Chunhua darted out of the way, rolling to the side as Ishtar let out another merry laugh and whipped the person-turned weapon at her. Was it a whip or a staff? It seemed to behave like both at times. One moment she would be twirling it to block blows from Chunhua’s sword and the next she would be lashing out to strike with it at a distance. She slid back a few feet across the ground of the lobby and held her weapon up horizontally, the ribbon of lightning wrapping it around it, flying in the face of all logic and physical sense. She grit her teeth and pulled back, bringing her weapon down in a sharp stroke before dashing forward.
Come on! Wake up!
She sped along the ground, zipping to the left and right and tracing a path of destruction across the tiles behind her as she accelerated. Ishtar twirled in her black suit and let out a laugh as Chunhua swung, a ripple of pink light sweeping across the space in front of her, cutting through everything in its path. The next moment Ishtar was in the air, palm resting on one end of the lightning bolt while the other pressed down into the ground. Chunhua felt the resistance as her blade dug into the weapon before a jolt tried to strike her in the chest. She darted back and swung at the jolt, deflecting it towards the ground.
The exchange took less than a second, She’s so damn agile. Chunhua growled as Ishtar’s hand slipped down around the end of the pole. She grabbed hold as she bent in her handstand, turning it into a descent towards Chunhua as she whipped the bolt forward with a laugh. The hero huffed, stepping to the side with a near saunter, her head tilted left as little sparks sent her hairs on end. She glared down at Ishtar who looked up at her from her descending strike. Chunhua snapped her foot out and kicked her in the side, sending her skipping across the ground and into a wall.
She turned to face the small crater that flickered with the white light of Ishtar’s hard-light barriers. The woman lay in the hole as if it were a throne, her arms up and her head tilted to the right as she stared out at Chunhua. Chunhua stalked forward with her weapon at the ready, “Satisfied yet?” Chunhua demanded.
Rubble tumbled out of the hole as Ishtar got to her feet, still wearing the get up to look like Masque. Chunhua heard her comm buzz and frowned a little, Ignore it. She thought as the woman got to her feet and brushed herself off. She held out her hand and her ‘weapon’ jumped back into it.
“Hardly,” Ishtar said before tilting her head, “That was a good kick though. You aren’t holding back today.”
Chunhua scowled, “More where that came from.”
Ishtar paused and tilted her head, “You figured something out.”
“I figured out that she needs a good punch in the face as much as I do,” Chunhua growled.
Ishtar tilted her head back and looked down at her, “Really now? Well don’t think I’ll let you hurt her easily!” Ishtar snarled and kicked off the ground laughing wildly, the whip of lightning snapping out in an arc around Chunhua. Chunhua pivoted and spun, kicking it up a notch as she swept attacks around her in a spiral pattern.
Cyclone of Rose Blooms! She ground out, each strike crackling against an attempted lash of the electricity that tried to come at her from every angle. She spun, faster, I have to go faster! Faster! She pushed herself, gritting her teeth as the world turned into a blur. Her body moved almost on instinct, practiced motions that would have taken heartbeats happening in a tenth of the time. Her muscles burned as she opened her mouth in a silent scream of defiance. More! I need more strength!
“Does she even need you anymore?” Ishtar asked as she struck from all angles, “After what you did? Do you even deserve it to be her friend let alone anything else? To have her confidence? Are you that arrogant? I promised to protect her! I promised to back her up! I promised to support her! What more does she need?” Ishtar demanded over the howling crackles and clashes between them.
Chunhua clicked her tongue and twisted around, snapping a kick out again and catching Ishtar in the chest as she darted around her again. The Supervillain went flying and landed on the ground, using her lightning bolt to stab into the ground and slow herself. “If you have time to talk, you could be fighting harder.”
Ishtar stood up straight and whipped the false-dark hair back, “Caught me.”
Chunhua stalked forward, “Thank you,” She said.
Ishtar tilted her head, “For what?”
“For watching over her, for supporting her, for putting on this act for her,” She said, “I am arrogant, I am selfish, extremely selfish,” She and got back into a fighting posture, blade raised at the side of her head, “Because I refuse to let her destroy herself in the end.”
Ishtar stood up straighter and looked down at her, “I’m not going anywhere, you know. She has a long road ahead of her before I can finally disappear. I’m looking forward to it, yes, but until that happens,” She tilted her head forward and glared through the holes in the mask, “I will be watching.”
Chunhua pursed her lips together, “I wouldn’t expect any less from you.” She bit out, “Come, Villain.”
“Defend yourself, Hero!” Ishtar howled and threw herself forward, gripping onto her bolt of lightning like a quarterstaff. She brought it up and blocked Chunhua’s first blow. Then the second that came from below. Up, down, down, right, uppercut, swipe upper right to left, throat cut, leg shot, clack! Clack! Clack! Bzzzrraaapp! She kept moving, faster and faster as the scent of petals bloomed around her, as a glow rose off her skin, as light bloomed in her eyes. She bore her teeth as their movements became too fast to see, a ripple of pink petals smashing against purple lightning. Ishtar got a lucky hit in on Chunhua’s wrist and Chunhua’s weapon fell out of her hand. She drove a blow up into Chunhua’s chin and the hero just threw her head back forward with a snarl.
Chunhua hardened her hands with mana, blocking the bolt with her bare skin. She ignored the singe and tingle that went up her arm as she sent elbow shots into Ishtar’s shoulder and arm, she hit again and again, landing pinpoint blows on joints. She noticed Ishtar’s grip slip on the bolt of lightning and the villain threw her hand back, casting the bolt aside that turned back into the gray-haired woman and landed against the wall, dazed. Ishtar behind the masque roared and drew her fist back, bringing it forward to crash against Chunhua’s good shoulder. Chunhua threw her knee up to catch the woman in the chin but she slapped both hands down and pushed into a handspring, tossing herself into the air.
Chunhua wasn’t going to be fooled this time. She snatched her hand up and grabbed Ishtar by the wrist, bringing her back down to the ground with force. Ishtar landed like a cat, legs parted and planting on the ground to absorb the force. She twisted her arm in Chunhua’s grip and grabbed onto her as well, blades of light forming around her free hand. She gestured and sent them hurtling towards Chunhua who frowned and planted her feet before pulling back with all her might, yanking Ishtar into the trajectory of her own attack.
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Ishtar let go and raised one arm to block, a barrier appearing between herself and the barrage of hard-light blades. She corkscrewed in the air before snapping out and wrapping her leg around Chunhua’s neck, laughing and throwing herself backwards as Chunhua reached up to dislodge her. Chunhua felt herself hurtle through the air before she saw the ground coming for her again. The hero frowned and glanced up quickly at the grinning Ishtar before reaching and pushing her thumb into a spot on the villain’s thigh a hand's length from her pelvis.
Ishtar let out a gasp and quickly released her. Chunhua rolled forward and hopped to her feet as Ishtar landed a distance away from her, flexing her leg and rubbing it, “That was naughty,” Ishtar quipped.
“I know all of her weaknesses,” Chunhua bit out, “And I’ll use them if I have to.”
“Pervert,” Ishtar laughed, “I like it! Good!”
The two squared off for their next round as sirens approached. Chunhua glanced to her right, breathing hard, “Surprised it took so long.”
Ishtar flipped her hair back, “They’ve been a little busy, the Darksiders made quite the mess,” She said with a sigh, “Idiots unworthy of the name Villain,” She looked in Chunhua’s direction, “One more round then.”
“That your call to make?” Chunhua asked defiantly.
Ishtar laughed, “I am the queen here.”
Chunhua scowled and set herself into her stance before darting forward, she put everything she had into the next combination. A flush of petal blossoms dancing off her fingertips as she threw herself forward, “ISHTAR!” She bellowed.
“BLACK LOTUS!” Ishtar cried out, her fist pulled back.
They neared one another in an instant and without warning the Masque costume faded away, the white mask bursting into shards and scattering into the air. Ishtar smiled softly, “I guess that’s it for now, do what you need to do, little Hero. I’m counting on you,” She said as her eyes dimmed a little, her fist already moving forward. Chunhua felt her instinctive hesitation kick in as Sonya smiled at her. Resolve came next and she frowned.
“SONYA! YOU BETTER CLENCH THOSE TEETH!” She bellowed as Sonya’s fist dug into her jaw, her own fist colliding with Sonya’s nose. Sonya fully came to, her eyes widening as a fist dug into her face and sent her rocketing back towards the wall of the lobby.
Sonya hit the wall with a crash and slumped down to the ground. Her body twitched for a moment and she tilted her head up, wide eyed as Chunhua landed on her feet, rubbing her jaw with her hand. “You… followed through?” She asked, bewildered.
Chunhua stormed forward and grabbed her by her shirt, “Only ‘cause you deserved it! Idiot!” She snarled and pulled the woman up to look her in the eyes, “I am not going to kill you, never! I wouldn’t have done it before you gave me those memories and I certainly won’t now. I don’t know what kind of idea you have in your head, but I am a Hero! I will do it the right way if I am going to put a stop to Ishtar!” She bellowed and eased her grip a little.
Sonya’s eyes widened as Chunhua continued her tirade, “I’m not that Chunhua! I am me! You are you! Not the Sonya before, you’re a new person and god fucking damn it you’re allowed to live!” She swore, shaking Sonya softly, “Damn it, you stupid, stupid, fucking stupid, god damn it,” She rambled and glared at Sonya, “How dare you expect that of me? How dare you put me in that position? What if I found out later? What if you left me behind to live with that?” She shouted. “How could you do that to me and everyone else you’ve helped and saved? Of all the things you’ve done. That has to be the most cruel, Sonya Chernovna.”
Sonya trembled, she tried to look away but she couldn’t tear her eyes off of Chunhua’s face. A red streak ran down her cheek as a little went down from her nose from the punch, “It’s not fair, why are you both so mean?” She croaked.
Chunhua frowned, Ishtar said the same thing, didn’t she? That’s what she meant by she was counting on me. Chunhua released her grip on the woman, “Yeah, you belong here. So quit fucking around and save the world already, you dumbass.”
The sirens were getting louder now, Chunhua glanced towards the doors, fortunately the crowd that had gathered was so far out that they couldn’t see anything from this angle. She looked down at Sonya and felt a hand rest against her chest. Sonya looked up at her with a smile, “Chunhua,” She whispered, “I won’t let you or this world down, I promise.”
Chunhua opened her mouth but Sonya was already acting. She glanced at the one called Kerauna, “Kera dear, cause a bit more trouble then flee, claim that you were working for the darksiders and that you got bored of them. You are escaping Black Lotus, understood?”
Kera nodded, “Yes ma’am,” She said quickly.
Sonya looked up at Chunhua, “I need a few more bruises, then knock me out,” Chunhua recoiled a little but Sonya gave her a firm look, “Do it. Hero. You have a role to play now.”
Chunhua sighed and raised her fist, shaking her head, “You asked for it.”
–
A bolt of lightning ripped out of the building before landing amidst the crowd outside of the hotel, the civilians scattered as the gray haired wild woman slid across the ground with a sneer on her face. She stood up with a mad slouch to her shoulders, canting her head crazily to the right, “Fuckin’ Darksiders, bunch of limp-dicks and chauvies,” She spat on the ground and wiped her lip, “Then you fuckin’ show up and ruin more of my fun. Sword bitch,” She growled and raised the finger to Black Lotus as she strode out, a white garbed woman in her arms.
“Kerauna, if you keep fighting here you could trigger a dungeon break,” Black Lotus shouted with that dignified voice of hers, “Isn’t killing Masque enough for you?”
Kera threw her head back with a laugh, “Not nearly enough! I’ll carbonize all those bitches in the darksiders for crossing me. Just you wait,” She said with a few steps back. The security team that had arrived on the scene watched gobsmacked as Black Lotus strode forward with the CEO of ASTA cradled in her arms and a glare in her eyes. Meanwhile, the number four most wanted Villain, now finally identified as Kerauna, retreated slowly, glancing at the security teams and the approaching heroes.
She clicked her tongue, “Tch, whatever, this was getting boring anyway,” She spat and with a laugh turned into a bolt of lightning and launched into the sky, joining the clouds with a clap of thunder before racing away faster than the eye could follow.
Black Lotus stumbled as the security team raced over to her, “Ma’am are you alright? Why are you-”
“I’ll take responsibility,” She said, gently lowering the unconscious Sonya Chernovna to the ground, “She needs medical attention. The building is the base of the Darksiders. Kerauna already killed all of them including their leader, I was too late to stop her. They may have left something behind, though,” She said hurriedly, “Move! Before any further evidence is lost!”
They quickly snapped a salute and raced inside as a healer hero raced up to assist Black Lotus and the woman on the ground. Shortly afterwards, Handmaiden arrived on the scene. She and Black Lotus exchanged brief looks before the brown-haired maid bowed to the martial artist, “Thank you,” She said.
“Just playing my role,” Black Lotus said with a smile and pat Sonya on the shoulder as the chaos of emergency, pandora committee, and law enforcement personnel swarmed around them in a cacophony of noise.
Inside the building, the security team found every single camera burned out and shattered by intense surges of electricity, the horrifying sight of the well over a hundred darksider thugs left crisp on the ground, the nearly vaporized corpse of Masque, and a single cell phone that still functioned enough to get access to the forums that the Darksiders used to communicate.
By the end of the day, the sudden extermination of the Darksiders, Black Lotus’ daring rescue of the ASTA CEO, and Kerauna’s flight from Black Lotus’ glare was all that was on the news, Liberty’s tantrum slowly being overshadowed
–
He stomped through the bushes, checking his compass again. It had to be around here somewhere. There weren’t many opportunities like this. The troublesome instructors were gone, including that Black Lotus thing that kept her eyes on him all the time she was around. Which was annoyingly a lot. He frowned to himself as he listened to the radio. Liberty, that idiot, my guide said she was supposed to be a good ally. Why is everything going wrong? He clicked his tongue. It’s that Ishtar’s fault somehow, I know it. He shifted his jaw left and right, Hm… maybe I can use this. What if I kill the Liberty bitch myself? He thought as he stumbled into the clearing he was looking for.
“Aha,” He laughed, “Found it.”
Ahead of him, two totem-like pylons rose into the air, a portal rippling between them. His smile turned cold, his eyes glowed, and he rubbed his hands together.
“Now, let's see what adjustments I can make,” He hissed and stalked over.