Chapter 59A: Battle Between Two Prodigies – Ark Vs Carrisa I (Perspective: None)
"I didn't think you would know about my lineage, then there is no point in hiding it," Ark states as his dark hair turns scarlet red, a trait shared by all those of the Orthrus family. An intense fireball gathers in his hand. "Lets begin!" He shoots the fireball as a war declaration.
Carrisa easily dodges the attack and forms several hand signs, "Thanatos Reaper Technique: Photon Options." The fourteen eyed tentacles sprout from her back and all the eyes focus on Ark before simultaneously releasing their lasers. The many bright lights illuminate the dark sky.
Bang Bang Bang! Ark manipulates small chunks of debris and blocks the lasers. Carrisa charges with her scythe as her Photon Options continue firing rapidly in vein. Ark uses his telekinesis and forces a segment of the ground into his hand and reshapes it into a scythe.
Bang! The two scythes collide. Carrisa runs lightning into her fist and thrusts it at Ark, who gathers a fragment of the earth over his hand as a makeshift glove and blocks her fist. Carrisa jumps back a second before a crater is made where she previously stood. More earth fragments merge with Ark's scythe extending its range, he swings the colossal scythe horizontally, Carrisa ducks below but…
"URGHHH!" She grunts as fragments of the scythe are shot at her mid swing. Carrisa bares the pain and slams her hand onto the ground the area fills with ice extending across the floor towards Ark, who jumps away before the ice spikes that are formed can pierce him.
Ark throws his earth scythe into the air and gathers a tornado around one arm and flames around the other, both the elemental blades extend dozens of metres, Ark slices both the elements together.
Boom! Boom! Boom! "GGGAAHHH!" Carrisa is caught in the chain of explosions and is sent skidding along the ground. Ark catches his falling scythe and charges.
CHING! Carrisa without a chance to stand blocks Ark's scythe with her own, but her blade cracks before completely breaking. Carrisa quickly retreats from the oncoming blade and shoots her Photon Options, Ark raises more rubble with his telekinesis, but Carrisa creates several mirrors of ice that reflect her Photon Option's lasers.
"GAAHHH!" Ark yelps as a laser pierces his shoulder. Carrisa seizing the chance quickly forms a scythe made of ice and slashes towards Ark's neck, Ark nimbly ducks, Carrisa adjusts her scythe's trajectory and jumps backwards with her scythe following her.
"KUUHH!" Ark grinds his teeth as his arm falls to the ground followed by a stream of blood.
Now's my chance! Carrisa forms and shoots several ice arrows along with her Photon Options.
"That won't work!" Ark states as several gushes of wind intercept every attack. A giant hand then forms out of the ground and punches towards Carrisa, who jumps away before assaulting it with her Photon Options making it crumble. Carrisa instantly rolls backwards to avoid Ark's flame lines that are shooting at her like lasers. She had noticed them thanks to her Photon Options acting as extra eyes. Carrisa regains her footing and counters the fire lasers with her Photon Options. BOOM! The intense explosion from the colliding attacks fills the air with smoke obstructing both party's view.
As the smoke clears Carrisa notices Ark's arm has been reattached to his body. "You used your telekinesis to forcefully reconnect your arm? Manipulating movement on even a cellular and nerve basis, you are truly dangerous." She analyses.
"You're one to talk, it was said in the past that possessing ten Photon Options was the absolute maximum anyone could wield, yet even at such an age you wield fourteen of them." Ark remarks whilst flexing his reattached arm.
Both monsters are in complete awe of each other. Their powers are the best of the best, they are both prodigies that would perhaps only be born once a millennium.
"I never thought you'd be able to break my scythe though, I guess it was egotistical of me refusing Nightmare."
"Your own power would only have weakened if you had relied on a strong tool," Ark states whilst gathering air into his hand and compressing it into a small orb. Carrisa charges her Photon Options and blasts them, Ark sidesteps to safety and launches the highly compressed wind ball at Carrisa, Ark then moves his hand into the shape of a gun and shoots a small fireball whilst levitating himself into the air.
BOOOMMM!
"GUUUHHH!" Carrisa's yelp and a deafening sound fills the arena as the flame combusted the air ball and created an explosion hundreds of metres in diameter. Ark hovered in the air just outside the danger zone gazing down at the smoky mist that covered their battleground.
Did I go too far? I can't negotiate if all I have is a corpse. Ark, in the heat of the moment and against a deadly foe had neglected his aim. But his worries were for naught as Carrisa stood bloodied within the mist, her body was coated in fire. She literally fought fire with fire to defend herself from the explosion. Impressive.
Ark returns to the ground and glares at his opponent who smiles fiercely. "I really can't hold back against you any more," Carrisa declares as she straightens her body, a dark mist forms above her extended hand. Ark's eyes sharpen as he notices the green book in her hand.
This is where it gets troublesome. Ark thinks whilst grinding his back teeth.
"Thanatos' Grimoire! Open!" Carrisa orders and a black pillar shoots out of the open book and into the sky. The most deadliest of powers has been unleashed.
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Chapter 59B: Battle Between Two Prodigies – Interlude (Perspective: None)
Have you ever asked yourself what would be born from a Human Anomaly? Could one Anomaly give birth to another? Most of the time the answer to that would be no. Human Anomalies, although mutated, are still humans. However, every so often there will be an exception to this rule, a person descended from a Human Anomaly being born with a mutated soul and thus granted similar abilities possessed by Human Anomalies. These existences are referred to as Birth Anomalies.
Many hundreds of years ago when the tension between the Underworld and the Sky was wearing thin, many reapers tried to encourage Hades to take the initiative and attack the Sky, a recommendation he refused. Even though everyone felt that war between the two was unavoidable, Hades refused to fan the flames, wishing for a peaceful solution.
Many felt that Hades' decision was nothing less than cowardice and wished to take matters into their own hands. None felt stronger than this than the then head of the Orthrus family, Myrrh Orthrus. He was a man with extraordinary power and influence, many reapers flocked to the pro war faction at the mere mention of his name. However, Myrrh in his need for boosting his forces committed a grave sin. He discarded his family's sacred duty of keeping human souls within the Underworld. Without even performing the game with the recent deceased, he took a mass of human souls back to the living world and returned them to their original bodies. Giving birth to an army of Human Anomalies.
With Myrrh's actions war was just around the corner, to avoid the worst case scenario Hades was forced to take an option of necessary evil. He ordered the destruction of the pro war faction. Most of the Human Anomalies were either killed or imprisoned. Myrrh was apprehended with the combined efforts of the Thanatos, the Pandemonium, and the Cerberus family heads. Such was the power that he wielded, any less of a force would have just been a laughing stock to him.
Myrrh was sentenced to an eternity within the Underworld prison, the Jigoku, for his crimes. In addition the Orthrus family was disgraced and lost their spot in the top three families to the Cerberus, who had contributed to Myrrh's defeat.
However, unknown to the Underworld, Myrrh's son, who had thought to have been killed in action, had fallen in love with a woman who was reincarnated as a Human Anomaly in Myrrh's scheme. They had fled from the war and threw away everything to do with it. In time they bore a son, who shared both the blood of a reaper and a Human Anomaly, although the one born was a regular human.
Generations passed and the Orthrus and Human Anomaly blood continued to pass down, until finally, a Birth Anomaly was born. He possessed both the powers of telekinesis granted by his Anomaly heritage, and the power of fire from his Orthrus heritage. A Birth Anomaly of the strongest nature that could almost be called miraculous, this Birth Anomaly was Ark Orthrus.
However, to those who desired peace a power like no other and an existence that only invites danger is only an eyesore. Ark's parents had ordered Ark to never use any of his powers no matter what the reason, fearing that the moment he did will invite his doom. Ark had kept his promise and for twelve years never once used his power, but even that did not prevent the tragedy. One night the church attacked their home and ended their peaceful lives, his father and mother became his shields as the church's inquisition ended their lives before his eyes.
Overcome with rage Ark killed his parent's killers using the powers he promised never to use, blaming himself for keeping his promise to the point that his parents died. After that there was no time for him to rest, with the church always on his trail he never stayed in one place for any length of time and being attacked became normal. Like that two years passed and Ark grew weary of living, the only people who valued his life were dead, now the only people he met were those wishing for his demise.
Was his existence the thing to blame for his parent's murder? Or was it the church who ordered his extermination? Regardless of the reason, he was definitely the cause. Whilst he was going through such concepts his next assassins approached him, one was a girl with tanned skin, the other was a boy with red dreadlocks. They were both around the same age as him.
"Hmmm, you don't look evil." The girl decided by herself, "Did the church lie to us?" She asked the boy next to her.
"Nadia, they said this boy killed several warriors, so don't let your guard down!" The boy answered without diverting his eyes from Ark.
It was a lie, other than his parent's murders Ark hadn't killed a single one of his assailants. However, Ark didn't bother voicing the truth, whatever the reality, it didn't matter. He was tired of being chased, tired of running, and tired of living. If these two wished to kill him, then he would simply oblige them.
However, the next thing that happened completely shocked him.
"But Shuren, he totally doesn't look like he would do such a thing, my instinct is never wrong!" The girl puffs up her chest proudly. "Say you….um...scarlet haired guy, what really happened?" She was willing to hear his truth.
The burdens he carried, all the pain he had gathered, all the solitude he had felt. For the past two years he hadn't had a single person to share them with. Just the feeling that this girl was willing to listen was enough to bring him to tears. Nadia despite being flustered by Ark crying, along with Shuren, listened to the boy's story earnestly.
After hearing his tale Nadia nodded her head with closed eyes.
"Hm, I see, so that's how it is. Well there is only one way to solve this problem, Ark Orthrus, I'm going to have to ask you to die." She declared, Ark had felt she too had given up on him, all hope was lost. But even so he was thankful, just the fact she listened to him earned Nadia his eternal gratitude.
Nadia flicked Ark's forehead, "Right, there we go, Ark Orthrus is now dead." She stated. But he wasn't, she hadn't even scratched him. "From now on the boy who Ark Orthrus had left behind is going to live in this town!" She declared without a hint of hesitation.
"Huh?" Ark simply stared in confusion, what was going on? He thought.
The boy named Shuren sighed before saying, "You really do whatever you want don't you, Nadia?"
"Te he he, complimenting won't get you anywhere." She replied, Shuren in turn sent her a death glare.
After the meeting Shuren and Nadia reported back to the church that the Anomaly Ark Orthrus was dead. Ark dyed his hair black to hide his scarlet hair and lived in the town he had met his two new friends. Although from fear that he maybe discovered Ark avoided open contact with the duo, he now had a place to call home. For a few year Ark lived his life like he was in a dream, although when that incident occurred, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
The day Nadia died protecting her sister from a Chimera Anomaly. Ark and Shuren mourned the heavy loss and continued life with heavy hearts, until the time they discovered that the church's darkness was the very thing that took their precious friend away. Igniting both their hearts in vengeance.
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Chapter 59C: Battle Between Two Prodigies – Ark Vs Carrisa II (Perspective: None)
The black pillar from the Grimoire slowly dissipates and then the creature was in full view. An incarnation of death.
"GE HE HE HE HE!" The monstrosity laughed. It was a hovering robed skeleton approximately fifteen metres tall and wielding a scythe the same size as itself. A transparent black aura surrounded its body like armour.
"The power that gave the common misconception of the grim reaper to the living world, huh. Just like how Cerberus' Grimoire distorted the living world conception of their family." Ark states coldly, his situation is bad. I'm starting to wish I was born a Pandemonium, that thing is my natural enemy. He thought.
"This is just the beginning," Carrisa declares as the dark aura from the skeleton is absorbed into Carrisa's Photon Options changing their colour to black. "Custom Thanatos Reaper Technique: Decay Options."
She changed her Photon Option's nature with the Grimoire's power. Ark analyses before creating and shooting several fire arrows. The Decay Options fire their dark lasers, that completely smother Ark's fire attacks. Ark levitates his body and avoids the still oncoming lasers. "HELL PLASMA!" He shouts as he forcefully alters the air's state and launches a ball of plasma.
"GE HE HE HE HE!" The Grimoire Skeleton hovers between Carrisa and the approaching plasma and runs its scythe through it once, twice, thrice, before even a second elapses, the plasma was neutralised. Suddenly the ground under Carrisa violently shakes.
The plasma was just a diversion. She surmises before diving to one side before she could be swallowed by the crevice. Carrisa returns to her feet and shoots her Decay Options intermittently, Ark hovers left and right avoiding every attack.
The Skeleton charges at Ark with unbelievable speed and slices his scythe towards him. Ark compresses the air to form a shield. "GUUUHHH!" Although the shield was able to stop the attack somewhat, the after effect caused by the colliding created a shock wave which smashed Ark to the ground. As to be expected of the number one family's Grimoire.
Ark rolls nimbly out the way just before the Decay Option's lasers could reach him. The lasers create small openings in the ground and the stray weeds that are caught in the cross fire instantly wither. They are lasers that carried the very notion of death.
"GE HE HE HE HE!" The Skeleton laughs as it lands next to its wielder, then both it and Carrisa form a hand sign in sync.
"Death Hadou!" Carrisa shouts as a large dark aura ring expands out in all directions with the Skeleton as the epicentre. Ark shoots fireball after fireball along with a tornado. The attacks weakens the dark ring that is fast approaching, Ark as a last effort uses a chunk of earth as a shield. The Death Hadou turns the huge boulder into dust before piercing into Ark.
"GUHA!" Blood pours out of Ark's mouth as he falls to his knees. Carrisa smiles at the spectacle, victory was upon her. Ark returns to his feet and wipes the blood from his mouth. "It's all or nothing." He says to himself. Suddenly a huge pillar of magma rises from the ground and smashes into the skeleton that is knocked into the sky by the burning geyser.
"Magma!? But how? I never felt you invoke a Reaper Technique!" Carrisa is momentarily shocked. "Wait, you used your telekinesis to pull magma out of the Underworld's core!" Ark smiled at Carrisa's correct answer.
"URGGGHHHAAA!" Carrisa too was smashed by a magma geyser. But before she was hit she had coated herself in flames protecting herself extensively from the attack. "GUUHH!" Blood shoots out of her mouth as she slammed into the ground and the dark aura of her Decay Options intensifies. This is bad, that last attack caused me to lose control of the Decay Options, some of the aura went into my body. Carrisa analyses as even more blood flows from her mouth. Carrisa quickly concentrates and regains control of her Decay Options before standing up with shaking legs.
"I cannot lose, I will not lose!" She declares. "I SHALL KILL THE ORIGIN, I WILL SAVE REKTA FROM THE LOSSCHILD FAMILY'S ACCURSED FATE. I SHALL END THE ORIGIN'S STIGMA!" Carrisa unleashes her full emotions, with the possibility of loss, her cool has been lost.
"I too cannot lose, I won't let Nadia be used by him!" Ark gathers all the power within his body. Both parties were on the verge of defeat, the next attack would decide it.
Carrisa points all the Decay Options into her open palm, all the lasers shoot into her hand. Carrisa manipulates the dark light and reforms it into a solid object, a scythe. "The Scythe Of Decay. With this I shall end you." Carrisa declares as Ark creates his own scythe out of the earth.
""UUUUURRGGHHHHAAAA!"" The two monsters scream whilst charging at one another for the last time. All their power, all their emotions, and all their wishes are piled into this final clash.
And like that, the fight between the two prodigies ended.
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Chapter 59D: Battle Between Two Prodigies – The Unknown's Movement (Perspective: None)
Walking past a group of fallen mermen, men who were half human, but fish from the torso down. The masked man sheathed his blade, Muramasa-Masamune. He was in the realm of the Sea's capital, Atlantis. The ruler of the sea was currently absent due to an incident occurring in the Underworld, so now was the best chance for him to strike.
Despite being in the sea the masked man had no problem breathing, and he was moving through the water depths like it wasn't there. This wasn't due to any special power, the water in Atlantis was breathable, even for humans.
"DAMN YOU!" Another merman charged at the masked man whilst riding on top of a shark with a harpoon shaped spear in his hand. When suddenly he felt his bearings being distorted.
BOOM BOOM!
"URGGHH!" Two explosions blasted the merman before he noticed that his position was forcefully switched with the masked man's. In addition, several combustion orbs were left before the switch.
The masked man quickly unsheathed Muramasa-Masamune and sliced the shark he was riding on in half. He then continued walking to his destination at a leisurely pace. When he reached the heavily armoured door he simply forced an opening using Muramasa-Masamune and walked inside.
"Here it is..." Before the masked man was a rumbling cube about the size of a soccer ball, multiple chains were wrapped around it, connecting it to every corner of the room. The restraints held the cube in the centre of the room. The masked man used Muramasa-Masamune and severed the chains before taking the cube into his hands. "….Pandora's Box…."
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Chapter 59E: Battle Between Two Prodigies – Twisted Normality (Perspective: None)
"GUUHHH!" A heavy pant escaped Stella's lips as she woke up in a cold sweat. She took many deep breaths to regulate her breathing.
"A nightmare?" She stated as she sat up in her bed holding her head in her hands.
"Stella?" Cammy who was sleeping in the same bed as Stella also woke up and looked at her lover in concern.
Stella kissed Cammy's lips before quickly wrapping her arms around her in an embrace, her body was quivering outside of her control. "I'm sorry, Cammy. Let me stay like this for a minute." Stella requested. Cammy returned her embrace.
"I had a nightmare about the past, about Eksodus." Stella confessed. Hearing the name Cammy further tightened her embrace.
She and Stella had revealed their pasts to one another, this caused Cammy to have a huge hatred for the boy she hadn't even met.
Stella was born into the family of darkness, the Losschild family. But she was born from an affair between the head of the family's wife and another man. As a result she technically wasn't a Losschild, nor did she possess any of the Origin's blood, likewise nor did she possess the Stigma. When the family head found this out he killed his wife before Stella's eyes. He then proceeded to torture her in various ways, both mentally, and physically. But there was one other Losschild she feared even more than her step-father. A boy who was the same age as her, Eksodus.
He stole her breath by dunking her head under water until she collapsed, he whipped, dislocated, burned, and violated her body. A lot of these things were things her step-father also put her through, yet she feared the boy much more. This was due to an understanding of her step-father, she knew the reason he hated her, and thus could determine the reason for his abuse. But Eksodus was another matter, he drowned her because it was normal, he beat her because it was normal, he ignored her begs and pleas for him to stop, not because of a sense of power, but because ignoring pleas was natural. Torturing and killing was the same as breathing air to him, he didn't feel guilt or even excitement from killing, he just felt it was normal to kill.
The sense of Eksodus' twisted state of normality scared Stella far more than any animosity or grudge held by her step-father.
"Don't worry, Stella. Like you helped me with my revenge, I'll help you with yours, we'll slaughter the Losschilds."
The previous day Cammy and Stella had killed the entire Leon family, with Cammy killing her parents herself. The same parents that drove her to attempt to commit suicide and left her with a scar in the shape of a ring on her neck when it failed.
"I'm thankful Cammy, but there is something scaring me about trying that." Stella replied.
"What?" Cammy asked.
Stella shook her head and smiled through her tears. The Losschilds stole my mother from me. If we were to oppose them, can I guarantee I won't lose Cammy too? She thought. Her fear moved the scales away from enacting revenge.
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Chapter 59F: Battle Between Two Prodigies – Send Off
A few days have passed since Alicia and Lilicia-chan's confessions. The three of us and Wolfy came to see off Ren, Sakura and Elizabeth. My exhaustion is still far from healed and Lilicia-chan is lending me her shoulder so I can move around.
"So you're going to stay in the Underworld for a little while, Yuichi," Ren asks. Sakura makes a sad face when I nod back.
"Apparently the Underworld's environment is more suitable for my recovery. I'll be back when I can move properly." I reply.
"Oh, that's a shame. I've been given tickets so we could all go to an island beach resort." Ren states.
Wait...Beach? That means, SWIMSUITS. A revelatory spark suddenly hits me. "On second thoughts I've changed my mind. I'll go...GUH!"
Alicia elbows me in the stomach and glares at me. "No you won't..." She declares with cold eyes.
Oh come on, weren't you suppose to have gone dere already?
Ignoring my pained face, Alicia walks to Elizabeth, a long green spear manifests itself into Alicia's hand. "This is..." Elizabeth remarks.
Alicia nods before handing the spear to Elizabeth. "Father has given his consent for us to borrow this. If the last few months has taught me anything, it's we're going to have more conflicts in the near future. Give this to Alma for me." Alicia states.
Apparently that spear is a Pandemonium family heirloom. With our non-aggression treaty in affect, we can safely hand Alma a weapon to replace her stolen Soul Slayer without it coming back to bite us.
"I will definitely pass it on," Elizabeth says as she handles the spear with care.
"Then we're going back then," Ren declares.
"Look after Yuna for me." I give one last request, Ren nods back.
"Sempai, hurry and come home." Sakura says with a meek smile. I smile and nod back.
"Connect!" Elizabeth activates the spell and our friends fade from our sight.
"Alicia, Lilicia-chan," The two girls turn to me at the calling of their names. "Does the Underworld have swimming pools?"
I won't let Ren be the only one who gets the eye candy.
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Chapter 59G: Battle Between Two Prodigies – Situation Report (Perspective: None)
His holiness the pope has passed away. The current Slayers have been arrested for treason against our church and await judgement for his holiness' murder. Apprehending Alma Ivana and Shiori Azusa who maybe co-conspirators has been given the highest priority.
Cardinal Iodine has been ascended to the position of acting pope until a new pope can be permanently appointed.