Naboundd

[yinsukin]

Ana

"These two are quite cocky."  Eyes opened within the darkness, revealing two cat like eyes.  Stepping forward along side the beast was a simple fox girl.  Her tail fluttered back and forth.  Despite her words, the tail wagging was a sign of nervousness.  The second she finished speaking, her eyes darted to the beast then back to the pair.  Raising her hands and clos  "You should have seen them in the lecture, the two getting into some pointless argument about how to deal with grief in the face of tragedy.  After all, in the world after salvation, we won't need such pointless conflict."

The fox girl patted down her regal outfit.  "Sir.... may I kill the professor?  It could be the sewer, but he smells strange."

[yinsukin]

Entheo

Its time for our souls to join as one.

The red orb that was Gezo's soul flew into Entheo's chest.  A flash of light enveloped the dimly lit sewer and when it dimmed.... not much had changed actually.  The young man stood as firm as ever, perhaps the only difference being the giant ethereal guandao he held in his right hand, planted on the ground.

"Sorry but we are kind of a package deal," Entheo said, his eyelids lowering as he registered the target.  "Besides, whether you like or not, I have beef with you for desecrating that man's soul.  I don't know what that kid did to you before you killed him, but you don't get to disrespect the dead."

Entheo, we need to mind our enviroment here.  We don't know what his abilities are.  It could be the difference between life and death.

I know.  At least we aren't fighting some god again.

Please stop calling those fights.

Entheo turned to Lawrance and said, "Don't get cocky." Gezo said aloud.  "We don't know each other very well so I think its best we fight separately.  These are assassins.  We can't let them separate us.  Close enough to help, far enough to fight, thats the goal."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Indra

Its eyes did not even acknowledge that man. Why would they? That scrawny body, that looked like it'd fall over any second... it was no concern to him. It would break against the frailest of winds, let alone the hurricane that was Salvation.

"That weakling? I guess it's fitting for trash to dispose of trash." Its claw gleamed under the sewer pipes, and in an instant, they were sliced along with any moisture dripping down. No, it wasn't just the pipes. It was way too freakishly smooth and fast to be recognized, but it's almost like everything was being cut around them. Water, waste, anything around Lawrence Entheo's feet was cut apart a dozen times, yet the slashes and splashes seemed to burst in an instant.

Only slightly before sounds itself erupted against all their surroundings, sending all the water booming upwards with hundreds of droplets flying everywhere. Indra was already behind that curtain, midway to strike Entheo with a beautiful arc! Its speed, strength, and technique were on a whole different level - enough to launch Entheo straight through a dozen walls, far away from Lawrence.


Lawrence

My, my. My, my, my, my, my... It seems expectations are quite high. How am I possibly going to keep up with them?

...Weakling...?

His eyebrow twitched, his teeth grit, and despite his frail body, you could see veins popping on his face and neck. His cane was gripped so hard his fingers might break, and he spun it only once before it caught aflame, sending fires circling around him like a protective ring.

"Bitch... you couldn't even scratch me."

[yinsukin]

Ana

Ana gritted her teeth, the tail wagging even faster.  Indra wasn't even taking this threat seriously.  Would disposing of this one even matter?  A hand reached for the hilt of the blade attached to her hips.  She dashed forward, attempting to close the distance between the two in an instant.

"Scratching is small time.  WE ARE SALVATION and I am its proud blade!"

Entheo

Entheo's eyes widened as the water all rose.  Thank's to Gezo's experience, he knew what was coming, but he was too slow to stop it.  Using as little movement as possible, he raised the guandao in a diagonal block.  The ground exploaded beneath him, concrete flying into the water droplets, popping them like bubbles.  Wall after wall, Entheo's body shook every time his back slammed and broke through each consecutive wall, until one finally broke his momentum and buried him in the rubble.

Holy shit this one is strong.  What do you think our chances are with this one?

Well, he is faster and stronger than us and just as skilled as me potentially, if not more.  I'd say we have a slim to none chance of winning this.

Wow, thats way better than our usual odds.  Don't slack on me Gezo.

Ditto.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

"Kah! You scrub should've picked a better spot! Closed areas are my specialty!" He wasn't any slower than the mutt, he waved his hand once and the flames soared like a wave to crash on her left and right. He was right, there was no room to dodge something like this. It was like being crushed by two walls of flame.

That was close... she's freaky fast. Little brother's been at work huh?

It seems so... hey, don't slack off just because you're borrowing this body.

Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch~! I'll do what I want!



Indra

But the black death didn't stop. The beastly warrior swarmed through grime and buck, jumping behind Entheo like some kind of eel to strike in his blind spot. Its movements were unnatural and unpredictable as if every limb was a snake. But there was no mistake the skill behind its strikes was human.

[yinsukin]

Ana

The sword gleamed as it was unsheathed, drawing a diagonal line from her hip to his neck, stopping mere inches from his face.  The fox girl was picked up by the flames and consumed like a tidal wave crashing down on a human.  A yelp echoed through the sewer but no more.  The smell of burnt skin filled the sewer as the flames coated her entire body.  There was no retort aside from a grimace and a resheathing of her blade.  That hand tightened around the hilt as she firmly planted her feet into the ground so hard that it sank into the floor..  The very concrete beneath her began to disappear under her as it turned to dust.  The moment the concrete exposed her feet, she took a step forward, the blade drawing a line from her hip to his neck once more.

"Die."

Except it was a feint.  The gleaming blade curved down, threatening to cleave his arm from his shoulder and the rest of his body if he wasn't careful.

Entheo

He's quick and nimble.

It looks like he made a mistake.

Whats that?

Except there was no point in attacking Entheo's blind spot.  The sound of metal colliding with metal echoed through the empty sewer as a ethereal Guandao met with the claws of the creature.  Meanwhile, Entheo's shadowy figure emerged from the rubble, shooting bits of concrete everywhere. He is acting as if he is merely fighting me!   The tip of the blade started at the bottom of the ground before being dragged up into the air, drawing an arc from the ground to the ceiling and threatening to cleave the monster in half.

No other thoughts needed to be exchanged.  Entheo understood his earlier folly.  It was a lesson he has learned time and time again.  No tree grows from nothing.  Its roots must draw nutrients from the world around it.  Single cells do not merely add, but multiply until they transcend themselves and become something greater.

"This is unity!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

The flames raged, shifted, and barely warned of the sword coming for him. It slammed against his cane in an instant, launching him back with a powerful blow. "Fuck!" The impact cut his lip, and he slammed on the filthy wall, coughing and hacking hatefully.

But he had seen through the feint. That was the only reason his body wasn't cleaved in half.

"Haah...haah..."

Fine, you want to play? Let's play.


Indra

Sparks illuminated the darkness, gleaming against the beast's eyes. Suddenly, a shockwave launched a wave of grime up the ceiling, as the guandao came to slice the beast in two. It was excellent, a most excellent strike. Moving unorthodoxly, the monster faced the warrior's follow-up slash.

But the monster already saw through it.

And it's foot already grabbed the polearm with a crushing stomp. "Fascinating. So you think I'm alone." Pinned to the ground, Gezo's weapon couldn't reach him. What came was a devastating kick straight at the Entheo's plexus, intent to launch him upwards in the blink of an eye.

BOOM!!

[yinsukin]

Ana

Ana slowly walked forward, sheathing the blade once more.  Her body was smoking, smoldering.  Yet each step she took left a hole in the concrete, sucking up more and more of the stone.  Strange, it was taking far more mass to heal herself.  That fire was dangerous.  "Your corpse will serve salvation well," she said, gripping the hilt of her blade.  It would be foolish to try to attack recklessly like that again.  "Once this blade cuts through you...."

A tear rolled down her cheek.  "I will be one step closer to salvation."

The fox girl's form blurred, zig zagging this time as it made its approach.  She kept her wrist wrapped around the hilt of the blade, ready to strike again at any time.  Her goal was to close the distance, land just in front of him.

Entheo

"Are you kidding me?" Entheo yelled as he watched the creature move.  "What do you mean not alone?"

Entheo let go of the weapon the second he registered his pull.  It was simply far too strong for him to resist.  Thankfully while the dodge was out of the blue, the strike was relatively straightforward.  Gezo's experience allowed him to see the attack coming simply from the muscles moved and start tilting his torso to the side to dodge.  However he was too slow.  Entheo was knocked a step back as the strike buried into his chest, narrowly dodging the pressure point.

Entheo raised his hands, ready to fight the man.  Gezo.  We can't win this fight like this. 

Perhaps but we have to keep trying.

No listen.  I'm not giving up.  I have a plan.

Alright.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

His eyes gleamed a bright orange, and with a snap of his fingers, a handful of arrows shot forward from different angles. They were quick, closing in on the fox girl in the form of a volley of fire-spears. He'd have to quickly form a magic circle on the ground in her way, to burn her with a fiery pillar the second she avoided that.


Indra

"Oh, you didn't realize? It was so adorable, when you had those souls guided to the afterlife. I honestly wanted to keep you in the dark, but.."

The creature trashed over the waters and splashed unpredictably. Swirling and swaying, it dashed to Entheo's left with a claw ready to slash the boy - but the attack was meant to lead into him thrusting the spear straight into him with his foot. Every one of the monster's limbs was capable of masterfully wielding anything. It was like facing a living weapon that could strike from any angle and position.

"Souls taken by me can never reach paradise, their purgatory will forever be my claws. Young boy... you guided them all to my belly. They are me."

The blows came far faster and heavier than you could possibly imagine. The beast was hungry.

[yinsukin]

Ana

The blur that was the fox girl zipped back and forth along the concrete, slipping through the arrows shot in each direction.  Left, right straight, even bouncing against the wall to dodge one oncoming arrow, that was easy.  Her eyes widened as she saw the ground in front of her glow red with energy.  It was too late to stop... unless....

The fox girl began sinking into the ground.  Normally, she wouldn't need to absorb so much biomass.  However, her skin still hadn't healed for some reason.  Therefore, this much wouldn't hurt her.  The concrete disintegrated beneath her and she sunk even further underground.  To Lawrance, she was gone.

Entheo

"There is no way to tell anymore. Those born here might not know the feeling, but many of us were all stripped from our worlds and thrown into an illogical situation. If this world has a will, it probably doesn't follow natural conventions... that includes the law of the fittest. It doesn't matter how strong you are, there will always be something ready to take you down and try to devour you."

Yeah.  I feel that too, he thought, staring into the monster's mouth as he spoke.

The claw came towards the side of his face and Entheo ducked under it, only to be met with another strike to the chest, this time the blade.  Entheo had abruptly changed styles, using the nimbleness of custard alongside his own street fighting experience, bobbing under his strike, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the man's sheer power and speed.  The base of the guandao was caught by two hands absorbing the brunt of the stab, even with his ghostly body fingers ripped apart by the thrust.  The blade dug into his chest, blood trickling from his chest.

"I am scared. To be honest, I can't stop shaking. The trauma of losing something precious, the shame of having one's dignity stripped away... I know that feeling too well. I am a coward. Sometimes, even the mightiest of lions falls prey to terror. But to live... to thrive... is to overcome that fear."

I hate that I failed them.  I don't want to live inside him either.   I don't even want to die.  If I have to die, I want the afterlife.  I only wish I could have saved them too.  I've never thought about whether i'm a coward or not, but it still shakes me in moments like this. But...

Tears rolled down Entheo's cheeks, but he still smiled.  Sadness, trauma, anger, vitriol.  It will come and go.  Time and time again, I have faced pain and suffering for both myself and others.  These moments of strife I remember just as intensely as moments of my greatest happiness. I think... thats because they are part of that happiness.

Blades materialized in Entheo's hands, coming down in an X arc and threatening to cleave through his limbs.  The creature would either have to let go of the guandao or lose the limbs.

"You can't save everyone." 

As the fist came closer, the tears came down harder.  "Then lets make this their funeral."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Indra

"I like you." The attack was intercepted admirably, and the counter was beautiful, in its own way. But the monster had already devoured such techniques. Techniques even more glorious than this. Brave heroes, the mightiest of them all, all fell to the beast.

Passion.

Technique.

Power.

They had it all. Wondrous warriors of all eras. So why did they die? Why did Indra come out on top?

The black beast let go of the lance and spun faster than you could blink. It was then, as its feet smacked against Entheo's jaw - that they'd learn of the true terror of this monster. It wasn't its overwhelming technique. It wasn't its unsurpassed speed. It wasn't even its ungodly brute force. This disaster couldn't be categorized as merely fast, skilled or strong.

Because Indra's power was genuine.

Blows to the jaw had the power to rattle a man's brain. The shaking from the impact was enough to seriously concuss a man even without their strength differences.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

Damn... this wasn't good. A glancing blow almost knocked the life out of him. The moment she started sinking, he made a run for it. You'd never think a man as frailas him would slam his feet on grimy muck so intensely, but he ran. Faster, faster than you'd ever believe. After all, he was a coward, hiding in the shadows and squirming in a place like this was second nature.

"But I hate to dissappoint... I suck at dying." For a second, the golden glow in his eyes shifted to a different color. And that's when he stopped.

Well shit.

A dead end. He ran as fast as he could, but it was no use. He hit a wall that he just couldn't overcome. End of the line.

Where the hell are you, damn fox.

Sweating bullets, he spread out and looked all over around him, taking a low stance. His fingers conjured a burning cross, floating just above his fingers. The moment the flame would shift, it would warn him of her strike.

"Haaah...haah...hahah... that's right, you were in my class weren't you... that damn know-it-all. Your type pissed me off then and it pisses me off now."

[yinsukin]

Entheo

"The fact that innocent people had to face that trauma is unforgivable... I can promise nothing of an uncertain future. But I swear on my life, on every drop of blood in my marrow, that the ones responsible for this will not touch a hair of my pupils again."

I like that dream of yours.

The blades disappeared as Entheo reached for the swords, not even bothering to dodge the leg flying towards his face.  It struck like a hammer to the chin, causing a crack to echo through the narrow sewer corridors.  The young man's head reeled back, staying conscious not from biological function, but sheer instinct to live and willpower.  Even so, his body was flung into the air, slaming into yet another sewer wall. 

"You can't save everyone.  Everyone who is given the gift of life has to one day deal with the possibility of death.  The world gives and takes on its own time.  You can't save anyone from that reality, nor should you.  Because one day, everyone here will die."

A voice called out from the rubble.  "You know," Entheo said, his voice muffled by the rubble.  "Even after all you've done, I don't hate you either."

The ceiling of the sewer, the very road traveled by so many people on the surface began to crumble and fall, allowing the cruel sun to shine its illuminating light on the sewer.  The murky water was revealed to be brown against the sun's rays, yet the surface shimmered when struck by its light.  All of the grime and dirt was revealed by the sun as well. Graffiti, normally covered by layers of muck was now barely visible through the cracks. 

"Just because people will die should deter us from saving others? This logic is flawed. Should science not progress to heal the sick? Should people not strive to share their wealth to the needy? Boy... what you are talking about is nothing more than shallow-minded pessimism. You ignore the fact that humans can be better."

Just this once, why don't we play the hero.

Are you kidding me?  We play the hero all the time.  You just keep telling yourself that your a good grim reaper and can stay out of things like a "good boy."

I'm just not one to mettle in someone else's death.

You asked if he was a hero before.  Personally, I don't think it matters what he calls himself.  To take responsibility for someone's safety, their happiness.  Thats what makes someone a hero, a person beyond a mere good citizen.

Yeah.  Lawrance....  Let me take share your dream, just for a moment.  I owe you that much as your slacking student.  This monster....  We've overcome walls like this and we can do it again.  So...  Shall we exchange the same words from back then?

Entheo stood up, the rubble shooting in every direction.  Taking a low bent stance, the unified being of Entheo and Gezo held the guandao diagonally in front of him.  The light of the sun reflected off of the tip of the guandao, casting a spec of refracted light onto the beast.

"Whether it be the warrior in front of you," Gezo said.  Blood flowed from his mouth and trickled down his broken chin.  Despite having his jaw dislodged, he was still able to speak.  Thats because he wasn't merely speaking from his mouth, but his very soul.  "Or the very gods above...."

The young man took one step forward.  The concrete beneath him gave way to his steps.  It was as if the ground itself was being struck by his retribution.  Entheo reeled back his arm, prepared slash his opponent down the middle.  "Nothing decides your future other than the will of your soul!"

However, that stance was a lie.  When the slash came down, it was a cresant arc, designed to cleave off the creature's head from his neck and take several limbs with it, including the legs at the end.  "If fate deems you too weak..."  Hiding within the shadow of Entheo's arm was another, Gezo's arm.  As the slash came down, several thrusts hid within the echo of the slash, striking at the beast's torso.  "Then tear through that future with your own two hands....

"And go beyond reality!"

[yinsukin]

Ana

Strange.  The red headed girl couldn't help but think back to that classroom debate.  Since joining salvation, she tried to be the perfect soldier, working day in and out to curve her loyalty, her desires.  Discipline, following the rules, order: by emboding this herself, she could spread this salvation to the world.  A soldier should suit their role.  Why the hell did that stupid teacher feel the need to argue with some bum he picked up off the street?  He wasn't in that class!  Everyone knew he wasn't in that class!  That was the loiterer that was crashing with a guy who lives on campus!

Up, down, the walls: where would the fox girl spawn from.  Despite her wandering mind, her senses were completely trained on Lawrance.  Her own emotional strength was such that she could sort out these complicated feelings without distraction, because that was the weight given to the soldier.  The ceiling dissolved and Ana already tilted downwards, ready to strike.  "Because you are a soft fool with no discipline, no will?" she asked, proudly revealing her location to him.  "A teacher who fights with their students..."

As she came down, she reached for the hilt of her blade.  A circle was carved in the air from her blade, cocked back so that it was in a ready position at her hip for a thrust.  The second she came in range, it came forward, threatening to pierce Lawrance's heart.  "Is no match for me!"

Indeed, the world of salvation had no room for a man like this.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

"Yeah... I knew you'd be here. That's why I thought dragging him along would be better."

You can't save everyone.  Everyone who is given the gift of life has to one day deal with the possibility of death.  The world gives and takes on its own time.  You can't save anyone from that reality, nor should you.  Because one day, everyone here will die.

"You damn... heheh.... no way... am I going... to die? Argh...!" A sudden ache pierced the man's head. But it was already too late.

Earlier

As the flames shifted, he moved. Moved as fast as he could, as desperately as he could... and summoned an inferno to deflect her strike.

It isn't enough.

What the-! She's coming! Damn it! It wasn't enough!

Fires danced and lashed out. The two moved incredibly fast, blurring across the tight space. And yet, the beast reached for him. Was it because his mind was strained? Or perhaps a difference in ability? The slight delay caused by his weakness gave Ana the opening to strike. The sword came for him. End of the line.

I will protect you.

But -

No. Don't come out! I don't need anyone else! I can do this... on my own!

Alone, we will not reach it. Our salvation must be grabbed and ripped from their hands. Even if that brings out the part of you that you detest the most. Let's attain victory. Together.

"Toge..ther?"

Together.

The sword had already pierced the man's heart. The rest was darkness.


A strange black ooze dripped from his body as if it were ink. But Lawrence didn't move at all, pinned to the wall by Ana's blade. He was dead. No, he had already died, years ago. In another world. By all rights, he shouldn't even be here. That is why this was so absurd.

"Do you despise me, Ana?"

The whole area instantly turned chill, as the black ink fell from his hair, revealing a pure snow white. Two eyes as black as the void stared right at Ana. Eyes belonging to that man, eyes she had seen before she had turned into... this. The man who shouldn't be here, who shouldn't be alive, who should have fallen by her sword. It was familiar, but it was wrong. Every bad feeling she ever had about him was nothing compared to the feeling of being this close to that thing. The man smiled.

"Hatred... is perfectly fine. It is a highly efficient fuel when traversing certain goals. It's certainly more reliable than love, at the very least. I can relate to you very well. I have been a slave to hatred for many, many long years. You see, I simply could not stomach myself at the time."

A brash, hopeful, cavalier heart. A pitiful, broken, blackened heart. And an unstoppable, immutable, ravenous heart. A father, a son, and a holy spirit. Three sides of the same coin, yet they never faced the same direction. It was only that one thing that linked them together. A prayer from long ago, whose origin was forgotten even by them.

Let us attain victory.

She couldn't move, let alone yank the sword out of his chest. And that's when she saw it. The black beast coiled around her body, like a mass of chains wrapped around her and swirling until they covered her like armor. It came from his shadow... but the shadow was over her skin. It was only under her because his flames moved it there, even if it meant having to take a sword to the chest. To attain certain victory, he'd go as far as sacrificing his own self. Because this entire time, there was only one man - one soul.

"I need no salvation. May happiness never reach me as I walk this path all by my lonesome. I will gladly deny such a thing if it meant reaching my dream." The man in front of Ana didn't even look human anymore. It was a monster. A genuinely terrifying thing that shouldn't be there, from some unknowable world where everything was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong! The teacher trapped the student in a black box. Slowly compressing it. Gradually. Until the spikes started to sink into her flesh.

And that's when she realized why it was so wrong. It was the same voice she heard when she was turned. Hearing it again made it all start to come back. The memories. The fear. All of it.

"No. I will not say it is a dream. Because it has already become reality. So please do your best."