Capítulo 36: Showdown at Twilight Creek

[Day: Monday]

[Time: Afternoon]

[Location: Twilight Creek]

Vance parked his car then stepped out, seeing us waiting for them. Talenta hovered behind Vance, her energy and Ambition wavering yet with a simple gesture from Vance, she regained her Ambition and her demeanor changed into a more prepared stance.

Caden stepped out as well then closed the door behind himself, following Vance carefully. He listened to the crackles of the dried leaves along the ground as he walked, no soul around only nature's inhabitants making sound around the area.

"Twilight Creek huh? No one really resides in this side of Twilight City. So why here?" Vance taunted, trying to get into my head.

I stared at Vance then gave him a smirk with my arms crossed. "It's simple...No one around to get in the way. I find it fitting for our first actual fight that we see what each other is made of...taken you also Bonded with a Love Demon."

[Italicized because did he really?]

"It's debatable taken how he has more control than she does.." Lustie said, landing on the ground and spreading her demon wings. She walked forward then pointed at Talenta. "You disgraced our family by allowing an Earthling to strip you of your power and purpose. He is your Master, sure...but we made the pact in our name meaning the host belongs to us!"

Talenta stared at Lustie then sighed softly, also landing on the ground, summoning a golden shield and spear. "You only say that because I am on the opposite side of your hero, but when the field flips then what? Will you turn on your Master?"

"Deception doesn't work on me, Athena. The way you allow him to treat Destiny's women...They are trapped in a cage in the hold of a threat you know nothing about," Lustie said, crossing her arms then the heart shaped tip of her tail turned into a blade.

Talenta glanced back at Vance then looked at Lustie, pointing her spear directly at her. "The way these women are treated are no different than the slaves owned by the current King of Dragonia. Passion you know the struggles, obviously."

Passion scoffed, blowing smoke from her snout as she rested on my shoulder in her companion form. "I was no slave, though I was his servant ten years ago when he was an adolescent...but the Sanctuary City women are not happy."

Vance yawned loudly, catching all of our attentions. He looked at his watch and activated his system. "Enough with this boring shit. I came here for one reason, to kill Shiro and get him out the way. Now let's get this over with!"

Vance immediately pulled out his Glock and began firing bullets at me. I activated my Luscious Unleash, dodging the bullets and pulling out my pistol tossing it to Mark as I noticed Caden pulling out his pistol. Leaving Mark to his own devices, I sprinted toward Vance, evading each bullet he fired.

Vance parried my first strike then smirked at me as he landed a powerful uppercut, slightly knocking me into the air. He landed a spinning heel kick straight to my chest, knocking me back. I grunted as I rolled backwards, recovering and skidding back on one knee.

Mark hid behind a tree, staying behind cover as he watched my fight against Vance. 'They are so fast, I can barely keep up...however it's rare to see Shiro take damage for the first time..'

"Just to let you know, Moji, my Unleashed State is much better than yours. Plus, with my Mark of Talent, anything you can do...I can just do better," Vance boasted, walking toward me then noticed me kneel down on one knee. "Tch...saying a prayer already? Surrendering so suddenly?"

"Maluhia.." I uttered softly, standing up then letting out my Tribal Howl.

Vance grunted softly as he heard the howl echo through out the area. 'What the hell was that..?'

My focus landed on Vance, my mind clear and void of all distractions. I walked forward toward Vance then went into a full sprint. Vance aimed his gun at me, firing a bullet directly at my head but by pure luck, a gust of wind knocked the bullet off course.

"Talenta, do your damn job!" Vance ordered, using his Sigil to command Talenta.

Talenta grunted as she slightly resisted his order, but ultimately dashed toward me. She let out her war cry as she thrusted her spear at me, but Lustie used her tail to block the attack. The two demons struggled to overpower each other, but Lustie got the upper hand and managed to push Talenta back.

Lustie got into her battle stance, placing one hand on the ground and her wings spread wide. Her red aura surged around her body and she chuckled as she got ready to strike down Talenta.

"Get ready, Athena! This one is gonna hurt!" Lustie laughed, propelling herself toward Talenta.

Talenta blocked Lustie's attack with her shield then the both of them took to the skies. I grunted as the burst of wind they produced blew me away, but Charismari caught me. I looked up at her, noticing she now had her veil on. Charismari smiled at me then let me go so I could walk forward.

[Since his Unleash is better, it's time to break out the Lucky Break.]

'He didn't hear that right?' I asked Lust-E.

[You're good. Now let's show him a bit of our moves with no distractions in front of us!]

I nodded then took off my jacket, tossing it aside then awakened my Mark of Luck. Luckie hopped next to me then let out her cry, her sigil shining on her tail. I activated Lucky Break, my golden energy faintly spiralling around my body.

Vance laughed softly then crossed his arms. "An inexperienced Love Demon who failed at her job. What is Luckie the Gambler supposed to do in this situation."

I chuckled then sprinted toward Vance then went for a spinning kick, but he prepared to dodge however by some miracle, I landed my strike. Vance grunted as he was caught off guard, but he found his footing and noticed me going for another attack. He prepared to dodge my next strike, but Lucky Break activated once again, allowing me to landed a swift strike to his jaw. Vance grunted once again, stumbling backwards and looked at me with irritation.

'Did he grow faster? No, there's no way that could've happened because he's not even in Unleashed State anymore...' Vance thought to himself then hatched an idea.

Vance aimed his Glock toward me once again, rapidly firing bullets at me, but each one missed by a thin margin.

[Lucky Break Gambling Activated.]

[Rolling slots...]

[{7}{7}{2}]

[Win! Stamina Regen +50%, Speed +10%, Durability -20%]

'Oh hell no.' I said to Luckie.

Charismari and Passion chuckled at the slot results as I finally realized the second mechanic of Lucky Break. Luckie wagged her tails in a cute manner to get me to forgive her for not being entirely truthful about Lucky Break.

'Gambling...This Crisis Core ass mechanic. Whatever, well rock with it. I think I'm getting the hang on my movements. Let's try a Sanctuary Combo,' I said to Luckie, preparing to attack once again.

Luckie nodded then prepared herself with me. "I'm with you, Master~"

I looked at Vance then smirked at him, throwing him off guard since he didn't know what I was planning now. I ran straight toward him and he went to fire more bullets, but his magazine had no bullets left. He tossed his gun aside them blocked my first kick then evaded a low sweep kick. He retaliated with swift jabs, each jab landing true and knocking me back a little. He went for a powerful blow, but I dodged with pure luck.

Noticing an opening, I took the chance to set Vance up into a Sanctuary Combo. Hitting him with a sweep to knock him off balance, I began to perform NY Flares, striking him with a barrage of kicks until a full halo was formed. Once the halo formed, Luckie knocked Vance upwards with her hind legs, allowing me to gracefully land on my feet into a Super Kick straight to Vance's chest, knocking him away. The halo on the ground slight restored my energy then disappeared.

Caden watched as Vance crashed into the river, his expression a mixture of shock and awe. He looked at me, noticing a golden aura flowing around my body. 'Unreal. Just unreal, what is that?'

Mark checked out many bullets he had left and noticed he had only one. He looked back, noticing I had the upper hand in the fight then looked across the park, trying to find Caden amidst the swarm of trees. He was tried beyond belief, his adrenaline the only thing keeping him up. All he could think about was just getting out of this alive.

Vance crawled back onto the land, his eyes shining with a murderous intent, yet a wicked grin played on his face. He stood up then chuckled softly, my being never leaving his sight. "You're good, that combo you pulled off will never work again."

I looked at Vance and got a cold feeling down my spine. The look on Vance's face creeped me out, but I could feel Charismari's presence keeping me calm. All I thought about was how true Chelsey was when she said Vance was one of the guys who wasn't normal.

"I know you're not going all out, Shiro! This isn't your typical fight! You're now fighting for your life...You mess with The Syndicates, you will never live to tell the full story!" Vance cackled then used his Sigil to summon Talenta.

Talenta parried Lustie's next strike then kicked her away. She flew toward Vance and hovered beside him. Lustie watched from the sky and rose an eyebrow, wondering what the two were up to.

Vance grabbed her wrist then his ring began to shine. Talenta groaned and whined as the ring began to drain her energy. Vance let go of her then chuckled as he felt stronger now.

[He's using Holy Equipment to drain her energy...That bastard..]

Vance looked at me then softly laughed. "Now it's my turn to show you pain!"

I braced myself, watching him dash toward me, but it seemed like he teleported in front of me. I didn't have enough time to react to his strike, taking a powerful punch to the face head on. I groaned as I was knocked back, my head spinning from the attack. I caught myself, noticing his next attack then Lucky Break kicked in, allowing me to dodge his strike.

'He's too fast..! Spin the slots!' I said to Lust-E, dodging Vance's attacks by pure luck.

[Rolling slots...]

[{0}{0}{0}]

[Triple Zero! Ambition Potency +100%, Durability +100%, Speed +100%]

"Now things are looking interesting!" I chuckled then dodged Vance's strike then taunted him after dodging his second strike. "Too slow!"

I rushed forward with a powerful strike to his chest, a flash of lightning crackling around my hand from the impact of the blow. Vance groaned as he was blown away then recovered quickly. He grunted as I was already in front of him, striking him with a chop to his neck. Vance's eyes went pale for a spit second before he regained consciousness and evaded my next strike.

"Now!" Vance bellowed.

Talenta appeared behind me before anyone else could react, thrusting her spear down at me. I let out my Tribal Howl and activating my Luscious Awaken, iridescent energy pulsating around my body to push Talenta and Vance back.

Mark watched, feeling the immense amount of energy my body was exerting. He could feel how strong my energy was and heard how the nature around him silenced. At this moment, he was glad that he was on my side.

"An awakening? How did he— He can Awaken the power of his Markings..?!" Talenta asked in complete awe.

"What? What are you talking about?" Vance asked, his eyes darting between me and Talenta.

"She means...you're screwed," I said, looking at Vance, strands of my hair slightly shadowing my eyes.

Vance shuddered slightly as he noticed the intimidating glow of my golden eyes. He braced himself and began to slightly sweat. 'Why did the air... suddenly grow so cold..?'

I stared at Vance, my Mark of Charm glowing brightly allowing me to activate my Commanding Presence. I walked toward Vance slowly, asserting dominance with each step. Vance watched me grow closer and his body made him step back.

"Submit." I said in a commanding tone.

[Golden Tongue Activated (2/10)]

Vance grunted as his body suddenly made him get down onto one knee. He looked surprised as his body submitted to my command, his pride taking a large hit. He looked up at me with a glare, his eyes shining brightly.

"You think you've won..? Just because you caused me to kneel?! You have no idea...what I can do..." Vance said, his veins slowly growing from his rising anger.

Vance noticed Charismari towering behind me and her presence made him go quiet immediately. Charismari looked down at Vance with a smile on her face, her hands held together in front of her.

"Your Mark isn't strong enough to overpower Commanding Presence... or is it that you don't know how it works so you can't counter it?" I taunted then kicked Vance, causing him to fall to the ground.

Vance grunted softly as he stood up slowly. His eyes shined brightly then he looked at me slowly. He wiped the blood from his mouth. He dashed toward me going for a spin kick, but I evaded his kick, noticing how wildly he threw the kick.

I began to block and deflect each of his strikes, noticing they weren't as calculated as they were before. I planned to end this now that he wasn't nearly as focused as before.

After his next missed strike, I staggered him with a body shot, a pulse of energy circling around my fist from the impact. I knocked him back with another critical strike then landed a spinning kick to get him into a weakened posture. I landed my final blow to his jaw, iridescent lightning flashing around my fist as I landed my second Destiny Flash to knock Vance out.

"YESSIR!" Lustie called out from the sky, cheering loudly.

"Nice one, Shiro!" Passion cheered, happily flying above my head.

The fight was now over, the battle was won with Vance down as now Mark and I could escape without them following us. Giving Mark the signal, I made a run for it toward my car and Mark was quick to follow behind. Caden tried to run after, but we were already gone. He looked at Vance who laid on the ground from behind defeated.

Talenta looked at Vance as well then closed her eyes. "I had a feeling he would've gotten too cocky and lost. Shiro seems to know more about his power than Vance knows his own."

Caden sighed and helped Vance up and dragged him to his car.

...

"We made it out, my boy!" I laughed as I raced back to Destiny Central.

"We did and watching your fight with Vance was impressive as hell! I was waiting for the beams and energy blasts to come out," Mark chuckled, currently high on life after we managed to get away from Vance.

I chuckled at Mark's jest, finally seeing the exit leading back to Destiny Central. "Aye, I'm only Peak Human now. Energy blasts and shit like that would destroy my arm."

With our win under our belt, we decided to celebrate out at the bar for some drinks. I also noticed Krystal was also at the bar so this was a nice way for me to find a way to unwind and relax for the evening.

[Talent EXP +6400]

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