Volume Twenty Five - So Far We Have Come

## Chapter 289 - Iron Star

"You again..." Jack mutters, as he and Andromeda glare at Tsunoi, who stared back. "We're trying to win a war!" Andromeda yells. "You're not important to this war and you know it." Tsunoi replies coldly. "The world will continue after you're gone, and that's the truth of things." "You're a psychopath." Jack says angrily. "And glad to be one." Tsunoi replies with a smile. "Now, then. We've gotten reintroductions out of the way. It's time for us to settle this once and for all. The showdown that was always meant to be!"

Candice felt a cold presence everywhere, and whirled around to see Cygnus walking towards her from the shadows of the dark hallway, slowly and purposefully as his footsteps echoed throughout the area, his dead eyes staring into her own, carving her soul into pieces, as she felt her heart racing, her breathing speed up. "Hello, Miss Distler." Cygnus says. "I'd say it's time that you finally left this world that despises those like you, those who love...humans." "...This ends, n-now..." Candice replies, stuttering.

## Chapter 290 - Kaiken

Tsunoi rushes at Jack and Andromeda, holding a dagger in each hand, though Jack wouldn't immediately know that. The two step back, as Jack takes out his gun to shoot at Tsunoi, who slashes the bullets out of the air and slashes a dagger at Jack's throat! Jack leaps back to keep shooting, Tsunoi continuing to block the bullets as he ducks beneath a slash from Andromeda and kicks her in the stomach to send her back. "Guh!" Andromeda grunts, getting back to her feet to slash at Tsunoi once more.

Tsunoi blocks the slashes and steps back to avoid another one, backflipping to dodge bullets from Jack, bullets which Andromeda catches to throw back at Tsunoi, who swings his daggers to slice them apart. As Tsunoi lands, he jumps over an attempted sweep from Jack, and kicks Jack in the face, Jack stumbling back and attempting to take aim at Tsunoi again. Andromeda brings two more Psychic Weapons down on Tsunoi, who rolls out of the way as Andromeda turns towards him.

"Stay still!" She roars, slashing at Tsunoi yet more, Tsunoi continuing to dodge and block the Psychic Weapons as he tilts his head to dodge a knife thrown by Jack. "Really?" Tsunoi demands mockingly, before twirling to dodge more Psychic Weapons and thrusting a knife at Jack, who quickly leaps to the side to let the knife nearly stab into the wall, Tsunoi stopping himself and then running to swing a spin kick at Jack, who ducks beneath the spin kick and fires at Tsunoi's leg. "Gah!" Tsunoi shouts, falling.

Tsunoi's wound had healed by the time he fell, as he ducks beneath more bullets and rushes to attempt stabbing Jack's leg in the femoral artery, leaping back to avoid being decapitated by Andromeda. "You don't get to go NEAR him after what you did!" Andromeda snarls, glaring viciously at Tsunoi, who glares back. "Clearly I need to up my game..." He remarks, smiling darkly.

## Chapter 291 - Kama

Tsunoi's daggers then turn into what seemed like miniature scythes, as he leaps at them to swing the scythes down at them, the two dodging as the scythes stabbed through the table, Tsunoi quickly using the leverage to throw the table at them, Andromeda slashing it apart and sending multiple Psychic Weapons to slash at Tsunoi, who leaps back and lets them hit the ground, destroying a bit of it. Tsunoi then leaps to spin-slash them, Andromeda blocking the slashes as Jack fires at Tsunoi again.

Tsunoi flips around the room to dodge the bullets, which start destroying the desks and cabinets, while flipping towards Jack to swing a scythe at his head. Jack ducks as quick as he can--and is met by a knee to the face! "Guh!" Jack yelps, being send into the wall hard enough to leave cracks in it. "Jack!" Andromeda shouts, slashing at Tsunoi's head. Tsunoi sidesteps and blocks each slash, before leaping to slash at Andromeda's horns, Andromeda blocking and slashing at Tsunoi to send him back.

"Ghh..." Tsunoi growls, as his eyes dart towards a cabinet, and he smiles once more, dodging more attacks to leap at the cabinet, slice it off the wall, stab into it, and throw it at he two. Andromeda slashes the cabinet apart, but shattered glass flies out at them! "GH!" Jack grunts, as Andromeda tries, and fails, to block all the shards, her and Jack shouting and grunting in pain each time they were cut. Tsunoi takes the opportunity to drive the scythes at Andromeda, but is grabbed by her Psychic Weapons.

"...Dammit." Tsunoi remarks, as he is thrown into the microwave, leaving a massive dent in it. Jack fires at the former second in command of Darkstar, who once again casually dodges the bullets before leaping to slash at Jack's shoulders, Jack leaping back to dodge as he fires at Tsunoi again, Tsunoi dodging enough that the bullet hits his shoulder, grunting from the pain as he slashes at Jack's leg, leaving a small cut, but not in a fatal area. Tsunoi then leaps away from another Psychic Weapon.

## Chapter 292 - Kunai

While still in the air, Tsunoi turns the scythes into Kunai, and throws them at Jack and Andromeda, who dodge the attacks before going to attack Tsunoi, the Kunai being recalled as he swiftly uses one to block bullets and the other to block Psychic Weapons. He then forms eight more Kunai, five now being on each hand, and throws them at the two. Jack barely dodges them while Andromeda deflects them using her own Psychic Weapons. Jack then fires at Tsunoi, who once more dodges the bullets.

Tsunoi grabs a book off the shelf and throws it at Andromeda, who slashes that book, before being met with a pillow and slashing that too, getting a face full of cotton, and attempts to spit out any that might have gotten in her mouth. Tsunoi then kicks Andromeda in the face to send her flying into the oven, leaving a dent in it, before leaping up to dodge another sweep from Jack, but this time Jack was anticipating this, as he grabs Tsunoi's leg to throw him at the couch! "Gah!" Tsunoi shouts.

Jack then goes to kick Tsunoi in the chest, before punching him in the face, while he's still disoriented. However, Tsunoi soon forms another Kunai, and stabs it into Jack's forearm. "Argh!" Jack yells, as Tsunoi kicks him in the stomach, sending him across another table, which breaks apart upon impact. Tsunoi rapidly blocks Andromeda's onslaught of Psychic Weapons with a number of Kunai, and sweeps Andromeda off her feet to briefly disorient her, immediately driving a Kunai towards her forehead!

Luckily, Jack manages to shoot Tsunoi in the arm to make him stop, Tsunoi leaping back as the Kunai vanish. "What do you have to gain from all this?" Jack demands. "What did you have to gain back then? Are you really doing all this just for fun?" "I want to end you, and I'm sure you want to end me." Tsunoi replies coldly. "It's as simple as that, isn't it?" Jack prepares to fire again, Andromeda standing up and forming more Psychic Weapons, glaring at Tsunoi, who simple smiled and got into a Kendo position.

## Chapter 293 - Katana

Then, in his hands, formed a Katana. "...I think I can guess what he just created, now." Jack remarks, Andromeda grabbing hold of her Katana and walking to face Tsunoi. "Good, we'll see who's better at this." Tsunoi says. "Hmph, suppose so..." Andromeda replies, before slashing, Tsunoi ducking beneath the slash to in turn slash at Andromeda's stomach! Andromeda leaps to the side as quick as she can to evade, and slashes down at Tsunoi's shoulder, Tsunoi blocking the slash before slashing at her neck.

Andromeda leaps back to dodge, as the slash cuts clean through the television, sparks illuminating the room as a result. Andromeda briefly shields her eyes from the light, which proves to be a mistake as she soon feels a searing pain across her stomach! "GRAH!" She screams, slashing wildly to try and hit Tsunoi while her wounds heal. Tsunoi mostly dodged the slashes, but did block one, as he slashes at Andromeda's legs, Andromeda blocking before slashing at Tsunoi's arms, Tsunoi leaping back.

Andromeda rushes forwards to keep slashing at Tsunoi, Tsunoi continuing to block the slashes, as he then leaps to the side and slashes at the back of Andromeda's neck! "Anne!" Jack yells, as Andromeda whirls around to block the slash, glaring again at Tsunoi before sidestepping his next slash and cutting him across the torso, sending him flying through a lamp. "ARGH!" Tsunoi screams in pain, now burned in the back, but he stood to block Andromeda's next slash and cut her across the stomach again.

"Guh!" Andromeda grunts, falling on one knee. "I've had enough of you two!" Tsunoi yells, slashing at Andromeda's neck again, but Jack fires at him to divert his attention, Tsunoi slashing the bullets apart and rushing to slash at Jack, making him let go of his gun while his arm bled. "Gh!" Jack grunts, as Tsunoi kicks him through the couch and into the wall, leaving more cracks. "It's time to finish this!" Tsunoi shoiuts, beginning to change his Katana into yet another weapon, Jack and Andromeda watching.

## Chapter 294 - Kurasigama

The Katana turned into a long chain with a Kama at one end and a handle at the other, Tsunoi grabbing the handle. "Ghhhhhh..." Andromeda growls, forming as many Psychic Weapons as she could muster right now. Tsunoi swings the chain at them, as they try to dodge, the chain tearing through everything in the room! "What the Hell?!" Andromeda roars, picking up the couch and throwing it at Tsunoi, who slashes right through it as he has the chain wrap around Jack and Andromeda. "Wha--" Jack starts.

Tsunoi then swings the chain to send Jack and Andromeda crashing through the wall and out of the castle, plummeting towards the ground! "WHAT THE HELL?!" Andromeda screams, as Jack sees Tsunoi leap out of the hole and down towards them, firing at him with his gun. Tsunoi twirls the chain to block the bullets, and swings it down at them, Andromeda pulling Jack away from the chain as they continued to fall, Andromeda using four Psychic Weapons to cushion their fall when they reach the ground.

Tsunoi lands beside them, grunting in pain again, as he swings the chain at them once more, both of them dodging as the chain slices through a statue of a tiger and a statue of a crocodile. Andromeda then sends her Psychic Weapons to grab the chain and Tsunoi, trying to hold them in place. "Jack, now!" She shouts. "Right!" Jack shouts back, taking aim at one of Tsunoi's horns. "NO!" Tsunoi roars, as Jack pulls the trigger, the bullet hitting, and shattering, Tsunoi's left horn, Tsunoi collapsing.

The chain vanishes, as Jack and Andromeda look at Tsunoi, who glares at them both. "One day..." Tsunoi sneers. "...one day, I will kill both of you, in the most painful ways possible!" "That day will never come, you little bitch." Andromeda retorts, glaring back at Tsunoi, who, after a few moments, throws down a grenade that doubles as a smoke bomb and a flash bomb. "Argh!" Jack shouts, as when they opened their eyes, and the smoke cleared, Tsunoi was gone. "Dammit!" Andromeda yells, as they collapse as well.

## Chapter 295 - Foniasophobia

Candice began to take a few steps backwards, Cygnus taking a few steps forwards in response. "You fear me...good." Cygnus remarks, forming a number of Psychic Weapons to send at Candice, who tries to dodge them as they tear through the furniture and appliances in the room. After a hundred or so dodges, she sends Psychic Weapons back at Cygnus, who tilts the entire upper half of his body to the side to dodge, before turning his gaze back towards where Candice was, knowing where she was.

Candice ran through the dark hallway, seeing the walls fade to cracked bricks, the lights overhead were bright yet did little to illuminate the hallway. As she ran, she heard slower footsteps walking behind her. "You have no backbone to face me with, little girl?" Cygnus taunts. "Then again, my power can erode anyone's backbone to less than dust." "St-stay away!" Candice shouts, sending more Psychic Weapons at Cygnus, but they vanish before they even reach him! "G-gh!" Candice grunts.

Cygnus chuckles and keeps walking towards Candice, slowly, letting his footsteps echo throughout the hallway. Candice keeps trying to run from him, trying to find somewhere to run through, a door, a corner, anything! But she saw no such thing, it was a straight line, she had nowhere to run. "Come here, Your Highness." Cygnus says mockingly, as Candice kept running as fast as her legs would carry her. She tried counting lights, even knowing there was probably no use in doing so. And so she counted.

30, 31, 32-- where the footsteps closer than before? 33, 34, 35-- they were definitely closer! She started running as fast as she could! 45! 55! 65! It was no use! The footsteps only got closer and closer! She narrowly dodged a Psychic Weapon aimed for her head, as she kept running, kept counting, but she didn't think she would find an exit, and yet, there it was, to her left further ahead, a door! She rips it open, runs in, and slams it shut, not daring to look behind herself, knowing what she'd see.

## Chapter 296 - Claustrophobia

Where was she?! It was so dark! Her heart was racing so fast that she thought it might burst out of her chest any moment! Her breathing was so heavy and fast, she felt drenched in sweat. Then, she realized she heard more breathing than just her own, just behind her! She whirls around, but no one was there. She hears laughter from...somewhere, but it sounded as if it was from everywhere. "What a pathetic woman, you are." Cygnus says, his voice echoing through the area. "Just like your mother!"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER!" Candice screams, sending a Psychic Weapon in a random direction. She heard more laughter, which abruptly stopped. She felt chills up her spine, her eyes darting around, getting used to the darkness. She was able to vaguely make things out, but with virtually no light there'd be no way to tell for sure. She runs through the area, trying desperately not to crash into anything, as she hears footsteps coming from somewhere. "You've lost just about everything." Cygnus remarks.

"S-STOP IT!" Candice shrieks, as she looks behind herself, seeing nothing there, no one following her. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" "Perhaps I'm here, somewhere." Cygnus answers without answering. "Perhaps I'm beside you, or in front of you, or behind you. Perhaps I'm waiting around the corner, or at the end, or above you, or below." Candice breathed harder, sweated harder, her heart pounding harder, as she kept running as fast as possible, her muscles beginning to ache, as she felt so, so cold.

She heard metal screeches out of nowhere, as if something was grinding against what looked to be metal tubes in this place. She once again looked behind her, but there was no one there. It felt scarier to not see Cygnus behind her than if he was there, she didn't know why, but it didn't feel right! Where was he if he was no where here?! How was he talking to her now?! "Your mind is racing." Cygnus remarks mockingly. "You're succumbing to fear and pain, just like your little toy, Kasper."

## Chapter 297 - Thanatophobia

"D-DON'T TALK ABOUT H-HIM!" Candice shrieks, tearing up. "I will speak of him if I want." Cygnus replies coldly. "You so desperately wanted for him to be your choice, the man with whom you'd begin the Socqreath takeover of humanity." "NO! I LOVE HIM!" Candice screams in response. "Love is a thing that has no worth or meaning to Socqreath." Cygnus retorts. "It's a detriment to care about those we use to propagate our species. We need them only for reproduction, not sentiment."

"HE WAS MY PARTNER!" Candice yells, crying. "HE MEANT EVERYTHING TO ME!" "And that is such a worthless thing!" Cygnus shouts back. "He was useless, even by the standards of his own already useless species!" "HUMANKIND ISN'T USELESS! THEY HAVE SOMETHING YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!" Candice bellows. "And what would that be? Love?! Compassion?! The power of friendship?! All meaningless in our society!" Cygnus roars. "WE DON'T HAVE A SOCIETY ANYMORE!" Candice screams.

"I was born before the destruction of our homeworld, I know what our society was like!" Cygnus replies. "We never needed such worthless things as love and compassion! They got in the way of our mission!" "KASPER WAS NEVER JUST A...A TOOL FOR REPRODUCTION!" Candice shrieks. "YES! YES HE WAS!" Cygnus shrieks back. "THAT'S ALL ANY OTHER LIVING BEING IS TO US! A SOURCE OF GENETIC CODE TO INTEGRATE INTO OUR OWN!" "YOU ARE A HORRIBLE PERSON!" Candice roars, still running.

And that was when she crashed into Cygnus, falling backwards on the ground and staring up fearfully, and angrily, into his eyes, his eyes that currently had immense fury radiating from them. "Humans are our playthings, and you deny that like the child you, in mind, still are." Cygnus growls. "If you truly cared about Kasper beyond his role in our society, then you can be with him. I will allow you two to reunite, in whatever the afterlife may be." Candice leaps back upon hearing this, and tries to collect herself.

## Chapter 298 - Atychiphobia

Candice leaps further back and sends a number of Psychic Weapons at Cygnus, who sidesteps them and forms his own Psychic Weapons to send at Candice, who tried her absolute best to dodge, but it wasn't long until a blade hit her in the leg. "GAH!" She screams in pain, falling to the ground, Cygnus walking as slow as ever towards her, his eyes now looking rather gleeful, as he ran a single clawed finger across the pipe, sparks flying off from it as that horrible metal screech could be heard once more.

And then...then the visions of fear came. Her friends lay on the ground around her, torn apart and burning, along with everyone and everything else. The world was ablaze, everything had collapsed, and Netraxians were devouring the corpses of her classmates, of her friends, of her teachers, of...everyone. In the sky, somewhat obscured by clouds, was a cube-shaped object with a diamond-shaped hole on one face. This...this was...what would happen...if the Netraxians won this war.

"Allow it to consume you, Candice." Cygnus says. "Let your heart burst, let your blood run fresh from your mouth. Let yourself perish." "I-I..." Candice could barely form sentences in her mind, let alone from her mouth. She felt something stab her stomach, and something grab her neck. She felt herself be thrown against a wall. "You're weak, just like Kasper, just like Fiora, just like your friends." Cygnus mocks. "You'll die, just like all of them! I for one cannot wait to see how the Netraxians handle things!"

And then...it came to her. If...if she failed...she couldn't. She had to face her fears...or everyone she loved...everything she loved...would be destroyed by these monsters. And then, the illusion shattered. "What...?" Cygnus demands, as Candice stood up, slowly and shakily, and glared at Cygnus. Every part of her body felt the fear, but she had to fight it...for them. "You are worse than any other monster I know." Candice says...coldly. "And now...you'll know what I do to monsters like you."

## Chapter 299 - Panphobia

"This is ridiculous, you cannot defeat my fear so easily!" Cygnus roars. "Can't I...? I thought fear was fight or flight?" Candice replies. "I choose to fight." She then sends a number of Psychic Weapons at Cygnus, who dodges them like before, though he seemed to struggle a bit as he did so. Cygnus then points his hand at Candice, sending hundreds of Psychic Weapons at her. Candice, noticing this, leaps to the side to dodge, and sends many more of her own back at the Socqreath Killer in front of her.

Cygnus forms a shield of Psychic Weapons to block, before forming a javelin to rush at Candice with, Candice sidestepping the javelin and grabbing it to rush at Cygnus, punching him in the face as he is send crashing into a wall. "Guh!" He shouts, as he began to stand back up, his mask having fallen, his real mouth now visible. "YOU LITTLE! I WILL FORCE YOU INTO FEAR!" Cygnus screams, but before he could use one hundred percent of his power, a Psychic Weapon slashed a horn off. "NO!" Cygnus shrieks.

Candice just glared coldly at Cygnus, with no fear, empathy or joy in her eyes whatsoever. "HOW CAN YOU, THE SCARED LITTLE GIRL, BE DOING THIS?!" Cygnus screams at the top of his lungs, firing arrows at Candice from launchers on his wrists. Candice sidesteps all the arrows, even catching one and snapping it, as she sends Psychic Weapons to stab and slash Cygnus everywhere across his body, but especially at his arms and legs, pinning him to the wall. "GAH NO! NOOOO!!!" Cygnus shrieks.

He now glared at Candice, who continued her own glare. "...And what...what will you do, now...?" Cygnus demands bitterly. "...I'm going to leave you here." Candice answers after a few moments. "I'm not going to kill you, Kasper wouldn't have wanted me to become so cruel over losing him." "KASPER'S GONE! NOTHING HE WANTED MATTERS!" Cygnus roars. Candice closes her eyes, a tear rolling down her cheek. "...I know he's gone...but...I'm finished letting that loss destroy me." Candice replies, walking away.

## Chapter 300 - Morale

"The Netraxians have tried and failed to assassinate us, just as they tried and will fail to devour us!" Rosenstock shouts. "They have likely completed their ultimate weapon, but so have we! It is time to take this fight to the Netraxians, and end this war once and for all!" The army saluted Rosenstock, as civilians pumped their fists into the air, and someone watched the broadcast while standing upright, his arms behind his back. "This is truly a wonderful day for humanity..." The figure remarks, looking on.

"Can't believe Darkstar still has cronies running around." Demetrius says. "After so many years of failing, you'd think all their members would just give up by now." "Yeah, well they seem pretty persistent." Jack replies. "We have bigger things to worry about though, literally." "These damned dragons can burn in Hell." Andromeda growls. "I'm hoping that once they're gone, Jack and I can just go live a quiet, peaceful rest of our lives." Candice was resting in her own bed, her eyes closed, thinking.