The atmosphere surrounding the two combatants was so heavy that any human being present would have felt it as if they were being crushed by a ton of rock. The few animals that survived the dark mist succumbed to the pressure generated by the astral energy flows from Azami and Yukino.
Until a few seconds ago there were four enemies to defeat, but now with Azami's sudden outburst, only one opponent was left in front of the guardian.
"I have never felt as much power as I am feeling now. He's almost suffocating and hulking. "- His face reflecting an ecstasy close to intoxication, Azami stared at his right hand as he opened and closed his fingers.
Instead for Yukino, the situation was turning to a point where the stakes were totally against him. Feeling dizzy from the effect of the curse eating away at her vital essence, she decided to bite her lips to the point of bleeding her mouth in order to maintain consciousness. Turning only for an instant in the direction of Vargas, she could feel how a huge punch came to impact fully against her chest.
"Kaze no shi" - Creating a gap between her fist and Yukino's breastplate, Azami instantly generated a blast of compressed air that served as the effect of a point-blank cannon shot. The sound of armor creaking seemed to echo in slow motion to the guardian's senses. Who trying uselessly to put her arms in a guard position, she received the full impact of that technique that made her fly in a straight line until she hit the temple.
The roar with which the temple hit the body of the guardian, could be heard three kilometers away where there were already signs of civilization. Passing by like the sound of thunder in the sky next to the storm.
Covered from head to toe in debris, Yukino struggled to draw in air as blood gushed from her mouth in a sinister gurgling. Lifting her arms shakily, she saw the ramifications of the stigma of the curse on her exposed skin almost covering them completely.
"What's that? Tattoos? Maybe I'll make some when I finish cleaning the floor with you "- Like a ghost arriving without making the slightest noise, Azami placed himself on top of Yukino holding her hair while she slammed his face against the walls that were still standing.
The friction with which his face collided with the fierce drag of his adversary, caused part of the skin on the left side of his face to peel off, leaving a trail painted with blood in his wake, causing the ophthalmic patch to fall off. it covered the socket where his eye should be.
"Hahahaha But what the fuck? With that silver hair and your face like that, you look like a hone-onna "- Intoxicated with euphoria, her laughter got out of control as she kept hitting Yukino's body savagely. Whipping her from one side to the other holding her hair, causing small fragments of her spiritual armor to be detached from her leaving her body exposed.
"If only I had more time" - Thinking deeply in the midst of despair and on the verge of collapse, Yukino regretted the fact that she had been so confident when facing an enemy of which she still did not fully know her capabilities. For even if she already had experience hunting voids, tarot members turned out to be closer in nature to guardians.
After absorbing her companions, Azami not only acquired her special abilities, but also had empowered her own by consuming the vital essences of those who were her friends. She was not facing a single adversary, she was facing three adversaries in one.
In a last attempt to get rid of that cruel punishment, Yukino held Azami's wrist with both hands, projecting her concentrated spiritual energy into a single point.
"Roterend mes" - From the palm of his hands, a tiny halo of energy began to rotate little by little until it reached considerable size and speed to the point that the skin on Azami's arm began to peel off as if it were in contact. from a butcher's saw.
Seeing her phalanxes fly through the air, the young woman contemplated between her anger and surprise how both the ulna and the radius of her left arm were exposed, completely severed. Her muscle under her white skin had a putrid appearance, showing veins and other blood vessels that were leaking clots from the pressure they were subjected to by blasts of cutting energy.
"YOU'RE A FUCKING BITCH!" - Crazed with rage, Azami unintentionally released the barrier ability that she had stolen from her partner. Unable to control her at will, the energy from the barrier mixed with Yukino's spirit energy in her cursed state. Leaving them wrapped in a complete darkness that isolated them from the rest of the world.
Without sound and without light, the only thing that could be heard was the weak beating of Yukino's heart, which as the minutes passed they were making the patience of her rival reach the limit. Taking advantage of her, the guardian freed herself from her transformation, resenting the effects the curse had had on her body.
Her skin burned as if she had been exposed to fire, causing her nerves to ignite her brain like a Christmas tree. Knowing that she did not have much time, she tried to stay in a corner of the barrier until she had enough capacity to face it.
"Is this all the guardian who defeated me can hope for? She just seeing you like this, she makes me feel pathetic. "- Within the immense darkness, a dissonant voice echoed in Yukino's ears. Oblivious to everything that was happening, Azami continued to attack blindly in the middle of the gloom, seeking to land a final blow.
When the energy from the barrier mixed with the dream eater's curse, some of Iblis's residual consciousness manifested before the guardian in her primal form. She was dressed in a dark blue kimono embroidered with lily flowers, at the height of her obi, a wakizashi from which she hung a lotus ornament from her hilt.
Far from being her corrupted form, Iblis's residual form retained her earthly essence at the time of her call as guardian. In her earthly life, she was named Nori Takegawa; daughter of a government minister during the Edo period, she had died prematurely from illness. Being devoted to her father's ideals of justice, the brightness of her soul caught Freyja's attention making her one more guardian under her control. As the spiritual guardian of the black widow Iblis, she Nori fought the voids with determination and fearlessness. Until one day the very nature of her ancestral spirit contaminated her soul, gnawing at her. She remained a rogue beast until the day she succumbed to Hanabi.
"Unfortunately the curse of Iblis has already taken much of your soul, at this point it is impossible to reverse its effects. But I can keep her at bay for you, you only need to merge your soul with mine to rule the curse at will "- Extending her hand to Yukino, Nori looked at her with a solemn aspect devoid of all lies. Like a samurai vowing her lord, the first guardian's soul fragment bowed her head to show submission to Yukino. Whoever reluctant to take her vow, she felt as if her bones began to burn due to the curse.
Thinking about what might happen to Hanabi or Vargas, he put aside her fears and reached out to reach Nori's hand. Sealing with it the fusion of souls and with it, acquiring the memories of the old guardian.
"It will be an honor to fight with you, until our souls reach their end" - Kindly saying goodbye before dissolving her consciousness with Yukino's soul, a smile played on the lips of the girl's soul.
The instant the two souls became one, the cursed darkness that covered the dimensional field dissolved. Letting in the pale moonlight that illuminated the night sky fully.
At the northern end of the barrier, Azami had a chaotic appearance that was far from human-like. Because she was a defective product, by merging with her companions not only had she assimilated her powers, but she had also taken from her her weaknesses and the instability of her conversion into arcana. minors.
"Gahg, I finally find you!" - Dragging the words almost unintelligible, Azami's mind was already closer to that of a beast than that of a human being. When her eyes made contact with her enemy, the anger that controlled her completely destroyed the last of her consciousness, causing her to become a beast of enormous size.
Just as the Loa guardians had an associated ancestral spirit that allowed them to draw their power from the flow of life, the major and minor arcana had an artificially fused spirit.
In the case of Azami and her companions, the guardian spirit of the black scorpion had finally taken over her flesh and blood. Manifesting fully in the physical field, causing an abysmal power difference to exist.
The footprints of its feet on the ground, imprinted a deep hole where it supported its footprint as it passed. The stinger in her tail snaked with such force that only one stroke of her whip broke tree trunks on impact.
On its front legs, perched chattering rapidly, its pincers gleamed a blue-black hue. That indomitable beast lacked reason, a mere astral specter that was guided by its most primitive instincts with only one goal in mind: the unconscious body of Vargas fallen in the rubble of the temple.
"HEY IDIOT, YOUR PREY IS ME!" - From the other end, imposing with his gaze fixed on his adversary. His astral armor had changed from emerald green to topaz-dark. The tiara that rested on his forehead was replaced by a helmet that covered his entire head, only leaving his face exposed.
At the height of his clavicles as if it were a necklace, he had a tattoo in the shape of vines engraved, with two lion-headed effigies in the center with their jaws open biting into a red hourglass.
The curse that until that day consumed his physical body, was now controlled thanks to the pact that he entered into with Nori. Allowing him to extend her spiritual transformation beyond the fifteen minutes that held her from unleashing her full power.
Bringing his right hand to her face, she released a layer of energy on the helmet as a visor in order to avoid the blindness produced by the black scorpion's compressed air attacks.
As soon as she finished her preparations, the guardian threw herself squarely against the immense mass that she lashed out with her sting against everything around her. Fragments of limestone and earth flew through the air, being deflected in their path by Yukino, who created a kinetic energy shield in his left arm and in his right hand wielded a sword very different from the lumenfang that he manipulated in his combats.
Looking similar to a scimitar, that energy sword glowed like pure jade bathed in moonlight, while on the edge of its blade, spiritual energy flowed in a circular fashion like a small chainsaw.
Delivering and containing the blows, that macabre dance in the moonlight, shook the stale air that still remained with the remains of the miasma of black death. The scorpion, trying to cover her eyes, raised its pincers like a wall, receiving in them the attacks of Yukino's razor edge.
Within minutes of the massive scuffle, the scorpion's exoskeleton armor began to weaken, showing cracks that ran from the pincers to its back. Trying to take advantage of that weak point, the tenacious warrior scaled running on one of the pincers that had hit the ground.
Just as she was about to drive her sword with all her might, the scorpion injected a violent stream of air under the bedrock below them. Causing the tremor to prevent Yukino from standing, making him fall to the floor. From which to a scream from the ferocious animal, a large number of human-like arms held him firmly to the ground.
That sound attack created a series of clay bodies, to which what in the tradition of spiritism is known as astral basses was introduced. An astral low is the remnant of a person's consciousness at death, lacking self-will only guided by desire.
When the clay figures began to move, their silhouettes gradually transformed into the appearance of the souls they contained. Women, men, the elderly or children, everything within reach was introduced to create a regiment of undead that faced Yukino.
The expressions on her faces reflected deep agony and regret, feeling tied to this world, the undead crowded over the guardian trying to scratch her armor in search of a soul.
Trying to be indifferent to that scenario, the young woman could not help but freeze suddenly when contemplating a specific corpse. According to the memories she had absorbed from Inoue by attacking her with the dream eater, the figure of a child made a dent in Yukino's heart.
"THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR!" - With a loud cry of courage, the brave guardian struck the ground with the palm of her right hand. Creating a series of energy roots that suddenly emerged from the ground, destroying the clay bodies and thereby freeing the lower astral that were trapped in them.
Once again, from her back emerged the wings of spirit current that she had used in her first airstrike. But this time, instead of summoning her energy arc attack, from her right hand a spear identical to the one Vargas was using appeared on her.
Soaring at high speed into the night sky, the guardian stopped when she was already at a really considerable height. Chanting a short chant, the spear radiated an incandescent light that completely enveloped Yukino's body. Who, closing her fist, melted that spear into her arm while she threw herself in free fall seeking to hit the scream from the scorpion's back.
Seeing its impending doom approaching, the black scorpion attempted to cast its stinger in one fell swoop at Yukino's humanity. Being deflected at the last moment by a lance that glowed a sapphire blue color, which broke as soon as it hit the battleship.
Having regained consciousness of him, Vargas supported himself with his little strength while paying attention with his ears, seeking to analyze with the sound waves that enormous image that he elucidated in his mind.
Yukino tore through the scorpion's sturdy exoskeleton from side to side, causing the animal to convulse as its insides were scorched by the heat generated from the guardian's spiritual energy. Wrapped in flames of intense green color, the body of that monster was breaking apart until forming small fragments of astral energy that rose to the sky, while they lost their radiance until they became dust.
Walking through the flames like a phoenix rising from the dead, Yukino's hair fluttered as she extended her arm raising her thumb smiling at Vargas. Who, understanding the noble guardian's gesture, for the first time smiled at her in approval. Falling the two on the ground next to each other, while panting trying to catch their breath.
"It was not very creative, but I must admit that the execution of the technique was good my dear street cat" - Taking her firmly by the hand, Vargas approved the performance of his apprentice breathing in relief at the agonizing victory they had obtained.
Having caught their breath, the two women rose to their feet, supporting each other, walking slowly to the vestiges of what was once the home of the priestess. Ducking his head, exhaling bitterly, Vargas put his hand to his head as he shook his hair, shouting curses in fluent Spanish, making Yukino unable to contain his laughter, receiving an elbow in the ribs.
"Dammit! Now where the hell am I supposed to live? This place could be falling apart but it was my home.
Having difficulty dialing the number on the touch pad with the screen cracked, Yukino couldn't make a connection to the redhead's phone line after several attempts. The only answer she got was that the device was off.
"Problems at home? Don't worry, I'll talk to the rojilla so that she doesn't scold you for delaying your arrival "- Holding a worn cloth bag very similar to that used by sailors and wearing sunglasses with which she used to cover the blindness of her eyes, Vargas was smiling as he touched the young apprentice's shoulder. That cynical expression on the priestess's face was the unequivocal sign that she would soon become one more headache in Yukino's life.
- "Hell, when she looked like she had come out of the pan, I fall into the fire accompanied by the lost daughter of' Stephen 'Wonder"
- "Come on, don't get tense, I'm hungry and I haven't had dinner yet. By the way, who is 'Stephen' Wonder? "
Walking through the rugged terrain after the fight, the two guards left the temple area until they reached the avenue. Taking a taxi that passed a few minutes, they traveled to the department.
Trying to contact Hanabi once more, Yukino dialed the number without being able to connect the call. As he prepared to make one last attempt, he saw the device's voicemail notifications.
In the first messages on the list, only a loud noise of static could be heard. Having intervals where he could understand the sound of a voice that he did not know. When he was about to delete the messages, the last item on the list made her blood freeze suddenly as his eyes caught the lights of the emergency units outside the apartment.
Getting out of the taxi, Yukino felt her feet heavy. As if two rocks had been placed on the tip of her shoes and prevented her from walking. The sea of onlookers who crowded around him prevented him from passing, pushing their way through until they reached the area delimited by the police tape.
The voices of the crowd seemed deaf noises in the ears of the young woman, who she looked with her eyes from side to side for an officer who would allow her to pass.
"You live here?" - The sound of a familiar voice made Yukino snap out of her daze, Detective Takeda had a grim expression on her face. Far from the reproach or inquisitive attitude with which he had approached her a few hours ago at the entrance of the university, now her eyes had a compassionate countenance as she lifted the tape by placing her thick hand on Yukino's numb back.
The clouds that until recently were dispersed, now completely covered the night sky between the lights of the lightning that announced the rain. In front of the young woman, a pair of paramedics escorted a stretcher where the immobile body of a woman with abundant reddish hair rested.
There was no doubt that this woman was Hanabi. Fighting against the tightness that she felt in her chest, Yukino walked quickly to reach the emergency personnel, who seeing how upset she was in her, prevented her from approaching while they maneuvered to get her into the ambulance.
"Code red, the patient is in cardiac arrest. She clears the airway and she proceeds to pulmonary resuscitation! " - The macabre sound of the flat line on the heart rate monitor was present in the ambulance. Making Yukino beg her holding officer to let her pass. When she was about to lose her temper to summon her astral power, a strong slap shook her skull.
Vargas took advantage of the confusion in the police cordon to slip away when he saw that his apprentice was about to make a fatal mistake.
"Stupid! Let the specialists do their job. You can't do anything for her "- The priestess's eyes were reddened by her tears. Her fist trembled with helplessness at feeling useless in the face of the situation, so she could understand how young Yukino felt.
"The patient does not respond, she prepares a milligram of epinephrine in solution at 5.0.9% and uncovers her breast. She prepares the defibrillator paddles and clears at my signal. "- The impacts of the electric shock shook Hanabi's inert body. Who at times gave brief signals of hope on the monitor, only to return to the flat line.
Paramedics sandwiched the procedure between cardiopulmonary resuscitation and shock therapy, constantly looking at the minute hand to assess the situation.
"Stop Kenji, it's already been five minutes. There is nothing we can do. Record the time of death of the patient at 11:30 pm "- A heartrending cry in the middle of the night shook the soul of the crowd present. Despondent without much hope, Yukino fell to her knees bending her body as she cried uncontrollably in front of Detective Takeda.
The rain began to fall in torrents, causing most of the spectators to run for cover. Remaining only the young woman who was embraced by Vargas, who pressed her head against her chest trying to comfort him while she felt that pain with the same intensity.
On that rainy Friday night in June 2022, the heart of the veteran and proud Serpent Guardian had stopped.
The night that seemed eternal soon came to an end, with the first rays of the sun that bathed the wet pavement outside the apartments. Sitting with her feet up on the sofa, a young woman gazed at the digital clock that rested on the television table in the living room.
Inside Yukino's room, Vargas was sleeping covered by the sheets on the bed with disheveled hair. Her eyelids were swollen from crying all night, sighing for brief moments hugging a pillow with a nostalgic feeling.
"You must be Ophelia, the guardian of Hokkaido. I'm right?" Amid the haze of a blurred memory, Vargas dreamed of the day she met Hanabi for the first time. Just like her encounter with Yukino, the priestess had fought the redhead in order to test her combat potential. All of this had happened days before her fateful encounter with the dream eater.
The radiant smile on Hanabi's lips contrasted with the intense emerald green of her eyes. Dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket, the guard had arrived in town with orders to support Ofelia, who had recently lost one of her subordinates in a stampede of emptiness.
Seeing her as a mere rookie, Vargas made no secret of her disdain for her by taking advantage of any occasion to trick her into leaving the city. But the tenacity and determination shown by the young Hanabi, had caused a change in the heart of the stubborn guardian of the north.
How soon he began to take affection for her, he had to say goodbye to her at the end of her mission orders.
"Vargas, I'm going in!" - The sound of the knock on the door of the room made the priestess wake up from her lethargy wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. Dressed only in a borrowed shirt that she used as pajamas, the guard walked stumbling past her until she reached the door.
Yukino who had not been able to fall asleep of her was standing in front of her, holding in her hand a cordless phone after taking the call from the police headquarters. Detective Takeda had offered to help them handle the paperwork stemming from Hanabi's death, making their miserable moment a little easier.
Even when they were both adults, the difference in height placed Vargas just at the height of Yukino's shoulders, causing the priestess to lean on her chest, lowering her head, while the sound of her voice came out. like a slight murmur.
"You know? I really enjoyed taking the rojilla to the public toilets, in the temple we did not have a shower and we always ended up covered in mud in our combat forays. So we enjoyed our time alone in the warm bathing waters. When I met Hanabi she had no idea that guardian souls could be men in their past lives. As soon as I knew it I didn't know how to react to that and hit Hanabi square in the face of her in the tub.
Her nose would not stop bleeding and I was scared because the heat of the water was not helping to stop the bleeding. The person in charge of the bathroom was horrified to see the water covered with blood and she thought that she was in my days, but when I turned to see Hanabi keeping her head looking at the ceiling like stupid, she couldn't stop laughing at us "
The warm tears that flowed from Vargas's eyes soaked Yukino's blouse, who caressed the lush black hair of the priestess trying to appease her agitated heart. The two had lost a valuable friend with whom they shared wonderful moments, which were now only painful memories.
Deep remorse shook Yukino inside her, remembering Hanabi's confession of feelings for her the night before her tragic outcome. "If I had said yes to her heart, would things be different?" - The young woman thought as she shed some tears that fell on Ofelia's hair.
"What a moving scene. Two failures licking their wounds like dogs "- A dark voice filled the room as everything went black in Yukino's eyes. Just a few seconds later, the two guards found themselves in a white room that brought a familiar air to the young woman's memory.
Sitting on a table, Nabim was fiddling with throwing a pair of temari while she juggled them. Until she suddenly dropped them to the ground causing the bells within them to stop ringing.
"It's a shame what happened to Hanabi, I mean it with all my heart. Trust me, I'm not lying to you. But the fact that she is dead does not change the orders that Freyja gave her and that now you must comply, if you want your teacher to leave here in one piece. " - Crossing the white walls, chains of astral energy held Vargas's arms and legs, making her scream in pain as they violently retreated to her point of origin.
Summoning her spirit armor, Yukino threw herself at Nabim with all her might, being repelled on the spot with such violence that her body slammed into the walls. A new nightmare had just begun just as the sun beamed at dawn.