The place they entered seemed too unreal, appearing to be the inside of a tower. It seemed as if someone cut out squares from the floor, each with a side of ten metres. Perfect squares removed evenly from the floor, a five metre wide path between each adjacent square. The interconnected pathways stretched through the entire floor, every level itself being a perfect square of hundred metre long sides. On staring down one of the square hole both of them could see the tower going infinitely down as far as the eye could see, the same being the case for above, a vertically infinite but horizontally finite space.
In the center of the floor, suspended in the air directly above the center of a square hole stood The Creator. His attention seemed to be on another matter, having paid no mind to the two that just entered his domain without notice. Just as Kurai stepped forward to speak The Creator turned around, his blank veil of a face staring at the two, his black clothes fluttering in the unnaturally strong breeze that existed in the tower despite it being a closed space.
"Wait, I have other matters to attend to right now, I will return shortly for whatever business you may have with me, just wait for two minutes." The Creator informed as he opened a portal beside himself, walking through it and closing it behind him.
Kurai and Kesshō glanced at each other in confusion and disbelief as The Creator left, both too shocked to have responded in any manner to the dark shadow of a man. They chose to wait for him to return, not having any other option anyways. Kesshō stretched her body, warming her blood slightly, knowing holding back too much in this fight could be a grave mistake. Both of them looked back towards the center as they sensed a distortion, the easily recognisable black figure standing on the path not very far from them, the portal he emerged from just closing.
The Creator patted his clothes, seemingly removing the white dust that appeared to be on them, snow dust. After being done he turned to the two, seemingly assessing them for a short while. "What happened?" He inquired.
"You are not my friend to be talking this casually!" Kurai exclaimed, put off by The Creator's his demeanor.
"Correct, I am not your friend, I am the one who taught you how to fight, I am the one who made you strong, made you what you are now. Those knights made you weak, worthless, I made you strong, strong enough to be able to protect something important, strong enough to never lose that something. And what did you do with that strength? Take that very thing, the one thing you wished to protect, into every danger you could find," The Creator spat. "I have nothing rude to say to you, you have barely done anything wrong. Being an adorable weapon of mass destruction is not your fault, I made you that way afterall." The Creator shrugged as he turned to Kesshō.
"This is not how I expected this to go," Kurai mumbled.
"Yes, you came here expecting to kill a god, and I am truly disappointed you held such a belief," The Creator scoffed. "The god has died a long time ago, and I am no god, never was and never will be. Gods are beings to be worshipped, beings who protect. I have no great desires of the sort, I simply seek to destroy, which is why I made her."
"Right, you are not worthy to be a god" Kurai grunted as he unsheathed his katana. Kesshō also raised her fists, flames igniting on the corners of her lips as she prepared to fight.
"Alas, you are also just a human, and humans hold a greatly twisted image for a god. A kind being who holds those lower than them dear? The real world is not so kind. The strong do not care for the weak, unless they have something to gain from doing so," The Creator sighed.
"There is a lot to gain by being kind, a lot which you wouldn't understand," Kurai replied.
"You have not lived long enough to know, and she is not old enough to understand existence." The Creator sighed as he turned to Kesshō. "Prove to me that you are unlike the others, prove that you are not one easily blinded by power, little girl, prove this, and you will be capable of seizing authority from these so-called 'gods'."
Kesshō dashed forward, leaving a trail of flames behind as they engulfed her body. The Creator held out his his hand, blocking the punch that emerged from the flames, the fire parting and showering on the ground behind him, dispersed from Kesshō's body as it suddenly stopped. He pushed Kesshō backwards, causing her to stagger a couple steps before regaining balance.
She dashed towards him again, jumping up and kicking at his head. The Creator grabbed her leg with ease, locking her in place. Twisting her body to the side Kesshō punched The Creator in the head with a charged attack, a snap of bones echoing through the area, though not from The Creator's head. Twisting her body to the opposite direction Kesshō kicked his head with a charged attack covered in flames, causing him to release her leg and stumble a step backwards as the flames from the impact showered in the surroundings.
Kesshō landed back on the ground, her ankle broken, being able to stand thanks to her tails. Taking a deep breath Kesshō healed her leg in an instant, dashing back in for another attack. She again jumped and kicked towards him, leading to the same result as he snatched her leg. As Kesshō twisted her body to punch him, The Creator flicked her leg towards the ground with great force, causing her to stand upright on the path, the ground and her bones cracking from the impact.
Before Kesshō could react The Creator stepped forward to her side, grabbing the hood of her coat and flinging her away towards the wall. He stepped backwards as a katana stabbed for his head, dodging it before headbutting the blunt side of the blade, almost knocking it out of Kurai's hand. Kurai arced it to slash The Creator, just as The Creator turned, winding his arm back to land a punch with all his strength, one which Kurai could not dodge even if he tried, being far too close and already having overcommitted to an attack.
Just before reaching Kurai's face The Creator's fist moved to the side as he got knocked far away, Kesshō landing on the ground beside Kurai with a smirk, having just drop-kicked her opponent at the speed of sound. The Creator shook his head as he got back to his feet, looking towards Kesshō, nodding in amusement.
Kesshō spread all four of her wings, launching herself off the ground and into the air. Reaching the floor above she placed her feet under the path, fifteen meters higher than the floor the other two stood on, pushing off it back towards the ground as flames engulfed her body. As Kesshō descended The Creator leapt backwards, dodging the attack as Kesshō burst through the ground, harming nothing other than the path and leaving a fairly small hole in it.
The Creator swung his arm to the side, dispersing a black whirlwind with red particles that headed for him. He shook his hand after dispersing it, his wrist gone entirely. The Creator turned towards Kurai, his katana pointed at the black figure. The Creator beckoned him forwards as he took a fighting stance, both of them standing on opposite sides of a square hole.
The orb of flames that surrounded Kesshō turned back upwards from below while Kurai distracted The Creator, bursting through the ground right below him. The flames dispersed as Kesshō stopped abruptly in the air right beside The Creator, the hood of her coat having been grabbed by him. Stepping forwards onto a chunk of the path he flung her towards Kurai with all his strength. Sheathing his katana Kurai caught Kesshō with both his hands, being pushed nearly off the path, stopping right at the edge and falling to his knees, her elbow having dug into his stomach.
Kesshō tilted her head at Kurai as he breathed heavily, the flames at her mouth having been extinguished as her eyes inspected him. He smiled at her reassuringly before standing back up, both of them walking towards the edge as they faced The Creator.
"Stop holding back," The Creator advised. "I am an opponent you won't be able defeat while holding back to this extent. I am your first opponent against whom you can go all out without worrying about limits. Show me what you are capable of, show me why you have been given the title of Empress. Dance to your heart's desire, and give me a performance worth dying for."
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Kesshō reignited the flames at her lips, the two wisps burning white for a moment before returning to their normal pink and blue color. She placed one of her legs ahead, hanging over the edge, prepared to drop down. The Creator stepped ahead, falling down without any worries, both his arms crossed.
The sclera of Kesshō's left eye turned black as she stepped ahead, kicking off the edge as flames covered her body, taking the shape of a bird as she descended towards The Creator. Turning his body The Creator moved to the side as Kesshō passed him, barely dodging the hit. Turning around abruptly and near instantly Kesshō came up right beside him, kicking him to the side into a path, destroying the path completely.
The Creator fell further down, landing on a path of the floor below, just a short distance from the wall. He flattened his body with the ground as Kesshō charged towards him, passing harmlessly over his head and crashing into the wall. Kesshō kicked off the wall, jumping onto the path, unleashing a wave of flames towards The Creator.
Five spears pierced through the wave, aimed towards The Creator. Sidestepping two of them he grabbed the other three, finding them to be Kesshō's tails and not spears. Pulling them with all his strength as the wave of flames washed over him, he spun around, attempting to smash her into the walls, though her tails shortened just before he released them, allowing Kesshō to be flung towards the side, far enough to not be slammed into the wall. Kick off the wall she safely landed on a path, her left eye having returned to normal.
The Creator stepped to the side as a large part of the path above fell down, smashing right beside him and destroying the path he stood on as well. A fist punched through the debris, knocking into The Creator's chest as he fell further below, pushing him slightly away. The Creator grabbed the arm before it retreated away through the debris, pulling Kurai along with the chunk of debris. The Creator smashed his other arm through the debris, knocking Kurai into the wall, indenting it and leaving him there as he hit the ground below, quickly jumping to a cross-section as that part of the path fell further below.
The Creator stepped to the side as Kesshō smashed into the ground beside him, dispersing flames that clawed at his clothes but failed to catch on. He stepped back as Kesshō jumped up and kicked for him, her claws springing up from the back of her palms as she slashed towards him. Batting her arm away he drove his palm into her chest, sending her tumbling a few steps back, though she managed to roll back to her feet, staggering a few steps back to kill her momentum.
The Creator swung his fist to the side, knocking into the the blunt side of a katana, causing the katana to spin in the air right where he hit it. A pair of hands grabbed the handle, pushing it towards The Creator. The Creator slammed the same hand into the katana's handle, knocking it out of Kurai's arm and shoulder barging him right after. The Creator stepped to the side, allowing Kesshō to harmlessly pass by his head and be caught by Kurai, causing him to stumble backwards.
"I wonder what sort of horrid life choices brought you here," The Creator mocked.
Kurai tossed Kesshō into the air as he dashed ahead, punching towards The Creator's head, his fist being grabbed in The Creator's hand. Pulling Kurai closer The Creator raised his hand above himself, using Kurai's hand to block Kesshō's axe kick. Thanks to her quick reflexes Kesshō managed to use her wings to direct her body further to the side, landing on the ground instead, making close to no sound.
Turning to the side Kesshō attempted to knock The Creator's legs from under him, kicking the back of his knee with a charged attack just as The Creator released Kurai's hand. Raising his leg slightly above The Creator blocked the kick with the bottom of his boot, knocking a punch from Kurai to the side with ease as well. Kurai slammed his body into The Creator's, attempting to push him back, but The Creator turned his body to the side, allowing Kurai to stagger a few steps away as he missed.
Kurai turned around in an instant, The Creator tilting his head to the side just as a dagger passed by his face. Lowering his head The Creator stepped forward as Kesshō grabbed the dagger from behind and slashed for his head, her attack missing as The Creator turned to the side, both Kurai and Kesshō at either side of him.
The two of them exchanged glances and nods before dashing towards The Creator at the same time. Jumping up Kesshō kicked for his head as Kurai punched for his chest with his right hand. The Creator blocked Kesshō's kick with his hand, not making the mistake of grabbing her leg this time. Using his other hand to knife-hand strike Kurai's wrist, breaking the bone and knocking his hand to the side, the dagger clenched in his fist dropping to the ground.
Kurai slammed his other hand into The Creator's head as Kesshō landed on the ground, slashing his stomach with the dagger, causing him to stumble backwards. Kesshō stepped forwards, using the claws of her left hand to slash towards The Creator as Kurai also stepped forward. The Creator slammed his leg into Kesshō's chest as he performed a roundhouse kick, sending her flying away. Kurai grabbed The Creator's left hand and pulled him in, slamming his right arm into The Creator's head, knocking him to the floor.
Kurai stomped for his head, but The Creator grabbed the bottom of his foot and pushed it to the side, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall to the side. The Creator jumped back to his feet, being hit in the stomach by a dropkick from Kesshō at lightning speed, flames dispersing as The Creator smashed through two paths before falling to the floor below. Each floor looked the same as the first, but got more and more destroyed from the battle as they went down.
Kurai got back to his feet, allowing Kesshō to grab his arm. She breath a small plume of flames onto his arm, the flames lingering for a few moments before dying out, his arm having been healed and once again functioning. The two of them walked to the edge as they prepared to go down, jumping to the side as a giant boulder went straight for their heads, going past them and smashing into a path of the floor above.
Before they could move again the path they stood on burst open from below as another boulder smashed through it, causing both of them to take their own approach. Kurai fell down along with the debris, looking around but failing to spot The Creator. Kesshō on the other hand, used her wings to launch herself into the air, flames engulfing her body and taking the form of a bird as she circled above, looking for her target.
Kesshō landed on the wall, embedding three of her tails in it to keep hanging. She looked around below and above, failing to see any sign of The Creator. Kurai jumped off the falling path just in time, landing some distance away as it fell and glancing around, also failing to find their target. On turning towards Kesshō, Kurai noticed a hole in the wall out of the corner of his eye.
Just as Kurai tried to warn Kesshō, a hand burst out from the wall where she stood, grabbing the collar of her coat and pulling her through the wall, destroying a large section of it as her tails attempted to keep her in place but failed. The Creator flung Kesshō away, sending her flying to slam into a wall a hundred metres away. The impact indented the wall, though it didn't do much to Kesshō as she jumped right off the wall, spreading her wings as flames engulfed her body, again taking the shape of a bird.
The Creator removed his hand from the wall, falling down and dodging a punch directed at his head. He grabbed Kurai's hand as he fell, using him to support his own body, placing his feet on the wall before pulling and flinging him straight down, slamming him in the path below and destroying it. The Creator looked up and launched himself off the wall, straight towards Kesshō.
He tilted his body just as Kesshō came close, dodging the strike and trying to kick her. Kesshō abruptly changed directions, dispersing the flames and dodging the kick, going right above The Creator's attack and landing an axe kick on his back, slamming him in the ground below. Flames again engulfed her body in the same way as she dived down after him.
The Creator landed on his feet, raising his hand above himself, a golden barrier forming above him. Kesshō slammed her leg into the barrier, not even managing to crack it, the flames being dispersed right as she struck. Kesshō kicked off the barrier, landing on the ground not far. Before Kesshō could react The Creator appeared behind her, grabbing the hood of her coat and flinging her into the wall far away, at the same spot where he flung her last time, breaking the already damaged section of the wall and sending her flying past.
Kesshō fell onto the path beyond, rolling back to her feet and realising that her surroundings changed as she looked around. It still seemed to be a tower, the other two having been very similar. While she did not see the previous one very well, she realised the sides of this tower were five hundred metres long, the rest of it being very similar. The greyish-white stone of the paths and walls also seemed to have been replaced by a reddish-black variant, their properties being mostly similar still.
Kesshō looked up as she heard a sound, seeing the dark figure descending towards her. Opening her jaws Kesshō unleashed a fire breath, engulfing The Creator's body in flames and blasting him some distance back. He landed on the path, standing straight and still seemingly unharmed.
"You have not used your katana yet," The Creator observed. "You are not very good with hand to hand combat, you fade in comparison to your sisters in terms of strength, and technique isn't enough against someone such as myself. Your sword skills however, are something you excel in, incomparable to any other that ever existed."
"You are unarmed," Kesshō mumbled.
"Your morals hold you down, little girl, the real world is not as kind as you. Ruthlessness is rewarded, while kindness is punished. In the real world, morals are but a shackle, ones everyone must learn to relinquish eventually," The Creator sighed.