Holly Vendetta Arc Chapter 11

"Kairo, look out!" Holly screamed as a spear flew directly at Kairo

With danger drawing near and adrenaline pumping, it was like time slowed down for Kairo. Throwing his foot behind to hold his weight in the midst of his movements, he summoned Daybreak into his grasp. Screeches rang and sparks flew as his sword clashed with the spear, barely parrying it away. As it plunged into a wall behind him, out from the shadows came a humanoid looking creature dressed in gold plated armor with a red cape attached to its back. It was just as tall as Kairo, face hidden behind its helmet and its stature looked as firm as a brick wall.

"Hello there, Goldie locks. If you give me five seconds with the sword on that altar, I'll show you a magic trick. Deal?" Kairo jokingly proposed

"Foolish human, you do not understand the elements that you're messing with here. I am the guardian of this sword, it will not be taken from this place. Not now, not ever!"

"Your call, I asked nicely. Holly, do it!" Kairo confidently echoed out as he took a knee.

Holly ran forward, vaulting off Kairo's shoulder with her sword in hand ready to slash down at their enemy. The guardian crossed his arms unfazed. As she drew close, the spear from earlier plucked itself out from the wall and accelerated with its butt aimed at Holly's back.

"My call indeed." The golden armored guardian confidently replied

"I don't like that tone." Kairo remarked as he sprung onto his feet, turning around and clunking his sword onto the levitating spear

Directing it away from its target for the second time, the spear spun off to the side and dug itself into the ground, giving the opportunity for Holly's attack to land uninterrupted and straight into a gap in the guardian's armor between the shoulder and neck.

"Steal!" Holly commanded as she placed a hand on the armored guardian

The world's voice unexpectedly pinged "Target is unaffected by Steal. Target is unaffected by Steal."

"Not again, damn it! Mist of fear!" Holly cried out as her sword laid in between her enemy's armor gap

As the expected yellow fog covered everyone in the room, no one could witness what happened next. Crack! Whoosh! Kairo felt a gush of wind pass his side as it ended with an instant thud sound behind him. Through the blinding yellow dust in the air, Kairo could only infer that his circumstance was anything else except good and Holly was undoubtedly in trouble.

An invisible wave struck the room and the coloured fog vanished. Holly came into view as she was curled up on the floor while holding her left arm.

"Holls!" Kairo screamed out as he ran to her side

"That thing… It broke my arm and I don't feel it healing back." Holly informed Kairo as she bit her lower lip suppressing her screams of pain

Holly had never been more afraid until this moment. There was so much she had learnt from just that one encounter with the stationary enemy in front of the altar. The paralyzing fog was meant to last much longer than it did, yet it disappeared without a trace after a sudden shockwave. She could not steal any skill from the guardian either. To add salt to injury, her natural automatic healing ability was not functioning as well. So many questions, so little time to process. All she knew was that it needed to be taken down to achieve her life's goal. Which meant she had to do everything in her power to take it down. Truly, it was do or die.

Right now, she needed more time to strategize a way to beat her foe. Thinking she could hide in her own fog, she attempted to cast the "Mist of Fear" on herself. From bad came worse, nothing happened. She casted it again, then a third and a fourth time. Holly came up with a theory she had to test. Signalling Kairo to stay put, she drank an elixir filled with red liquid till it was empty. With just that, her injury was healed as she stood up and decided to fight the guardian again.

"Break Resolve! Leeching Viper!" Holly subsequently cried out as she ran straight at the unflinching golden guardian

Break Resolve was a skill she stole from a giant turtle-like monster, the skill enabled it to strengthen its defensive capabilities while reducing its enemies. Leeching Viper was a skill she stole from a boss monster within the tower itself, it was from a lion with a snake tail known as a Chimera. The skill would project a snake stretching out and sinking its fang into the target and draining its vitality and returning a portion to the caster. Much like in gaming terms, it would be like healing back the health bar based on how much is done to the target.

With the look of disapproval, the guardian released two shockwaves in response to her attacks. This led to the skills not affecting him at all.

Next, Holly tried to cast both skills again to no luck. Just as she was about to reach the guardian, a strip of metal chain wrapped around her waist as she was flung back towards Kairo.

Landing in between his arms, the chains vanished as Kairo held Holly from behind and told her that he had a plan.

Releasing herself from his hold, she demanded he hurriedly explain. Kairo assured Holly that his plan would work as long as she got to the sword on the altar behind the guardian.

Pointing a finger at Kairo, Holly threatened "This is the last time I put my faith in you, literally! If not, I'm dead either way. You got that?"

As their strategy meeting concluded, they nodded to each other as Holly walked to the side.

Lifting his blade, Kairo pointed it at the guardian taunting him "Hey! Trophy Wife! That's right, I'm talking to you! I may look weak, but show me some warrior's pride. If you don't mind?"

"Very well. Though I may be a guardian, first and foremost I am a warrior. I'll fight you with full intent to kill."

"That's just the way I want it. Then, maybe you'll see that I shouldn't be underestimated. I should be feared."

"Arrogant runt. I shall not hold back!" Declared the guardian as it unclipped his cape before vanishing from Kairo's sight

Kairo frantically looked around the room for the guardian. Suddenly, it reappeared in front of him with its fist already sunken into Kairo's stomach. As if time had to catch up to the guardian's movements, it took seconds after the attack landed for Kairo to feel the full impact of the guardian's attack as he flew all the way back to the end of the room with blood spewing out his mouth as he went. Kairo dug his sword into the ground and stopped himself from flying any further back as his shoes dragged across the floor.

"Boy. What did you do? I was sure I'd hit you, but I did not feel bone or flesh. It felt tougher."

Kairo chuckled as he lifted up his shirt to reveal that he had wrapped a few metal chains around his body like a plate of armor.

"Well done, boy! Consider me impressed."

Pulling Daybreak out from the ground, Kairo tossed it at the guardian as if he were throwing a javelin. With the help of its spear, the guardian flung Daybreak away with ease.

"Human! Rule number one of sword fighting, do not throw your only weapon away so quickly!" advised the guardian as its spear redirected itself aimed at Kairo

Like an arrow released from a bow, the guardian's spear cut through the wind and headed for Kairo. At such speeds, even Kairo knew he could not dodge it and certainly not parry it unarmed. Unless, that was his intention all along. He stood up and wiped the blood of his mouth as he stared at death drawing near, raising his right hand at it.

Just before the spear could come into contact with Kairo's hand, a blinding white light shone in between the two. Closing it, the miracle white sword took shape in his hand. Tilting his hand upwards while also placing his other onto the hilt, he held the sword firmly as he redirected the spear's trajectory ever so slightly and flew across his shoulder.

As the Guardian laid eyes upon Kairo's sword, its expression changed.

"Answer me now, boy! How did you come into possession of that sword?!" The Guardian demanded

Paying the guardian no mind, Kairo turned to his side where Yumeko was floating beside him.

"Well, look who decided to show up? I think I figured out how this works, more or less." Kairo jokingly stated as he tossed the sword from his right hand to his left.

As Kairo caught the sword, his vision faded into black. It was not a dark space, it was just his conscience jumping out of his body and into his mind. He also knew that he was not in there alone.

"Yu.. Yuriko? Are you there?" Kairo called out into the darkness of his mind

"It's Yumeko. Don't you forget it."

"Right, sorry. My body is all yours."

"I'm not so sure I can take him down on my own."

"Who said anything about doing it alone? We'll do this together this time, you and me."

With a smirk on his face, Kairo's hair rippled into white as his pupils changed as well. Holding his sword with his left hand above his right, he placed one foot in front of the other and raised his sword up above his head remaining in this stance.

The guardian who was now aggravated for being ignored vanished from sight once again. Reappearing behind Kairo ready to slam its arms down on him, but Kairo disappeared as well.

He was standing behind the guardian as it reappeared. Lowering his arms, Kairo slashed onto the guardian's head. At least, that would have happened had it not reacted so fast that it sprung its arms up to block the blow.

Then the two continued to disappear and reappear at different parts of the room, all ending with sparks flying and loud clashing noises. An intense fight was brewing beyond what the naked eye could perceive. They were here for a second and gone, next they were there and gone again. Corner of the room. Center. Corner of the room again. Near the doors. Midair even.

It was insane. Then, they returned to the ground. Both staring at each other all breathless. With a long exhale, Kairo raised his sword above his head once more in the same stance as before. Dashing forward, Kairo swung his blade downwards. The guardian raised both arms one crossed over the other, attempting to block the blow to his head. This was the outcome that both souls within a single body were hoping for. Upon the guardian's movements, Kairo retracted the white sword as Daybreak appeared in his other hand, shoving it right into the guardian's chest. Then metal chains sprung from the ground, wrapping the guardian's arms and legs whilst still in its defensive position.

"See, Holls! Told you I could do it."

"Didn't trust you. Not even for a second." Holly said as she stood leaning on the sword on the altar

"No! When did the girl even… No! All this was just a distraction?"

"Ding! Ding! It's been a fun day, I gotta run." taunted Kairo as he stood next to holly

"Enough!" the guardian declared as he broke free from the chain

"Kairo, take it and go! Now! Gravity's call."

As Holly spoke, A purple outlined circle drew itself above the guardian as its face plummeted to the ground. Its entire body was pasted to the floor as if it was getting squished into a pancake. Gravity call was a skill that would increase the gravitational pull of a certain area by tenfold, which was great if that were it. The downside to this skill was that the user would have to remain in their position till the skill is stopped for any reason, otherwise it would cancel itself.

Looking at Holly struggling with all her might, Kairo knew he had to ask "Holly, come with me! There is more to see out there. Believe me! You told me that you wanted an adventure, that's why you got out of the tunnels. Right now, you have that choice again. Come with me, let's get out of the tunnels together!"

"Last time I left a tunnel, I killed fifty people. If I leave the tunnel this time, I'll be alive knowing I killed millions and I don't think I can have that on my conscience."

"Then don't hold that burden, because right now I'm giving you a free pass. You aren't killing millions, I am. In this moment, till the day you breathe your last breath. Those fifty people aren't dead, they're alive. They are all living through you."

Hesitantly glancing back at Kairo as the guardian released shockwaves breakin itself free of Holly and Kairo's grasps. She ran up to Kairo, wrapping her arms around him as he pulled his scarf off.