Garuga landed on the brick building directly behind Takabi, placing Nana down just near the edge so she could gaze down at the boy.
Raia moved in and mixed with the crowd, watching closely and taking heavy breaths. She was nervous, unsure of what to make of the situation.
Takabi was dangerous.
Anyone could sense, and even see that. The boy merely stood there, hair dancing in his aura, his violet and white eyes seemingly burning a hole through Erodon's skull with looks alone.
The Vampire swallowed the lump in his throat, getting to his feet and stretching out his wings. "W-well.. What are you waiting for? Let's make this spectacle last." He laughed a little, but the tone of his voice had totally changed.
There was no longer any psychotic excitement.
Jealousy. Tamed rage. Curiosity as to how he couldn't get the gem before this point. His, or Kairas'. "I want to take those gems of yours. Our goal is waiting for us. Why not just surrender? Give in, let me take you under my wing, and we can do the impossible. Like, restore the lives of the people you've killed. That can be done with these gems."
"Save it." He replied. "Say what you want to, but you can't change my mind or sway my judgement."
"Not even if it meant seeing your mother again?" He asked.
Takabi narrowed his eyes, storm clouds beginning to roll in. The park, lit up by the still standing light poles and surrounding lit buildings, illuminated in the sudden darkness of the weather.
Erodon took a step forward. "Kairas told me a lot about your past. We came to a truce because we had what the other wanted. He wanted information on you. I wanted the gems, and both you boys want your family back. To take back everything that happened that night."
"Are you seriously going to keep talking? I told you, nothing is changing my mind." He closed his eyes, taking his first step forward. "Undoing the past would change too much that's happened. I want to see my mother, alive and well, but it's not going to happen. Her soul is stuck in limbo."
"Of which, I am aware. The mistress told me about it." He licked his lips.
He didn't have much of a game plan, and that was obvious. He was trying to buy time. God damn it, Shink. Where the hell are you at a time like this? Erosion bit his lip, fang cutting into it and drawing a bit of blood.
Takabi began to jog, before he broke into a full blown sprint, his body vanishing to the human eye. Erodon reacted fast, leaping into the air and scaling the building nearby. Takabi rushed after him, his speed carrying him up the side of the same bricked structure. Erodon bared his fangs, leaping at the boy. Takabi ducked, landing a quick jab and kept climbing. Soon, he spun around, blocking and evading Erodon's fists. "There must be something you want! Your mother! Being free of the guilt of the blood on your hands! Your father!"
Takabi suddenly landed a heavy kick, breaking Erodon's ribs and sending the Vampire down into the concrete road with a heavy smash. "Don't you dare, utter that man to me!"
He blinked, unsure where the sudden hatred came from.
Erodon slowly got up, rubbing his injuries and coughing up blood. "Fuck.. He got me good with that one." He jumped to his feet, blocking Takabi's punch with his forearm, the resulting impact shattering the ground with a heavy shockwave and blowing some of the civilians back.
Erodon attempted an uppercut, his fist phasing through Takabi's image as it disappeared. The boy appeared behind him, swinging his leg and hooking Erodon's throat with his foot, before tossing the vampire down the street airborne. He clenched a fist, exhaling and throwing his arm forward, the impact cutting through the air and burrowing itself into the vampire's stomach, the ancient creature spinning through the air and slamming into a building further down the block.
Takabi looked at his fist, thoughts racing through his head.
How powerful he felt. The seemingly endless wellspring of Mana he had suddenly gained, how he felt so pure. He touched his heart, taking a deep breath. "So this is a gem's power huh? I feel like I barely scraped the surface of it."
Erodon roared in anger. His body began to glow red, blood exiting his pours and swirling around him in a heavy dark red whirlwind. The building he was stuck to ripped apart, most business men and women inside quickly being ripped and sliced into cubes in the furious winds. The Vampire's veins bulge out from his forehead and throat, muscles puffing up and growing as he smashed into the ground, rushing back into the road and running like a four legged animal at Takabi.
The bloody whirlwind picked up in speed, before bending and hurling at Takabi. The boy flipped back as the crowds began to scream, not in fear but in encouragement of the boy. He wasn't sure if they sensed it, but this was the end of the battle. He could sense all the magic Erodon was released from his blood.
This was his all or nothing attack.
The Vampire bared his now full red eyes, throwing his arms down and curving the blood upwards. It struck Takabi with so much force the boy flew back into the church, slamming into a bell and making it ring. He got up, almost unaffected and leapt down, exhaling balls of fire at the vampire. Erodon rushed to his right as each ball struck his previous position, the mad blood sucker turning on his heel and palms and rushing at Takabi as he landed.
Willing his magic forth, white lightning surged around Takabi's right hand, and the boy ran at Erodon, hopping over the still swirling blood. The red ooze spun around to shield Erodon, and Takabi brought his hand down to cut at it. Despite splitting it, the blood reformed and slapped Takabi aside as if he were no more than a ragdoll. The boy tumbled and flipped, sliding on his feet as Erodon leapt into the air. Takabi jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blood as it cut deep into his chest. The wound healed and blood faded in an instant, and the boy clung to the wall and held his wrists out in front of his body, exhaling. Mana began to gather in his palms, a small ball forming and rotating.
Garuga narrowed his eyes. "That spell… Isn't that…"
Nana bit her lip. "It's light magic. The gem must be altering his magic attributes."
Garuga shook his head. "No. That's not what I mean. That spell… looks just like Nova."
Erodon craned his head, the blood whipping itself at Takabi. The boy kicked himself from the wall as it crumbled under the blood's attack, landing on one of the falling rubble and leaping to another. The blood attack was relentless, as if it was in fear of his next move.
People scrambled away from their battle, having seen how reckless it was becoming. Even as the normal humans scrambled, Jewel and Rose remained. Raia kept her eyes locked on the fight, and Carlos narrowed his eyes in the distance.
Takabi landed in the street on his feet, rushing forward and evading the bloody tendrils. He hopped on a car and flipped over, keeping his momentum and pouring more power in the forming sphere.
"Gems! Give me your gems, TAKABI!"
"Fuck off!" He yelled back, leaning and sliding on his back to get under the whirlwind. Erodon swiped his hands as if they were a blade. Takabi weaved to his left, bobbed to his right and ducked quick, getting as close as he could possibly get.
He slammed the sphere into Erodon's broken ribs, the Vampire screeching louder than before in severe pain. The sphere drilled itself into Erodon's very core, scrambling and burning his intestines until they were no more, the sphere beginning to expand inside him. "STOP! STOP! YOU'RE KILLING ME!! STOP IT!!"
"Oh my god, just shut the fuck up and go to HELL!" Takabi roared, releasing the magic sphere.
It swallowed Erodon, the Vampire roaring in a screeching pain as his body exploded into bloody chunks within the sphere, swirling around and ripping up the concrete. Erodon's screams of deathly pain still filled the air, before the sphere shot forward, expanding in size as it curved and flew upwards. On and on it went through the clouds, a thunderous roar and bright light expanding from the sky.
Takabi took a heavy breath, the tattoos fading from his body. He dropped on all fours as the blood whirlwind ceased, taking in as much air as his lungs could hold. He looked into one of the puddles, his white eye now back to its violet color.
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
Rain began to descend from the clouds, lightning shining overhead. "That's it then… It's over… Actually over…"
A hand touched Takabi's shoulder. He looked up, expecting to see Nana or one of the others. Instead, he came face to face with the barrel of a black handgun, a trembling hand and the female officer Angelita Ruben's fierce, yet full of fear and hatred eyes.