[X] Give it your all. Stop Reika's attack by giving her everything you have. Don't let her attack go through!
You hesitated for a moment before you saw the lines appear on the ground. It was her range. She could easily mark her targets from where she stood while you were busy thinking. Which was why you decided to go for your gut in the next heartbeat.
Gears spun around you while you burned them with your fire. Due to their potency, the gears turned red hot as you set them ablaze, increasing their size as you used your gravity manipulation to spin them faster. Reika's eyes widened as you thrust your hands forward.
The gears flew towards her as she ended up drawing her sword. A blue flash erupted from where she stood as she cut the burning gears. However her eyes widened as you fired a stream off flame before you while raising your free hand behind you.
Clockwork gears manifested and entered the curtain of rainbow flames. Your gravity powers accelerated their flight as they all flew towards your opponent. Reika moved as she cut and slashed at the same time the projectiles rained down upon her. You decreased the size of the gears until they became actual burning bullets.
Reika gasped as she was soon overwhelmed when a gear struck her shoulder. Once you saw she was about to be overwhelmed, you snapped your fingers to expand the size of the gears in their. Burning steel collapsed upon Reika before you ended up pulverizing her beneath the sheer number of gears you buried her in.
You were left breathless as strength left your legs. You fell down your knees as you grit your teeth. The building continued to burn as you struggled to get up. You could feel the seeds implanted in you writhe from overuse. Just a bit more and they will gleefully hatch from within and consume you.
One could only hope that the worse had come to pass. You staggered to Yuri's place as you soon ended up standing before her. You grabbed at her bindings and crushed the chains beneath your grasp.
Yuri was freed as she caught you when you finally collapsed. You were not invincible. The battles you fought had been a good learning experience. One you would carry in the future but now, you could only feel great pain from your wounds and seeds.
"Yukina! Yukina stay with me! Hey!" Yuri cried out as she shook your shoulder.
You managed a smile as you touched her cheek, "I am glad that... You are safe."
Yuri held your hand as the ballroom burned, "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I... I've done wrong. Reika is right, this is all..."
"To me, you are faultless. It may not have been long... But you simply followed your heart's desires. And I find no sin in that," you smiled as you met her gaze. The seeds squirmed and you endured their attacks.
"We have to get you out of here," Yuri said as she transformed into her costume. An alchemist's garb, just prettied up with more frills and exposed skin.
Dumb costumes...
"Can you get up?" Yuri asked as you nodded and you stood as she supported you. The building was close to collapsing.
The flames crackled as you both made your way to the door. Yuri held up her hand to keep the flames from reaching you both. Taking one step over the other, you stopped an pulled her back.
SLASH
A gear came flying from the side as Yuri yelped in surprise. Pushing her behind you, you looked to see Reika cut her way through the debris which buried her body. She dragged herself out from below and let out a breath. Her soul gem was dark but she hadn't turn into a Witch yet.
She must have been aware of it too as she cleansed her gem with a Grief Seed she had on hand. Once she had sufficient enough cleansing, Reika looked at you and Yuri. Her wounds began to heal as she staggered towards you.
"You're not getting away, Yukina," Reika snarled as she walked towards you.
"You're persistent... But we both know that continuing will do us no good. We have to get out of here," you replied as you kept Yuri safe behind you.
"We'll settle this. Settle the score," Reika growled as she glared at you, "I'm not going to let Yuri walk out of here without answering to her betrayal."
"You have no proof," you snapped back.
"She all but admitted it, would you turn a blind eye to what she's done?! She too acts as a seed of discord!" Reika answered you as she took another step forward.
"That may be the case... It's true that she can be league with the people who killed your friends but because of your rash actions more people are hurt. You're just as responsible for this as she is!" You yelled back as you walked forward.
Yuri grabbed your wrist and shook her head, "Don't... She's..."
"Responsible? If you had a shred of responsibility then you would have killed yourself. Your very existence means war and any death that occurs will be on your hand! If you're truly a ploy against us, Yukina, then the enemy will have an advantage against us in both talks and battles," Reika hissed as you both met each other's gaze.
The flames continued to burn around you.
"Your very existence... Is a sin," Reika declared as she swept her hand into the air.
You grimaced as clenched your fist, "Do I not deserve a lot on life?"
"You were never meant to live in the first place. Yuri created you to replace what she lost... Because she was too weak to grow and move on. I may be the same but it will all end once I cut you down," Reika breathed as she got ready.
You pushed Yuri back as you stepped forward and raised your fists. You're not backing down from this.
"Stop it. The both of you, you don't have to do this!" Yuri cried out as she tried pulling you away.
You and Reika tensed up before-
TAP
TAP
TAP
You both turned your gaze to the side as someone walked through the burning entrance of the ballroom. A figure walked through the fire dressed in white. A mask of obscured their face while their boots left heavy thuds with each step. You looked to their hands to see that one held a fire axe while the other held a gun.
Reika and Yuri froze in place as the welding mask of the newcomer shined in the orange flames. You felt the unmistakable aura of death as you saw grief and curses cling to the person as if they sought to rip through them.
The figure turned their welding mask towards you and tilted their head.
"You dare... Show yourself here?" Reika breathed as she grit her teeth, "ASSASSIN!"
Reika drew her blade, the steel of her sword flashing cruelly before slashing. The white figure was torn apart by the waist before something happened. The figure was actually standing beside Reika all along and not on the spot she struck.
She tensed and kicked off the ground to get away, only to get skewered from behind by a broken piece of the ceiling. She seemed just as surprised as you were before she broke free. How did that happen?
The white figure turned to you and held their fire axe tightly.
"Yuri stay back!" You snapped as you rushed to the figure. You have to get this person away from Yuri.
Raising your leg you launched a kick but the person stopped to lean back. You brought down a shield gear and tackled forward just as the person simply walked by you. Stomping on the ground, you turned and launched the shield at their back.
But they were gone. You felt a presence behind you as you turned to catch the welding masked person's wrist. The axe nearly fell but the masked figure simply raised their gun to shoot your stomach. Gunshots rang out before they wrenched their weapons aside and swung it.
You leaned back to avoid being hit but were kicked aside by a follow you failed to see. There was a flash and Reika slammed against the figure as the latter blocked with their axe. Reika enhanced her body and struck harder and faster before the fire axe parried her weapon down. A gun aimed straight between her eyes before she dodged fast.
Her ear was blown off just as the masked figure slashed up and landed the hooked end of the fire axe into Reika's abdomen.
STAB
Reika's eyes widened as you got up. You dashed forward and jumped to deliver a drop kick on the welder masked enemy and knock them away. They quickly recovered from the stagger to pull out their gun at you. You kicked it away as you threw a punch.
The welder masked enemy caught your fist and slid back just a few inches from your blow. They looked at you in the eye, the glassy white window of the mask reflecting your own harried expression.
You punched through and raised your leg to kick as your enemy blocked with their own leg. They punched as you blocked, redirecting their blow to go for an uppercut. The enemy used your opening to land a blow to your wound, grabbing your arm and twisting it thereafter to Immobilize you.
The wind whistled as a sword came down between you and the enemy just as Reika joined in. It was here the two of you moved in tandem to keep the aggression up. The enemy dodged Reika's sword as you landed a kick to their side.The opening allowed you and Reika to both slash and punch at the same time.
However the welder masked enemy raised their hand to catch both fist and blade. You and Reika found yourselves stuck as your strength failed you both. The enemy channeled their power through their body and unleashed it.
You blinked and saw the enemy's form fizzle out and blink towards you. A hand grabbed your throat and slammed you into the ground. You grit your teeth as you looked up at the mask which simply stared into your very being.
"So... You're the one," you rasped as you grit your teeth.
The masked enemy lowered their face towards you and spoke. A faint muffled voice came from within the mask.
"Walpurgis..." The voice within strained to speak. A girl.
You blinked as you looked at the blank mask before a voice piped up from the side.
"HEY! OVER HERE!" Yuri snapped as you looked her way.
Yuri had set up three floating metallic drones which all shined bright. They then let loose a blast of energy that ripped through the air. The enemy let go of your throat and blinked through the ballroom. Her form was similar to that of TV static as she walked towards Yuri.
You got up as Reika did the same. Firing a stream of fire, you erected a wall of flames between Yuri and the enemy. Reika sheathed her blade and struck fast to which the enemy simply fizzled out of existence to safety.
"This won't end well," you noted as you raised your fists.
"I hate to agree but you're correct," Reika hissed as she held her sword, "That's the troublemaker we're looking for."
"I can see why I got killed. She studies her opponents well before engaging them," you noted as the building began to collapse, "I suggest a retreat."
"How do you want this?" Reika asked in a grim tone.
"We'll settle things again at a later date. How does that appeal to you?" You asked back with a pointed look.
The Assassin knelt down and picked up a piece of metal from the ground. You watched as it was enchanted before your very eyes. It's enhanced, bursting with magic.
This person knew what they were doing.
The Assassin faced you and Reika without even the slightest hint of hesitation. It was all or nothing.
"Yuri! You get out of here! I'll buy you some time," you called out as the three of you got ready.
The Assassin's body turned into static as she ran towards you and Reika.
Contact
[] Fend off the Assassin with Reika to give Yuri time to escape.
[] Use the confusion of the fight to eliminate Reika. She's too dangerous to keep alive.
[] Fight until Yuri is safe and then leave the Assassin to Reika. You're in no condition to fight, you need to survive.
[] Write in...
