Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ The Intense Clash of the Gods ❯ Tale 49 ( Chapter 49 )

“Plagas” Mana charged as Horoki jumped to the side, already grabbing her sword pendant.

"Kusanagi Sword Crystal Power: Make-up!"

Again donning the male fuku, she looked at her friend. This was just... crappy.

Mana was the one that could use her glasses to see a Plagas on someone's body... and as Horoki gripped the Tisiphone Kusanagi sword in her hands, she was wondering what she could do. The weapon really wasn't meant for precise surgery... even if it was a katana.

Calling it quits right away? What happened to the Horoki Hikari that fought for her goddess to the very end?

She couldn't believe it...

Cecil?!?

Well, just your memories of me, but it's still something, right? Anyways, I guess you're going psychotic and hearing voices so I can tutor you through your new sword's powers.

"Any time now, Horoki dearest," Plagas Mana said as she cracked her neck. Horoki seemed to be in through for a second before charging.

"Okay then... Kusanagi mode: Megaera!" Her sword suddenly took on a much wider, bulkier shape, that of a German Zweihander, as she slashed down. Mana just bent out of the way before charging...

But suddenly a massive cut appeared on her side, the infected Corona grabbing her side in pain.

"What the-"

"Checkmate. Megaera mode returns, like jealousy, pain ten times. Whenever the sword slashes at somebody, the action is replayed ten times after my strike. So sorry though, Mana." Hikari said as she pointed her sword straight at Mana's head. "Kusanagi mode: Alecto."

The sword slimmed down to a rapier, Horoki breathing a sigh of relief.

It worked! Focused, condensed anger was Alecto's forte... my sword's abilities really are based on the Erinyes! And in this form... I can actually see it!

She charged, stabbing at Mana and piercing her whole body, although with the precision some world-class surgeons would envy... without a single organ, vein, or artery even scratched.

"I did it!" Horoki said in victory, seeing Mana's expression go back to normal.

"Horoki?" Mana asked, looking down. "Wow... am I... dead or something?"

"Uh, no," Horoki answered. She moved to pull her sword out, doing it quickly, but not noticing a small speck on the weapon. She looked over, breathing it relief at the sight of Elly regaining consciousness, but Mana's eyes were still on the weapon that saved her sanity.

"HOROKI! DROP THE SWORD!" Mana screamed.

Suddenly the speck swelled, becoming a gigantic Plagas monster and latching onto Horoki's head.

Mana heard a scream, turning to see Elly awake and looking right at them. She couldn't be here.

"MANA! Get Asuka... NOW!"
_
Mina sat back in the locker-room, changing out of her track outfit. Six hours in the sun walking around that track wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and the sun goddess didn't exactly feel that perky afterwards.

And the fact that Isabeau was still in the room didn't help manners any.

"You've been done changing for like ten minutes, what's with you?" Mina asked as she stared Isabeau straight in the eye.

Isabeau clenched her fists as she stood up. "I despise you... so much, Ambrosia."

Mina froze at the word... "You... you're one of the Four Symbols, aren't you?"

Isabeau sarcastically bowed. "Suzaku, Vermilion Bird of the South, at your service." She then pointed at Mina and then walked towards her. "Boom."
_
The explosion rocked the entire crowd as Mizuki ran full-sprint towards the center of the destruction, the remains of one of the changing stations.

She stopped, dead in her tracks, seeing Isabeau standing there in an appalling, skintight, black leather outfit... and with Mina unconscious and flung over her shoulder.

"Your little lover's going now," Isabeau spat as the miko glared at her.

"No. And you're going to drop dead, right now." She produced from an inside shirt pocket her ceremonial wand, and she quickly charged.

She didn't expect for a fiery aura to suddenly appear around Isabeau, sparks kicking up everywhere. Mizuki slashed anyways, screaming in pain immediately afterwards as her body ran into contact with the fire.

"Burns hotter than the surface of the sun," Isabeau said as Mizuki slumped forward. A swift knee to the chin was the miko's punishment for trying to save her loved one. Mizuki went flying in the air, and a punch to the get sent her flying away, Isabeau not surprised to see her get back up.

"Ambrosia-ojosama," Mizuki panted out, looking at Isabeau through one eye, the other held shut to keep the blood flowing down her forehead from getting into it. "You're not going to get away... I swear you-"

Isabeau shrugged, reaching into her outfit and producing, from somewhere, a small bag. She pointed to it and shrugged.

"You can't even lay a finger on me," she announced to the battered Mizuki. "This is dirt taken from Kyoto... ground sacred to the Four Symbols. As long as I have this, I am as strong, if not stronger, than your beloved Mina Yuki."

Mizuki shook her head, wiping the blood away from her face. This... this bitch... she's like an executioner... her power is off the charts! She's like... like ten times stronger than Minos!

"Ten times stronger?" Isabeau asked, causing Mizuki's blood to freeze over, in spite of the burning blast of energy that promptly smashed into her. "No... you've got it all wrong. It's an insult to compare my strength to Minos's... if you want, compare me to Malphas Zephyr."

"Zephyr?" Mizuki asked, confused. "Sylphid had referred to him..."

"With good reason." Isabeau shrugged... toying with Mizuki was fun. "Zephyr held all the power to kill everyone in his way without effort... but he blew it all away against Minos Sylphid... a fight that Eurydice fumes about to this day. That stupid Griffon Specter had everything going against him yet somehow pulled out a win... something I don't understand. But unlike Zephyr, I understand my strengths, my weaknesses. I may not match Zephyr's incredible power, but I'm close enough that it doesn't matter."

Mizuki grit her teeth before channeling a number of spectral hands from the ground and dragging Isabeau down through them. Okay... things are bad... my only... only chance of winning is to just hammer her when she hits the ground and power through anything the slings at me!

She looked up, Isabeau was falling fast to the ground, but suddenly stopped inches above the ground, levitating there as a pair of fairy-like wings appeared on her back.

"Another insult... my guard was lowered enough you actually hit me with that," Isabeau said as she landed and walked away from a surprised Mizuki. "Die."

Before Mizuki had time to even process the word in her mind, she felt like her very insides had exploded, and she collapsed on the ground in a swiftly-spreading pool of her own blood.
_
"You sure she was around here?" Asuka asked as Elly nodded.

"Yeah... but I really don't understand all of this at all!"

"Don't worry, we'll explain later," Asuka said as she grabbed her pendant. "Yasakani Magatama Moonstone Crystal Power: Make-up!"

Donning her unorthodox Corona garb, Asuka ran full sprint before shouting back to a surprised Elly, "Just get somewhere safe!"
_
Mana lay helpless on the ground, panting for breath as Horoki stared down at her.

"Pathetic... is this all the strength of Reigouki?" Plagas Horoki asked innocently as she raised her sword, in Alecto mode, above Mana's heart. "I guess the rapid healing drains your body of pretty much everything, eh? Well..." the weapon plunged down, "DI-"

A kick to the Plagas-covered head sent her flying as Asuka stood there. "Mana... you alright?"

"Com... completely exhausted..." Mana choked out.

"Wonderful," Asuka said as Horoki stood up, the creature on her head suddenly having a part of it detach and flail around like a snake. "That Plagas the problem?"

"Yeah."

Asuka nodded, and charged with her fist burning with purple flames... but stopped when she heard Horoki's voice.

"Asuka... it's me! Please stop this!"

Asuka stopped dead in her tracks, horrified at the way the voice was.

Could Horoki still be in there somewhere? She looked back, Mana wasn't too badly injured... it was possible. She looked back, seeing Horoki struggling to raise the Megaera above her head.

"No... it's my friend!" Horoki screamed through the Plagas.

That's it, Asuka thought, Just fight it! Just-

ASUKA! GET OUT OF THE WAY!

Asuka winced hearing Isaac's voice scream in her mind, and she found herself ducking sideways on impulse as the sword smashed into the ground almost immediately afterward.

"Such a shame," Horoki sighed as she turned to Asuka, "Almost had you."

Horoki... Asuka thought. Was she... was she gone forever? That Plagas looked pretty deeply implanted now...

Don't you think of throwing in the towel! Isaac roared inside of her. I don't care if I'm just the memory of the Kraken Mariner inside of you, calling it quits won't do anything but cause unnecessary death!

But-

This is part of justice, Asuka! Making the hard decisions you think are right! If you were willing to kill all of humanity for a friend, then what's killing a friend to save her from herself?!?

That's- She stopped for a moment. This was crazy... hearing voices wasn't a sign of insanity, although answering them WAS. Okay, what's the plan?

One, Isaac's voice told her, Start using the Magatama's new abilities.

Asuka jumped away from Horoki, steering clear of the lethal weapon as it shifted between its rapier and Zweihander forms. Yet Asuka wondered for a second, grabbing up Asuka and thinking.

That's odd... where's the katana form? Does she not know how to use it?

Yes

Asuka froze. The sword had answered that... could she do her questioning to objects now too? Here's hoping she could get more than just a yes or no now from the weapons too...

What's the Tisiphone Form do?

Mental

Great... Asuka thought as she continued staying on the defensive. I can get ANY one-word answer I want now. So much more helpful... Wait a second. Do you mean a mental attack?

Yes.

Asuka breathed a sigh of relief, throwing Mana into the air.

"Ya Sakazuki!"

Purple flames shot from her hands and bathed her friend, but simply froze her in mid-air...

Okay... that's two new abilities... here's hoping for an expansion on my flames too!

Horoki stabbed at Asuka, who side-stepped the attack just in time, praying to Ambrosia that this would work.

"Go," she growled, grabbing the weapon from a surprised Horoki while planting her hand on her friend's chest, "To... HELL!"

A blast of flame from Asuka knocked Horoki away as she pulled the Kusanagi sword away from its rightful user.

"Okay... please let this work too," Asuka pleaded. "Kusanagi form: Tisiphone!"

The weapon re-assumed its katana form as Asuka charged, slashing down. Horoki rolled away, but suddenly screamed in pain.

"You..." Hikari said in shock, grabbing her side, "You were willing to rip your friend to pieces?"

What did I do?

Kill.

That's it! Asuka realized as she dropped the sword in relief, The Tisiphone form causes its target to be lead to believe they are injured even when they aren't!

The Plagas dropped to the ground, leaving Horoki without an injury before it shot at Asuka. She was surprised by the action, but not as much as the two masculine voices that called out afterwards.

"GREATEST CAUTION!"

"OBJECTION!"

The Plagas exploded, leaving no trace behind as Radamanthys and Aiacos stood there, the former in black pants and a white dress-shirt, sleeves rolled up, while Aiacos looked like he had just come from a trial.

"We ran here when we heard the explosion."

"What?" Horoki asked, getting her sword back from Asuka before looking around.

"You don't know?" Aiacos asked, confused.

"And where's..." Mana panted as she struggled to her feet, looking around. "Mizuki..." her voice trailed off as they all ran off together.

 

A/N: More references of Malphas Zephyr. Rest assured, I'll get to Episode M eventually. Until then, enjoy Mizuki's struggles to save her beloved Mina!