King hears the buzz of electricity come from behind him and pauses, turning around to see an electrified Nick standing at the entrance of the hallway leading to the underground church bunker that King and Nick find themselves in.
"Your Cursed Ability is truly impressive, Slayer Hachi, lightning-quick speeds that can even keep up with my manipulation of time and space," King calls to Nick.
"Yup, I'd recognize that ominous Cursed Power of yours anywhere. We met at the Lincoln Correctional Facility a couple of months ago, remember?" Nick asks. "Where's your buddy Ace?"
"Ace has been handed a different task at the moment," King answers. "Although he's loyal to my endeavors, he isn't the biggest church goer."
"Just keep him away from my students," Nick growls as he slowly begins walking towards King.
"Oh, so you're approaching me?" King smirks. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten who my Cursed Power Burst overwhelmed yours back at the prison."
"Of course I haven't," Nick answers. "But I'm assuming that you and your cult will change locations after today, so I won't get a chance like this in a while."
Nick pauses. The two stare each other down for a little while, King smirking, Nick scowling. And then, without another warning, the two charge.
Nick's entire body begins crackling with electricity, before zipping over to King. But right before Nick can peirce King with his signature Bumblebee Sting, King counters by slamming his scepter into the ground and booming: "Black Prism: Time Manipulation!" In the blink of an eye, Nick finds himself standing back at his starting position, with King remaining perfectly unscathed.
"Now how do I go about beating a man who flaunts about his Cursed Ability's control over time and space?" Nick asks himself under his breath.
Nick then electrifies his body and zips towards King again, preparing another spear hand. "It seems like your Cursed Ability is primarily defensive!" Nick calls to King. "If I keep up the attacks, at least one is bound to hit!"
"You're right, it is!" King replies as he slams his scepter into the ground. And in the blink of an eye, Nick was sent back to his starting position, yet again. "That's why I've mastered attack with raw Cursed Power!" King booms as he palms his palm at Nick, firing off a dark purple, almost black Cursed Power Emission Nick's way. Nick attempts to dodge King's attack, but finds himself unable to move.
"His Cursed Ability is keeping me pinned in place," Nick grumbles. Nick then brings his arms up in a cross to block, reinforcing his defenses with Cursed Power. So when King's Emission blasts into Nick, Nick's forced to stumble backwards a few steps, but he still manages to remain on his feet.
King then slams his scepter into the ground again, repparing directly in front of Nick this time. "He can't fight in close quarters, too?!" Nick cries.
"Just because I'm a King…" King begins to say as he clenches his free hand tightly into a fist, reinforcing it with Cursed Power. "DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T FIGHT!" King booms as he slams his fist into Nick's defenses, with an explosion of pale yellow and deep purple Cursed Power, causing Nick to subtle backwards even further.
In order to recover himself, Nick electrifies his entire body, then zips away. "You can run, Pro Slayer, but you can't evade my Black Prism," King says as he aims his palm at Nick firing off another Cursed Power Emission. Nick zips out of the way of the attack, using his lightning-quick speed to circle around King, who fires off Emission after Emission Nick's way, all of which are dodged. Nick's and King's attacks explode and destroy the church from the inside.
"King's Black Prism must take a lot of Cursed Power to use," Nick says to himself, zipping around as he dodges King's Emissions. "A, King has a ton of Cursed Power and was able to create an amazing Cursed Ability such as his Black Prism, and is only using his Emissions to keep me at bay. Or B, the most likely option, King is a Demon Kin and has a limited pool of Cursed Power, therefore, he is using his Emissions to be able to attack and defend, while saving his Cursed Power for his Black Prism. I need to get King to expend enough Cursed Power until he can no longer use his Black Prism. My Electricity uses a lot of Cursed Power as well, but surely not as much as King's."
Nick then continues zipping around King for a little while longer, until he sees an opening. King isn't firing off as many Cursed Power Emissions as before.
"Bingo," Nick says to himself as he zips towards King, aiming an electrified spear -hand towards his gut. King brings his Scepter up in order to activate his Black Prism, then hesitates. King crosses both of his arms and reinforces them with Cursed Power to defend instead. But Nick's too fast, and before King can fully prepare his defense, Nick's spear-hand slips right through King's guard and jabs King in the gut, piercing straight through King's chest and ripping out the other end. King grunts in pain and spits out a glob of blood.
"It seems your Black Prism takes far too much Cursed Power to use," Nick sneers.
***
"This way!" I shout as I make a sharp turn, Mikey stumbling along as he follows after me. Currently, the two of us are dashing through the underground bunker of the Cards of the King's Church, using my wind and Mikey's flames to keep up with Nick's speed, who's longines chased after King. The two are probably engaged in combat by now.
"Yo, how are you able to tell where hachi is?" Mikey pants.
"Nick taught me how to track people with Cursed Power, as well as how to sense the flow of Cursed Power in someone else's body," I explain as I take another turn, Mikey following after me. "As it stands now, locating NIck is a cinch."
"I'm still stronger…" Mikey grumbles to himself, his ego having been wounded by my progress with Nick.
"Up ahead ahead," I order as Mikey and I take one final turn. "Right here," I then say as Mikey and I find ourselves in the entrance of the hallway leading to a large open room in the underground church bunker.
"There they are!" Mikey exclaims as we meet Nick and King at last. But when I lay eyes on Nick, my eyes widen.
Because Nick's bloody spear-hand is striking straight through the center of King's chest, piercing through the other side.
"We're too late. Shit," Mikey grumbles. That's his concern?!
Sensing our presence, Nick turns to face Mikey and I, his eyes widening from surprise,
"Luis, Mikey?!" Nick cries as he frantically rips his hand out of King's chest, who spits up a glob of blood before weakly falling to the ground. "I'm, um…sorry you had to see that side of me," Nick embarrassingly apologies as he desperately wipes the blood off his hands on his suit.
It's…truly horrifying seeing the normally goofy and lax Nick be so…gruesome.
He could have killed Grover and I in a second during our training. How many spear-hands did Nick use on us? Hundreds?!
Is this…the life of a Pro Slayer.
"What are the two of you doing here, anyway?!" Nick cries.
"I, uh…didn't want to let you fight King alone!" I begin to stammar, but Mikey cuts me off.
"Luis and I are going to prove ourselves to you by fighting at your side!" Mikey exclaims.
"Ah, well it's already over…" Nick sheepishly replies, but that's when we hear a cackle echo throughout the room. It takes me a second to realize that it's coming from King.
"Did you really think that your measly attack was enough to execute the King?" King smirks as he slowly pushes himself off of the ground, his wound further leaking blood as he does so, causing Nick to take a cautious jump back. King then fully stands up and spreads his arms out wide to the sides. "WITH MY BLACK PRISM…I CAN BEST EVEN DEATH ITSELF!" A transparent, purple, Cursed Power cube then spawns around King, the cube that I'm assuming to be his Black Prism. Ironic. King's wounds then slowly begin to heal and close up, as his blood seeps back into his body. As if time is being rewound on King's wounds.
"See?! Against this monster, you need our help!" Mikey exclaims as he takes a step forwards, but Nick sticks his arm straight out, prohibiting Mikey from moving any further. "What gives?!" Mikey snaps.
"You two can't stay here. You'll die," Nick apathetically says, without even turning to face Mikey and I.
"You'd be dead if I didn't come rescue you anyway," I counter, causing Nick to sigh.
"Do you two ever listen?!" He cries.
"Nope," Mikey smirks.
Nick then spins around to face Mikey and I and kneels down before us. "You two can watch, but you are not to enter combat! This battle will be far too fast for you to handle. You can learn enough just by watching me anyway," Nick says, causing an ecstatic, crazed smirk to spread across Mikey's face. Even I can't help but to get a little excited watching the strongest Pro Slayer fight. And not against me for once. Nick then stands back up and turns around to face King. "Stand back boys, because I'm going all out!"
King laughs. "Children, and I'm right? Eyes front, boys. Prepare to see one of the Pro Slayer Organization's very best kneel before the King!" He booms.
Nick chuckles in response. "We'll see about that," he says. Nick then undo's his tie and throws it to the side, unbuttoning his suit jacket, doing the same. Nick thrusts a hand into the air, cracking his knuckles. Meanwhile, even in this reinforced underground bunker, I can hear the roar of thunder from the skies above.
"THUNDERBOLT FROM THE HEAVENS!" Nick shouts, and then…something amazing happens. A giant lightning bolt slices straight through the roof of the church and even the reinforced steel ceiling, crashing right down upon Nick, as if his hand is a lighting rod. A bolt of lighting so strong and so bright I have to shield my eyes from the pale yellow-blue flash.
"Why is that idiot attacking himself?" Mikey sneers. But as the two of us keep watching, the lighting around Nick seems to…absorb into Nick's body completely, until the boom of thunder stops and the lightning bolt disappears. When the flash subsides and I can get a good look at Nick again, Ican see that Nick's entire body is crackling with bright, pure lighting. Nick's black hair is dyed pale-yellow like his Cursed Power, with his usual black streaks going through it like lightning bolts. When Nick opens his eyes, I can see that they've turned bright blue with purple pupils, lightning bolts streaking out of Nick's eyes.
"One Hundred Percent…" Nick begins to say, mini bolts of electricity spewing from his lips with each breath. "Full Charge."