"Lucy!"
Amara leapt and grabbed the girl before she dropped to the ground, assessing the damage.
The result?
'What is this? She was standing right here, what happened? It's like she just went through hell and back.'
"I told you not to worry." Lucy let out, her tone faint as Amara stared, Eli running toward them as Jett and Cain stayed frozen.
"All the damage that is inflicted upon you all, will fall upon me."
Everyone couldn't help but slightly gasp.
'You mean…my Gallick Gun…she's still alive after enduring it?'
Tato thought, realising he hadn't paid enough attention to the others.
"Lucy…"
Amara muttered as Eli placed a Senzu Bean in her mouth.
"You should be dust right now. You're pretty durable." Eli commented as Lucy somewhat gained some strength, sitting up.
"I guess." She replied simply.
However, before Lucy could do anything else, she felt two hands grip both her shoulders and Amara pulled her in.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what I said." Amara embraced Lucy with an empathetic tone as the latter simply stayed frozen.
"I know I have no right to ask this…"
Amara unhanded Lucy as her tone changed to that of seriousness with a hint of pleading.
"...but please, find Ava. Save her."
Lucy paused, her expression still indifferent, causing Amara to feel clueless about how she reacted to this information.
"With Cain and Jett fighting that man, it leaves us, and your abilities are the most versatile and suitable to…"
"I'll do it."
Amara was cut off as Lucy nodded.
"Really?" Amara asked, seemingly shocked Lucy was so cooperative.
"I'll save her. Trust me."
Trust.
It was the same thing Lucy told Amara before. Though before she wrote it off, now, after everything, it held unimaginable weight.
"Thank you. I'll never forget this."
Lucy stood to her feet, sword in hand as she faced the forest.
"Cover me." Lucy gave a thumbs up as Amara let out a warm smile, causing Lucy to stare.
That smile… was one she enjoyed. It washed her with a sense of fulfilment.
It meant something.
It meant she could help someone in need.
'It means I can be the Hero.'
In the next second, grumbling could be heard as Tato ran his fingers through his hair, gripping so hard he started to pull out strands.
"Stage 1, damnit! These are Stage 1 students! Why am I…"
Tato fell into a rant, mumbling to himself as his broken mental state became more and more apparent to the others.
So much so that Jett drew his attention back to the man while Cain tossed a Senzu bean in his mouth, finding some strength to get up and stand beside Jett.
"It's up to us. We can't get hit. We can't let Lucy suffer because of us."
Cain mumbled, his eyes glued on Tato.
"The final stretch," Jett added, his eyes calm despite the tension in the air.
However, before anything, Jett looked at an item in his hand.
A ring.
'I almost used it…'
He thought, his eyes looming on the ring. After a second, a hum could be heard as he sent it back to his Dimensional Space.
'It's not worth it, for now.'
"Ready?" Cain asked, to which Jett nodded.
"Damn you all!"
It didn't seem like they had much time to prepare, Tato yelled out, his hands returning to a familiar position.
"Galick Gun!"
The purple beam shot out with a BOOM as Cain bent his legs, prepared to counter, however, Jett stepped forward, confronting the beam.
"Jett…"
"Trust me."
Before Cain could finish, he was cut off as an aura of determination oozed from Jett.
Cain stared for a second, soon nodding.
Seeing this, Jett outreached his two arms, his palms facing the beams as his two index fingers and two thumbs touched.
'To absorb any Dying Will flame and add the power to my own, that is the purpose of this technique.'
A technique like this would be far less useful than it was in his scenario. The chances of him coming across another enemy Inheritor from his verse were slim.
But upon returning to Spawn, Jett was able to find that all PS were different, but still somewhat connected.
"A technique created by myself, Vongola Decimo. That is Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised!"
An X shape formed on the back of Jett's gloves as he changed the position of his hand to a rectangle, all his flames suddenly disappearing.
Despite everyone feeling a sense of worry for Jett, no one interfered. Their trust in his strength overpowered their other menial emotions.
And in the next second, they were glad they didn't.
-VUAM
The purple beam shrunk, condensing as it could be seen being sucked into the gap between Jett's hands.
"A-Amazing."
Cain spoke the words everyone else was thinking as Jett completely absorbed every atom of the attack.
"W-What is this…is this the power of this generation's six?" Tato muttered as his eyes couldn't help but lose their usual bloodlust.
Doing this, Jett relaxed his arms as he closed his eyes, everyone present feeling the rising of…something.
-BOOM
The orange flames on Jett's forehead suddenly reappeared with a shocking BOOM, stronger and raging better than ever.
"Thanks for the juice."
"Instant Movement."
-BANG
-FUAM
The flames on Jett's erupted with a BANG so strong that it had expanded to his elbows as the boy disappeared from his position, so fast even Cain couldn't help but turn his head in confusion.
Tato widened his eyes as he suddenly witnessed Jett seemingly teleport beside him, swinging his fist and aiming for his face.
"Nice try!"
Tato yelled, prepared to counter as he held out his arm to Jett's face, a yellow beam forming.
However, Jett's figure blurred, soon becoming mist as he vanished.
'That's my…'
Cain recognised the technique as he watched Jett move low, his fist vertical as he shot it out at Tato's ribs.
"Rhino's Horn."
'What?'
Eli widened his eyes as he witnessed Jett use his technique of mimicking animals.
-CRACK
The sound of countless bones breaking rang out as Tato was sent soaring in the air as his eyes rolled back into his skull due to the strength of the blow.
But he was denied a moment of respite, as with another WHOOSH, Jett appeared beside the soaring figure, raising his knee and bringing down his elbow at the same time.
"Shark's Bite!"
-BANG
-CRUNCH
Tato vomited blood as he struggled to breathe, Jett's knee driving into his gut and his elbow digging into his back so hard that the two limbs almost made contact through all the skin and organs.
As this happened, Jett ducked so fast that Tato could be seen still looming in the air.
"Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist: Leaping Fangs!"
-BANG
-WHOOSH
Jett kicked off the ground as he drove his ten fingers into Tato, following through with the attack and causing Tato to shoot into the sky.
"Cain!"
Jett yelled, his flames erupting as he shot off the ground and soared straight into the air.
'My turn.'
Despite Cain saying this, with every movement, he felt agony.
He'd pushed himself too much and he wasn't strong enough to withstand the effects of Kaioken.
'Oh, stop whining, you big baby. Come on, not again.'
Cain gritted his teeth as he outreached his arms, his two lower palms coming together in a familiar pose.
'One last time, Cain. Come on! Never again. Protect them all, everyone close to you. COME ON!'
"KA…"
As if these yells resurfaced deep and unpleasant memories, Tato gained control of his body as he witnessed Cain preparing 'that' attack.
"ME…"
Turning his body and preparing to fly away, he paused as not too far away from him loomed Jett, one arm stretched out toward him while the other pointed in the opposite direction.
"HA…"
"Damnit!"
Tato yelled, pressing his two forefingers on his forehead.
"No, you don't!"
Looking to the side, Tato witnessed Amara's two fingers stretched to inhuman lengths, sharp as needles as they lay millimetres away from his two eyeballs.
-SHRK
"AHHHHHHH!"
Tato screamed in agony, clasping his hands on his eyes as they oozed blood.
"ME…"
"DAMN YOU ALL! I will not lose!"
Upon saying this, Tato's Ki started to expand rapidly, and a yellow barrier formed around him as his energy condensed more and more.
And it didn't take a genius to realise what he was doing.
"He's crazy. He's… self-destructing!" Amara yelled in the hopes that the others would hear her, which they did.
All this happened Eli stared with a straight face, soon clicking his tongue in frustration.
"Now!"
Jett yelled.
This was it. If this failed, none of them would have the strength to keep going. It was their last attempt.
Their final hope.
"HA!"
Cain yelled as he shot out his arm, the blue beam shooting out vaporising the tall trees in the way as it resembled a shooting star.
Though it was far less powerful than before.
"X Burner!"
Jett yelled, a thin yet massive burst of flames shooting out from the arm pointing away from Tato.
But for the other arm, the one pointing toward his enemy, a colossal beam of thick fiery red burst exploded with a BOOM as the two attacks met in the middle, both striking the barrier around Tato at the same time.
-BOOM
The attacks clashed against the barrier, struggling to break through as the barrier and Tato's Ki increased, all while Tato let out a furious, "AHHHHH!"
"KAIOKEN, T-TIMES FOUR!!"
Cain's aura turned red as even his skin seemed as though it had changed colour, countless veins bulging on his body as his beam grew in size tenfold.
The ground below him crumbled as he struggled to keep his footing.
However…
"What…"
Cain mumbled with a strain in his voice, noticing the black shadowy tendrils wrapped around his waist, making him regain his stability and balance.
Following it with difficulty as even the movement of his eyeballs caused him pain, his eye met with the laying of Daniel's, his arm out as he controlled the tails.
Cain stared with wide eyes for a second, soon nodding as he looked back.
"They won't…they won't stop it in time," Amara noted, her tone almost quivering as she wore a desperate expression.
"AGRHHHH!"
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Despite this, both Cain and Jett let out a feral howl, pouring every drop of power they had left into their respective beams.
The result?
-BOOM
In the next second, a nuke-like explosion that expanded to half the forest erupted, swallowing everything within it; its shockwaves were sent through all of Ashton and then some.
An explosion so strong that there was no hope for anything inside ever returning.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Okay, that's it! I promise, that's the last chapter without Isaac in it for the rest of the arc.
Next chapter title: Gap
NNext chapter title: Full Power
NNNext chapter title: Nothing Happneed
That's right...you see the titles? Shit is about to go down.
If you don't wanna wait, there's always the Patreon!
patreon.com/JustMYSTERY
Also, as usual...POWERSTONESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!