[Sunday| September 2, 2012| 12:30 AM]
[Eyes of the Progenitor of War, Darokan]
"This is my win Vechkra! You should have chosen someone more appropriate for this." I announce my victory as my soldier, named Zetsumu Tenha, has his enemy cornered ready to finish her off. "What's the matter boy? Finish her off or else your time will run out." he has his sword raised but he himself isn't moving. "You're wasting your time, boy. You have less than half your hour so finish her now!" I disappear shortly then reappearing beside him and persuade him to bring down his sword. "Now is not the time to think about taking lives, boy, your time is ticking." He does not move even if I speak right next to him, not even moving his gaze away from his now defeated enemy. "Amagawa-san, I am sorry." [He's apologizing before killing her? Some warrior he is. Huh?!] He suddenly brings down his sword in front of me barely hitting my head.
"What is the meaning of this, boy? I thought you wanted to live?" I quickly retreat back as he throws an endless barrage of blades towards me following up with his charge and continuous slashes with his broad sword. "You dare betray me? I, the one who gave you my power to live and fight, well then let us see how well you fare against me, boy."
I summon my sword, as it forms in my hand I notice that he made me retreat further away from their battlefield. "You should know who's more superior between us, boy. Now then tell me before I kill you, why did you have to betray me when you were so close to getting a new life." I block his sword as he charges at me. "Because…" he jumps back creating a larger gap between us than before and proceeds to speak.
"Because my life is already forfeit the moment I was brought back to fight…" He desperately throws spears and several blades he draws from the sheathe I gave him but all his effort is for naught. "…and even if I continue to live it's not like anyone else is waiting for me back home…" [This is pointless.] "… Unlike Amagawa-san who still has her family… I barely make enough money just to pay my bills, let alone buy my own food." [His actions are in vain, because in the end he will run out of time.] "Therefore I have decided to kill you then give what I have left so that she would live a normal life away from this!" he charges at me with his sword.
"Nice try boy but aren't you forgetting your time is running out?" I push him aside and he widens the distance between us again. "I have a few things in mind to extend my stay…" he raises his sword and impales himself through his abdomen. [Impossible he's planning to kill himself here now? No he's…] he screams in pain as a black aura started to envelop him, it is then when I realized that he did something utterly foolish.
[Eyes of Amagawa Rinko]
[I lost… yet why am I still alive? And why is Zetsumu-kun fighting his own contractor?] They are fighting in the distance and Zetsumu-kun's time is running out yet why did he not finish me off… "Why…" "Because you got him good." My contractor, Vechkra says that his treason is my fault. "But I didn't do anything…" she laughs at me still sitting on the spot where Zetsumu-kun left me. "Listen, I am not the progenitor of lust for nothing, I know something when I sense it and this is something I have not sensed for a long time…" she licks her lips as if she's about to savor a meal. "Go and kill him now while they're busy with their pitiful squabble."
She stands me up and dusts me off before I go. "Why would you go and throw away a chance like that, Zetsumu-kun? You have been strange since we first met each other, it's like you've been an anomaly all this time." [Wait, he is an anomaly because he's already dead…] I shake my head along with these thoughts off and focus on defeating him. [I'll ask him once all this is over.]
Running towards the two figures fighting I hid behind one of the buildings preparing an ambush on Zetsumu Tenha. It is then when I heard their conversation and Zetsumu-kun's reason. [That's right… he lost his parents six months ago and now he has to live alone.] I remember the peace filled times we had at day time, and how he watched my back at night. [He was looking out for me even though I nearly killed him that night when we first met… could this be?!]
I shook off the unneeded thoughts for now and prepared my weapon. [I should cut them both so there will be no-] the moment I looked out at the figures fighting I can hear Zetsumu-kun's screams as I feel an evil aura surround him.
His broadsword is now plunged in his abdomen and what seems to be the souls we collected from Those who dwell in darkness flies around in the air and one by one force themselves into him. [He's absorbing them? What on earth does he think he's doing?!] The said souls are that of humans' but they harbor all negative emotions such as despair, grief, anger, and the desire for revenge. [If he absorbs them then he'll turn into…]
I can only stare at the state he is in now… as the black mist created by the corrupted souls cleared out, Zetsumu-kun has now turned into something that resembles a demon. A single horn grows out on the left side of his head as his hands and feet now turned into claws and talons, his bloodshot eyes gives off a red glow as some parts of his exposed skin had now turned into dark scales. He has turned into a monster…
"HRAAARGGHH!" he charges at Darokan who punches him square in the face sending him flying several meters back into a building which was brought down by his impact. "You may have extended your time for a short while. But not even with the corrupt power do you stand a chance against me." As the contractor speaks a chunk of the demolished building flew towards him which he cut down with his sword. "I… cannot let you have another victim in this war." His voice has changed due to his transformation as he walks towards Darokan seemingly unscathed.
[He's transformed but still retains his sanity… yet why go this far, Zetsumu-kun?] He's fighting desperately yet he's constantly being flung around with no hope of winning. [Why must you give yourself up just for others…? I do not understand your actions…] as I stared at his fruitless attempts to land a hit on his contractor I noticed I had regained my strength. I stand up and with my scythe draw a seal on the ground and send it to where they were standing.
"What the?!" I managed to surprise Darokan with a pillar of fire behind him, as he looks back to me Zetsumu-kun lands a punch to his face sending him staggering back. "Zetsumu-kun- !" as I called out to him he sends his sword spinning, barely missing me I can only stare at him in silence as he draws out short swords from his waist and run towards Darokan.
[His sword is lighter than I thought…] I pull his sword out of the wall and throw it near where the two of them are fighting and again draw rune seals on the ground preparing for whatever move they make. "You… what are you doing?!" I charge on Darokan opposite to Zetsumu-kun. However he disappears before our attacks connect leaving our weapons clashing against each other. "Stay out of this Amagawa-san, this is my fight." He says with his back turned to me as he gets his sword. "Are you forgetting that you left me alive back there? Our fight isn't even finished yet."
"Our fight was over by the time you closed your eyes. I said that I will win our fight, not I will kill you. Now back off I still have a score to settle and with this annoying time limit I have I need to end it quick." He runs towards Darokan as he knows that he really does not have much time left. "Zetsumu Tenha… no matter what you say I will not back down on this." I chase after him and hide behind one of the nearby buildings.
[Darokan… he teleports himself when he can't counter or avoid our attacks. Lure him into a good spot and…] as I observe and study Zetsumu-kun's enemy I felt myself grinning all of a sudden. [This feeling… it's a long time since I felt this excited.] I quickly draw runes on the ground and send them around the area where Zetsumu-kun and Darokan were fighting and observe them further while keeping my excitement in check.
The more I watch them from afar the more I learn about the enemy's movements, [Everything is ready… There!] I activate the seal with Darokan directly over, it explodes like a land mine. I move through the barren streets to get a closer look. After seeing Darokan vanishing and reappearing behind Tenha I activate the runes around him and charge.
"You think I would fall for the same trick twice? Don't make me laugh child!" he disappears as my scythe was about to hit him. "The trick wasn't to blow you up. Look behind you, Darokan-san." I say to him as he reappears in midair and behind him is Zetsumu-kun. "HUROOOOYAAAAA!" a strong downward swing with his broadsword would finish Darokan but he disappears again.
"Got you!�� again he reappears behind me, grabbing my hand I cannot break free with my strength but… "No, it is me who has got you." Another rune on the ground lights up beneath him as he lets go of my hand jumping backwards I charge towards him. Using my scythe to attack until I got him on the defensive, I again activated the rune and let out a pillar of fire behind him. "There is nowhere for you left to run now." I raise my left arm and the other runes I had set had become visible. "Your move, Darokan-san…" I raise my scythe and assume my stance.
"Why are you doing this, girl? You could have won this war if you had attacked him instead of me." "If what you said was true then I was just fighting for nothing. And if Zetsumu-kun really were to die I'd help him die without any regrets…" he laughs off my words unknowing that the person he was supposed to be fighting is right behind him. "I'm not yet dead, don't go killing me off so easily!" he slashes horizontally and misses, following up his attack I draw closer to Darokan, and with the seals I placed everywhere he has very limited chances of escape.
"You'll regret making a fool of me…" he blocks my scythe and at the same time pushes me away as I again activate a rune exploding behind him. "HAAAA!" with Darokan off balanced Zetsumu Tenha throws two spears then charges with his broadsword. "You insolent little-!" he blocks Zetsumu-kun's sword and push him back as I take my turn and charge at the opposite direction.
[We have to keep this up… he's unable to move since anywhere he goes will explode…] and like this we take turns charging, trying to land a successful hit on Darokan as he blocks our attacks and pushes one back another comes from another direction. "This is the end Darokan!" Zetsumu-kun charges and I do the same opposite him and activate every single rune I have set to detonate.
A loud explosion echoes in the ruins that resemble the city we live in everything around us has been completely demolished and the smoke and dust formed by the explosion make it hard to see. "You… hah… boy, make sure you do not regret doing this." I hear Darokan's voice but it has gone softer than usual. [Could he be…] the moment my mind came to the conclusion that we have won a faint blue light shines through the smoke. The light gets brighter and I feel a strong wind blowing around it and as it blows the remaining smoke and dust around I can only sit on the ground speechless.
"Zetsumu… kun…" he turns to me as I call his name, his appearance has changed yet again but this time he seems to have returned to the way he was before. His tattered coat is now restored looking good as new, lost the horn on the left side of his head, and is now wearing what seems to be gauntlets and greaves which leaves a blue flame every time he takes a step. "Are you hurt, Amagawa-san?" he reaches his hand to me which I take to get up. "I'm fine, thank you for your concern Zetsumu-kun."
"Now then, I do not know how much more time I have left… so please take my soul." He kneels on one knee the ground with his head bowed. "Why would you go this far?" I ask him as I thrust my scythe into the ground. "I have nothing much to return to back in our world even if I survive. You on the other hand still have people waiting for you. And besides didn't I tell you about my disposition to help my friends?" he says it like there's no other way and closes his eyes similar to what I did when he defeated me. "Live for yourself not your friends. If you sacrifice yourself for them do you think that will make them happy?!" I kick him hard at his lower jaw and send him flying meters back. I now realize what the word 'friends' really mean…
[Your friends are waiting for you back home, of course I too am one of them, isn't that right, Zetsumu-kun?]