You've been here as long as you can remember. A vast, empty, white void surrounds you. Nothing exists here. Not even you. Not even me, sitting in front of you. An eternity passes within a blink of an eye while at the same time, stretching beyond infinity. Time means nothing in this place between existence and nonexistence. Between life and death– that thin border.
"Where… am I?" You ask me.
"The question you should be asking is 'What am I?'" I answer.
"So, what am I?"
"'What are you?'" I ponder for a moment. "You have become not you."
You nod at this revelation. "And what are you?"
"I am the master of this place." I look around the void.
You nod slowly without so much as a corporeal form, much less a head. "What should I do?"
"Nothing. There's nothing left for you to do but to rest. It has been a tiring existence, has it not? Always pretending to be carefree? Always having to lighten up the room? Always running away?"
"I want to atone. In what little way I can. That kind of selfish thing is my dearest wish."
"Someone like you? Someone who's trampled on the happiness of so many people? Such a hypocritical thing."
"It is sad but it is true." You say.
"Such a useless thing."
"It is cruel but it is true."
"The only way you can truly atone now is with your death."
"I see. Will this really make things alright?"
"Let me worry about that. Right now, all you need to do is die."
"I… see…" You close your eyes slowly. What little of your existence remains begins to fade into the emptiness. "Fi…na…lly…"
"Now, now…" Another presence, an anomaly, suddenly intrudes. You are confused. So am I. "If you think death is the end for sinners like us, you're sorely mistaken."
"And who are you?"
"Former King of Avalon and Archtraitor–"
"Mor…dred Pen…dragon." You finish, flickering between reality and unreality.
"I wanted the luxury of announcing it myself but very well." The intruder clears his throat. "I am he, Mordred Pendragon."
"Why have you come?" I ask, my smile not fading from my face in the slightest.
"It's obvious, isn't it? I've come to defy your will." He points at me with a bravado comparable only to a pebble announcing itself as a mountain.
"Foolishness. Though a soul you are, you have no power in this place"
"But she does." He flicks his head at you. You should answer, but you don't. He walks over to you and takes your hand in his. "Arise, my loyal servant. The time has come for you to surpass your masters."
My very existence begins to waver with every millimeter you open your eyes. "Wait." Something approximating panic creeps into my voice. "Don't tell me…"
"I lend it to you," he continues. "I'll give you the one power that a traitor like me has."
"I don't…" I stare, confused as I slowly fade away into nonexistence. "I don't understand–"
"Where…? Where am I?" You– no, Daisuko begins to rise back to existence.
"Stuck in your own head."
"Huh." The white void around Mordred and her begins to crumble and give way to that black behind the eyelids. Little by little, Daisuko's memory begins to return to her. She looks at the statue-like thing, sitting behind Mordred. "What is that?"
"You've no need for it anymore. Thus, it's been destroyed, that thing is merely an imprint of its presence here." Mordred scratches his chin, but his fingers have turned into stone. "Hm, it seems it'll be my turn to disappear soon."
"What– what's happening to you?"
"As I said, you have no need for masters anymore. You've betrayed our very existences."
"I don't understand… why… why did you–"
"It's my nature." Mordred shrugs. "Is there no greater betrayal than to turn traitor to oneself?"
"But now you'll surely die."
"Lol," he says, with a smile. "Lmao."
Daisuko scoffs and shakes her head. "You idiot."
"I'll catch you on the flip side." Mordred turns away. "Until that day we meet again, keep betraying your past self. Change, and change some more until you can finally be at peace.."
"Yeah…alright."
"Oh, and one last thing." Mordred kicks something precious towards Daisuko. It clangs against the ground. "Take this, you'll need it."
"Thanks." Daisuko picks it up and palms it. She's been borrowing it all this time, it's hard to believe that it's really hers now. "Will I see you again?"
"Nah." Mordred turns towards Daisuko one last time. "You prefer it this way. Trust me."
"Heh. Fair enough."
"Though, now that you're here…" Oe leans in and whispers into Daisuko's ear. "Why don't you do it yourself?"
Daisuko raises her handgun and points it at Oka's head. But suddenly, the tattoos on her arm and the red glint in her eyes begin to fade. Without hesitating, Daisuko trains the barrel of her gun at Oe's head whose smile vanishes in an instant. She pulls the trigger and a hole opens on her face.
"H-hey! What gives, asshole?!" Oe stumbles backwards, shell-shocked. Daisuko doesn't answer, instead opting to fire a flurry of blows directly at her enemy. In the millisecond before the next bullet makes contact, Oe creates a defensive wall with the chainsaws sticking out of her arms, protecting her chest and head. Deafening 'pops' followed by high-pitched 'tings' ring out with every bullet deflected by Oe's chainsaws. While her arms are protecting her face and chest, Daisuko raises her leg and delivers a nasty side kick to her stomach. She goes skidding backwards, all the way until she hits the far wall.
"Sorry I'm late. Here." Daisuko smiles as she drops her kid's toy next to Oka's head. "Take this as my apology."
"You… dumbass…" Oka somehow manages to find the strength in her to smile.
"Now." Daisuko's grin disappears the instant her eyes make contact with Oe's. "Where were we?"
"How is this possible?!"
"Ah well, you know how it is. I had a little… help, so to speak." Daisuko points at Oe.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Oe hunches over and her chainsaws start revving.
"...Figures. Kids these days have no patience whatsoever." Daisuko holds out her hand and yells out, "You want to play? Let's play. I summon thee, Divine Sword, Clarent!"
A blade manifests in her palm. She salutes Oe with the sword before rushing at her at blinding speed.
"Gh–!" Oe extends her hand to the side and summons circular buzzsaws between her fingers before flinging them all at Daisuko. They whizz through the air for an instant before being cut down by flickering steel. The sword almost seems to blink in and out of existence with every slash. Daisuko swings her sword upwards, putting every single ounce of momentum into a gargantuan swing, threatening to cleave Oe in two.
"Bring it, bitch!" She anticipates the attack and quickly raises her arm defensively. Sparks clash. The sword is deflected but Daisuko merely reverses its momentum and brings the blade downwards in another slash. There's no time for Oe to mount a reasonable defense so she attempts to sidestep the blow, suffering a gash to her pectoral area as she does. Oil and scraps of metal spill out onto the floor. But at the very least, Daisuko's finally open. Oe bashes her shoulder into her chest, pushing her back a fair distance.
"Heh. Not bad." Oe rolls her shoulders. "Looks like I might have to get serious."
"Yeah. Same here." Daisuko listens to her instincts and enters a sword fighting stance. She stands with her feet together, right foot pointed towards her enemy and left foot pointed at 10 o'clock. "Burn with ebon flame and unleash your true form. Cursed Sword of Promised Demise, Clarent!" A concentrated jet of red and black flames replaces Clarent's blade.
"GYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Oe positions her chainsaws like scissors and cuts off the top half of her own head. Instantaneously, the atmosphere of the room changes. It's suddenly filled with the scent of overwhelming bloodlust and wild, untamed magic. "CAN! YOU! DIG! IT?!" she boldly announces.
「Oe Tenma」- Brainless Scarecrow
Daisuko cracks her neck before letting go of the sword. Instead of falling, it remains floating, fixed in space. As she jabs her finger forward, the blade follows suit, stabbing straight ahead, aiming to pierce Oe's heart. Oe merely roars. It is in this way that violence explodes between them.
Clarent sweeps around in stiff lightning-quick strikes, probing Oe's defenses, searching for an opening. Oe meets it by imitating a puppet being thrown across a room. Her chainsaw-limbs freewheel through the air, blocking Clarent at every turn. She doesn't discriminate between arms or legs, whatever touches the ground will propel her towards Daisuko, whatever is in the air is that which will block Clarent. Her movements form a solid circle around the immovable point that is Daisuko, neither girl willing to give each other an inch of ground.
Steel against steel. Teeth against edge. Blade against blade. Daisuko draws her pistols from her coat with a dramatic flourish and attempts to train them at Oe. "Attempts" because she's pretty sure that Oe's moving at Mach 20.
"What's wrong, Oe? Too scared to go all out?" Even with her back against the wall, Daisuko still manages to find the words for a taunt.
"GRAAAAAAAAAGH!" That's enough to send Oe over the edge. She immediately hurls herself at Daisuko, uncaring of what happens to herself. On the way in, Clarent manages to sever one of her arms but is too slow and too far away to protect its master. Without missing a beat, Daisuko raises her leg and kicks Oe in the chest, knowing full well she's about to lose it. In her mindless state, Oe jumps at the opportunity, slashing the limb to bits with her legs. But that's fine, all that Daisuko needs is an opportunity of her own. While Oe's limbs are busy devouring her leg, she leaves herself open to a counterattack. She fires two shots, one aimed at Oe's head and one aimed at Oe's heart. Reduced to one remaining leg, she can't block both. Daisuko has her cornered.
And yet, for some reason, Oe still smiles.
She intercepts the bullet directed towards her chest with a smile and simply allows a hole to open in her forehead. She lurches backwards and freezes. She is perfectly still, a statue. For a moment, Daisuko thinks she's won. But that fragile feeling of pride lasts only for that long.
Oe suddenly lurches forwards, wicked grin on her face, and plunges her leg chainsaw into Daisuko's heart. Her eyes widen instinctively. Even with the pain being suppressed, the feeling of her ribcage being pierced is an unpleasant sensation, to say the least. Blood spurts from the open wound.
"H–" Blood seeps out of Daisuko's mouth. "How did you…?"
"Did you not read my title card? There's nothing up here no more." Oe taps her temple before taking a deep breath. "Man, this feels familiar, huh?"
"Yeah." Daisuko suddenly smiles. "It sort of does."
Oe raises an eyebrow. That's strange, the heart is the seat of the soul, with it destroyed, she should be dead.
"Did you think I would seriously let myself be killed the same way twice?" Daisuko smiles.
Oe's eyes widen as Clarent bursts through her throat, piercing her carotid and her spinal cord thoroughly, absolutely. "There's no point destroying something that's already been destroyed. Thankfully, I no longer needed it."
"H-... how?!"
Daisuko shrugs. "That's the sort of existence The Lady of Tokyo has granted me. The miracle of rebirth, a second chance, at the cost of my heart."
"You… bitch…" Daisuko withdraws Clarent, letting Oe fall to the ground. Her chainsaws slacken and come loose from her body, thudding against the floor. "Am I…? Am I really going to lose here? Why?" Oe's eyes begin to glaze over, the light leaving them. "Why did things ever end up like this? All I wanted was to become powerful. To be at peace. To be above petty warfare. Above what others thought of me."
"From the beginning, you never needed power to attain those things." Daisuko meets Oe's eyes.
"Maybe… so… but is it so wrong? Is it really that selfish of a sin to want to grow stronger?"
"No. But you never once gave a thought to the wishes of others. That was your most grievous sin. That is what you failed to learn."
"Why… should I have cared for the wishes of others when they never once cared for my wishes? Even the people who I trusted the most…" The memories of her lieutenants flash through her mind. "Even they betrayed me once I became weak. What is it that I should have done? Should I simply have let them go? Should I have simply accepted my lot in life?"
"I… I don't know. I'm sorry."
"No you're not. Fuck off with that." Oe smiles. "We're gangsters. We don't have to apologize for shit."
"No." Daisuko clenches her fist. "I'm no gangster. Not anymore."
"Fair… enough." Oe's smile fades from her face. "I guess… the era of the gangster really is behind us now."
"Yeah…"
"A normal life, huh? I have no clue what that's going to be like. It's… scary."
"We'll go back to school. Do homework. Get part-time jobs. Join clubs and other petty bullshit like that."
"Booooring…"
"Yeah." Daisuko smiles as she squats down next to Oe. She doesn't mind the blood pooling around her shoes. "It'll be peaceful."
"Peaceful, huh?" Oe nods ever so slightly. "A world where everyone's equal… that really is… the worst possible outcome."
"Yeah…"
Oe closes her eyes and lets herself fall into unconsciousness. Outside, the skies gray and shed the first droplets of rain.