Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Remorse ( Chapter 46 )

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Shattered Illusions

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 46: Remorse

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"Tsubomi!" Horatio cried as he rushed in to assist the donor but Copernicus held out his hand, creating a barrier that the male collided with and bounced off, as if there were a solid wall there.

Crashing to the ground, the warrior propped himself up on his forearm. The brunette stared down on him.

"King Copernicus," Horatio's eyes stared up at the daunting king with uncertainty and fear.

Lifting his blade into the air, the king summoned his divine wrath. Electrical currents were summoned from the sky and traveled through his blade, into the ground below. They then surrounded the green-haired knight, who looked around wildly as electricity bolted through the air, encasing him.

"What?! What's going on!?" He exclaimed, a sense of claustrophobia overtook him.

"Die a torturous death," Copernicus' words were cold as steel.

"My king-" Horatio was cut off by the vampire summoning his royal electronic turbine. This caused the currents that were surging over him began to turn in the shape of a cylinder, rotating faster and faster as power surged through his body at high speed. Horatio yelled in anguish as he was submerged in a brilliant light.

"Sir Horatio!" Millie called out desperately as her form was highlighted in white.

"Is that the power of the Rigatama?" Zino watched helplessly from the sidelines.

"That sword is powerful. We'll be next if we don't want out," Shiva warned.

"How do you like that, Sir Horatio? Do not interfere with my plans," the vampire sneered, mocking his position as knight as the battered man lay at his feet, smoke rising from his singed form.

Tsubomi came at him from behind with her weapon pointed at him. Out of his peripheral vision, Copernicus saw her approach and grabbed her umbrella. Shock ran across the tom boy's face. "Did you think you could hit me with that pathetic excuse for a weapon?"

Shiva held her hand out and commanded her attack, "Electro-Shocker!"

The currents were sent traveling through the umbrella and into his body. Copernicus spasmed and jolted before he was released and stumbled backwards.

'I really hate doing this to you, your majesty, but I have no other choice,' Tsubomi was weighing her options in the fight.

Laying on the ground, electricity still surging over his body, Horatio struggled to keep conscious. He winced and his muscled twitched with the currents. "T-Tsubomi..."

Landing on his butt, Copernicus glared at her.

"Tsubomi? What are you doing? You're hurt," Millie had no idea what her wounded friend was thinking, but she was worried.

"I don't care what my mental state is, no one's getting any farther than I am, so what does it matter? I'd rather die trying than watch helplessly as he becomes Hizaki's doll." It didn't matter to her how trashed her mind was, or if it made her even more susceptible to Hizaki's mind tricks. Tsubomi wasn't going to stand down because of that.

'This will be interesting. Let's see what this woman can do. She's pushing herself to the limit by even moving her body. This will certainly be the end of her,' Hizaki watched with amusement as Tsubomi was hit in the side and rolled across the ground. Shakily, she pushed herself up with one eye closed in pain.

"Look out!" Zino called.

Millie gasped.

"Huh?" Tsubomi blinked in confusion as Copernicus jumped above her with his sword drawn back. Quickly, Zino grabbed Millie's weapon and blocked his hit. "Zino?"

Zino smiled while trying to hold her opponent back. "Hey, let me take care of things. I might not know much but I've got some fencing in my days."

'Damn it, I know I can't deny him, but I don't want him to get hurt like Horatio and Teru,' Tsubomi looked conflicted as her eyes shifted to the fallen knight, and the knocked out red head. Guilt pierced her heart at her condition and the state of the battle.

Horatio slowly pulled himself to his feet, avoiding touching his sword. There was no way he was going to touch that thing. 'I can't use my sword to get up. The metal would only conduct the electricity. I need to be more alert when going against him. My next mistake may be fatal.'

Blades clashed with each other, over and over again as Zino squared off against Copernicus. Clashing again, their locked horns in a power struggle, each one trying to push the other off. Zino's dark eyes bore into navy blue.

"You're pretty good! I've always wanted to challenge royalty. What an honor!" Even if Copernicus was possessed, it was the closest he was going to get.

"Are you trying to be earnest with me?" However, the king was not impressed.

"Well. I'm only telling you the truth."

"Rigatama!" Copernicus swung his sword, creating a red whip of energy crashed against his blade and propelled him backwards. The king charged at him and kicked him in the ribs, which caused his body to be forced upwards, where he kicked the man over his head and rolled back to his feet.

Zino blocked another stab from the vampire and tried to strike him, but Copernicus was quick to dodge.

"I've already defeated two of your team mates. What makes you think that you stand a chance against me?" Copernicus asked.

"I'm not sure, but in this case, I have no choice. I have to fight you sometime." It was all a matter of when in Zino's eyes.

"You're a noble man with a foolish heart," the Inheritor felt bad for him. This was only going to make his death that much more entertaining.

Millie stood at Horatio's side, reaching out to touch him. "Are you okay, Sir Horatio?" Her voice was laced with concern for the battered knight.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted in a fury, enough to make her draw back immediately.

"Huh?" The girl was confused and a little hurt that he would lash out at her like that. It wasn't like Horatio to do.

"Unless you want to feel the effects of this shock, then I don't recommend touching me," the knight warned.

"Take this!" Tsubomi shouted, throwing the ragged-looking umbrella like a javelin at her opponent.

Copernicus turned and caught it with one hand, throwing it effortlessly back at his opponent. Tsubomi barely managed to dodge out of the way. While they were busy fighting, Zino tried to stab him but he evaded his blow and shoved him to the ground.

"Neophyte," the king spat and charged at Tsubomi, who made a mad dash for the umbrella, but she was cut short of reaching it by being knocked away. He tried to stab her, but she jumped up and avoided his blade.

Zino shouted her name and charged at the vampire with his sword drawn, but he moved out of his path, revealing the tom boy standing in his line of fire. Shock crossed both of their faces as they realized what was about to transpire. The dark-haired man pulled his blade back, but he couldn't stop in time and slammed into her with such force that it knocked both of them down. He toppled over on top of the tomboy.

"Are you okay?" He asked from his position on top of her.

"I'm alright," Tsubomi flinched.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, if you'd get off of me, I'd be better," Tsubomi grumbled as Zino agreed with a simple 'right' before pulling himself off of her.

"This fight is pathetic," Copernicus sighed a little. Wasn't there anyone around who could pose a challenge to him? It was unbelievably boring.

"Yeah, it is," Zino couldn't help but agree. "I'm fighting a mindless zombie. Seriously, I'm losing to something that has no brain." What kind of luck was that?

Copernicus simply stated at him, boring a hold through his soul.

"I liked you better when you weren't possessed. You were a lot more talkative and a lot less creepy." Before he could say anything else, he was upper cut in the jaw with such force that he landed on his back. "Ouch," he cringed, rubbing his chin, "I should have seen that one coming."

"You want me to talk more? What shall we discuss?" Copernicus tried to stab the man, but he rolled out of the way as the blade dug into the earth.

"You should really snap out of it. If you knew how much he was using you, then you'd turn around and ram the Rigatama though his heart. Come on! You're regal and proud. Who you are now puts shame to who you used to me." Deep inside, there had to be some part of him that was still himself, a part of him that would listen to reason. Zino just had to dig for it.

Dragging his blade across the ground, Copernicus brought it to a stop. "That man is dead and gone. I no longer desire that part of my life."

"Is that you, or the possession talking?" Zino jumped over the blade and tried to spin kick the vampire but Copernicus blocked him and grabbed his leg, spinning him around.

"That's none of your concern." As soon as he gained enough momentum, Copernicus let go of the man's body, flinging him into Millie, who had her gun pointed at him, ready to shoot. He crashed into her and they both fell into the ground.

'I don't have any power to physically face off against him. I need a weapon.' Glancing around, Tsubomi grabbed the umbrella and leveled the tattered object with a stern gaze. 'Looks like this is my best bet.' Turning, she charged at Millie and Zino, who looked over their shoulders in shock to see the oncoming danger.

"Crap! Here he comes!" Zino called out.

"Hurry and get up!" Millie shouted as they both scrambled to get out of the way just in time for Tsubomi to come up and jab it into his shoulder. It pierced his skin and dug into his muscle as red bled through his clothing.

Whirling around, Copernicus back handed her and she flew back, rolling across the ground before popping back up to her feet in one fluid movement. Panting, she hunched over, breathing heavily as her master reached behind himself, yanking the umbrella out of his shoulder as he glared her down with malice.

"I'll kill you first."

'I wonder if this was as hard for him as it is for me. No matter what I do to this guy, he's like an unbendable steel rod. Always calm, always unmoving, unfazed by pain, but I'm sure he's going to feel it by the time he comes out of his possession. I feel bad for this, but I imagine he felt bad when he did it to me as well. It's probably why he let me stab him, aside from the fact that he knew I'd snap out of it if I realized what I had done to him,' Tsubomi didn't have time to think on the issue any more as she heard her master tell her to die as a wave of magic hit her, flinging her body back into a tree. The abrasive bark tore into her skin as she fell to the ground.

Millie called out her name and took a step forward to help her, but her wrist was grabbed. Looking behind her, she saw Zino holding her back. "What are you going?" She asked angrily. "Let me go!"

"No, none of us have been able to beat him. There's no way you can, either. You'll just end up like Sir Horatio or Prince Teru," Zino reminded her of her fallen team mates.

"But-" Millie glanced at Teru, who was laying on the ground, lifeless, "Tsubomi-" she then glanced to the battered knight. "I can't just let her die. Copernicus will kill her if we just leave her there to fight him." Never had she felt as guilty as she did in that moment. Tsubomi had already been physically and mentally hurt from the onslaughts of the past. She didn't want her to suffer anymore.

"We can't...let her..." Horatio said weakly, trying to force his sentence out through painful words.

"You should rest," Zino tried to chide him.

"Honestly, you're all so pathetic. You can't even defeat a lifeless doll. What makes you think you can defeat Hide?" Hizaki had no clue what these idiots were thinking. They were nowhere near Hide's level, nor would they ever be. With Copernicus on his side, the two of them were unstoppable.

"The only reason you say that is because you know we can't kill the king or our mission would be over." As long as they held that over them, they clearly had the upper hand, and Zino hated it.

"I don't care if he lives or not. It doesn't matter who you attack, his possession is strong. He's not just going to snap out of it like Tsubomi did. I made sure of that." Did they honestly expect any less from the Princess of Illusions?

Tsubomi moved her head as the blade of the Rigatama was brought down and dug into the wood of the tree behind her. She hooked her leg around his ankle and attempted to do a leg sweep, tripping him.

Copernicus fell backwards and landed on the ground, giving Tsubomi time to get up. As she did, the blades of the Rigatama shot up from the ground, marring the ground as her body was knocked backwards. She rolled on the ground and stopped on her stomach. Plunging his sword down, he tried to stab his donor but she evaded it and tried to kick him in the face. He blocked her foot with his sword and the bottom of her shoe laid flat against his blade.

"You're wearing down," Copernicus noted as the girl's breath was labored.

"It's only because I'm already hurt!" She threw a punch but it was caught.

Copernicus pulled her forward and kicked her in the stomach, then flipped her over his shoulder and suplexed her into the ground. Tsubomi's body undulated and trembled as she tried not to lose consciousness. Above everything, she would not close her eyes. If she did, it would be all over for her. 'If I fade out, then it's over. I can't pass out. No way am I giving in to Hizaki and Hide.'

The vampire watched her with a steely expression. "Are you done yet?"

"Never," Tsubomi said defiantly. "I'll never give in to you."

"I admire your persistence. You're a lot better than any of your comrades and the fact that you're fighting in an already weakened state is twice as entertaining," the vampire's visage twisted into a sadistic smile as he watched the girl write in pain below him.

"Bursting Gale!" Shiva summoned her attack, waving her hand as the blast knocked the both of them backwards. Tsubomi tumbled head over heels over and over, into a bush and Copernicus was propelled into a tree. However, he flipped at the last moment and landed on the bark with his feet. He used the driving momentum and lunged off of it, slashing his sword across the air, sending a whip-like structure of white magic towards the dark-skinned vampire.

Shiva dodged out of the way just in time, missing the strike.

Teru slowly sat up with a hand to his forehead, groggily looking around at the battle field. He had a huge headache and his body felt like it had been through a meat grinder. He could barely concentrate because of the pulsing and throbbing of his limbs. "Huh? Is it over yet?"

He could only be so lucky as to have the answer be yes.

"Not yet," Horatio's words made him wish he had stayed passed out a little longer.

"What did I miss?" Teru was afraid to ask, but he figured that he should anyway.

"Copernicus is just too strong," the knight's words were just grim. "There's no way that we can beat him in this state."

"What? He defeated you, too?" The red head thought that at least one of them could stand a chance against him.

"It's the Rigatama. It's too powerful for any of us to take on. That sword has a mind of its own. When Hide created it, he wanted a master weapon of mass destruction. The sword was supposed to be used by a knight who protected the king, but Copernicus took interest," Horatio explained the historia behind the sword, as well as how it came to belong to the king. If Copernicus didn't possess such a powerful sword, he would not have been half as strong as he was in his current state.

"He's always had that weird interest," Teru commented on his eccentric taste in deadly weapons.

"So have you," Horatio brought up their similarities.

"I know!" Teru boasted proudly with a broad grin. "That's why we're good friends!"

Tsubomi's body fell into another tree and hit the ground. She laid there, weary and broken. Heaving, the girl tried to get up as her assailant stared her down, but she couldn't find the strength to move.

"You should give up," Copernicus walked up to her. "It's futile to even try and stop me. This will be your eternal resting place."

"If you kill me, then you'll have to find another donor. I'm your only source of blood," Tsubomi reminded him of the repercussions of his actions. In a way, she hoped that would make him realize what exactly he was doing.

The vampire paused, staring at her blankly.

The brunette on the ground smirked. "Heh, though I've got to admit, if I were to die by anyone's hands, I'd rather it be yours."

'Tsubomi...Perhaps this time I am begging you to please stop me. I'm begging you to please save me.' The real Copernicus, buried deep beneath the possession pleaded within the confines of his body, turned against him. He drew back his sword. "I'll grant your wish, and slay you with my hands."

Shiva ran towards the two of them. She couldn't let this happen. She wasn't going to let another one of their team members fall.

"Shiva! What are you doing?" Teru shouted after the girl but she ignored him.

Stepping between them, she held her arms outstretched to either side. "No!" She begged. "You musn't kill her! You musn't let her die! Your majesty-" Her words were cut off as she felt something slide into her body with piercing pain. Her eyes widened in horror and pain and a small stream of blood ran from the corner of her pink lips.

The glowing rings on Copernicus' eyes faded away in that moment.

'I'd better get out of here. He's done his job and if I'm not mistaken, he's completely under my spell. Wait...if I leave him here, they may break his possession...I think I'll stay and watch the carnage,' Hizaki turned from his position to flee and smiled slyly.

This was going to be fun, especially if he decided to kill any more of his little friends.

...To Be Continued