Yori struggled even to push up off the ground. His body was so empty and trashed that he felt like he wasn’t even in it anymore. Worse still was that he felt that she might have been right. ‘Nothing’s working! I can’t even get my arms to move for me.’ Panic ran through his eyes. It was the realization of the truth.
The woman walked down into the crater towards Yori. “So you understand now. This is the end of your struggling.”
‘She’s right… dammit!’ His body heaved nearly exploding his ribs with their force from his body’s exhaustion. None of it could be felt, but he knew that once the feeling returned he would be suffering. All he could do was roll over on his back. “…now…you’re…going to…kill me…”
She looked down at him with a slightly distant and penetrating gaze in her eyes. “I’m less inclined to do so.”
“Isn’t…Takako…”
“Yes, she wants you all dead. Though she’s more interested currently in Yuki Hayashi than any of you. He’s the primary objective.”
Something close to that of a sign escaped his lips. He couldn’t really do it well over the pounding of his own heart. “…again…”
“From a tactical point of view, he is the most dangerous element facing her. But she won’t get very far since she has no ambitions.”
“…you’re not…”
“Under her mind control? No, I am just like everyone else. She had a harder time with this body due to the way it was remade, but it is no less different than everyone else. I just haven’t succumbed to the mental corruption like the others have.”
Fighting with his body, he managed to get an arm moving. Something motivated him again. The same thing that kept him fighting before. It gave him the energy to move, as bare as it was. Yori hung at the edge of the jacket of the uniform like it was keeping him upright. “…sister…Yumi…is she…”
“Still single-mindedly focused on Yumi. She’s asleep within where it is safe.”
“Give her…back!”
“Seeing you, I’ve determined it to be ill-advised.”
“You’ve determined… You! Determined?!” Suddenly, Yori had the strength to stand on his own again. He lacked any of his powers, but he still had his physical strength to use. Yori threw out his hands grabbing for the woman as though he might be able to rip her out of Yumi’s body. “Give her to me!”
Chapter 341 – Sun and Moon
His hands hit a barrier rather than what he aimed for. What strength he had fought against her to shatter the wall before him. For being exhausted beyond all reason, he held up his fight. “Give!”
She looked a little disappointed watching him struggle. “Your obsession will be the death of you one day.” Pushing back to get him off her, she found that his strength somehow managed to exceed her power.
Cracks began to appear along the barrier where his fingers pressed in. His strength actually looked to be increasing. “You won’t stop me!”
For the first time, surprise crawled up her face watching Yori overpowering her through sheer strength and obsession. The power behind him made her feet slide a little as she struggled to keep her position. “To think that you’d be able to summon up this much purely on self-delusions.”
“The only thing that’s a delusion here is you!”
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“You’re so blind.”
“Just go away!” The barrier completely shattered with the last push that Yori made. He grappled with her for a brief period before she knocked him away. It wasn’t enough to make him stay down, only sliding away with his feet still planted in the ground.
He charged in after her taking swings at her with unexpected agility and control. A focused look that hadn’t been present before seemed to be driving him forward. The fuel it gave him allowed him to keep coming after her. “Such tenacity shouldn’t be possible.”
“I told you already! I’m not stopping until I get my sister back!”
Blocking with her barriers, which shattered quickly from the impacts, she kept him from getting too close. But he jumped around the ground laying down kicks and punches that shook her defense. Though he hadn’t managed to use his powers to break her barriers, his strength continued to do things he had been unable to achieve otherwise. It actually became a struggle for her to keep her usual passive stance. “I didn’t think you’d actually force my hand.”
She lifted up her hand as Yori approached again and the space around him distorted. His body immediately bowed. A crushing weight slammed into his back and shoulders. It hit from the top forcing him down.
Yori pressed his hand to the earth trying to keep himself from collapsing under the weight. As he struggled the pressure increased. It crushed his body into the earth beginning to give under him. “You…won’t…stop…me…”
“However much strength you seem to have, it'll all be crushed. You must be stopped here.”
Increasing in weight, Yori felt his back being pushed further to the earth. All the ground around him cratered around him. Soon even the earth couldn’t hold it together and broke away from the part not being crushed. “I…won’t…” He started to force himself back up against the crushing pressure. His back couldn’t straighten out, but he staggered forward. One foot dragged forward with it smashing through the earth when he dropped it down.
“Unbelievable…”
“…I…will…” Yori made another step forward. Another followed and another after. He slowly started to stretch out his hand fighting against the weight that forced it down. The edge of the pressure was in reach.
“It’s truly irrational the strength gained through such deception.” She then took a step forward, suddenly building up power in her free hand. Waves of energy pulsed from the purple orb that gathered up. It quickly drew in power until arcs began to orbit around it.
Directing the energy in waves, she sent it at Yori, unable to do any sort of evasion. He lacked his power to defend or deflect it coming at him. Yori could only brace for the arcs. They sharpened up into blades that sliced through his out-stretched arm.
Quickly diced up by the attack, his left hand fell to the crushing weight with his fingers and forearm shattered around. Blood poured out of his wound as he collapsed to one knee. “…damn…”
She increased the pressure forcing him down into the dirt. “This is where your journey ends. You’re unable to see past your own hand. Such selfishness is only corrupting.”
“I…don’t want…to hear…that coming…from you.”
“You don’t want to hear it at all. You’ve convinced yourself of your justifications.”
“You…know…nothing…”
“Self-deception is the worst poison of all. It’s rare to find an antidote in time before it consumes your life.”
The weight on him suddenly disappeared. Despite his arm, he didn’t feel any of the pain. If he hadn’t seen it happen, he wouldn’t have even known about it. He attempted to get back to his feet to return to the fight, but purple energy surrounded him.
Wrapped around his wrist and ankles, it floated him into the air. Several more bindings latched to his waist and legs keeping his movement completely locked down. He attempted to struggle against the bonds, but there was no movement. Even the strength he had found seemed to have left him.
Nothing was left.
“I gave you plenty of chances to figure it out on your own. But it seems the poison had run its course already. There doesn’t seem to be anything else that can be done.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“For a dead man you still have a lot of confidence.”
“You haven’t killed me yet.”
“No, but I gave you your last chance. Takako has become very insistent on seeing you die and I’m inclined to grant her that wish.”
Yori lost any of his uncertainty through the fight. And the numbness in his body left him with little fear. He only saw his goal. “Kill me if you can. You’ve talked about doing so since the beginning, but still have yet to actually go through with it.”
“True. I only spoke in threats until now. I merely wished to test you and you’ve failed. You’ve been given more than enough chances. So now I’ll make good on my promise for you.”
“I’m tired of listening to you anyway.”
“Such a disappointment.” The purple orb in her hands began to glow brighter dragging Yori towards the woman. She stared into his eyes one last time. It was her last attempt to find what she sought. Yet it was missing, just like before. There was no finding it.
A sigh escaped her lips. She closed her hand stopping Yori just inside of arms reach. Her right hand flattened out, coming to a point as she lifted it back. “Any last words?”
“Go to hell.”
“You’ll be going first.”
“At least I won’t have to see you corrupting my sister anymore.”
She threw out of her hand piercing his chest in a swift blow shooting out blood through his back as her bloodied hand exited. His blood poured out around her arm streaming down dripping to the earth.
Pulling her hand free she threw out Yori’s body to the ground. The hole left in his chest pulsed blood. Yori coughed and choked on the blood that poured up his throat. He continued to fix his eyes upon what should have been his sister. “…damn…you…”
“A miserable soul…”