Roaring down at Miyako, the transformation Kaede had undergone did more than alter her shape. She now stood at a greater height than Miyako. Hunched over, the height easily surpassed two meters with no effort. With a head half the size of her own body, Miyako stared up into teeth and flame.
She could only look undaunted. Nothing human remained inside the black and red eyes of the beast. Only through complete confidence could she make the instinct driven monstrosity not attack immediately. Her look made it question if it could win as Miyako looked like she was only on a whim not completely destroying it. Her well-practiced death stare returned. It gave her the look of complete control and superiority, which only she knew not to be true. It had lost any sense of rational thought, forgetting that they had already been fighting.
Another roar coughed up some flames into the air. They didn’t touch Miyako, but she could feel the intense heat from just the proximity. It was worse than the near miss she had. Then the heat was brief enough that she could only feel the power that passed by. It nearly felt like it had dripped hot coals on her face. The stinging in her skin didn’t go away even after it stopped roaring. “I didn’t think your mouth could get more foul.”
Almost in response, as though it understood Miyako, it roared back at her, getting even more in her face. ‘It’s testing me. To see how I react. It wants to see my fear. She really has just become a mindless beast… What sort of power is this and how does this even connect with the rest of her powers?’ She had too many questions. But questions were not for the moment. Their standoff would not last forever.
Someone had to make a move.
Chapter 336 – Back-to-back in the Jaws
Miyako wanted to be the first to act, but she didn’t know what to expect from the transformation. Speed and power were already far more than she even thought was possible. There was no guessing what other secrets might be stored in the new body.
She began to slowly pace around what remained of Kaede. It merely watched her seeing what she would do. Instinct told it that Miyako was still dangerous. It gave it pause in immediately attacking.
Yet that wouldn't last forever. Something that seemed to carry over from Kaede was impatience. A drawn out stare down wouldn't happen. After thirty seconds of Miyako’s pacing and sizing up her challenge, the beast signaled its next charge with a roar that carried over into its attack.
The danger of the situation was something Miyako understood acutely. A near miss was enough to leave her feeling as if a train had hit her. She didn't want a direct hit. It was the main reason she paced around her target. Since she was already in motion, it made it easier for her to dodge quickly to the side. Not that it was completely without risk.
Even using her arms as a shield during the charge, the force still knocked her off her feet and flew backwards into the ruins left over from their earlier fight. Laying prone once more, her body didn’t want to be moving, but she forced it to get going. It was still a struggle. “Damn, I knew it was fast, but still this is stupid…” She clenched her fists keeping them ready as though that was the only thing she needed to fight. “I knew it was coming and I was still too slow.”
The train had already started back up though, as the sounds from it grew louder. Miyako complained and cursed under her breath watching the embodiment of rage storming at her. She jumped out of the way just in time, but noticed that it still would have missed her.
Miyako watched it crash into the ruined wall of the school grounds, a reminder that they had been fighting within the crumbling building. “I was right. It gained all this power and speed, but can’t control it. That may be the only thing working in my favor. Not that I know how much of a favor it actually is to have…”
She began to make her legs move again working towards the beast. It already turned around, recovered from its collision. Already looking pissed off, it was hard to tell if it was any angrier from the failure. ‘I need to keep moving… It’s my only shot…’ Miyako charged forward with a sluggish start that quickly became more natural.
As she came charging in for the creature, it lowered a little rearing up for an attack. She spun around kicking at some of the rubble around her throwing up a screen in front of her. Some of it was smoke and the rest high-speed projectiles.
Small chunks pelted the monster with the flames coating most of its body vaporizing them quickly. The larger pieces were enough to make it howl in annoyance. But it did enough to distract for Miyako to get in close. ‘Just need one good blow…’ She had everything that she needed lined up. The chance wasn't going to get any better than the one she had.
Winding up for the throw, Miyako pushed herself faster than she had ever been before while her muscles yelled at her to stop. The creature was still thrown off by everything. Even its defenses were down. Only the flames were in her way.
Cloth wrapped in her torn shirt, it was all that protected her fists from the intense heat as she came in swinging. Anyone else would have told her that she was an idiot to run in swinging with her fists against something that could fry her up like an egg (well everyone but Seiji, he’s cheering her on), but something like stupid or smart didn’t factor into the problem. She had fists and they still worked, mostly, so she was by hell going to go swinging.
Miyako’s stronger right arm released from its hold as she finished the distance. Hitting square in what was probably the bridge of the nose, there was a loud crack. Flames flashed up around her looking for more to consume, but struggled to get a hold of her flesh.
“Damn, bastard!” she roared in pain feeling the heat, but worse than that. The cracking sound didn’t come from her breaking the skull of the beast. It came from her hand. “Hard headed bastard!” Not that it stopped her from swinging in with her other arm, somehow still working.
Not as loud, but there was another crack. It became clear to anyone what was happening, but that didn’t stop her from continuing. “Just go down!” She kept slamming her fists into the head of the creature with no regard for her hands or limbs. If she had she would have started biting at it, if it helped.
In the entire fight so far, Miyako never had the best shots. Each punch easily surpassed the fight before and each blow that preceded it. It seemed impossible, but her power actually increased despite her injuries that mounted with each throw.
Yet the beast only seemed to be flinching from the attacks. The force of the blows pushed down its head a little, but returned to position quickly. However, as time passed groans came from the creature signaling signs that it might actually be feeling what was happening. Miyako saw it as such a sign to keep delivering the pain. “Feeling that now! I just needed to warm up!”
A loud roar broke through the blows as the monster jumped away in a blur. Miyako was left with no target other than the ground, which came up quickly to her fist. The collision exploded earth and debris in all directions and filled the whole area with smoke.
Rather than wait on the wind to clear things out, the creature roared in the direction of Miyako blowing away all of the smoke. All that remained was a crater so deep that Miyako couldn’t be seen. The beast had to walk up to the edge of the crater that consumed nearly the entire block. Down at the epicenter of the blast stood Miyako glaring up at the thing that had been Kaede. The flames of Kaede still lingered on the edges of Miyako’s fists clinging to the cloth strips.
Giving the creature her full attention, Miyako threw up her fist challenging it for another round. “Afraid now? I told you! This is monster slaying!” She snapped her arms down to her sides, suddenly snuffing out the flames.
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The monster opened its mouth filled with long teeth that were easily as large as her hand. Flames lit up the throat until it coughed up a stream of fire. Slower than the normal attacks from the beast, Miyako jumped into the air with ease to avoid it. Though the next attack was already launched. Hardened arcs of fire that looked more crystalline than fluid flew at her.
“What?!” Miyako could do nothing to dodge them. It wasn't as though she could actually fly like others. She was completely open to the attack. Putting up her arms for protection once more, the first arc missed her, like before its aim was something that left a little something to be desired. However, it was a storm. It didn't try for accuracy when it was covering the entire field. One would hit, it was a certainty.
Which was very true. One hit collided with her forearms. It sliced into her flesh with ease. However, before it could go all the way through, she converted the force into something that she could use to change her direction. Allowing most of the energy from the attack to be deflected away, she pushed off from it. Blood trailed off her arms once more.
She tried to use the attack to throw her in range of the beast for another attack, but it came ready for it. It no longer seemed to be hesitating in fighting her. Whether it feared or not, it knew that it had no other choice but to fight. Such an outlook made it more dangerous than before.
It swiped its claws out at Miyako as she came in reach and far before she could even think of landing any meaningful blow to it. The claws themselves did little to her that the previous attack hadn’t done worse. Rather, it was the force and weight of the arms that she felt. It was that which sent her flying through the air and back into the crater of her own creation.
Crashing in the wall of the crater opposite of the beast, Miyako groaned from the pain. “Damn, still got plenty left in you, huh?” She ripped her limbs free and began to dig the rest out when a fireball greater than herself filled the entire view. “Bastard!”
Her voice disappeared into the noise of the blast left behind by the fireball.
Crumbling debris rained down over the area where Miyako had been. There was nothing but smoke and earth in the whole site.
As the screen started to fade away, a figure appeared through it all. It was Miyako panting heavily from the effort. Surrounding her, a new crater, not nearly as large, appeared. In the last moments, she used the force of her own attack to attempt to cancel out the fireball. It mostly worked. Much of her skin was red and raw from the attack, fortunately it did manage to act well to seal up her wounds.
Frustrated that Miyako still stood, it roared down at her. She smirked back, keeping up her confidence, even if it was unfounded. “Thought you killed me, didn’t ya? Yer gonna have to try harder than that! Yer still half assing it, I see that part of you hasn’t changed!”
It was probably an unwise thing to taunt the creature. Only its lack of understanding of language saved her from an immediate attack. Yet, it still understood the intent delivered at it. It was a declaration, a challenge to do better. Instinct told it that much, she could tell.
Smashing an arm against the earth, the ground started to rumble and complain once more. Strange noise came out from where Miyako stood. She looked down in the direction that it came from. “…the hell is that?” Her instincts told her to dodge, which was still too slow.
A pillar of fire broke through the earth next to her. Accuracy still being something to ask for, it had missed a direct hit against her. But it still consumed her right arm, her still good arm (mostly good at this point). Miyako howled in pain pulling out of the fires, but not before it already claimed what it wanted.
Her arm was gone.
Incinerated in the flames, all that remained was half a stump from the upper arm. She ground her teeth through the pain and slammed her feet into the earth for support. “You think that’ll be enough to stop me!” Without thinking, Miyako jumped forward at the beast.
Ready to receive her for the finishing blow, it prepared the next attack. However, Miyako surprised it by not actually connecting with it. Her aim was below it. Her remaining injured fist rammed into the earth underneath it. The wall of the crater she made exploded around both of them.
Crumbling and throwing debris in all directions, the beast fell off balance into the new crater that Miyako created. She landed on top of it with her eyes lit with fury. “I only need one fist to kill you!” The first blow she made cracked the earth using the body of the monster. The second and third expanded them until she punched it into a new crater. She yelled the entire time, unable to stop with each punch getting stronger than the last.
Something cracked, it was low and dull, but something had broken. This time it wasn’t Miyako (she didn’t really have much left to break in her state). The beast roared in pain, feeling blow after blow now. The flames around it did nothing to save it from the fury of Miyako.
However, it had enough of the pummeling and threw Miyako off its body. Roaring once more, it jumped into the air after Miyako still suspended before the fall. She caught the edge of the body with her hand as it crashed into her. The force of the impact coughed up blood from her, but not before she pushed off and spun around kicking it in the head to shoot it back to the ground.
A massive pillar of smoke kicked up from the crash of Kaede’s monster body. Miyako dropped to the ground on one knee feeling the pain in her body. The last hit was nearly direct, only being in the air softened it a little. It was still not enough to completely shrug it off for Miyako. Blood dripped over the earth as she coughed. “Damn…I can’t feel anything…I don’t know even know if I’m alive or dead anymore…”
Hearing a roar of the monster told Miyako all she needed to know about the condition of it. She pushed off her leg with her left arm. “Not that it matters. My fight isn’t over yet…” It started walking towards the crash site, but that was an unnecessary effort.
Though crashed, it recovered quickly. It came charging out of the smoke with one eye closed. Buried in all of the flames, it was hard to tell the injuries that it sustained, but it actually felt them now. Charging straight for Miyako, there was no chance it was going to miss her this time.
But Miyako didn’t make any signs to dodge the attack. She could see it coming, but did nothing to save herself.
The two smashed into each other with the beast winning the fight with ease. There was no effort or challenge to be had going straight against the raw strength. Miyako didn’t have a chance. But she did it anyway.
She planted her feet into the earth as the force of the beast’s charge drug her through carving out trenches the size of her feet. Blood coughed up again from her mouth as this blow was real. There was no padding or escape. It was a full on collision that Miyako lost. Crimson liquid streamed down her lips and mouth in amounts that questioned how she still stood
Yet she did.
After the initial collision, Miyako somehow managed to recover. Her hand came up and grabbed the beast around the neck. The flames burned into her arm, but she hung on to it despite it. Not being able to feel anything helped her out more than she knew. “You’re not going any further!” Miyako pressed her feet into the earth forcing it into a battle of strength once more. The momentum was against her though. Their battle pushed her far away from the school and through ruined buildings. But even that started to change. The signs of Takako’s destruction started to fade away.
The beast’s forward progress started to slow and not because it had stopped. Miyako had somehow actually managed to push back. Her legs were half buried nearly and the street was completely torn up. But she held in against it. “I’m stopping you right here!” Leaning even more into her position, she began to move her feet rather than holding. It did little to change the course, but it was making slow progress.
It took several blocks, but she had managed to bring the beast to a halt. Their battle of strength renewed now with both struggling. Neither could make the other budge, but the beast roared in anger that it could do nothing anymore.
Miyako tightened her awkward grip around the beast’s neck and threw everything she had into it to push it back. It was slight, but it slid away. It was on the defensive. “I won’t allow you any further! This is a line that you can’t cross!”
Behind Miyako, as she already knew, stood the homes and buildings of people that still survived. If their fighting pushed any further, they would be in danger. All of their effort to reclaim the territory and save the people would have been wasted if she smashed it up from their fighting.
However, it didn't seem to understand that point. It didn't care about those things at all. Only destruction was on its mind and it had to kill Miyako. And anger fueled it more knowing that it was losing suddenly in strength. The beast roared and pushed back against Miyako with everything it had.
She bumped up as it all surged through it. Her feet lost traction and they charged forward with her unable to stop the charge. Around her she saw the signs of the neighborhoods passing her, the signs that he knew too well.
Life.
Miyako screamed through her whole body. Her face narrowed and sharpened to that of a demon nearly as she threw herself into the earth bringing them to a grinding halt. “I said no further! And I meant it!” The beast challenged her still, but she hung in against it refusing to move. Flames on the body jumped out trying to burn her, but she clamped down tighter on her.
She began to push it back out of the neighbor and back into the ruins. It struggled with her unable to do what it wanted.
“I am the wall that protects! I will not break! This is my sole purpose!” She roared again, bringing everything that she had left to bare in her body. Her muscles tightened and expanded as the earth crushed under her feet. “You will not take another life!” Channeling everything through only one hand, she managed the herculean feat of actually starting to lift the beast off its feet. “This is where you fall!”
She pulled the monster completely off its feet and swung the entire being through the air. Miyako slammed it back down into the street. A massive crater grew out of the collision that ate up the whole block, fortunately she had taken them back in far enough to safe limits.
Down at the bottom of the crater with the beast, she unwrapped her arm, but was caught on something. Buried deep in all the flames, she found a hairpin. Miyako forced her arm free, taking the hairpin with her by accident. Partially embedded in her arm, she ripped it free with her teeth and dropped it in her hand. “The girl was wearing that in her hair…”
Then suddenly, the flames went out on the beast causing Miyako to step back not sure what was happening. Another transformation seemed to be happening, but it was reversing the changes. It wasn't long before the girl known as Kaede resurfaced, though unconscious.
Victory finally came to Miyako. She lifted up her arm over head Kaede. “This will put an end to it all…” Miyako quickly threw her fist down, but coughed up another large amount of blood. Her body had finally reached the end. The fight was over and it could no longer agree to keep going. She collapsed on top of Kaede passing out.