Chapter 105 - 105 Chaos Whip

{RIKU POV}

The constant barrage of stars was starting to get to Riku as he felt a few stray projectiles hit his sleeves. They weren't much in the grand scheme of things, but he knew that it was already the start of him getting tired after the nonstop defense against enemies that didn't even look like they were trying.

And the worst part was that they couldn't even get rid of them.

"Another barrier would be nice right about now, Shizu," he told the fortune teller who was just as busy fending off the stars. "We're not making any progress without one."

"What? Do you think I'm not trying to find another one?" Shizu scoffed in annoyance, her cards flying from star to star in an effort to thin out the herd. "I'm trying to look at my cards, but with the constant pressure, I can't just do that, okay?!"

Riku clicked his tongue in annoyance. He really didn't want to use a Trump for this specific scenario, but it was starting to look like he didn't have much of a choice. They've completely stalled in their search for Astra's office, and he could just tell that there were other Champions coming near to them with how quiet the place had been despite the relative insanity provided by the shooting stars.

"Sorry for pushing you then," he curtly nodded. "Let me try something."

[BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP ACTIVATED]

[CHAOTIC REROLL COMMENCED]

With but a mental command, Riku felt the power of Chaos boil within him as the Chaotic System came back to life. Waiting for time, he continued with his defense, doing his best to provide cover for Shizu to give her some breathing room to look at her cards. It came at the cost of sustaining more injuries, but it would hopefully be worth it once his companion managed to find the perfect card for them to-

[ROLL SUCCESSFUL]

[CHAOS WHIP: ALLOWS THE CHAMPION'S WEAPON TO EXTEND INTO A WHIP OF INDETERMINATE LENGTH. VALID FOR THIS DEPTH ONLY]

Riku narrowed his eyes at the power he just got. Somehow, it felt like deja vu to get something that extended his reach, but that was what he got, and that was all he could use to try and turn things around.

'Let's see how this works...'

Flexing his power, the former assassin's knife began to bubble with the telltale dark glow of Chaos as he slashed sideways. Immediately, a massive whip made of pure Chaos extended out from the tip of his knife, colliding against any and all stars that came across it. The arc went far and wide, removing a big chunk of the annoying stars and providing them some much needed breathing room.

"Riku?" Shizu asked in both surprise and confusion, her eyes still glancing at her hands every so often to check on her cards. "What did you just do?"

"I might have something here," he told Shizu with a small smirk as he retracted the whip. "Look for the barrier."

Shizu only nodded, and the former assassin simply stood his ground as he shifted stances. Putting his right foot forward, he raised his knife sideways as he prepared to do something he had only done once before in his life.

"[Chaos Whip]"

Breathing out slow and steadily, Riku began to dance, his whip extending out and around his general area as his eyes flitted from one star to the next. With a speed and precision of a professional, his whip fluttered and swerved through the air, his knife arm moving like a blur as a veritable barrier of Chaos protected both him and Shizu from the annoying projectiles. It was far from his usual style, but was he glad to have it now with how great it was working for them.

"Got it! [Fate's Edict! The Hermit: Upright Position]!"

A few moments later, Shizu's power washed over them once more, erecting a barrier around them and giving them some much needed breathing room. Immediately, Riku let his arms go slack, momentarily sheathing his knife as he let out a tired breath.

"Finally..." he weakly chuckled. "I almost thought you'd never find the barrier card again."

"I'm pretty sure I've drawn a couple of times by now. I just didn't see them since I had to keep throwing them at the stars instead," Shizu chuckled back, her own exhausted pants filling the air between them. "This will give us some time to rest, at least."

"Just like last time, huh," he scoffed. "Let's hope it holds out for a bit longer then."

With their safety guaranteed for now, both him and Shizu sat down on empty space, firmly determined to get some rest instead of trying their luck in getting out of the mess they were in. Around them, the constant sound of stars colliding against the barrier pattered on, reminding them that they were far from safety as they recuperated. Clearly, they still had no other options other than to try and break free.

As to how that would happen, however, remains to be seen.

"You know, I didn't think I'd ever see you dance like that," Shizu casually remarked while absently looking at her cards. "With a whip too? How did you even learn how to move like that?"

Riku let out a vague scoff as he replied, "Let's just say that I had a very good teacher."

The memories of those few days he spent in Hawaii all came back to him with a wistful smile. That one instructor... She had amazing curves and a beautiful smile to match the deadly precision she had with using a whip as a weapon. Was he glad to have gotten to know her, both personally and intimately.

"That look... She was a woman, wasn't she."

"How'd you know?" he genuinely asked.

"Call it woman's intuition," Shizu lightly scoffed. "That, and I can tell that you have good memories with her."

"So you can tell that we both had a few rounds of casual sex then," Riku bluntly stated.

Shizu immediately sputtered, a furious blush coloring her face as she shook her head. "A-Absolutely not! That's too much information!"

He let out a smug chuckle as he watched his companion fail desperately to compose herself. She was probably thinking about him naked now. Not that he minded. Even he could admit that she wasn't as bad to look at herself. And the way she moved now... She was probably toned now with how much fighting they've done.

But that's something to do at another time. Once they were actually safe instead of just waiting for the situation to change.