Arc 1: Tokyo's Void Society
Chapter 6: I need a hero
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This fight isn't over until I say it is.
Shiro is standing in the middle of a giant web stretching over a city block, suspended above the ground. He hovers a few centimeters above the webby arena with a blue aura around his sneakers. He can feel himself slowly drifting.
"!!!"
Shiro feels like he is going to fall over, but with quick thinking he waves his arms around to stabilize himself.
So this new ability allows me to hover? Kinda feels like skating..
So quick hypothesis, before when I was up against that Judgement Euji, I got killed, but then came back all strong and sorts.
I'm pretty sure that was because I was under pressure. Now being put under pressure once again, I've activated a new sub-form!
Shiro points his finger up into the sky.
I'll call this sub-form.. Skater!!
Shiro then switches his gaze to the giant Euji standing on the edge of the web arena, this abomination is otherwise known as Aracnophobia.
Seeing Shiro, a deafening shriek erupts from the monster's grotesque mouth. After the Euji screamed it locked eyes with Shiro and began charging at immense speeds straight towards his location.
Shiro then remembers the catgirl Akiko.
Where the hell is Akiko?
He looks down at the city to find any visible sign of her, but she is no longer there.
Alright, fine Akiko! Go run off like the little scaredy cat you are, literally and metaphorically!
Alright Shiro, this is your moment! Activate your blue fists and let's blow this thing to smithereens!
Shiro enters a fighting stance and closes his eyes. He begins to focus all his energy on his fists. The blue flames slowly begin to light up, but after a few seconds they go out.
Huh..?
Shiro tries to activate the flames again but they slowly fizzle out once again. Ever so slightly the Euji closes distance between him.
Okay so new hypothesis. Back on the ground I burned up all my mana when I attacked the Spider with my ability, AKA flame fists, and because I just unlocked my abilities I'm guessing that I don't really have much mana..
Shiro lets out a long exaggerated sigh as he ponders over the thought of having a shit mana pool.
The manaless fool looks down at his feet.
Still, if I burned up all my mana it doesn't make sense for me to have the Skater sub-form. It must not be conserving that much mana seeing as it's doing a pretty simple task.
Yea, pretty sure that conclusion is pretty fair. When I land a punch with a flame fist a giant explosion happens, obviously that would burn up tons of mana.
Okay cool that all checks out.
Doing a flame punch = lots of mana drain
Sub-form Skater = close to no mana drain
Shiro looks back up to see Arachnophobia about 100 meters away from his current location. The beast is frothing out of its mouth as it charges at him, its crimson eyes glowing but completely locked onto him.
Shiro begins to try skating away from the Euji, starting out a bit slow but slowly picking up the pace, the sub-form working exactly like roller skates. Even though Shiro has gone into a faster pace, the monster behind him is still much faster.
Shiro nears the edge of the web.
Fine then.. If I can't run away..
Shiro dives to his right side.
Then I'll just dodge!!
Shiro now having dived off to the side causes the Euji to fly off the suspended web and slam right into a building. The action is followed by a roar from the now pissed Archnophobia.
Shiro falls face flat into the webs and finds out that the webs are coated with acidic saliva. His face and chest begin to burn.
The pain is unlike anything, it melts his skin away slowly.
To escape he puts his hands down on his side and pushes himself up, but because the skin was pressed down on the webs and fused with the web, pus comes from his wounds as the webs slowly detach from his body.
Shiro then pulls his hands up from the webs and is now hovering above the webby arena once again.
The boy winces and cries a bit as he feels the acid saliva in the wounds burn him.
He lays his hand on his chest. Gritting his teeth he stares at the building Arachnophobia crashed into with narrow, clearly pissed off, eyes.
Shit…
Shiro grips his shirt and clenches his teeth even tighter. The boy slowly walks backward with visible fear in his eyes, sweating all over.
Is this.. How I'm going to die..? Akiko.. Where the hell are you?! Where the hell is anyone?!
Arachnophobia slowly stands back up, then using its eight hairy legs it leaps itself back onto the web arena. Now on its domain, the Euji charges at Shiro.
Shiro being critically wounded, can't find the motivation to keep going.
Everything happened so fast, one day I'm flipping burgers and the next I'm fighting a giant spider. I don't want to die. I want to live so badly, but I'm too weak to stand my ground. I'm nothing but a feeble animal, just waiting to be slaughtered. I was stupid to think I can ever be more than who I actually am, prey.
Arachnophobia closes in, as Shiro's imminent death comes ever closer, the prey closes his eyes.
I'm sorry Yumi, I can't be that person you tried to look for.
Suddenly out of nowhere a loud bang rings out in front of him but Shiro feels nothing, he slowly opens his eyes confused and sees a man in black attire and scruffy hair standing in between him and Arachnophobia.
The man is gripping a sword with both hands by the handle pushing against Arachnophobia, restraining the Euji from going any further.
The man looks back at Shiro while still holding his stance against the giant spider.
"My name is Kengo and I'm a Void Hunter from the special division. I just got the call to get here so sorry if I'm a bit late. I suppose you are the body of hate?"
Shiro opens his mouth to say "yes" but forgets the fact that his vocal cords have been completely burned.
He closes his mouth and just nods his head.
Speaking to Shiro makes him a bit distracted and Kengo gets flung away. The spider locks eyes with Shiro and goes to bite him. Shiro's eyes widened in fear.
"Shit! Tetsuki!"
A girl flies forward and swoops up Shiro flying him into the sky. The girl, presumed to be Tetsuki, floats in the sky by propelling a flame from her right cybernetic leg.
"Nice to meet you, bud."
Arachnophobia looks at the flying fly Tetsuki and shrieks at her. Tetsuki points out her cyborg arm towards Arachnophobia with her hand completely open. The cybernetic arm begins to light up and make a whirring sound, slowly getting red.
After fully charged, multiple bullets begin rapidly shooting out spraying Arachnophobia.
Arachnophobia begins to shriek even more from the pain.
Seizing the opportunity, Kengo sweeps back and cuts off one of Arachnophobia's legs. The spider slips causing the webby arena to crumble and sends Kengo and the Euji down.
As they fall Kengo slams his sword into the side of a building to slow himself down as he falls but Arachnophobia slams down and splatters on the ground dying.
Tetsuki and Shiro slowly fly down to meet back up with Kengo, who is waiting in a street of the city. Tetsuki slowly lets Shiro get out of her arms.
Having the Skater sub-form temporarily turned off, he regenerated a bit of mana and it healed his vocal cords back to normal.
"Did Yumi send you guys?"
Kengo looks back at Shiro.
"Yeah Yumi sent us here, I saw you when you were in your coma but man you look fucked up."
"Yeah yeah whatever, I've just been through hell and back. Took your sweet time man."
Tetsuki walks over to Kengo and puts her arm around him pulling him in.
"Sorry, Kengo here really wanted to take some selfies on Tokyo tower."
Tetsuki glares at Kengo as she says this, eyes piercing the poor guy's soul. It was as if she could kill Kengo at that very moment.
Shiro walks over to the very dead spider, completely limp on the ground with black liquid leaking from it.
Shiro gives a little kick in the face just to make sure the thing is still dead.
"Yep, this thing is dead for sure."
Tetsuki looks at Shiro confused.
"Obviously it's dead ya dumbass"
Suddenly a black rift opens up above Arachnophobia's body and sucks Shiro in. Tetsuki tries to fly back from the sucking rift but gets pulled in anyway. Kengo sticks his sword in the ground and holds onto it and eventually the rift closes.
What the hell?
Kengo hears a voice coming from behind him.
"Well I didn't expect that to happen."
Kengo turns back to see Yumi slowly walking up to the scene before stopping a bit away from Kengo, making sure they have distance between one another.
Yumi grabs her face and pulls on it. As she pulls her body starts changing into a guy and his face is now a mask that he holds in his hand.
The man standing before Kengo is a guy with a tall figure, blonde hair, narrow eyes, sly grin with a black robe on.
"Yohohohoho, it is nice to make your acquaintance, elite class Kengo. I am Romi, a Rogue Void Hunter, lackey of the Rogue Void Society."
He bows then licks his lips.
"It's very nice to meet you."
Kengo spawns a sword out of thin air and grabs it, then gets in a sword fighting stance.
"What the hell have you done with my allies?"
"What have I done? Oh no no no this was not any of my doing. Sure we sent Arachnophobia here to capture Shiro Tatsuya but we did not foresee these turn of events. We forgot to factor it into one simple calculation. There is a 10% chance that a portal to the void spawns on a fear related Euji."
What the hell, a portal to the void? No, that can't be true.
"Yohohoho, I can see you are quite a troubled little elite Void Hunter. Oh don't be scared, the child prodigy is in there now. If there's Hate in there I'm sure he will survive."
Child prodigy? Is he referring to Shiro?
Kengo grips the hilt of his sword harder making the blade be covered in a white flame, the blade is now insured with Kengo's mana.
"If you won't tell me how to get them back, then I'll force it out of you."