Royalty, I [Arc 21]
[A/N: Please note if you did not read ARC 12: 30 DAYS A REVENANT, you need to read this one: it has fewer fights but more character development.]
[ARC 21: ROYALTY]
When one views a mirror, there is a reflection. But is a reflection a truth? A reality? Is what we see ourselves, or a self? What binds it to the mirror? Needless to say, these were not the questions Kirihara Kishor was concerned with as she sat in the ampitheatre. It was April 1st and the race for Urasaria's presidency was intensifying, in which Mia and herself were close, at which time it is typical for all students near campus to meet in the amphitheatre. She sat hunched over with an aura of menace to her. She had thought recently to cultivate this type of sullen, brooding persona, so that not even an ignorant first-year would approach her.
It was an effective strategy, too, as nobody liked being around the fuck.
She had no desire to be here, yet Matoi had threatened her if she did not show up out of fairness -- what exactly the threat was Kirihara had not listened. She despised Matoi, not only for how she treated Kirihara but because Matoi had shown that sadism & aptitude for violence could be turned into presidency, a strong reputation and an attractive girlfriend. She saw her own flaws writ large in Matoi, yet the adulation Matoi received just seemed a sort of cosmic misdirection of praise that should've rightfully been her's.
Of late she dealt with this by cheating, threatening students who were about to scan Revenants so she might score the kill herself. The world was bullshit and full of cheaters, and if she did not cheat then someone else would.
"Thirty days remain until rankings close for Urasaria's next student body president." said Matoi. "As I've already removed the fourth-years, this is updated..."
CARVE (320)
SWARM (312)
Mia glared over at Kirihara. She was sometimes tempted to feel pity for Kirihara, as she progressed through various stages of hatred of her. First she had avoided the bitch for her anger issues, then her comparison of Kirihara to civilian police, yet even to Mia this appellation seemed too muted for the fixture of evil that she was. She was a scared little woman who enjoyed hurting others and had blazed her own trail of wickedry. Most around campus were not able to recognize Kirihara's fear, and so they were afraid of her; but Mia was not.
This was no surprise, as Mia has always been a good observer of others. Sometimes it was when she was at others' birthday parties as a child, usually sitting alone, as the conveniently-true stereotype of a shy girl observing, storing things inside herself that she might later communicate to someone older. This had been part of her attraction to students, in the dual sense of the word, for they were adults; even in her precociousness she had admired their ability to be a few years ahead of herself emotionally.
Every tablet vibrated; Mia shot up and slammed an ice scarab into the floor that froze it solid, and rushed out at the speed of purpose.
++++++
[April 3rd]
Mia had been called in to a local witch in a cabin in the woods.
'Worldwide.' she thought, flanking against the door. Sword & scarabs readied, a flash of blue flames burnt the door down, and in to the room she swept -
- and saw her black-haired foe on the other end, fifty feet separating her from her, entire outfit made of -
' - is that her fucking hair?' winced Mia, woman catching sight of her and laughing - ' - are her heels made of guns?'
["You May Call Me Father" - Bayonetta Extended.]
"Telocvovim!" shouted the woman, bending backwards as her hair touched the floor and started to burrow.
"Isn't this just Split?" murmured Mia, and in the next instant -
- she felt a presence behind; with the speed of light she disintegrated the ground -
- and fell in to the sudden burrow just in time to miss something enormous shooting at her from above. Wanting space first, she turned & started her traditional burrowing, eyes glancing back for when it'd appear again.
'It looked like - a giant centipede? Does she summon something -'
- she swept with the speed of light back -
- just in time to avoid the enormous centipede burrowing down, from ahead & above -
- and its body burrowed down with it; she tapped her foot as if expecting something, and in the next instant -
- it was still burrowing down, body blocking her path but moving quick. With a sigh and a grunt, she burnt a path diagonal & forward, rushing past it and avoiding it completely. She knew she was close to the ground, ice on her roof & fire spraying ahead. Once she had another fifty feet burrowed, she turned her eyes back -
- and saw the enormous centipede shooting towards her, black & orange hair for a body and maw opening to greet her -
" - Worldwide!" she shouted, and a geyser of water launched her up & out of the underground -
- and she left one giant icicle below that went all the way through its mouth & its entire body, slide of ice bringing her to ground level in the midst of the forest, glancing around to ensure she hadn't lost sight of the cabin -
- and she sighed as she saw it destroyed, black-haired witch still standing there & clapping for her, hundreds of feet away. The ground rumbled underneath Mia again, but she swept to the side to avoid the centipede bursting out of the ground, entire body following it for the ride as it unburrowed -
" - are you fucking kidding me?" groaned Mia, beast still unburrowing, head up in the clouds by now, miles & miles of body to go before she'd fight - " - what the fuck is this?"
- and after another minute, it finally stood at its whole height. The centipede was the size of three skyscrapers, head&maw barely visible that high up. Coils of its enormous body were draping on the ground ahead of Mia, three times her height -
- and it was on her like a snake in grass; before she could react, another thousand feet of its body slithered behind her, coils acting like walls around her as it unfurled. Thousand of feet of its body sought to wrap around her, body constricting and seeking to crush her alive -
- but the next scene was instant. Mia jumped; an enormous globe of ice formed around her -
- and around the titanic orb constricted the beast, Mia wincing & grunting as her ice scarabs kept reinforcing it, hundreds of cracks forming but repaired before they could shatter, beast tightening its grip; she felt its maw bite in to the frozen globe, teeth trying to tear through it, supply of ice scarabs rapidly dwindling -
- her globe shattered -
- but a globe of electricity replaced it as she landed feetfirst on the ground again, beast still trying to break through but lightning keeping it too staggered to enter; above, she saw the beast's head pull back -
- and shoot with the speed of a million at her -
" - SOLAR BLAST!" she shouted; a blast of blue filled her electrical prison as the walls went down -
- and disintegrated every last mile of the beast in seconds as it constricted its body right in to the flaming trap, head too slow to dodge as it threw itself right in and disintegrated without a single ash left -
- only tufts of black hair left in the forest, prodigal destroyed cabin still on the horizon. Scarabs replenished, she started rushing towards it.
'I should have killed her earlier.'
"Izazas, piadph!" shouted the witch, hair burrowing as she bent over backwards again; Mia sighed as she saw a red&black portal form behind the woman, and in the next instant -
- a spider the size of two skyscrapers burst out of it, enormous jaw opening & limbs filled with orange flames. Out of its maw, a hundred fireballs shot towards her -
- and she laughed for the next instant scene. Worldwide's ice scarabs flew around her -
- and a swift swarm of bubbles doused every flame, Mia pleased to find her elements were still queen even with the difference in size. Unbeknownst to her, Ryumi had done the same to many fire Revenants over her years with Worldwide. Hundreds of feet separating them, she saw the witch hitch a ride on its back, and as it started to step towards Mia -
- it veered right -
- but one hairfist appeared above it & one hairpunch set it back on track.
'What?' thought Mia, stepping back as it stepped forward. 'Does she not control it?'
As she stepped back in to the middle of a crowd of trees, she nodded as she saw the hairfist punch the beast again, trying to set it straight; it lurched forward -
- and landed just ahead of Mia, trampling trees in its wake as it rushed towards her, maw sweeping down and trying to bite her -
- but the next scene was instant. A frozen globe formed over her again -
- and in to the frozen orb went the beast's teeth, gnashing & gnawing with trampled trees still underneath it -
" - Bolt!" laughed Mia, and in the next instant -
- a bolt of lightning hit the trees, and in to a thousand shards blasted the bark -
- whose keen ends tore clear through the beast; a demonic shriek erupted from it as it staggered back. Melting her orb, Mia saw it thrash and throw the witch off its back as it bled; a pane of ice formed midair & ahead -
- blocking the first volley of bullets that'd come from the witch's heels. Angered with no rest, the beast's flaming maw shot for Mia again -
" - Frozen Ray!" she laughed, sweeping one hand forward; a frozen beam erupted from her palm -
- and shot right through the bottom of the beast's maw & out its back, immense chill dulling the fire that raged within it, shrieking as it staggered back again but limbs starting to freeze solid -
- but Mia turned with the speed of light with her sword just in time to block the witch's kick from behind, her foe's hair outfit having hardened like steel; the two grunted as they clashed.
"Do you want to touch me?" grunted the witch, eyelashes waving - " - I know you student types are all dykes!"
- the lesbian grunted as she pulled her sword back, and in one sweep seeking her foe's neck -
- that caught only air as she somersaulted with the speed of time back; she disappeared, and in the next instant -
- her kick on Mia's spine launched her with the strength of a thousand forward; Mia groaned as she flew, one tree up ahead in her path -
- but her body burned blue & disintegrated through it, ground catching her as she rolled, grunting as she stood and turned. She saw her foe rushing at normal speed towards her fifty feet away, and the spider had disappeared.
'Extreme speed. Something like Rider.'
She knew a few counters for her girlfriend's Revenant, trying not to smile as she mentally corrected it to fiance; ahead, the woman drew within range, long legs going for one titanic kick -
- that Mia's sword blocked again; she realized too late the woman had shotguns for heels now, and in the next instant -
- two blasts shot for her face -
- but her eyes&cheeks burned with blue intensity that disintegrated the projectiles without a single ash left; Mia swept back, sword trying for the witch's neck -
- that caught only air as she somersaulted back; in the next instant -
- a frozen prison formed over Mia, and she nodded as she felt the woman's kick for her spine catch only ice. She waited a few instants, and in the next -
- she burst out of her prison and swept left just in time to dodge an enormous hairheel that'd try to stomp her from above, disappearing once it failed its one purpose in life. She'd sliced her skin on the escape and turned to see her foe ten feet away, and the two started circling.
"I should have been a pole dancer." yawned the woman, sucking at one red lollipop.
"If only." muttered Mia, relevantly, raising her sword as they kept circling.
"You look better with a few scars in you." yawned the woman. "Your's is a face only a mother could love, and one I -"
" - Worldwide!" shouted Mia -
- and the next scene was instant. A dozen icicles burst out of her blade & shot towards the woman -
- who swept to the right to dodge it; she disappeared in the next instant -
- but Mia laughed as she heard the woman's screams fade in to the distance behind her, swift geyser of water that'd blasted out of her spine, and blasted her foe back, disappearing. She turned her eyes in time to see the witch smash through one tree -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another, witch grunting as she landed & her heels caught dirt, standing again with fifty feet separating the two. A watery streak had been left between them -
" - Worldwide!" shouted Mia, raising her sword high; a jet of water burst out of the tip -
- and a sigh like none other escaped her as she saw it splash on the ground just ahead of the witch, who somersaulted through the excess droplets and disappeared, and in the next instant -
- was thirty feet to Mia's right; she turned with the speed of light to her foe, two standing still this time, water still dripping off her sword's tip.
"You know, that white hair of your's." said the witch. "You… remind me of somebody. But I can't remember who."
"Then they probably weren't important." said Mia.
"You know, I tried to avoid doing this in my Sunday best." The witch tapped her face. "What's with the mask? The beak?"
"I… thought it would look intimidating." Mia wished her first-year self had had better taste.
"It suits you. You can go another round, can't you?" said the witch -
- and the two started rushing towards each other. Thirty feet separated the two, Mia thinking as she rushed forward. Twenty feet separating the two, she readied her sword; Worldwide's scarab swarm forming five new curved prongs out of the hilt. Ten feet separated the two; the two lurched forward -
- but her foe's kick to her stomach hit first; two shotgun blasts entered her guts -
- but the next scene was instant. Worldwide's ice scarabs froze solid; one sweep sought the witch's left leg -
- and the five ice sickles tore the witch's leg clear off in a geyser of blood; a horrific shriek erupted from her, and in a second sweep on the return -
- that caught only air as she somersaulted with one leg back, no disappearance coming as she screamed with her gone limb left at Mia's boots; Mia rushed forward, torn stomach still crying blood with thirty feet separating the two -
" - A-AVAVAGO!" shouted the woman, hair burrowing underground again, and in the next instant -
- a gargantuan demonic maw appeared beneath the witch; and its teeth tore her in to a thousand chunks, roaring as it spit out a crimson rain and disappeared.
Mia winced at the grisly downpour, still-beating heart ahead.
"…w-was that a p-professional Revenant?"
[April 6th]
Mia went down to the beach, searching for a man who'd burst out of a boulder, ocean at her right as she walked down.
A bubble popped behind her, and in the next instant -
- she felt thirsty, and Worldwide filled her throat with water as she kept walking. Another bubble popped behind her, and in the next instant -
- she noticed her footsteps were suddenly silent; with the speed of light she turned -
- just in time to sweep back from her male & sailor for twenty feet away; a bubble appeared in front of her eyes -
- and her sight disappeared in the next; staggering blindly back, a wall of ice burst up ahead of her, scarab swarm flying out and forming rings on the sand she couldn't see around her, and in the next instant -
- she heard a scream to her right; her sight reappeared as she turned -
- just in time to see her burning blue foe staggering back, four bulges in his pants & a gap in his teeth with twenty feet separating the two. A flurry of bubbles appeared above his head, and out of the volley dropped a flood of water -
- and did absolutely nothing, Mia laughing on the other end - " - do you seriously think that -"
" - Soft & W-Wet!" he panted, skin starting to char as he stepped back & on to another scarab -
- and a spike of ice went all the way through his four bulges from below; an emasculated shriek erupted from him as a bubble popped over the ice -
- and another one popped over his head in the next, suddenly dousing the blue flames that'd consumed him before, two foes still with thirty feet separating them. Mia unsummoned her scarabs in case he had a trap for them, swarm appearing beside her as she stepped back. He started rushing towards her, and a bubble popped underneath his feet as Mia stepped back -
- and slipped on to her back in the next, friction suddenly lost from the sand underneath -
- but a pillar of blue flame claimed her foe again, ground disintegrating underneath his feet; in to the sudden burrow he fell -
- and Mia sighed as the sand started sucking her in with him in the next, ground starting to collapse -
" - Worldwide!" she shouted -
- and a disc of ice plugged up the sudden hole; she swept up & on it before she could fall in with him, stomping as she stood on her boots again -
- and an enormous pane of ice covered the entire beach. Below, she heard him shouting from his sandy tomb, and shoved her sword down -
- but shrieked as she felt one punch shatter its tip; with the speed of light she yanked it out & swept back, bracing herself for the damage reflection a second later -
- and she stifled her scream as she felt every bone in her left arm shatter; swift ice scarabs froze them under her skin before they could poke out, and in the next instant -
- she saw her foe bursting out of the ice thirty feet ahead. one yellow & enormous right arm replacing his own, purple star on the shoulder as he made it back to the surface. Another bubble appeared above the frozen ground & popped -
- and turned it in to water in the next; Mia laughed as a electrical swarm flew in to it, and as the trillion-volt current entered the liquid -
- another bubble popped & swallowed her electricity, leaving her sighing as she stepped back -
" - do you actually have anything but fucking counters?" she groaned, relevantly. Another bubble appeared before her eyes -
- but blue flames erupted out of her sight -
- which was still stolen away regardless, leaving her blind with her planned counter having failed; ahead, she heard him stepping in the water towards her -
- but going silent in the next; a line of scarabs laid down ahead of her as she stepped back, eyes unable to be sharp for where her foe would appear next. She felt sand underneath her boots, and in the next instant -
- she felt it shift; she shoved her burning blue blade with the speed of light down -
- and her sight returned as the fire disintegrated her foe without a single ash, bizarre man having tried to get her from below.