Chereads / The Answer. / Chapter 32 - The Sun's Rising...

Chapter 32 - The Sun's Rising...

In the summer of 2011, where the heat continued to rise and the ocean's tide roared immensely, a job was offered to a man with a pale complexion and brown eyes. Long black hair that would part down either side of his face depending on the month, and a dark purple suit with a black tie. Lately, he had graduated from college with his masters, and he was ready to take on the world, without holding anything back with his plans for this Earth. This man was always interested in fictional tales like cyberpunk stories of the future, or superhero tales of another false world. The idea that, if our civilization became advanced enough, we could hold those abilities in our hands and use them for the betterment of humanity. Because of his thesis on evolution and the human genome, Abaddon Kuno was given a job in the United States Government.

Beginning in July of that same year, Kuno continued to enhance the development of mankind for generations, and as they entered the late 2010s, he believed to have perfected the idea of 'superhuman capabilities'. With the right amount of genetic manipulation faltered in with the DNA of creatures and specimen, such as vampire bats, we could revolutionize toward the next stage of humanity's eternal transcendence. Unfortunately, as they tested their first experimentation on a 23-year-old male, the results led to his bones and flesh melting the chamber he was held in. Depressed, Doctor Kuno attempted to end his life, unable to bear the life he'd taken in the name of 'science.' He began to question his path in life, his 'choice', where he was in fate's master plan. Abruptly, after July 22nd, 2018, Dr. Kuno's personality would alter on a universal level. Utilizing a new artifact he named 'the Key', Azazel Karlo would become the first successful hybrid of Abaddon Kuno's 'research.'

Until September 28th, 2018, where one of his subordinates would come into his quarters and see him cackling and clawing at his flesh with elongated nails. Acting like the claws of a wolverine, skin tearing off his features, before rebuilding- a news report went out later that same night. '40 reported injured, 12 injured in massive explosion located in Groom Lake, Nevada.' Free of the clutches of a human persona, The Aether went on to manipulate the Crow to bring live subjects and enslaved Homosapien subordinates so It could enforce Its Father's true ideology. Now, Rivera...s, is that what you two imbeciles were looking for?"

The date was January 12th, 2037. Two days since their first failure of a fight against the Aether, in the guise of infamous Head Scientist Abaddon Kuno. The two cousins were side by side, their eardrums metaphorically spread wide as information slid through the hearing organs and into the many neurons in their brain. Holding those valuables pieces, Mei bounced from the seat she was in, bones cracking. Following her movements were her older cousin, August, hand in his pocket, the Reaper gave a stern nod of silent approval to his Justice rival. There were two more days to the end of this adventure, they would make the most of it,

"Why the hell do you even want this bullshit? This piece of shit person isn't important to our goal,"

In the end, August thought back to Mei, he wasn't the one who came up with this sort of thoughtful consideration. Death hadn't even thought about the idea that 'Dr. Kuno' was a true person in the past before the Aether's possession. There was a singular idea that had caused the Sun to think of Abaddon Kuno and the Demiurge as separate entities in this vast universe of hatred and despair. And that was how he would be able to experiment on living, breathing 'specimens' like the Monster and the Martial Artist that attacked her cousin, Matt, Beau, and herself. But most importantly, Celine Pierce, there was no doubt that someone must've arranged for her to be captured. No way there weren't some sort of witnesses to that crime unless there were people purposefully turning a blind eye to such a thing- he was a Government official. The Aether could've easily fabricated a human identity, but that would be too difficult, and being who that Thing is... It wanted things to be as easy as possible,

"That asshole... whatever he is, took the body of an innocent man, working for the good of humanity. I have to get justice for him, for... Beau, for Auggy over here, and for everyone else, that piece of shit hurt. Does that answer your question, Azzy?"

Snarling at the condescending way she inquired that, with a nickname at the end that stung like a bee's end piercing flesh. Nevertheless, the Detective was struck by a noble goal such as hers, he hadn't even considered the possibility of an actual 'Kuno' existing besides the Demiurge. There was no doubt his soul bordered in the Void, the same as the white-haired girl's beside August, pulling his arm causing it to rise, with the Sun rising a brow at the sudden lifting of Death's limb. A nervous chuckle croaked from his lungs, eyes darting from side to side, the older Karlo interrupted this weird encounter of the living between the dead,

"I suggest heading to investigate the ruins of the Groom Lake facility. Might find some clues as to where to find... something. Whatever. In the end, I hope you fools find out whatever the fuck you're searching for- so you can get out of my face. Get out,"

5:23 P.M., the night sky already dominated the sky of Nevada, the desert's temperature had lowered to match the signature chill of the chilly dark. A bright flash of violet light resonated throughout the area covered by sand, leading to the Sun losing her balance momentarily, moaning as a sharp pain entered her temples,

"Hey!"

Cried the Reaper, blackened collar swaying in the breeze, the pale strands belonging to the mop over the peak of his head following the direction of the wind. A gentle breath of relief exited her rosy edges over the lower half of her face, through blurred vision, she managed to compose herself. Life energy aiding in the wound around her forehead, Mei steadied her breathing, slapping his arm away with a gentle TAP! and leading to him raising his hands and sliding back. Unfortunately for him, the momentary loss in IQ from the son of the Emperor led to him falling on his ass and feeling a certain sharpness squelch its way into his bubbling blood and flesh. Oozing out the red fluids, Rivera attempted to quickly rid himself of the wound, sucking the air through his teeth, one of his light tendrils emerged from his shoulder. Radiating with a satisfying RINGGGGG emanating from the extension and as a gentle straight beam emitted from the tip to cauterize the wound with straight plasma, Mei stepped down into the crater he'd previously fallen into. Something was sticking out of there... raising her left hand, fingers vibrating, blood drawn like a stream from her light nostril. An abundance of rocks, sand, were lifted by an ethereal force that stuck itself out so it could attach to this certain area, and be thrown to the side with the swipe of a hand.

Ice marks remained over the ground, some were burnt to such extreme heat it morphed into an alternate material, remnants of concrete, metal, and skeletal remains were scattered over this area. Ranging about 20 meters long, it seemed, with a width of 50m, they had a lot to search through. Bouncing up with a wince of pain, Mei cracked her neck, and rose her arms into the air with a pained scream of agony, blood squirting from her nostrils and out of her ears- the sand was thrown! August reached over to catch her as she was about to fall, but despite exceeding her limits, she was okay... the ringing quickly faded, and the blood dried in a matter of second. They were ready to search.

Most of everything had been burned in the fire 19 years ago, only remnants remained like pieces of metal, skeletons of the dead, souls residing in this wasteland that Celine reached out to. Giving them a gentle hug of comfort, as if silently reassuring them, 'You will get your justice,' before finally... they reached something. Something so docile and small, however very flammable, that survived the flames. Mei's telekinesis ripped it out of the rotten extremities of the male, it was a letter. However, the bottom part had been charred off, and they were at another roadblock,

"AGH! MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!!!"

"Woah, woah, Mei- calm down,"

Her outburst was sudden, abrupt, uncalled for, the usual purple glow that enveloped her figure to warm it up had transformed into a crimson shade, representing the anger she felt in the depths of her soul. Reaching so she'd feel the gentle touch of a relative's hand against hers, she cooled down and dejectedly looked to the side, ashamed of the emotions she'd unleashed from the depths of her very soul. Hand against her back, rubbing in a circular motion so she'd calm down gradually as they traveled through a gateway disobeying the laws of physics and launching them out in another location.

Small rocks were levitating above the gloved palm he held concealing the complexion of his flesh, space his rear leaning against composed entirely of the Earth's prime material. Rock. His aqua blue pupils illuminating the graveyard, brown curliness engulfing the tip of his head pushing backward, the man continued to listen to his superior's orders,

"There is no doubt they'll track you down to this location. Sources confirm they'd arrived at the burn site, so... be ready, Jūhanshi Iwamisao,"

Rising from the seat, snapping his fingers back so spikes would emerge from the depths of the Earth's solid sea, composed entirely of stones and minerals. Cracking his neck, Jūhanshi adjusted his dark azure tie, tying up the sleeves to his suit vest and pocketing one of his arms into the pouch of his jeans. He represented the Devil Arcana, with his spiky brunet hair that sparkled in the moon's radiation, two parts of curls over his forehead that hovered over both sides of his temples. Like Kuno's, beginning to fade away into purple smoke, his sinister smirk giving the hope the Devil needed,

"I won't let you down, Sensei..."

It was extremely odd... the smell of cheese turning into a stream of smoke as it entered her nostrils, the Sun couldn't remember the first time she ate pizza. One near the Venetian, a location where most of the richest people lived together to count the money they took from the poor, it was bound to be good. Lots of cheese, exquisite taste, August couldn't help but moan at the wonder the food held in its cheesy interior. Teeth sinking into the exterior, where everything formed into one, as he chewed continuously, causing Mei to reel back and cringe at the audio sliding from the insides of her cousin's jaw. Then entering her ears, her right index and thumb brushed against her violet orbs, though it was some of the worst sounds she'd ever heard, it was oddly... charming. Somehow.

"Gonna eat or what?"

That's right, she hadn't even taken a bite of the diabetes-inducing food beneath her chin. A gentle breath of fresh hair had been taken out from the outside world to her cousin's rear, this situation mirrored what had occurred at the start of this month. When August, Beau, and Matt went to eat a rice bowl together at a Japanese restaurant. And unfortunately, began a chain of events that led to the start of this abrupt journey across the World to America,

"This reminds you of when we went to the rice bowl place on the 1st, right..? It wasn't on purpose, trust me,"

Mei forgot how he was when he was smart, sometimes, he was so filled and blinded by despair and hate... she couldn't remember the August from the past she spent most of her time with. Never-minding that faded memory, the Sun pondered why he could've brought her here to remind her of such an eventuality.

"That was the day our venture across the World to end Kuno began, truly. The day after, I decided to insult that girl, regretfully and this happened. I know you feel some sort of guilt over this whole shit, maybe you thought you could prevent it. You weren't strong enough to reach out to me, but- I just want to let you know, I appreciate you. And I'm glad you've stuck with me this whole time, and asked me to come with you, loser. So- yeah, thank you. I can't find any other words to express it,"

The reassuring words that slid out of his mouth like butter on hands, like a snake easily slithering through the forest, sent a shock through her system. The recognition of how she'd truly felt before caused her heartbeat to increase, a rapid pulsing in her chest causing it to rise up and down continually. This was her moment, there was no point concealing the past when he knew everything so clearly, maybe then, she could tear that sinking feeling off of her chest, at last,

"You're right, I did feel weak. I felt so helpless and pathetic, unable to protect those I held dear. I wanted to say something to help you when you left that place, but I was scared. Then, when we fought Kuno... I pushed away that fear, and decided to throw myself forward. But even then, I failed- and everyone was defeated. I'm just lucky that they weren't killed,"

A moment of silence engulfed the pizzeria, the roaring of engines belonging to cars racing past, the hum of the neon sun above their heads to the left, and the sizzling of cheese heard from the kitchen was what they heard. No one left besides the cousins and the chiefs to the rear of this establishment. A second proceeded through time, the Sun squeezing her fist so her aura would forcefully burst out from her soul and illuminate the darkened area. staring into her elder relative's heterochromatic retinas, she declared,

"That's why I'm doing this! If I can't save them now, if I can't avenge the souls Kuno had laid waste to in the past... I won't be doing everyone else any justice! That is my dream!"

Now he understood her special goal, this was to prove herself, not to anyone else, but herself. That determined look burning in her eyes, the same murderous gaze, fueled by 'justice', there was no way she would be talked out of this dream. She would have to learn it for herself- for now, August sent her a nod and took her hand in his own. Their glows formed to create something profoundly beautiful, and tears formed in the edges of her eyelids, leaving her to stare at her cousin,

"I'll follow your lead, dumbass,"

A smug express pushed together over her features, 'Dark Determination' sparking in the purple pupils in her eyeballs, Mei smirked at the Reaper,

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Oroka (愚か),"

BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ! Together, the duo of Riveras towered over the sitting android Artemis, in her usual professional position. Fists on her lap, elbows locked, a gentle smile signaling her admiration for her 'brother' and 'cousin',

"I have the information you've asked for, brother. I managed to reform the letter you gave to me, and this is how it read; 'There is no telling how much time remains until I am to char to a skeleton just as everyone else. Kuno's twisted, more twisted than I believed... I cannot approximate the chaos he will unleash unto this world if he is allowed to roam free. I have the knowledge of those who will willingly support him, no matter what happens to them... this is the list.' That is where it was burnt. I searched through Kuno's records in the past when he was alive, free of the Demiurge's possession, and I caught three names he was close with after he left college. A Japanese-American by the name is Jūhanshi Iwamisao, an Italian woman named Bicherre Giovanna, and an Irish man who went by Báisteach Berne,"

The first they went for was the Japanese man, Jūhanshi Iwamisao, he wasn't hard to locate. Recently, he'd purchased a cemetery- was it because he wanted to use it to make money, or were his supposed powers related to that location? Either way, Woodlawn Cemetery was the truth of Jūhanshi's site he was currently residing in.

A beam of teleportation energy originating from the heavens shot down from the grey clouds, a covered-foot giving pressure against the grass, August looked around. Palms concealed into the pouches of the dark trench coat over his chest, eyes darting from side to side searching for their target. Mei rose her hand to the air so the chill would push through the hide of her skin and ooze into her flesh. Shivering from the cold, she turned back, nonetheless, the radiation that shone from her flat palm gave off a purple tint. Brightening the grass-covered by shadows, they separated to search in unison, different areas,

"This is a test..."

Twisting their bodies so they could turn to the origin of such a voice, distorted by vocal cords being stretched beyond their limit, the subordinate of the Scientist Kuno revealed himself momentarily. Hands concealed in the pockets of the suit pants he wore, concealing his legs that pushed him forward, suddenly he passed behind a statue that held a resemblance to a male Biblical figure composed of dark bronze material,

"I was given this test by the Boss to see if my loyalty to him mattered, to see if the truth I've been feeding him for hours is that- 'truth'. Everyone in the world truly grows when you have other people supporting you toward your end goal,"

Their auras pushed out of their souls to glow around their figures, a gust of wind sent out from their exterior pushed the rocks scattered against the grass. They snapped out of Jūhanshi's face, surrounding him and forming his aqua azure aura that brightened his position. Shedding himself of his suit jacket, now remaining in just the vest, the rocks obeyed his neurons' commands and hovered in a circular motion above his palm. Finishing his sentence,

���Wouldn't you agree, Augustus Benjamin Rivera?"

"So… I'm assuming you're Jūhanshi Iwamisao. What the hell are your powers?"

The answer to that question was met by a rebellious smirk, raising his hands and cracking his knuckles so the tips of his extremities would press against the peak of his palm. Aqua glow bursting into existence from his soul, extending out through his body to illuminate the body of grass beneath his feet, Jūhanshi cried out to the Son of the Emperor,

"LOOK AND SEE FOR YOURSELF, REAPER!!"

The attacks were quick and full of power, though they weren't invincible, easy to predict, and disposable, to say the least. August grunted in irritation from the reply he was given, swift consecutive swipes originating from the tip of his light-manipulating left tendril. Slicing off parts of the elongated circular spikes, the Reaper lifted himself from this physical grass platform, riding on the air sliding through the sky punching through the mineral attacks. Eventually, they'd split off as his right knuckles touched the projectiles pushing out from the soil beneath to grow sharper than ever, so they'd aim for his pupils. Grunting out in surprise, he managed to dodge it for a split second by appearing beside his female cousin, pushing himself out from the World of stopped time. Sweat dripping from his glands surrounding his forehead, the Reaper resumed his previous position by extending out his right dark tendril that sharpened at the tip. Cutting through both extended orbicular spikes that were heading for his head rapidly, though it were moments before his stamina would come depleted, the repetitive moments were getting obvious to Mei. Her simple aura had heated to an extreme amount, blackened locks levitating into the air as her violet glow illuminated the grass underneath her boots. Tilting her head, she held a worried expression, forcing out her right limb, attempting to hold onto his shoulder and aid her Death-related relative,

"Aug!"

"These...he's moving so fast,"

There was no doubt that Juhanshi had a complete and utter mastery of his powers, hands in his pockets, aqua illumination engulfing her very soul turning brighter and brighter. That same right being shadowed out to be pushed into fragments as it reached to their faces, the Devil was growing stronger by the second. August, ultimately, gave in to the pressure and grunted out in anguish, he couldn't stop time again... SQUELCH! In a moment of weakness, Mei Rivera attempted to use her telekinesis and stand from her fixed spot, burning up the Devil's attack, but the second her very aura disappeared, the spikes dug into her back. Blood fell from the interior of her mouth, decorating the dirt with his red fluid, and the Devil smirked. Biting his lip, he cracked his pointer's knuckle, manipulating a singular wall of minerals combined so she could fall to the floor.

Cackling maniacally as Mei's anatomy started to sink into the ground, pushing out her hand, the Sun grunted as she stared at the sky. No matter what he was doing, continuously trying to punch through the lengthed attacks originating from below the Earth's made of its main material so they'd break apart, August's body would eventually... lose his drive. And finally... collapse in his pool of blood that oozed out from his insides, the green aura originating from his inside soul beginning to lose its illumination, Death gasped for air,

"Ah, that didn't take too long. And here I thought you'd be some sort of powerful prodigy like your father... tch,"

In front of her very eyes, Mei witnessed their enemy slowly pick up her older cousin, reaching for the oxygen invisibly hovering through the World. Blood spouting out her mouth as a slab of rock dug into her spine, her vision began to dissipate... and she remembered the past. Unable to save them- unable to save Beau from his blood being sucked out of his body, unable to protect her best friend from getting smashed against a wall as his bones started to crack. And now, she was too weak, too pathetic, and caught up with everything she'd believed in her stupid dream. Attempting to reach out with her ethereal hand to grab August's body, a sharp edge dug into her shoulder,

"Don't you realize how futile your actions are? The great Doctor showed me the truth, how useless everything else is. With this Rivera kid, Sensei will bring about a brand New World Order, THAT IS THE REALITY HE'LL BRING ABOUT!!"

There was no point in fighting, stopping time right now, he'd still be unable to punch through his capsule of rock he was encased in. There was something else he needed to do, not fight with his capabilities, something... something else. Mei's power was that of the combined strength of Madisyn Rivera, the Empress of Light, and Abigail Romero, the Psychic Judge of Heaven. From the reports he was given by his sister and male allies that battled Kuno those days ago, he knew he unlocked some sense of her dormant capabilities. But now...? There was only one thing he could do, to help her, him- and this entire World!

"DO IT FOR YOURSELF!!! YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO PROVE... MEIAGHHHHHHHHH-!!"

His screams of encouragement were sliced in half as the remainder of his proportions were covered by rock, and the Devil could rest easy from the plaguing cries of the 'Rivera kid.' Digging his thumb into his ear, flicking away some gunk he'd discovered as he spoke to the Sun as she faded in and out of consciousness,

"Sheesh, what a pain in the ass. Now then, time to rid me of your pathetic lifeforce that sinks into my ears like an annoying virus. Perish, you disappointing CHILD!"

The final spike was about to dig into the back of her head and splatter brain matter all over the platform in front of him, covered to the brim with rocks and rubble created by time. The cries had reached her, and that very saying, that audible acknowledgment that she had something to prove. But, in his very words, 'you don't have anything to prove,' did she not? She failed at completing such a simple task, protecting her allies, her friends- her family. What good were these powers if she wasn't able to save the people she cared about, let alone those she didn't know? Then, she thought back to the Venetian, what they'd said before, the Magician and the Strength together, even with the Rivera Priestess... she was the leading force against Kuno. She'd done her part, she was the very reason he'd lost his form the first time around. She was powerful...

"You really knifed that guy in half! You at least did better than me, I was just there to get thrown around, heh!"

"Honestly, I feel the same way, Mei. I wasn't fast enough to save Beau from that guy's grip, but nevertheless, you're part of the reason why we're being left alone by him. You're crazy powerful!"

"Don't worry about us, cuz, we'll always be with you... you have nothing to prove-"

"To any of us,"

It lit a fire in her soul, the rising sun brought itself from the floors beneath the Earth, and Japan was quickly brought back from the light to be shadowed by darkness for a brief moment. The rocks shattered to pieces, all flying to his face in a wall of debris, causing the Devil to grunt and block his features from getting hit. Clicking his tongue, Juhanshi turned to notice... the captured Reaper had been broken free, encased in a violet bubble of light that stung his finger as he regained consciousness. It was for his good. To her ally cousin and her enemy superhuman, Mei's glow didn't stop radiating, it largened and grew as the sun's rays continued to shine on her. She was their pathway to the next day, the pathway to the future, this wasn't going to be their end, she was going to make sure of it. There was a mutual agreement between the duo of cousins. At the end of this battle, she wouldn't have control of these powers in twain at the same time. However, in this brief point in time, where her powers were going berserk and the sun's radiation fueled her fire, she was in complete control. This was the key to her absolute strength she'd been searching for, not some dream-like August, but a realization that she needed to fight for herself selfishly, and not selflessly. They were all okay, they didn't need protecting, she didn't need to prove herself, it was simply a complex in her brain,

"Jūhanshi Iwamisao... Sayonara,"

He couldn't even tell the expression she held on her beautiful face, though he assumed it was one of rage from the way she spoke with a voice that dripped with hatred. Pupils that conveyed emotion shadowed by the aura of her purple soul, the Sun stepped forward as she shined brighter, and the Devil unleashed his biggest attack yet. An array of spikes, the same as before, though larger and wider, came for her face. Not just that, but slabs of rock the same as before came together to squish her in place from all angles. Rear, top, left, right. That same satisfying RINNGGGG emanated from her very soul as she began her dodge. Her movements were unlike anything he'd ever seen, first, all of the spikes he'd thrown that'd come from the ground were taken out by a quick flurry of hits. Arms unable to be seen as they departed from their bland position with haste and a lavender coloration, then, she went for the slabs. The one on the right combined with the one on top, then, the one aiming for her back had moved past her face as she faced the left and readied to blast right through it. Redirecting those combined slabs to Jūhanshi's face, he gasped and halted their continuous quick movement before they could crush his skull. Giving out a breath of relief, he bent over and held his knees, then realizing another error in his plans; the Sun had disappeared. CRACK-BOOM!!

Popping out of a gap in space protected by the light, Mei's hand reeled back to unzip the invisible dimension she was encased within and smirked. Stepping forward so she could propel herself across the air with telekinetic abilities, she bounced like a flash that only gave herself a form for seconds at a time, blows hitting all over his body with quick hits that cracked his bones. Finally trying to protect himself, the armor of rock attached itself to his figure, and he caught the final punch she was trying to send his way, revealing herself from her lightspeed movements. Though it wasn't enough, as she simply burnt through his rock with pure plasma emerging from her knuckles, snapping his cheekbone in half and launching him halfway through the city. As he remained conscious, he bounced through the buildings, back cracking and bones snapping into nothing as his rib pierced his heart, he fell to the ground in an office building,

"YOU FUCKING LITTLE BRAT, DIE ALREADY BY MY HAND AND THE WILL OF KUNOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

Same as before, the Sun emerged from her universe of light, and this time, used her telekinesis to simply give the illusion as she walked on the spikes that popped from the ground thrown her way. Tilting her head, she turned upside down and cackled as she punched through the boulders attempted to crush her, popping in from the windows. Gagging in pain, the tip of her head met his gut and cracked all of his ribs at once, shattering his rock shield into nothing,

"NAGH!"

She snarled, filled to the brim with hate as she tripped him off of his feet and gifted him a nasty uppercut that shattered his jaw to pieces. A beam of plasm shooting through his heat, purposefully avoiding his brain as it curved to shoot out his cheeks, the Sun pushed herself into the air and charged through the roof of the skyscraper they were battling in. Everyday items were used as weapons, sharpened to the very edge of their ability, Mei's Dark Determination would never fade. Not even as half of his bones were nearly broken- she wasn't done with him yet.

The Emperor looked on in the distance as the sun was still in the sky, pushing his eyes to gaze at the time... what was happening? That was when the Empress' eyes widened, pushing her brother out of the way to see the flying Sun with all of her power. She felt everything around her in her grasp, even the fragments of air a normal human was meant to think were invisible. But, she was beyond that aspect of thinking- she was beyond everything. Holding him by his leg, she threw him into the Venetian they were staying in, so he'd enter through the rooms and bounce from wall to wall, hallway to hallway before his chest was repeatedly smashed against. Every single bone began to crack as she unleashed the very fury that dwelled within her nature that she'd been hiding for so very long, they moved at lightspeed- he couldn't even begin to comprehend the sort of pain he was experiencing. This was so much more than 'determination'.

He wasn't done yet, though, he flipped back, and dodged a punch that broke the tiles of ground he'd been slouched upon. Momentarily pushing a block of rock against her so she'd be thrown out the wall and fly through the sky, the wind flapping her skin, the wind pushing through her face, Mei broke out and screamed out in anger as she held out her arms to the air. No more would she let herself be weak, let herself be toyed with, she WAS POWERFUL! He leaped from the hotel and was met by a portal that she'd created seconds before his jump, causing him to fall to the road filled to the brim with humans. Frail, weak humans. The cars began to aim for him, as she cracked her fingers and rose her palm, they headed for his face and he whimpered in fear. Turning his hand, engulfed by a rock, into a momentary blade that sliced through the vehicle. Though his attacks held the quickness of a sonic jet, his true reaction time was much much slower than hers, and he was only able to cut one.

Squeezing her fist together, extremities cracking as her veins popped out of her skin so they'd be visible to her opponent below. His reaction time was a little slow, nevertheless, Jūhanshi's powers were fast enough and filled with enough power to split through the automobiles thrown his way. Consciousness fading and a splitting ache entering her temples, two streams of individual crimson liquid poured out from her nostrils. While she'd been on a high for most of this, sort of, one-sided battle, it seemed to be fading second by second to nothing. She had to end this- sooner than later.

"Jūhanshi Iwamisao..."

Abruptly, the weight of his legs expanded beyond regularity and created a crater in the ground as a sonic boom flew into the atmosphere. Rubble of the buildings to the sides of his body lifting off as the cars followed her brain's commands, levitating from their parking spot on the road. Stripped of their essential parts, the Sun's lavender aura only brightened as he spat blood out from his mouth, the same weight that enveloped his legs spreading out to his hands as a spiky-like material dug into the tips of his fingers. The only thing he could do was look at her, his very Executioner that shined as bright as the morning sun, clapping together so a ball of purple light could appear from the interior machinations of flesh and blood from her palms,

"This is for all of those you helped Kuno slaughter over his years of existence on this pathetic planet. さようなら...悪魔 (Sayōnara... Akuma),"

As he reached out to throw another feeble attack, his hand was disintegrated, leaving nothing but his skinny bone that began to crumble into nothing but ash. He was nothing but a lackey, he was nothing... compared to such marvelous power that these Riveras held. Though he was defeated and he could feel pain all over his body as it all entered his flesh, squirting out ruby fluids from within- he couldn't help but smirk. Raising his fist to the air as it began to deteriorate to ash, the tears evaporating to steam, he smiled at Mei, who widened her eyes- it was too late. With the split second, he had left before he was destroyed, the Devil transformed, and whispered into her ears,

"ありがとう...メイリベラ (Arigatō... Meiribera),"

Jūhanshi Iwamisao, the Devil of the Earth, a subordinate of Doctor Abaddon Kuno- the Demiurge... was executed on January 12th, 2037 at 6:39 P.M. in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To Be Continued in Chapter 10.