CHAPTER SIX
Teku was about to strike again, but a force pushed him away, slamming him into the barrier and leaving a crack.
Nemisis rose slowly into the air. Red spirit energy swirled around him as his wounds closed. His skin turns white with black patterns, and his hair is also white. He now wields two swords, each with a chain at the end.
The crowd stares in horror.
Xdio stood up, looking excited.
Then he opened his eyes,
Empty. Soulless.
-Transformation, SkullCrusher-
He brought the chains together. They locked with a sharp metallic snap.
Silence fell. No one moved.
At the Sovereign Stand, Aenzil clenched her fist.
Th... That... That is the Legendary SkullCrusher, but how is this possible? she thought.
She turned to Oldman Kuto
"Are you still going to let him continue?"
"..."
Kuto said nothing.
Teku stood frozen. His knees trembled beneath him.
What is happening?
Nemisis hurled one of his swords at Teku, the chain extended as it moved.
Teku dodged, but not fast enough. A deep cut opened across his left arm.
The sword continued forward, shattering six barriers before lodging into the seventh.
With a pull of his hand, Nemisis recalled it.
So the chain extends when he throws it, Teku realized, breathing heavily.
Nemisis spins the sword sideways, each rotation carved through the ground without the blade touching.
Teku charged forward.
"I SHALL NOT LOSE TO A HUMAN."
Before he could strike, Nemisis vanished.
In a calm voice behind him:
"Too slow."
Nemisis seized Teku by the face and hurled him into the barrier, destroying the remaining three.
Xdio suddenly appeared above Nemisis, flames gathered in her palm. Nemisis blocks the attack instantly.
The two exchanged blows at blinding speed, each collision releasing a violent pressure wave.
The official raised a special barrier to protect the crowd.
The spectators watched in horror.
A fight between Xdio and Nemisis raged, neither knowing they were the blood of destruction.
Teku could only watch, too weak to move.
Xdio is sent crashing down. Nemisis descends slowly
The whole place is silent.
Aenzil looked at Kuto.
"I know what you are thinking," he said. "He's already at his limit due to his human flesh."
Kuto stood up. "I will be waiting for you guys at the infirmary."
He left the sovereign stand.
Meanwhile Nemisis stood before Teku and Xdio, and he planted both swords into the ground. White spirit energy gathered around him, and the ground shook under his feet.
"Disint-"
A violent heartbeat.
His vision blurred.
The strength left his limbs.
Nemisis collapsed face-first into the ruined arena.
The energy shoots into the sky, causing a crack. No one moved. Fear and awe rooted the crowd in place. Teku stood still, shaking all over.
Xdio stood there, cheek flushed, wearing a strange, lustful smile as she stared at Nemisis one final time before disappearing.
Aenzil appeared beside Nemisis along with Tezuka.
"Is he dead?" Tezuka asked.
"Hmm, let me check."
Aenzil sends her hands towards Nemisis-
A sharp force struck her hand.
"What the... "
She jerked back, clutching her hand.
"He has an automatic defense mechanism?"
"How am I supposed to take him to the infirmary now?" She muttered, rubbing her hand.
"I can help."
They turned to see a black-haired girl with crimson red eyes standing behind them.
"Master Kuto gave me this," she said, showing them a small, glowing orb.
"And who might you be?" Aenzil asked.
"Clara, nice to meet you all. I'm a new member of your team."
Aenzil smiled faintly.
"Nice to meet you, Clara. I'm Aenzil, that's Tezuka."
Tezuka straightened himself.
"Sup, babe."
"And that's Nemisis" Aenzil concluded.
"Nice to meet you all, now, shall we get going?"
"Of course"
Clara smacked the orb onto the ground, which teleported them out of the place.
Nemisis opens his eyes. Above him in the sky is a floating land mass. He quickly sat up and saw floating land masses around him; some had water falling down the edges, and even he was on one. The sky was bright as a sunset with aurora lights. In the distance, planets were stacked together, and the sun was farther away; beside it was the moon.
He went to the edge and looked down; there was nothing but immeasurable energy, which moved like a raging black sea covering below.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" a voice said.
Nemisis turned his back and saw a figure made entirely out of dark energy same as the energy he felt from the Knight at the mountain top.
"You are the voice from earlier."
"Oh, you remember that?" he smiled. "I can't watch the King die."
"King?" Nemisis frowned. "Where, even am I?"
"This, this is your realm," He spread his arms. "Well, it's been a long time since anyone owned it after Renon."
"A realm? And who is Renon?"
"A realm is a universe given to you; in other words, a realm is created or inherited if you seem worthy."
Nemisis stared blankly.
"Just forget it, the old man will explain to you."
"I forgot to ask, who are you?"
"I am Sanity," he said, sitting under a nearby tree.
"Sanity... that's a weird name," Nemisis said. "So what about Renon?"
"Renon, well, he's you great grandfather. You even possess his sword."
"Yeah, about that, why were people staring when I used it?"
There is a gentle breeze.
Sanity looked away.
"That sword was given to Renon by The Sleeper."
"The Sleeper?"
Nemisis frowned.
"Yes, one of the ten Great ones."
Silence settled.
"Who are these Great ones?"
"No one knows. You see, like you, Renon didn't have a soul, so he couldn't forge his own weapon. The sleeper made it for him; that sword is strong enough to end creation itself, but Renon couldn't unlock its potential."
"What do you mean I don't have a soul, and what does that have to do with my weapon?"
Sanity sighed.
"You see, when someone is born, their soul is fresh. During this time, they use weapons forged by the blacksmith, and even before that, you must show signs that you have power within you. Are you following?"
Nemisis nodded.
"Yes"
"Good, now let's say you can create fire attacks, you start going to school where you are trained to channel that through the weapon given to you by the blacksmith."
Nemisis blinked in realization.
"Just like what the guy did at the tournament."
"Yes, now in your final stages of training, your soul forges a weapon not based on what you trained but based on you yourself. So it can be a sword, bow, axe, or spear. Then we have those reincarnated humans, the ones they call super humans, their soul forges or they create one themselves, or they aren't weapon users, examples are magic users."
"Can I ask one thing before I go?"
"Sure"
"What's that black raging sea below?"
There is silence, and a breeze blows. Sanity lowered his head.
"That... " he paused. "That's... ."
What followed was inaudible.
Nemisis looked confused
"Don't worry," Sanity smiled, "I'm gonna take care of us from here, later, kid."
Everything faded to black.
Nemisis opened his eyes.
The infirmary ceiling stared back at him.
Night has fallen.
He turned. Aenzil slept deeply beside the bed.
He carefully lifted her and placed her on the bed, pulling the sheet over her, and then walked to the window.
Moonlight covered the floor.
What was all that about? he wondered.