บท 93: Life or Death
[Date: 1/25 - Saturday]
[Time: 1:30 PM]
[Location: Verdant Grove - Verdant Tower]
Rebecca and I stood off against one another, our gazes locked onto each other. Rebecca watched me closely and tried to gauge how long I could still fight for. Once she was done gauging me, she launched herself toward me at high speeds.
I watched her movements then dodged her slashes, getting on the defensive so I couldn't study how she fights before making my move. Rebecca sliced upward then horizontally, aiming to take my head off but I evaded both attacks then jumped back.
"Pepe! Watch out behind you!" Ani called out, watching the fight from the grasp of the giant skeletal hand.
I ducked and evaded a slice from a Reaper that loomed behind me. I kicked the Reaper back then dashed toward Rebecca with a swift roundhouse kick. Rebecca ducked under my kick then slashed upward, her attack landing true and knocking me in the air. Rebecca palmed my chest, blasting me away with a powerful force of Death Energy.
I grunted as I rolled away, recovering onto one knee. I placed a hand on my chest, feeling my heart stopping for a second and noticed she had drained some of my Life-Force. 'Okay...out of everyone I've fought so far, she's gotta be one of the harder opponents. I'm running low on Stamina...and she can drain my Life-Force. She's running off a full battery here..'
{Suru: Switch with me! Since you don't have much Stamina left, there's really no risk in this!}
[Lust-E: Mmm...I would have to agree. Whatever Suru is planning, you should at least take the chance.]
I nodded then stood up slowly, swapping Lust-E as my main companion for Suru. I looked at Rebecca and my eyes faintly glowed. 'What's the plan..?'
{Suru: You're gonna use Grand World! It's the STRONGEST ability for the Crest of Talent, even stronger than One in a Million that Talenta has! Hold on, let me give you the information. Stall for time while I do!}
I nodded and glanced at Rebecca, rolling my shoulder. "Hey, you're pretty strong you know that?"
Rebecca stared at me with her usual cold and distant gaze. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Moji. Your death is still forseen.."
"Hmph, you say that as if the Future is ever truly certain. I have defied fate before, paved my own Destiny with just Ambition alone. I wouldn't be who I am now had I not defied my fate and created my own path," I countered, crossing my arms and meeting Rebecca's gaze head on.
"I have read your Aura...used Death Sense. You can not escape the clutches of The Lady Grim Reaper, you can not defeat Death itself. I am Death and if I say it's time to go...your time will come.." Rebecca said, pointing her scythe at me.
'Are you almost done..? I can tell she's becoming more impatient..' I thought to Suru.
{Suru: Almost...done. And...GOT IT!}
[Skill Unlocked: Grand World]
[Grand World Description: The user can manipulate energies that don't abide by the same physical laws and modern science (Esoteric Energy). Like normal energy, this form of energy comes in multiple forms.]
Suddenly, I felt a rush of different energies flowing around me. Once Grand World was activated, my Crest of Love force swapped my Crest of Charm into Crest of Talent. The normal blue aura around be began to shift into multiple hues of blue, from light to dark.
[Stamina has been recovered to 80%]
'What is this..? This feels so much different than my Crest of Talent...and much different from my Unleashed State..' I thought, looking at the aura that surrounded my body.
{Suru: This is Grand World! It is unlocked when you access the Esorian Relic called the Monarch Index. This ability gives you access to a level higher than Unleashed State. It's called the Mystic State.}
{Suru: In this form, you can virtually create anything and use any ability you want from the Monarch Index. However, the stronger and larger the creation, the more stamina you will use.}
I nodded and looked at my hands, balling them into fists. 'I only have 80% Stamina, and it may look like a lot but with a power like this, something I'm not familiar with...it's not a lot. However I'll made do with that I can get.'
Rebecca watched me and lowered her scythe slightly. 'His power level just increased. Could it be because of that other System he has around him? And that form...what is that?'
Ani watched me, her eyes shimmering with hope as she noticed me unlocking a new ability. 'Pepe...~ A new ability...no...it's an Awakened Ability...'
I looked at Rebecca and got into my stance, my eyes flashing with a renewed determination. "Let us continue. The playing field is now more even, so let's start getting this show on the road."
Rebecca stared at me then gave me a more serious expression. She got into her stance and began to take this fight more serious. 'Who the hell is this guy truly..?'
"Pepe! Don't hold anything back!" Ani called out.
I let out a Tribal Howl, my aura surging powerfully around my body then I propelled myself toward Rebecca at high speeds, her eyes widening as she was caught off by my rejuvenated state. I immediately landed a Destiny Flash, blue lightning flashing upon impact and I knocked her through the forest.
I followed her swiftly, giving chase at high speeds. The skeletal hand began to follow Rebecca at high speeds, matching her movements while Ani braced herself for the high speed movements going on. She noticed Rebecca and I clashing around the forest, moving around at high speeds through the forest.
"You may have surprised me, but that doesn't change your inevitable fate!" Rebecca bellowed, slashing horizontally and a streak of darkness formed in front of her, releasing shadow arrows at me.
I swiped my hand, forming a blue barrier of sorts, causing the arrows to strike the barrier. "If that's what you think, allow me to show you why I am crowned Destiny's Hero!"
Multiple blue flashes formed around the barrier and began releasing energy blasts back toward Rebecca. Rebecca groaned as she was hit, each blast knocking her further back. She grunted as she recovered and noticing me emerging from the smoke cloud with a fireball in hand.
"Esoteric Fire Technique: Fire Bomb!" I bellowed, launching the fireball toward Rebecca.
Rebecca dodged the fireball, but as the fireball hit the ground, an explosion happened and blew Rebecca away again. She rolled backwards then stood up, her chest heaving as she was becoming more irritated.
"No!! I will not accept this! I won't allow you to embarrass me like this!" Rebecca yelled, her Death Energy surging powerfully around her.
Rebecca began to summon multiple Zombies, Skull Knights, and Mummies around the area. I looked around and noticed my Tribal Tattoos glowing a faint purple then smirked.
"Lokahi, Lokahi!" I chanted, my voice echoing out through the forest.
"Lokahi, Lokahi!" Ani called back out, her heart racing with excitement as she watched me.
I let out another Tribal Howl, a burst of divine energy surging around my body and I transform into my Nigoku Form. My power beads formed around my neck and white lightning crackled around my body.
Rebecca grunted as she shielded herself from the high winds my aura created. She peeked at me, a soft gasp of shock escaping her lips and her eyes widening.
I looked at Rebecca with a serious expression, now in my strongest Tribal Form along with my Mystic State. "Now the real battle will start. Are you ready for what's to come for you, Rebecca?"
'What is this..?! Why is my heart racing..?! Why can't I read his Aura anymore..?! What is happening?!' Rebecca thought, her mind racing with multiple questions all at once.
With a commanding voice, Rebecca commanded her forces to charge at me all at once. I lowered my posture then launched myself toward the undead forces, striking them down with relative ease. A group of Mummies all began to gather around me and pile on top of me.
I let out a bellow, using a powerful force of light energy to get each of them off me. The Zombies charged at me, slashing their toxic claws at me, but I dodged each attack, then dropped an orb of floral energy onto the ground, forming the Garden of Bliss around the area.
Rebecca noticed her forces had froze in the presence of the beautiful flowers, their wills to fight decreasing. 'No...this power should be impossible..! I can't lose to him..! I mustn't!'
Her gaze shifted to mine then she grunted as two giant roots rushed around the battlefield, striking down each of her undead forces in one blow. She watched as the forces approached her swiftly, but she used her scythe to quickly slice the roots into tiny pieces.
"You will die by my hands, Shiro Moji!" Rebecca yelled then pointed at the fallen Zombies and Mummies. "Corpse Explosion!"
I looked around me and noticed the bodies of the Zombies and Mummies glowing and expanding, each one detonating into a volatile and powerful explosion. A large black cloud of smoke began to fill the area, the lush greens around the area starting to decay due to the rotting presence the Zombies and Mummies released.
Rebecca noticed no activity for a moment, a sense of security and certainty returning to her. As she began to relax, she felt rumbling beneath her then groaned as a large burst of superheated water blasted her in the air.
"I hope you didn't think you've won!" I bellowed as I used my Wind Energy to propel myself above her. "Esoteric Light Technique: Radiant Flash!"
I launched a powerful beam of light energy toward Rebecca, the beam blasting her to the ground and causing a powerful light explosion in a moderate area. Rebecca let out a pained shriek as she was blown away by the explosion, her body slamming into a tree.
[Stamina has lowered to 70%]
I landed on the ground and watched Rebecca, noticing her stand up. Rebecca growled lowly, her eyes darkening with rage and frustration. She met my gaze, dropping her scythe and surrounded herself with Spiritual Energy.
"That is enough...The time for games...are over," Rebecca said, her tone strangely calm and relaxed.
Rebecca summoner a skull and tossed off her cloak, tossing the skull and cloak in the air. The two formed together and formed a powerful Reaper then the reaper picked up the scythe on the ground.
Rebecca began to calmly ascend into her Awakened form, the Philosopher's Stone within her shining and forming a crown of candles on her head, the flames becoming purple and her Death Energy awakening into Nether Energy. Silver gauntlets appeared on her hands then she got into her stance.
"You are now in the presence of Death Incarnate, the Nether Reaper. There is no chance of winning for you...Not anymore," Rebecca said, now able to read my aura once again.
I got into my stance and my power beads began to glow, my eyes glowing with pure resolve. "We will see about that..."
Rebecca stared at me with her glowing red eyes then her very presence began form a thick layer of mist around the forest, obstructing my vision. I looked around, staying on high alert and trying to sense where Rebecca was.
As I searched around, Rebecca appeared next to me, landing a powerful kick to my face, knocking me away. Recovering into my feet, I sensed an attack behind me and pivoted into a blast of energy, but only hit an illusion. Suddenly, the Nether Reaper appeared behind me, slicing my back, causing me to groan in slight pain.
"You can't beat me anymore, Shiro. Make this easier on yourself...and let Death take its course," Rebecca said, her voice echoing around me.
I looked around and noticed faint flickers of Rebecca's figure around me. Phantoms of her began circling around me, and I couldn't tell which one was the real Rebecca.
"What's wrong, Shiro..? You don't have anymore tricks to use..?" Rebecca asked with a taunting tone, a chilling chuckle following her taunt.
'It's not that I don't have tricks...it's that I can't mindlessly use them or else I'll just be wasting stamina. Using a widespread attack like Garden of Bliss will only just drain more stamina...' I thought, my eyes searching around for the real Rebecca.
"Well if you won't attack anymore...then I'll just take this chance to strike!" Rebecca bellowed, rushing toward me at near invisible speeds.
I noticed her phantoms rushing toward me, each one attacking me from all directions and draining my Life-Force with each attack. I grunted as I tried defending myself, trying my hardest to find the real Rebecca so I could end the illusions.
I knew I would need to take a chance, as I couldn't allow her to keep draining my Life-Force like this. I generated Wind Energy around me then threw my arms out, releasing a large dome of wind around me to blow away the Phantoms.
I noticed Rebecca wasn't anywhere near me then grunted as a Zombie hand emerged from underground and grabbed me, keeping me still.
"Now! Death Arts: Penetrating Soul.." Rebecca commanded, her tone calm as she pointed at me.
Her Nether Reaper rushed toward me as I was constrained, slicing upwards and not only struck my physical body, but my Soul as well. I couldn't even make a noise, my eyes slowly losing its color and becoming dull.
Ani's eyes widened as she watch, her voice caught within her throat. She wanted to scream, but couldn't and all she could do was stare at the scene.
Rebecca's face split into a cold, chilling smirk as she watched me fall to my knees. "Finally...Shiro Moji...is dead.."
Rebecca walked toward me and slowly tilted my head up, looking down at me with satisfaction and dominance. She noticed my dead eyes and softly chuckled then let go of my head, watching as my power beads fell to the ground.
"P-Pepe..." Ani choked, her body shaking as she watched the scene. "No...you can't die...Pepe, get up...please.."
Rebecca walked away from me and looked at Ani, smirking at her. "He's not getting up any time soon...or at all for that matter. He's dead...and now it's your turn to die.."
Ani cried out for me, writhing in the grasp of the skeletal hand and groaning in pain as the hand began squeezing harder the more she struggled. Rebecca held her hand out, the Nether Reaper handing her scythe to her.
"Don't struggle," Rebecca said in a chilling tone, preparing to strike Ani down.
"Shiro!!!" Ani screamed, her voice ringing out throughout the entire forest.
Rebecca laughed at her attempts to call for help, swinging her scythe, but suddenly paused as she felt a powerful force of energy. She looked back at me and noticed my Crest of Love shining on my chest, her gaze watching the faint iridescent glow.
Lust-E and Suru stayed by my side, noticing the glow as well. Ani looked at the glow, grunting as her Love Sigil glowed and an orb of light emerged from her body and floated toward me. The orb of light entered my body and my body faintly glowed.
"What..? What is going on..?" Rebecca asked then noticed 24 Orbs of Light floating toward me from Sanctuary City and Destiny Central.
Each orb of energy entered my body and caused it to glow. Suddenly, iridescent energy began to pulsate around my body, the Crest of Love shining brightly. I slowly began to open my eyes, my eyes glowing an iridescent light.
Rebecca's eyes widened in shock and she stumbled back in disbelief, gasping and clutching her scythe tightly. "What?! But your Soul was cut in two! How are you alive?!"
I slowly rose to my feet and stumbled a bit, my hair shadowing my eyes. My tribal tattoos began to glow an iridescent light, the Golden Star in the sky shining brightly then I let out a powerful roar. My iridescent energy surged powerfully as I transformed into my Redeemer's Form once again.
Rebecca felt her heart racing with confusion, shock, and an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time. For the first time in a while, Rebecca began to experience...fear.
'That benevolent energy...No way...he just negated his own Death. He just resurrected..! How is this possible..?! This shouldn't be possible! He was as dead!' Rebecca thought, her breathing becoming heavier as she began to sweat and pant.
[Ability Activated: The Power That Comes From Love.]
Rebecca took a moment to breathe then braced herself then dashed toward me. "That's fine because I'll just kill you again!"
Before Rebecca's attack could reach me, a barrage of invisible forces began striking her. A rush of afterimages delivering constant blows to the her body then I took place of the last afterimage, knocking her away with a Savior's Flash.
Rebecca groaned as she rolled along the ground then she recovered onto her feet. She began to summon multiple undead forces around me and commanded them all to strike me down. The forces rushed toward me, but pillars of iridescent light began crashing down, eliminating each undead force in one strike.
"What are you?! How are you even still alive?!" Rebecca bellowed, demanding an answer from me.
I stared at Rebecca and my eyes glowed brightly. "I am Destiny's Hero. I am the Mojisolan Tribal Leader. I am the Chosen One. I am the Light that banished the Darkness. I am the Anointed One! I am the Savior chosen by Esoria's greatest! I am Shiro Moji!"
Rebecca grit her teeth and let out a scream, finally losing her cool and formed a large orb of Death Energy. "I will not lose to you! I am Death Incarnate! I can not allow you to deny the course of Fate!"
"Everyone is Destined to die one day, yes...but today isn't my day! I will not let someone else decide my final fate!" I bellowed, outstretching my arms and generating two orbs of iridescent energy.
"You will die right now!" Rebecca screamed, launching the orb of Death Energy at me.
"Unity...Overdrive!" I bellowed, bringing my palms together and launching a massive beam of iridescent energy toward Rebecca.
The beam of energy rushed toward Rebecca at high speeds, dismantling her sphere of death and striking her head on. Rebecca screamed in pain as the beam began to engulf her body, a titanic explosion happening in the area that could be seen from both Destiny Central and Sanctuary City.
"Whoa! Did you all see that?!" Luckie called out, noticing the smoke cloud from the air.
"That was Shiro...so he did come back to us. He's still with us," Lustie said, taking a breath of relief. "Let's hurry back to him!"
My Love Demons began to make their way back to Verdant Grove to check on me, each of them flying toward me with urgency.
The smoke cloud slowly began to clear, revealing Rebecca on the ground, fallen to her knees and the Nether Reaper slowly began to fade away, leaving just her staff and cloak. Rebecca's Philosopher's Stone exited her body, falling to the ground in front of her.
The skeletal hand holding Ani crumble into dust, dropping Ani and allowing her to hurry to my side. I looked at Ani, watching as she tackled me into a tight embrace. I wrapped my arms around her as well, holding her tightly in my embrace.
Rebecca softly chuckled as she stared at the ground, her hair shadowing her eyes. "Ever since I've become the Agent of Death, obtaining the powers of my ancestor...I've never lost a single fight..."
Ani let go of me and hurried behind me, worried that Rebecca would try something again. "Pepe..."
"Then you showed up...and I had victory in my grasp. I had done something no other member of the Syndicates could do...I killed you and you rose from the dead...as if even Death couldn't stop you. How...how is this possible..?" Rebecca asked, her gaze fixated on the ground.
"Love is a powerful force. Love can bring you strength from Bonds, Compassion, Faith... Rebecca, I am not going to deny the fact that you did kill me. I genuinely did die, but my Crest of Love...the women who truly believed in me and loves me brought me back," I said, walking forward toward her.
"Love..? Heh...how... ridiculous..." Rebecca chuckled softly then slowly looked up at me. "Death doesn't know Love. Death has no qualms with such emotions. I don't know about Love...not anymore..."
"Love isn't only about relationships...it can also be symbolic," I said as I slowly couched down to meet her gaze. "We are contrasts of each other...You are the Agent of Death, one who decays and brings inevitably. I am the new Savior of today...the current True Hero that rejuvenates and brings hope, redemption, and new life."
"You can't have Death without Life...and you can't have Life without Death. Life and Death love each other just as Chaos and Order does. It's all just a symbolic love of Light and Darkness. I can teach you that love again..." I said, my tone soothing and soft.
Rebecca stared into my eyes then glanced down, feeling a sudden warmth wash over her. "But...I tried to kill you...I did kill you. I don't deserve your mercy..."
I gently made Rebecca look into my eyes, my fingers gently holding her chin. "You have my mercy. You don't need to fight with the Syndicates anymore. I can help you redefine your purpose...and show you the right path.."
Rebecca's gaze locked onto mine. She couldn't take her eyes off mine, and she felt her heart beating again with a purpose. She slowly nodded, parting her lips to speak. "I'd like that..."
I smiled at her then helped her up, holding her now warm hand delicately. "Welcome to the winning side, Rebecca..~"
{Luscious Task Complete: Converted Rebecca to your side.}
{Mission Complete!}
"Shiro!" Lustie called out then ran toward me, tackling me into a tight hug. She began to plant multiple kisses upon my cheek and nuzzled me. "I'm so glad you're not dead! I'm so glad..!"
"When we felt your life force disappear, we grew worried because we thought we had lost you..." Charismari said, holding her hand at her chest.
"And I was about to get pissed off! We just helped you become a Savior! It would've been a waste if you just died on us!" Flirtoria scoffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away, but a blush played on her face, happy I was still alive.
I smiled at my love demons then glanced at everyone around me. "I wouldn't be alive again it weren't for you all. I need you all just as much as you need me and I love you all just as you love me.."
A smile formed on everyone's faces at my words. Without wasting another second, we began to leave the forest and headed back to the share house in Sanctuary City so I could get my much deserved rest. This battle wasn't easy and it showed me that if I wanted to stand any chance against Feleti and Lotus in the future, I would need more strength and bonds to rely on so that I wouldn't fear the possibility of losing again.
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