'Pillars..god…a black egg…hybrids…blessings..things I've come across so far since this apocalypse. Are they related to me somehow? My ability to turn into a hybrid? And I've gained a new ability, I can summon dead beings I've killed before. That old lady was behind me, who was she?'
FWOOSH!
KATHOOM!
The Jester leapt forward, his scythe arcing through the air in a crimson sweep aimed at Rykei who was smiling. Just as it seemed to connect, the zombie monkey assassin, wearing a sleek suit, flashed in, deflecting the scythe with his staff. An explosion of sparks followed as metal clashed against metal, the sound echoing off the cavern walls.
The monkey, with agility akin to a blur, swung his tail, attempting to trip the Jester. Anticipating this, the Jester used his bloody jukebox to slide backward on a slick trail of blood, evading the sweep and firing a sharp projectile of congealed blood from his scythe's tip towards the monkey. Antraella, the spider zombie queen, emerged from a shadow, her eight legs carrying her rapidly across the battlefield. She launched a volley of toxic webbing towards the Jester. He swung his scythe, slicing through the sticky barrage, each section of webbing disintegrating into poisonous mist.
The zombie monkey assassin took this moment to unleash a rapid burst from his assault rifle, the bullets whistling through the air like deadly hornets. The Jester twisted, his form a blur, dodging bullets with exaggerated, almost dance-like movements, his laughter ringing out mockingly. Antraella skittered up the wall and ceiling, dripping venom from her fangs, creating small pools of toxic hazard on the ground. The Jester, sliding through on his jukebox, narrowly avoided these traps, the blood from his scythe neutralizing the poison upon contact. The monkey, using powerful jumps, launched himself into the air, coming down with his staff aimed like a spear. The Jester rolled away, his scythe extending in a swift, bloody counter that grazed the monkey's suit, slicing away fabric and skin alike, leaving a trail of blood in the air.
Antraella conjured a massive web that suddenly appeared between her and the Jester, aiming to ensnare him. With a wicked grin, the Jester spun his scythe, creating a whirlwind that tore through the web, dispersing it into a cloud of fine, poisonous particles surrounding them both. The battle closed in, with the monkey exchanging rapid blows with the Jester. Scythe clashed against staff in a ringing echo, each strike met with an equally fast block or counter strike. The Jester's footwork was meticulous, each step calculated to maintain deadly proximity.
Antraella lunged forward from behind, her fangs dripping with lethal venom aimed directly at the Jester's neck. Swinging around, the Jester caught her by one leg with his scythe, tossing her into the cavern's wall, her body making a sickening crack upon impact yet she swiftly recovered, her resilience chilling. The Jester found himself caught between the monkey's gunfire and Antraella's relentless toxic web shooting. Twisting and turning, he used his scythe to deflect bullets and slice through webs, his jukebox sliding him slickly across the blood-soaked terrain, narrowly avoiding death from two fronts.
Enraged, the Jester unleashed a blood-curdling scream, the scythe glowing ominously as he swung it in wide, deadly arcs. The monkey used his enhanced agility to backflip out of reach, firing mid-air, while Antraella summoned a rain of venomous spiders from above.
Mirroring a dance of death, the Jester spun his scythe with such speed it created illusions, multiple images of deadly arcs confusing his opponents. The monkey narrowed his eyes, focusing, his tail whipping forward to intercept the real threat amidst the illusions. Antraella seized a distracted moment to envelop the Jester in a cocoon of webbing, attempting to immobilize him for a lethal bite. With a forceful burst of strength, the Jester exploded the cocoon, sending shards of hardened blood and poison splattering as deadly shrapnel. Both the monkey and Antraella coordinated a pincer attack, one from the air and one from the ground. The Jester, caught momentarily off guard, took blows from both sidesâ€"staff and venom scoring his flesh, leaving wounds that oozed with dark blood.
The Jester laughed, embracing his wounds as they began to close, regenerated by the bloody essence of his scythe. He swept forward, an unstoppable force, his scythe trailing a curtain of blood that reeked of death. As the monkey's speed intensified to a whirlwind of chaos, he delivered a series of powerful, quick arcing sweeps with his staff aimed at the Jester's limbs. The Jester counteracted, his sliding jukebox creating intricate patterns on the bloodied ground, barely escaping the razor-sharp edge of the staff. His laughter echoed hauntingly across the arena, distorting reality for a moment. Retreating gracefully, the Jester formed intricate symbols in the air with his scythe, each movement dripping with blood that turned into miniature blood-sprites. These sprites charged towards Antraella, who responded by weaving a dense shield of spider webs, deflecting the sprites which exploded upon impact, splattering the surrounding area with venom and corrupted blood.
Suddenly, all participants halted as the Jester raised his scythe high, blood dripping heavily to form a shimmering veil. "Enough of this dance," he declared, "Shall we not discover who commands the true power of blood?" His challenge hung heavy in the air, both grotesque and enticing. Antraella and the monkey exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them as they nodded slightly. Without a verbal cue, their combined forces surged. Antraella launched a high concentration of venom into the air while the monkey, using his tail, swung onto higher ground, using his elevated position to target the Jester with precise shots.
Igniting the very essence of his bloodcraft, the Jester transformed the pooled blood into a towering giant of pure destructive energy. As the venom rained down, it mixed with the blood-giant, causing explosive reactions. Amidst the chaos, the monkey dove forward, his every muscle tensed for a final, desperate strike with his staff. Simultaneously, Antraella's spiderlings crawled into the structure of the blood-giant, their bites injecting a paralyzing poison.
The Jester, surrounded by foes and his own creations turning against him, swung his scythe in a wide, desperate arc aiming to cleave both of his attackers. The staff met the scythe with a resonant clang, sending shockwaves through the cavern. At that critical moment, as the scythe and staff locked in a battle of wills, Antraella leapt, wrapping her limbs around the Jester in a deadly embrace.
Everything froze for a heartbeat, the only sound being the drip of blood and venom as they intermingled on the fractured ground. Then, with a coordinated push of raw power from both the monkey and Antraella, the they were overwhelmed, their forms staggering under the combined assault, a burst of dark blood marking the climax of the battle.
SHOOSH!
Both Antraella and the zombie monkey assassin melted in blood.
The Jester laughed, "HAHAHA! I killed your zombie zombies! Hahah! Even commanding a Pillar of god?! You're a natural! No wonder god is obsessed with you. Hey, hey would you be able to summon me if you beat me? Please say yes!"
Rykei just walked towards him, saying, "Alright, I think I'm warmed up now. I won't be going to your god. Even that spider bitch tried to do the same thing you did, but you're a little stronger. This god, I'll kill him. I'll kill all of them. All the pillars, and whatever else serves you out there."
"Ohhhh there's a lot!"
"Really? Cool. Awesome. I'm gonna kill them. You know why?"
"Why?"
Rykei pointed at himself, "Because I'm badass."
There were crickets, and the Jester tilted his head, "Huh? You're what?"
"Shit, that sounded a LOT better in my head."
The Jester roared, and slid towards Rykei with two large blood scythes now.
''He's stronger than that spider bitch, so I have to fight extra hard this time. He doesn't handle full on offensive pressure well, but can recoup if he's backed up in a corner. I have to take advantage of it.'
CRASH!
As soon as they collided, the activity sent them both flying, Rykei and The Jester faced off amid the ruined skyscrapers of a desolate Yokohama. The Jester, twirling his dual blood scythes, initiated a ballet of death, slicing through the air. Rykei countered smoothly, unsheathing his katana, its blade humming with a soft ominous gleam. Both adversaries charged, their initial clash sending shockwaves that shattered nearby windows. Rykei swiftly morphed his arm into the crystalline structure, its red and black facets catching the pale sunlight. He launched a powerful punch, but The Jester parried with a scythe, the impact creating a small crater beneath their feet. Sparks of red and black clashed with splashes of blood-red from The Jester's scythe.
Rykei leapt onto a crumbling building, gaining higher ground. The Jester, in response, executed a series of backflips, landing on the side of another building. With a powerful swing of his scythe, he summoned a torrent of blood projectile, which snaked towards Rykei like a crimson viper.
Transforming his crystalline arm into a gun, Rykei fired guided bullets, each leaving a trail of distorted air in its wake. The Jester danced between the bullets, his movements a macabre waltz, as he used his scythes to deflect some of the rounds, each deflection sending metallic echoes through the ghostly city. Rykei, seeing an opening, executed his Blood Stomp. The surrounding air crackled with red and black electricity as he slammed his foot down, fracturing the pavement and sending a radial shockwave. The Jester, using his scythes, carved a protective circle of blood around him that absorbed the shock, the ground beneath him turning a soaked crimson.
With a maniacal grin, The Jester unleashed a flurry of strikes, both scythes moving in harmony to create a deadly dance that Rykei barely countered with rapid swings of his katana. Sparks and blood droplets painted a gruesome picture around them as steel clashed against iron-hard blood constructs.
Rykei springboarded off a half-collapsed wall, descending towards The Jester with his katana poised for a death strike. The Jester twisted away, his reaction just a hair's breadth from fatal, as he retaliated with a sweeping blood arc that grazed Rykei's side, drawing the first blood.
Reacting to the injury, Rykei coated his wounded side with his crystalline armor, the red and black minerals forming an almost impenetrable barrier as the wound began to heal. The Jester's next scythe strike sparked wildly against this armor, unable to penetrate but leaving a web of fine cracks.
The Jester stamped on the ground, from which rose blood-formed minions, their scythe-like arms swinging wildly. Rykei dispatched them with efficient, gleaming cuts of his katana, each slice accompanied by the harmonic ring of steel, yet with every minion destroyed, more rose in its place.
"HAHAH! You're fun, hybrid boy!"
Rykei said, "Shut up!"
Up above, sitting on top of a building, was the little clown boy, still kicking and swinging his feet.
Rykei transformed his crystalline arm back to the gun configuration, discharging a continuous stream of bullets. The Jester spun his scythes in a defensive spiral, deflecting the barrage. Each bullet that hit the ground exploded, creating mini-craters and throwing up clouds of debris. The battle shifted dramatically as both fighters engaged in a breakneck chase through the skeletal remains of buildings. The Jester used blood from fallen constructs to slide along the ruins, while Rykei pursued, his katana slashing through obstructions and his crystalline gun continuing its relentless assault.
From atop a distant tower, Rykei aimed a single, highly concentrated crystalline bullet. The Jester, sensing the impending strike, caught the bullet with the edge of his scythe, the force knocking him back but sparing him a lethal hit, his laughing echoing mockingly across the desolation.
"I love this! I see why you beat Antraella!"
"The spider bitch?! She was weak!"
"That's sexisssst!"
"No it's not! I'm not being sexist! Shut up!"
The Jester conjured massive blood walls, attempting to trap Rykei in a deadly arena. Rykei, unfazed, used his Blood Stomp to shatter the blood enclosure, electric and crystalline shockwaves tearing through the barriers as if they were mere water.
As the cage crumbled, The Jester spun into a tornado of deadly blades, moving towards Rykei with lethal intent. Rykei countered with a whirlwind slash of his own, the katana's blade moving in a perfect deadly circle, meeting The Jester's scythes with clanging fury that resounded through the chaotic ruins. Sparks flew and shadows danced grotesquely on the broken walls around them.
In a moment of strategic genius, Rykei utilized the reflective surfaces of fallen glass from the skyscrapers to create an illusionary maze. The Jester, momentarily confused, saw multiple images of Rykei charging from all directions. He swung wildly, each slice cutting through illusion after illusion until his scythes found the true target in a clash that sent vibrations through the air.
"Wowww, using reflective glass to throw me off guard?! Cool!"
With the illusions shattered, Rykei saw a fleeting vulnerability, a slight falter in The Jester's rhythm. Capitalizing on this, Rykei transformed his arm into the crystalline structure again, this time launching a volley of jagged, crystalline shrapnel that whizzed through the air like deadly petals in a savage bloom. The Jester, caught off-guard, took multiple hits that cut deep into his flesh, marking him with crimson welts.
"AGH! You saw through me!"
Rykei thought, 'I got him!'
Blood from The Jester's wounds dripped onto the ground, and with a manic laugh, he manipulated the blood to form a ring of protective scythes around him, spinning rapidly. As Rykei approached, the ring exploded outwards in a deadly wave of blood blades. Rykei, using sheer speed, dodged and weaved through them with acrobatic prowess, each move a calculated risk bringing him closer to his foe.
"You're just pulling shit out of your ass!"
"Actually, from my blood!"
"I wasn't being literal!"
Now standing toe-to-toe, the air thick with anticipation and electric with their combined power, Rykei and The Jester locked eyes. In unspoken agreement, they launched into a final, all-out assault. Rykei, with crystalline spikes bristling from his arm and katana gleaming deadly silver, and The Jester, with his scythes fused into a singular, massive blade of coagulated blood and broken dreams.
The clash was cataclysmic, each strike a duel of destinies. Rykei's katana met The Jester's hybrid scythe in a blinding flash of light. The ground beneath them cracked, unable to contain the fury of their battle. Rykei unleashed a crystalline storm from his gun-arm, each shot a beacon of destruction. In return, The Jester whirled, his scythe sending arcs of destructive blood magic slicing through the air.
Rykei and The Jester slid away from each other, and the Jester snarled, "Hmmm. Seems like the weapons aren't doing any good. I'll just pound you to death." He made his scythes go away, he had no weapons in his hand.
Rykei, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his body, his shirt halfway ripped all the way, made his katana vanish, and he said, "Let's get it then. I'm not scared."
'Wow. Haha..the last time I said I wasn't scared, was never.. to be honest. I feared a lot of things back then, even in all of my years in school. I faced bullies, so I was afraid to stand up to them. Who would've thought…?'
Rykei shot forwards in a burst of speed, cracking the ground at the same time.
The air was charged as Rykei and The Jester squared off, the ground beneath them cracked and weathered from previous encounters. Without a word, they lunged simultaneously, fists meeting with the force of colliding comets. Each punch was a thunderclap, reverberating through the deserted ruins around them. They stood rooted to their spot, a pact made without spoken words to settle this with sheer brute force. Rykei's fists, wrapped in the energies of his crystalline strength, struck with inhuman speed and power. The Jester, his hands hardened by blood enchantments, countered with equal ferocity, his blows steeped in dark, destructive magic. Blood and sweat mixed in the air, creating a mist of their battle spirit.
The pace quickened, each fighter unleashing a barrage of rapid strikes. Rykei's fist blurred, a visual echo trailing his movements. The Jester's hands moved with lethal precision, targeting Rykei's vulnerabilities. The sound of flesh and bone meeting in violent harmony filled the deserted battlefield.
Neither combatant yielded, their faces stoic masks of focus and determination. Rykei absorbed a particularly vicious jab, feeling the echo of the impact radiate through his skull. He responded with a double-fisted smash that made The Jester stagger slightly, the first visible sign of weakness.
Each blow was an articulation of their mastery over combat. Rykei's punches started low and rose like deadly crescendos, aiming to break The Jester's guard. The Jester's counterattacks were swipes of cruel intent, slashing at Rykei's body, leaving marks that welled with quicksilver blood. Close enough to see the strain in each other's eyes, they traded punches like chess players trading pieces, each strike a calculated move. Blood dripped from The Jester's lip, a crimson streak that he tasted with a twisted smile. Rykei's eye swelled shut, the area around it a darkening promise of a bruise.
"AGH!HHHHHH!" Rykei and The Jester screamed at the same time.
As fatigue began to etch itself onto their bodies, Rykei found a sliver of opportunity â€" a slight drop in The Jester's guard, a momentary lapse. With a grunt of effort, Rykei adjusted his stance, channeling all his remaining strength into a single, focused assault. His fists, now glowing ominously with a red and black crystalline light, were a blur as they flew towards The Jester. Each hit resonated with the sound of cracking armor, the impact reverberating deep into The Jester's core.
With one final, monumental effort, Rykei reared back, his whole body tensing into a powerful conduit of energy. He delivered a devastating uppercut, his crystalline-enhanced fist connecting with The Jester's chin. The impact was cataclysmic. The Jester's body paused, as if caught in a moment of disbelief and horror, before exploding in a grotesque spray of blood, the force of his end sending a shockwave that rippled through the air.
The battle done, Rykei stood alone, panting heavily, his physique a network of scars and slowly healing wounds. Rain began to fall, its cool touch washing over him, mixing with the blood and grime that coated his skin. He looked up towards the sky, raindrops mingling with tears of exhaustion and pain, his expression one of both relief and haunting solitude. As he stood there, shirtless and battered, the healing began, his crystalline abilities mending his flesh. The rain washed away the remnants of the battle, leaving him standing as a solitary figure in the ruins, a warrior baptized anew in the aftermath of his fierce confrontation.
'I won..the cost? I wasn't scared. Is it because I can't die? Or is it because I'm scared of the fact that I don't know long this so-called immortality lasts. Still sucks that the team I rolled with tried to sacrifice me to this bastard. They tried to kill me, I did what I had to. I have to head back to the camp. Tell them everything. No info on that Dr. Sato guy either. I know Yamato wanted me to see if I found anything on him during my mission.'
The little clown boy on top of the building rooftop thought with a smile, 'Hehe…he's too strong, like that old witch who was banished, and eventually killed. My own grandmother…helping this brat. Hehe…this is amazing! I'll show god and the other Pillars everything-!'
SHIIING!
Rykei was twisting behind the little clown boy, ready to cut his head off with his katana, there was a burning in his eyes, a burning pit of malice growing. But as soon as his katana connected into the little clown boy's neck, something strange happened.
The katana was actually inside of Rykei's neck, and the little clown boy was fine.
"What?!" Rykei dropped.
'I swore I struck him, but I'm the one who got hit?!'
Rykei dropped to his knees, coughing out blood.
The little clown boy turned around, smiling, "Hehhh? You're already covered in so much nasty blood, why would you approach me? Trying to get me all dirty?"
"Who are you? You people have a habit of watching me fight from high places."
"Is it annoying?"
"It is! And you don't seem like the others, the zombies."
"That's because I'm not!"
"Human then, but you're no regular human."
"Hmmmm nope! Not human either. Just know, you'll be dead soon enough. The Pillars are ranked from least to strongest, and if you thought this was rough, then I don't know what to tell ya! Anyway, I have places to be, Pillars to talk, and god to talk to. If you see me again, don't approach me. Thanks, bye bye!"
"What's your name?"
"…Nacht!"
The little boy vanished, leaving Rykei sitting there.
'Yeah, this story is getting deeper now. Anyway, I gotta head back!'