War Part Eight (64)

Kaos was on the edge of insanity.

Akasan could feel Kaos' spiritual essence basically pouring out of him.

Kaos suddenly flickered in front of Akasan, they traded three blows. On the third blow Akasan was blown away straight through two buildings. He came out of the wall to find Kaos not too far from him holding up a giant blue ball of energy with both hands. He chucked it at him.

Akasan made a metal wall to block it and ran back inside the building.

The wall did little against Kaos' attack. Shockwaves of energy were sent throughout the city.

Akasan ran deeper inside. It looked like some sort of office establishment. He was in a lobby. He found an elevator and forced it open. He bust a hole in the top of it and started jumping wall to wall towards the top of the building.

Kaos was outside getting impatient. "Hey... why are you hiding from me? That's not real nice of you!!" He chucked another giant ball of energy into the hole. The energy exploded, destroying the entire first floor.

Akasan reached the top and kicked open the elevator doors. He felt the building about to collapse. He then swung out the side window and ran to the rooftop.

Kaos spotted him. "There you are!" He made an even larger ball of energy and threw it at the rooftop.

"Okay... think about how Narumi did it..." Akasan used his Eye of Creation to mimic a blue simplified version of Narumi's Kodak Circle. He used it to launch himself high in the air right before Kaos' ball of energy destroyed the rest of the building.

--

Outside of the Royal Palace, there was a massive crowd of people in a state of unrest.

Narumi came out of the palace along with Mugen and Oliver.

"What's going on?!" Narumi exclaimed.

Oliver looked over the crowd. "I felt some waves of energy not too long ago..."

Narumi attempted to quiet down the crowd. "Everyone calm down!! Can someone explain the situation to me?!"

The people barely heard her, and continued to worry.

Mugen's eyebrow twitched. He puffed his chest. "WHEN THE PRINCESS IS SPEAKING, I EXPECT THAT THE CITIZENS OF ARBOK CITY WOULD HEED HER WORD!!"

Mugen's voice boomed over a large distance. Everyone in the crowd went silent immediately.

"That's more like it." Mugen said firmly.

Narumi nodded to him. "Thanks." She looked over the people. "Now, can someone explain what is happening in my city?"

A middle-aged man held his hand up.

"Speak." Oliver said.

The man nodded. "There was some kid from the Knights in the marketplace downtown. He told all of us to leave the area. There was some shady person there. I think he's in a battle now, and most of us here are worried about what will happen to the city!"

Oliver looked in the sky. "Indeed there is some formidable energy in the air. Princess, shall I go handle it?"

Narumi shook her head. "No need. I need both of you here for the time being. The only Knight we have left inside of the city above Gamma Rank is Akasan. Let's trust in his strength."

Oliver and Mugen nodded respectfully.

After Akasan finished ascending in the air, he turned his body towards Kaos at a slanted downward angle, and made another circle behind his feet. He launched off that one to propel himself again, this time at a super high speed.

Kaos saw the streak of blue headed towards him and moved out of the way.

The streak hit the ground, Akasan quickly made another circle to launch off of.

Akasan repeated this until there were a multitude of circles for him to jump off of.

Eventually the time it took to land and launch off the circle became shorter and shorter until Akasan just looked like a blue streak constantly bouncing off of pads.

Kaos was caught in the midst of it, as there were circles all around him, and Akasan was constantly moving so he couldn't get a read on him.

Akasan finally attacked, putting all his leg strength into one jump. He launched towards Kaos with his sword outstretched, aiming for his back.

Kaos quickly reacted, and caught the blade with his hands by clapping. The force slid him back as he held on to the sword. When there was little momentum left, Kaos started swinging Akasan around by the blade and threw him. "I don't know what you were trying, but it was a waste of time!!" He threw Akasan with great force.

*"This might not be worth it, but I've gotta try one last time!"* Akasan thought. He made one more circle and landed on it.

The sudden stop put a great deal of pressure upon Akasan's body, causing the bones in his legs to splint. Great shockwaves of pain shot throughout Akasan's body, but he still launched off of the circle, this time powering himself with Sirius energy and all of the crimson fire he could muster.

*voom!!*

He zipped back in Kaos' direction.

"Not again!" Kaos exclaimed. He caught the sword's blade, but Akasan's force was much too great this time. The blade cut through his hands and pierced the gem in his chest.

Massive shockwaves of blue energy destroyed several large buildings in the area, and the effects could be felt even outside of the city limits.

Akasan fell forwards while Kaos fell on his back. Akasan's sword disappeared. So did his power. He reverted back to normal.

He tried to get back up. The pain in his legs was almost unbearable.

There was a metal rod close to Akasan. He used his arms to crawl over and grab it. He used it to help him stand.

Akasan slowly walked his way over to Kaos, who was peacefully staring at the sky. He spoke. "You know... I can't remember what it felt like to have a heart..." He touched the jewel on his chest. It had a gash in the middle where Akasan pierced it. "This is all I had left... that man took me away to some asylum and had doctors open me up and run tests on my body... he told me that I could've been a god... but after all my organs were removed, after all of the tests, all of the surgeries, all of the drugs, I was told that my potential was wasted, that I wasn't the right one. All I had left was this rock. It was charged with a reduced fraction of Nyx's blood. 97 percent diluted too... heh, guess I ended up a failure. I couldn't even kill a single kid. Some god I would've been."

Kaos looked at Akasan. "Akasan was it? I know you probably hate me... but fate chose you... not me. Before I die, I want someone to know about my past. I want my story to live on."

Kaos' voice was dry and sickly. But Akasan could tell that his mind was clear now, unlike earlier. His eyes had life in them. He slowly sat down and nodded.

Kaos smiled sadly. "How fun. Now where do I start... ah."

(Kaos' Story) < "I was born in Kuri Village. One of the larger villages. The kind of village where everyone knew everyone.

I always had both of my parents.

I remember my mother as one of the mentally insane. She was always walking around the house rambling off at nonsense. She'd regularly submit herself to random acts of torture, like slitting her wrists, or peeling off bits of her skin, sometimes even a piece of her own tongue.

Just about everyone in Kuri was scared of her, so she usually stayed indoors.

I don't recall her ever really paying attention to me.

I'd always eat the cockroaches that scattered around my bedroom.

If I was lucky I'd find a rat or a mouse.

We weren't dirt poor, but my father refused to spend money on me.

I'd usually just go outside and mess around with Kyo, my only friend at the time.

We'd always play outside doing who knows what. I can't remember exactly.

When I got home I'd often get beat up by my father for playing with the other kids.

He was always drunk, spending most of our money on drugs and alcohol.

Kuri was known for selling good liquor, but the narcotics were the real profit of the village.

The adults kept it a secret, but us kids knew. We just didn't say a word. My father especially. He'd always bring experimental drugs in the house and force me to take them.

I was only eight years old. By then I'd experienced countless mental breakdowns and depression spells from those hangovers. If I refused or hesitated to take them he'd knock me senseless with a glass bottle.

Then one time during one of those hangovers I went outside to look for Kyo. But he was gone.

I looked everywhere for him. But he'd left the village. He left me alone.

It was late at night when I came home after searching for him. My parents awaited me in the kitchen.

My father beat the living hell out of me that night while my mother laughed at me from behind him.

I don't even remember crying that time. It was just all a blur.

I thought, 'Why do I let them do this to me in the first place?'

I waited until after my beating was over.

I just stared at them, they were so pathetic. Stains on the surface of this planet. Even thinking about them now makes me sick.

I passed judgement on them that night. I killed both of them with my bare hands.

I made sure I tortured them.

I bit, I scratched, I dug. Eyeballs, finger and toenails, I ripped up their insides, no part of their body was left untouched.

Just...everything.

And I didn't feel bad for doing it. I still don't. I had became their god. I decided whether they lived or not.

I left my house that night and left Kuri. That's when I was found wandering the wastelands by that man. Jasper.

He brought me somewhere that I still don't know of and raised me to become a god.

That's what I wanted to be. I lived every moment for it. To become one. And then, I'd find Kyo and kill him with my own two hands.

That was my wish. But I never did become a god. I'm just... an empty shell. Heh. What a waste of a lifetime." >

The jewel in Kaos' chest finally shattered. He died instantly as the light left his eyes.

Akasan closed Kaos' eyes for him and stood back up, yelling out a bit from the pain in his legs.

He stared at Kaos, saddened. "Kaos... you weren't a good person, but it wasn't your fault. The world made you that way... and it isn't fair. I think... if I didn't have Kagami... I might've ended up similar to you."

Akasan bowed his head. "I hope that you rest well, and find peace somewhere."

Akasan limped off out of the area. He left downtown to find a crowd of people, not knowing what to do, just worrying themselves outside of the Royal Palace.

They stared at Akasan as he headed for the city limits. They recognized him as the one who warned them to leave.

Some of them started cheering.

Soon the entire mob of people were screaming his name, applauding and thanking him for saving them.

Narumi fought through the crowds to get a glimpse of Akasan. "Did he do it?" she thought.

She ran through hundreds of people.

When she finally got to the end of the crowd, she saw the crippled body of Akasan slowly walking off into the wastelands. "AKASAN!!!"

But Akasan's ears were zoning out the noise. It took everything in his will just to walk with his metal rod. There was someone else he had to meet.

Akasan limped for hours through the dirt and rock to the battlefield where the original battle took place.

Sure enough, Ryuga's body was still laying there, eyes still open and lifeless, with a hole in his body and two missing limbs.

Ryuga's head was tilted on its side.

Akasan examined the body and saw a thin needle lodged in his neck. He pulled it out.

Ryuga's eyes slowly started to move. He talked dry and ghastly. "Huh? Where am I? Am I dead?"

His gaze landed on Akasan, obviously beaten up.

Ryuga closed his eyes.

Akasan spoke. "I didn't think you'd actually still be alive."

Ryuga chuckled a sickly, coughing laugh. "Neither did I. Just barely if at all though. Why'd you come back? Here to finish me off?"

Akasan shook his head. "I want you to help my friends fight Naesrio."

Ryuga opened his eyes and looked at him.

Akasan's expression screamed sincerity.

Ryuga laughed again. "I killed two of your friends already, and now you want my help after leaving me like this? I don't understand brats like you. I planned on just dying peacefully like this. I don't exactly have anything to live for at this point. I can't try to rejoin my brother after so shamefully losing to some humans now can I? You're ruining my happy ending. Don't forget that we're still enemies. Kill me."

Akasan lowered his eyebrows in earnest. "Why are we enemies in the first place? Why would you guys want us dead? I'm just trying to help my friends. We only fight to defend."

Ryuga laughed again. "That's a shallow statement. One day you'll realize how shallow those words really are. Killing the humans would strengthen the overall force of the planet. Weakness angers the gods. My mother was seen as weak because she sympathized with you all. She wanted to understand, to work with humans. My father killed her for that. When my brother saw weakness in me, he killed my father in front of me to make an example. Not that I cared about my father anyway. But I thought about it. It's a strange feeling to see mother killed. I was... sad. Your friends probably felt the same way when I killed that girl. We can't co-exist."

Akasan wiped tears from his eyes. "Did you love your mom?"

Ryuga's eyes widened. "What was that?"

"Love. Did you love her?"

Ryuga stared at the sky. "Hm. I did. What would you know about it, to lose someone precious to you."

Akasan shook his head. "I don't know anything. I'm an orphan. I've only known Kagami, my friend. We grew up together by ourselves."

Ryuga smiled. "Ah. So you don't know what parental love feels like. How sad. It's a shame that this is reality. It's been like that since the beginning of time. Gods against the humans. It's just the natural order of things. We could never share the same pain."

Akasan frowned. "And why not? The way Kyo looked at me. He felt like he'd lost everything. You gods... I don't know where you get off thinking that you're better than us, but last I checked, you all can die just like us!!"

Ryuga looked back up at the sunset lit sky. "Just like us hm? That's big talk coming from you. You're just a child. One with god blood running through your own veins. Didn't think I could tell? You don't have the right to stand up for either side."

Tears streaked down Akasan's face. "What does it matter?!! People are people, no matter where they come from!! Just you wait!! I'll travel across the whole world!! Even if I have to beat down every god I come across!! I'll change it!! I'll change it all!!"

Akasan started walking deeper into the wastelands on his own, tears freefalling down his face as his body began to fail him. He fell down.

Akasan stuck his rod into the ground and tried to stand up again, though it was all he could manage.

Ryuga turned his head and looked after him. "Where are you going?"

Akasan's breathing got slower and slower. "To my friends, I have to help them. They might need me..."

Ryuga laughed once more. "You really are just a child. You're too prideful, thinking that you're strong enough to go out there."

Akasan kept walking. "What are you talking about? I'll just make some energy come from somewhere... I'm sure it'll work."

Ryuga's body began brimming with white energy. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

VOOSH!!"

A white beam of light shot into the air.

Akasan looked behind him. "Huh...?" he said tiredly.

As the light subsided, Ryuga was standing up, perfectly healthy and filled over the top with power. His body was now all white with hints of black, similar to his brother's Perfect Form.

Ryuga casually walked over to Akasan. "I'll take your word for it. Prove to me that you can truly change the world. I'll rekindle my own mother's faith in your people. So don't throw away your life just yet."

Akasan had witnessed Ryuga's revival. "Were you hiding this the entire time?"

Ryuga shrugged. "Don't take it personally."

"Me and Agaki never stood a chance, did we?"

Ryuga smirked. "Not in the least."

Akasan started moving forward. "Let's go then...! I can still...!"

bop!

Ryuga chopped Akasan upside the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Cheeky brat. You're not going anywhere. Go to sleep."