"To think all this happened while I was sleeping... what a disgrace I am," CLAP! Her hands formed the symbol of a fox, invoking an ancient power, one summoned by her late father during the Ancient Advent... emerging from the shadows, there it was made, "I'll make up for it; by now SLAUGHTERING YOU! KON!!!"
The werewolf forming together its bones and flesh together, finally, the outermost layer of fur peeled over their skeleton, standing on all fours at first, their stout raised to the air as it howled from the depths of the Sunken City lay abandoned by time. Kima reached out her right palm, for what soon followed was what justified her position as the leader of this group, disregarding Alex, made from the energy she controlled, carved out from her life force, there it was. With the Ketsueki blade used by the Vampiric Hunter of Justice, Amara couldn't help but smile as she stood beside him, not to mention the crazy June sliding to stand with them all,
"'Sea God' here wants me, I'm the rarest specimen in the world... when he comes for me, kill him," Alexander demanded, flicking his wrist, the both of them slid back - likely the work of an invisible hand summoned by the Gods.
Now, with Kima and June some range away from their instructor, they could get a running start, just as Cthulhu clawed at the hoodie-wearing nonchalant Alex. Right at the split-second before his edged nails tore apart his flesh to disconnect his torso from his lower waist, the Sea God touched upon that which should not be scraped. Something none of those who are enemies of the Requiem Judge should meet. That which was... Unlimited Potential. Jumping back so his hood could move with the air, Cthulhu was yanked forward so his claws could sink into the hardened surface which the Agents stood, Kima stabilizing herself as she dug the tip of Ketsueki into the ground- she reached for June, watching as the Castle started to turn. Cthulhu was effectively leveling the playing field, as the top portion of the Castle of R'lyeh's Capital had been ripped off its axis, and turned upright, for the other two girls and Alex to descend toward him.
Kima on top with her katana implanted to the ground, June held onto her left hand, the female duo glancing at one another; a collective nod was shared among them. Free-falling downward so they could converge on a singular point, that being the monstrosity that was the Sea God Cthulhu, Myers pushed out her two dominant fingers on her left hand,
"GO, KON!!" Yelled the Swordswoman to her wolf familiar, soaring right past, using their four legs to their advantage, jumping over Alex's head hovering in mid-air, Kon let out a growl as they brought up their claws- ready to slash.
Growling curiously at the animal, a singular ball of fire flying out from the Old One's eyes had singed the monster from another monstrous world to nothing but ash. Crying as they disintegrated, Kima clicked her teeth, branding her sword, Cthulhu's widened figure made for a delayed reaction: meaning the second he turned his head and faced up so he could gaze at the Swordswoman of Darkness descending upon him- she already had the tip of Ketsueki implanted into his forehead. Standing right on there with her younger subordinate in tow, back turned to the slanted structure Cthulhu held with a singular pair of claws - the tendrils that served as his mouth started to move with complete and utter precision.
Though still swirling chaotically, they went at her joints, her eyes darkened, her life force powerful - just as they were about to attach themselves to her body, they were cut apart by emerald lightning. June giggling in the water then getting at her throat, the ring over her finger glowed just in time so she could breathe,
~That was close!~ Cried June happily sending up her thumb, to which Kima sent back a gentle smile to the younger girl,
~He isn't dead, you two. Don't worry, though... they'll land the finishing blow~ Alex informed, to which Kima turned her head curiously, while June slowly swam over, she crouched beside her purple girlfriend, watching in anticipation.
Alexander unleashed an invisible shockwave as he discharged his palm, singling out his middle and index finger, a telekinetic force pushed Cthulhu right down onto the ocean's floor. Sealife and wildlife of the Oceanic Abyss flattened or killed, the Old One's body sent out a dusty reverberation, Kima and June adrift above his hit figure, they watched- for a black blur to zoom past their faces,
~Was that..?~ Asked June to the taller girl.
Given a nod as a response, there it was, the evermoving Beast, the way she so elegantly twirled around her Blackened Blade on its stomach, delving in the edge, sliding it down to cut open its belly. Cutting all over his face, then leaping in the air to dart from side to side in the water, blood replacing the water now as intestines dripped out the center of this Celestial body- she cut off all four of his limbs. Remaining appendages floating to the surface, Katie jumped right back with a horrifying snarl exiting her mouth, Ace zoomed past, fist infused with just enough of Corrupted Bolt... it was easy. Even without this punch, it was fated to die; time seemed to slow all around his vision, The Great Old's vision turning hazy, with the last bit of 'energy' it could muster up, it spat out a ball of molten rock upward!
Ace gasping at the last second, a bit of his skin charred, losing all trajectory and motivation from the shock, Katie pushed the Ginger aside, growling in anticipation, raising the Blackened Blade of Justice with both hands gripping the handle. All it took was a vertical slice right down the middle of the face of the Sea God... and it had split apart, bits of blood and veins disconnecting, the life from its eyes faded. Cthulhu, an Ancient Great Old One from an era long passed, had fallen at the hands of three Agents of ANZEN. Katie Moon, Kima Myers, and June Wilder.
The ball of molten rock broke to pieces upon smashing against Alex's Unlimited barrier, naked to mortals, his arms stood hidden within the armored sweater. Aura temporarily turning black in contrast to the brighter tint of his white eyes, the Judge felt it all fade away... while they had been attacked, they had won, the Dimensional Tear hadn't ripped and spread unto this world, and he'd exposed his children to the Sunken City's presence. While all of these had been successes, all things considered, there was one thing bothering Alexander in the back of his mind. Rubbing his chin, those same words echoed in his mind, words he had said,
~I didn't sense an ethereal presence when we came down here, well... besides the Dimensional Tear, anyway~
That being said, could there be a presence so outside his telepathic sensors? It wasn't a mechanical distraction or anything considering it bled when Kim, Kate, and June stabbed at it, but, if so, what could it be? Or, a better question, how was he so blind to it..? Once more, the truth was outside the realm of possibility at the moment, hidden by the curtains of darkness; all he could do was to ponder what hid behind the veil. What wasn't he seeing...?
And while Alexander Amara pondered the truth and all branching-off possibilities that led to it, a white-haired man, head resting in his arms against the desk grumbled sleepily. Peeking out with one eye, he looked to the screen, brightness shining on his scratched skin. Rubbing the side of his messy hair, he thought to himself, scraping at his nape... the still image of the molten rock breaking apart upon impact to Amara's invisible barrier,
"A new stopping technique, hm? Troublesome, his memories didn't say anything about that. Then again, these are a bit outdated. No matter, though, I'll find a way to bypass it, and if worse comes to worst, we'll have to use that as a last resort. Welp! All's well that ends well. Can't wait to see you again, Alexander Amara... heh,"
Meanwhile, at a bathhouse in Riverton's 'Rest & Relaxation' District...
"Ahhhh! I hate going into the water with clothes on, it just makes me feel so dirty and disgusting!" June whined angrily,
"Stop moving, you're scaring Katie," Kima advised, her fingers sliding around her soapy hair, helping her bathe herself and wash it all clean and silky like normal.
To the contrary, though, Kate, sitting beside her, had been just there, rubbing her nape gradually, eyes to the floor, recounting the time she took was she was in that form. The Beast, it was called. A temporary state of psychotic-violent psychosis where the only thing she thinks of is simple homicide. Soreness in all her joints, her neck, a raging migraine, not to mention just an overall fatigued state, Moon paid no mind to the other two, just wondering...
"Kima, June, don't you two think it's weird how that thing managed to get the drop on us when Mr. Amara can sense massive sources of Celestial 'energy'? There's no way something like could've bypassed him, right? But, if that's right, then how did it?" Questioned Kate quizzically of her teammates, but as they parted their lips, an intruding masculine voice burst in,
"I worry about that, too, Kay. I'm not a technopath so if it were an android replica then that'd make sense. But... it wasn't. When you three attacked it, however differently, it bled. From the forehead, there was blood drawn, those tendrils were cut right through the middle, and when Kay cut off its joints at the weakest point, without a shadow of a doubt, it bled. To my knowledge, there are no other manmade Artifacts in the New World, then again, I'm not the one at the center of this Island, or better yet, this version of the World in general," Interrupted Alex, laying against the wall cutting them off, Ace was seen just swimming around the water, mouth submerged,
"There's something else, too. I remember going to a museum and seeing that Congress sent ships to this newly appeared island off the coast of Texas, yet none of them returned. But... did Callum ever return to begin with?" Alex rhetorically asked the younger four he'd arrived at this location with,
"Whaddya tryin' to say, old man?" Ace questioned, popping up then inquiring loud enough for the girls on the other side to hear,
"If every single one of the investigating ships sent to the Island went missing, why didn't Callum's? What makes him so special, and where are those other ships now? Did he use them as bait or something?" Kima continued for her teacher,
"Maybe on his ship here, he brought a bunch of people. Our parents, and whatever other lineage we have," June suggested, Katie, scratching her chin, pondered...
~There has to be something we're missing here. Everything everyone said makes sense. The Island appears then the ships are sent, Callum comes to a few attempts later with the confirmation from Congress to commence a collective operation. Someone like Callum Rivers... why would someone like him ever go on his own to an unknown location he had no way of knowing would be safe? Unless.. he already knew? Did he ever reestablish communication with Congress? If he did, then what are they planning, but if he didn't... why? Why flee a world you already know and abandon it for you seemingly know nothing about? Wait...~ Katie cracked the code, the words piecing together a formula in her mind, her eyes widened,
"Has it ever been stated in the history books or records about the state of the Outside World?" Katie questioned them all, to which Alex gasped, and covered his mouth, running right out the bath, he puked on the floor, Ace left baffled, Kima, June, and Katie went running out of the ladies' room to accompany the other two.
Ace tending to their elder teacher patting his back as he hurled into a bucket now, Katie kneeled to pat the top of his messy strands after the metal doors slid apart, Kima and June stood together. Clearing his throat so remnants of his lunch could hurl out his throat smashing against the marbled floor reflecting his distorted features, Kima flinched, just about to catch him before he entirely collapsed. Seconds away from falling, Amara stood up at a gradual pace, pushing himself up with a knee against the clean area of the platform. It all seemed- so clear now,
"Kay, you're exactly like your dad, a real fucking detective. I think we should take a trip to the Museum in the History District. Rip off the curtains and finally see- the truth."
This is a story of acceptance.
To Be Continued.