Volume Four - Killer

## Chapter 37 - The Horn Stealer

"Please, stay back." Andromeda says, as Jack steps forward. "Jack, please...I...I'm not sure you can handle it." "Protecting your mate...smart." Cygnus says, confusing her. "Mate?" Andromeda demands. "He's my..." "He's your mate." Cygnus says. "You need him to breed." "Don't call it that." Andromeda growls, as Cygnus tilts his upper body to the other side. "Oh? How can a human and a Socqreath ever be in a relationship? Socqreath only care about reproducing, and humans shun anything that isn't them." Cygnus says.

Andromeda sends one of her Psychic Weapons at Cygnus, who stops it with one of his own, which looked like daggers forged into a claw. "What?" Andromeda growls. "Low energy, round, bound with a tendril...what kind of Psychic Weapons are these?" Cygnus demands. "I expected so much more from you." Andromeda then runs at Cygnus to try and close the distance, but Cygnus slashes at her to make her pull back, as Shunsuke rushes to punch him. Cygnus dodges as Shunsuke crashes into-and obliterates-a shed. "I'm glad I dodged that..." Cygnus remarks.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but...I don't care." Andromeda says, as she sends more of her Psychic Weapons at Cygnus, who doesn't even turn around but merely lets his sword-like blades block each strike with little to no effort. "You expose yourself like that." Cygnus says, as Andromeda feels one of the blades pierce through her shoulder. "Gh!" Andromeda growls, as she felt the searing pain. She felt something else, but couldn't put her finger on it. "Good...now you've been struck" Cygnus says. "My blades...force their victims to feel fear, by overriding the nervous system."

"...That's it?" Andromeda asks, trying to sound annoyed. "I'm a psychopath. I don't feel fear." Andromeda put on an evil smile as she said this, but it instantly became a confused, shocked expression when Cygnus started laughing. "...A psychopath...you say?" Cygnus asks. "If you really do not care, if you are really devoid of emotion, cannot feel fear...then I suppose you won't care if I kill the human you refer to as 'Jack', will you?" Andromeda only had a second to gasp before Cygnus had slashed her across her torso, cutting off her jacket. "Gh-gah!" Andromeda yells, as Cygnus steps back and seems to grin given how his eyes currently looked.

"I knew it." Cygnus says. "Let's suppose for a moment, that you actually did not have a fear. I would have just created one for you!" Andromeda stepped back and felt herself rapidly losing blood. "Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm a bit of a horn thief." Cygnus says. "Except...I kill those I rob." Andromeda responds to this by glaring at Cygnus, who just keeps looking at her with that expression.

Andromeda then felt it, she had managed to heal from that slash, and was only a little lightheaded. "Ah, yes...we can heal." Cygnus says. "Only fitting that you'd heal a bit faster than most Socqreath." "Stop...talking." Andromeda growls, as she tosses a lamp post at Cygnus, who grabs the lamp part with his real hand before cutting it into ribbons with his Psychic Weapons fast enough for Andromeda to think it was a blur. "Is your mate going to fight in this, too? Or should I just kill him?" Cygnus mockingly asks.

"I won't let you kill him!" Andromeda roars, as she tries to punch Cygnus, who keeps blocking. "Can you not tell this isn't working?" Cygnus asks, before leaping to the side to avoid a kick from Shunsuke. "We see, hear, smell much better than humans!" Cygnus shouts. "I'm in my 50's and I can detect this one from a mile away!" "I...will still...kill you..." Andromeda growls, as she begins to feel more afraid. No! Not right now! Cygnus walked towards her and seemed to grin again. "Good, I'm sure your mate will understand." Cygnus replies, as he rushes at Andromeda to kick her aside.

"Andromeda!" Jack shouts, as Andromeda sees Cygnus turn towards him. "No, Jack!" Andromeda screams, as Cygnus laughs. "Not a conditioned fear, if it's that effective." He says, as he rushes over to kick Andromeda in the forehead. "I can't believe that you are the one that we must answer to despite you being PATHETIC!" Cygnus roars. "Humans are toys! Morals are constrictions! You are above us, and we are above them! Treat humans like what they are! TRASH!" Andromeda manages to catch Cygnus' next kick. "No." Andromeda says, as she manages to finally punch Cygnus in the chest.

## Chapter 38 - Startling Revelations

Cygnus stumbled back and seemed to cough a bit, as he glares at Andromeda. "Well...I suppose I shouldn't keep giving you the runaround." Cygnus growls. "You...are...the queen." "What?" Andromeda demands. "The queen of what?" Cygnus seems to grin as he tilts his body again, but the grin soon turns back into an angry glare. "The queen of the Socqreath, of course." Cygnus says. "After all, you are the only known living heir to one of the royal families." "If I can struggle against you, I am definitely not your queen." Andromeda says. "Good, so we can agree on one thing." Cygnus says. "Because I will NEVER bow to YOU!"

Cygnus rushes at Andromeda, ready to slash her, as Andromeda prepares to block with a Psychic Weapon, but Cygnus knocks hers away with his own, before slashing her across the stomach, causing her to buckle over in pain as her groans were somewhat gurgled with blood. "Once again, PATHETIC!" Cygnus yells, as he slashes at Andromeda again, but Andromeda manages to dodge despite the searing pain she was clearly in and slash Cygnus across the shoulder, making him bleed. Cygnus stumbles back and shrieks in anger.

"How dare you! HOW DARE YOU STRIKE ME!" Cygnus roars, as he kicks Andromeda in the head to send her crashing into a wall before avoiding another blow from Shunsuke and jumping up so as to not be shaken with the ground. Jack rushes over to try and fire at him, but Cygnus either dodges, blocks, or catches the bullets with ease, before rushing over to him, grabbing him by the head, and throwing him over to another building. "Gah!" Jack yells in pain, as he sees Cygnus coming for him and runs into the building. "Yes, human, play hard to get." Cygnus says, as he walks into the building after him, Jack able to tell from the footsteps.

Jack continues to run away, breathing heavily and feeling his heart pounding, almost thinking he could hear it. He prepares to load his gun again, knowing it wouldn't do much damage. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Cygnus seems to sing, making Jack's skin crawl. "Why are you attacking us?!" Jack shouts. "Because I want to!" Cygnus shouts back. "Why else?" Jack grew more and more scared as he tried to get away, but he could hear breathing behind him. He turned to see Cygnus standing there and staring at him.

"Maybe I should tell you, to give you some fighting spirit." Cygnus says. "Tell me what?" Jack demands. "Only that...I was the first Socqreath humanity met." Cygnus replies, as he begins to laugh. Jack takes a moment to process exactly what Cygnus said, before the realization hit him. "You...you're the reason...you're why Andromeda was picked on! Why she was hunted!" Jack yells. "Yes...I was...do you hate me now, human?" Cygnus asks. "If so, then I've got a new plaything." Cygnus laughs again, as Jack fires at his head. Cygnus tilts his head to dodge, grabs Jack, and throws him out of the building, smashing him through the concrete as if it were paper.

Jack crashed on the pavement hard enough to crack it, as he saw Cygnus standing over him. "Now, to kill you...Jack." Cygnus says gleefully, as he holds something and points it towards him. "I think I'm going to carve out your brain and eat it." "NO!" Andromeda screams, as Cygnus tosses the weapon away and lets it drive one of Andromeda's hands into the ground. "Now, then...should you decide what I cut out and eat? Hmm?" Jack was paralyzed from the fear, unable to move. He tried to get up and run away, but couldn't. "Oh well, it was fun...not." Cygnus says, as he drives his claws towards Jack's face.

## Chapter 39 - Turn the Tables

Cygnus' hand was cut off, as he roars in agony. "WHO DID THAT?!" Cygnus shrieks, as he looks over at Andromeda before his mask also splits in half, and his chest is cut open. He seems to block Andromeda's next attack, as he kicks Jack into a wall and sends a storm of Psychic Weapons at him. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" Cygnus roars at the top of his lungs, as Shunsuke, seeing this, rushes at him to punch him in the face, sending him sliding backward as his feet grinded the pavement. Cygnus looks up and they see that his mouth was sewn shut, but missing its lips. His teeth were rotted and the sewing material was black.

"What...?" Shunsuke wonders, as Cygnus was clearly scowling. "YOU WILL ALL DIE!" Cygnus roars, as he rushes at Andromeda, who rushes past Cygnus as his entire right arm falls off. "You are the one I am going to treat like trash, demon." Andromeda growls, as she continues to walk to where Jack was. Cygnus roars and rushes at her again, trying to hit her with his Psychic Weapons, but Andromeda cuts both his horns off, as they vanish into thin air. Andromeda then kicks Cygnus in the stomach and back to send him to the ground, before horizontally bisecting him.

"What was...?" Shunsuke begins to ask. "I don't know, but I think I've finally...gotten the hang of my power." Andromeda says, as she walks over to Jack and cradles him in her arms, looking down at him with a somber expression. Shunsuke watched in sadness, as this was something that he didn't think anyone should deserve. That was why he only fought to protect others from true monsters. He looked over at Cygnus' two halves, which were bleeding out. Cygnus was muttering something under his weak groans, but Shunsuke couldn't tell what he was saying.

"You..." Cygnus said audibly. "You...might be queen...but...I WILL NOT EVER BOW TO YOU!" Cygnus' two halves then come back together, seemingly with clamps, and his arm also reformed. "What?!" Andromeda yells. "How did you?!" "YOU ARE CLEARLY WONDERING HOW I AM STANDING UP! OR MAYBE YOU ALREADY KNOW AND ARE WONDERING HOW I FORMED THE CLAMPS!" Cygnus screams. "I WILL TELL YOU, GIRL! THE HORNS OF THE SOCQREATH I KILL, ARE PART OF MY FASHION SENSE. THE CLAWS ON MY LEFT ARM ARE FIVE EXTRA HORNS, AND WITH THEM I CAN ACTIVATE MY ULTIMATE TRANSFORMATION! I WILL DIE IF I CAN KILL YOU!"

Cygnus then seemed to forcibly roll his eyes upwards hard enough for blood vessels beneath them to explode, as long, spiky, orangish red horns form where his original horns were. Spiky wings and a halo follow, as his skin seems to melt into his suit, and his face melted a lot too. As he now had a satanic smile forever melted into his face ear to ear, and his eyes glowed orange. Cygnus' shriek sounded like something straight out of hell, as he then rushed at both of them faster than they could react to.

## Chapter 40 - What do you Fear?

Andromeda made the first move, attempting to strike Cygnus, but as he expected, the Psychic Weapons he had just formed were holding them in place. The dome consisted of glowing yellow eyes, constantly staring down their victims, staring directly into their souls. No wonder they couldn't move! Fear like that, it was utterly unbeatable! He hoped they'd know he only used these horns for a fashion sense, but...they were very, very useful. He was in complete agony, but it was worthless. These enemies would drop dead before he melted!

"This is one hundred percent of a Socqreath's power!" Cygnus shrieks. "Within this dome, I am the god of fear itself! I WILL CRUSH ALL YOUR TINY MINDS AND HEARTS WITH ALL YOUR GREATEST FEARS!" Cygnus then forms more and more blades around him, knowing the human could clearly see the blades but not caring, because it wasn't like they could do anything about it! He watched their faces, literally paralyzed in fear! It was glorious, this power took such a tool but was...magnificent!

Cygnus laughed harder, and harder, yet harder, as he did all he could to completely and utterly replace all of these people's emotions and instincts with fear! Nothing! No human, no Socqreath, could come close to him! This world was his to use, his to kill in! Human beings, toys, slaves, cattle! Socqreath, targets, obstacles, enemies! No one could be his equal, no one could be his rival, no one could be his master! He would subjugate all of the universe with fear! And nothing was going to stop hi--

The dome suddenly had a hole blasted through it, as the eyes separated. "What?!" Cygnus demands, as he turns to see a man wearing faded green and blue clothing, most notably a trenchcoat and fedora. "Another human?!" Cygnus roars, as he sends his blades at the man, but they were blocked by something, a forcefield, it had to be! "Step away from my children." The man says. "What?! They're your offspring?!" Cygnus roars. "No, of course not!" The man shouts. "I'm Amaya Kiyomasu, a humble orphanage owner!"

Kiyomasu then points his cane at Cygnus, a futuristic cane at that, it looked like another machine. "A humble orphanage owner here to save the orphans' lives." Kiyomasu finishes, sounding much more serious. "You cannot possibly match a Socqreath." Cygnus says. "Not when he is at a hundred percent of his power!" "I know." Kiyomasu says. "But I'm not the one who's going to." Cygnus' eyes widen as he turns to see Andromeda standing up, only seconds before he is stabbed in the diaphragm. Breathing was always a bit difficult, but now...he didn't have time to think about that as he noticed that he was falling on his knees...

...he was BOWING!

"NO! NO!" Cygnus roars. "I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER BOW TO A WORM LIKE YOU! YOU ARE UNFIT TO RULE US, PAMPERED BY HUMANS! YOU ARE GARBAE, ANDROMEDA! I AM THE ONE WHO SHOULD RULE--ugh. Gh." Cygnus had felt the blow only momentarily, as he split in half down the middle. His las thoughts were cursing Andromeda, as everything went black.

## Chapter 41 - The real Culprit

Thought was returning...he thought of living...

Touch was returning...he felt her hand on his...

Smell was returning...he smelled her perfume

Taste...he thought...was returning...

Hearing was returning...he heard her cries...he heard the heart monitor beep...

And...sight was returning...he opened his eyes...and saw her looking down at him with a somber expression...

"K-...Kasper...?" Candice asks with a cracking voice. "C-...Candice...?" Kasper asked weakly. "Is it...you...?" "Yes...it-it's me..." Candice answers, a small smile forming on her tear-ridden face. Candice seemed to want to kiss him, but...the breathing apparatus may be what was keeping him alive. He continued to look at her weakly. He...he remembered what had happened all too clearly. The searing pain that lasted but a second, and struck his back, the man wearing that suit, and giving him that evil smile.

Then...he realized.

"Candice..." Kasper starts. "I...I..." "Kasper...?" Candice asks. "...I...can't feel my legs..."

Nothing made a sound apart from the heart monitor. Kasper didn't even register any breathing apart from his own apparatus. Then, Candice took the apparatus off. Kasper expected that he was going to suffocate, but, he didn't. At least he thought he didn't. Candice put her hands on his head, bent down to him, and kissed him. "I...I'm so sorry..." Candice says. "You...don't deserve this...I...should have been with you..." Candice's smile had faded, and her tears...Kasper had always known himself to be reserved, but those tears...they broke him. His heart shattered seeing Candice like this. Then, he finally spoke of it.

"...Andromeda was angry...because I was foolish..." Kasper says. "...Kiyomasu and her...were right..." Candice listened to what Kasper said, as it hit her too, but she still asked. "Who...did this to you...?" Candice asks with her voice shaking not only with sadness...

...but with anger...

"...It was..." Kasper starts.

## Chapter 42 - Severing the Past

"...Kazuyuki."

How many pounds had he gained now? What was his mental state now? He had no idea. He only knew how hard it had been to hear the news. The man who sulked in his armchair turned his head to look at the photo on his desk. It was dusty and a piece of it was missing. But he knew it so well. He looked so much better back then, and beside him was his wife, the beautiful blue color with those brilliant gold eyes. She always seemed to want...that. He turned to see their child, whose head was the piece missing from the photo. Wait, what was his name again? No one had called him by such in years.

"My...daughter..." The man groans weakly. "Please...live happily..."

Something crashed to the ground, waking the man fully up from his stupor. He turned to see half the door cut away diagonally, and although the shining light made the man appear as a silhouette, his glowing purple eye was apparent. The man soon adjusted to the light, and saw the man standing at the door was a bit tall, rather thin, and his skin was like pale stone, his hair shaggy and dusty black, his non glowing eye a deep, soulless black, and his smile had something unsettling about it. He wore black overalls with golden buttons over a purple sleeveless suit with golden buttons as well, and a white suit beneath that. He also held a glowing purple sword.

"Hello, Mr. Totakis." The man says in a soothing yet creepy voice. "My name is Asaka Kazuyuki, and you are slothful."

## Chapter 43 - A Soldier's Defeat

Kazuyuki walked through the alleyway to a very old industrial site. Nothing with circuitry appeared to be here, only cogs and gears. That meant...she'd be here to fight him. He turned to see Fiora standing there. "Was I that obvious, Miss Distler?" Kazuyuki asks. "I was trying to look too obvious to be the culprit." "Yeah, well...I am the tactical genius, and we may have been told by Kasper." Fiora says. "So he's alive?" Kazuyuki asks. "A shame he spilled the beans so soon. I should have cut out his throat and brain and stuffed them inside a crate."

"...I don't think my daughter would be very happy if you did that." Fiora replies. "Good. I want that ball of happiness to turn into a mess of tears." Kazuyuki replies, as he narrowly dodges a laser that Fiora had fired at him. "When did she take out the rifle?!" Kazuyuki thinks, as he quickly blocks more of the laser blasts with his sword. Fiora keeps firing, as Kazuyuki feels a laser graze his neck, and the searing pain that came with that sensation. Kazuyuki then slashes the ground, before remembering where they were.

"You tracked me to make sure I was here." Kazuyuki says, as he sidesteps another laser and looks at the burning hole in his pants. "All you are is a computer genius." Fiora says. "This is is a fight, where my expertise dominates." Fiora then sets the rifle to a higher level and fires. Kazuyuki manages to dodge again, but it hits part of the facility and explodes, sending him flying back as he quickly deflects another blast from Fiora back at her. He then drives his sword into the ground while she was dodging the blast. "Damn..." Kazuyuki mutters, remembering again, as he then sees a laser hit the ground in front of his feet.

He saw a blinding white light, and felt heat greater than that of the sun's surface. He was knocked back into a wall, the force causing a part of it and the ceiling to fall on top of him. He could hear Fiora walking over to where he was, as she spoke. "What, did you think you'd be the world's next great serial killer?" Fiora demands. "I know that you always were a smart guy, but...I don't think your sword can carry you that far. "...Good...thing...I don't only have my sword." Kazuyuki says, as he swings his arm to destroy the debris that was on him.

"Wh-what?!" Fiora demands, as she aims her rifle at Kazuyuki, who already had the blade of his sword cutting into it. "Don't bother, your gun is now my gun." Kazuyuki says. "Also...I have my own bionic limbs. You'd know that...if you payed attention to the fact that I had the time to do this. Tactical genius? You may know military matters and gunfighting more than me, but when someone brings a sword to a gunfight, underestimating that someone becomes all the easier." Kazuyuki says, as Fiora lets go of her gun and leaps back, before taking out a pistol and firing at his leg.

Kazuyuki quickly leaps back, and smiles, as the gears all fall down, revealing glowing circuitry. "Have you heard of reverse psychology?" Kazuyuki asks. "Or patterns? The things I am the expert in. I calculated that you'd track me to a place with no technology, so I designed a place identical to the old factory. Of course, it also fooled me." "Wait...what...?" Fiora demands, before the floor, walls and ceiling all rush at her at different speeds and angles. Fiora is seemingly crushed. But just to be sure, Kazuyuki set her gun to self-destruct and threw it at the trap. He was well out of the building when it exploded, shrouding all but his smile in shadow.

## Chapter 44 - The Mourning

The coffin was carried by soldiers, through the graveyard to the burial site. Much of the military had come to watch, and it was almost unbearable. The air was filled with fog, the burial postponed until night. It would certainly be something, if a ghost were to strike them at this time. But...this wasn't the time to think things like that. Bertram watched them place Fiora's coffin into the ground, as they began to shovel earth over it. He heard soft crying and turned to see Candice sitting there. The whole school had attended this funeral.

...the whole school, except for Asaka.

He always knew he should never have trusted that man. Bertram looked down at his blade, knowing exactly its power. He'd use it to his full advantage. He would...kill Asaka. He then noticed that Copernicus had not shown up. "Was he delayed or...did he just not care?" Bertram demands, letting his fists shake with anger. He decided to walk away from the graveyard, believing the fog would conceal his absence. "I know where you are...Asaka." Bertram growls, as he walks for a good while before finally seeing it.

The still burning ruins of the factory.

As he walked into the ruins, he picked up the smell of not only the burning metal, but of the death that had occurred here. "I know what has to be here..." Bertram says. "You told me you wanted to put a base here once." Bertram places his sword into the ground as it scans the area. It doesn't reveal anything, but Bertram sees a grate, which he removes from the floor before crawling into the freezing cold ventilation shafts, just big enough for him to fit. He'd have to squeeze his way to Asaka.

Bertram manages to find a workshop before kicking down a grate and sliding backwards to fall onto the ground. "Agh! My leg!" Bertram roars, before he sees a screen on the wall, showing the names and locations of...everyone. "What the Hell...?" Bertram demands. "I thought you knew me, old friend." Asaka says, Bertram whirling around to see the psychotic man standing at the doorway. "You could've just knocked." "How long has this been going on?" Bertram demands. "Years. I am, after all...the smartest human alive."

Asaka had nearly managed to slash Bertram's neck open, and Bertram knew he would have if he had not created a shield at that exact moment. Indeed, if he had been the slightest bit slower, he would be dead. "Ah...that trick." Asaka says. "It has never meant much to me, it just means I have to slash a few extra times." Asaka jumps back and slashes the shield again, this time leaving a crack. "Gh!" Bertram exclaims, as he lowers the shield and swings his sword at Asaka, coating said sword in Psychic Aura.

"That, again?" Asaka demands, as he clashes with the hilt of Bertram's sword rather than the blade. "Not just that." Bertram says, as multiple lasers shoot up and converge on Asaka, the latter quickly leaping back to not be hit before stepping on an explosive. When the smoke cleared, Asaka wasn't there. Bertram looks around, before turning to block another strike from Asaka. Bertram then kicks him in the stomach to send him stumbling back before swinging at his neck. Asaka tilts his head to briefly dodge before moving his sword in to block.

"We both know that isn't even close to the best you have." Asaka says. "Well...I didn't want to overheat my blade, but I guess I have to." Bertram says, as his blade begins to glow. Asaka swings at him again, but Bertram explodes into particles of light. Asaka turns around to block another strike from Bertram, Bertram having attached a bomb to his sword, which went onto Asaka's. "Have fun with that!" Bertram shouts, as Asaka grabs the bomb in his hand and tries to remove it when it explodes, knocking Bertram out of the newly destroyed room.

Bertram looks into the smoke coming out of the room, before seeing a glowing bright purple eye. Asaka walks out of the smoke with his hand slightly burnt and his clothes battered. "I know you have more tricks, Bertram." Asaka says. "You had better bet I do." Bertram replies with a smirk, as a column of light appears around Asaka. "What you're in right now, is a technique I designed to instantly kill whoever's in it once it shrinks enough." Bertram says. "You'll soon be as thin as a single atom!"

Bertram makes the column begin to shrink, as it constricts Asaka further and further. "What?! You!" Asaka shouts. "Call yourself the smartest and fall for that, what a joke." Bertram says. "Still...you killed Fiora, and that can't go unforgiven." Bertram leaps back as he then has the column detonate, blasting upwards and destroying the large room they were in. Bertram uses his sword to try and block, but is unable to create a forcefield for whatever reason. He also noticed something else now. Something dire...

...the explosion wasn't affecting anything anymore!

Bertram looks into the smoke to see Asaka standing there, nearly completely fine. "Wh...wh..." Bertram stutters, before seeing his blade as his eyes widened in shock.

The regularly orange light on the blade was purple.

"Oh, please, did you really think you were going to beat the computer genius with a piece of technology?" Asaka demands. "We both know I can control any circuit-based tech my blade touches. **Touches**. You were never, ever going to beat me." "Is that a fact?" Bertram growls. "What will you do against this, then?!" Bertram jumps at Asaka and prepares to kick him, as Asaka raises a forcefield around himself. "I do this." Asaka says. "I now have access to all your sword's powers. And if you remember...this eye can see Psychic Aura. And I made a few...improvements."

Before either of them can do anything else, a platoon of soldiers wearing grey suits, blue capes, and helmets with golden horns, and a golden outline to a blue visor that shielded the eyes, rushed into the room and aimed Psychic Weapons at Asaka. "You are to be executed for the murder of His Majesty's wife!" A soldier says. "Oh, really?" Asaka demands, as the Psychic Weapons vanish. "I think not." Psychic blades then appear and grow out of the soldiers' necks, instantly killing them, as Asaka walks past Bertram, who feels a pain in his stomach. "I might be the physically weakest out of all of us, but I am God to ants when speaking of intellect." Asaka says, as Bertram, trying to stay conscious, slashes at him one last time, Asaka cutting Bertram's blade in half with a Psychic Weapon, which then vanishes. Bertram tries to keep fighting, but couldn't, as he passed out soon after.

## Chapter 45 - The Power of a Killer

Bertram finally woke up in a hospital bed. Most everyone was looking down at him, but he focused his attention on Candice. "...I'm...sorry..." Bertram groans. "I...couldn't...avenge...your mother..." Candice turned her tear-covered face away as she walked over to Kasper, who hadn't looked up in days. "I knew there was something about him..." Andromeda growls. "We shouldn't have ever trusted him." She then turns to walk out of the room. "Where are you going?" Jack asks. "I'm going to kill him." Andromeda responds.

"You can't." Kooji replies. "You are inexperienced. To him you are as fast as a snail is to you. To him your Psychic Weapons are easily blocked and your defense is weak. I don't want to sound arrogant, but...I think I am the only one who can bring him to justice." "I don't care, I'm going to kill that human." Andromeda growls. "You'll die if you go after him as you are now." Kooji responds. "That's right." Another voice says, as Bertram turns his head to see Kiyomasu sitting on an open window. "That's why you are going to train with me."

"Seriously...? The cane fighter...?" Bertram groans. "Hey, it's a very powerful cane!" Kiyomasu responds. "Sure, it is..." Bertram replies. "...and then Asaka'll take control of it once he clashes his sword with it once." "I'm aware of that." Kiyomasu responds. "I meant train them for later threats. Kooji can handle Kazuyuki." "Do we even know where Kazuyuki will be, next?" Jack asks. "Yes, somewhere in the city, or on the outskirts of it." Kooji answers. "As fast as he is, he can't run around freely unless he's in a flat plain."

"Wait, if he can control tech, aren't you using tech?" Jack then asks. "I am using technology." Kooji answers. "And Kazuyuki...will never be able to strike it once." Kooji then walks out of the room.

"Be careful, Headmaster..." Bertram thinks. "Arrogance means death...against him."

"Fiora learned that...the hard way."

## Chapter 46 - Interlude

Kooji had been walking through the city for a while now, waiting, searching, anticipating. Kazuyuki was most likely leaving, and he knew the closest exit from where he last was happened to be...there. He walked to the outskirts of the city to find the same flat concrete area that their students fought Cygnus in. No one seemed to be around, as he walked through the flat concrete area cautiously. He looked around, before he realized that Kazuyuki was the kind of man who would absolutely...sneak up behind him.

"Sneak up behind you."

Kooji turns to see Kazuyuki, indeed, standing behind him. "I knew you would be here." Kooji says. "What a coincidence, me too." Kazuyuki says. "After all, where else will I kill you?"

"That will be the last thing you try, Computer Genius." Kooji replies, as he gets ready to fight.

## Chapter 47 - Kazuyuki vs Kooji

Kazuyuki makes the first move, zooming behind Kooji and swinging his sword at him. He only slightly cuts Kooji's shoulder as Kooji grabs his hand and flings him away. "Your speed does do one thing for me," Kooji says. "Give me air pressures to work with." "Oh, I just needed to test it." Kazuyuki says. "Now I know that I don't need to stop your device to kill you." "You speak as if you will reach me again." Kooji replies, as he then forms a large barrier encompassing the entire area, before forming a storm of missiles and sending them at Kazuyuki.

"Wh--" Kazuyuki begins to exclaim, before seeing the missiles almost reaching him. He manages to put his sword in front of him, causing the missiles to hit him, giving him a split second to turn them off, as he ducks under the remaining ones and swings his sword at Kooji. However, Kooji was already aiming laser guns at him as he fired them. Kazuyuki barely managed to block most of them, but various parts of his clothing and skin were singed by the blasts that he couldn't block. Kooji quickly makes the ground beneath Kazuyuki raise and the ground around Kazuyuki raise higher, so as to trap him.

Kazuyuki notices this and sees a roof forming. He manages to leap up and out of the trap before it closes, before sliding down the trap and slash at Kooji again, an invisible barrier separating them as said barrier then explodes outwards, forcing Kazuyuki to block with his blade and slide backwards. Kooji takes advantage of this to quickly make the trap turn into molten steel, and fall onto where Kazuyuki is. Kazuyuki sees this and quickly rushes forwards so as to not be hit by the lava before swinging at Kooji again, Kooji seeing this and turning himself into a digital copy, the real him being a hundred feet to Kazuyuki's right.

"Do not make me say it again, Kazuyuki, you're outmatched here." Kooji says. "You keep saying that, it'll make it more satisfying when I prove you wrong." Kazuyuki replies, as he slashes the ground to make a portion of it raise up, turn into spikes, and rush at Kooji, who, seeing this, quickly creates an army of large goblin-like creatures to hold the attacks. Kooji then flies above Kazuyuki and rains hail down on top of him. Kazuyuki slashes through the hail and leaps off of any hail he doesn't slash, as he tries to slash Kooji again, Kooji creating a pressure wave to knock him to the ground.

Kazuyuki regains his sense of balance and gets back up, just in time to feel the ground shaking. He looks down and, in the instant that he sees the ground beneath him turning into spikes, leaps up and places one foot on each nearby spike, before leaping to plant both feet on one spike. The ground beneath the spikes turns into lava before the spikes begin to sink. "Gh!" Kazuyuki shouts, before leaping backwards and seeing a miniature tornado rush at him and spin him around. Kazuyuki tries to look in one direction and time a jump off a spike. He manages to do so, and rushes at Kooji to slash at him again, Kooji blocking with another shield.

"Without your ability, you become one note." Kooji says. "You can only swing your sword for so long." "That's true, but you'll be dead before I reach that limit." Kazuyuki responds, albeit with a bit of a shaking feeling in his voice. Kazuyuki swings at Kooji again, as the shield becomes visible and, when struck by Kazuyuki's sword, shatters, revealing that nothing was in the shield during this. Kooji looks at Kazuyuki from behind him as he makes the ground turn into chainsaws. Kazuyuki sees this when he turns his head around before leaping upwards and slashing the chainsaws while spinning in the air to shut them down.

"Is this all you have, Sir?" Kazuyuki mocks, as Kooji quickly makes a fist appear to punch him into the ceiling of the shield. Kazuyuki falling down again as he stabs his sword into the ground to not hit it himself. Kazuyuki then plants his feet on the ground before removing his sword from it and noticing a storm of shurikens rushing at him. Kazuyuki quickly blocks most of them, but some hit, cutting into his skin and making him bleed. From his cheeks, from his forehead, from his arms, from his legs and torso.

"Gah! Ugh!" Kazuyuki nearly screams, as Kooji fires rods of light at him. Kazuyuki blocks one of the rods, as it explodes. Kazuyuki quickly dodges the others, as a long sharpened metal pole stabs through his non-sword arm. "Did you...gah! ...Mean to hit my sword arm?" Kazuyuki demands. "I meant to hit your heart." Kooji responds coldly. "Your antics anger me, and your treachery must be brought to an end." Kooji quickly makes the ground beneath Kazuyuki explosive, Kazuyuki had guessed Kooji would do this, as he leaps upwards and uses the force of the explosion to rush at Kooji again, Kooji sidestepping the slash as he then kicks him away.

"Gah!" Kazuyuki screams, as he felt multiple ribs had been shattered. He barely manages to land on his feet, before noticing that missiles, rods, swords, shurikens and the like were all rushing at him at once. Kazuyuki quickly swings his sword to hit all of them at once and turn them on Kooji, who turns them back into nothing but particles of hard light. Kooji then sends another pressure wave at Kazuyuki, forcing him back as he was flying towards a massive pair of robotic hands. "Oh, please." Kazuyuki says, as he slashes the hands to shut them off and lands on the ground.

At that moment, the ground erupted into a cage that appeared to be made of electricity, and the tile ceased to have machinery in it. "What?!" Kazuyuki growls. "I planned this fight out." Kooji replies. "Everything we did, was to get you here. Now, you will no longer be able to escape, as that cage is not machinery, but pure energy. If you touch it, you'll be electrocuted to death." "...I see." Kazuyuki says. "You actually came at me with a plan, unlike your idiotic subordinates." "Don't you dare insult us, you were one of us." Kooji says. "That's right." Kazuyuki says. "I was."

Kazuyuki lightly taps one of the bars with his sword, as...the entire cage vanishes. "...What...?" Kooji demands, already forming another plan. "Oh, that's right." Kazuyuki says. "I suspected we might eventually cross weapons, so I kept one important detail about my weapon to myself, as I was actually in one making it, unlike how Bertram made both your weapons himself for whatever reason." "What are you talking about?" Kooji demands. "I'm talking about the fact that my sword controls only circuitry technology. Can you guess why that is?" Kazuyuki says. "It's because it does so via manipulating electrons."

Kazuyuki rushes at Kooji again, his sword coming so close to Kooji's device that it was hard to tell if the weapons connected or not. Kooji leaps backwards as he then creates one more thing, a massive dragon, with wings much more massive than the dragon itself. Kazuyuki stares at the dragon in utter shock. "WH-WHAT?!" Kazuyuki screams. "Yes, a dragon, perfectly able to exist in real life." Kooji replies. "As that...is the only weakness of my device. Now be burned by the combined might of a forest fire!" The dragon then erupts massive amounts of flames onto Kooji from its mouth, enough flames to engulf a large part of the area.

The flames then dissipate into green pixels, as Kooji stares in disbelief, as Kazuyuki, although badly burned, was standing upright and calm. The dragon then also vanished, as Kooji's device's screen and lights all turned purple. Kazuyuki smiles his evil smile. "This...is what I wanted." Kazuyuki says. "To show you that...in the end...you were never going to defeat me. I am a master visionary, a master of light, a master of tactics. Although not as good as you, I do have all of your genius as well as my own."

"And now, you're dead."

Kazuyuki rushes at Kooji faster than he could initially process, as Kooji's arm was cut clean off. Kazuyuki's smile widens as he swings his sword through Kooji's abdomen. However, Kooji grabs, and in that movement crushes, Kazuyuki's one good arm. "Wh-what?!" Kazuyuki shouts. "Did you think I needed my weapon to fight?!" Kooji yells. "My physical might is almost unmatched, almost unsurpassed! Do not make me repeat myself, Asaka, you are a fool to fight me!" Kooji's weapon then begins to glow brightly. "What is that?!" Kazuyuki screams. "I programmed my weapon to self destruct if it was ever taken over!" Kooji answers, as it explodes.

The wall faded, as the blast covered the entirety of the flat concrete area. Nothing could be seen but the massive explosion when looking in that direction, no doubt everyone saw it.

When the smoke cleared, Kazuyuki was missing an arm, and was even more badly burned, yet still standing upright, as Kooji was un the ground, not appearing to be breathing. Kazuyuki chuckles evilly. "Looks like...I won..." Kazuyuki wheezes, as he begins to limp away from the burning wreckage.

## Chapter 48 - Vengeance

Every breath was agony.

Every heartbeat felt a bit weaker.

Every next step was harder to take than the last.

Feeling anything, like this wall, felt like feeling fire.

Kazyuki's normal eye, ironically, was the only one now functioning, as he tried to get through the dark alleyway and find some place to eat at. He felt like eating...spaghetti maybe? He thought he could be lighthearted after this, after defeating a living natural disaster like Kooji, yet, at the same time, he didn't think he could afford to ignore his injuries. He felt weak, so weak, barely-able-to-stand weak. He felt like he might die soon. Outliving the Headmaster by half an hour didn't sound too bad, he thought.

Then, he heard something.

It took a lot of energy to turn around, but when he did, he was met with a punch to the face. He thought a tooth might have come out, and his nose was now very bloody. He fell backwards and crashed into a garbage can hard enough to dent it. It wasn't long before a crowbar had collided with his chest. Breathing became much more difficult then, and his heart was racing. He turned upwards, expecting Candice, or Andromeda, or Bertram, but, alas, it was...none of them...it was...it...was...

...a mailman.

"Sh-shouldn't you..." Kazuyuki felt too weak to finish the sentence, as his head was bashed by the crowbar, sending him tipping over onto the ground. "You...you killed my son and daughter!" The mailman screams. "I should have never sent them to your school, accepted your invitation, but I'll make things right, here and now, by killing you and avenging my children!" Kazuyuki...winced. He didn't believe it, but he had to. He...winced in...fear...FEAR...when he saw that crowbar being lifted. "The hunter has become the hunted..." Kazuyuki mutters with all his remaining strength. But before the crowbar could hit him again, another hand grabbed it.

The hand of a police officer.

"We'll take it from here." The police officer says. "If you strike again, we will arrest you." "But..." The mailman growls. "He...killed...my...children." "I know, he killed a lot of people, child and adult alike, but that doesn't give you an excuse to lower yourself down to his level and do...this." The police officer replies. "We'll take him to the hospital and then take him to the prison. Make sure he doesn't have possession of his sword, and make sure that his bionic eye is removed. We'll use healing serum to make him regrow his original organic limbs."

Kazuyuki felt himself being put on a stretcher. He turned his normal eye to look at that mailman. That oh so very lucky mailman.

But...he wouldn't be the last one Kazuyuki fought, he was sure of that.

Then, he lost consciousness.