She Is...

Night Two Hundred And Thirty Three

Age 1991

Dianthus City...

The Castle...

'Boom!'

A massive blast exploded out knocking the walls of the castle down as a wave of red flames seemed to blast out.

The force of the blast was strong enough to throw Rio Livon back across the snow as he stared up with wide eyes.

High up in the air Hero Otoko spun around flipping outside of the castle as he stared ahead with wide eyes. Down below in the crater of the castle walls Ken stood dressed in her strange black armor and dress. The armor around her began to rise out around her forming over her and forming a black helmet around her head. She raised her arm up the lance she held beginning to spin like a drill. A thick black shield appeared on her other arm as she stepped forward flashing high into the air in a rapid speed movement.

"Ken-" Hero tried to say but she ignored him slamming her weapon down the drill lance firing him towards the ground. He slammed into the snowy field with a loud boom. "Ken stop-"

Ken landed on the ground ahead of him as she raised the lance up. It began to spin faster and faster red energy that flowed like lightning forming out at the tip of the lance. She turned to the downed man and sliced out with her lance shooting out a wave of red energy that ripped the ground in front of her to pieces as it sliced forward.

"Ken-" Hero slammed his arm forward as it inflated allowing him to use it as some kind of make shift shield. The beam of energy slammed into him as he was blasted back. Blood flowed out of his flesh as the energy sliced through his large arm ripping it off. He gritted his teeth as steam poured out and he regrew his right arm. His left arm lit up with black flames as it flowed out into a large black flame blow. His right arm created a massive bone spike that allowed him to pull back on the bow and launch a flaming bone arrow towards the girl. "Please stop!"

"Stop calling me that!" Red energy exploded out of the black armor as the woman stepped forward and slammed her shield forward exploding the arrow and sending out waves of black flames that blew through the snowy field.

"Ken?" Ken jumped at him and slammed the lance down towards him. His spike blasted out of his right arm curving around it and forming a bone like blade which he raised up and used to block the strike from the powerful lance which sent out ripple effects. "Ken what the hell is going on!"

"I told you to stop calling me that by name." She growled slamming her lance through him and splitting him in half. Then she spun her body and slammed her lance through his skull blowing it to pieces. His corpse hit the ground blood ozzing out as he slumped down. The red energy around her suddenly died down as it morphed into a bluish color. "D... Did you really have to kill him?" She asked turning away.

'Of course I did...' A voice said speaking to her in her head. 'He had to die.'

"Y... Yeah but..."

"You're not Ken are you?"

"What!' She barely had time to turn around before a massive fist slammed into her throwing her back.

'Shit! He's still alive? But I reduced his brain to mush? Give me back control.'

"R... Right." The blue light around the armor vanished as the woman caught her self and was ignited with a red glow. She raised her lance back up pointing it at the Seraphin. "How are you alive?" She asked cocking her head to the side. "The Hero Otoko I knew wasn't able to heal instantly. When you had a hole blasted through you by Zero you were down for hours."

"Zero... Oh..." Hero Otoko let out a sigh as he placed his hands in his pockets. "So that's who you are. Maudite right. I remember you. You were the girl in my very first mission. You had two personalities. You're the mean one right? Meandite? Black hair, and red high lights as well as red eyes... I thought you were my Ken." He sighed.

"I hate to break it to you but I'm not." She said.

"Master Hero!" Rio announced crawling out of the snow as he ran over to Hero's side. "I'm here to help!"

"Thanks but I don't think that will be necessary." Hero said patting the boy as he gave a smirk. "Right Maudite?"

The woman stared at him for a moment red lights seeping through her helmet. "Is it true." She asked slowly. "Are you the reason the Squid came to our world. Are you the one who got our world to be wiped out. You killed God right. And the Squid came... But you got saved by a God of another world right? Unlike the rest of us."

Hero stared at the woman for a moment as Rio looked up at his Master. "Yes. I killed my world." Hero said blankly. "I didn't know but... Yes. All that death is on my hands. And... Yes... I escaped it... I see why everyone hates me. I killed so many... And unlike everyone who suffered... I... I will keep this world safe. It's the least I could do. The amount of blood on my hands... The amount of people I caused to die... The amount of... Hate... I feel towards myself..."

Maudite stared at him for a moment. "Do you know what it was like for us... Not everyone died when the world broke. Some of us existed in nothingness... A single second in there is like a trillion years... And we floated... Slowly being eaten and broken down... People like Kitsune... They lost their body... Others had to look for other ways to live. People like Cloud and Ken who were so brave... They lost pieces of themselves. Their flesh breaking away and getting torn away by the black void we floated in. Had to replace their parts with others... Irene... She was one of the lucky ones. Before our world was blown to bits and devoured she found a shard of the corruption that thing you fought Zero with... She infused it into herself. The healing allowed her to stay in tact but her mind... It didn't last long. Out of all of them though. I am the best off. I was pulled out before serious damage could hurt me. On the outside I was fine by 85% of my organs were ripped and torn. They had to be replaced with spare parts from those who didn't need them anymore. The Count found me. Naked and bleeding in the snow. He saved me. Fixed me. And told me the sad news. I'll never be able to have kids. Or at least it's rare. So rare it will likely never happen. I can never... Start a family. And all because you... You! If you really feel any Guilt than you'll gladly let me run you through and kill you!" She screamed out.

Hero stood there as she rammed her lance through his chest causing blood to gush out of his mouth and down his chin. "Maudite..."

'Slap!'

His hand flew out as he slammed it across her face sending her flying back and sending her stumbling across the snow as her helmet shattered and her armor broke away from how hard he hit her.

She gasped out stumbling back up now only in a white shirt and undergarments. Blood flowed down the side of her head as she reached up to it in shock. Hero reached out pulling the lance out of his chest as he snapped it in half across his leg throwing it across the snow.

"M... Master Hero?" Rio asked in mild fear.

The look in Hero Otoko's eyes was something else now. Steam poured out of the hole in his chest as he held his hand up and created a large black bone spike out of his wrist which ignited with his black flames. "Do you have any idea how much guilt washes over me everyday? Of course not. No will. That's why... Everytime I see his smug face... Every time he announces he's going to be a hero for justice... What a fucking joke! Hero's are the worst off! All we get is to suffer! And for what? Why should we all get that pain! I thought I was saving the world! I thought I could save you all! So I did what the damn fool told me to do. I listened to him and followed Master Storms orders. And we killed God. How was I supposed to know that by saving millions I would be killing everyone I cared about! How is it fair that by doing the best and being a hero of justice I would lose everyone! How is it that fucking fair!" He sobbed out. "Do you know how hard this guilt is! That's why... No matter what! I'll save this damn world! This world doesn't need a hero! A hero is something that no world deserves. No one deserves someone who only suffers. It's to cruel. I'm not going to be this worlds hero. I'm going to be its devil! His Devil! I'll counter his naive senses of justice. If he wants to play the part of a hero of justice than I'll give him so much pain and suffering he'll sob and break. I'll show him just what it means to be a hero. Just what it means to hold the suffering of others on his back! And when it crushes him... Because it will crush him. I'll look him in the eyes. Hold out my hand. And ask him to join me. And when he does. We'll save this world. And the others. And when the day comes when we die we'll gladly march into hell itself for that is where we belong!"

"Y... You aren't the Hero I knew..." Maudite said spitting up some blood as she stumbled to her feet. A red light expanded around her before going out and forming back into a blue one. "I... I'll take over so you rest." She said to herself. Her body glowed a white armor formed around her igniting with a blue flame like aura. A large white scythe also formed in her hands...

"Master Hero..." Rio said staring at the man.

Hero sighed twirling his spike around between his fingers. "You must have suffered a lot right Maudite? Well... I'll put you out of your misery. You're on that Counts side? He has a girl. One that my Master told me to get. So if you have to die then so be it."

Her helmet reformed around her as she held her scythe up her arms shaking. "You aren't at full power..." She noted.

"No. I'm not. I still have Monster Point, as well as my full Seraphin form but... Those two I'm saving... They'll be my counter to 'his' power."

"I don't know who you speak of so highly but he must be a really good person. If he's the hero to your devil that is."

"He really is." Hero fired forward. "To bad he's on the losing side-"

'Bam!'

A hand slammed into Hero's face as he was blasted back.

Rio and Maudite stared in shock as Vlad landed on the ground a small smirk on his lips.

"Come now. Like I would let Maudite fight my battles." Vlad said. "Though..." He watched as Hero began to pull himself back up steam rolling off of him. "I can sense that this one is strong indeed. I wouldn't mind having some help."

"Right." Maudite nodded. "I... I'll help you out. I'm not as strong as my other half but I can still fight..."

Hero growled. "So what... Now I have to fight you both? At the same time. Hardly fair. Oh well. I'll make do." He yelled firing forward.

Rio bit his lip as he watched the two people charge his Master. It was hard to call it a battle... Hero was strong but so was Maudite, and Vlad, was even stronger than her. The two of them easily over powered Hero and seemed to have some skill with working together as they flowed in what looked almost like a pretty dance dodging any strikes that came their way with grace and unleashing barrages of attacks that the lone Seraphin couldn't have a hope of blocking all at once. Every time he dodged one of them he was attacked by the other. Anytime he tried to attack one the other would counter attack. And it was impossible for him to block all the attacks that came his way all at once.

Rio watched as his master was being pushed back. He reached up slowly to the sword in its sheath that rested on his back then...

"Leave my Master alone!" He screamed drawing the broken sword and slashing out as a massive blast of golden light exploded out!