Kozuna
Forget the regular equipment anymore. I'm goin' all out with every last drop of energy I can muster.
Flashes of black flares wisped in and out of existence near my boots. The more my energy built, the more it seemed to pour from my pores. I crouched for less than a second before quake-bolting to the ground. The soft, silky sand made it tough to get a grip, but it didn't stop me. Nazun's eyes barely moved to match my speed by the time I reached him.
The wind viciously sliced against my heated skin with all the velocity I'd gained in such a short period. I soared straight into the Soul Colossus with a sideways flying kick. There was a thunderous bang when my foot collided with the energy blob, and I felt the impact across all of my bones. Vibrations traveled through my muscles as the recoil sent me flying backward.
But as I flipped around and landed in the sand with a long slide, I realized that all I'd done was make a slight fucking indent. Nazun's Soul Colossus reformed in moments, all while I was gritting my teeth and watching like a total loser.
All that energy and it barely did a thing!?
The sword of the Soul Colossus came crashing down on my position. I couldn't frustratingly stand on ceremony, I had to move! And I was right on time to avoid the creation of another fissure. All of those chasms did a fantastic job of continuously venting energy; it was becoming tougher to keep clear lines of sight.
But how could Nazun continue to locate me so effortlessly? The thought puzzled me for a moment, until I noticed the faint golden glow through all the black smog. Even under the night sky, Nazun could see me. He could see everything through the shimmering eyes of the Soul Colossus, despite his body still touching the ground.
The gaze of the Colossus bored intome as the sight-blocking energy wafted away for a few seconds. "Was that truly your best, Kozuna?"
Wish I knew more about curses…
My fingernails dug into the ground. One of my feet dragged back in the sand as my narrowing glare darted from one place to another on the battlefield. I couldn't think of anything other than breaking through the Soul Colossus. Nothing was coming to mind! All I knew was the sensation of my energy- the building pressure readying to shatter my ankles if it wasn't released soon. And I had to keep moving.
The Soul Colossus was beginning to gain in speed. Each destructive, slashing blow that cascaded down threatened to cut the planet in half. And I couldn't let myself be caught in the middle.
It's starting to move quicker, but this big bastard's way more sluggish than Nazun!
I flickered across the battleground, hoping to dodge the Soul Colossus' all-seeing eyes. But I was doing more than just that.
More power! More speed!
My kneecaps throbbed with pressure. The distance filled in with every sand-footed stomp. I zigzagged beyond fissures of volatile energy and rushed straight toward Nazun, but just as I'd expected, the Soul Colossus brought its massive energy blade down into the dirt. It was clear Nazun didn't want me close.
But I knew that much already.
It was only an indent, but I did something! More than any gun ever could!
Just before the energy blade could touch me, I pivoted to the side. And as the heel of my boot lifted, all of the energy stored there released in an instant. I moved way faster than even I expected, and my heart wanted to burst from my chest.
I zipped behind the Soul Colossus quicker than lightning. There, I finally twisted and launched the most energy-dense kick I could muster. And that time, I made more than just some poor indentation. I blew a hole in the anchored energy blob of the Soul Colossus, and my momentum didn't end there.
A shocked Nazun glanced over his shoulder right on time to finally get his shit rocked! I watched the realization emerge on his face in real time. Saliva and blood flung from Nazun's mouth. My kick slammed straight into his side-flipping skull, and as I landed, he went burst-hurtling through the other side of the blob.
The Soul Colossus exploded into liquid energy from the anchor point, and it scatter-rained all over the place. Meanwhile, Nazun hit the ground over and over, rolling like a ragdoll in the sand. But when he finally stopped, he didn't get back up, either.
My narrow glare twitched. Was that it? Was he finally defeated? I watched closely, breathing hard enough to make my lungs collapse. It didn't seem like Nazun was getting back up, and I couldn't help but fall to one knee.
I still feel so much power flowing through me. How do other curse wielders even manage to contain it?
The ear-tearing uproar of souls shrieking from the Soul Colossus' mere presence vanished as the lingering energy dissipated. An overwhelming silence overtook the area for a few seconds. With the chaos-creator down and out for a moment, I could almost faintly hear voices. Were they calling out to me?
Am I hearing things?
I vigorously shook my head. It only took a couple of squinted glances around to find battered and ashen, familiar faces appearing around the bend of a nearby fissure. Helix and Shin hurried toward me, carrying an unconscious Kaiten and Anari. Both were covered in gashes, cuts, and crimson.
They must've been in the chopper, too. But where's Yvira? Wasn't she with the Anari and Shin?
"Kozuna!" Helix called out, stopping once he got close. "Did you manage to defeat him?"
I naturally fixed my gaze back on Nazun's immobile body, lying in the sand. "I-I think so."
Nazun… might actually be dead.
Groaning, I wobbled up to a full stand and steadied myself with a hand from Shin. After a couple seconds, I took literally one step toward Nazun. And that was when some strange sensation trickled its way up my arms. I froze in place, watching Nazun's lifeless body begin to fidget. Helix, Shin, and I went on guard immediately. Nazun almost looked like he was reanimating. His body levitated off the ground spine-first and limbs-second.
Fuuuck my liiife…
"No more goin' easy," Nazun whispered. His neck snapped back into place, gaze alight with the same glowing gold of his Soul Colossus. "Colossus needs its armor, it seems."
He STILL considered that EASY!?
Nazun's toes only briefly touched the ground before his energy swirled like another tornado. Some of it turned to a darker hue, and his power carried him high off the ground. My allies and I slowly backed away as we watched the new monstrosity emerge.
How can he still be conscious? How's he even ALIVE right now!?
Rising into the sky, Nazun's silverish energy reformed the Soul Colossus I was already familiar with. However, the black energy wrapped around every inch of the avatar, squeezing tightly and containing the gaseous blob behind a suit of armor. It didn't help that he manifested the energy sword once again, as well as an enormous, rounded shield. It looked even taller than before. Probably eight or nine stories tall.
And Nazun didn't give us another second to stand around and gawk. The Soul Colossus wound its sword-arm back, bellowing a massive tornado from the tip that whirled our way with nothing more than a single sword slash.
I didn't have time to speak. I shoved Helix, Shin, and those they carried into a nearby building with explosive force, and got myself the HELL away from the tornado's destructive path next. Ducking inside was our best bet for survival in that instant, and the whirlwind whooshed by outside.
Damn it!
"Where's Yvira?"
"She didn't board the helicopter with Anari and me."
Fuck. She'd better not be dead.
"Shit, well- you guys take Anari and Kaiten. Get as far away as you can! Leave Nazun to me!"
Helix shook his shiny bald head. "You won't be alright by yourself."
"Then who's gonna back me up? You guys'll get torn to shreds."
Barely anything I can. And I'm the one with the curse seal.
Another city-rending tornado tore by, shaking the foundations of our hiding place. Dust and debris scattered from above while the three of us gazed above. We couldn't have the ceiling caving in on us, but we also needed to make our decisions.
And fast.
"Tch." Helix glanced over his shoulder at the downed commander. "Kaiten filled me in a little. Don't be reckless, Kozuna. If you need to flee, don't hesitate. I've heard about the Hanakai. Better not to get mixed in with them if you can help it."
My eyelids lifted slightly.
Gotta be the first time Helix has ever said anything that didn't piss me off.
All I could manage was a nod as the foundations quaked around us once more. "I'll do my best."
With that, Helix and Shin took off, while I slapped my face a couple times and kinda jumped up and down in place. I took one last breath before stepping back out and into view of the Soul Colossus. Once the dust and smoke began to clear, the golden gaze locked in on my position nearly instantly.
"Ahh." Nazun's voice resonated deeply throughout the Soul Colossus. "There you are, Kozuna."
My breath frosted over in the wind. My legs wobbled more from pain and strain than fear. How much longer could I keep things up? The question lingered within the shadows of my mind as my eyes followed every contour of the Soul Colossus' armor. There had to be a weak point.
I tucked low and darted across the battlefield as an oversized energy blade sank into the dirt. When the Soul Colossus' sword lifted, Nazun rewound the other arm and fucking hurled the shield at me like a flying disc! He forced me into a dodge-roll, only for the shield to cascade through a bunch of other buildings.
Towers tipped over, and homes were left crushed in the dust. Shadows loomed overhead as the city practically collapsed around me in real time. I could only keep dashing and sliding beneath obstacles as they came. Standing still simply wasn't an option.
Getting close is a challenge in and of itself, and speed's my only real advantage! It took everything to break through the unarmored Soul Colossus. How do I bust through this one!?
I gritted my teeth as I continued bolting around, ending up somewhere close to where I started. I almost couldn't feel my legs anymore. I wouldn't have been able to if it weren't for all the energy surging through me. But amidst my clueless endeavors to succeed, I felt my earpiece buzz.
Kzzztt.
"K-Kozuna? Can you hear me?"
I almost stopped in place, mumbling, "Yvira?"
"On your left! I brought the cavalry!"
My eyes flipped to the sky, where the relieving sounds of choppers whirring finally registered. Several attack helicopters were inbound, and a number of them had already begun firing on Nazun and the Soul Colossus.
Another familiar voice faded in from the static after a beat. "Clear away from the blast zone, Kozuna!"
"Zara?"
"That's right. Kaiten called- said he needed me to come save your ass!"
The shield of the Soul Colossus reformed as the attack choppers let loose. Some machine-gunned away, while others fired off missiles. It was a welcome respite for me, but I had no idea if anything they threw at Nazun would even dent the Soul Colossus. Were they just buying time?
Either way, I needed to figure things out quickly.
"Do you guys have a plan? Anything at all?"
"I outfitted the choppers with anti-curse artillery. Stuff I invented myself, but not as effective as the real deal."
"And that means?"
"We're here to support you, but we'll still need you to break through Nazun's defenses, Kozuna. Kaiten's out cold. You have the most live experience against Nazun."
My slow steps turned toward a flickering zip. I slipped away from the battlefield, taking cover behind a steel-and-brick wall. The choppers had Nazun's attention for the moment.
"Thing is, I don't understand all this curse seal stuff, yet." And you haven't seen just how much I've had to struggle, Zara. For nothing. "I'm on my last leg here. Hell, I only managed to barely break through once, and that was before he armored up. I'm not even sure how much longer my curse will hold."
Thing already deactivated once. I'm not gonna get lucky again if that happens.
My headset fell silent. I started gnawing on one of my fingers as I peered around the corner and eyed down the Colossus from a "safe" distance. He sliced through two choppers within the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but smoking, fiery explosions in the sky. The more he cut down, the more people died, and the less time we had to come up with some strategy.
They're buying time for me, and I don't know how to beat Nazun!
"I'll handle things on the ground, Zara." Yvira's voice returned out of nowhere. "I'm coming down, Kozuna. Stay put."
"What? No- stay as far away from the battlefield as you can, Yvira."
"Sorry. No can do."
I gazed up into the night sky and locked my gaze on Yvira in Zara's chopper. She appeared to be steadying herself at the doorway, clenching the rope and breathing deeply as her golden-brown hair fluttered in the wind. All that before squeezing tightly and fast roping down.
***
The moment her feet touched the cracks of the road, Yvira released the rope and hurried my way. Her once-eternal smile was nonexistent, replaced instead by an almost disheartening look in her eyes.
Yvira stopped right in front of me. She kinda scanned me, her eyelids quivering when she saw all the wounds, cuts, and blood. She didn't say a word at first, either- Yvira just grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me to a seated position against the wall. There, she knelt beside me, flipped her medical satchel open, and began wiping one of my arms down.
"I wish you wouldn't push yourself so much, Kozuna."
I averted my gaze. "Got no choice."
"I know, I know."
Yvira moved quickly to squeezing and wrapping my arm as explosions went off in the distance. She was laser-focused. I couldn't help but stare at her and trace the contour of her face. She was a lot prettier like that. Concentrated on her task at hand, and not fawning.
"So, the problem is you can't do enough damage to break through, right?"
"Yeah? You got something brewing?"
Yvira nodded. She briefly met my gaze after tightening the bandaging around my right, and she didn't waste a second to move to my other arm. The seal-bearing arm. And the second she touched my skin, Yvira felt the vibrations of energy beneath. She pulled away for probably less than a second before continuing her work.
"Curses have backlash, right? That means the user isn't above being hurt or killed by their own power."
"Y-yeahh..?"
Where's she going with this?
"Listen, I'm thinking you don't need to break through Nazun's defenses. There's already something out there that'll do the job for you. All you need to do is give it a lil' push."
Yvira finally finished bandaging my left arm and tightened things down. She gazed up at me and held the sides of my face, and for once, I wasn't inclined to fight it.
My eyes fluttered. "Y-Yvira?"
"We don't have much time. I'll be in your ear. So, when you get back out there, I need you to listen if I direct you. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good." Yvira's radiance returned with a smirk. "You've got this, Kozuna. I'm right here with you."
Yvira took to her feet and helped me up. The two of us eyed down the Soul Colossus. By then, only a few choppers remained.
"I'll make this quick."
***
Kzzzrrrttt.
"Pull the remaining choppers back, Zara. Wait for my signal."
"Are you sure, Yvira?"
"Trust her." I stepped out onto the battlefield, leaving Yvira behind cover and glancing over my shoulder with a smile. "She knows better than both of us combined."
My gaze traced the battlefield of fissures and rubble until reaching Nazun's sword. The shield no longer mattered. His blade was the only thing separating victory and defeat. But for some odd reason, things didn't feel so hopeless anymore. Had Yvira reinvigorated me?
Her strategy was simple: use Nazun's power against him. She even had an idea how, but the plan would still require legwork. And that part fell down to me.
And once I was out in the open, it didn't take long for Nazun and his Soul Colossus to locate me again. The deep tone of Nazun's voice behind the walls of the Soul Colossus resonated throughout the city and the desert.
"Didn't turn tail when you had the chance?"
"No need," I muttered, watching the Soul Colossus' sword-arm closely.
"Big mistake, kiddo."
There was no further warning than the sudden shift in the wind. Nazun brought his energy sword smashing down on my position once more. I couldn't tell if his plan was to simply wear me down, or if he really wanted to obliterate me.
Keep an eye on the blade, Kozuna!
I sped aside and into a leap. Nazun's sword glided beneath my boots and into another building, right after striking the dirt. His movements hadn't slowed at all. But that time, I heard a creaking, almost whiny noise.
My glare shot to the sky, where I noticed the blackened armor plating separating from the mouth hole of the Soul Colossus. Seconds later, that damn thing roared a giant breath of blackened energy at me. It almost looked like fire!
I tucked low and moved quicker, despite the weakness in my legs. Nazun's energy coated the sand and blocked off the path behind me- every step needed to be intentional. How many more tricks did he have left to unveil, anyway?
"Barely any better of a performance than your curse-free commander!"
My teeth clenched, but Yvira buzzed in my ear instantly.
"Ignore his taunts, Kozuna! Focus! Get to higher ground!"
I grunted quietly. "Yes, ma'am!"
The Soul Colossus as a whole pivoted with its next all-striking, horizontal cleave.
My timing's gotta be perfect for Yvira's plan to work!
I ducked rather than wall-running. And just when Nazun's city-busting sword soared overhead, I finally saw the opportunity.
And Yvira did, too.
"Zara! Fire!"
"I'm trusting your judgment, Yvira!"
After a beat, Zara's four remaining attack choppers started blasting. Nazun was forced to throw up his shield in defense. My chance was finally there, and I wasn't gonna scrap it.
All that energy charging in my soles rocketed me up the collapsing wall of another structure. But that was the easy part.
Timing… Gotta time it!
My eyes were plastered to two targets at once: Nazun and the attack choppers. The four of them circled around, with a couple getting closer to my position. My heart was going through my chest.
"You can do it, Kozuna!"
Sketchy, but I can do it!
Nazun chopped another chopper into a bursting ball of fire. Three remained in the skies. However, time seemed to slow drastically as I concentrated solely on a low-altitude missile the moment it was released. Energy charged and swirled like electrical currents in my feet, leaving nothing but dust in my wake when I bolted into the cutting battlefield winds.
My slippery palms opened wide. With all the momentum I carried, merely wrapping my arms around the red-hot missile caused me to fly in a circle and nearly lose grip. The searing sensation was bad enough, but I managed to plant my feet on top and barely steady myself on that thing. It wouldn't last long.
"One shot, Kozuna! DO IT!"
One shot!
I locked eyes with Nazun hiding behind the energy of his Soul Colossus right when things hit that fever pitch. He had this flabbergasted look on his face that seemed to make him freeze for a second before swinging his sword. And that was a sight that was more than welcome. Something priceless.
Just as the missile was about to strike his shield, I let out a wicked battle cry and leaped forward with all my might. And when it exploded behind me, the pressurized force rocketed me even harder. Nazun's blade barely made any progress before I swept in. I didn't aim for him, though. I let the full force of everything I could muster crash into this sword and send it cleaving through his own Soul Colossus.
All with a single kick.
For just a split second, I felt pain. But it all disappeared when I watched that enormous energy blade slice through the armor of the staggering Soul Colossus. The entire avatar disintegrated away to nothingness from the point of impact. Nazun began plummeting to the ground, and when gravity caught up, so did I.
Looks like her instincts were on the money, heh!
My legs were ready to give out the moment I landed. I fell to one knee, breathing hard and grabbing at my own chest. Yvira was already hurrying to my side to help. We had the perfect view as the choppers rained hellfire down on Nazun.
Sand blew up in spades around him. Some of it was noticeably red, even in the dark. Yvira and I merely watched until the fireworks came to a close. All that was left behind was a bleeding, twitching corpse. She and I exchanged looks. Was it finally over?
An almost overwhelming silence took over. Only one noise registered- Nazun's faint, blood-spitting gurgling.
"F-fool. Should've just come easy. You'll never have the Hanakai off your back for the rest of your days."
How is he still alive!?
"Dri."
My eyes opened wide when I heard that one word. I remembered what came next. I started clawing my way through the sand. No way in hell was he about to do what I thought he was gonna do.
"Nazun!"