3 person
And for Kurumi, the tactics that the bull faunus took , was really quite a problem for her . And Kurumi herself did not expect that such a problem would ever occur . Usually the cover created from her clones gave her enough time to do anything . Although Kurumi rarely ever had to do something . She hardly ever had to enter the fight herself , as in the most cases, the clones alone were enough . However, now the clones were useless .
They could not even be called cannon fodder , the bull faunus did not even slow down when hitting them . Thus Kurumi was now in a dilemma . She had not enough experience nor confidence to use a zefekiel just like that without preparation . She is not the original Kurumi , she needs time and focus . But right now she didn't have the time or space to prepare .
And as for her handgun ? Even shooting her antique pistol at him did not change anything . Which confirmed that stopping or slowing down this monster when he charges was impossible . Shots from ordinary weapons were deflected , physical objects in his path were simply obliterated .
Even now after firing several shots created from her aura , launched from her own antique gun . Kurumi noticed that these did not seem to have the desired effect . Normally her bullets could tear a grown man in half . But now ? Her projectiles absorbed only part of the spectre bull that was shielding his body . And then they dissipated , leaving the man inside whole .
And in the end it didn't slow him down one bit , as he charged at her , surrounded by the spectre bull . The moment even her missiles failed , Kurumi lost all obvious ways out of the situation . She had nothing to stop this bastard .
As for being able to come up with something without being forced to wait ? For Kurumi it should not be a problem . But unfortunately , her mind , Kurumi's best weapon . Could not find an obvious solution and coming up with something , some tactic or way , at a time when she had to constantly dodge an angry bull was not easy .
All it takes is a momentary distraction or bad timing and it could all end badly . That's why Kurumi was currently completely focused on avoiding the non-stop assault with the hope that the man would eventually run out of energy or there would be some kind of shift / slip on his part , that would give her a window of opportunity .
However , waiting until this guy ran out of energy was not ideal . Although looking at it from the perspective of energy reserves , it may have been a tactic . After all , with Kurumi's reserves , she should easily be able to withstand an endurance fight . That said , time was chasing . Kurumi knew that in a short time half of Vale's armed forces would be here .
This fight is too loud and the earlier explosion was too noticeable . Not to mention the fire in the club , which is surely already being put out not too far from here . The fact that there were no hunters or police there yet was a miracle . And besides all this , the fact that Kurumi had large deposits of aura , as well as the fact that her physique was better in some aspects compared to normal people with aura , did not change the fact that she still tired like normal people . So as long as the amount of aura does not fail her , her body certainly can .
As for running away or retreating ? Kurumi had such an idea but the bull faunus would certainly go after her . And she might have been able to escape , but how much destruction would have been created because of the charging bull behind her ?
But ignoring the destruction that could arise and move into inhabited areas . This guy had already seen their faces and surely gained motivation to kill them . Kurumi could not let him go . Not somebody like him , a men who has reasons for revenge and knows their faces . Not someone who has an organization as big as a spider sindicate behind his back .
And not that she is afraid or something , because Kurumi is not afraid of being pursued . Kurumi is only afraid of the inconvenience that would follow . If their faces are known , they would have to be even more careful every time they go out . Their hiding place could also be found more easily . Besides, this guy was a witness .
Too much reason to kill him , not enough to let him live . However , in addition to these rational reasons , Kurumi had another big reason . He hurt the girls . He hurt Neo and Emerald. After what he did to Neo and Emerald , Kurumi can't let him go . Today this , bull will fall .
However, for this to happen Kurumi must continue to fight and wait . She cannot retreat or escape . Even if for the time being the situation seems hopeless . And as for the fight itself . Seeing the bull charging at her again , Kurumi with her gun pointed at him quickly contemplated her options . Another shot ? At the moment too risky , too little time .
Besides , it was just dumping aura into the garbage . Even if Kurumi had plenty of it . She knew that wasting her only advantage , was not very smart . Besides , in order not to be sent into the air again because of a poorly timed evasion , Kurumi had to do the dodging now .
And it was the time to dodge . Dodge , which Kurumi did with perfect timing . And this dodge was followed by another and another . Another dodge to the side . Kurumi again managed to perform a perfect dodge . Unfortunately with the next dodge something was different . The bull faunus being right next to her stopped abruptly , changing momentum in a sudden change of direction .
Before Kurumi realized something was happening , the man's fist , into which the spectre of the bull had flown , giving the fist a look like a bull's head , hit her in the ribs . And at that moment Kurumi's face turned pale , this was not a normal blow . Kurumi's delicate little body bent and the air left her body . Despite her strong resilience , Kurumi could not hold back the tears that immediately showed in her eyes .
Clenching her teeth , Kurumi felt as her aura almost burst . And even though the aura did not break , it still did not stop the blow . Or at least , it didn't stop part of that blow . If Kurumi had a normal aura , this attack would have already killed her . It was only because of her triple layer of aura that Kurumi survived .
Apparently , his " charging " fist received the same amplification and properties as his hammer or run . So they destroyed everything in their path . And this time , the obstacle was Kurumi's aura . Which could barely stand to this . However, it stopped a large share of the impact of the damage and somehow the rest go through , injuring her .
Kurumi once again flew away , and she certainly did feel this hit . Kurumi , having no control over her flight , inertly flew a considerable distance and then she flew into a nearby building through its broken window , disappearing into the dark interior of the building .
And of course right behind her , a furious bull ran through the wall of the building , smashing the wall of the building into dust and rubble . And all this happened before the disbelieving eyes of Neo , who , carrying Emerald on her back , retreated to a nearby alley to watch .
But now she could no longer simply hide and wait , not after what she saw . Fury and fear overflowed in her eyes , in which the scene of battle and destruction was reflected . Her blade was already in her hands clenched so tightly that a normal human hand would have already been crushed in them . Her legs were already carrying her unconsciously into battle .
Neo knew immediately that Kurumi was in trouble . She knew Kurumi's tactics , Neo knew how Kurumi fights . She knows her style , strengths as well as weaknesses . So Neo knew immediately what the problem was . Kurumi needed time , distraction , respite and support . Although Neo thought that with Kurumi's strength , she would be able to handle this bull by herself without a problem. But now Neo knew how wrong she was .
In Neo's eyes , Kurumi had always been the strongest , the bravest as well as the smartest . Kurumi was resourceful and it was only because of her that they had what they had . Although aware of her difficulties and flaws , Neo always saw Kurumi as someone better . And even if now Kurumi did not live up to her expectations Neo was not disappointed wit her.
She was rather disappointed with herself . After all, she was the one in hiding . Exhausted and unable to control her emotions . She underestimated the enemy , now Kurumi suffered because of it . And yet she continued to fight . Like a cat , she nimbly dodged attacks .
She was there with the grace of a Raven . Black hair like wings danced behind her . And those crazy eyes , so similar to her own . And yet , she was hiding . She should be there , fighting on the front line , with Kurumi always protected , behind her . With dangerous thoughts in her head , an increasingly nervous Neo stared deeper and deeper into the bull faunus .
But instead of acting foolishly , which could have led to even more problems , Neo calmed down . Cold calculation and focus shone in her eyes . She had to help without causing problems for Kurumi . She had to think what to do . She could not be a burden . And as if in answer to this question , Neo looked at several clones made by Kurumi ,that appeared behind her from the allyway.
They were the leftovers , of the clones that had fought in the cold fog and now came here after securing the area . Apparently on Kurumi's orders or on their own initiative , they stared at Neo and at the same time they looked around looking for danger . Their goal was clear , protect them .
However, Neo already had other plans for them .
There weren't many of them left , only five , however each of them didn't seem to be directly controlled by Kurumi . Which means that they have some partial intelligence and free will . After years of working with Kurumi , neo could already recognize this . She knew when the clones were puppets on strings and when they were self-motivated entities .
First administering Emerald to one clone , Neo then touched two others and imposed her illusions on them . But by her depleted reserves , Neo was really starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel that was her aura . Nevertheless , Neo did not care . She was ready to kill herself just to save Kurumi , because without Kurumi she would be dead anyway .
She pointed the clone to the battlefield where Kurumi , who had already climbed out of the building and was now relentlessly avoided the bull faunus . With the visible difference that now Kurumi , limped slightly , being bent to the side in which she was hit . As to whether the Clones understood anything ..... Neo hoped that they did . If they didn't , she would just do it herself .
And while Neo was dealing with the clones , Kurumi was really starting to have troubles . She had no chance to break out of this loop of dodging . And the lack of rest and the really painful injury at the point at which she was hit , slowed her down so much that she was really starting to have trouble keeping up .