the girl once more, only to pull herself back as a green fireball rushed by her head. Glaring at Burnin below, she stretched webbing between her fingers and aimed it at her. "You want to die before my ransom is paid? The kids are more valuable than you anyway!"
"Die!"
Itkomi's eyes widened as she turned to see Bakugo rushing at her through the air, slashing her webs at him only to have his broken hand shoot and burn her attack away. She flipped away from his first blast, bringing her legs up and shielding herself from the brunt of the next blast. Wincing through the smoke, she yelled as she spun midair and slammed her legs into the teen launching him back towards the ground.
"Bakugo!" Kendo yelled, running and expanding one of her hands out and catching him before he crashed into the ground. She watched as he gripped his broken arm in agony, the pain from using it still making his body almost give out.
Turning back to Burnin below, Itkomi launched herself down at the sidekick dodging the incoming fire attacks and aiming her sharp spider legs down. "Let's see if you even deserve the number one sidekick title!"
Burnin's eyes widened as she shot her fire burning away the webbing, unable to evade the hard kick to her stomach pushing her to her back and causing her injured ribs unbearable pain. She looked up in fear as the multiple spider legs rushed at her body, but was saved as multiple water tendrils ensnared the hunter across her body. Flipping her gaze around, Itkomi's eyes shook in anger that this girl, the teens shoulder already healed. "What the hell is this kid?!" she shouted, whipping her legs and breaking free of the water. "You are really pissing me off!"
Not responding, Katara raised her hands as two streams of water rose beside her, spinning until they appeared like buzzsaws. She stepped forward as she launched them at the hunter, the tall woman dodging but having her cheek sliced by the water. "Tsk…" She hissed, the light blue blood leaking down her face, the whizzing sound of the spinning water blades coming back from behind. She stabbed her spider legs into the stone, ripping off chunks from the ground and launching them at the ground, her eyes widening as they were cut like butter.
Itkomi dropped to the ground as the water discs shot by her, knowing those would be bad to be hit by… her senses making the skin on her neck crawl slightly. She shook off the feeling and launched herself at the teen and shot her webs forward, the waterbenders hands forming ice shields and blocking the sharp strings. Itkomi yanked back as she whipped the ice around, launching them at the waterbending teen and shooting several streams after the ice. Katara redirected the incoming ice with her bending before creating multiple water streams blocking the webbing, but gasped as one of Itkomi's legs stabbed her left arm, the sharp tip puncturing through her gauntlet and pulling her off the ground.
"I'm starting to see what the interest in you was," Itkomi taunted as she aimed her other right spider leg at the waterbender. "I think I should charge double for you!" She shouted as she shot it forward.
Only to scream out as one of the spinning water blades whizzed by and cut one of her right spider legs.
"GAH!" the hunter screamed as she fell back, some of her eyes staring at the stump left behind on her right. The open-ended leg leaked out her blue blood, mixing into the puddles of water below her. "God damn you!"
Burnin gasped as she sat up from the ground clutching her ribs, watching as Katara stepped back with the severed spider leg sticking from her gauntlet. "Holy shit, girl…"
Mirko stared in shock from her spot on the wall, having been in such surprise to the scene before her she had stopped her useless escape attempts. She had grown worried about what was going to happen to the kids, but now she was beginning to see her concern may have been for the wrong side. Bakugo stood up as well, watching Katara rip the severed leg from her gauntlet. The way she threw the broken limb to the side was something he didn't expect from her. Even the way she stared at the injured hunter made him realize she was not settled with just the leg she took. She wanted to take the rest.
Katara walked towards the hunter, her blood covered hands going to the side and summoning multiple water streams behind herself. She almost couldn't feel the pain in her arms as she launched the large streams at Itkomi, the woman slashing her webbing and keeping the water at bay. Even as a single thread got through and cut across Katara's cheek, she didn't stop her assault and shot more water forth, the attacks becoming more erratic and unpredictable. After another slash across her shoulder, Katara gritted her teeth and brought her hands together, the water crashing into the hunter and slamming her into the stone flooring. The water froze instantly, locking the woman in place on the ground, summoning a massive ice spike above the hunter and aiming it at her.
"K-Katara…" Kendo muttered, seeing the ice pointed directly at Itkomi's head. "What… what are you…?!"
As the spike rushed at her, Itkomi sneered as she forcefully broke free, the ice spike ripping through part of her hair as she barely dodged the ice in time. She quickly spun around, glaring at the waterbenders hands as they raised up the ice spike once more. "Going for the kill? Not very hero like of you!" As the ice rushed at her, Itkomi slashed down the center with her webbing, the two pieces rushing to the side of her as she leaped above them before they suddenly crashed together where she stood. "I bet your mother would be so proud of you, wouldn't she?!"
Katara's eyes leaked another set of tears at the comment, her teeth clenched in rage as she spun and launched forth a large wave at the hunter. As Itkomi pulled herself out of the way, Katara twisted her hands, the wave splitting into over a dozen streams and latching across the woman's body. As she thrashed around breaking free, Itkomi gasped as another water slash rushed at her, moving her body but screeching out as her other right spider leg was cut off as well.
"Katara!" Kendo shouted, the sight of her friend making her terrified about what she was trying to do.
Panting through the pain, Bakugo gripped his broken arm and gritted his teeth. "Hair loops…"
As Itkomi landed back on the ground, she dropped to her knees and looked at her new stump of a leg she had, the twitching limb leaking blood to the ground. Her wrists were beginning to shake more, her webbing glands overworked and beginning to feel their end coming. She looked back up to the teen, breathing hard as the waterbender slowly walked her way. Once again, she began having the familiar tingle crawl up her neck, pushing it to the back of her mind as she squeezed her hands. "No… I won't believe it." She hissed out.
Katara's deep breaths came in as she marched forward, the fury in her heart overwhelming the injuries she hadn't healed yet. She didn't care, though, her mind in such a focus of anger she only wanted to bring that woman down. Everything around her didn't even register; sight the sound of the others calling at her, even the smell of the sweat and blood on her face. The slowly increasing water in the cavern from the busted pipe had given plenty of water for her to use, allowing less focus to conservation and to simply putting whatever she could into her attacks. As she walked forward however, she stopped and noticed the blue in the corner of her vision, turning and dropping the water. She fell to her knees as she realized what she was now beside.
Time seemed to freeze as Katara stared at the shattered necklace, her emotional core too unstable to even focus. Her vision felt blurry as her bloody hand shakingly moved towards the pieces, unable to touch them as her body seemed to stop itself. She almost felt like she was moving in a haze, having been attacking blindly this whole time without even thinking. But now… she stared at the last thing she had to remember her mother by, broken into fragments of itself as her mother's face passed by inside her mind once more. She clenched her fist in fury once more, her mind becoming more clouded by her emotions as she looked up again.
Only to open her mouth in surprise as Kyoshi stood there.
The tall warrior's glow was the only thing Katara could focus on, as everything else seemed frozen in time. She didn't know why she was here, as she didn't try to summon her. The woman in green simply stared down to the waterbender, her eyes as stern as the look on her face. "So you are choosing to let your emotions control you."
"Kyoshi…" Katara muttered out, glaring as the woman stood between herself and the hunter. "Get out of my way."
Kyoshi didn't say anything. Instead she simply moved to the side, allowing the confused Katara to see the damaged hunter on the ground. "Alright then."
Katara felt lost as she looked up to the tall avatar spirit, but then looked down to the blood on her hands. Even though she knew it was her own, her eyes drifted up to the severed limbs of the hunter. Normally doing something like that would've made her panic, but she didn't feel that now. She turned up to the avatar spirit. "You used your power earlier, didn't you?"
The avatar spirit tilted her head at the comment. "Did I? Or have you done this on your own?"
Katara's mouth opened in confusion, realizing Kyoshi hadn't pushed her to use the power this time. She remembered how Aang's emotions would trigger his powers, and now saw the same had happened to her. The power had come forth, and this time she didn't feel the backlash like before. She remembered everything, and she knew she really was trying to finish off the hunter.
She knew it was wrong, but the turmoil inside her heart only grew more. "She…" clenching her fists, she felt her chest swell as she glared at Kyoshi. "Look what she did… I just lost something that was more precious than anything!"
Kyoshi stared down at Katara as another tear fell down her face, knowing exactly what that necklace meant to her. She also knew a criminal like this was one who wouldn't change, someone who would only continue to kill if given the chance. "I want you to not let your emotions cloud your thinking, Katara. But I am not here to stop you. You choose what you want to do with her punishment… no matter how far you choose to go. I will not stand in your way."
In the fraction of a second, Kyoshi vanished into Katara's body as time seemed to snap back to normal. Katara gasped as she fell backward, catching herself as she took a few breaths. The light sound of water continuously leaking from the pipe in the wall echoed against the walls, leaving the waterbender staring at her broken necklace. Immediately, the pain inside her heart caused it to ache, her emotions fluctuating from distraught to anger. She wanted nothing more than to direct all that frustration onto the woman who caused it. In fact, if it had been at night with the moon, she knew there would've been that much more she could've used to expel her rage. She wanted it so bad, to make this woman pay for taking away the last thing she had of her mother.
But then… she remembered the day she faced the very man who took her mother's life, learning that if she had crossed that line, that her mother would still be gone. She knew if she went through with what she had tried to do, it wouldn't have done anything to bring her mother back. When Stain had done so much harm to Tensei, she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to cross that line either, to be better than the person she was facing. And now… despite her gut telling her to bring as much pain as she could, she knew her mother would never have wanted her to do something like that.
Despite knowing the right choice… Katara gritted her teeth in frustration at what had still happened. Her watery eyes stared at the fragmented pieces, the shimmering blue rock shattered and ruining the single thing Katara had of the family she once had. Only the sudden touch on her shoulder broke her thoughts, flipping around looking up to the shocked face of Kendo.
"Katara…" Kendo swallowed as she slowly put her hand forward once more. "You…"
Katara sat silent as she looked up to her frightened friend, a cold feeling growing inside her stomach. She remembered the feeling she got when she saw Aang losing control, and the feeling of seeing a friend so close to crossing that line. She saw the soaked clothes of the red head, realizing she had been hit by her water in the beginning. "Kendo…. I…" Katara stopped talking to the hand gripping her shoulder, the small sense of warmth enough to make her mouth quiver.
"I don't know what happened…" Kendo admitted, "I have no idea what happened to your mother. But I'm sorry."
Breathing hard, Katara turned and stared at the ground, sniffling for a moment before standing up. She closed her eyes, pushing out whatever remaining tears remained before turning around, seeing her friend standing there for her. "I'm sorry. I-
"Damn right, you're sorry!"
Both girls turned in shock as Bakugo stomped up to her face, poking her in the chest as he bared his teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are, hair loops?! What makes you think you can just run up and do whatever shit just did because she broke your necklace?!"
"Bakugo!" Kendo yelled, reaching up and grabbing his arm only to be shrugged off. "The hell is your problem?!"
Katara was in more shock at his outburst, clenching her teeth only to be cut off as Bakugo shouted once more.
"You ran in there and tried to kick her ass alone without any help… Well I'm not letting you beat this bitch all on your own and get your dumbass killed!" He snapped and stepped back… his face softening yet still stern. "If you think I'm sitting aside as this bitch gets away with her attitude, you got another thing coming."
Both Katara and Kendo remained silent at the explosive teens words, watching as he turned and faced the hunter across the cavern. The waterbender almost felt like laughing, forcing a smile to her face as she dried her face. Despite his attitude at times, she could tell Bakugo actually was one to keep his eye out for others. That simple act from him and Kendo's touch earlier were enough to snap her thoughts. Stepping forward as she and the other two. "Thank you…" she whispered, her hands rising and becoming enshrouded in water spheres.
Pushing out, she guided the water over Bakugo's broken arm and Kendo's injured hand. "The hell?" Bakugo grunted at the sudden water on his arm, but before he shook it off, the bright glow activated, bringing an instant soothing to the pain pulsing inside his bones.
"First time, huh?" Kendo chuckled at his growl, the slight stinging in her hand as she water flowed through her open palm hole and began healing at it.
"I should've done this earlier, but I was too focused for myself to help…" Katara said, focusing her energy as she increased the power as she glared at Ikomi in front of them. "Now let's finish this."
Growling in rage, Itkomi bared her teeth at the sight of the trio of teens healing across the cavern. Some of her eyes turned to see Burnin in the same spot, the sidekick still struggling to stand from her injuries and the effects of the venom. Two of her eyes then shifted to the severed legs on her side, huffing out as her body began twitching. "You fuckers…" she hissed, lowering her hands to the ground as she rounded her back out. "You… HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH!"
CRUNCH!
Everyone in the cavern gasped in shock as the back of Itkomi seemed to split open, the skin ripping as the area around where her spider legs protruded cracked. The two remaining legs and the other two stumps twitched erratically before arching towards her body, the chunks of armor plating over the top seeming to push outward and shift away from herself.
"What the hell is she doing?!" Kendo asked in utter confusion, almost feeling like she wanted to gag as the shell covering the many spider legs and her back broke in multiple places, looking like it was ready to fall off her body.
Katara's healing stopped as she couldn't take her eyes off the hunter, the sickening sounds making her skin crawl. After a moment, the entire outer shell of Itkomi's back fell away, the broken and blue-blood covered plating molted off. Her eyes drifted up to the panting hunter… gasping in complete and utter shock to the sight before her. "What? Sh-she…"
Itkomi took several breaths as she stood up, with four fresh spider legs protruding from her back. "I've never been forced to molt my legs in the middle of a fight. You little shits really are annoying."
"This bitch can regrow her legs?" Bakugo growled out, his injured hands shaking in frustration. "What the hell is she?!"
Even Mirko sat in shock to the sight before them, although her eyes narrowed as she pieced it together. "The hell with some of these animal powers… you like some god damn lizard or something?"
Itkomi didn't answer as she took a few more deep breaths, her eyes glancing to the new legs she had, the glistening new plating shining in the faint light, although her legs were slightly thinner than they were before. While she knew her legs came back new every time she molted them, she also knew it was something she could do only once every month. Even though she couldn't do this again now, she would make sure she didn't need to, arching her knuckles and cracking her fingers. "Why can't you brats just give up? You are only making your suffering worse than it needs to be!"
The flurry of webs blasted out from Itkomi's hands at the teens, the three splitting up and evading the slashing threads. Bakugo blasted himself into the air, the quick healing not perfect, but allowing his hand to release explosions without killing himself now. "I'm going to break those hands of yours now!" he shouted and barreled his way through the air at her.
Summoning a large current of water, Katara leaped onto it and formed an ice raft, allowing Kendo to hop on and rushed both of them towards the hunter in the other direction. "When we get close, be ready!" Katara shouted.
"Alright!" Kendo responded, bracing herself on the ice float as it rushed through the cavern.
Baring her fangs, Itkomi shot her webs at the two incoming forces, missing them but used her spider legs and hooked onto the strings. Using them as extra whips, she sprayed out several more and slashed through the air, the multiple razor whips whizzing through the air. Bakugo flipped and barrel rolled over the attacks, shouting as he shot his blasts out and burned through another one. "Come on!" He yelled out.
Meanwhile, Katara's water guided and shot across the cavern, her arms shooting out streams of water and ice spikes to clash into the many webs slashing around. She thrust her right hand forward and split the wave underneath the two of them, launching the rushing current at the hunter and forcing her to pull herself up into the air and out of the way of the water, and right into Bakugo's line of fire.
"Die!" he shouted as he released a massive blast from above down at her, only for one of her spider legs to yank on a webbing and pull herself out of the way. "Damn it!"
"It will take more than that to get me, you shit!" Itkomi shouted and shot off her webbing, missing Bakugo by inches as he blasted backwards.
"Bakugo!" Katara yelled and thrust her hands forward, thirty ice spikes shooting up through the air at the woman. "Get her now!"
As Itkomi dodged and smacked away the ice with her legs, Bakugo redirected herself and charged his hands once more. "Don't tell me what to do!"
The bright explosion rocked the cavern and rushed at the spider, the woman unleashing a mass of webbing as a makeshift shield, blocking some of the blast before being thrown backwards in the air. Gasping, she turned and flipped above the pair of water whips, catching onto a pair of hanging threads with her spider legs and slashing at the waterbender below… only for green fire to fly through and burn away her attack.
"You forgot about me, bitch?" Burnin snickered, charging up a pair of fireballs in her hands. "I thought I was your special target?!"
As the fire shot at the hunter, Itkomi growled and pulled down on the webbing, ripping out stones from the ceiling and whipping them at the sidekick below. As Burnin rolled out of the way, she aimed her hand at Katara, but gasped as the veins in her wrists contracted. "Tsk…" she hissed out, unable to block the water stream, ensnaring, her body and yanking her towards the ground.
"Now!" Katara shouted.
As Itkomi's spider legs flailed out breaking through the water, Itkomi's eyes widened as she turned just as Kendo leaped off the floating ice and drove her enlarged fist into her stomach. The hard impact made Itkomi gasp out, the powerful punch followed by another to her chest causing something to crack inside. Gritting her teeth, she shot one of her legs to skewer her, missing as Katara's water grabbed Kendo and pulled her out of the way, following it with another water stream and slamming into the hunters body and careening her to the ground below.
"Gah!" Itkomi growled as the water pinned her body, looking up as Bakugo aiming his hands down at her. Glaring, she drove her sharp fingers into the stone below her, ripping out boulders as her spider legs catapulted herself out of the water and launched the rocks at the explosive teen.
"Rah!" Bakugo shouted as he was forced to release his blasts early and destroy the boulders, redirecting his body as Itkomi burst through the smoke coming right at him. "Just try and-
"Web bullet."
The sharp pain striking bakugo in the chest made him cough out, quickly followed by several sharp shots across his body. "Ahh!" he screamed out, the small bullet sized web globs sticking out of the injuries. The distraction was enough as Itkomi shot out several strands and catching the teen, yanking him down and launching him into the ground below.
"Bakugo!" Mirko shouted, hissing as she pulled against the webbing pinning her down. "God damn it!"
"Bakugo!" Katara yelled out, her eyes widening as Itkomi unleashed a barrage of web bullets her way, shielding herself with a wall of water. "Go and help him!" As Kendo sprinted towards the downed teen across the cavern, Katara whipped her arms around and launched the water shield at the hunter.
As she yanked herself out of the way of the water, Itkomi gasped as her arms spasmed, the glands nearly raw as she hissed in anger. Web bullets already caused strain due to the rapid opening and closing, and now with them being used so much her veins were feeling constricted. As Katara' water whip snapped past her face, she growled and squeezed her wrists, baring her teeth and leaping onto the ceiling as she brought a pair of spider legs in front of her face. "This payment better be worth all this damn trouble!"
Katara's mouth fell open as the webs burst out from Itkomi's wrists at her, blocking them with streams flowing off her gauntlets. As they whizzed by, she noticed the streaks of red dripping on the webs, realizing it was coming from the hunter herself. "She's at her limit. We can end this!" She said to herself, propelling the water beneath her and chasing after the hunter.
"It better be…" Burnin growled and panted, her head going in and out of focus still, forcing a fireball in her hand and launching it at the arachnid. "I need a damn drink after this!"
"Bakugo!" Kendo shouted as she leaned down to his side, helping him off the shattered floor as he winced out. "You alright?"
"Don't think this is bringing me down…" He growled out, wiping the blood away from his eyes and glaring at the spider woman dodging Katara's water whips. "I'm going to smash that damn bug if it's the last thing we do!"
As he blasted off the ground, Kendo shielded her face from the gust of wind, raising her brow at the words he chose. "We?" she said, never hearing him say something involving others before.
Dodging the slashing web, Katara yelped as the multiple spider legs shot forward, her water blocking the sharp limbs trying to skewer her. She brought her arms out to bend the water to ice, but gasped as the hunters hand burst through the water and latched onto her shirt and yanked her forward. Katara's eyes widened as Itkomi's mouth opened up, the sharp spider fangs going straight at her shoulder. Reacting, her arm came up, the hunter biting down onto the steel gauntlet. Hissing, Itkomi kept her teeth clenched on the steel, bringing a spider leg and thrusting it at the teen's chest.
"Ap shot!"
Itkomi's eyes widened at the beam of heat rushing at her face, spitting out the gauntlet and jumping back before she was hit. She glared at the explosive teen, her spider legs hooking onto a few of the dangling threads from the ceiling and catapulting herself right at him. "No, you don't!" Katara shouted and prepared a water whip, but gasped as a stream of threads were pulled from the side, capturing her leg and yanking her down. Itkomi whipped the girl forward and launched her at the incoming Bakugo.
"The hell?!" Bakugo yelled as he was slammed by Katara, growling as they both fell toward the ground before he flipped and caught her as they crashed down. "Damn it!" he yelped out in pain from the impact.
"Ugh…" Katara grunted from the hit as well, rolling off him as they both stood up ready to fight. Before she could even see it however, Katara's eyes burst open as Itkomi's fist drove into her chest, re breaking the many ribs she had already healed.
"Katara!" Kendo screamed out, watching in horror as Katara collapsed beneath the tall woman.
"You mother-" Bakugo's words only became a muffled scream as Itkomi's leg stabbed him through the foot, the immense pain making his throat tightened before her large hand gripped his face.
"No!" Burnin shouted as she hobbled forward, panting as she charged her fire up.
"You think… because you shit's landed a few hits… you had a chance?" Itkomi growled between breaths, wincing at the pain in her wrists. "Having strength is one thing… but being able to take damage… is something else entirely!"
Flinging Bakugo across the cavern, she shot her webbing out and caught his feet, flinging him through the air before slamming him into the ground. "Bakugo!" Mirko yelled out, watching as gasped out a mouthful of blood. "Fuck! Fuck!" she shouted, pulling so hard at the webbing she felt her skin bleeding in multiple spots.
"You can't land hits and expect that's all there is to a fight…" Itkomi scolded as Kendo launched herself at her, dodging several punches before chopping down at the teens wrist, making her cry out before kicking straight into her stomach. Watching her slump to the floor, Itkomi huffed out through her nose in annoyance. "If you can't take a hit just as hard, you're nothing more than a glass cannon."
Gasping at the pain in her chest, Katara tried crawling off the ground only to collapse back down. The cracked ribs from earlier hadn't fully healed, and having them break again only added to the agony. Her eyes widened in terror however to the scream she heard, looking up to see Burnin slammed into the ground, unable to get up before a stream of webs stuck to her legs and spun her through the air and flung her across the cavern and crashing through a shattered stalactite. She gritted her teeth in frustration, gathering water beside her and healing her chest immediately. She needed to do something now… and she knew she needed everything she had to do it.
Closing her eyes, she looked deep inside herself. She focused on the power she felt earlier, knowing if she was to save everyone, she couldn't hold back any longer.
Panting, Itkomi glanced down at her trembling hands, glaring as her webbing glands were bleeding. She had never had her webs strained to such a degree, something she never expected to do against some kids from school. She glanced around to the others, however, forcing a grin as she saw the others hardly able to stand, Burnin struggling to crawl back to her feet. One of her eyes traveled to Bakugo, somewhat chuckling as the explosive teens chest was covered in slashes despite the healing from earlier. She noticed the gasping redhead crawling back to her feet beside Bakugo, knowing all of them were practically done.
"This is stupid you kids are even getting up. Are you willing to die now instead of just coming with me?" She hissed.
"And be a free hostage for you freaks? You can kiss my ass!" Bakugo shouted, sparking his hands once more.
"That healing really was a hindrance from earlier, but let's see it try and connect something cut off. As she raised her hand for another slash… Itkomi suddenly felt another chill run up her neck, her eyes widening at what she saw to the side.
Katara panted as she stood up from the wall, the water pulling around from the ground and gathering at her feet. The water began spinning around her once more, the current causing her hair to flutter around the air. Taking another deep breath, she glared up at the tall woman. "I'm not done yet!"
Walking forward, the water across the ground pulsed outward from Katara with each step. Everyone else in the cavern turned in both awe and shock, feeling the hair on the back of their necks stand up from the intense feeling coming from the waterbender. Itkomi herself took a step backward, her hand shaking for a moment not from the pain growing in her arms… but the cold feeling she got as she stared at the girl coming her way.
'This kid… what is this feeling?' Itkomi whispered inside as Katara came closer, her three remaining spider legs twitching in caution. 'Why am I getting this feeling inside me?' She forced her hands to expel webbings to her hands, watching as the water shook with each step from Katara. 'She keeps getting up over and over. No… that's not it.'
Closing her eyes, Katara took one more deep breath before she opened them once more, the glow returning before her eyes shifted back to normal as she raised her hands, the water spread out around the cavern rushing beside her and rising into multiple columns alongside herself. She focused her mind as her breathing remained calm… the energy inside fully under her control for the first time.
From across the cavern, Mirko stared silently as the brunette walked, experiencing a similar feeling to the hunter. She was seeing whatever had happened earlier wasn't some random fluke… but that this girl's power had truly grown to something incredible. She felt a bead of sweat fall down her face as she grinned. 'This kid… she's not just a high pro hero level…. She's practically in the top ten.'
'This kid…' Itkomi bared her teeth and arched her knuckles. "She's nearly as strong as I am!"
Bursting forward, Katara skimmed across the water current she pulled at the hunter and launched her water whips forward. Glaring, Itkomi yelled as she shot out several streams of webs and clashed against the water, leaping into the air above the ice forming below her feet. She slashed down to the waterbender, missing as Katara sped across the surface. "Who the hell is this kid?!" Itkomi shouted to herself as she shot out her webs in a fan-like pattern in the air, yelling as she yanked them downward towards Katara.
"Rah!" Katara yelled as whipped her arms forward, launching multiple water slashes through the air and cutting through the webs breaking them apart. She dropped her body lower and increased her speed, the wake behind her spraying into the air as she zoomed by the hunter, dodging and weaving between the razor-sharp webs rushing her way. Swinging her hands, waves of water blades whizzed through the air at the hunter, Itkomi taking a slash to her shoulder causing her to stumble backward.
"Shit…" Itkomi growled as another water blade slashed her cheek beneath her eyes, her spider legs pulling at the webbing around and yanking them in multiple directions to cut the waterbender down, but the girls speed was even greater than it was before, the same as when she was in her enraged state earlier. The veins on her wrists contracted, her eyes widening as she clenched her teeth. "Stay still, you little bitch!"
Katara's feet zipped across the surface dodging the incoming web bullets rushing by. Taking a breah, she dropped down into the water as several web bullets shot at her, spinning the current around herself and launching it through the surface. The water twister nearly engulfed the hunter, the woman pulling herself out of the way just in time before attempting to slash through the water at the submerged waterbender. Before they hit the water, however, a blast of fire shot across burning her webbing away. "Damn you…"
"You think we are done?" Burnin sneered as she hobbled forward, charging the fire in her hand once more. "Think again!"
Panting, Bakugo ripped his torn outfit off his torso, tying it around his damaged arm and wrenching it tight. As he panted, his eyes noticed the water flowing from around the cavern into theshifting current in the growing pool of water where Katara was, gritting his teeth and cracking his neck. "So that's your plan, huh?" he growled.
As she evaded a pair of fireballs launched at her, Itkomi winced as the strain on her wrists continued growing, slashing at a chunk of hanging rock and launching it at the fire haired woman. The sudden explosion shattered the stone, followed by Bakugo leaping through the smoke and launching Kendo through the air right at the hunter.
"Ahh!" Kendo shouted as she expanded her hand and drove her fist into Itkomi's face, the hunter gasping from the intense hit before growling and latching her hand onto the teens throat.
"You are the most useless of the lot of you!" Itkomi hissed out through the blood leaking from her mouth, confused by the grin on the girls face.
"I… distracted you, didn't I?" Kendo snickered.
"AP SHOT!"
The burning sensation through Itkomi's left spider legs caused her to scream out, dropping the gasping Kendo as the beam of heat cut off both of her arachnid limbs. She turned to see Bakugo flying through the air at her, the explosive teen roaring out and bringing his hands forward at her. "Just go down already!" he shouted and released his blast.
Bracing herself against the ground, Itkomi yelled as the powerful blast engulfed her, scorching her across the body and throwing her back across the ground. Hissing, she crawled up as he barreled through the smoke letting off another blast, dodging it and expanding her web glands once more. "You're pissing me off more than the others!" she shouted and expelled out a dozen strands of webbing, hissing as she swung them at the teen.
"You'll be pissed once your ass is toast!" He yelled and blasted himself over the slashes, spinning his body as he picked up as much speed as he could now. "Howitzer impact!"
The explosive tornado ripped through the cavern, causing Itkomi panic as she redirected the webs above and latched onto the ceiling and pulled down. Dozens of boulders collapsed downward, the massive rocks shattering as Bakugo plowed through them as he barreled at the woman. Arching her knuckles, she focused her webbing on her right wrist and shot out, splitting her injured glands further but shooting off webbing as thick as her finger directly through the center of the explosion. The heat melted away a large majority of the webbing, but a small portion sped through and pierced Bakugo's left shoulder, the pain throwing his rotation off and breaking his technique. "Damn you!" He shouted out, forcing his right hand to launch into a flip and aim it at the woman. 'Die!"
Dropping back on to her remaining spider legs, Itkomi dodged the blast from hitting her face and whipped her normal leg out, slamming it into Bakugo's still injured hand making him gasp out. She slashed her remaining spider legs out, raking across his chest but still landing a blast to her stomach throwing her back. "Rah!" she shouted and drove her fist into his arm breaking it once more, the teen screaming before she backfisted him across the cavern. "I think I should take those hands of yours and send them to that school of yours, let them see what happens to someone who steps out of line with me!"
As he fell to his knees, Bakugo gritted his teeth in frustration before clenching his eyes shut.
"You had better finish this bitch off… Katara!"
The water burst outward from the ground, the hunter's eyes widening at the form rising through the air. The immense water dragon rose thirteen meters above the ground and the thickness of a large truck. The shimmering creature's body was so dense it was nearly impossible to see through, the large mouth seemingly roaring down at the spider. Stepping back, Itkomi's multiple eyes narrowing onto the waterbender standing atop the great dragon's head.
"Don't you kids ever learn to fucking quit?!" Itkomi yelled out in rage, panting out as the blood dripped down her wrists.
Glaring, Katara thrust her hands forward, launching the dragon through the cavern. Itkomi shouted in anger and slashed at the incoming teen, only to be countered by the girl's water whips shooting from the creature below. Hissing, she jumped backwards as the water beast slammed into the floor where she was, only for a stream of water bursting out of the dragon's mouth to slam into her and crash her through one of the stone pillars.
"Gah!" Itkomi gasped out as she bounced across the floor before flipping to her feet, her fangs bared as she shot her webs onto the boulder before her and launched it at the girl. Guiding her dragon, Katara opened its mouth and clamped down on the rock, shattering it in the intense water pressure and shooting out a barrage of ice spikes at the woman, blocking most of them until four got through and struck the hunter across her blocking forearms. "Damn you!" She screamed out, her wrists bleeding yet opening up to their fullest. "A kid like you has no idea what you are dealing with!"
"No…" Katara whispered under her breath,adjusting her stance and clenching her fists. "You have no idea who you are dealing with."
Screaming in rage, Itkomi's hands bled as she unleashed a wave of webbing out, lashing down at the roaring dragon as it rushed towards her. Katara sank into the dragon's body as it barreled through the strings, ripping through the webs as she aimed her hands forward, unleashing a powerful stream of water out the dragon's mouth and slashing the webs out of the way. Even as she connected and threw forward several massive boulders, Itkomi's eyes widened as the dragon crashed through them, the large beast seemingly staring down at the hunter's form.
Itkomi's mouth opened up… for the first time in so many years, the feeling of fear creeping into her heart.
"What…" she growled out, her eyes traveling to the waterbender inside the dragons forehead. "What the fuck are you?!
Katara glared in anger as she crossed her arms, dropping through the dragon to the floor as she launched the water beast forward. The rush of the current sounded like a loud roar of a powerful beast, matching the open maw barreling at the hunter. "This ends now!" She yelled out, guiding the powerful technique downward and ripping through the stone flooring.
Biting so hard her mouth bled, Itkomi hissed as her glands ripped open, blasting out a wall of webs enshrouding the entire cavern passage. Despite the blood rushing down her wrists, the spider screamed out and shot the web shield to the walls and ceiling, the dragon crashing into it and causing the entire mountain to be rocked by the impact. Glaring as the webbing buckled, Itkomi's remaining spider legs hooked onto the loose webbing behind and tightened her barrier. As a few of the lines to the mountainside snapped, she gritted her teeth and sprayed more from her wrists and reinforced her barrier. "Once I am through with you, I bet the school won't even recognize who you are!"
"Once I am through with you, you will regret everything you have ever done!" Katara yelled and braced her footing, her arms shaking and pushing harder. The exhaustion in her body was excruciating, but she refused to stop, her shoes scraping on the stone as she pushed forward. "We are all going home together, you bitch!"
"Finish this!" Bakugo shouted out.
"Go katara, win this!" Kendo screamed.
"Get that bitch, Ryujin!" Burnin yelled out.
Mirko stared in amazement at the struggle, grinning at the wind rushed by her hair. "You finish this… Ryujin!"
As the two forces pushed against one another, Katara winced as one of the flailing threads whipped through and slashed across her stomach. She grimaced at the intense pain from the sharp cut, gritting her teeth and glaring forward. "RAHHH!" she yelled out, pushing everything she had and pushed the dragon forward.
Itkomi's eyes burst open as the webbing suddenly buckled, ripping away as the water dragon broke through her defense. The water leviathan barreled at the woman, too stunned to move as the technique slammed into her body. The force of the attack ripped the hunter off the ground, her mind screaming in confusion to how this was happening to her. She could only scream as the powerful water tore through the cavern, shredding the stone below before carrying the hunter into the air. The dragon spiraled around, dancing through the cave and driving into the far side of the mountain and ripping through the wall. Everyone else watched in shock and amazement as the entire side of the cavern wall splintered and cracked, the impact feeling like an earthquake as the dragon crushed the trapped spider into the mountain.
After several more intense seconds, the rest of the water finished barreling into the wall. Other than the water spilling towards the ground, silence fell over the cavern, the battle with the hunters coming to an end.
Notes: Oh... My God...
talk about a climax. this may have been one of the hardest fights to write in the story. hope you all truly enjoyed this battle!
I know... I saw Bloodbending like 20 times in the comments. And hate to disappoint... but I made it clear not doing "free to bloodbend whenever". but either way... she has now reached a level of power beyond anything she ever had before.
Also, getting closer to starting the manga chapters of this story! so if anyone is interested in helping to create even more pages and chapters, you can head to the go fund me link on my profile. every little bit is truly appreciated you guys! (Also have new artwork coming!)
And if you can't donate, just please leave your comments and thoughts to the chapter! every review truly helps me with motivation!
and trust me... you do not... want to miss the next chapter.
Till next time!