by Vee Bosse
“My name is Gabby Jennings. I was just admiring that dragon of yours, that’s all. What’s its name?” Westin allowed a carefree smile to come on his face, as he rubbed Nova’s snout. A short burst of fire warmed them both up when the dragon sneezed, causing Westin to step backwards with a unique laughter. “Ha, his name is Nova. He is actually my friend’s dragon. So, you like to chill on skyscrapers, watching for dragons?”
Gabby didn’t flinch at his suddenly upfront question, as she removed her hand from her pocket to point directly at Westin. “That wasn’t what I was watching for, but maybe, this is just dynamic luck that I saw a fire dragon tonight.” Westin gazed at her with a streak of hospitality, feeling relief from the panic welling up inside of him once again. He had now killed a lot of soldiers from the Eastern Latitude, but fact that they were intent on murdering millions of innocent people gave him a large feeling of security with himself, although he was still having trouble accepting the fate that had attached itself to him.
“I have a confession to make, Westin Anderson.” Suddenly, Westin grew serious and tense; he was disturbed by the fact that his woman knew his name. “I am one of Jayce Wolfgain’s top agents, Number Three, to be precise.” Westin had heard from Haynes’ communication that the top ten agents around the country were not to be taken lightly, but he suddenly wondered if he would be strong enough to take down Number Three, of all people.
“I had guessed that I wouldn’t be lucky enough to avoid one of you on the way to where we are going, but I’m in a hurry, so I can’t afford to waste any time.” Westin prepared himself to do what he had to once again, but he was utterly stunned at what suddenly transpired in front of his eyes. “What!?”
It had happened in a flash, as something literally tumbled out of the sky, and slit the Number Three agent’s throat; almost as though she was fodder. “The hell is going on?!” Nova and Westin took a step back in confusion, as Gabby clutched her throat as it spewed massive amounts of blood. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and the figure that was cloaked in a black ninja suit kicked her off of the skyscraper for an ungodly fall to the ground below.
“A...another ninja? I am sorry that I killed all of your friends, but you understand what you all were trying to do...I won’t hes,” Westin was cut off, as this new opponent turned around in silent resolve; she uncloaked her face as Westin was suddenly flooded with unpleasant memories. “You! I remember you, from the ship back then!”
Hiroko Ichinaru stood in front of Westin, gripping the sword that was holstered onto her back. It was a surprise to see Hiroko take a moment to pause, bowing at Westin as she gripped the sheathed sword in her hand. “As I stated in Australia, I am sorry for your loss. Surely, more of your friends have perished, and for that, I send my deepest condolences.” Westin allowed a somber expression to come over his face, gazing at the moon above; sunrise was now only about an hour away.
“Haynes told me about them, and you’re right. We’ve lost a lot of people... more than I can really bear to think about. But I have always wanted to thank you for your kindness that day.” Westin remembered it well, especially the feeling of being trapped on Maputo’s Eastern Latitude hovership, and seeing his three friends’ lifeless bodies in the sand below.
“I can’t believe that you just struck down Jayce’s number three agent in one fell swoop. What is your goal?” Ichinaru Hiroko had ended her cordial customs, and she suddenly drew her sword that had possessed a strong, purple hue; the same dragon emblem was engraved in the jade green broadsword of O’ Ren’s.
“I will now avenge the death of my sister, Ichinaru O’ Ren.” It was a simple, direct sentence that forced Westin and Nova into battle mode, as Nova suddenly took to the sky above.
“O’ Ren, and Xinling...I remember facing them in New Boise. It wasn’t me that directly killed O’ Ren, but,” There were no more words from Hiroko as she gripped her sword in front of her, leaping forward in true ninja-style to cut down Westin where he stood.
“Your sister, and the rest of you...you want to kill people!!” Westin leapt out of her sword’s path with incredible speed, barely able to match the astounding swiftness of her moves.
“I will not accuse you or your friends of defiling the Earth, as the people that you have slaughtered would have. Yet, in spite of their objectives that you all disagree with, a balancing act is needed. It is time for you all to meet your ends, so that a true balance amongst the bloodshed can be found.”
Westin had not understood Hiroko’s words, nor had her sister’s or Xinling’s philosophies made any sense to him at all. Without a second thought though, he dodged another one of the ninja lady’s rooftop attacks while he extended his arms to activate Toshiro’s Opal Radiance ability to blend with his own. “I’m really sorry. You of all people, I don’t want to do this to. Ultimate Death Energy.”
He had perfected his ability to kill in California, even against ninjas that were able to use their own forms of the death energy known as Opal Radiance. Thanks to his ‘Beautiful Prayer’ activation, his blending of auras with the deceased Toshiro’s meant that he had mastered his powers, more so than anyone in the Eastern Latitude could have dreamt of.
Westin struggled to pin down Hiroko’s location, as she leapt and bounced off of the communication towers that surrounded them. Hiroko spoke up, “My way of justice will not falter.” Nova had been watching from above, afraid to blast the flames from his mouth as he was afraid of accidentally scorching Westin. Yet, the ninja had suddenly leapt into the sky, facing down the dragon with a look of poised resolve.
“Listen, I don’t see why you have to target him! I’m down here, and am able to kill targets that go as high as you are going!” Westin shouted to the ninja above. It was a ghastly attack as Nova unleashed a massive plume of flames that did well to light up the barren cityscape of Nashville.
“This dragon is untrained in combat, and therefore, weak,” Hiroko said, poising herself to dance through the flames with magnificence.
バ
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SWORD DANCE: VIOLET DRAGON
It was a brilliant streak of violet that had suddenly pierced through the sky like lightning, and Nova found himself massacred in an instant as his flames suddenly died out. “Nova? NOVA!!!” Westin had very little time to ponder what he had just seen, as the fire dragon suddenly freefell from the sky. It crashed hard into the skyscraper, causing it to partially collapse while the dragon limply tumbled to the city floor. Westin had gravity leapt away from the roof onto another skyscraper, and as he stared down at the crimson dragon that had been fiercely slashed through his entirety, he clenched his fists in anger, and gritted his teeth in rage.
“He...he didn’t deserve that!!!” Hiroko suddenly appeared behind him, suddenly able to move to the point where his eyes were not able to follow.
“You speak of what one deserves, yet do you truly understand that death is the only suitable ending for you?” Westin knew what was coming, but he felt unmotivated to dodge it. The Violet Dragon sword had pierced through his abdomen completely, and Hiroko stood in silent reservation. “You...would accept my blade?”
Westin allowed the blood to trickle down from his mouth, calmly grabbing ahold of black ninja’s sword with his bare hands.
“This is when I open the true Eye of Death.”
It was a disturbing and powerful aura that threatened to bring Hiroko to her knees in lifelessness. Westin closed both of his normal eyes, but what his opponent could not see was that a third eye had suddenly opened on Westin’s forehead. It was completely vertical, as opposed to a regular eye’s horizontal profile. A streak of blood drained from the eye as a tear, and Hiroko’s knees began to shake fiercely.
“This...this energy!” Westin’s ability had now far surpassed anything that Opal Radiance alone could deliver, and his unique
mixing of his black energy, and the white and red energy of the Beautiful Prayer now transformed him into something that could be considered absolutely transcendent. He held life and death in his hands as he sent a shock of death directly through Hiroko’s sword, straight to her heart.
“I have failed...to avenge her.” As his opponent’s grip suddenly dropped from her sword, Westin took no time in pushing the Violet Dragon sword backwards, yet he was able to heal himself with an amazing speed.
“O’ Ren, my beloved sister...I’ll find you.” Westin refused to look at his fallen opponent as the life left her eyes. He now possessed an all-powerful third eye that circulated the ultimate force of life and death through anything that he could gaze upon or touch, yet the idea of him possessing powers on the level of a god disturbed and irritated him greatly.
Yet, just as he was about to let his normal eyes open to force his third eye into remission, it was the familiar sight of Gabby that appeared on top of the skyscraper next to him. She was horribly wounded, yet she stared at him with the same lively energy that she had possessed before he saw her throat get slit, and kicked to the ground from the top of a high-rise building.
“I see things a different way with this eye. I see that your wounds are still there, yet your blood loss has completely stopped.” Westin’s pitch-black eye that was surrounded with a red hue had indeed noticed that something was terribly odd about the one that now stood across from him. The classy lady suddenly pointed to her wounded throat, apparently gesturing for Westin to heal her so that she could talk once again.
He was happy to be able to use his power for good, even though he had a feeling that this woman would eventually turn hostile since she was one of Jayce’s top three. After her neck was quickly healed into a like-new state, she spat some blood out of her mouth in carefree manner. “Thank you, dear. Let me first say that I am sad to see that dragon lying dead on the ground like that.”
Westin nodded at her in somber silence, “It’s going to be a pain to break the news to Winkle, but I’m sure that she has already seen her red gemstone crumbling into dust. Damn...I really loved that dragon.” Gabby nodded in sympathy, adjusting her white leather gloves that had become stained with a massive amount of blood, similar to the rest of her elegant clothes.
“Yet, I will ask you since you have the ability to heal yourself, and obviously others like me. Why not pour your energy of life into that wonderful beast? Save your friend some serious grieving time.”
Westin shook his head in impatience. “No, I already tried bringing someone back to life, and they become a lifeless zombie. I have to heal them before their heart stops. Screwed up rule, isn’t it?” Upon hearing this, she rubbed her forehead in disappointment, feeling sad that she would not be seeing a fire dragon fly again in her lifetime. “That is a shame, Westin.”
The owner of the Third Eye suddenly turned over to Gabby, becoming agitated that she was still standing there, all while so many questions were left unanswered. “Forgive me for asking, Gabby, was it? Why did you appear before me, and what do you want with me right now, because I’m kind of in a hurry.”
She looked directly at him, with a warm smile on her face. “Because, I saw that ninja chasing you, sugar. Ever since you passed me by in St. Louis.” Westin’s annoyed expression didn’t fade.
“And, you stood in front of me and took her attack, so that I would have an early warning? How are you still alive, and why would you go so far to help me out. We are trying to stop you guys you know.”
Gabby puffed up her afro, making sure the wind didn’t knock it out of place. “Well now, I wanted to see how long it would take you to bring my bodily injuries into the ideal threshold. It looks like this will be my fastest fight yet, child. Just stop my heart a few times, and that should get me going quick enough.”
Westin’s ordinary eyes opened, and he stared at her with all three of his pupils. They had all grown wide in disbelief, unable to understand what her confusing words meant.
“Sigh, you’re just like all the others. You spout a bunch of shit that I can’t understand, then you force me to stop you. Are you saying that you want to fight me?”
Without further words, the foxy lady leapt through the air towards her new opponent. “That ninja lady got it started, but I need you to finish it, if you will!” Gabby pulled out an ordinary kitchen knife, coming down on Wes in order to force him to strike her with his Death Aura.
“Enough!” Wes refused to raise a hand to the woman’s infantile and ridiculous attack, as he let her send the knife clear through him in earnest.
“You...won’t give me a taste of that sweet death? Aw, sugar, c’mon!” Westin grabbed her by her throat, slamming her down to the ground beside him in exasperation; he pulled the knife out of his shoulder as healing himself had become child’s play.
“I told you that I am in a hurry. Please don’t follow me anymore.” Westin leapt into the air, while his seemingly weakened opponent remained on the skyscraper’s surface behind him. There was no final exchange, only Westin gravity leaping away with as much ferocious speed as possible, so that he could quickly reach his friends that were surely waiting for him.
“This building that I’m now standing on...it’s full of people. I made sure to tie em’ up, all snug n’ all. Shall I kill em’ now?” Westin had almost reached the outskirts of Nashville, when yet again, he saw Gabby standing nonchalantly on top of a passing skyscraper.
“This is getting very old, and you’re bluffing. Good-bye.” Westin was ready to pass by her completely, when he realized the she was holding a red trigger button in her hand.
“That building over there, watch it go!” She tapped the button three times in quick succession, and it turned out not to be a bluff. The building had exploded with absolute fury, as Diamond Bombs had sent it toppling to its foundation in a massive display. “That one wasn’t filled with people, but this one is. All I gotta do is tap this here button twice with a special rhythm.”
He still hadn’t been completely convinced that she wasn’t bluffing, but then, he saw it. He could see stories upon stories of large windows, all filled with multitudes of bound and gagged innocents that desperately needed anyone’s help. They all suddenly were overtaken with panic at the sight of people leaping on top of the skyscrapers, but fear was something that they had come to know very recently.
“Don’t worry, I feed em’, but I make sure that they put their gags back on when they are done eating though. It didn’t take them long to learn that breaking my rules results in their death. My, how the tears run free when that happens! I hijacked this building just before the city was evacuated a while ago, and their government just left them to die. Ain’t that a bitch, child?”
Westin suddenly knew how serious this woman was, and he decided that he would have to do whatever it took to stop their situation from ending badly. “Gabby, was your name? You’re sort of a sadistic bitch, so I don’t think I’ll feel guilty about killing you.” The afro lady smiled upon hearing the words that she had been waiting for, and she reached down to tap on her explosion button in double succession.
“Let’s begin then! Give me all you got, Westin Anderson!” She tapped it once, and Westin was left with no other choice. He closed his ordinary eyes with a determined fury, and his third eye delivered the instant death that she had wanted so badly. His ocular prowess meant no opponent could stand up against him, for he would protect his remaining friends from Jayce Wolfgain, at any cost.
“That’s...more like it.” Gabby’s heart stopped, and she fell backwards limply in cardiac arrest. She was Jayce’s Number Three agent, and yet she stood not even a slight chance of standing against Westin. He would continue on, only after heading down to free all of the trapped people inside of the skyscraper. “Shit...maybe they can sit tight for now while I go and help my friends. Their tormentor is dead now, either way,”
“Who is dead?” Gabby had somehow snapped back to life once again, standing at Westin’s side on
the skyscraper opposite of the one she was fully prepared to ignite in mass murder. Westin suddenly felt a surge of panic well up inside of him, not expecting an opponent to ever be able to stand up after taking his Death Energy directly.
“I saw...your heart stop?!” Westin exclaimed in complete shock.
“And I’m sure you did, with those great eyes of yours. Now, let’s hit this button twice! I won’t give up on killing them all, you know!” Westin was backed into a corner suddenly, and he knew that damaging, and even killing her, somehow played to her advantage. She had tapped on the button once, leaving Westin no choice once again.
His death blow stopped her heart again nearly instantly, as he stood in concerned silence as his opponent fell backwards to the ground, for a second time. “Just to be safe,” Westin wouldn’t wait for her to somehow revive herself as he leapt to the skyscraper the she was on top off, preparing to steal the detonator that would have brought thousands of lives to a horrible end. He knelt over, grabbing ahold of the small device.
“That will do just fine...thank you.” Gabby had grabbed Westin’s arm, sending a shock of death up through it that threatened to knock him cold. He was barely able to send a surge of life force throughout his own body, allowing him to leap backwards for some space as he stared in strained awe at the power his opponent stole from him.
“My turn! ULTIMATE THIRD EYE, OPEN!!” Westin’s ordinary eyes flew open in disbelief; he had trouble comprehending what was now shown before him. Gabby, the annoying joke that had seemingly been stalling for time, had awakened the exact same black and red eye on her forehead. She had stood up, staring at Westin’s own third eye with a hint of confident superiority.
“You already know my name, dear child. Now, I will tell you about the ability that prompted Jayce Wolfgain to give me his third seat. When someone attacks me, I absorb their aura and energy into my body, simply by coming into contact with the attack as much as possible. I have the unique ability to completely heal myself, or even restart my heart after the converted cells adapt to my own life force. When I absorb enough of my opponent’s energy, I am able to activate my special ability that mirrors the technique of my opponent perfectly. It is called the Mirror of Absorption!”
