Chapter 33A: Versus Enigma III: Ichiyu Vs Gemini I (Perspective: Ichiyu)
"Ichiyu, you are..." Yuna begins as she stares at me in disbelief, well I guess I can't blame her.
Using my bronze I attack the younger twin that was trying to harm Yuna, she simply jumps back to avoid it however.
"Bronze Manifestation?", "And that appearance", "Is this just coincidence?" The two twins converse between themselves.
Well there is no point hiding how my wonderful existence came to be...
"I'm a human anomaly that was created using the soul fragments from Yuichi Shiro during his previous encounter with my master." I explain.
"Wait, what does that mean, Ichiyu?" Yuna asks.
"Even if you ask me, I can't describe it any simpler than that, long story short, I'm a clone." I state, are you satisfied now? I'm not the most willing when it comes to the roots of my existence.
"I see, so you never were a regular human either," The older twin notes, but 'either' what does she mean by that? Oh well, it doesn't matter. There is something else I wish to confirm that is more important.
"Do you two by any chance have some kind of personal grudge against Yuna?" I ask.
"No, we are simply following orders," One states before the other supplements, "Gemini's hatred is directed at only one person, and that person no longer exists."
"I see, in that case the reincarnation of wonderness, that is I, Ichiyu Weiss, shall stop you hence forth." I declare as I conjure up more of my bronze.
"Then this Gem shall overcome you." They're really pulling out all the stops here, "And this Ini will slaughter you."
""Death to all those not of Enigma!"" They say together.
The older twin, Gem has her hands get surrounded by a swirl of wind on one hand and water on the other. Whilst the younger twin, Ini has her other hand get surrounded by a swirl of electricity. Both girls having turned their hands into mediums for weapons, run at me together from both sides.
I quickly create two swords out of my bronze and prepare to intercept their attacks. But then I suddenly notice something happen, Gem all of a sudden is now standing where Yuna was, Yuna herself is wondering what just happened when she suddenly reappeared where Gem once was.
"Crap!" I shout as Gem tries to stab at me with her water blade, I quickly tilt my neck to avoid the sudden attack. She then tries to slash at me with her wind blade, I quickly duck low down and avoid the attack, "Woah, thanks for the view." I say as I catch a glimpse of the contents of my attacker's skirt.
"Pervert, how dare you to Onee-chan!" The younger twin, Ini says as she charges down at me from a low angle and swipes with both her blades. I jump up into the air to avoid the attack and create a chunk of bronze mid air, which I use as a foothold and propel myself away from the twins. I land between them and Yuna, good we've escaped the pincer. But there was something I really cannot let go.
"I'm not a pervert! I'm an explorer for all cute clothes bright and stripy. The fact that I took the liberty to look should in itself be an honour for you!" I defend, "My dream is to one day have a harem of cute girls all wearing striped panties! Think yourselves lucky that I'm now considering you two as prime candidates!"
The two twins stare at me in wonder for a few seconds before, "So cool..." Gem says with a slight blush, as the previously angry Ini nods also with a slight blush. My beauty is already working its magic.
"Ichiyu," Yuna calls from behind me, I quickly glance back, "Didn't what you just say just prove them right about you being a pervert?"
"No stallion such as I can be a pervert, my dear Yuna," I respond whilst activating my supreme technique 'Enticement Smile', this move grants me the power to enchant any girl, not that my looks don't already accomplish this. But you know what they say, you can never have too many good points.
"Oh really," She responds with a sigh of resignation, "By the way, you won't be able to enchant me with that so called "Enticement Smile", I've built up a strong immunity to such crap due to my home circumstances." Yuna states, wait did I ever tell her the name of this technique? Just how does she know about it? Is she a mind reader or something?
Oh well, never mind. I redirect my attention back to the two twins. Now its time to progress to stage two of my conquering plan. I straighten my back and heighten my voice, "Gem and Ini put yourselves as the ante! If I win this fight, I'll have you both become mine as girl two and three respectively for my yet to be established harem!" I declare my intention.
"You're the worst!" Yuna screams from behind me, no need to be jealous, I've forever reserved the spot of number one for you.
The two twins briefly stare at each other before they return my gaze. "That's fine,", "If you win that is." The two agree as they charge at me once again.
Then Ini suddenly disappears and Yuna is standing there blankly again. "Crap, again!" I quickly turn around to face Ini who is charging at me with her blades in the ready. I send several bronze bullets her way to counter her, but she just continues forward but then suddenly she disappears again, "SHIT! I can't stop my bronze in time!" I curse when I realise just what they've done.
"KYAAAAA!" I hear Yuna's scream as she covers her face as the bronze attacks her flesh.
"Yuna!" I scream back, shit I screwed up and hurt Yuna in the process. Luckily I notice the cuts are fairly minor, but how could someone as beautiful as me have made such a careless mistake. I know this Soul Technique and how it works only too well, it's one of my masters most favoured after all yet I still fell for it. So these two are where that power originated from.
Come on Ichiyu, you've got to get your wonderful head back into the game. Yuna is depending on me, so I can't screw this up. I run up to my injured friend, "Yuna are you all right!? I'm so sorr..." I begin, but Yuna suddenly transforms to Gem, but this time I didn't allow myself to be fooled, I swing my bronze sword at her. But I suddenly feel an odd sensation of my bearings changing, and my bronze sword hits nothing but air. Shit! Ini switched her position with me. Yuna is also standing where Gem used to be, "Crap that means!" I quickly turn around to as I suspected Gem was charging at me "This is really getting annoying!" I proclaim as I block Gem's water and wind blades with my own bronze swords. Curses, my situation is most dire. Gemini's technique allows them to switch their physical position with any other living matter, whilst at first glance it seems harmless enough. It is a technique that flips the advantage of using numbers into reverse, as it gives them more targets to switch with. Which means I need to decrease the numbers then their power will weaken exceptionally. Luckily thanks to my master I know about this technique quite thoroughly.
Using my strength I push back Gem's blades thus giving me a chance to catch her momentarily off guard. I swing my blade with the knowledge to stop in case she switches and as I predicted a quick flash and Gem disappears, I instinctively stop my blade figuring Yuna is about to appear. However, the one who appeared wasn't Yuna, it was Ini. "FUCK!" The older twin who was defenceless switched with the younger twin who was ready to attack. I quickly try to regain the speed of my slash which I had previously stopped but.
"URGGGGHHHH!" I grasp in pain
"Too slow," Ini states as she slashed at me with her own blades before I could hit her with my own.
I try to endure the pain as I continue on with my swipe. However, Ini disappears even quicker than she had arrived, and this time she truly did switch places with Yuna. I quickly stop my attack as Yuna closes her eyes in fear.
"Urgh! cough cough!" Blood escapes my lips as I drop down onto one of my knees.
"Ichiyu!" Yuna grabs hold of my falling body in a tight embrace. She truly is a kind girl, that is why I will definitely protect her. I grasp Yuna's shoulder to pull myself back onto my feet as I glare at my two formidable opponents and take a few deep breaths to increase the power in my voice.
"I'm definitely going to make you both mine!" I proudly declare, the two girls simply smile back, almost to say 'good luck with that'.
""Good luck with that."" They both vocalised my interpretation. I tighten my grip on my blades as I ready for the next assault.
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Chapter 33B: Versus Enigma III: Elizabeth Vs Cammy I (Perspective: Elizabeth)
I glare at the girl who introduced herself as Cammy. I quickly spin my scythe around and charge towards her. I don't have any time to waste.
I slash at her body but she simply ducks down onto all fours before jumping back.
"If you won't die obediently than I'll just do it the hard way, this is all for Stella's sake so nothing personal." Cammy says as she sticks out her tongue from her mouth
What the hell is she!? The length of her tongue is definitely not normal. Just as I try to comprehend just what is going on her body suddenly disappears.
"What the!? Where did she go!?" I ask myself out loud as I gaze around my surroundings. Trying to find her, but to no avail.
"URGHH!" I suddenly feel a tight grip wrapped around my neck, its strongly constricting me, but I can't see anything. Using my hand I can feel the invisible object that is strangling me. I quickly brandish my scythe and slash at it.
"Cough Cough!" The sudden restriction disappears and I gasp on the floor. "Just what the hell." The thing that I cut that was previously invisible is lying on the floor, it looks like.
"Ah you cut my tongue..." Cammy reappears behind me as I notice there is a segment of her long tongue missing. However it quickly grows back and retakes its original shape.
"Turning invisible and that long tongue, just what on earth are you!?" I question angrily.
"Who knows, this was just the power that was granted to me when I became a anomaly. I refer to this power as 'Chameleon' however, although there are some differences between my power and the name sake." Cammy explains.
But I've never heard of a power like this even for human anomalies. And fighting this kind of ability is going to be difficult to say the very least, she is able to mask her presence completely.
"But who cares about any of that, my only desire is to see Stella happy, and for that I need you to stop breathing." She states as she once again turns invisible.
"Curses!" I run around the battlefield aimlessly whilst I am unable to see Cammy. I need to think of a countermeasure for her ability. But until then I have to buy as much time as I can and prevent myself from becoming an easy target for that grotesque tongue of hers.
"AAAARRRGGGHHH!" I yelp as I fall to the ground after feeling a nasty scraping pain on my back. Cammy once again reappears.
"My tongue isn't the only thing I can fight with," She states as she licks my blood off of her hand.
"How dare you!" I yell as I swing my scythe at the girl who is still on all fours. However she jumps back out of reach of my scythe and disappears again whilst in mid-air.
"Your fate is to be a mere sacrifice for my happiness, just accept it." The selfish invisible goth declares.
"My fate is not for you to decide. And it sure is not going to be dictated in such a way! Do not underestimate the wraith of the Cerberus, Cammy!" I rebuke as I gather flames in my hand and charge to the position of where the voice just came from and smash the ground within that vicinity with my fire.
Cammy reappears again, "If you can't see me what is the point in attacking?" She asks, I simply smile back with confidence.
If I am to defeat her I first need to uncover her secrets, her power may seem strong but there will definitely be some flaw or weakness to exploit. Which has to bring me to my first question, if she is able to turn invisible, just why does she keep on letting herself reappear? Is it due to confidence? Or is it something else entirely different, I need to figure this out. I know with my mind I'll be able to find something I can use.
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Chapter 33C: Versus Enigma III: Interlude (Perspective: None)
This is a story from a few years before Yuichi Shiro had heard the term 'Anomaly'. In a fairly quiet remote area their lived a ageing man, however he was much older than even what he looked, having lived for well over a century. He had a condition that forced his soul near to the surface of his body, as a result his soul although not totally exposed to the atmosphere had mutated from within its shell. This gave the man a very pale complexion with pure white hair and red eyes.
Due to his appearance and the nature of his existence the local people feared the old man who was all but isolated from society. He held one sincere desire, and that was to be accepted. In order to accomplish this he studied and researched science with all his might in the hopes that he would find a cure for his ailment. Days passed, months passed, years passed and yet he was still no closer to his goal.
His research had only further increased the fears of the local villagers ostracising him even further. It was at this point he realised just how lonely he truly felt and he decided that he would use some of the knowledge he had gained to free his slowly freezing heart.
His attempts were successful, through artificial means the man had created two lives. Beings that would be dubbed Homunculi. He had decided on creating two so that if anything ever happened to him they would not suffer the way he did, as they would still have each other. He gave the two Homunculi girls the names Gem and Ini.
For several months they lived in peace. The old man who the two girls affectionately called 'Grandpa' for the first time in a long time felt the warm happiness of what he long desired, a family.
However this was not to last.
"URGHHHHHH!" The old man yelped in pain as a eerie dark blade pierced through him.
"HA HA HA! Become food for my Muramasa-Masamune!" A sinister man screamed in glee as he pushed his sword in even further, "You may not be a human anomaly! So this maybe out of my jurisdiction! But your still a freak of nature! So disappear!"
""GRANDPA!"" His two creations and his beloved children screamed together.
The Old man gripped hold of the blade of the eerie Muramasa-Masamune as he gathered what remained of his strength. "Run...Gem...Ini...Run..."
"How wonderful! You freaks can pass on together!" He states as he withdraws his blade from the writhing man who still tried to hold onto it, but he was unable and the blood from his hands merely further decorated the dark blade. The old man fell weakly onto his knees as he held his chest whilst looking on in terror with his eyes filled with tears
"Die!" The sinister man shouted as he weaved his sword and shock waves shot forth directed at the man's children and his only true treasure.
""KYAAAAHHHHHH!"" They yelped together as they fell lifelessly onto the ground in a puddle of their own blood. The twins tightly embracing each other even after death.
"Nooo..." The old man let out weakly as tears scrolled down his pale face. "Gem...Ini..." The old man called his children's names weakly as he crawled along the floor to them.
His only remaining desire was to die with them, as a family. Therefore he continued to crawl towards them before his light of life would fade away. As his outstretched hand was but a metre away from his precious children.
"Just die already!" The sinister man grunted as he stabbed the old man through the heart, deny him of his last wish as his outstretched hand fell lifelessly onto the floor.
The sinister man simply left the trio there like road kill and walked off.
A bit later and a individual who was wearing a cloak to conceal his identity happened upon the scene.
"The old man's soul has been destroyed, but I can still use these girls." The person said as they approached the recently killed homuncli twins, Gem and Ini.