The man stands before Himura , now twice his size. His muscles have increased so large that it looks like he can bench press the weight of 3 people. His veins are so strong that Himura can see his pulse just by looking at him. His shirt rips off. His black hair has now turned a light brown. He stomps the ground and a loud echo expands throughout the hallway. He lets out a large yell , and grunts. His feet practically smash the floor below him. But suddenly , he calms down. Himura makes the first move , trying to target the man's legs. However , when he makes contact he won't budge. If he made physical contact , he would be able to manipulate his molecular and biological structure , therefore ensuring a quick victory. But since he doesn't have access to any magecraft , that will prove difficult. So he'll have to work with what he has. When the man doesn't move after his hit , Himura chooses to retrieve to a safe area. He jumps 20 feet back and rethinks his strategy. The man chooses to not attack him. He has time. He whispers the plan to himself.
" Okay , it looks like I don't have many options here. Without my manipulation magic , I'm more like a sitting duck than a man. I can't take him on with brute force alone. I'll have to use the weapons that I brought." He unveils the knives and rifles that he brought in his bag. He aims directly for the man's head , but he doesn't have time to react. By the time he does this , the man is already in front of him. He grabs Himura's hand and takes the rifle from him. Somehow Himura manages to slip away and flips back. He bends his knees and runs at the man head on , with a dagger in hand. When he tries to grab him , Himura jumps in the air and manages to throw a knife directly at his face. " I got him." Himura stands back to catch his breath. The man removes unfazed , however , by the knife. He picks it up and throws it back at Himura , this time with twice the force. " Shoot , it's too fast !" Himura can't dodge the knife , but he can narrowly avoid it from puncturing any important areas. It hits directly on his leg. He grunts , but other than that remains unfazed. He takes it out of his leg , leaving a bloody wound on his black pants. " Tis but a flesh wound , I can still operate." Before he knows it , the man is lunging at him , and he can't avoid it. He can only duck , but that leaves an opening. Himura is grabbed by his head and thrown across the room. He manages to stop himself before he falls on the ground and casually flips into a ducking position. " Yeah , he's not gonna go lightly with me. I'll have to use everything I've got." He pulls out his other rifle and fires 5 rounds at the man. Despite all hitting him , he still stands. The man , with his sorrowful eyes , looks at Himura. His glasses crush under his feet. " Man , this guy really is brutal. I wonder what his story is." Himura thinks to himself. When the man approaches him , Himura has no defense. He's backed into a corner , and he can't run. Himura gets picked up by the legs and slammed on the ground. He thinks quickly and puts his hands behind his head to avoid brain damage. When he falls on the ground , he stays in a resting position. " Yep , just a normal day in the life of Himura Tsubasa." He checks his watch in the slight amount of time he has before the man punches him. He manages to dodge , somehow. He coughs up blood , and wipes it with his hand-" I wonder how Mitsuya is doing."
Meanwhile , Mitsuya is silently observing his opponent. Her trident spear , with all of it's dark qualities , lingers in the air. " So , your name is Sphinx. And you're a shadow manipulator. That must be a cool craft." He stands up , and puts his hands in his pocket. He silently observes his opponent. While completing his observations , Sphinx communicates with him from across the room. " My objective is to kill you. But I do not believe in selfless murder , especially using heinous punishment on children. So , I will capture you , and bring you back to headquarters." Mitsuya looks her straight in her eyes. " That is very kind of you , ma'am. But I don't plan on getting captured. I'm escaping from here , with my mentality and my bones intact." The woman laughs and walks across the room to where Mitsuya is. He doesn't do anything , but steadily watches her movements. When she stands face to face with him , she smiles and pats his head. " You would be great as one of us. Do you want to join ? We won't harm you." Her face becomes one of seriousness. She may actually feel sympathy for Mitsuya. He moves her hand and goes to the other side of the room. Sphinx shakes her head while chuckling and takes a seat on the floor. " I would never join people like you. I have too many things that I care about that would be forsaken if I became one of you." Mitsuya gives her a serious glare , his eyes burning with silent anger. Sphinx looks at him indignantly , and raises an open palm to him. " 5. I'll give you 5 minutes. You seem like a smart child , so take this time to observe me and devise a plan." Mitsuya is concerned. He doesn't know what she's planning , but he's going to use this time. Sphinx enters a state of meditation , and her spear dissolves within the air. Mitsuya sits as well , trying his best to stay alert. She could attack him at any moment. He enters deep thought , all the while keeping his eyes on the woman in front of him. He notices that the woman resembles Kaoru in a way , and erases the thought from his mind. He tries to be more precise in his observations, unlike when he fought Himura.
She looks to be about 20 or 25 years old. About Himura's age. Height , about 5,4. Weight , about 120 pounds. I don't think that she's Japanese , so she's most likely a foreigner , maybe European. The closest match is German. Her clothes… all black. In high contrast with her pale complexion. Shoes aren't fancy , offering her high mobility. Just like in Himura's case , I'll equalize our speed. If so , then she may be able to move up to 5 times faster than the human eye , precisely like all mages who have taken professional martial arts training. If that's so , then she should be able to take advantage of her openings , like myself , while continuing to offer steady defense. She might have the advantage in that department. Most of these deductions might prove to be useless , since we most likely won't engage in hand to hand combat. Her magecraft involves shadows. That spear appeared out of nowhere. But it is common sense that matter can neither be created , nor destroyed. So she must derive her energy from some source already put in place. If that's the case , then she must have a limit. There's also a high chance that she can command her shadows once they take form. So that adds shadow manipulation into the equation. If this is a battle to the death , then the odds are in her favor 9 to 10. I can't beat her alone , without any magic. And I don't know how much endurance I have left after coming into contact with that drug and being stabbed. There must be someway to disrupt this nullification spell. If I can do that , then I might at least have a 20 percent chance of winning , despite my low mana levels. I still have some bullets left , about 21. If I get an opening , I could probably injure her. And I have about 5 knives , along with about 6 flash bombs. But in case her shadows have absorption , then I'm doomed. My best bet is to dodge all of her shadow movements and engage her head on in hand to hand combat before the shadows can reach me. I can subdue her with a combined judo and aikido attack."
Mitsuya plays the scenario in his mind at least twenty times. In one scenario he trips , in another one he manages to stab Sphinx before she attacks. In another case he miraculously awakens his magic powers at any random moment due to some transcendental entity , and somehow manages to kill Sphinx. All of the thoughts are erased from his mind. If he had some potions with him , it would be in his favor. But , sometimes life doesn't work in his favor. That is a lesson that he knows well. He stands up and stretches his arms above his head. He checks the pocketwatch - it's been 4 minutes. The battle can start one minute early. He lifts his collar up and shots his rifle at the ceiling to indicate that he is ready. A large , booming echo fills the room. Sphinx calmly stands up and folds her arms. " Are you ready to begin ?" Mitsuya looks at her with a sorrowful but determined face. " Your real name isn't Sphinx , is it ? What is your connection to the government ? I know you didn't agree to any of this."
Sphinx stands up and smiles a little bit. She is admiring Mitsuya's covert innocence. " No , my name is not Sphinx. I was born with the name Avery , in England about a little over two decades ago.Even if you knew my story , I doubt it would change the outcome of this battle. But I'll tell you , so that we can be on equal terms. I don't need to hear yours , as I can tell it by your face." Mitsuya wonders what she means by this. She can't possibly know about him. He shouts from across the hallway. " Just get on with it. I didn't come here for all of your philosophical nonsense."
" No , child. I speak the truth. I know the history of us and can foretell our future. It is the same as our past. Suffering , loneliness , sorrow , we are all connected through these emotions. There is no escape , no attempt to change the destiny of those who refuse to seek the final refuge in their sins. To acknowledge is to commit yourself to a new mindset. As you may have already realized , I can't escape my current fate. I am not originally a mage. My shadow powers come as the result of years of experimentation. No , I did not consent to any of these actions. I simply play my part. When I was seven years old I was taken from my parents , never to see them again. I've spent years of my life her wondering why I was chosen. Many times I was told that I was a chosen one , the one who would lead society into true peace without the threat of evil criminals and imperfect produced by Satan. The only way to combat them is through their own methods. My magic is orthodox , yes it is. But it has been perfected after many years of experimentation , of examination , of dedication. I have a home here."
Mitsuya stares at her confusingly- " So you knew all of this stuff was crap , but you insisted on staying , why ?"
" I have no other choice. My life is gone. I can't support myself on my own. The people who awakened these powers are the ones in control of my life. I can never leave them. Either way , all efforts to reform myself would be useless."
" You are the only one in control of your life , Avery. You have the power and the will to make decisions for yourself. If you try hard enough , anyone can change their own lives. It all depends on how committed they are to achieving the end goal." Mitsuya points directly at her , catching her by surprise. Suddenly her entire life flashes before her eyes. Her parents , her siblings , her life in England , being taken across the world , the first time in the lab.
Avery chuckles a little bit , her eyes closed- " In my spirit lies my faith. I learned that phrase a long time ago. I live by that basic philosophy. As long as I have my spirit , I can keep faith in the survival of both my mental and physical state." She opens her eyes and looks directly at Mitsuya - " I think that you would be able to live by that same moral. What was your name , again."
" I never told you. The name's Mitsuya. Mitsuya Nieto."
" Well , as much as I would love to continue this talk with you , I think we must begin or battle of of now. This won't be a fight to the death , will it ? The first person to subdue the other wins. Is that okay with you."
Mitsuya takes a few steps back , and reloads his rifle before saying in his strongest and most determined voice : " I can agree. I respect you as a person , Miss Avery. But now , I must defeat you get what I came her for !" He fires a bullet at her , but before it reaches her , she opens a dark shadow portal. The bullet goes directly through the shadow , and comes back out at Mitsuya. In time , he fires another bullet. Both of them cancel each other and fall to the ground. Mitsuya ducks , narrowly being able to dodge the trident that is coming towards him. He stays low and runs straight towards Avery , knife in hand. Avery assumes a typical martial arts stand and drop kicks Mitsuya. He slides across the floor , and runs back , aiming for her legs this time. Suddenly, the entire floor becomes consumed in darkness. Avery plans to absorb him into the shadow. Mitsuya jumps as high as he can , and jumps onto the wall. Before he can slide off , he jumps back and shoots his rifle at her. Again , the bullet is absorbed. It comes back at him , only missing by a hair. Mitsuya takes one of the flash bombs out of his bag and throws it at Avery. The shadow is instantly canceled out. The floor returns to normal , and the trident and portal disappear. Still in midair , he changes his trajectory and lands a punch right into Avery's stomach. She falls back.
Meanwhile , the strange boy who was on the roof is nearly at the Laboratory. On the way there he stops to feed and entertain an alley cat. Apparently, he stole some fish and grilled chicken pieces from a local dinery." I wonder if I could handle living with a cat." He questions himself for several moments before he remembers where he's supposed to be. " Oh , shoot. Those three are probably dead by now !" He looks at his watch , and says " I would get there the fastest way , but there may be someone watching me. At least I'll get my exercise in for today." He takes off running , maybe faster than a pro track and field runner. The dark , ominous shadow growing behind him as he races into the moonlight may be a subtle hint to something.
Mayomi is face to face with the young man. With blood streaming for her hands , and scars all over her body , she stares at him ominously. On the other hand , he cannot stop himself from smiling. " After all of this time , someone has finally come for you , Mayomi. I never thought the day would come. I would have thought that you had lost the will to live by now." He caresses her hair. Mayomi doesn't try to stop him. She can't , really. Being tied up with heavy rope , arms , mouth and legs. The young man paces back and forth around her chair. " You know , I've been serving in the government for about eight years now. Not that you would be interested , but I'm going to tell you my story anyways. Under what conditions did I turn into the man that I am today , is what you are probably thinking." Mayomi , without even thinking , naturally assumes Mitsuya's ' are you serious' face. The man continues. " For years , the Nara family sought to dispel Japan of the villainous culture of the mages. To us , you're almost as bad as Christianity was viewed in the olden days. I guess you could paint a really big picture for that. It fell upon the sons of every generation to try their best to calm and eventually end the presence of mages. Some of us served as soldiers , others as bounty hunters. As for me, I chose to get up close and personal to the action. My intellect guaranteed me a place in government. I guess you could say I just wanted to witness firsthand the suffering of the imperfect. The corrupt of society. The submissive to human dominance. You may think I'm crazy , but I'm really not. You have no idea how much enjoyment I get out of seeing those creatures in those cells down there. After observing tests of physical strengths against each other every week. And of witnessing firsthand the discovery of new abilities to counteract your people. A wise man once said that some people just want to watch the world burn. I guess you would afflict that to me. But no , my efforts are leading to the blossoming of perfect society." He unties the rope around Mayomi's mouth. " What do you think about this , woman ?" He leans closely into her face. Mayomi's eyes glitter with fire. All at once she bites his hand , spits in his eye and kicks him in his knee. He grunts and on instinct slaps her in her face. " Somehow I knew you would react like this. It seems like subjects never learn their rightful place." He takes out a handkerchief and wipes his face. Mayomi stares at him with a determined glare , and smirks. " Himura and Mitsuya will rescue you. They're going to get everybody out of hearing , and end your tyranny , Nara. You don't deserve to live." Nara smiles back at her. " Well , if you're so sure about that , then why don't we observe how they're doing in their battles. I bet that they're halfway dead." He turns on the camera again , revealing Mitsuya and Himura. Mitsuya is continuously using flash bombs on Avery , trying to avoid her from using the shadows to her full extent. It looks like he's actually getting somewhere. Meanwhile , Himura is trying to engage the man in combat , failing miserably. Mayomi thinks to herself - " Wow , even after all of these years, he's still useless at hand to hand combat. He only knows how to dodge." She looks to Mitsuya's screen - " That kid is pretty good. So he's the one that Himura is looking after now." Nara steps out of the room , turning to Mayomi before closing the door. " You better not try anything funny."
Unknown to him , Mayomi has been thinking one step ahead of him all this time. Despite all of the constant torture and punishment , it is a miracle that she manages to retain her sanity. Not only that , but through constant experimentation , one might expect her to be weak. One might be quick to forget that she is currently in her prime. Peak physical and mental condition. She's been clawing at the rope this entire time.
In the hallway , Mitsuya had used up all of his bullets. His knives had been absorbed as well. He is out of energy , and can't fight any longer. After numerous attempts to try to counter Avery in hand to hand combat , he ultimately failed his mission. In one last attempt , he runs towards her with a clenched fist , trying to aim for her face. But he is ultimately restrained by the shadow bindings that she had put in place earlier. His hands , his legs and his neck are sealed. He can feel the grip becoming tighter around him. " Do you admit defeat , child ?" Avery looks at him sorrowfully. Mitsuya struggles to attack her , but stands in shock as he senses the trident behind him. It's coming closer. He can't avoid it. He turns around , only to be stabbed in his rib. The bindings disappear in a black cloud , and he falls to the ground. Blood gushes out from his wound. He doesn't have the will , nor the energy to say anything. Avery bows down to him and puts her head on his head. " I'm sorry. But you won't die from this." In his mind , Mitsuya is screaming.The pain and misery of his life has reached its boiling point.
Himura , on the other hand is still fighting the man. He tries to make some conversation. " What is your name ?" Himura asks him , between avoiding punches. " Alexander. Alexander Kasparov." HImura distracts him and hits him in his face. " What type of magical affinity is this ?" The man stops his attacks and looks at him. His eyes return to normal , as if he has regained his sanity temporarily. " This is not magic , sir. This is the result of years of experimentation and training. This is more of a physical ability. To harness and change my strength at will." Himura asks - " You came to the government willfully ?" He can already tell the answer , somehow. " No , I did not. My adoptive sister and I were taken from our family when we were younger. We never saw our parents again. We were told that we were needed to bring peace to this world. As if that were true."
" So you truly believe that what you're doing is right ? The mass extermination of a group of people who only about a millenia ago was of the same kind as you ? There isn't much difference between us - it's only a simple mutation."
" A mutation provided by the likes of God or Satan. A defect.The only thing to support that based on scientific evidence is the clinodactyly that all mages have in their fingers. Your mutations have enough destructive capability to end this world , and the people on it will suffer if you rise out of oppression. Our methods here may be unorthodox , but we ensure stability. I never wanted these abilities , but they showed me my true destiny for this world. There is no way that I can ever leave here , as most of my life has already been taken."
" Your sister is the one fighting Mitsuya upstairs , am I right ?"
" Yes , you are , sir." The man looks almost pitiful , despite his form.
" Well , you still have time. You can change your destiny. Come with us. Escape from this tyranny."
The man smiles at him. " Unfortunately it is too late for that. We are fine. But I appreciate it. Thank you. Now, we must get back to fighting , for I have a limit. I won't kill you." Himura sees his eyes. He is almost on the verge of tears. Suddenly , his eyes turn white again. He looks at Himura with a fiery glare and lets out a great yell. He pounds his fists to the ground , and the entire room begins quaking. Himura whispers to himself " Somehow , I'll save you." and runs towards him.
Mitsuya has garnered enough energy to stand up. He's too weak so he relies on the wall. Avery looks at him inquisitively. " The fight's not over yet." Mitsuya smiles at her , panting. Outside , the boy has reached the laboratory. He pants , as he is out of breath from all of that running. " This is the place. Hopefully Himura , Mayomi and Mitsuya haven't been captured yet." He observes the building , and a few moments later senses something. " They put up a nullification charm. They've been fighting this entire time without their powers. I can fix that." He stretches his arms to the side , and dark objects appear around him. They began to form , coming together into a more defined shape. When he puts his arms down , we can see. They are wings. Black wings. Those fitted for the angel of death. The boy opens his eyes and flies to the roof. " IT'S TIME !" A large dark shadow engulfs the roof. The entire building is now hidden from view. Himura and Mitsuya feel something. The building is shaking. Suddenly , there is a large bang on the roof , then the first floor , then the second floor. All the way down to the basement. It gets louder and louder. A dark form emerges before Himura , as if it were the opening to the gate of Hell. It soon manifests into the boy , who is now holding a dagger. But it just isn't any dagger. It's a shadow dagger. Himura looks at him , surprisingly. " How are you able to use your magic ?" He frantically jumps up. The boy smiles at him. " I canceled out the nullification. You can use yours too now. He looks at Alexander , then at Himura's battered state. " It looks like you need some help." Himura chuckles and pats his head. " I should be fine now. And Mayomi should be here soon. You go help Mitsuya." The boy laughs. " That was my hope all along." His body disintegrates into a black form of matter , and he disappears. Himura touches the wall, and it collapses. His magic is back.He calls to Mitsuya on the phone. " Mitsuya , the backup has come. A boy about your age should be coming to your location right now." Mitsuya hears booming upstairs until the roof collapses. A cloud of dust emerges- and the boy stands in front of him. " Hello , there. Nice to meet you." " Yeah , he's here. Who is he ?"
Himura chuckles on the other end. " One of the most powerful mage children in the Organization. But he isn't ordinary. He wasn't born with magic. This is what happens when human DNA comes into contact with mystical shadow energy." The boy waves his hand , and a fancy opera mask emerges on his face. Himura continues - " He is Casanova Vanguard , the Black Prince , Phantom Incarnate !"