"Something's wrong, we should have reached the bottom by now." Reitia spoke up, noting the entire group was still falling. It wasn't as if they were falling for minutes, but given the distance they needed to travel the minute that past should have been enough.
"Think we're hallucinating?" Krovanh asked, having an arm around Touka as her free arm was hooked over his shoulders to give her stability during the drop.
"No, it seems our host has a few tricks up their sleeves." Artorian dashed the chances of drugs away, already knowing the answer. This Envy was a Vessel, just like his subordinates. Which meant the Abyss was deeply embedded in the base, meaning manipulation is possible if a Vessel had the gift to summon the Abyss at will. It meant they no longer could rely on the previously seen schematics of the base, and perhaps even charlotte was now cut off from them.
If a Vessel could craft the Abyss into a dimensional canvas, then they were locked off from the rest of the world.
They weren't plucked from space, they were still in the base as was desired. However, if the Abyss was at work then they could be walking at any point, the inside resembling an optical illusion overlapping itself over and over compared to the container outside. If Envy ordered his subordinate, they could possibly fall down forever.
But Artorian didn't have the time or patience for that, as he narrowed his gaze and allowed the Abyss to seep from him. It was a slimy coldness that moved across his body, as if looking for the individual pores to escape from and corrupt. It revolted him, knowing this was a sensation he always felt but never could put to words. As the ice-cold tendrils traversed his soul, looking for a weakness to assault and torture, the Abysswalker's fortitude kept it at bay, long enough for his feet to hit a sudden bottom and allow him to weaken the presence.
He was too far to reduce it to nothing, but he just had to avoid giving it too much ground.
"I don't like this." Emilia admitted, the rest of the team landing behind Artorian to see a spiraling corridor. It was just wrong, the geometry askew slightly as it progressed, and there was a soupy bile tasted in the air, as if the humidity increased dramatically.
"None of us do." Artorian commented, before the team took off in a sprint. There was no point in looking at the other doors or figuring out a path that they needed to go, it was clear they were being herded like cattle. Envy didn't want to dance around this, he wanted a game. He wanted blood.
It was when a distortion ahead that Artorian stopped everyone, his armored feet sparking to a halt as he could practically see the ripples in the air.
"What's wrong?"
"This is likely the first checkpoint." He answered, reaching his hand forward. As he reached the ripples in the air, he phased through like it wasn't even there. However once he was through he was falling fast, the orientation shifting totally as his instincts took over.
A loud clang struck his eardrums as he used his sword to block a fist, seeing Desen in his full armor beneath him and having readied himself for the introduction.
"How lucky, that I get to be the one to kill the First Slayer's bastard son!" Desen bellowed, his incredible strength shifting as he sent the hybrid crashing into the wall, feeling metal twist and contort to support his weight as he stumbled onto his feet. Blood trickled down Artorian's head, heated rage present in his eyes as he wiped his forehead clean.
"You get that one." He growled, Desen laughing as he entered his stance.
"I still owe you for that shot in the hospital, and I intend to make good on my-!"
"Zaneizan!" Before the Vessel finished his proclamation, he was shut up as Touka came flying down from the ceiling, slamming her blade down on his head with a resonating ring from the vibrations of his helmet. When she was on solid ground, she swung this time for his chest, slamming with astonishing force and causing his to skid back a meter. "Oh come on! I know I hit right!"
"What the fuck!" Desen shouted, his cracked armor unbothered as he looked at the ceiling. "What's the deal Envy! You said I'd get first pickings at him! What the hell is an extra doing here!?"
"I said you were first pickings, I sincerely doubt our guest of honor would waste himself on the opening act." Envy's voice spoke over Desen's shoulder, enraging him as the rest of the team dropped out from the soupy barrier, suddenly the Vessel completely outnumbered. "Welcome everyone to round one, I'm sure you're all so very excited to get started."
"Seeing as this is our opener, I figured I'd give you something simple to sink your teeth into. Desen is one of my enforcers, a former militia officer that has top marks in hand-to-hand combat." Envy introduced the man, a chuckle rumbling from the disembodied voice as he continued. "Unfortunantely he's as blunt as it comes, and his gift wasn't anything to go home about. But he's served well, so I'm sure he'll make things interesting for whoever gets put forward. Hope you pick well!"
A new ripple appeared behind the Vessel, getting everyone's attention at the break in reality.
"Looks like he's guiding us to keep going." Artorian noted.
"But the guy's still up, are we just supposed to beat him and go?" Emilia asked, getting a negative from the Abysswalker.
"No, he made a rule saying the same number of us can leave as entered. I think… I think we're meant to leave someone to fight while we keep going." No one liked it, but none spoke out against it either. The rules Envy put down were weighed by Miharu's life especially, meaning while Karen wasn't the target the nurse had no protection outside of the Vessel's twisted sense of entertainment.
"I'll stay behind Shinshisho." Touka volunteered, adjusting her stance as she glared down the Vessel. "If this guy's just an opening act, there's no better match then the future master of the Zaneizan."
"Don't think I don't see the real reason." Artorian scoffed, although there was a trace of a smile. Desen was a sturdy opponent, his armor was noticeably stronger than the others and was able to endure Touka's raw strength when he wasn't prepared. The girl wanted this fight, not for strategy of being one of the least experienced or for compatibility.
But who was he to judge?
"Fine, give him hell." Artorian agreed, Touka grinning as she bent her knees, her feet shifting on steel plate being the only thing heard before she lunged forward.
"You have some serious gall to leave a stupid kid to fight your battle!" Desen yelled as he moved to intercept Touka, both rearing their attacks back upon impact. The loud ring stunned Touka for a moment but she quickly sidestepped as the Vessel swung in a low arc, wincing as a kick from him struck her side.
As the fight started, the rest of the team started to move, Desen reacting too late as the Abysswalker sped past him already. Weight on his chest had him snap back to the fight as Touka's sword further cracked his armor, her strength enough to unbalance him and stumble back.
But before he regained his footing, he saw a hand grab at his faceplate before momentum brought him crashing down onto his back. Desen then rolled to the side to avoid a downward thrust from Krovanh, the Slayer blocking a strike that had him recoil back. As the Vessel got up he was met with a sudden kick to the back of his head, this time rolling with it to immediately respond with an uppercut to Touka's stomach, sending the girl flying back.
"Shit!" Krovanh spat, before pulsing his energy to clear the distance and catch Touka before she hit the wall, suffering the impact with a grunt of pain. "The hell were you thinking going for a kick! You could've taken his head off if you cut at his neck!"
"Don't tell me how to fight!" Touka snapped back. "And what are you still doing here!? Shinshisho said this is my fight, tail it Sharkface!"
"The fuck you'd call me!?"
The argument stopped immediately as Desen was in the midst of a jump, Krovanh shoving Touka to the left before he lunged right, both slamming their swords into his chest and knock him back. Continuing their attack, Desen showed good coordination as he quickly adapted to the two on one, parrying with his forearms and dodging any swing the two sent towards his head. A punch to Krovanh's face sent the Slayer back, to which he flipped and landed feet first onto the wall.
A surge of energy sent the Slayer barreling into the Vessel, striking with the end of his blade and digging into the armor with enough force to cause a secondary boom. Desen nearly fell over from it, leaving him open as Touka attempted to time her swing with the vibrations in the armor.
A moment of hesitation as she tried to measure it however had her strike merely send the man back, the returning vibrations tensing her arms as she tried to steady herself again.
'Damn it, how did I mess it up this time!? Did I take too long, or was my strike before the reverberation!?'
"You need to stop thinking about whatever flashy move you're trying to do and focus on what's in front of us." Krovanh ordered to Touka, the redhead about to yell back before she saw he was next to her, lowered in a defensive stance. "This isn't a safe environment like whatever lessons the dog was teaching you. This is real, and there's only you and me to rely on. No last second grab, no support net."
"Yeah well… who asked you!?"
"Take a look at him." Krovanh pointed to their opponent, Touka turning to see Desen roll his shoulders as he stepped forward. "I'm not sure what modifications his armor has, but Nesat was able to kill a squad of guys with similar gear that were all armed. I'm not sure if her overdosage permanently powered her, but before I was physically stronger than my sister. And he's acting as if he hasn't felt a thing."
"With swings like that, what would you expect?" Desen taunted, his grin heard behind the muffle of his helmet.
"So whatever you're trying to do, forget it and focus on fighting to stay alive!" Krovanh then charged forward, slashing at Desen's neck and being blocked by both his forearms.
"Feisty son of a bitch, ain't ya!?" Desen cheered, the two engaging in a mutual clash. Krovanh's movements were swift and carried weight, but each blow that landed nearly stopped at impact, Krovanh feeling as if he was striking against a wall rather than a person. Meanwhile he was sure to avoid each of Desen's strikes.
Eventually Desen caught Krovanh's blade and reared his fist back for a strike to his chest, but was stopped as Touka slammed both her feet into Desen's chest, pushing him back before she slammed her blade diagonally across his torso. Mor cracks formed but the armor held, and Desen was able to retaliate with strike that rung out on impact with the flat of her sword.
A retaliatory slash at Desen's head rocked the Vessel's skull for a dizzying moment, unaware of when the girl could have made that move so quickly before Krovanh cut across both sides of the Vessel before readying his blade for a third strike.
Midway through turning the Vessel realized both his opponents were readying an attack and slammed a foot down, shocking them as it shook the ground and off balanced them. Krovanh had to time to react as Desen delivered a crushing kick to his face, the Slayer being knocked off his feet and rolling across the floor. Touka, however, had just enough time to try and strike at Desen's head, the Vessel twisting around the swing and delivering a solid punch to the side of her torso.
Touka recoiled as she felt blistering pain spread from the impact across her entire body, the blow significantly stronger than the last as she coughed out blood. Desen planted his feet as he continued through the punch, slamming Touka down and in a terrifying display of strength caused her to ricocheted off the ground and hit the ceiling before crashing down onto steel again.
"Ponytail!" Krovanh saw Touka remain on the ground, unable to see if she was still conscious or not from his position as he was on a knee.
"Serves her right, kids thinking they can step up like that." Desen sneered before turning to Krovanh, the Slayer propping himself up with his sword as he forced himself to stand. "At least she has the excuse of being a nobody, look at you. I thought Slayers were meant to be worth something of a damn, a kick to the head and you're already dazed. Pathetic."
Krovanh growled in anger at the statement, reflecting it more at himself as he felt blood trickle from his mouth. Although the bastard's armor was durable, Krovanh knew any other day he'd be able to smash it apart. However, he could feel the twitching in his muscles restrain most of his strength, his body still recovering from the overdosage Vitaly forced him through.
'Damn it… maybe I should have gotten Nesat to stay back, she'd make short work of this guy.' Krovanh thought, having noticed his sister had far less issues after her episode on Little Garden then he did. She was always more capable of handling the drugs, something that hurt to know as he believed he was protecting her and Nakri. And he learned after everything, all the hell they endured… and he was still utterly pathetic.
Before Desen took a step forward, Krovanh surprised him by slamming the top of his fist against his own forehead, his armor cutting into his skin as the pain he felt began to wash away the thoughts of worthlessness. Blood dripped down his face as he took a deep breath, blinking once to keep the blood from going into his eye as he turned his full attention to the man in front of him.
'Enough thinking like that, if you believe that it's all the more reason you had to stay behind.' Krovanh thought, his aching body standing upright as he used energy to force himself to remain composed. 'Envy talked this guy like he was a third rate entertainer, he's probably the weakest of his lieutenants. Which means it's best to take him down with the weak link.' Krovanh then shifted his posture, taking a new stance holding his double bladed sword behind him and upward, while holding his free hand extended out with his palm facing Desen.
A strange wave of bliss had coursed through the former Hunter as he accepted his position as the weak link among the Slayers. His weakened body and incomplete recovery had him weaker then even the fight he had with Artorian in the Qin forests, maybe even weaker than when they first met on the Zwei Islands. But that just mean he had to concentrate, he's done nothing but smash into his opponents, and while it helped against the masses of half-rate Slayers like in Qin, a competent opponent has always gotten the better of him.
"Sorry Ponytail, I'm sure whatever you're trying to do is important to you. But you got the weakest Slayer in the team as your backup, so the luxury of testing out moves can't happen." Krovanh apologized to Touka, still uncertain if she was conscious and able to hear him or not.
"Good, I missed out on ripping the Abyssal apart." Desen grinned at Krovanh's posture, excited to see he wasn't being robbed of his fight so soon.
Just as the two were about to start, Krovanh watched in surprise as Desen was sent crashing to the side from behind by Touka, the girl glaring dagger as her swing came with enough force to cause the Vessel to bounce back at her. As Desen reached her, she delivered a downward swing onto his chest, cratering the area as the force blew wind in every direction.
'What the hell, Ponytail can hit that hard?' Krovanh though in astonishment. Much like Krovanh, the single blow from Desen caused serious damage to her, as there was a wide cut across her forehead that had blood nearly blind both her eyes. But that seemed completely forced behind her mind as her body moved on its own, deflecting Desen's fist as he regained himself and swung up at her.
'Darn it, I still messed it up!' Touka kicked herself mentally as she retreated several paces back, entering a guard as Desen rose up. 'I don't get it, I swear I felt the vibrations that time, where am I screwing up?'
"Hehe, guess it's on me for underestimating kids for the freaks they are." Desen chuckled to himself, tracing his hand across his chest as he felt the cracks were slowly building up. He recognized that Touka was attempting to break through his defenses in one go, a valiant effort but pointless thanks to the ace up his sleeve.
"Oi, Ponytail!" Krovanh called out to Touka, getting the redhead's attention. "How you feeling?"
"Good enough, a small crash like that won't keep me down." Touka grinned. While her head was slightly dazed, her body felt more or less alright, capable of going longer.
"Talk about a weirdo…" Krovanh said with a half grin. Touka's strength and durability almost reminded him of Artorian, having been the focus of such feats before. But seeing how Touka sent the man flying like that made the former Hunter chuckle.
"Are the children done having their talk?" Desen asked, cracking his neck impatiently.
A silent nod between Krovanh and Touka was the last thing they needed before the charged the Vessel. A thunderous clang went off as he blocked both their attacks with his forearms, sparks flying as he turned and struck at Krovanh, who ducked underneath and slammed his blade into Desen's gut. The man grunted in exertion from the blow, but managed to block Touka's follow-up swing from behind before twisting, kicking Touka several steps back before delivering two swings at Krovanh.
The two punches landed, the second striking Krovanh's check and bloodying his mouth. A knee to his gut nearly had him cough up blood, but in that moment he forced his blade's handle underneath the man's knee and twisted around. Lifting Desen up with all his strength, Krovanh gritted his teeth as he felt the man was impossibly heavy, however managing and slamming him to the ground with a thunderous crash.
A powerful stomp from Krovanh then shattered the Vessel's helmet, blinding him with glass as the Hunter jumped off in time for Touka to slam her blade into Desen's stomach. Before she could get her second swing in Desen threw his leg up and kicked Touka across her face, knocking her off balance before twisting up to grab her by the throat and raise her up for a slam.
He was stopped as Krovanh wrapped his Hundred's handle around his arm as he got behind him, stopping the motion and allowing Touka to twist her body and deliver a knee to Desen's exposed face to stun him. The force caused him to release her, then allowing Krovanh to roll the man over his back and toss him across the room, dents forming each time his shoulders rolled against the steel before he slammed his fist into the ground and steady himself.
"You alright?" Krovanh asked, looking back to Touka to see her resting on one knee, rubbing the bruise that formed on the other knee that struck Desen's face.
"Yeah, I'll manage." Touka answered, the two glaring at Desen as he rose to his full height.
With his faceplate destroyed, Desen's face was full exposed, and with it the two saw obsidian black skin and glowing red eyes. The skin shown like the glass it was reflective of, informing the two that whatever it was it wasn't natural. It was freakish, and as Touka discovered from slamming her knee into his chin it was even stronger than the armor he was wearing.
"Looks like we got more than smokes and mirrors to worry about." Krovanh growled, figuring that if he had no blood on him Desen hadn't taken any serious damage from those blows to his head.
"Maybe… but that makes it easier for me." With a last hit to her knee, Touka forced the last bit of pain out of her before standing up, not bothering to wipe the blood off her face as she stared directly at Desen's face.
'That skin must be what was causing the vibrations to be less noticeable… no, it interfered with the vibrations of his armor.' She concluded. Although she has yet to perform a successful application of the Zaneizan, she felt she was beginning to understand it. Artorian's lessons weren't fully accurate, whether that was intentional or not, she was trying to strike the vibrations as they came up, mistaking that it was to be at its highest where its vulnerable. She was certain she struck Desen both times at that point, even with the added resistance of his skin's reaction to the blows her hits if done right should have at least shattered his chest plate.
Which means she's misunderstood the moment of weakness Zaneizan exploits.
Without warning Touka sprinted into action, charging as fast as she could at Desen and reaching him in a blink of an eye, surprising the Vessel at her sudden burst of speed. There was a stone cold serious expression on her as she felt positive on her next application of Zaneizan, a confidence even Desen felt.
'Whatever this brat's been trying to do, my instincts are screaming at me to not let her do it!' A sense of determination fueled the Vessel as he intercepted Touka's attempted slash at his chest by blocking it with the flat of his boot. He hasn't felt this in years, the dread of an opponent that feels ready to kill you, and knows how to do it. Dread always filled his opponents when they saw his armored skin, and for the first time the reveal invigorated his opponent. It was a thrill he long yearned for.
He then ducked and delivered a punch to deflect Krovanh's attack, adjusting it to bring the blade down towards Touka. The redhead however pulled her sword free from Desen's foot and instead swung her blade from behind, deflecting Krovanh's sword so that both her and his blade slammed against the Vessel's chest in a combined attack.
As armor fractured off of Desen, the two continued their advance on the man in a joint effort. Neither Slayer nor Abysswalker attacked at the same spot twice, even moving between one another to target at a new direction on the Vessel. Despite his incredible reflexes, managing to keep up with the wordless assault, he was taking hits across his entire body, chunks of his armor flying off as the onslaught seemed to only empower the two he was against.
But openings gave him the counters he needed, delivering a blow to Krovanh's stomach that nearly knocked him out from the pain. But the Slayer gritted his teeth as he dropped his Armament and instead slammed his knees into the remains of the armor on Desen's chest, spitting blotches of blood into the Vessel's eyes and blinding him with the spray of ichor.
The Vessel recoiled from the blow and blinding, but grabbed Krovanh by his variable suit and threw him over his shoulder in a perfect judo throw. Krovanh's back bounced off the ground as the pain blinded him, coughing out more blood as he swore he passed out for a second. But with a burst of adrenaline before his concious faded, Krovanh planted his feet on the ground and coursed his energy into his legs, an aquamarine glow brightened the dark room before he slammed both his feet into Desen's chest, sending him flying back as he coughed out blood.
The blow shattered what remained of Desen's outer armor, the Vessel landing with a light pant before he wiped the blood from his mouth. A grin then took place as he ripped off the small chunks that remained and the undershirt he had on, fully exposing the obsidian shell that was his skin, not a crack present as he held his arms out in a beckon to Touka, as Krovanh collapsed onto the ground with a pained wheeze, his vision dazed from the exertion he let out and his condition catching up to him.
'Sorry Ponytail… I don't think I got more than one good move in me.' Krovanh admitted, seeing Touka take up a position in front of him. He hated that he had now become the crutch, but his condition made Full-Body Armament and even Variant Mode impossible for him. All he could do now was try to control his breathing and recover what strength he could, and trust that Touka could create the opening they needed to put down the Vessel.
"And then there was one." Desen said with a grin. "It looks like now Slayers need civilians to do their dirty work, quite pathetic."
"I've seen Sharkface in action, if he can make Shinshisho sweat you got lucky he's on a bad day." Touka responded, not allowing a person's skill to be insulted when she knew whatever was wrong with Krovanh was beyond his control. "But don't think because I'm alone that you're in the advantage."
"Oh don't get me wrong, you're the one I was focusing on." Desen admitted, pointing to her. "Your stare, your posture, you intent: you broadcast it without a hint of hesitation. Whether intentional or from a lack of control you've made it clear that you have an actual plan. And I can guess it has to do with why you kept delivering sets of attacks. A technique that even has me, someone who's more powerful and experienced then you, feeling in my gut that if it lands flawlessly I'm as good as dead."
"How bold of you. I am Touka Kenzaki, daughter of Hokuto and Shizuka Kenzaki, second student of Ryusei Kenzaki, and apprentice of Artorian Abyssal. You are just a steppingstone as I discover my potential." Touka said with a smirk, entering a new stance that had her blade held over her shoulder, crouching as low as she could with her feet wide and leaning to the right, playing into the weight of her sword.
"So many names, wish any of those first ones mattered to me." Desen laughed, planting his feet down with his right arm curled, the left held down perpendicular to the ground as a mist of darkness shrouded him. "You're rather straightforward, I'm surprised you haven't asked for my story."
"You're my opponent, someone who kidnapped my master's friends." Touka responded, glaring with enough cold determination that her eyes glowed, an aura appearing and spreading across the room. A clash of red and orange surrounded the girl like a raging fire, and yet the power never moved more than a meter from her, torrent yet contained like a tornado in a bottle. The intensity of the aura had Desen surprised, recognizing it as the Abyss.
And yet it was different from the strain he's seen. The heat and fury was there, but instead of the ash and cinder of his master's Liege there was an inferno that threatened to consume all that surrounded the girl. The initial surprise gave way to further excitement as he knew what came next would give the meaning he was searching for. She was an entity similar to the unifier of the Anti-Slayer Factions, giving her the potential to be a hell that could consume the world if given the opportunity.
'I could either end a strain of torrent flames, or be the embers that keep it alight for the future… how exhilarating!' He laughed at the thought, the coin flip of victory never feeling less predictable than it did now.
"Hehehehe… HAHAHAHA!" Desen bellowed with laughter, Touka's determined stare remaining as the man made the first move to attack, each step thundering in the fragmented space. The thrill was too much for him to contain or ignore, as he craved this fight, nothing more could complete him then this. His chance for a worthy battle was stolen long ago, and finally he had a chance in the form of this anomaly.
With a growl of focus, Touka returned the charge, a fire blazing around her as she burnt the steel under her. Gripping her sword tight enough sparks erupted, she swung concentrated at the man's chest, several of her swings being deflected by Desen's elbows. She was forced to dodge a downward elbow strike from the Vessel, then blocking as he sent his leg out for a pressurized kick, wind blowing at the impact and sending Touka's aura across the room behind her.
The girl took the blow and stood her ground, pushing his leg to the side to slam the pommel of her sword against the base of his neck, stumbling him forward before landing a strike against his back. She concentrated as close as she could, trying to follow the vibrations of his skin as best as possible. However as he turned she decided against the attack and instead aimed for his head, getting stopped as he blocked with his arms crossed in a perfect guard.
Letting her sword get deflected from the impact of the guard, Touka adjusted her body and instead slammed her blade into his chest, seeing a single crack form as he coughed out air. As she continued her assault, she swung concentrated at the man's entire torso, accepting otherwise avoidable blows across her body in favor of peppering him with wild swings that shook his bones from the force.
'It's like she's getting stronger with each swing!' Desen realized, deflecting a downward swing from her that would have struck his shoulder. Despite her body's display of intent, he realized she wasn't going for the technique she was trying previously. Her attacks were focused yes, but there was just the intent to hit him. That all or nothing presence was washing over her, the flames instead dedicating her body to deliver blows all across him. It made him wonder what her plan could be.
"Why the hell are you wasting time!?" Desen demanded, kicking down and deflecting Touka's latest swing as he prepped his fist. "That technique you've been trying to use, stop edging this on and give it all you got!" As Desen swung his fist, Touka was preparing to block his attack. That movement was interrupted with blinding pain, as Desen feinted into an elbow strike aimed at her right shoulder.
'It's dislocated!' The girl realized before Desen finished his punch, her consciousness blinking for a second as she was sent crashing back, barely catching herself as she impaled her sword into the ground.
'This is bad, my setup can't be taken advantage of like this.' Trying to move it, Touka flinched in pain, releasing her sword for a moment to hold onto her bruised shoulder. 'Zaneizan is too risky to use with one hand, how could I mess up this bad?'
"Is that it?" Desen asked, noticing Touka's inner turmoil and ridicule. "I suppose I was expecting too much from a kid. All bark… although there was a little bite to you." The Vessel admitted, recalling the blood she and Krovanh managed to spill on him, as little as it was it was more than most could achieve.
"I'll give you that then, a warrior's death." Desen decided. "Pick up your sword, you should at least die swinging, not cowering like a fool."
'Darn it, darn it, think!' Touka growled, staring at Desen and seeing that her window was quickly closing. 'There has to be something, anything! Shinshisho, surely you must have missed something! Shisho could have too, even mom and dad could have something! So what is it!'
"What!? What do you mean no one can use Zaneizan one handed!?" As her fight grew close to a gamble, Touka's mind flashed back to where the question first came up, blinking in realization as she had an out of body experience watching the scene play out.
"It's simple as I said it, using the Zaneizan one handed is the equivalent to a kamikaze attack." The memory of Artorian spoke, crossing his arms as he looked to the memory of Touka, her sitting down after having failed to execute the attack. Normally she'd be panting in exhaustion, however this time she was sporting a bruise on her cheek, having been stopped by her mentor forcibly when she tried to hit the practice drone with a one-handed swing.
"But you fight with one hand all the time, if anyone could figure it out it'd be you!" Touka argued, rubbing her cheek to try and nurse the pain.
"I appreciate the thought, but even I'm not stupid enough to try." He responded. "I'm still not a master with Zaneizan, and even then it's always a gamble if you manage to do it right. I usually need a couple minutes of fighting to let my instincts get the right strike on my opponent. Messing up the Zaneizan already can be painful with the proper grip and solid stance. With one hand you'd be lucky to leave it with just numbness."
"Eh?" Touka tilted her head, confused at the idea and getting a sigh from Artorian.
"Zaneizan preys on the composition of your opponent's weapon and armor, the vibrations could vary in power the stronger the material. The stronger the vibrations, the stronger the kickback if you mess up." The hybrid explained, tapping his palm with a metallic finger. "And all of that starts at your hands. The double grip gives more area for the vibrations to respond to, letting it transfer through your body safer and avoid a serious backlash. And if you remove one of those transfer points?"
"It all goes to one hand?"
"Yes, and that could completely destroy it." Artorian continued. "Our physics are better than the average person by a large margin, so there's no certainty how it'd affect us compared to Bastard or your parents, who never tried it in the first place. But I'd wager it's kickback is like hell."
"How bad?"
"Well… I'm not dumb enough to try it, but I have thought about it." Artorian admitted, cupping his chin with his index and thumb as he thought about it. "Best bet? The vibrations contort and shatter every bone in your hand, if its bad I'd wager every bone up to your elbow could snap part. As I said, kamikaze attack."
"So it's pointless…" Touka pouted, looking down to her hands in disappointment. That was then Artorian bonked the top of her head with the flat of his father's sword, getting her to recoil in pain and hold onto the bump she now had. "Shinshisho!? What was that for!?"
"I never said it was impossible, just stupid." Artorian stated, confusing her. "As the Zaneizan is now, using one hand will risk your future as a swordswoman. But if its shattering your arm or dying; one is a gamble, and the other is certainty." The hybrid informed, sitting down across from Touka as he placed his sword down.
"You said… "as the Zaneizan is now", what do you mean by that?" Touka asked, getting a proud smile from Artorian.
"Because its still incomplete. Perhaps there is an answer to your question, a way to use it one-handed and not destroy your hand. But that's something to be discovered, by you or by me." Artorian said, tapping his forehead with a thumb. "And the biggest enemy to the Zaneizan's improvement is our thoughts. Thinking too much on what is already made instead of what could be done."
"You're currently still learning it, but don't let that stop you from trying to break through by any means. Risk-vs-Reward is a bitch, but its how humanity has survived for this long. It's how your dad and Bastard created the Zaneizan, and I have no doubt in my mind…"
"That it's how you'll break out of this block you have."
"Sorry Shinshisho… I forgot that part of being a fighter." Touka spoke to herself, confusing Desen before she grabbed her sword and charged, letting her dislocated arm hang limply as she rushed the Vessel. "Risk-vs-Reward is how we live and die! And I intend to live!"
"That's the spirit!" Desen grinned, blackened teeth shining as he entered a readied state. "Give it your all, and see what comes of it!"
Touka ran with every ounce of strength she had, reaching the Vessel in a blur that he followed without trouble. As her stance lowered, time slowed as her nerves all seemed to strangely calm. It was a state of composure she'd never felt before, and in it she swore she could see the actual vibrations of Desen's skin, the last bit of movement as her previous barrage was wearing off. She'd have no more time than this next swing, failure wasn't an outcome she could accept.
As her final thoughts and vision focused on a single point, watching as the armored skin of Desen vibrated ever so slightly, the Vessel made his attack on her. A fist coated in shadows came flying from the edge of Touka's field of vision, barely a footnote to her objective. The attack was so low on her priority that Touka just barely avoided it, his knuckle tearing a gash into her cheek as she brought her sword up, fire igniting around her as she felt every muscle in her body work in tangent for this one swing.
The timing was finally perfect, as Touka watched the moment her blade connected to Desen's chest it was at the center of the cycle. Cracks began to form all across Desen's torso, blood erupting from each one as he felt the sudden rupture of his flesh from the rebound of vibrations all across his body. It had him realize just what her assault before was about, and why she prioritized hitting him instead of delivering a final blow like this.
'She weakened my body to make it easier… no, her attacks caused some kind of weakness I couldn't register!' He concluded as Touka's swing sent him skidding back, the man fighting to stay on his feet as his skin shattered apart to expose bare muscle, blood flying as he felt the excruciating pain of his flesh being exposed to the corrupted air.
Desen wasn't the only one to take damage, as Touka felt agonizing pain shoot across her entire hand. Although she had managed to perform Zaneizan as it was intended, the rebound of the blow caused the expected harm. As the sword clanked to the ground, Touka saw that her hand was nearly folded at the center vertically, the bone in her hand snapping and her fingers contorting in different directions. The pain was enough to make her drop to her knees, gasping as she nearly went into shock, unable to clutch either her devastated hand or the bleeding wound on her cheek. All she could do was suck down air, trying to stay awake as the fire extinguished around her.
"You… you really are something else." Desen admitted, grinning as he looked down, his arms still protected with the armor he wore, his legs shaking from the pain he was enduring. But he was the one still standing, and he grinned as he readied himself. "Tell me, I want to know your name, I want to remember it before we tear down the world's structure and replace it anew."
"You aren't worth telling it!" Desen's eyes widened in shock as he felt a new source of pain, looking to his side to see Krovanh in the finished pose, seeing his right arm flop to the ground motionless as blood erupted from the dismembered limb.
"Damn you!" Desen growled, turning to attack with his left arm before that too was sliced off, part of his shoulder going with it as the Slayer's swings were sloppy.
"Go to hell you freak!" Krovanh bellowed, his energy erupting around him as he thrusted his blade forward, impaling through Desen's entire chest vertically as he screamed. Blood came from his nose and ears as he pulsed as much of his energy as he could, his body pushing past its limit as he fought against his failing muscles. "You want a new world? Get in line bastard! I have my own to reach for, and you aren't in it!"
With a last burst of power, Krovanh pulled his blade up and bisected Desen in a wash of blood and energy, the man unable to respond as shock overtook him before the sword finished slicing through his skull. A wet thud was heard as Krovanh remained in in his stance, matching Touka's panting as he felt all of his strength leave his body.
In a dim flash, Krovanh's Hundred deactivated and his variable stone clattered to the ground. As if a damn burst the Hunter coughed out blood, falling back as he lost the strength to stand. He gasped for air as he felt blood drip across his entire face, his already weakened state having made the fight the hardest he ever experienced.
'I'd take… Vitaly's damn injections for a week rather than this…' He though, agony spreading across his body as he forced his head to turn to Touka.
"Hey… Ponytail… are you-?" Krovanh's eyes snapped open as he saw the girl's breathing slow to a crawl, her body nearly slumped over as she was struggling to remain conscious. She was going into shock, parts of her body on the verge of failing as the reverberation from Zaneizan wreaked havoc on her.
Seeing it, the former Hunter tightened his fist as he tried to push himself up. It was hell, there was no more strength in his body to give, but he couldn't leave her like that, not after her attack being the reason they were able to win.
'Come on Krovanh, be strong for once in your life!' He screamed in his mind, coughing in exertion as he flipped from his back onto his stomach, pushing with whatever strength he could borrow to begin crawling to Touka. It was agonizing, each movement felt like it tore at his muscles and snapped bones, but whether that happened or not he ignored it, reaching Touka drenched in sweat before pushing himself up to his knees.
"Hey, hey Ponytail…" He wheezed out, placing a hand on her good shoulder and attempt to shake her awake, unable to think of anything else as his vision blurred. "Come on Ponytail… don't pass out like that… you haven't had the chance to brag yet… that was a hell of a move you did."
Touka's eyes remained dazed, her head drooping every couple of seconds, her twitching only concerning the boy more as he tried to look into her eyes. Using his free hand to cover her bleeding cheek, he had her stare at him the best he could, uncertain of what to do now as her eyes appeared heavy.
"Hey, don't you do that, not in that condition… come on Touka, speak to me. Yell, cough, hell I'd take a punch to the face if it meant you're okay. Just say something…" He coughed, seeing blood splatter the floor between them and felt it drip down from the corners of his mouth down his chin. He wasn't in any better condition, but since he could move he had to be the one to do something.
"…Sharkface?" After nearly a minute, Touka's eyes eventually regained focus, and she looked to see the boy's face. "Did we win?"
"Yeah… yeah we won." It hurt to do so, but Krovanh grinned fully before punching Touka's good shoulder. "That was a hell of a move you made… not the one I'd make but hell it was impressive."
"Doesn't… feel impressive." Touka admitted, looking down to her disfigured hand.
"Sorry… I'm not good at manipulating energy to heal." The boy apologized, coughing again as he tried to keep his focus. "We need to… find somewhere to rest." It wasn't wise to stay here, not if there was more of the Anti-Slayer soldiers present. He didn't know where to go, but anywhere he was sure was better than here.
"I don't think… either of us are in a position to move." Touka said, noting the lack of feeling in her legs. She was completely exhausted, worse then any training session with Artorian, passing out would be a blessing with this exhaustion.
"Then I'll just… take the push for both of us." Krovanh said, wincing and groaning in pain as he tried to stand, nearly falling over had Touka not caught him with her arm, the redhead whining from the pain in her hand.
"Just… just don't move Sharkface." Touka pleaded. "We'll move later… when we can actually do something. Just… just not now, please?"
"Sorry Ponytail…" Krovanh groaned, realizing he couldn't move as he remained in the half embrace of the girl. He was ashamed at how weak he was, and having forced her to catch him. "I'm really pathetic… aren't I?"
"You? I'm the one who screwed up my Zaneizan and lost an arm." Touka responded, chuckling in amusement. "Shinshisho would be ashamed at my technique… but I think he'd be proud we took gambles and survived."
"…That's what the dog uses, to shatter Savage and my sword back then?" Krovanh asked, trying to stay awake with a conversation. "Zanei-whatsit?"
"Zaneizan, and yeah." Touka answered, smiling at the gesture. "You know, it was actually my dad and uncle that invented the technique."
"No kidding? Seems pretty useful, I might need to have the dog teach me that."
"Get in line, Shinshisho has to get me to use it consistently. Then he might accept a new student."
"Ah shut it Ponytail, if he doesn't I'll learn it on my own."
"In your dreams Sharkface."