Chapter 38
Marcus slowly turned his head as his eyes glowed brighter under his hoodie
"Who are you?"
The female figure tilts her head slowly, as shadows began dancing around her body cracking all over her
"Uhhh what I am… doesn't matter," she replied calmly. "What that matters now is your death."
Sigh!!
"My death?" Marcus Steel replied, narrowing his glowing eyes. " You know I'm not in the mood for games today"
He slowly turns his body fully toward her, boots shifting against the grass..
" Soo I'll ask again who are you?"
"Hmmmm… I see."
The female figure smiled faintly, her lips curling in amusement "then let's do it like this soo If you want to find out who I am…"
Her fingers slowly traced the air as black energy gathered around her. "… then you'll have to come and find out yourself."
"Sigh…"
Marcus steel sighed again
"Alright. Alright."
He reached up and pulled his hoodie off his head.
His hair fell loosely around his face.
He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.
CRACK
The female figure laughed.
"Oooo what is this now don't tell me you are trying to act cool before you die?"
Hahaha!
She raised her left hand high.
"No problem because this is where you will meet your end and after I'm done with you I'll kill every one of you through the shadows."
The ground beneath her feet distorted.
"Come "
Her eyes flashed.
"...pillar of thunder!"
Sighhh
" that's fine by me Marcus steel whispered…..
BUT he spoke more loudly this time "you just said you will eliminate every one of us meaning you aren't just gunning for me you are gunning for the entire pillars"
His aura began flaring violently around his body, pressure expanding outward like an invisible storm.
"…Which means you."
His glowing eyes locked onto her....."are an enemy that needs to be eliminated."
He tightened his fists slowly
"In that case… then you will die by my hands."
"Hahahahaha!"
Die by your hands
The female figure laughed loudly, her voice echoing through the shattered battlefield.
"Yessss that's the spirit!"
She raised her hand high once more, dark lightning gathering above her palm.
"Come… pillar of thunder!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
In an instant thunder descended from the sky like a falling spear
Electric pillars smashed into the ground as smoke and lightning exploded across the battlefield.
Marcus Steel moved.
His body vanished instantly with hypersonic speed.
Whoosh
He appeared directly in front of the female figure
His fist already curled.
Thick mana pooled around his knuckles like condensed light, his murderous intent exploded outward
His eyes sharpened.
"You…"
His voice dropped cold.
"…are an enemy that needs to be eliminated."
In one fluid motion...m
"DIE!!!"
BOOOOOM!!!
His fist smashed straight into her midsection.
The impact detonated on contact..
Her body exploded inward and her internal organs were blown out violently
Splash
Blood, shattered bone fragments, and torn flesh scattered through the air.
Splash.
The female figure's body twisted mid-air.
Her eyes widened.
Blood poured from her mouth.
"Gu—…!"
But marcus didn't stop, his expression remained cold.
"I'm not done." With another swift motion his second fist slammed upward Straight into her jaw.
The force was monstrous.
Boom ..... Crack ..... Splash
Her head detonated instantly her skull fragments scattered and her brain matter evaporated from the impact.
Slowly her lifeless body collapsed.
Thud.
A headless corpse lay on the ground it was nothing more than just torn flesh and scattered fragments and leaking blood pouring down on the grass
Marcus stood over the body.
His glowing eyes reflected the corpse..
"…My death, you say?"
He spat on the ground beside her body. "Know your place."
He turned away slowly.
"Disgusting. Even your blood smells foul."
He began walking forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then....
"Hahahahahahahaha!!!"
That's very interesting
The laughter echoed behind him.
GBIM!!!
A heavy metallic shockwave slammed into Marcus's back like steel colliding with steel.
His body slightly staggered forward.
His eyes widened.
"Impossible…"
He slowly turned his head.
The lifeless and headless body began rising.
Her distorted bones regrew and her flesh stitched itself together even her organs began to reform again inside her body.
A new skull formed and new brain reconstructed.
Blood reversed its flow.
But marcus stared...m
"…Impossible."
Even without a head, even without a brain even after I blew everything apart..
How...
"How… How are you still alive?!"
The female figure laughed as regeneration completed instantly.
She rolled her neck casually.
"Instant regeneration ... Noo impossible Marcus steel mustered to himself noo don't tell me her regeneration is even better than Renji kurogane?"
She touched her own neck.
" Hmmm interesting…"
She smiled wider.
"Ehhh that's very Intreseting this is how it feels… when someone blows a humans head off?"
She laughed loudly.
"Hahahahaha! I'm very happy. I got to experience that sensation!"
Marcus cut her off immediately.
"What the hell are you?!"
His aura exploded outward again.
"How can you regenerate even after death?! That's impossible!"
The female figure tilted her head again.
"ehh what am I?"
She placed a finger gently on her chin.
"Hmmm….. you asking that question sounds like a simple answer…but it carries like a thousand questions."
Waiting to be answered
The shadows around her body began bending unnaturally.
"So what am I?"
She smiled softly.
"Well… since you're about to die anyway…"
"It won't hurt to know a thing or two."
Marcus tightened his fists.
His energy surged.
"Answer me stop talking in riddles!"
The female figure's eyes glowed faintly.
"Soo… what am I?"
She spread her arms slowly... well I am neither alive…"
The ground cracked.
"…nor dead."
Marcus's eyes widened.
His breathing slowed for a second.
"…Impossible."
His mind flashed.....
The emergency call with Sakura.
Before Lucio Vasquez death, renji Kurogane's words and his sister's warning
.....
.....
......
"The echoes are neither alive nor dead."
...
His pupils shrank.
.....
"You… You are…"
He stared at her carefully.
"…An Echo."
"ehhhh ...… Intreseting I don't think we've made our existence known to the world yet except somehow you knew about our existence already," she answered.
Her laughter faded slowly.
When she spoke again, her voice had dropped deeper now… hollow… like something echoing from a grave.
"I've always wondered…"
The shadows beneath her feet thickened, stretching unnaturally across the ground.
"…if you pillars can feel fear."
She lifted her gaze toward him.
"You're shaking I guess I have my answer."