[September 14, 2418 - Friday, 11:45 AM]
Outside, in the backyard of the Nagagami Residency, rested a large plain fields with areas holding training areas for archery and ninja training. Birds flew through the skies, butterflies and other gentle insects fluttering around the fields, the sun's gaze hitting directly over us.
Noda stood across the fields from me with his wooden katana resting upon his shoulder, watching as I stretched and loosened my body. He looked over at our audience, Aisha and Otsuki watching with nervousness while Heido sat with high intrigue.
"Is my brother really about to fight my god nephew?" Onaka asked then scoffed, sitting back against her chair with one leg crossed over the other.
"It's because he wants Niisan Noda to help with the upcoming Kabetori raid on the 20th. This is beyond what Mr. Erik and Mrs. Mikoto would've done. They avoided Niisan Noda for this reason," Kyoto said, lowering her forehead between her index and thumb with exasperation.
"You sure you still want to go through with this? You could be hurt doing this, musuko! One last chance to back away! You're better off bribing them, just saying," Noda said with playful mockery, chuckling as he watched me warm up.
I rose my arm and allowed Nachah to hop on the top of my head while I moved my arms in large circles. I scanned the area, noticing multiple fluttering butterflies around the area then hummed softly. Nachah also took note of the butterflies, but noticed none of them were Warping Butterflies.
'I can't use any of these as anchors, huh? Is the Sovereign Butterfly here..?' I asked mentally while I continued to scan the area.
"You must discern, My child."
"Place your mind higher where I am, that you may see the glow..."
Hearing the words from the Lord, I nodded then looked back at Noda then adjusted my gauntlet upon my right hand. "Since we're in this open field, I'm guessing you want a full range of my abilities?"
"That's the premise. I want to see what all Erik and Mikoto has ingrained in you, as well as my sister. I remember you since you were a little pup, chasing your tail with, Mei Otsuki," Noda said, looking over at Otsuki on the sidelines with everyone else.
"I see. I have used a bit of my energy earlier fighting Amon and Koshin earlier, so I might not be at my best. However, I will still prove to you how serious I am!" I said, taking on my mother's low guard stance.
'Low guard. Nimble, focuses on movement. He's coming at me with some speed,' Noda thought to himself then took on his No Guard stance.
I took note of his lack of protection over his body and rose an eyebrow before swapping to a half guard, tightening my defenses while still wanting to use pressure. 'No Guard..? What is he going for..?'
"You can come at me whenever you're ready!" Noda announced, placing a hand upon his hip with a smirk.
I dug the toes of my rear foot into the soft grass before launching myself forward while Nachah fired a cotton ball forward. I warped forward to the cotton ball while launching a roundhouse to Noda's head, but he swiftly dodged my attack and elbowed my back.
I grunted softly as I stumbled forward then took note of his advanced reaction time. 'Amon adapted to my Warp Strike...but he just read it.'
"Huh, so he inherited Erik's Warp technique? Looks like he could still use some refinement with it, but it looks like he's used it enough to be comfortable with it as an opener," Onaka said, studying my movements as she watched the spar.
Kyoto crossed her arms as she watched, her brain racking up questions upon what I had formulated in my head. She exhaled softly, wanting to understand where so much of my motivation is truly coming from.
{Chapter 43: Resilience}
I stood back up straight and looked over at my shoulder, noticing Nachah back on my shoulder after he finished scanning the area. I turned around to look at Noda, noticing his calm, collected demeanor.
"While Kabetori is a rich city, they are still filled with criminals like me, though they are worse than me based on personal experience. Do you really want to go through with this?" Noda asked, staring at me with intrigue.
'He's absolutely right...Kabetori is filled with criminals. But that's why I have to do this... Someone with this much experience is too valuable to lose,' I said mentally, stepping forward and lowered my posture slightly.
'Sit Down Stance. More firm on the ground, great for footwork and still offers good speed,' Noda said mentally, his gaze lowering to my feet.
I searched my surroundings for a moment, not seeing any signs of a silver glow. I brought my attention back to Noda then rushed forward into the pocket at top speeds, launching a speeding knee strike. Noda blocked my attack with his palm then pushed my leg back, bringing me off balance.
Noda swung his wooden katana at my other leg, knocking it from under me and knocking me down. I caught myself and immediately launched a sweep kick at his feet, but he jumped over me then landed behind me. Rolling forward, I returned to my feet and immediately rushed in again.
'Rush down. He's probably going to try to set me up...' Noda said, dodging my jabs, crosses, and straights before striking my stomach with the handle of his weapon.
I groaned lightly as I staggered backwards then grunted as he landed an uppercut to my chin. I took another step back while holding my chin, unable to recover fast enough for his wide arching swing against my stomach.
Aisha grunted and bit her lip, her hands tightly cupped together as she watched me get knocked down again. "Saki-kun! You don't have to fight this one!"
"Yeah, Oto! He's too high level! He's reading you like an open book!" Heido called out, scratching the back of his head.
I used a kip up to come back to my feet while Nachah hopped back onto my shoulder to check on me. I gave Nachah a pet on his head and looked at Noda again. 'I can't even get a clean strike in. He's way too reactive...'
"Averice and Marlucia are upon the same skill level as me, so it's good that you came to me before going out there alone with hopes and dreams. If you can't even beat them, someone like Jeht is impossible," Noda said, flourishing his wooden katana and chuckled.
I echoed Noda's words in my head then glanced over at Nachah. He looked at me then twitched his nose, his eyes glowing with a plan. I watched as Nachah became a small ball of light then flew off within the fields, my brain trying to understand what he was planning.
"What's Nachah doing? I remember him doing that for us when we were hunting down Hideyoshi. That Guiding Light maneuver," Heido said, watching as the small ball of light flew around the fields.
Without Nachah upon my shoulder, I lost my second mind but regained access to free movement while Nachah rushed around the fields. I began to wonder if Nachah was who God was mentioning, my gaze following Nachah's fluttering motions.
"What's your next move, musuko? If you don't move, I will take my turn," Noda called out, resting his wooden blade back onto his shoulder.
I reached into my pocket and closed my eyes, understanding that he was reading my predictable movements. I took Aurum's coin out of my pocket and opened my eyes, my eyes flashing golden as I locked onto Noda.
Noda hummed softly at me, wondering what I was holding up a coin for. "The Great Aurum of Shikoku's trick coin? What are you using that for?"
"You'll see," I said, running forward and throwing the coin at Noda.
Noda dodged my coin with ease then smirked, looking ahead and noticed a light blue silhouette in place of where I stood. He sensed me behind him then pivoted around and barely dodged my high kick that knocked soil into the air.
Noda leaped backwards then noticed me warp toward Aurum's coin in the air, his grin widening as he began noticing my unorthodox movements. As I kicked Aurum's coin toward Noda, he deflected it with his katana to the side.
Warping toward my coin, I caught it and launched a fadeaway throw while landing on my feet and bursted forward. Noda blocked my shovel uppercut then took an outside angle to dodge my straight, his rear leg loaded up for a kick.
'Block and Warp!' I said mentally, shifting into a high guard to block Noda's head kick then my body became a light blue silhouette.
Noda looked on the ground and noticed my coin, his body bracing for me to materialized behind him but I didn't show up. He grunted as an energy blast struck his back, causing him to stagger forward in shock.
"He landed a hit!" Aisha gasped, standing up from her chair in awe.
Onaka stood up as well, staring at me and replaying each Warp in her head. 'What was that..? Erik has never used Air Dance before, so where did he learn that?'
Noda turned around and noticed me across the field with my Guiding Light circling around me before zooming off once again in a random direction. "Heh... I didn't know he learned to be as slick as a weasel. Maybe he has been spending too much time with the clan."
I panted softly as I used a good sum of my spirit energy to pull off such an elaborate technique, the spacing between me and Noda granting me a few beats to think. 'I can't physically find Nachah with my eyes...I have to faithfully find him each time...'
"He got him, but now Niisan Noda probably has an understanding of what he's doing. He's going to have to become more slippery if he wants this to keep going in his favor," Kyoto said, lighting her cigarette between her lips.
Noda shifted into his High Ward Stance and slashed at the ground, knocking my coin in the air then batted it toward me. My eyes widened in shock at the speeding coin, my body automatically ducking to avoid getting struck but was now compromised.
Before my body could react, Noda was already in front of me, his speed catching me off guard as I took a knee to the face. I grunted as I was brought back onto my feet then barely blocked his overhead slash with my gauntlet, my legs buckling slightly under his strength.
"You're crafty! I'll give you that, but how will you do when you don't get the chance to react?" Noda called out, striking my open stomach with a body shot then slashed upward to knock me in the air.
Recovering mid-air, I knew my options were limited from above. I decided to used a pulse of energy to propel myself toward Noda then rolled under his slash and dove forward. Noda looked back and watched as I plucked a blade of grass from the ground.
'A blade of grass? I get he's crafty, but what can be do with that?' Noda asked, turning around to face me again.
I placed the blade of grass between my palms then used my Insight upon the blade of grass, my brain downloading the spiritual design of a grass whistle. I blew against the grass, releasing a high whistling sound into the air.
The tune of the grass whistle began stirring up the activity within the butterflies and dragonflies within the area, each insect beginning to swarm the area with their low spiritual reserves. Noda began sensing a numerous amount of spirit energy in the area then grunted softly.
"I can't sense his energy anymore...the swarm is making it hard to track him," Noda commented, looking around at the insects before turning his gaze back to me.
"I understand where I stand right now against Kabetori, but it seems the older generation tends to underestimate the young!" I said, tossing my cloak off my body then tightened the strap on my gauntlet and smacked my fist against my palm.
"Shogi! Let's do this!" I yelled, white lightning surging around my body with pure conviction.
Shogi nodded and wrapped his wings around his body, demoting back into a Pawn. "Let us dance together!"
I got down into a running start then bolted forward at lightning speeds, my muscles tightening with tension as I began digging deep into my own spirit. Noda grunted as he barely blocked my high chop then watched as I cut an angle behind him with a missile drop kick.
Noda grunted as he rolled forward then recovered onto his feet, his eyes noticing two streams of lightning flanking him from his sides. He began quickly reading the situation then slashed to his left, striking my stomach and launching me away.
"Go! Go! Go! Rush! Rush! Rush!" Aisha cheered loudly, throwing her fists in the air.
'Faster!' I thought to myself, my body flickering as I bolted forward once again.
'Is he becoming faster?' Noda asked with genuine awe, blocking my Superman punch and watched I darted away within the swarm.
I continued running around Noda and began to sense Nachah's energy then leaped into the air. "Nachah! Let's do this as well!"
The Guiding Light pulsed behind me then flew forward toward Noda at high speeds, but Noda dodged the tackling strike then watched as I warped in front of him with a knee to his stomach, knocking him backwards into my light blue silhouette.
My decoy struck his back with a palm strike back into my leaping chop to his neck to stagger him then a second decoy struck his cheek with a heavy straight, knocking him to the side but Noda recovered quickly onto his feet.
Noda chuckled with excitement as he began to sense my spirit energy reaching close to an overclock state. 'Wow... Now this is something...'
I began panting slightly heavier and staggered lightly, but that one moment of falter allowed Noda to rush in with a straight-cross combination into a staggering dual slice with his katana. He struck my chest with a light pulsing palm strike.
I grunted as I rolled backwards and slammed into a fence, a cloud of dust forming over my body as I slouched against the fence. Aisha and Otsuki gasped while Heido hummed, stroking his chin as he was impressed with my performance.
"He did well, but I fear that's it from him," Onaka said, sitting back down and crossed her arms with a small smile. "He has high promise as a Supernatural Detective like Erik... just needs more experience."
Kyoto stared at the smoke cloud settling, her gaze sharpening as she noticed a fiery glow within the smoke. Her eyes widened as she watched me burst back onto my feet with a battle cry, a familiar battle cry she would produce when conviction took over her body.
Noda stared at me with a hint of awe then hummed with a grin, tapping his wooden katana against his shoulder. "Again...he stands back up. Something...is entirely different though. It's like he has more energy than he started with.."
I panted heavily and slouched down, my Holy Fire burning against my chest with my beating heart. "What do you want to see from me? A neverending will? A strong desire? A powerful warrior? Or do you wish to see why I fight so hard?"
Noda stared at me and noticed my spirit energy pulsing around my body with the Guiding Light circling around me once again. "You've pushed yourself hard enough, musuko! You can take heed in knowing you've impressed me!"
"Well, I can't!" I yelled, stomping my foot down and taking on my mother's martial arts stance once again. "Will simply impressing Averice, Marlucia, or Jeht be enough to bring justice?! My mother! My father! Nanako! The 28 other investigators! They impressed Jeht and it did nothing!"
Kyoto took her cigarette out of her mouth and blew out the smoke then put it out against her palm. "Motosaki, you don't have to fight this..."
"Ever since seeing them in their state..." I began, gripping my head as the static memories began resurfacing. "The Womato-gumi killed my parents! Killed Nanako! I fight this hard for them because the rest of the world keeps letting Jeht escape!"
"Everyone is fighting the wrong people everyday! Obassan Onaka banished Kyoto for nothing! People blaming Nousagi for something she didn't do! Everyone is so focused on how people like me react to this bullcrap!" I called out, swiping my hand to the side in frustration.
Onaka glanced over at Kyoto then lowered her head into her hand, closing her eyes and exhaling softly. Kyoto glanced over at Onaka then averted her gaze to the side. Aisha, Otsuki, and Heido looked at each other then back at me.
"Nobody wants to remember Nanako! Her Bunny Garden was complete abandoned for 30 years! They closed her case while Jeht continues to continue the cycle! He is actively looking for her spirit right now!" I yelled, pointing over at the sidelines at Nanako.
Noda glanced over at the sidelines, noticing a faint sky blue figure lingering behind Aisha then looked back at me. He exhaled softly and placed a hand upon his hip while lowering his head. "I understand your frustrations...but you are still asking a big request with something like Kabetori."
My eye twitched with annoyance and my gaze sharpened toward Noda. "You still don't think I'm serious..."
"If I am being honest, you have a lot of heart and conviction...but you have to realize when the battle is too big for you. This is one of them," Noda said, staring right at me.
I began walking forward then slammed my fist against my chest, my Holy Fire pulsing against my hand while white lightning crackled around my body. "If I'm facing a Goliath right now, I will just grab a stone and tame it! The Womato-gumi will be brought down!"
Noda grunted as he felt a burst of spirit energy pouring from my body, his body now bracing itself as the surge in reserves genuinely took him by surprise. 'Is his reserves growing..? What is this overflow?'
"Like I said! You can knock me down a thousand times! I will get up a thousand more times! Just as Jacob wrestled with God, I will continue charging you until you help me!" I exclaimed, propelling myself forward with a burst of energy.
Noda watched as I charged toward him then he lowered his head, allowing me to strike is forehead directly. My eyes slightly widened due to Noda completely tanking my attack, his gaze meeting mine directly.
Noda watched as I backed away then charged against with a strike to his chest that he tanked as well, his gaze watching me strike him with everything I had yet my attacks seemed to do nothing against him. "Musuko..."
"Why won't you fight back now?! You wanted to see how serious I am! You just told me that your father died against the Womato-gumi and Daimo-kai! So why are you hesitating?!" I yelled, striking his chest and managed to push him back.
Aisha and the others watched as I continued to charge Noda, landing every direct strike with a few pushing him back. Kyoto covered her mouth slightly, not once seeing me this desperate before.
"I won't stop! I won't stop until you say yes!" I yelled, running toward Noda and tried to Warp toward him but it failed, my body falling to the ground despite my overflowing Holy Fire.
Noda looked down at me, watching as I pushed myself up off the ground. "Musuko.."
"You knew Mama...Papa..." I said softly, rising back onto my feet and struck his chest again, my strikes growing considerably weaker. "You knew why they fought so hard...they fought for the same person I'm fighting for! Why do you keep hesitating?!"
Noda watched as I pounded my fist against his chest like one of his own children when they were upset with him. He began to remember Mikoto and Erik bringing me and Aisha to play with Otsuki, Tsubami, and Lotus nearly everyday.
"I just want...to know why...why did he do it? Why did he have to kill them? They had already retired! So why?!" I yelled, my body sinking to my knees with my hand upon the grass. "Why did he manipulate his own son into this..?"
Noda looked up at the sky and let out a heavy sigh, blinking a few times to stop his own tears. "You don't think we miss them too, musuko? You don't think we remember how you were before all of this..?"
"Why..? Why did they have to come here..? All we wanted to do was see Obassan Onaka and go to school... Continue to renew the Bunny Garden... Why..?" I said softly, my tears falling upon the grass below.
Nanako stared at me with her hands to her chest then floated over to me, her silhouette lowering onto the grass beside me. She reached out to me, placing her hand upon my back which sent chills down my spine. She wanted to talk to me, her mouth opening to speak.
"...y..." A small, ghostly syllable sounded in my ear.
Nanako knew I wouldn't be able to hear her upon her first attempt. "I...S...r...y...."
I began to hear a more clear, yet distorted ghostly tone in my ear then looked over at Nanako. She stared into my eyes, knowing she was also a cause to my grief and gripped my shirt a bit tighter.
"I...m....s...rr....y," Nanako attempted once more, a single word slightly coming clear to me.
I stared at her for a moment, seeing the pure remorse in her eyes which brought more sadness into my heart. I looked back down at the ground, remembering that Level 10 Obsession Levels also brought Nanako to her dormant state, her partial influence being a cause for my mother's demise.
"It's not your fault..." I said softly, gripping the grass softly and sniffled.
Noda looked down at me, seeing Nanako resting next to me then watched as she stood up to look directly at him. She blinked in front of him, staring into his eyes yet he could only see the shape of her sky blue figure.
"...lp...m!" Nanako spoke, her voice still fragmented but Noda could not hear her.
Kyoto looked at Noda and Nanako, seeing her silhouette fussing and flailing her arms while pointing to me. She stood up slowly with her eyes widening slightly, she hurried to the wooden guard rails upon the sidelines of the training area and gripped it tightly with disbelief.
"H...p...i...m! ....a....es!" Nanako continued, striking Noda's chest which sent a chill pulse around his body.
Noda grunted as he felt Nanako strike his chest, her blurry figure starting to become more clear the more she tried to speak in her non-corporeal state. He watched as she pointed to me, noticing her mouth moving quickly despite not being able to hear her physically.
"I can't hear you, but I know when someone is pleading for help," Noda said, walking past Nanako then crouched down in front of me, placing a fatherly like hand upon my head.
I looked up slowly at Noda, noticing him smiling at me and locked eyes with him. "Ojisan..."
Noda chuckled softly at me, gently rubbing my head softly to comfort me. "While I am trying to reform the White Wolves, move to a better state...I still don't want to see those who I call my own suffer alone. I will help you...but..."
I wiped my eyes with a sniffle and looked back up at him. "But?"
"I will train you...the Nagagami, Fugigami, and Nagai Clan will train you so you are better equipped. We will charge Kabetori when I know you are ready. You're someone I see as my own nephew, musuko. I will train you," Noda said, standing up on his feet then looked back at Aisha and Otsuki.
"Might as well get them up to par as well. This will be our hardest challenge yet..." Noda finished with a light hum, his lips curling into a smile.
[September 14, 2418 - Friday, 12:15 PM]
Amon laid on his bed with one arm behind his head while looking at the black screen of my second phone, his gaze staring at his own reflection on the screen. He scoffed softly and tossed the phone onto his bed then heard his bedroom door open.
"I heard you lost the deal. It's a shame that you couldn't secure a White Wolf before my next campaign. Jichan Mato will not be pleased with this," Jeht said, tightening his tie around his neck while staring at Amon with disappointment.
"I don't need you in here belittling me, Dad. I already have enough going on right now! I just lost to the Izuna again, and lost Koshin on the same day!" Amon groaned, turning away from his father with frustration.
"I don't even know why I keep covering for you. At this point, it's better for the SPA to arrest you and keep you than for you to keep messing up and putting the Womato-gumi in jeopardy. I will see you when I get home," Jeht said, leaving Amon's room without another word.
Amon grit his teeth and gripped his hair, grabbing his pillow and launching it against the wall, the pillow striking a picture and knocking it off the wall. He stood with anger, his shadow energy raging around his feet with his hands tightly curled into a fist.
His breathing became irregular as his anger continued to build up then he heard my phone chime, his gaze looking back at my phone. He picked up my phone and noticed a few notifications at the top of the phone.
{Kabe-Arcade Noti: Tired of losing to unwinnable chances? Try our new "Insights" which will grant you victory! Unlock the phone to seek Insight!}
{Unknown ID: Your answer is within the building.}
Amon focused on the second notification and felt his entire body freeze for a moment, his gaze rereading the second notification a few times before raising his gaze to his bedroom door. He looked back down at the first notification, realizing it wanted him to actually open the phone.
'What the hell is this phone..?' Amon thought to himself.
Amon looked at his door once again then began walking toward it and opened it. He noticed a stream of fluttering particles, the pathway inviting him to follow. His curiosity began getting the better of him as he began following the pathway, the guiding stream leading him toward Jeht's secret basement entrance.
Amon looked around the halls, noticing other Mato Clansmen occupied with their own tasks which allowed him to slip into the entrance. While Amon walked down the steps, a figure cloaked in white followed behind him then the door closed behind them.
Turning on the flashlight on my phone, he coughed while swiping away a few dust particles. "What the hell..? It's dark as hell in here..."
Amon began walking through the concrete chambers, each step echoing and bouncing off the walls as he followed down the path. He began sensing that someone was following him then quickly pivoted around, noticing no one behind him before continuing down the chambers.
Reaching the end with a large metal door, he noticed a padlock above the handle which needed a password. "What..? What the heck could possibly be down here."
"2-3-8-8. That's the password," A voice sounded behind Amon.
Amon gasped in terror and turned around again, his body flinching backwards against the metal door as he noticed a figure cloaked in white standing in front of him. He looked at his appearance, noticing a silver breastplate strapped upon his chest with a sigil that did not seem familiar.
"Who...who are you? Where did you come from?" Amon asked, still cautious of the person before him.
The man cloaked in white placed his hand upon his chest, bowing toward Amon respectfully. "My name is Joshua. I come from the same place as your father's fallen one, Qutsade."
"Joshua..?" Amon asked then looked back at the padlock over the door handle. "You said something earlier...what was it?"
"2-3-8-8. That's the code to the door. It's the year that Nanako died," Joshua replied.
Amon immediately typed the code into the lock, the lights on the lock turning green and unlocking the door. He looked surprised then glanced back at Joshua before opening the door and stepping inside, the lights turning on to reveal a massive laboratory.
Amon and Joshua entered the laboratory and searched around. He glanced down at my phone then opened it, immediately going into my notes app and looking at the testimony folder. Opening it, the first name he saw was Nousagi's name then he opened it.
[Nou. Testimony #1: While still dating Jeht while being unaware that he killed Nanako in the Bunny Garden, he showed me everywhere at his residency. He has two laboratories, one on the top half which is used to make artificial Arks,]
[Nou. Testimony #1 cont.: A second rests underground which needs a password. I don't know it, but I felt strong senses of dread coming from that room..]
Amon could also sense the dread and agony coming from this room, his skin crawling with how cold and void of life the room was. He continued to search around before stopping at a massive scientific pod which contained the body of a young woman.
Joshua walked over to Amon and looked at the tag upon the pod. "So, this is where he keeps her..."
Amon stared at it with disbelief then looked at the computer next to the pod, seeing the stats and conditions of the person in the pod then noticed the name. "Subject...Nanako..?"
"It appears that she isn't dead, nor is she alive in this state. She's just...here. Just an empty vessel. This is too high level for someone like Jeht or at least for him to maintain alone," Joshua said, crossing his arms as he looked at the computer.
"So the Izuna was right..? Am I really the child of a dead woman..? She looks no older than me..." Amon said, feeling a knot forming in his stomach which sent sickly chills down his spine.
"A preserved body like this one is still capable of producing life, but only through C-section though she could not consent. Whoever you are talking about seems to be a skilled detective," Joshua said, hearing the door creak open then turned around.
"What the—!? Amon?! And who are you?! You aren't supposed to be down here!" Tenshi called out, her gaze shifting between Joshua and Amon.
Amon continued to stare at the screen in disbelief, processing everything he had just witnessed. He thought about each time he had perceived Nanako's spirit, the time I mentioned Nanako could be his mother. He clenched my phone in his hand, his shadow energy forming around his body.
"You both need to leave now!" Tenshi called out, typing on her tablet and generation techno-orbs around Amon and Joshua, the pulsars of the orbs glowing brightly.
Joshua looked up at the orbs then looked back down at Tenshi, stepping forward and held his hand out toward Tenshi. An orb of golden light formed at his palms, the light pulsing with high energy. "We won't be going anywhere until Amon has made his choice."
Tenshi grunted softly at Joshua then redirected her orbs toward Joshua and fired them at him, the lasers crashing down and generation an explosion in the middle of the lab. Amon grunted softly and looked back, noticing a smoke cloud surrounding Joshua's body.
"Do you think that will be enough to defeat an Echo like me?" Joshua asked within the smoke, clearing out the smoke with a flap of his wings, his eyes glowing behind his hood.
Tenshi took a step back with surprise then scoffed, typing on her tablet and generation a droid in front of her to charge toward Joshua. "Whoever you are, I won't allow you to interfere with our plans!"
Joshua phased through the droids high kick then took a step forward before warping behind the droid and dismantling it with an elbow strike to its back. Tenshi growled lowly then used her tablet to generate a black bladed sword then her black wings emerged from her back.
With a powerful flap, she propelled herself toward Joshua and launched a swift high slash. Joshua dodged her attack then pulled down his hood to flick his cross earring, the jewelery glowing brightly and dissolving off his ear to become a golden sword.
"Seeing what you have seen so far, I can not allow you to leave here alive!" Tenshi exclaimed, rushing to Joshua and began rapidly slashing to land a single cut upon him.
Joshua began rapidly clashing with her, each of Tenshi's slashes being blocked or parried to the side. He clashed with her once again, entering a blade lock with her. "The corruption you instill into Amon is leading to his ultimate demise. The Lord will not allow another detour for Amon!"
Tenshi grunted as Joshua landed a golden blast against her stomach, pushing her back toward Amon. She huffed then looked back at Amon, noticing he was just watching. "What are you doing? You do realize you are in big trouble when your father finds out!"
"Let him find out! It is already too late, the Lord has already moved Amon where he needs to be," Joshua said, pointing his sword at Tenshi. "He has sent me from the same place you came from, but unlike you, I shall lead him back to Salvation!"
"Amon doesn't need to die in his father's ship. He will become Amon's stronghold, his light! His new shepherd! Amon, the invitation has been extended to you! All you need to do is make the choice!" Joshua continued, his gaze shifting to Amon.
"Do not listen to this unknown man! Your loyalty lies with your blood! The Matos and me! Do not forget that I helped your father, helped you get where you are! You wouldn't have a kingdom without me!" Tenshi retorted, looking back at Amon.
Amon looked back at the computer screen and looked at the body within the scientific pod. "I only have one question... Is this really Nanako's body in here? If so... My father is a bigger monster than I realized. This was only supposed to be about finding an escape...catching a high."
"Not...this," Amon said, turning around to face Tenshi. "Tell me this is not true! You know the one thing I hate doing is admitting when my enemies are right! So tell me! Is my father a monster?!"
Tenshi clenched her teeth slightly then looked back at Joshua. She closed her eyes and smirked, giggling softly then shrugged her shoulders. "It is not Nanako, but just another vessel provided for science by Judgement."
"Do not let your ears itch, Amon," Joshua warned, his gaze becoming cautious as he knew of Tenshi's Truth Manipulation.
Amon looked at Tenshi then back at the physical evidence he just saw then gripped his head, groaning loudly then ran off as he didn't know what he should believe. Tenshi chased after Amon, but Joshua stepped in her way, stopping her from reaching Amon.
"One wall down...six more to go," Joshua said, staring into Tenshi's eyes. "He still has six more testimonials to read...then your city of lies will be brought down."
Tenshi growled lowly at Joshua, her eyes flashing red with anger as she glared at him. "Echoes like you get on my nerves... You're just an echo of the Joshua of Isreal, you Eyican plight! A mere retelling in Qutsade."
"I may be an Echo of the Joshua in the Biblos, but my morals remains true. Yahweh will be Amon's Salvation, and as long as God has sent me for him, you will never reach him again," Joshua said before vanishing in a flash of light.
Tenshi grunted as she was temporarily blinded for a moment then shook her head, looking around to see she was alone in the laboratory. In a panic, she rushed out of the basement lab and hurried off to find Jeht to relay the news.
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Amon sat alone on a hill while looking out at the rivers ahead of him, his gaze lowering back down to my phone. He grit it teeth then chucked my phone down the hill, but someone had caught it and caught his attention.
"It would be a foolish mistake to disregard the only thing that could free you from this," Joshua said, looking up at Amon on the hill.
Amon watched as Joshua walked up the hill toward him then sat next to him, looking out at the rivers with him. "Why are you still here? I do not want your help..."
Joshua placed my phone back into Amon's hand then crossed his legs as he looked out at the rivers. "Wow...the mainlands is just as beautiful as Qutsade is. Yesha really made this world good and beautiful..."
"Yesha?" Amon asked the scoffed at himself, catching himself becoming curious about Joshua then looked ahead while hugging his knees. "Like I care..."
Joshua chuckled lightly at Amon's bratty attitude, looking up at the blue cloudy skies. "That's what we call The Messiah in our language in Qutsade. Some call Him Yeshua, others Yehoshua, even some calling him Emmanuel."
"That name doesn't even match with the others..." Amon said, sucking his teeth and rolling his eyes. "Why are you telling me about Jesus and God? I have no desire to know Him.."
"Yet, He keeps trying to get to know your heart. Even in darkness, God can still bring out the light within the evil that surrounds. Lead you to places that's unfathomable to the human mind, even mine. He is always near to the brokenhearted," Joshua said, looking over at Amon.
Amon lowered his head to his knees, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "Near to the broken hearted...well my heart isn't broken. Can you shut up now?"
Joshua smiled at Amon and pat his shoulder then looked back out into the distance, wondering what else the mainlands of Earth had to offer. "Do you know anywhere good to eat? I haven't eaten in the last 40 days."
Amon looked over at Joshua and heard his stomach growling then groaned lightly, standing up on his feet. "Come on, since I'm practically stuck with you right now."
"Great! Time to see if New Japan food compares to St. Goken," Joshua said with excitement, hopping onto his feet and dusted off his hands.