Capítulo 108: The Final Hand Was a Royal Flush
Shout out to Psychotic_Daoist. May you get a triple kill with a single use of Widow's venom mine. Be warned, this chapter is super long.
Shawn POV:
I look at the new opponent with annoyance. It was a bulky omnic with a black frame. Just by looking at him, I knew that he had some weapons stored in his upper body. If the past was any indication, his glowing purple eyes told me who I was currently talking to.
"Hello Anubis."
He drops Mamoru's body to the ground with a thud. "Well, not quite. But for now, let's just assume that's true." The omnic says shrugging.
It was clear that he wasn't about to clarify that statement, but that was the least of my worries. Mamoru's wounds were serious and if left untreated, he could die. However, that was the issue.
Yahiro rose up behind me, her arm that I tore off beginning its healing process.
"It's good that you two already know each other, saves time for introductions." She responds.
Anubis narrows his eyes, "You two seem... different." He looks both me and Yahiro up and down. "Interesting. Somehow your very cells seem to move different do what a human should do. Almost as if you were aware of them and controlling them. A human's mind is incapable of comprehending something on that level. And yet..."
He turns back to me. "This is beginning to get tiresome. Every time I encounter you, I find you stronger than the last time. A human shouldn't be capable of this level of improvement within the course of a couple of months. Therefore, I offer, once again, the opportunity for us to join forces."
Trying to keep both of them distracted, I entertain his idea, as I slowly move myself towards Mamoru in the hopes of touching him. "Oh, you still assume that you're on the winning side?" I ask him.
"By my calculations, I whatever human resistance there is in the world, would be stamped out by the end of the year. Of course, if you're aligned with me, I could save a portion of humans, to be under your care and you would only answer to me."
His offer was unappealing. With my newfound Body Supremacy, the idea for nanites was definitely a necessity. I couldn't get the nanites if 80% of humanity was dead, as the inventor of them was unknown. But, as I needed him to keep talking, I wasn't going to say that out loud.
"Well, you have a good point about one thing. I've also grown tired of fighting your never-ending legions of omnics. Count me on board." I tell him.
Yahiro raises an eyebrow, "So, you'll join him, but when I made an offer, you refused me. I even made the same offer."
Anubis ignored her, "I'm no fool, Mr. Rose. Actions speak louder than words. If you really are on board, you'll have to kill all the high command of the organization you are a part of. After that's done, I can consider you to be on my side." He explains.
Yeah, no. That most certainly was not going to happen. From where I was currently positioned, Mamoru was pretty close, but Anubis was no farther. To avoid an immediate response from suspicion, I acted as soon as he came up with that proposal. Taken aback by my sudden unprovoked attack, Anubis steps back, preparing for anything I would do. Yahiro stands as her stump of an arm begins to swing, preparing to counter me.
Roughly grabbing Mamoru's body, as soon as my hands come into contact with him, I begin his healing process on him. Mamoru stirs, "Sorry, to let a bot be able to get the jump on me." Standing up, I lock eyes with Yahiro.
"Don't worry, he isn't your normal omnic. Plus, you'll be able to get your revenge as I'm the only one who can handle Yahiro. You'll have to hurry to finish him as we still need to destroy Kitsune's barrier and kill her." I explain to him.
Rising to his feet, he stretches out his hands, posing once more to take on Anubis. "That's if she doesn't use Sojiro to interrupt one of our fights. However, I will listen to your advice, and avoid getting hit by him." He responds back.
Yahiro's arm fully grows back, and she flexes it, smiling as she looks at me. Anubis looks disgusted at Mamoru as he has little choice but to fight him. Sensing that we have little time left on the clock, I rush in towards Yahiro. Mamoru follows my example, closing the distance between him and Anubis.
General POV:
Anubis calculates the timing of his opponent, then swings out with a heavy fist aimed towards Mamoru's head. As expected, Mamoru dodges his attack, and he doesn't bother trying to dodge Mamoru's counter. His blade strikes Anubis' armor and gets uselessly deflected off as he dances back out of the way of another attack by Anubis.
He stands there looking annoyingly down on Mamoru as he watches him slowly begin to circle him. Sighing, Anubis confronts him.
"You're outclassed, human, as you have no way of damaging this body. Give it up."
Mamoru looks down for a second, thinking on everything that's happened tonight. Then he looks up, with a confidence. "Hhmp." Mamoru merely replies, as his focus shifts to other things.
Without another word, Mamoru rushes towards Anubis once more. Sighing, Anubis prepares for another engagement that he feels is pointless. He swipes at Mamoru's chests, looking to dispatch him to get this over with faster. To his surprise, Mamoru knocks his hand away from him as he swipes out.
"As I told you this is point..." Anubis pauses as his sensors begin to flare. Looking down, he sees a slash on his arm with sparks flickering from tore wires.
"It's just one annoyance after the next." Anubis says.
Meanwhile, Shawn engages with Yahiro, who much like her before, had given up on defense and focused on attack. However, his attacks were more effective. He went for the same plan as before, as she could basically do the same as him, but not as efficiently. Since he could control his bioelectricity, he had more energy to continuously heal while also strengthening himself. Therefore, in order to come out victorious, it came down to whoever ran out of energy first and could no longer heal.
Of course, Yahiro wasn't a fool and was fighting long before Shawn was even born. On the second engagement, she had noticed his aggressive style and had noticed his plan. She loved a fist fight just as much as the next person, but she knew that with her newly acquired powers, that everything hinges on her. She couldn't afford to die, especially not with this new power. Think of all that she could do with it.
So, she fought on, defending against attacks that would cause damage to cause her to heal, while countering with attacks that would cause him to heal instead. While Shawn had the healing advantage, Yahiro had battle expertise on her side. It was a deadly game of rock paper scissors that they were playing.
While both sides were fighting, over their grunts and through their focus, a single noise. Everyone in the room felt a ghastly chill, as the sound of a baby crying fills the room. Dread filling Shawn and Mamoru's bodies, they turn back to see Kitsune shrouded in a black mist with glowing red eyes, laughing manically as she holds a baby in her arms.
Energy all around the room begin to flow through the talismans leading to where Sojiro is. Dropping the barrier, Kitsune stands.
"Hah! You're too late now. The spell will take effect and the Shimada will be our dogs. You have lost Mam..." Her words trail off as a figure takes action. Mamoru stands before her, with his blade sticking in her neck. As her body falls to the floor, Mamoru grabs the baby from her hands.
Yahiro kicks into action, as she knows that if the baby dies too, the spell will be void and everything will be for nothing. She only manages to take a step before Shawn stops her, holding her back before she can make it to Mamoru. Anubis too tries to go to stop Mamoru, but Shawn also stops him. Putting his bioelectricity to overclock for the first time since acquiring Body Supremacy. He needed to do anything possible to buy Mamoru enough time to make his decision.
Mamoru POV:
I stood there, holding my newborn nephew in my hands, with the blade hovering over his throat. His cries were the only thing I could focus on, despite the two deadly opponents in the room. I knew that I couldn't afford to hesitate like I am now. I had already convinced myself to do it, any delay would get me to think about it which would mean I would never do it. One more motion, and everything would return to normal.
And yet, I stood there, lost in his cries as I realized, I couldn't do it. I felt a tear go down my face and land on his as I understood what the events of today has shown me. I was not strong enough.
On that thought, an extreme pain in my chest takes me out of my thoughts as I look down to see a black metal hand poking through my body. My entire body grows weak as I lose all feeling in my legs. Coughing up blood, I fall to the ground on my knees as the baby is grabbed from me. I'm sorry, Sojiro, for everything.
As the world turned black, I realized that I should be scared that I was dying. But instead, there was a weird feeling that I hadn't felt for years. Something that I had forgotten until this day. Relief.
Shawn POV:
Despite how much I was pushing myself, it was a matter of when they would slip past me and not if. I'm sure that if I focused solely on the fight with holding them back, I probably could have done it longer. But my attention was fixated on Mamoru, and what he would do. I knew that the moment that he held Genji in his arms, that he wasn't going to kill him. Therefore, in honor of Mamoru, I wouldn't either.
At that moment, I left a hole in my defenses, and Anubis rushed past me and now it was Yahiro's turn to hold me back. I could only watch as Anubis plunged his hand into Mamoru's chest. Seeing Anubis stand over his body as he held Genji, rage flowed through me. My bioelectricity moved faster than ever before, creating electrical energy. Lightning sparked off of me as I easily bat Yahiro to the side.
Landing beside Anubis, I grab his head with both of my hands and tear it off his body. The electricity fizzes out as I catch Genji before Anubis' body falls to the ground. I sway a little, as my body repairs itself from having electricity be created and used by me. As I hold him, I see Yahiro slowly approaching towards us uneasily. I could understand her concern, as she needed Genji to be alive, while me and Mamoru's mission was to stop the spell.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill him." I explain to her.
"And why not." She asks cautiously.
"If Mamoru didn't do it, I can't either." I merely say to her.
She pauses, "Despite knowing what that spells for the Shimada?"
I nod my head. I could do it, end him right here, but I don't want to. I liked Genji's character in the game but more importantly, it wasn't my place to make that decision. Plus, as long as Hanzo or Genji remained alive, the Shimada clan wasn't truly dead. Not only that, but the spell would also lose meaning if I killed the last Hashimoto member, Yahiro. But, before I took action, another voice rung out in the room, making me pause.
"And who are you, that you would be worrying about the welfare of the Shimada?" I turn to find Sojiro approaching.
"I am Shawn Rose, Mamoru's pupil." I explain to him, but my words are lost to him as his eyes are fixed on the baby in my hands. I hold him off to Sojiro, who all but snatches him out of my arms.
Men with suits rush into the throne room holding katanas, but Yahiro holds her hand up, stopping them. She smiles devilishly.
"Well then, it's high time we were on our way. Mr. Rose, should you like to reconsider my offer, you know where to find me." Having said that, she begins to exit with the men following her. I don't bother going after her, as I feel a sudden exhaustion as I look to Sojiro who looks at the baby in his arms with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
He holds the baby up in the air, "Genji. Your name is Genji."
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I kneel, sitting on my knees before all the elders and Sojiro, who for some reason looked less than pleased.
"Being Mamoru's apprentice, in such an unorthodox manner, means that we cannot accept you into the clan." Sojiro simply says.
That was fine, I was growing tired of these assholes. What wasn't fine, was what he was saying beforehand.
"That's fine, in actuality, I care more for allowing my teacher Mamoru's name to not be stained and not forbidden to even be mentioned by a member of your clan."
Sojiro sits back in his chair, putting his hand to his temple in annoyance. "This again? I've told you that my decision still stands. Mamoru was a blight on this clan. If he had only listened, none of this would have happened. He would still have been alive, and she would...." He trails off as his eyes moisten as he thinks about his wife. The elders beside him nod their head in agreement to his words, but I ignore them.
"It's not fair, after everything Mamoru has done to atone, you still treat him like this. He's your brother, who gave his life to free you. Without his help, you'd still be drooling over the Hashimoto." I respond in defiance. I was tired, and their arrogant stances despite what happened, was doing no favors. Forget being humble before them.
Red goes into Sojiro's face as he stands up furious. "You think it's unfair! We have rules, laws, and traditions that separate us from the animals for a reason. No one is above these rules, not even my brother. It would not matter what he did to try to atone, he will always be banished. You are an outsider that he just so happened to take in. What do you know of the traditions of the Shimada?" He shouts at me.
As calm as I could be, I respond, "I know that you are a slave to them." Anger fills the face of everyone in the room. The elders also rise to their feet as Sojiro's bodyguards draw their weapons. Sojiro stops them by raising his hand. Taking a deep breath, Sojiro calms himself down.
"It is no matter. Enough blood has been shed today. We have much to deal with outsider, and you being a distraction is of no help. The guards will see you out." He says.
I rise to my feet, eager to get out of here before I do something that I'll regret. Leaving the chambers, I walk towards the exit, pretty sure the steam was coming out of my ears. I'm stopped by a small figure. Narrowing my eyes, I recognize it to be a young Hanzo.
Bowing, his little voice manages out, "Thank you. For saving my father."
Hearing that, my mood improves a little, before it's soured again by a guard putting his hand on my shoulder. Giving him a death glare, both of them back off as they sense impending death as I turn back to Hanzo.
As I'm not in the right state of mind, nothing comes to my head to respond back to him, so I merely return the bow. " In the future, when you're at your lowest, I'll be there in your time of need." I tell him. Having said that, I go to exit, not wanting to spend another second in this place while the Shimada own it.
The rain has started again outside, but I ignore it as I walk down the street. My mind can't help but reflect on everything that happened today, and it darkens my mood more. Mentally, I apologize to Hanzo and Genji for the things to come, but I realize that I made the right choice in not killing Genji. The Shimada deserve everything that happens to them.
Walking to Mamoru's car that me and Sojiro took back, I search my pockets to find that I no longer had the keys. More importantly, I actually never learned to drive, as it was S3bastian who drove me everywhere. Sighing in frustration, a noise to my right directs my attention to an alley. I spy three Hashimoto grunts assaulting a lady who pleads to be left alone.
Getting out of the car, I realize that Sojiro may view his actions and decisions correct according to the Shimada, he couldn't be more wrong. One thing he's especially wrong about, is that enough blood hasn't been shed today. In fact, I fear it will never be enough.
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