章 38: …To Red
For the longest time, Velma had lived with having to live with the repercussions of her own choice.
It was a decision made from being misinformed.
Hunters of the Earthland Domain were all known fighters. She too was especially infamously strong,
To the point of being called the 'Fang Breaker'.
Perhaps that's why others had schemed to cripple her for life… by feeding her distorted information.
She was sure the lot of them would feel displeased of her enough to inflict such cruelty on her being.
What had she NOT done?
A delinquent among Beastkin like her had broken many hearts and taken many names with her wiles.
Though she blamed her own foolish impatience for having done what should have been a taboo act.
In the Earthland Domain, those who hunt monsters or people for a living had a specific way of growth.
Similar to how the Martial World had their Breath Circulation techniques, her realm had them too.
Except her people called them 'Initiations'…
It might seem like they were both the same kind of breath circulation techniques overall, but there was a key difference between the two realms… and that was the existence of Coloured Steel and DUST.
By ingesting DUST directly, they formed a Qi Centre that was naturally skewed in one direction.
Using a sophisticated technique that could be found with just a little digging on some encrypted databases, they could use any type of DUST to fully 'initiate' into their role as genuine fighters.
This was on top of making weapons that suited their personal qualities. A truly difficult process…
Velma had been mistaken to believe that her best option would be finding the rare Hard-Light DUST to use for Initiation. It was because after becoming a 'Light Initiator', she'd get a hyper-specific ability.
Similar to the powers gained by other Initiators.
These abilities- 'Combat Colours' differed from person to person depending on their Attribute.
Fire Initiators used 'Impact Red'.
Earth Initiators used 'Seismic Brown'.
Water Initiators used 'Friction Blue'.
Wind Initiators used 'Weightless Green'.
Lightning Initiators used 'Polaris Purple'.
Each one having their own subtleties, and we're also paired with Semblances to increase potential.
That's why she chose one a little outside the norm.
It was said that out of all the Attributes boasting profound skills, 'Light' was most transformative.
While others wouldn't be able to make full use of a Light Initiators 'Weapon White', she could pair it with her Semblance to increase the copycat nature of her Light Qi. Allowing it to take different forms.
Even that of other Attributes…
When she finally managed to attain a cluster of Hard-Light DUST and create her own Qi Centre, it sank in what those manipulative bastards hiding their malice hoped for. She couldn't use her power.
From what was revealed thanks to her 'sacrifice', it seemed like Light Qi and her physique were incompatible with each other. Her 'Black Rabbit Divine Physique' was like a cage for her Light Qi.
So long as she was a Beastkin, her true power would forever be hidden behind a veil of mystery.
But such a misfortune didn't make her give up.
She eventually managed to obtain more Hard-Light DUST through searching high and low, then used it to create Superstar Secret. Even giving it a function to absorb her Light Qi to replicate the DUST within.
So long as the Hard-Light DUST inside Superstar Secret didn't completely run out of clusters, she could always regenerate them. Moreover, she could use it for her intended purpose all along.
Copying the weapons of others…
She had risen high and showed much more strength after putting effort to unlock her talents.
Shutting the mouths of all who gossiped about her.
But now… was the opportunity to reach far beyond!
After losing her Black Rabbit Divine Physique, she felt her organs convulse… Her breath more free.
The chains that had been weighing her down were released, leaving only remnants of what was left.
It felt easier to move the energies within her body.
Her neck was still broken, so she moved on to using the technique she could never use before.
Which was the 'Divine Secret' godly technique.
A skill that defied conventional arts that focused on Mana or Qi to unlock traits beyond common sense.
The red pellet in her chest exploded, causing an eruption of energy that burnt her like vital flames.
Her snapped neck had immediately healed up…
Her hair turned crimson just like before.
['Red Rabbit' is looking at you.]
Perhaps an Imaginary Spirit sensed her unique traits at that moment, but she ignored it for now.
It seemed like the Imaginary Attribute had found her regardless of the 'system' had been shut down.
Truly a remarkable feat.
But since Velma didn't want to alter her Unique Skill and cause a long delay between getting a new one, she decided to give the Imaginary Attribute another vessel to possess with its properties.
['Red Rabbit' is intrigued by your ingenuity. It has decided to follow your will and abide your laws.]
Simon watched while looking awed at the familiar energies he could sense coming from her body.
A pellet of Moonslice Energy manifested into her hand. The energy was similar to his disciple's…
But this wasn't what stopped him.
He widened his eyes when an unidentifiable presence beyond his understanding 'possessed' that pellet. What redhead bunny girl held high was a pellet of energy that transformed into a rabbit…
It's spiritual nature making him blink twice.
Was that… an… Imaginary Attribute?
'It can be used in this way…?' Even amongst his psycho madness, Simon barely made this thought.
He wondered what she was going to do with it.
'Spectre Possessions' could only be completed after an Imaginary Attribute possessed the body.
Holding it up high like that didn't make any sense.
It was then she made her move.
With the Flintlock Sheath and newly formed cyan chokutō in her other hand, she brought it down.
"Weapon Unity…" She murmured as if chanting a spell. An interesting scene drew in the man's eyes.
The rabbit shaped chunk of energy and the Mystic Tool. It imbued mythologies onto the blade itself.
The 'Red Rabbit' represented inner strength, courage, confidence, and one's own personal transformation. The last part seemed most active when 'Divine Secret' was added to the equation.
The grade of the Mystic Tool went beyond its limit.
Simon was in awe. The slightly glowing weapon made of neon-like Hard-Light DUST transformed.
The sign of the red rabbit etched onto its body when the pellet of Moonslice Energy erupted out.
Divinities he'd never told others about were revealed. Each one connecting with her physique.
The shape of the weapon hadn't changed, but the neon weapon glowing cyan suddenly became 'real'.
It took on a red and black colour scheme.
Not dissimilar to High Fell and Low Hell…
['Red Rabbit' has possessed 'Starlight Striker'. It has evolved into the god weapon: 'Divinity Striker'.}
At the same moment of the blue screen, a clover started to grow from the base of the Mystic Tool.
Each leaf containing a different 'Divinity'.
The first was the 'Life Divinity' that gave limitless Life Force. Representing the leaf meaning 'Hope'.
The second was the 'Twilight Divinity' that gave him high adaptability. The representative of 'Faith'.
Creation seemed to be the important aspect of this new energy. Similar, yet different from the first one.
The third leaf was the one he'd forgotten he even had… also known as the dreadful 'Sword Divinity'.
The representative of 'Love'.
Thus, creating the most common variant of clovers that many would find often in a garden of plants.
That was all she could muster, right?
At least, Simon thought so until another Divinity he'd failed to remember grew into the fourth leaf.
'Eclipse Divinity'. The leaf representing 'Luck'.
The power of destruction almost arose a memory within him, but all he remembered was its utility.
'That should be it…' At the very least, he could clearly remember only four Gods had blessed him.
There shouldn't have been any more Divinities…
…and yet, the clover leaves continued to grow.
A red leaf holding an unusual Divinity he couldn't understand became the fifth leaf of the closer.
Representative of monetary gain.
The sixth leaf followed it, holding a wicked energy of evil that was far less familiar than the previous one. He knew for a fact that starting here, the Divinities she stole wasn't part of his own body.
It was only when it reached the seventh clover did he realise the sixth and seventh leaf was Shane's.
As the Moonslice Energy wasn't his own to begin with, she was able to access his disciple's power.
The final two leaves didn't have have any inherent meaning given to them. Which was a real pity.
Though it was understandable because how rare the mutation of a seven-leaf clover actually was.
Unlike the rare but viable-to-find five-leaf clover.
Not that such a thing mattered to him.
To Simon, he wondered what she was going to show him next in this spectacular 'performance'.
Was it finally ending?
No more stolen Divinities?
Even if she managed to make any more, it wasn't like she had the source of the Divinities within her.
That meant these powers were consumable and weak compared to their original counterparts.
There was nothing for him to worry about.
"…Screw this." Just as he expected her to finish her performance, she did one last act of defiance.
From the fourth leaf onwards, she plucked the Divinities and absorbed them into her own body.
Her 'Red Rabbit Divine Physique' was nurtured…
He could sense the strength of her physique had far exceeded her original statistics from earlier.
He couldn't understand why she did this…
A tattoo of a four-leaf clover appeared just above her collarbone, and a three-leaf clover on her tool.
She spoke up as if to address his confusion:
"They say a shamrock three-leaf clover symbolise the blessings for happiness. To have a faith, to hope, to love… but people like you tend to step on these shamrocks in search for your 'lucky charms'."
It was as if she was addressing his Drunken Chaos.
Velma wasn't happy he was willing drag other people down just because he was feeling miffed.
One's personal despair didn't forgive criminal acts.
It especially didn't excuse him acting like a psycho.
Simon blinked, realising that the world had changed and he wasn't talking to his disciple.
Reality started to settle in…
He remembered everything that happened, but he couldn't get out of this state of insanity he was in.
His killing intent felt like an unquenchable thirst…
A bloodlust that had seeped into his very being.
Moreover, Velma's harsh criticism wasn't making him calm down in the slightest. Her hand moved.
She pulled down on the handle of the chokutō sticking out of the Flintlock Sheath in her hand.
All while she dialled down the blade's length.
The rifle turned into a pistol in her hand. A crimson bayonet blade sticking out and pointed to his face.
He couldn't believe this…
"You have no right to judge me." For the first time in a long while, he spoke without a slur in his voice.
His words continued with at least SOME clarity:
"You don't know the amount of shit I had to go through in my long life. What do you know of me?!"
"I know that you've went through a lot." Her copy type Semblance allowed her to empathise a little.
She could tell he had a lot of experience he never wanted in the first place. Having no choice to fight.
However, that didn't do anything to her resolve.
"You know nothing about me!"
"I don't need to. Just answer… Did I say anything wrong? Have you appreciated moments of joy?"
"What's the point anyway? They weren't genuine moments... They were me escaping from reality!"
"So you wanted to end it all?"
"That's right! I just wanted to die so much…! But I'm immortal now, you know…? I can't end myself!"
He started to portray the act of a man cursed with immortality. Unable to die like a normal human.
And it was as if he was making a point.
'Right, I am such a tragic yet good person. My heart is clear.' Simon thought back to Adam.
He saw a lot of himself in that little guy…
So naive and soft… unable to face the reality that the world they lived in was a blessing in disguise.
They had no right to feel empty and out of place in a world like Earth. They shouldn't desire adventure.
Because those 'adventures' were no different from the crap they had to face when living in society.
If one couldn't even handle the real world, how would they be able to handle a world of fantasy?
A place where magic may seem like the stuff of dreams, but needed effort to master and control.
A place where 'people' still existed in all forms.
He had no bad intentions in his desire to train Adam. It was just him trying to teach him fortitude.
The kid might not understand his profound intentions right now, but he would with time.
When that time came, this new disciple of his would graciously thank him for his tutelage.
Simon's beliefs of this were broken easily.
Velma started off with revealing his lack of sight:
"You're projecting your regrets onto that guy. Don't try to dress things up nicely." Her eyes turned the dark featureless silhouette that hadn't moved an inch since earlier. Adam seemed to be in a coma.
Her weapon clicked dangerously…
"And so what if I am anyway? He's not much different from how I was. We are the same!"
"Get off your high horse." She narrowed her eyes and roared: "Don't pretend you couldn't die!"
She revealed a big inconsistency in what he said.
"…What?"
"You heard me right. That fourth Divinity that you clearly forgot. It's the gift of 'Self Destruction'. You aren't like him. If you wanted to die, suppressing your other blessings and ending it all would work.
But you know why you survived this long, right?" It was as if those eyes saw the heart of the matter.
His face twisted early when she brought this up.
Yet… he quickly admitted it:
"So what? Yeah, I lied. Even someone like me still wants to live. Oh how lucky I am to be immortal."
"Yeah… You are really lucky."
"I went through so much to get this power. You think I'm wrong? Immortality was a reward for my efforts to save the world. I had done so much for this world, but then another immortal appears o-"
It felt as if a bone was stuck in his throat the moment he reached the point of talking of Adam.
He'd realised by himself that he was truly…
…filled with unsightly jealousy.
Maybe they were different in the alienation part.
Maybe they had shallow similarities between them.
However, that didn't change the fact that while he'd trudged through a mountain of misfortune to get his power, Adam was naturally gifted it without giving any effort. Wasn't there something wrong?
How was this fair…?
Maybe… Maybe he wasn't a good person like he had initially believed, but he wasn't in the wrong.
"You were jealous of him?" Velma didn't know why he felt such a way, but her words triggered him.
"His talent isn't fair to everyone else. It's wrong! I just made him 'earn' his right to have such power."
"And since when did he need your permission?!" It was at this point the redhead saw herself in Adam.
And saw those despicable bastards that had tricked her into crippling her power in Simon.
What did he mean by 'earning' his talent?
"You don't understand anything! Why am I always being hurt like this?! I deserve a better ending!"
With those mad ravings followed him reaching into his mouth and pulling out the DUST from earlier.
He controlled the Hard-Light DUST using his familiarity with the Light Attribute over the years.
Thus, using 'art of light shaping' to create a familiar sword that could channel the Sword Divinity within.
The neon glowing properties of the cyan DUST fully transformed into a 'real' sword from memory.
It became a normal silver blade with golden runes embedded into its spine, giving off a majestic air.
She could feel a high purity Light Attribute inside it.
This was one of the many blades he used in his countless adventures through the many realms…
It was also known as… 'Heaven Asunder'!
A legendary blade he'd once used to split the sky.
The power of his Sword Divinity entered the blade.
Allowing it to regain its strength as a sacred sword.
Simon charged at her with reckless abandon with the almighty power in hand, ready to cut her apart.
"I deserve much better!" He roared while cutting her down, only to be matched with a similar sword.
"Thanks for teaching me how to use this power." A light glowed from the abyss of her blackened irises.
The 'Light Qi' she'd never been able to utilise now easily flowed through her hand to create a weapon.
And not the raw energy kind that inexperienced Light Initiators would form using Weapon White.
Her own 'Heaven Asunder' held was same intricately woven Light Attribute as her opponent.
They then started to square off at close range.
She started to remember the people in her life who demanded modesty from her from an early age…
…and how she dealt with those envious bastards.
At first, she couldn't keep up with Simon's increased tempo, improved capabilities, and unpredictable actions. The drunken war dance the crazy geezer showed reached the highest peak.
Simon took initiative to take her life once again.
With a single slash, Simon disarmed her Heaven Asunder and completely ignored her bayonet.
He didn't even flinch when the Flintlock Pistol's blade got caught in his shoulder. It was instead an opportunity. The 'Sword Divinity' slicing away at his shoulder meant nothing with his high regeneration.
In fact, he even used his self-healing to clutch the bayonet blade between his shoulder muscles.
His free arm releasing the sacred sword to rotate sharply. Throwing down a chop with his full weight.
He used his 'Theorem Sunder Hammer Drop'!
'Now die!' Of course, it wasn't as if he wasn't aware that she'd managed to block this move earlier.
Instead, he was planning to let her feel at ease.
The moment his chop hit her body, the raging power he derived from the energy reddening his body infused with Self-Destructive divinity would detonate. It'd snuff out her life force instantly.
Velma didn't know that his earlier actions had been a ploy to get her into position to use this attack.
Ever since he used Sleuth Sleight to identify her weakness, he'd mean meaning to pull off this ploy.
Though she may be able to copy any move she has seen, that could only be done in the past tense.
So long as he used a deadly move she hadn't seen before, it would be impossible for her to copy it.
But this itself wasn't enough to make him win.
He already knew she couldn't possibly use her Divinities without the knowledge of how to use them. That's why he displayed the careless act of allowing her to copy his 'art of light shaping' and expertise in using Sword Divinity reinforcement.
Then followed to make use of her carelessness.
The moment she let her guard down, he'd destroy her from within using his original power Divinity.
This creative application of his Eclipse Divinity was something that, even if she copied, would kill her.
After all, all he needed was one hit.
That's all he needed.
*Putch!*
His arm descended with the might of a giant.
She was in checkmate.
However, reality didn't fit what he'd imagined. His eyes widened when he saw her body vanished.
The world in his vision twisted. He a chunk of his body had been ripped off by a lethal explosion.
He quickly recovered from her throw before hitting the ground, allowing him to roll to displace the damage. When he looked at his missing arm, he realised what happened to him in an instant.
'She copied me that fast?' And not only that, his eyes widened by how she made it her own skill.
She imbued it into a flintlock bullet and fired…
He had to stop thinking of useless things and continue his assault, but her next words hit hard:
"I will protect my queen." She held out her hand and gestured him to come and get in a fiery form.
One last memory stimulated from deep in his psyche. A trauma he'd tried to forget for so long.
A woman… fire… queen… jeers and cheers from a crowd… his legs broken with his arms missing.
The memory caused him to attack in a craze.
He threw out a fist while throwing caution into the wind. Surprisingly, it hit squarely on her face.
Only to be reflected back using an ultimate skill.
*Smash!*
A technique Simon knew of, but had yet to display at any time in their battle. So how did she know?!
Her foot lifted and gave him a crescent kick after taking in the power of his strike to reflect it back.
A formless counter made to slay demons. To fully reflect damage while multiplying it with their own.
It was a technique that would've have backfired if she timed it even a little off, doubling her damage.
Which was why it was a kind of final gambit.
The so-called 'Devilsbane Gambit'!
Velma seemed quite proud of herself as she watched his figure fall. This was her own 'Sleight'.
Simon's mouth opened in horror. He realised that she'd surpassed his 'tempo' in the nick of time.
But… how…?!
She copied his Sleuth Sleight, but that was impossible. It wasn't something she could copy!
And how did she use a move he hadn't used yet?!
The answer was something Velma helpfully told:
"People called me 'Fang Breaker' for a reason." She held her finger to her mouth while limping back.
Her body finally ran out of stamina to fight.
Her mind had been pushed beyond its limits.
'I win…' She thought with a brilliant smile.
'…like always.' Her mind wandered while thinking of all the genuine fighters that went through her life.
Thinking they never knew her name before boasting superiority. Thinking they had 'talent'.
They'd think that so long as they put in effort, it would give them leverage over someone else.
As if everyone with talent wouldn't put in effort.
They framed themselves as the underdogs, and other times the overdog with hidden potential.
Baring their fangs they'd sharpened over time…
The skills and weapon techniques they prided themselves in, thinking that they were iconic.
She'd made her name knowing nothing about martial arts and climbing her way to the top.
Copying their moves shamelessly.
And when she finally reached the peak…
…they talked about her like she was a God.
Her eyes looking down on all who prided themselves in 'effort', stealing even that away.
This was the true nature of the 'Fang Breaker'.
A heaven defying stealer of skills and experience that should never have existed in the vast world.
Someone whose talent brought despair to all…
The crux of her Semblance.
Others were defined by a 'feeling', while she was defined by her eyes that saw through all tricks.
What a truly despicable rabbit she was…
The breaker of their fangs…
It was only when she managed to look down with her failing body did she realise he was still moving.
His stub of his shoulder hadn't bled one bit despite her having destroyed his tough arm previously.
The fear and horror she saw flash in the crazy old man's face was channeled into unquenchable rage.
There was nothing left in his emptied eyes…
No humiliation, nor frustration. Only the resolve to kill her regardless if she was a Celestial or a God.
To counteract his 'Devilsbane Gambit', he took in everything he'd experienced in life to make a skill.
One that, since he'd never used before, would be impossible to copy regardless of her Semblance.
She had underestimated a former 'Demon King'.
Or was he really that…?
Velma remembered that he'd revealed that he'd saved the world in the past, and that was real.
At one point in his long life, he had worn the mask of a hero. The typical type that would never fall.
Even if someone took out his organs and crushed them before his eyes, Simon would murder all evil.
That was his chivalrous code…
"Aaa- Aaaaargh!" He forced a roar out his mouth and stood back on his two feet. It was his victory.
Like always…
Regardless, the bratty smile on Velma's face had yet to fade completely. She lifted up her finger.
Pointing directly behind him.
"You're not going to deal with 'them' first?" The way confidently spoke almost made him turn.
However, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. There was no way he'd fall for her scheme!
He channeled his senses to only focus on her. To see what she was planning before approaching her.
But unknowingly, this was exactly her ploy.
Because he shut off his concentration to his surroundings, Simon didn't notice two dark figures.
Nor how a magic user threw off the invisible cloak…
Hyuk and Sebastian's eyes glowed with Mana and Qi. They tacked him down and squeezed it all out.
Every drop of their powers fuelled the MagiQi Morpher on the crazy geezer's back all at once.
Then watched the old man was swallowed by the explosion of energy that followed their actions.
But the three of them frowned when they saw what he'd turned into. Familiar horns were on his head.
'We… failed?' They all thought at once with pale complexions. Sebas was sure the setting was right.
That the 'render' was made with the intentions of turning him into someone a lot less malicious…
The three of them couldn't handle the shock of his appearance. Losing consciousness without a word.
Simon stood above them with calculating eyes…
His gaze mysterious and profound feeling that couldn't be explained as he looked around himself.
He spoke with a scarily calm tone, one that would have made their hair stand on end, with confusion:
"Where the hell am I?"
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