The Fated Battle Between Rivals, Part 3

"Giving up already?"

When I heard that line, I slowly open my eyes. But when I open my eyes, I can see clearly that I'm no longer standing where I once was; on the battlefield in the center of New York City, lying on the street in the pool of my own blood. Instead, everything is black, pitch black. But I can see clearly, clearly through all the black.

I then turn to where I heard the voice, where I see a man standing a couple of feet away from me in all the black, with his back turned to me.

"Nick…" I softly say.

Slowly, Nick turns around to face me, and I can see that he has his small, usual smirk on his face.

"Wh-where am I?!" I cry.

"You're in the afterworld," Nick nonchalantly answers. "You died."

My eyes widen. "WHAT?!" I scream. "I DIED?! HOW?!"

Nick lets out a hearty laugh in response. "Nah, I'm just kidding!" Nick answers. "This is your dream."

"How cruel…" I grumble. "You almost gave me a heart attack…"

"Well…this is your dream after all, as I said," Nick replies. "Your consciousness came up with me saying that line, just as you are now, and everything I will say in the future."

"Only because you would say something like that if this were real…" I pout as I turn away from Nick and cross my arms.

"Anyone, let's move onto the main point," Nick then says, changing the subject. "You still need to beat Mikey."

"Yeah, no shit!" I snap as I turn back to face Nick again. "I don't need a manifestation of you in my subconscious to tell me that!"

"Then why haven't you beaten Mikey yet?" Nick asks with a small smirk.

"I-" I begin to say, but my words catch in my throat. I can't find an answer to Nick's question. At least…not an answer that wouldn't wound my pride. "Because…I'm not strong enough to beat Mikey…" I sadly answer.

"Are you not strong enough to beat Mikey, or are you making excuses that you haven't beaten Mikey yet?" Nick asks, causing my eyes to widen.

"What are you talking about?!" I cry. "I've already vowed to stop Mikey, he's my enemy now!" 

"Stopping and defeating Mikey are two very different things," Nick replies. "Defeating Mikey means beating him in combat…while stopping Mikey can refer to subjugation, emotionally, anything, but it doesn't have to be in combat."

"What do you mean?" I ask Nick.

"Just tell Mikey the truth," Nick answers. "Bring him back to our side."

"I already tried," I sigh. "I failed…"

"Luis," Nick replies. "The only reason that you haven't defeated Mikey yet, is because you'd have to kill him to do so. You said it yourself, Mikey said, and even War said it. That's why you have to stop Mikey. Because you don't have the strength to defeat him. Not mentally, at least."

"Oh come on, you're just like everyone else!" I snap. "Everyone keeps telling me how I can't kill Mikey, that I feel too connected to him, but they're wrong! I can kill Mikey, I've killed people!"

"Killing me accidentally, or killing Ace, is a lot different than killing an old friend," Nick replies, causing me to frown. "And may I remind you that I'm only a personification of your subconscious? I'm only telling you that you can't kill Mikey because you don't think you can yourself."

"Even in my own mind, you're a sarcastic ass!" I snap, causing Nick to laugh again.

"That's who I am!" Nick laughs.

"But how do I stop Mikey without killing him?" I ask. "I can't kill Mikey, but beating him in a fight won't help anything. Hell, my katana is broken, and I can hardly even stand! Nick…tell me, one last time; what should I do?"

"It's simple," Nick answers. "Tell him the truth."

My eyes widen. "The…truth…?" I ask.

"Tell Mikey everyone that you want to tell him, even if he doesn't listen," Nick explains. "Spill your heart out, and when Mikey's emotions relate to yours; you win."

"And if they don't?" I ask.

"Then you die," Nick smugly answers, causing me to sigh.

"Nick…I miss you…" I sadly say as my head hangs down.

"I miss you too, Luis, but I can't talk to you for much longer

"Why not?" I ask because I peer up to face Nick.

"Because you have things to do," Nick answers. "And someone's calling for you, Luis. Someone who's still alive and needs you."

My eyes widen

"So wake up, Luis."

"Wake up, Luis."

***

"WAKE UP, LUIS!!!!"

My eyes shoot open, and when they do, I turn to face whoevers calling me, and I see Ella standing a couple of dozen feet away from me, in the wreckage of the city caused by my and Mikey's battle. Ella is soaked in blood, and is hugging what appears to be the katana of my dad tightly to her chest.

"Ella…" I weakly groan. "What are you doing here…?"

My eyes then widen with realization, as -out of the corner of my eye- I see the murderous Mikey begin to stir, as well, roused by the commotion that Ella's cries had brought with her.

"Ella, what the Hell are you doing here?!" I cry. "It's dangerous, get away!"

Ella simply shakes her head in response, her confident scowl not wavering even for a second, even when I plead her to run.

"I've come to give you this!" Ella cries as she tosses my dad's katana towards me with all my might. Swiftly, I jump up to my feet then snatch my dad's katana out of the air and unsheath it aiming the tip of the katana's blade at Mikey, who slowly struggles to his feet as well.

"Ella-" I begin to ask. My voice is shaking while I ask this question. I'm terrified of the answer, an answer, whatever that answer may be. "How…how's my dad?"

Ella's confident scowl melts into a frown, and I notice Ella's lips begin to quiver, which automatically gives me the answer to my question, without Ella even needing to speak a single word. Yet even still, Ella stays strong, and her face reverts back to her confident scowl just a second later. She stays strong…for me…

"He loves you, Luis," Ella answers. "Your father wanted me to tell you that he loves you and the rest of your family. Conquest…was defeated thanks to your father. He's a hero…"

My body begins trembling. There are so many hidden words that I can hear behind Ella's flowery speech, words that I don't want to hear, and words that she doesn't want to say. I take a deep breath out, settling my nerves, before peering over to Ella.

"Thank you, Ella. "Thank you for everything. And thanks for bringing this katana, too, mine just broke," I say, as I marvel at my dad's stunning katana, which is much more elaborate and ornate than my own sword. "I'll take things from here."

Ella's face lifts up into a smirk as she nods at me. "Right, Luis!" Ella exclaims. "Bring Mikey back to us…please. Bring our squad back to the way it was, when everything was easy and we were all happy…" Ella pleads.

"Can do!" I laugh, as a spiraling light green wormhole opens up behind Ella, to which Ella hops inside.

"And come back to me alive…" is that last thing that I hear before Ella disappears into the wormhole for good.

"It's just you and me again…demon…" Mikey growls as he brings himself up to his feet at last.

"Sorry for the intrusion," I smirk as I aim the tip of my dad's katana at Mikey. "Now…shall we finish things at last?"

"Yes," Mikey answers. "This lifelong battle will come to a close now."

"Right!" I exclaim. "Just don't blame me if this blows up in your face!" 

Dark-blue Cursed Power explodes from my body. Wind Control…" I growl as I extend my left hand towards Mikey while chambering my right hand. Wind begins swirling around my right hand and wrist, as I reinforce them with my dark-blue Cursed Power.

Flame-red Cursed Power bursts out of Mikey's body, as well. "Flames of Destruction…" Mikey growls as he aims the barrels of his dual pistols at me while pressing them together. The bars of the meters on the side of Mikey's dual pistols begin to light up, as a fireball charges in between the two barrels. It's small at first, but then as the bars charge up, from dark green to light green to yellow to orange to red, the fireball grows larger and larger, and hotter, until it stands three feet in diameter! A fireball as grand as the sun rests in between the barrels of Mikey's dual pistols.

Black Flames of Destruction then begin flickering around Mikey's shoulder, before traveling down Mikey's arms, to his hands, then past his pistols, and then finally; the fireball resting between the barrel of his Mikey's pistols. Mikey's Flames of Destruction wrap around Mikey's fireball, turning it into a pitch black fireball with a bright orange and yellow core, greatly strengthening Mikey's attack.

"SPIRIT STORM!"

"STAR-CORE CANNON!"