Anari
I couldn't do anything for Shin. I darted away from his motionless body, drawing Gio's attention elsewhere as his sweeping slashes released masses of bursting, volatile lightning. My determined gaze lit up. I sprang behind one of the many square columns, breathing heavily. And upon peeking beyond the edge for literally a second, I quickly pulled back. Another blast of electricity zapped past me, shaking the room's foundations.
Damn it, I know I said his fake lightning was weaker than Kozuna's, but that doesn't mean I wanna get hit again!
My knees tucked low. I sprinted out of hiding, firing a few short-lived warning shots before leaping behind another pillar. But my bullets barely made it halfway across the room before melting. Thunderbolts whipped fucking everywhere! I tucked my pistol away; it wouldn't be any use.
What do I have at my disposal?
My dry lips parted for just a second, and my attention lifted. Footsteps pounded against the smooth floor. I didn't have time to try and think- Gio appeared to my right, veins bulging through his arms and aiming to cleave my head clean off!
I couldn't even blink. Death flashed before me, and I hit the damn deck, planting my feet into the post and boosting away from danger. Gio's blade crashed into the column, scattering lightning bolts that still singed my sleeves. It would've been full-blown electrocution if I hadn't gotten the hell outta the way.
But out in the open, I was in the worst position.
Gio's bloodlust was evident. He smiled like the devil, scrape-dragging the tip of his blade across the floor with an ear-piercing grate. And after displaying that he clearly had a few screws loose, Gio cleaved my way again. But that time, through the floor. And wild-sparking electricity flashed to life.
Grounded thunderbolts boomed and raced across the room like spinning wheels. I was illuminated by vibrant blues before I could even get back on the move, sweating like hell.
I pivoted and shot left, headed for the center consoles. Scattered electrical bursts seared blackened burn marks into the ground behind my quick-footed steps. Falling behind for even a second could've spelled the end.
Another column!
I sprang into a roll and quickly slammed my back against the support, finding brief solace in some slight means of short-lived protection. I peered beyond the edge again, squinting when I pinpointed Shin flat on his stomach by the door.
Still sleeping? Seriously? His ass better not be paralyzed or I really WILL kill him!
My ears perked up. I could hear Gio's footsteps again, though it was clear he was attempting to move silently. With that, a lightbulb switched on in my mind. My eyes locked onto the computers and command consoles.
Don't got much at my disposal, but I see something!
I dashed out of hiding. Gio's sword-guided thunderbolts blasted across the room the instant I showed myself, but it was no matter. I ducked like hell and hopped up the steps to the center platform. Up there, I basically had a wall of computers at my disposal.
Since he's so damn eager to huck lightning at me like it isn't stolen, let's see how willing he is to blow up his damn command center!
I quieted my own breathing, ducking down behind one of the four command center corners. I listened closely for any movement from Gio. He was bound to come from one of two sides; the others would've given his position away.
My glare darted between the possibilities.
Either to my right, or the stairs I just came up. Which one will it be, Gio?
I grabbed one of those rolling chairs when my ears finally registered Gio's unhurried footsteps. The moment he emerged, I shot to my feet and launched that chair straight at him.
Gio reacted immediately with a heavy swing, just as anticipated. He struck the chair with incredible force, and the electricity melted through it, leaving the charred remains smoking!
But that was what I'd hoped for.
Now!
I'd tucked my blade beneath my arm, and the strength in my soles propelled me toward my target. In one swift movement, my blade divided the smoke with a tearing, rising slash. And that was the one moment Gio couldn't react in time. The blundering look of bafflement in his eyes was perfect!
He raised his blade in instinctive defense, and I didn't reach his chest like I wanted. However, I still cut his wrist open. And blood splashed from the fresh wound, painting the consoles and floor of the command center in bright red.
A wincing Gio did his best to ignore the pain. At point-blank range, I couldn't react in time either. Not when the slightest jostle of his damn weapon sent electricity zapping through meand blew me off my feet.
The force sent me beyond the consoles and down to the main floor, where I slammed hard and slid until stopping at a pillar, barely managing to keep hold of my sword. My entire body twitched again and again, and I could literally feel myself smoking. Smoke-choked coughs escaped my lungs.
Agh, fucckk. Not as strong as Kozuna's, but the shit STILL HURTS.
"Ugghhh. Stings more than it fucking should," Gio groaningly muttered under his breath.
I shook my head and bared my teeth, glaring up at Gio as he approached the stairs. Blood continued dripping down his hand and fingertips. However, I noticed something else. His fingers gripping the sword had turned black, and that opened my eyes real well. My brow shifted and trembled at the sight.
Is that what I think it is? To a lesser extent, but is that the same effect as the injections? Contact with a curse-blood weapon is enough?
I pushed myself to one knee, using my sword as a support. But as Gio descended the few steps, I realized that the darkness was quickly traveling up his hand and arm. He didn't even care to acknowledge it. More and more of his skin blackened to that of the poor man who was injected, forcibly turned into a monster.
I've definitely realized that cursed blood warps the minds and bodies of incompatible hosts. Starting to wonder if Gio's even in his "right" mind anymore. And here I thought the council despised curses.
Markings resembling the jagged, blue thunderbolts began to manifest on Gio's tainted skin. They bulged and beamed with life and senten.
Fuckin' council pricks, if only I'd cut a little deeper. Gotta separate him from that weapon. Doubt the same chair-trick's gonna work again, though.
I half-twisted back to my right, making sure to keep an eye on Gio. "SHIN, you LAZY, WORTHLESS FUCK! This is NOT how you get back into my good graces, and this is not how you defeat Livian! Look alive, damn it! Quit sleepin' on the job!"
Suppressing my groans, I pulled myself to my smoking feet. Gio suddenly roared like a warbling beast. The curse-blood's darkness had spread all the way to Gio's shoulder, melting portions of his shirt away.
The longer he holds that weapon-
My eyes widened. Out of nowhere, Gio shot across the room! He tore his thundering sword through the wind, and I couldn't move in time! I tried to parry, but watched his weapon chip mine, seconds before snapping the blade in half.
I'm moving slower!
I stumbled just out of harm's way, but the force bent my wrist outta place a little. Even just curling my fingers to grip the broken sword was painful! Not that I had time to do anything about it- Gio slashed after me again, and all I could manage was to narrowly duck and scamper away!
Damn it! What am I gonna do with a broken sword!?
My gun started looking a lot more favorable as I backed further from a curse-crazed Gio. I half-wanted to just toss the busted blade entirely. But as Gio took one more stomp, a cluster of tiny senten spheres scattered and zipped through him, bursting on contact!
I felt the beginnings of a smile and cocked left, finding Shin on his feet and finally back in action!
About FUCKING time!
***
"Shin!"
He coughed and shook his rustling hair from his face. "Sorry, Anari! I was out for a minute, there!"
"YEAH. I KNOW. Now pay attention! He's not finished yet!"
Shin nodded. He and I turned back to Gio, the councilor littered with tiny holes all across his body. It wasn't nearly enough to kill, but Shin's attack did leave blood trickling from almost every inch of Gio.
"What happened to the sword, Anari?"
"Tch." I swapped the blade out for my gun and cocked it ready. "Concentrate, sleeping beauty!"
Gio took the blade in his other hand. Electricity crackled wildly around his entire infected right, whipping up a bit of a whirlwind in a contained, subterranean space.
Starting to look similar to Kozuna, but way more fucked up.
I knew what to expect. I'd seen it before, albeit briefly. Gio reeled his thunderous arm back and released the amassed lightning in a single thrust. Shin and I shot in opposite directions, the thunderbolt crashing past us and blowing a pillar to ashen smithereens.
Neither of us glanced back. We made brief eye contact before I ducked near the center platform. Shin fired scattered senten bullets from his wrists and fists, while I unloaded in hopes of Gio catching a few strays.
Got a full clip lying in wait. All I need is one clear shot to the head. Give me an opening, Shin!
Shin darted across the battleground, aided by small bursts of his own power. He moved quickly enough to avoid Gio's imprecise electrical overloads. But between blasts of splintering senten, Shin vanished behind a column.
He was only gone for a couple of seconds, but when he reemerged, his right arm was gone!
I watched closely, my eyes fidgeting.
Spheres of shifty, black-bordered, brown senten rocketed across the room, grouped tightly together. And just before reaching Gio, they reformed into a fleshy, hardened human fist that pummeled him into the floor! I couldn't believe what I'd seen!
Shin can split his body apart!? And fight like THAT!?
Gio hit the floor hard as shit and nearly lost his footing. Meanwhile, the senten returned to Shin's side, reshaping his arm in its rightful location. I kinda bit my lip as I watched the performance. Shin dashed after a lightning-cloaked Gio, and the latter took a swing with his blade, only for Shin's torso to split into senten.
Is he for real right now? And he was fucking SLEEPING instead of helping!?
Gio's sword glided right through the opening, making zero contact. Shin, though? His body reconnected after the sword passed. He sank another heavy fist dead into Gio's skull and blacked an eye the natural way.
I was astonished and astounded, and I wasn't the only one. Gio's expression went from pissed to perplexed to thrown out of whack in seconds. He slid away, dragging his sword through the floor. However, Shin winced after throwing that next blow. It looked like he'd lost his balance.
What's wrong with him?
I tossed my empty clip and quickly reloaded. Something was off. Shin's teeth clenched tight- he had Gio's full attention.
"Come on, Gio," he muttered. "I can take it."
Shin crossed his arms as Gio responded with a thunderbolt, seemingly unable to move. I couldn't tell if Shin was holding his ground deliberately or if he was somehow weakened, but I couldn't waste the opportunity.
I sprinted out into the open, taking aim with both hands and a single concentrated eye. Shin noticed me appear behind Gio, a flicker in the darkness, and that was when he forcibly ducked. Half a second before I pulled that damn trigger and ended it all.
One bullet popped out, and an echoing thud followed. My breathing finally slowed when our curse-consumed foe teetered and finally fell.
A single bullet to the brain was all it took to drop Gio to the floor in a pool of his own disgusting blood. The process left Shin and me huffing and puffing. We both fell on our asses, watching the corpse leak.
It's done… We took one of the councilors down!
***
"Thanks… Anari," Shin coughed out, still twitching from the shock. "I-I couldn't move."
"Why not? Your curse is powerful! What was that anyway?"
"Fragmentation is an idiosyncratic curse.Basically, one of the things I can do is temporarily split my body into senten."
What does he mean by idiosyncratic?
"So, why didn't you do it just now?"
"Because it's PAINFUL!" Shin crowed, struggling to get to his feet. "Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to sever your own body into a bunch of tiny pieces? I can only manage two- maybe three splits before the pain becomes too much."
Makes sense, I think? I still don't really "get" all this curse seal stuff.
"Fair point. I guess." I turned away, folding my lips in. "But if you knew it was risky, why'd you do it? Twice, at that?"
"No other way we would've stopped Gio in time. If he kept holding onto that blade, his body would've continued to transmorph. And if he got that far? Well, it would've been like fighting a monstrous version of Kozuna."
"But you didn't even kill him! You just put yourself in harm's way!"
"Doesn't matter!" Shin chuckled through the pain, trying to act cool or whatever. "I knew you'd finish the job. All I needed to do was snag his attention and keep it."
Fucker.
"Yeah, yeah. You're lucky I'm a good shot." My face grew hotter. I felt my cheeks flush a tiny bit. I hopped to my feet and headed for the command center. "You can come out now, Tyuyo! It's safe!"
It's time to get these anti-curse fields disabled.
As I approached the consoles, joined by Shin and Tyuyo, something clicked in my head.
Wait a fucking minute…
"Hey, Shin, you said the plan was to switch the energizer fields on and then go searching for Kozuna and Nikai, right?"
"That's correct. It may sound an alarm, though."
"Okay, so, what's to stop some other councilor or soldier from coming in here and manipulating the curse fields?"
My hands rested at my hips as I plainly stared at Shin. His eyelids lifted. He kinda paused in place and shamefully turned away.
Almost adorable. Almost.
I let out a deep breath and rubbed my face. "Idiot. You didn't think this far ahead, did you?"
"I- uhmmm." Shin looked everywhere but at me. "The important thing is-"
I immediately raised my hand dismissively. "Shush, Shin. I'm in charge. New plan. We're still gonna utilize the energizer fields, but we need to hunker down and hold this position until Kozuna and Nikai arrive."
Shin matched my energy a bit, raising his hand inquisitively. "How are they supposed to know where to go? You're not suggesting we split up, are you?"
"Of course not. Nikai would kill you before you could get a word out. I doubt Kozuna would listen either, honestly. But, Nikai will come looking for his brother. He won't leave without Ty, and Kozuna's the same way. Just gotta wait for them to find us. And if you're with me, they might not try to kill you instantly."
"Might..?" Shin tucked his head low and nodded. "I-I understand."
It's the price you pay for betrayal, Shin.
I rolled my eyes and breathed deeply. "Let's get this ball rolling. We've got no time to lose."
We're short on time and weaponry. I'm not sure how long we'll be able to hold out. I just hope you and Nikai don't take too long to get here, Kozuna.