Both Sindy and Andrew were barely holding on. Their enemy, whom they referred to as the, Beast Controller was very powerful. They now understood what Instructor Brady had meant when he had warned them about being overconfident. Their enemy was a very powerful opponent.
"Aagh!!" Screamed Andrew in pain— a solid kick had landed in his stomach almost tossing him into a nearby wall.
"Andrew, are you okay?!" Asked Sindy worriedly.
"Yeah... He managed to land a hit on me but I managed to block it just in time. It's just the knockback that hurt..."
The Beast Controller grinned like a maniac with a red metal scythe placed calmly on his shoulder. He was of medium complexion with dark brown eyes, shaggy black hair, and a nasty scar present on his right cheek. He also wore a tattered brown cloak which had just made him look even crazier.
"Are you kid's done already? That's a shame because I'm just getting started!" He laughed.
"Who the hell are you anyway?" Asked Sindy angrily.
"I'm honored that you'd ask that but it's not important. Just call me the Beast King!"
Feeling irritated by his taunts, Sindy charged the Beast King with her knives. He slashed down at her with his scythe but she evaded by jumping high above. She then came down with a powerful stab aiming for the neck of the Beast King, hoping to finish him off with a fatal attack.
However, firey sparks gashed as the Beast King brought his scythe upwards before blocking Sindy's attack. Sindy however wasn't finished. She then tried kicking the Beast King across his face, but he easily dodged and countered with the metal handle of his scythe.
Sindy flinched in pain as the handle delivered a painful uppercut to her chin. Unfortunately, before she could even recover, the Beast King began to rotate himself like a tornado, swinging his scythe at incredible speeds. If the attack landed, Sindy would surely be cut in two."And with one last swing, I'll cut you in half!" Screamed the Beast King excitedly.
Thankfully, at the very last moment, Andrew had managed to get in front of the Beast King, blocking the attack, saving Sindy's life.
Anticipating that this would happen, the Beast King swiftly released his scythe before maneuvering a spinning kick which landed his heel into the jaw of Andrew. This caused Andrew to be sent spiraling violently into a nearby building. Dust encircled him and a small wall even collapsed almost trapping him underneath.
"Andrew, are you okay?!" Sindy asked worriedly.
Andrew slowly arose from the rubble holding his jaw in pain, "Damn... I've never been kicked that hard in my life..!"
"We've got to attack using our Arts, Andrew! There's no way we're beating this guy in close-range combat!"
"Yeah, let's do it!"Andrew then began activating his Art, utilizing it for the first time in a real battle, "Water Art: Water Dragon Missile!"
Sindy also joined him with an Art of her own; "Fire Art: Infernal Flare!"
A massive attack of flames and a water-like dragon then flew towards the Beast King. The Arts then exploded, shaking the surrounding area upon impact.
A moment of anticipation then came by as the two peered their eyes through the resulting debris and smoke. They had hoped their attacks had made contact but it was only childish thinking.
Within the smoke, they began hearing the Beast King activating an Art of his own. This had completely caught them off-guard.
"Demon Art: Shadow Arms!"
As the smoke cleared, they saw the Beast King standing completely unscathed. He had activated an Art which summoned two giant shadow-like arms surfacing from his back.
"You're joking, right?!" Cursed Andrew. He couldn't believe how easily their attacks were blocked.The Beast King then began laughing hysterically, "Pathetic! Is this all that AA is capable of?!"
Sindy gritted her teeth upon the realization that they would not be able to defeat the Beast King so easily. Slowly, she analyzed their situation, trying to think of the best course of action.
The original instruction from Instructor Brady was to avoid engaging the target if they had run into him. However, since the Instructor was handling a powerful enemy of his own, there was no way they could leave the Beast King to continue hurting innocent people. To make it worse, she doubted that they could even get away from him even if they chose to retreat.The next best option would be to hold off until Nathan arrived to give them a bigger advantage. Unfortunately, they were barely holding on as it was already. Nathan needed to hurry.
"Fine then, it seems we have no choice..." complained Sindy. "Andrew, we obviously won't be able to hit him with long-ranged attacks either. We have to get in close to ensure that our Arts hit. That's the only way we have a chance of winning this!" Declared Sindy.
Andrew nodded in approval, "Alright, no more holding back. I've got to use that move then! This thing takes a huge toll on my body, but it's now or never!"
"Wait, you don't mean-"
"Yes, I know it's risky but right now it's our only shot at defeating this guy!"
"Damn it..! That move isn't perfected yet, right? You know what the Instructor said! Using imperfect Arts in a fight is like a double-edged sword! In your case, that's more like a quad-edged sword!"
"I know but we don't have much choice right now... Besides, to counteract the side effects, you can finally put that new move of yours to the test. I'm talking about your, Regen Shield!"Sindy pondered. The situation was desperate and they seemed to have no other choice. She hated to admit it but Andrew was right.
"Okay, let's do it then, Andrew!"Alright! Destruction Art: Destructive Anomaly!"
Andrew's body then quickly became shrouded in a dark-purple aura. His "Destruction Art: Destructive Anomaly" gave him a multiplier of two times his original strength in both physical and spiritual power. Unfortunately, it had a major drawback. The longer he relied on it, the more it would eat away at his body, possibly even resulting in death. It was a huge risk.
"I'll heal your body while you fight! It should slow the deterioration as we planned!" Supported Sindy. "Regeneration Art: Regen Shield!"
Sindy's Regen Shield was similar to Andrew's Destructive Anomaly. It had a long-lasting effect but would heal the body instead of destroying it. It however took a huge amount of Spiritual Energy to maintain which meant that Sindy would not be able to keep the Art active for extended periods.
"That's the spirit!" Shouted the Beast King excitedly.
Andrew then charged the Beast King, ferociously engaging him in close combat.
The Beast King responded by dropping one of his heavy shadow arms at Andrew, almost crushing him in the process. Luckily, Andrew managed to evade and launched a counterattack.Swiftly, he slashed upwards towards the throat of the Beast King, but the King somehow parried with his scythe. This almost proved fatal for Andrew as the Beast King slammed his Shadow Arms at Andrew once more. Regrettably, this time, Andrew was unable to dodge.
The ground even cracked open from the impact, sending miniature shock waves through the air. Andrew was driven underneath violently, inches away from being crushed.
This made Sindy extremely worried as she couldn't do anything but heal Andrew's deterioration. Another drawback of her Regen Shield was that it made it impossible for her to heal and fight at the same time.
"You're no match for me, kid!" Laughed the Beast King.
However, the Beast King had spoken too soon. Suddenly, he realized that his Shadow Arms were being pushed back. Andrew had managed to soften the impact by using both his swords as a shield. Andrew bled from his head and both his arms but he refused to give up. He had to hold out until Nathan arrived so that they could all defeat the Beast King together.
Andrew clenched his teeth and pushed the arms back with all his strength, "There is no way..! Absolutely no way that I'm going to allow the likes of some reptilian-looking ass dude to beat me!"
Andrew pushed himself to his utmost limits. He charged into close combat with the Beast King once again, gifting him with a barrage of slashes. Sadly, Sindy was now barely keeping up with the rate Andrew was pushing himself. His body was deteriorating much too fast, even for her Regen Shield. He would surely die if the fight didn't end soon.
Fortunately, Andrew was slowly beginning to gain the upper hand. He began to push the Beast King backward, preventing him from going on the offensive.
However, just for a moment, a streak of severe pain ached through the body of Andrew due to its constant deterioration. The Beast King saw this as his opportunity. It was his perfect chance to defeat Andrew for good. Quickly, he took advantage of his small chance and tried launching a counterattack.
"Water Art: Rain Slash!!" Desperately chanted Andrew.
To the surprise of the Beast King, Andrew caught him off-guard and attempted to remove his head with a powerful Water Art which now cloaked his swords. Forced with no other choice, the Beast King activated his second Art which he had been holding off on using."Beast Art: Summoning!!"The Beast King summoned a Demon Beast which served as a shield taking the brunt of Andrew's attack. This pained Andrew greatly for he knew he no longer had the strength to go on. The Water Art was his final attack.
Andrew was now on the verge of exhaustion. He had fought well but his endurance was not able to keep up. If only he had the stamina to go on a little longer, then maybe he could have won. His body had just taken too much damage.
Sindy had also reached her limit from the constant healing of Andrew. Her spiritual energy had almost been completely drained. If she were to continue she would die.
The two friends staggered before their knees buckled underneath them. Simultaneously, they fell flat on their faces from exhaustion. They could no longer fight."Hahahahahaaaaa!! You sure got me there, kids! So close, but still too little!!" Laughed the Beast King mocking their efforts. "Now, I shall kill you both!"
With a wave of his scythe, the Beast King aimed to take the life of Andrew. However, a certain someone wasn't about to let it happen.
"Lightning Art: Thunderclap Strike!"
The sound of mini-thunder struck alongside the collision of metal as an electrified katana collided with the Beast King's scythe. Nathan now made four eyes with him. A burning fury had awakened within Nathan. He was ready for battle and the Beast King was his opponent.Approximately one minute before Nathan arrived to fight the Beast King..."What's your name?" Asked Nathan to the little girl."M-my name is, Rosie...""Okay Rosie, my name is Nathan. I'm going to leave you right here in this small alleyway. It's not easy to find so you should be safe. Stay here and don't come out until I come back to get you, okay?""N-no! That's what my parents said and they didn't come back! Please, don't leave me too!!""I promise that I'll come back. I won't leave you nor allow anyone to hurt you. You've got my word! Heroes never break their promises."Nathan then smiled warmly before extending his pinkie towards Rosie, "Pinkie promise, okay?""Okay!" She smiled. "Pinkie promise!"Rosie was now feeling a sense of reassurance from Nathan's words. She believed that he would return to help her as he promised, "Where are you going?"Nathan's face then hardened as he answered;"I'm going to he
Nathan sat on his bed staring blankly through the infirmary window. A third plate of breakfast remained beside him untouched for the third day. The battle against the Beast King had left him broken in many ways.His face was pale and bags sat underneath his eyes. He hadn't slept or eaten since the mission.Sindy and Andrew were also left in a depressing state. Thankfully, they weren't nearly as bad as Nathan."It's been three days and he hasn't even uttered a word, Andrew... He doesn't eat, sleep, or talk to anyone..! I-I don't know what I'm supposed to do for him!" Cried, Sindy."I'm sure he'll be fine eventually, princess!" Said Andrew with a smile. "Just give him some time and he'll be back to normal before you know it!""I don't understand how you can be so optimistic after what happened... After we were knocked unconscious, that monster killed everyone in the village... He didn't even spare the children!"Andrew then gave a short laug
The day had arrived for the high-ranking mission. After speaking with Alondo, Sindy had managed to gain permission to take part in the dangerous mission. Her main goal was to find out what Andrew was planning and put a stop to it before it was too late.She tied her hair into a ponytail, equipped her gear, and sheathed her knives by her side. She felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins as she thought about what the day could bring.Instructor Brady's words had dug her from the emotional grave she had found herself in and it was now her turn to do the same for Andrew.If Instructor Brady's theory was correct then Andrew was lost in his search for vengeance. On the contrary, Nathan was lost in his failures, unable to move on.Sindy had realized how pain could be interpreted in many ways. Some might seek revenge, some might strive to prevent the same mistake from repeating, and others would sulk in their failures, unable to move on. It
The team had arrived at Mind Mountain after just a fifteen-minute flight by jet. During the journey, Samantha had been taking unpleasant glances at Sindy, not being afraid to showcase her dislike. However, Sindy was far too busy observing Andrew to notice. She was still very much worried about him."Okay, listen up everyone..." Began Amanda. "This mission is highly dangerous. We're up against two powerful commanders from the Cliques. Naturally, we shouldn't engage them in any form of combat since we're far weaker than them. This is why I've devised a plan to rescue our target without engaging the commanders."Amanda then took a digital map from her pocket. She then proceeded to point at areas across the map as she began her explanation."Firstly, I'll use my Cloning Art to create multiple copies of myself and have them wait on standby. Next, I want Leo to use his Illusion Art to create a fake explosion in the distance. Naturally, one of the commanders should mov
Following the fight between Sindy and Andrew, Sindy had hurriedly healed both their injuries using her Regeneration Art. Sadly, due to the excessive amount of Spirit Energy used, Sindy barely had any left to spare.This worried her tremendously as she was concerned if she would be of further use on the mission. Samantha was already at the belief that she and Andrew would be useless and her lack of SE was not about to make it any better.Andrew was also fairly tired but he was in much better shape than Sindy.A few moments later, the two had arrived back at the jet where everyone had been told to rendezvous earlier. Amanda was ready to go over the plan with them one final time."Did everyone get a good feel of the area?" She inquired.Sindy and Andrew looked around whimsically, "Yeah..! sure...""Alright, we can begin!"Amanda then went over the plan one last time before everyone moved into position. They then silently moved towards th
Meanwhile In The Battle Against Raven...A loud explosion like that of a sonic boom echoed within the distance. Amanda and Leo were becoming fearful. The loud explosion had come from where their fellow assassins were fighting the other commander, Waver.Unfortunately, they had no time to worry about the others. They too were dealing with a powerful commander which they were severely struggling against.Leo and Amanda were filled with cuts and bruises. Raven, the commander that they were fighting was painfully swift. To make things worse, his weapons were a pair of jagged chains which he knew how to use quite well. The chains were quick and rarely missed their target. It was evident that he had mastery over them."We can't lay a finger on this guy! His Arts are so annoying!" Complained Leo.Amanda breathed heavily. She could hardly find the energy needed to respond to Leo's complaints. The battle was much harder than she could have ever antici
A Few Minutes Earlier Back at AA HQ Before Amanda's Team Confronted The Commanders...Alondo gently pushed past the door of the infirmary as he entered Nathan's room. The moment he stepped inside, he could smell the scent of depression in the air.He then looked across the room to see four different plates of untouched food beside Nathan's bed which indicated that he hadn't eaten in a total of four days. He would surely starve himself to death if this were to continue. The situation was much worse than Alondo could have anticipated."Nathan," he called without a response."Nathan!" He called a little louder. But it was still to no avail.Alondo then asserted himself as he moved closer. This time he called in a much more serious tone."Nathan!!!"However, there was still silence. Nathan was much too lost in his failures to pay any attention to anyone who spoke to him. This irritated Alondo significantly. He felt as if he was talking to a
Andrew's arms were shattered. Almost every single bone in his body had been smashed like mashed potatoes. Violently, he coughed up blood as if it were a natural occurrence. The shockwave from Waver's punch had not only destroyed his skeletal system but had also completely paralyzed the rest of his body as well.Sindy rushed over to him with panic gripping her soul. A worrisome feeling of whether or not he was alive swarmed her like a hive of bees."No! No! No! No! Nooo!! Please, Andrew! Stay with me!" She cried, running to his side.Quickly, she then activated her Regeneration Art and began healing his injuries. Unfortunately, it was barely enough to keep him alive. In truth, Regeneration Art consumed a lot of Spirit Energy when used. Since Sindy had already utilized it once before in addition to other Art Styles, she barely had any SE left to heal Andrew's injuries. Due to this, Andrew would certainly die in a few minutes if Sindy didn't find a way to regain he