Night Two Hundred And Eighty Four
Age 1992
The Void...
"I have to die!?" Hero asked with wide eyes.
"Thats what I said isn't it..." Row frowned.
"How does me dying help!"
"Well for starters it would get rid of your useless ass... Seriously are you even a good guy anymore? I honestly can't tell."
"I'm pretty good I think." Hero shrugged. "I mean I got over those mental things. Mostly... I'm working on okay. And I want the best ending. None of this sacrificing bull shit for the greater good. Greater means its better than average. Greater Good would mean its a good better than good. If a person has to die to reach that ending than thats not the Greater Good and its not the best ending. If I can't save everyone, and save the world, while keeping my morals in tact, if I can't stop Hero Otoko, You, or any of my friends, from dying, than I'll never be able to call myself a Hero of Justice. I haven't earned that title just yet you know."
"Hmm... For once I do agree with you."
"Huh?"
"I'll admit it. An ending where no one has to die. You save the multiverse and stop the Squid. Otoko lives on with his world back and everyone gets a happy ending... Yeah... Thats a good dream. But at the end of the day it's still just a dream Hero. And it will never, ever come true. But... I'll say it here and now. Your dreams are... Their worth fighting for okay... But you simply don't have the power to do that."
"What?"
"You're weak. Again and again, and again, and again... How many times have you lost. How many times have you failed. How many times have you fallen into this bottomless despair. You have issues after issues and even when you break through them more seem to cling to you. Over and over and over. Again and again. You have purpose. A desire greater than any I've seen. And the will to fight for it. But... You lack the power."
"And your point is..." Hero asked frowning. "Sure... I lack the power to keep chasing after that strength. I'm weak. No... I'm beyond weak. I'm down right pathetic." He announced in a bragging tone. "I'll get knock down a billion- No. A trillion more times before I even make a single ounce of progress. So what though? So what if I fall. So what if I lose. In the end I always somehow manage to get back up. Rather through my own strength, the strength of my friends, or some bullshit lucky plot convince I've gotten up more times then I can count. And I'll keep doing the same. You say I lack power... Thats true. But... Does that make you better than me? Yeah. Sure. You're stronger than me Row. You have so much energy... I'm actually kind of jealous by just how strong you are. That said... You quit. You gave up. You fell. You didn't get back up. All that power is useless if you can't stand back up. You keep pushing me to erase myself. To die. So you can have your body back. But tell me. Are you going to actually use it? Or will you just give up."
"I know that idiot." Row sighed running his hand through his messy snow white hair. "Trust me... I'm beyond a coward. I got the power. But you're right. Thats all I had. I gave up. And I'd do it again... And again. That said... I can make more progress than you can. I have the power to at least try... Even if I do fall down the progress I'd have made would be more than you'll ever make if you fall down a billion more times. If you die I'll get my body back and I can save the world."
"Sorry but no." Hero turned around. "Thats just too sad."
"What? You dying?"
"No. You getting the body back and giving up again. The amount of pain you'd go through. Just sit back for a while okay. I'm not done yet."
"Sorry but you don't have much of a choice really... If you don't neither of us will get out of here. I'm to weak with you here, and you're just too weak."
"I know. Thats why... I'm gonna ask for a little help." Hero said sitting down in the water as he closed his eyes and began to focus. "I'll ask 'him' for help."
***
Oleander City...
Outside The Trial Room...
First Cage...
"...So... You know about Hella and how she's-"
'Crack.'
Brave and Kitsune went silent as they stared at the block of ice that Kitsune was in. A large crack appeared on it. Then another... And another.
"Uh oh-"
The entire block shattered as Kitsune ripped her way out of it her eyes filled with utter rage as she glared at Brave. She was badly injured part of her face gone from having it frozen off and flakes of her skin was being peeled off. She no longer looked cute. What part of her skin wasn't missing was covered in bruises and cuts. It was a miracle she could even still stand.
"So you're still kicking." Brave said sounding a bit shocked. "Honestly I thought that last attack would have killed-"
"Shut up."
Brave felt a chill go up her spine suddenly as she jumped back. Kitsune's face was darker now as she let out a growl.
"I'm going to kill you." Kitsune promised.
"I... I 100% believe you."
Kitsune too a deep intake of air as her flames began to go out and her blood flowed. "Level... Two."
Meanwhile outside of the block of ice Ken stared down Hella, Vil, and a doll in the form of Hero Otoko...
"I don't suppose we could just sit down and talk things out could we?" Ken asked sheepishly.
"Oh? I thought you were a battle maniac..." Vil hummed. "Half the time you go full on masochist and get lost in the battle."
"Well... I'm only part masochist okay. The pain and thrill of the battle is only fun when I can win! And considering you on your own beat me, and Hero Otoko, even a Doll of him, is over powered, I doubt there's really a lot I can do right now." Ken sighed flipping her hair. "Honestly it's a losing battle and I'm not that interested okay."
"Well too bad-" Hella began but was cut off when Vil raised his hand up.
"No." Vil shook his head. "I don't want to kill her if I can help it."
"What? Why?" Hella frowned.
"Because... The Mystery asked us to not kill any of them if we could avoid it." Vil sighed folding his arms.
"The... Mystery?" Hella asked raising an eyebrow.
"He simply wanted us to distract them which we've done. By now he's finished his mission. And Kitsune simply wanted to get you which we've done. Our mission is over. We're done and can leave."
"Seriously?" Both Ken's said with wide eyes. "Thats anti climatic."
'Crack!'
The ice blocks shattered with a loud bang all of them coming down as a wave of power was unleashed!
In the third block Light, Cloud, and Thorn could be seen. In the second one Irene, other Irene, and Fate could be seen. And in the last one Kitsune, the stronger Kitsune, and Brave could be seen. The female Kitsune's power was the one who drastically raised the walls up knocking them over. Her power up was going off the charts as energy swelled around her. She possessed three Equations after all. Serenities, Bathory's, and Kitsune's, all three of them fused together within her all three of them being forced to evolve.
"This is bad!" Brave yelped out with wide eyes jumping back.
Kitsune was forced down to her knees letting out a loud howl followed by a gurgle of pain as the back of her clothing began to rip apart and the flesh on her back was torn. Blood tendrils began to seep out of her and quickly started wrapping around her covering her flesh up. It was almost like Dawson Blight's muscle armor but forged from bloods and veins rather than muscle. It was slimmer to. The blood flowed over her entire body forming a skin tight suit around her. Fox ears made out of blood and nine fox tails also made out of blood formed out of her rear and head and even a bloody fox face formed. That wasn't all though. Her limbs bent and twisted as she stood up on all fours like some kind of wild beast. Flames came next. Her eyes were wide and bulging out of her head and she began to cry fire. Each tear drop was made out of fire. Her blood covered back began to bubble up as a pair of large flaming arms and flaming fists formed out giving her two extra hands made out of fire. It didn't stop there as the flames wrapped around her bloody form, forming fire like armor on her. Lastly a blue glow began too seep out of her casting her in a blue energy which turned her orange flames into blue fire the temperature in them rising.
"Holy s##t!" Brave said with wide eyes.
"We're f##ked." The male Kitsune finished, also with wide eyes.
"And I thought I had it rouge..." Irene gasped out. "Kitsune's evil double is way worse."
"Is that Kitsune's max potential?" Ken asked letting out a small hum. "He might be stronger than I first thought..."
The female Kitsune let out a loud howl crouching down and blasting forward with blinding speeds towards Brave and the male Kitsune. Brave's eyes were wide as she tried to raise her arms up. Water strings formed on her but it didn't even matter as her strings ignited and melted. "Shit! Her flames are so hot water can't even put them out-"
Kitsune reached Brave slamming her fist out towards the girl with a punch strong enough to rip the poor girls head clean off her body if it hit.
"Brave!" Fate yelled trying to run to the brown haired string girl.
She wouldn't make it in time.
Thankfully someone else did.
"Stop." Kitsune's fist slammed into Vil's sword. The younger brother of Row Law stood in front of her now holding his katana out and blocking her punch as he stared at her. "We're done. We already won. We got Hella. Mother has likely finished testing her new weapon out and killed Row, or got him to side with us, and the Mystery has finished his plan as well. At this point us being here has lost all its purpose."
"Grr..." Kitsune's body seemed to twitch for a moment as she seemed to struggle holding her power back. Finally though her eyes landed on the other Kitsune and Brave. "Next time... I swear I'll slaughter you both."
"Wait-" Brave attempted to strike out but in a flash of green light other world Kitsune, Irene, Cloud, and Hella, vanished. "D... Damn... They were able to stop us so easily... Are we really that weak... Or are they just that strong..." Brave hissed.
"Makes me wonder..." Kitsune sighed. "Just how strong is that Hero Otoko they keep bringing up... Hero's got a hard journey if he's ever going to even match up to a fraction of that... All of us too... Damn it we totally lost today!"
Meanwhile inside...
"And thats the last one!" Katrina announced slamming her hand out and punching the last Bestia Macht apart.
"Finally we're done." Shelly sighed. "Thanks for holding Daughter also Lucy."
"No problem." Within the Court room Shelly and Lucy stood side by side. Lucy was currently holding Daughter having been the one to offer to hold the girl. "It is only logical that I be the one to hold it. After all I can fight while remaining still since I summon warriors to do it for me."
"Right." Shelly sighed. "Still..."
"Still?"
Shelly's frown grew for a moment. "It's nothing... I'm just worried about-"
"Ken?"
"W... What! No... Of course not... That idiot can handle herself and she has the others backing her up." Shelly said looking away. "But... I am worried about Hero... Who knows where he ended up... And... He's not good on his own..."
***
The Destroyed City Of Chrysanthemum...
Jesters scowl formed back before it slowly vanished and a smirk came onto her face. "Well then. I guess I'll be playing a risky game."
"Huh?"
"I'm betting all my cards that this cycle is broken here and now then." She annnounced.
This time it was Eve's turn to frown. "I guess. You're an idiot."
"Maybe. Even so... I had a second question."
"Oh? And what is it."
"Tell me..." Hero placed her Equation at her lips. "Do you know what a Dragon is?" She asked as she swallowed the Equation...
The real fight was about to begin.