Showdown V
After Rango arrived at the blast sight, he saw the Rook leader hunched over, panting heavily while shaking quietly. The Rook's half-mask allowed Rango to see the vicious smirk plastered on the mouth of Chastain's killer...
"....YOU B@STARD!!!" in rage, while also understanding that this was the only opportunity he would have of winning, Rango attacked swiftly...
Pulling out a bowgun from his inventory, Rango began emptying the already fully loaded firearm...
*boom* *boom* *boom*
The ammunition was pellet shot, the bullet type most in Dome City use; it is best when it comes to evasive targets...
Timothy's preflex activated and he hurriedly began to perform a premeditated set of maneuvers that would ensure none of the projectiles hit his body. His preflex was highly advanced compared to that of Rango, allowing him to process multiple input sources, but his ability was not infinite...
After the seventh shot, Timothy's preflex began to lose effectiveness due to overuse, and a few pellets managed to hit some non-vital points. Acting fast, the further injured Timothy dove underwater with his trident once more, quickly shooting toward the highly-injured Ukyo.
Timothy darted out of the water like a bullet, raising his arms in a rigid form, causing water to encapsulate the injured and tired Ukyo in a dome. When Timothy's chakra-covered feet landed on the ocean's surface, he finished the graceful forms with both of his hands flowing loosely, before they balled into fists rigidly.
The water ball engulfing Ukyo froze over immediately, a white-haired child showing a horrifying face...when Rango appeared just a moment later, he saw the Rook Leader slapping an explosive tag onto the surface of the iceball before speaking menacingly, a small trickling of blood flowing from his mouth showcasing his overuse of stamina and energy...
"hehe.....Rango, you've tried for so many years yet I still win every time.....you're a persistent man who always-*cough* *cough*- always strives to uphold your beliefs, I've come to respect that....but you're naiv---"
"Save it, Rook, let the kid go.....fight me with honor !!..." Rango didn't dare to move recklessly, he didn't want the young boy he's grown to adore, to die in such a manner. The frozen boy's terrified eyes did nothing to help in this tense situation.
"As I've said, naive....you see, there was a time when you and I were not so different...."
Rango's face darkened as he reloaded his bowgun with thunder rounds, ensuring that escaping through the water with a trident was not an option this time...."I'm nothing like you, you're a killer!"
"Well, to each his own I suppose. I chose my path, and you chose the way of the hero, to join the righteous "Adventurer's Guild", when in fact its very leader was a selfish man just like me....hah-*COUGH*...."
".....and everyone found you and those like you amusing for a while, but the one thing they love more than a hero or adventurer, is to see a hero fail, fall.....die trying. Despite everything you've done in the name of good, they'll still take advantage of you and your beliefs if it benefits them....they, like me and you, are only human you know...." The Rook Leader saw that his words were beginning to weigh on Rango, the man holding the bowgun began to question every decision since joining Oscar's multiverse.
"...and now, Rango, you will make your choice....either surrender your claim to the grail by declaring your defeat, or watch as the body of this lad paints the surrounding waters red...." after making his declaration, Timothy put two bloody fingers on the edge of the explosive tag, ready to activate it at a moments notice.
Rango's eyes shifted through many emotions quickly; doubt, confusion, hatred, denial, and acceptance. Finally, though, he clenched his fists tightly, tears running down his face as he answered through gritted teeth "I.....I.....admit defeat....."
*TRUMPETS BLARING*
Accompanied with the end-of-the-war-announcement popping up to contestants, a list of everyone's results was shown in front of all the participants. It covered everyone's status and performance, even the method of death...
One interesting thing is the fact that right after the grail war started, the lancer class summoner surrendered his right to the holy grail, choosing to simply ask his summons for training during the duration of the war. The summons agreed readily since he was allowed to experience the land of the gods while leisurely training his summoner...
After quickly reading through the announcement, Rango looked up to find that the Rook leader had disappeared from the location, and Ukyo within the ice ball began to disassemble into light particles.
Rango was left alone, regretful, injured, and sore...." what have I done?...