Re: Incarnation Death Match 13 Rend 2

Upon the chant, Claire disappeared without a trace from the garden, starting from her fingertip. Behind the cloak of illusion, right after Venefica arrived to save her, Claire ran and hid on the nearest cl.u.s.ter of trees.

Even the gra.s.s she stood on mere moments before looked undisturbed by her footsteps. The familiar smell of citrus, yet again, accompanied her magic. It was a stroke of luck that Claire touched the flower perched near the door earlier, the tiny amounts of Venefica's magic trace on it helped the witch to execute an elaborate illusion magic faster than she otherwise woulx.

"Remember, I'm your opponent!" Venefica looked damp with sweat, her short blue hair clumped and sticky around her face and in her hat. Her dress looked dirty, and her breaths came out ragged and short, but she still took the time to swirl around in the air, before stopping in front of where Claire stood moments ago.

Wrong answer.

The clones had half their face obscured by the matching hoods they wear, but the twitch of their lips alone was enough to convey their feelings. Their neutral expressions hardened into a snarl, and some even gritted their teeth in barely concealed rage.

"For our brother!"

"Even if the world collapses, we will serve Deci!"

"Get her! This is our chance to please Deci!"

"Don't let her escape!"

The rage was the start of an onslaught, and each clone threw multiple knives at the witch and Luna, forming a hail of relentless, poisonous knives that embedded itself on the trees around them and on the ground, causing the plant life around to hiss and emanate pungent white smoke. Outnumbered and caught by surprise, both Venefica and Luna was forced into defending, the little witch maneuvering her flight in such a way to keep the poison from searing their bodies yet also keeping the clones from tipping the scales of battle in favor of Oscar and Deci.

--

After an endless onslaught, the rain of knives finally let up and slowed down, and Fiora was able to slow down the dance of her four chains. From the looks of it, it was clear that the technique took a lot of Deci's energy reserves, leaving him vulnerable and without means to counterattack for a time at least. The cat-eared a.s.sa.s.sin dry coughed, right as the last few knives fell, while wiping the blood trails staining his hands and cheek with his black robe.

Meanwhile, save for her tattered underclothes and scratches here and there on her silver armor, Fiora was very much unharmed. At one point, one knife did came dangerously close to her throat, however, her chains made quick work of it, leaving only a strand of her hair falling down to the gra.s.sy land right next to a misshapen lump of useless metal.

"I underestimated you, did I? Even though you haven't regained your memories yet..."

"I have sensed you in many occa.s.sions, even when we went to that place earlier in the day." Fiora said, not acknowledging the a.s.sa.s.sin's comment. "However, you disappeared before I managed to catch up and investigate."
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"That is impossible, you should be the only one there. Unless..."

The clones' onslaught on Venefica and Luna slowed down, the forms of those cloaked men flickering for several seconds before disappearing into nothing. It was clear that Deci was losing the battle of attrition.

"It's my loss this time, huh?" Deci gave a dry smile and sighed. He stood up, no longer in a battle stance, and walked towards Oscar's side. The link the two of them shared was more evident than ever this time. The blond man looked tired and beaten up, his teeth gritted in pain to keep himself from screaming and attracting attention towards their battle. The wounds lining Deci's face and hands were reflected on Oscar as a series of nasty red bruises in the same shape as the b.l.o.o.d.y gashes and burn wounds. "I'm sorry, Oscar. We have to retreat."

"Claire, you really are lucky, you know?" Oscar rubbed the bruises lining both his hands, a strained smile gracing his face. "Heh, if I were a little sooner, perhaps I would have you back with me that day. Like how it was not even one year ago. How long was it, ten months?"

"We are through, Oscar. Stop living in the past." Claire walked out from the cl.u.s.ter of trees, her tone firm and resolute, yet with a slight waver showing she was trying her d.a.m.nedest to keep her tone even. "I told you, we can't continue, and I have to stop living in lies." She stopped next to Fiora, but not too close, as if she was hesitant to lean and count on the help of her own partner. The show of what could be interpreted as distrust didn't go unnoticed, but Fiora chose to hold her tongue.

For now, that is.

Venefica and Luna, freed from the onslaught of clones, flew next to Claire, their gaze focused on Deci.

Venefica looked at her partner for an advice, and Luna shook her head. She knew what exactly the little witch was thinking.

"This is their problem to solve."

"Lies? Was those few years a lie to you? The laughter we shared? The time we spent? Those were all lies?"

"No, I loved you, it's my fault. Please, you are just making this even harder than it needs to be. Just... Please." Claire shook her head, a few stray tears glimmering on the side of her eyes, before disappearing as she stubbornly blinked them away. "I can't do this anymore. I have my emotional baggage to solve, something I have to do by myself. I can't keep draining you, I have to go, and you don't deserve to stay back because of my selfishness."

"Selfishness? There is nothing selfish about you, Claire. Come back, dear, and we can enjoy those days. I promise that I will do anything to ensure you felt like nothing happened."

"… Ah, I see. I get the gist of this whole mess now, I guess?" Deci scratched the back of his head. Without his hood, he looked far less intimidating, his pierced bottom lip, pale skin, and grey cat ears tipped with white made him look more like a mischievous sort instead of a cold-blooded killer. In a way, he looked pleasing, his appearanfr a mix of cute and handsome.

With one swift chop, the cat a.s.sa.s.sin hit the back of Oscar's head.

"Deci... You..."

Caught off guard, the blond slumped and fell, his once narrowed green eyes relaxing as the lull of sleep pulled him under.

"Sorry, master. I'll deal with you later." He muttered, his expression that of amus.e.m.e.nt. "Heh, this really is unbecoming of me. Thank me later, you three. We'll meet again."

Before the four could react, Oscar and Deci had disappeared, leaving them in stunned silence. The marks they left in the once-pristine garden was clear even in the dim light, ensuring that they would have to deal with a lot of gossips surrounding the place for several days at the very least.

"Relax, I'll deal with this. Consider us allies, and we can give access to all kinds of conveniences for you." Luna said, knowing what Claire is thinking. "Don't think about this too much. Venny, if you will?"

Venefica winked, jumped down from her spear, and waved the weapon in the air, creating a whirlwind mixed with purplish white petals. As soon as the wind stopped, white light filled the garden, creating small specks of white descending upon the ground like falling snow. Most of the light specks landed behind the protection of the tree bark, where they would remain unseen without a careful eye, before turning into small, beautiful purple flowers smelling of citrus.

"The smell will only be felt when someone comes in, but then it'll disappear behind the protection of the illusion." Venefica explained. "While the illusion lasts, I'll repair the place. You two just rest easy."

Before Claire and Fiora can reply, the two disappeared into swirling flower petals.

--

"You got into such a mess this time, Master." Deci sighed, nimbly jumping on rooftops while carrying Oscar in his arms the way a worker would carry a sack of harvest over the shoulder. "Love, hm? Such an odd concept..."

"Do not take another step."

"And who might you be?" Deci stopped and placed the unconscious form of his partner on the roof, before a.s.suming a fighting stance. His pale green slitted eyes were narrowed in disdain. "As you can see, I'm very busy right now, but if you let us go, I will pretend nothing happened."

Before him, the looming form of what could only be described as an angelic abomination cast a shadow covering everything on that roof. The creature before him was deathly pale, it's skin alabaster white, and possessed a pair of hollow, metallic golden eyes s.h.i.+ning in contrast with its black sclera. The four wings on its back looked like contraptions made of spinning gears, bits of silver, and decorated with glimmering crystals s.h.i.+ning in various colors.

Silence pa.s.sed, the winds whipping the abomination's lavender hair and Deci's gray hair every which way.

"You can curse me, scream at me, or even wound me, but remember..."

The angel disappeared, and reappeared right in front of Deci, catching the cat-eared a.s.sa.s.sin off guard.

"I am doing this for your own good."

An alabaster hand grasped Deci's neck, knocking the wind out from him, before binding him with golden chains glowing in divine light. Together, the two disappeared, leaving Oscar lying unconscious on the roof.

Right as they disappear, a slight whisper can be heard, as if the winds were speaking.

"And you will never convince me that this is not the right decision."