Elise flipped forward with a corkscrew jump and swung out, Azala leaping back barely in time. His ax went up and flew down, a fact Elise did not ignore as she quickly stepped right and swung down. The ax cleaved through the ground as the katana slammed through Azala’s arm, cutting clean through. He wailed out and stumbled back, the severed portion liquefying completely as she shot forward.
Toby spun and slammed a blade of his own against Elise’s, Dark Energy radiating out of the blade as he held it strongly against her. The two stepped firm and held against each other with pure force.
“Why work with the Hive? They’re pure evil!”
“Not everything is as one sided as it appears Elise,” Toby grunted in response, both kicking off from one another and stepping back.
Elise looked ahead to Toby, eyes somewhat teary, “I don’t get you, not one bit.”
“I didn’t expect you to, after all, you knew me simply as Alto,” he murmured, his amber eyes slowly fading, “Alto never existed in the first place, merely an imaginative name of Tobias Tazaki, or rather Toby Tazaki. It is a persona used only to spy and no longer lives.”
“I just can’t even begin to imagine why you’d end up like this, serving the wrong side.”
“While you serve a side that would impose their will on what is not theirs? Under rule of the supernatural, this world prospered. Yes mortals were kept in poverty, it was the era of things. Humans were well kept because they were vital, and yet look at the world now. War, terrorism, murder, it’s all the same with these humans who fail to respect what was granted to them and as for what was, I find it to be a mistake.”
“So you would damn an entire world off of that? I don’t get it Alto, truly I-”
“That name means nothing Elise. And of course you wouldn’t, you haven’t been outside of these walls until recent and even then you haven’t seen the world for what it is,” he said as his eyes became hazy with little color to them, “I was born blind to an orphanage, abused, bullied, and then cast out onto the streets for much of my early childhood. I was around things you could only dream of, trying to survive in a world that did not welcome my kind. Then Shadow found me near my end, he saved me and offered me a better choice. He spent a short bit of time training me, making me stronger until I could start repaying my debt.”
“So he used you?”
“Where you see use, I see equal debt and a return of gratitude. My ultimate task I already explained, getting to know you so I could work with Holly later on by using your name. I’ve been around a great many years longer than you Elise, I’ve had a lot of time to think over it and this is the decision that I have come to.”
He paused as Elise glanced around, looking to see Azala approach again now healed with his ax in hand, smirking.
“I can’t help but think back on a certain phrase along the lines of pain being inevitable, while suffering is only optional. Indeed pain is inevitable in this world for the victors who helped shape reality were in the wrong. Suffering can be viewed as optional but in reality, that’s just as inevitable for those with no options. Finally Lord Shadow is going to change all of that for us and give to us a new world, a better world!”
“By letting The Hive take over? Do you know what will happen if that happens?”
“It hardly matters. Ultimately what they do between now and the end will not matter. If you had been wise you could have lived to see it but now, I think not. It’s just as my time as Alto the Wulfn Zaherian, irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant to you perhaps but to me it was something. Hmph, if you’re blind then how can you see me? I thought you couldn’t use the Celestial River?”
“Use? Bah, again with that. As for my sight I simply let the Celestial River show me everything I need. Echolocation in a way but with the River itself. Surely you noticed something off with my sight every now and again, like that slip up with the air cannons during training? I lied about lying. That was a genuine mistake on my part. Now are we done with the questions? My sword has a destined fate to meet your arrogant brain.”
“You can hide your feelings all you want Tobias but I can see through it. You’re wearing a mask to hide it even now, how you really feel about this. Such a tragic face.”
Elise looked to him, his expression blank. Slowly his lips began to move, slowly biting them, then moving as he spoke, “It is far too late for regrets. I’ve come forth to dispose of you and that is what I intend to do.”
“It pains you and so you act like it is the right thing to do. I understand, but for the sake of Vulfax, I must do to you what you intend to do to me for your master.”
“Gah, enough of this. Tobias, let’s be on with this, shall we?” Azala gurgled.
“Right,” he murmured standing ready now.
All around them battles were fought, screams and yells heard, the sounds of blades clashing. Slowly Toby stepped forward with narrowing eyes, his coat flapping as he moved. Elise slowly stepped forward on that note as well, her skirt flapping now slightly torn, a glow appearing around her momentarily before fading. Azala stomped forward beside Toby, growling with a smirk, his ax raised.
Quickly the three darted at each other, their weapons raised. Elise’s sword slammed into Toby’s, while her fist slammed into Azala’s. His ax flew up and down quickly, crashing through the ground. Elise flipped back, the ax passing between her calves, a bolt of Light Energy blasting out of her foot straight into Azala’s face as she flipped back. As it impacted and exploded she shot ahead and slammed her blade into Toby’s, the two quickly flipping back away from one another as Azala stumbled back roaring again.
Winston flew off between them from Elise’s right to her left, crashing into a group as Vulper shot by in pursuit. Elise glanced to see Azala’s face reform slowly, the hole in it closing up, “{Damn, I’m never going to be able to beat him if he keeps on regenerating like that. Oh man, what do I do? Everyone in here is weak to light and clearly he’s pulling off of the dark corners. Dammit, what should I do?}”
Elise looked ahead, her eyes darting around for a short while, then locking on a flame. Behind a flame danced from the torch, “{That’s it, Holly!}”
Her mind flashed to the last fight against Medontei and his cohorts, reflecting over every detail, “{Holly controlled the light that was outside of her body by influencing it. That’s probably just concentration with the Astral Plane right? If I can pull that off, I can mimic Zero’s Atomic Migraine but with Light Energy. I could rip him apart and due to the light he couldn’t regenerate. Brilliant!}”
Azala primed himself with a growl and launched forward, howling out with a grunt, the ax raised high, “There!” she shouted swinging her sword down, unleashing another crescent of energy that slammed straight through Azala, his roar heard as his body split.
At that very moment Elise then punched forward with her free hand, a bullet of Light Energy sent flying forward. Azala blinked as a bright light flashed before him. The bullet shattered, exploding into many streams of light that quickly curved around and in mere moments connected like rings. Elise’s hand opened and clenched shut, at which point the rings slammed together and shrunk around Azala. His scream could be heard as the light swelled and began to engulf him. Toby stared in shock for a brief moment, bolting forward then after.
CRASH
David and Milly both came down on him, kicking Toby away from Azala and Elise. He skid back, looking up as David shouted, “If you want her you’ll have to get through us!”
A loud roar could be heard behind as the rings slowly shrunk more, a sphere taking shape as the light spilled out around Azala engulfing him completely. His echoing, gurgling yell of pain could be heard as Elise opened her hand one more time. She looked right ahead and nodded, “For Vulfax,” she murmured, closing her hand shut.
A loud howl could be heard as the light then exploded, the blast engulfing Milly, David, Elise, and Toby though not the blast. All those around turned, looking in shock as Azala’s roar faded out.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3aBqhw8JJ
