074

 

74.  The Fractious Fracture

 

Storm clouds obscured the light of the moon as they swarmed over the arena. Monstrous psynergy generators in the basement of the tournament complex rumbled noisily, producing just enough power to keep the area illuminated.

 

Deep within the complex, one hundred psynergy specialists alternated between shifts as they worked hard to sustain the protective barrier around the fighting arena. They could hear Trunculo's voice, aided by his special ability to project his voice across unfathomable distances, and knew that it was the final match of the quarter-finals. The semi-finals were next, and they would no doubt be the toughest to deal with.

 

The first drops of rain slid off the barrier, but hardly anyone in the crowd noticed. They were all focused on the stage as Vance and Winslow leapt violently at each other. Vance's dark purple aura clashed with Winslow's tawny might, crackling and vibrating as their bodies collided.

 

Vance threw his right fist at Winslow, and the Rooster moved his left toward Vance. Instantaneously, both of the young men snapped their other arms up to block the blows.

 

"I watched your first battle," Winslow said with a smirk. "You didn't have the balls to kill him, did you?"

 

"I don't bully the weak."

 

"It's the way of the world, Vance." Winslow's face twisted into a violent smile. "The weak shall obey the strong!"

 

"Sorry." Vance shoved forward with his hands and pushed Winslow's feet back a bit. "But I really don't feel like discussing philosophy with you right now."

 

Vance abruptly changed positions and swung his right leg up toward Winslow's neck. Winslow retracted his left hand and blocked the foot, then willed one of the sickles out from his jacket and slashed out at his enemy.

 

Vance slipped his leg from Winslow's shoulder and spun away from the attack, evading the first sickle but not the next, which had shot out from Winslow's jacket soon after. He felt the curved blade slice through a chunk of his calf, reminding him of that night in the mine when they'd first met. It seemed like it had all happened eons ago, as if it was some far-off dream when everything was so much simpler and less threatening. Now, Vance needed no one to protect him.

 

The sickles twirled into the air and came back around, aiming for his jugular like mechanized dogs. Vance flipped backwards and coated his body in psynergy.

 

"You've got nowhere to run, Vance!" Winslow screamed. "You're a dead man!"

 

From the stands, Edward watched his son scramble back and forth on the arena floor. Vance attempted unbelievable spins and somersaults just to stay one step ahead of the sickles, and the more Edward watched, the less he felt able to stay quiet.

 

"Vance!" he finally shouted out at the top of his lungs. "This is insane! You need to stop, before you kill yourself!"

 

One of Winslow’s scythes nearly sliced through Vance’s arm as his father’s voice momentarily distracted him. With a frustrated grunt, Vance leapt backwards and glanced up at his father.

 

"Dad, shut up! You’re ruining my concentration," he shouted back. "Don’t worry! Once this is over I’ll come find you, and we’ll figure all this out! Just hang on a little bit longer!"

 

"Vance!" Edward shouted again in desperation. "I’m sorry...I’m sorry about what happened after your mother left us...I couldn’t take it! I know it’s no excuse, but it’s the truth...I just don’t want to lose you too!"

 

"You won’t," Vance said firmly, as he dodged another scythe. "Mom’s the reason I’m here, dad. And I’m not going to give up on her now."

 

Edward’s eyes widened as the meaning of Vance’s words sank in, giving Trunculo just enough time to interject.

 

"It looks like Vance Darcouver’s family has come out to watch him fight! That can be pretty motivating...I wonder how Winslow must be feeling now?!"

 

"What’s that supposed to mean?!" Winslow roared at the announcer. "Even you should know that normal people are watching this live from home!"

 

"O-of course," Trunculo responded, shrinking back from the young man’s raging aura. "And we’re very thankful for all our spectators, no matter where they are..."

 

Frank studied the boy. "Vance seems so grown up and confident, and he clearly knows how to fight. What happened to him?"

 

Dr. Phileas, who had returned to his seat with a basket of jerky, momentarily stopped chewing and commented. "He is indeed a splendid psynergy user, but I still refuse to believe he is your son!"

 

"He's my son," Edward insisted, with a mixture of fear, amazement, and pride. "That’s Vance alright. It’s incredible."

 

Down below, another sickle attack gave Vance a stinging paper-thin wound across his bicep. Winslow's magnetic psynergy flexed and fluxed with impeccable accuracy, and the more Vance focused on dodging, the more he wasted his stamina.

 

"You're going to fall flat on your face before you know it, Vance!" Winslow continued to heckle him from afar. "Just give it up and accept what you are...complete and utter trash!"

 

Vance ignited his aura and blew the sickles away from his body. "I'm sick of your bullshit, Winslow!"

 

"So be it!" Winslow whipped his sickles around and sent each of them careening inwards from opposite sides. "I'll finish you right here!"

 

Vance closed his eyes, then recalled all his psynergy from his defenses and focused it on his two fists. The sickles closed in, and Vance followed them with his mind. Then, he punched outwards. In an instant, his burning fists crushed through Winslow's dense psynergy barriers and shattered the metal blades.

 

Winslow's eyes widened, but he soon regained his composure and redistributed his aura. A few seconds later, the tiny, sparkling pieces of metal clumped together, as if drawn inwards by an invisible magnet. With a frustrated grunt, the Rooster sent a spiked ball of metal shards zooming toward Vance's head.

 

In another act of defiance, Vance pulled his hands back in and released a shockwave of purple psynergy, vaporizing the remains of Winslow's weapons.

 

Winslow stared down the line to the Albavitrean's cold, feral eyes and had no choice but to stagger back. Gritting his teeth in

 

*************

 

frustration, Bruce propelled his battered body toward Zeigfried. The Tiger’s entire body ached, but the pain only made him more determined not to fall.

 

Zeigfried stepped out of the way with ease, and Bruce stumbled past on sore legs.

 

"How sloppy," Zeigfried commented. "Are all the Dark Zodiacs this weak?"

 

His gravelly voice echoed through the deserted, ruined streets of Enmetropolis, reaching the ears of every Knight and Zodiac alike. Standing tall before the exhausted, Zeigfried raised his hands nonchalantly, as if awaiting an answer.

 

Ravi used this opportunity to extend the eight new arms she'd materialized out of her body straight toward the Apostle. With a flick of his wrist, Zeigfried used his left hand to slap each of the arms away like irritating flies.

 

"You, on the other hand," Zeigfried said, "lack conviction."

 

After he regained his balance, Bruce threw out an uppercut, but as soon as he thought his fist was actually going to hit his opponent, Zeigfried was gone. Bruce stared at the empty space in disbelief, and then felt breath on the back of his neck.

 

"I didn't come here to play with you." Zeigfried flicked the back of Bruce's head, throwing the Tiger's body down to the ground with a painful crunch.

 

Ravi could still feel psynergy coursing through her veins as a result of her sudden awakening, but she had doubts about her body's ability to keep up with the new power. As the rain increased and Zeigfried turned his attention to her, doom began to creep into the yoga master's heart.

 

Then, a rumbling sounded in the distance. Ravi and Azuka turned their heads and spotted Zhang Guo's massive turtle, Xuan Wu, lumbering down the highway. Upon its back rode Rose, Kamo, and Zhang Guo.

 

"My," Zeigfried commented. "You're really making my job easier."

 

"Bruce!" Rose instantly spotted her downed lover and leapt down toward him. "Who did this to you?"

 

Zeigfried changed targets and lunged toward Rose, who reverted to her aquatic form and mixed in with the rain at just the last second.

 

"Interesting," Zeigfried said with mild interest. "Another elemental body."

 

He crouched down and began scanning the water on the ground, working furiously to pick out her minute psynergy aura from the mundane water molecules. "Let's see...you should be around here somewhere."

 

Wincing through the pain of his beaten body, Bruce leapt up from the ground and tackled the Apostle. Growling with rage, he pushed his muscles to the limit and tried to force the priest into a choke hold. Meanwhile, Rose shot up four aquatic tentacles from puddles on the highway and wrapped them around the man's limbs.

 

"Hey!" Bruce shouted. "Someone give me a hand down here!"

 

Zhang Guo looked at Bruce and motioned for Kamo to get off.

 

"Uh, okay." Kamo shrugged. "Aren't you coming too?"

 

Zhang Guo shook his head. "The Rabbit has stated we must not fight the Apostles. I have done my part, and it is now time for me to meditate."

 

Seeing that the giant turtle was turning to leave, Kamo quickly slid its neck and spotted his allies. "Ravi, Azuka! What the hell’s going on here?"

 

"It's rather complicated," Ravi replied. "Where's Maximilian?"

 

"I have no clue," Kamo replied anxiously. "I haven't seen him since we split up earlier."

 

"In any case, we need to stop that man."

 

"What?" Kamo shouted. "But he's attacking the Zodiacs, not us!"

 

"For now," Ravi explained quickly. "He means to kill the Seneschal!"

 

Bruce took a swing at Zeigfried, and then let out a moan of despair. Zeigfried's body had become transparent, and the Tiger's thick arms slipped right through him. Gradually, the Apostle's figure became hazy, and steam rose from every inch of his body. Bruce fell to the ground with Rose's tentacles as Zeigfried rose higher, until only his head floated on a cloud of hazy steam. He levitated above them all, staring down like some ghostly apparition.

 

Kamo's jaw dropped. "Did he just vaporize his own body?"

 

"Fire and water are powerless against vapor," Zeigfried boomed. "Now, prepare to face God’s wrath."

 

A misty tendril snaked out from Zeigfried's body and tightened itself around Bruce's neck. The Tiger brought up his arms to try and shake it off, but golden psynergy held it firm.

 

Zeigfried remained focused on the Zodiac, letting his maroon aura rage as he tightened the tendril even further. Without an ounce of wasted movement, Zeigfried deftly cocked his head to the side as a yellow psynergy arrow went flying right past him.

 

"Hey!" Kamo called out. "Who said you could barge in here and beat our enemies for us, pal?"

 

"Silence, Knight!" Zeigfried commanded, shooting another tendril out toward Kamo. The 2nd division captain dodged swiftly, but the steam took quick pursuit.

 

"Bruce!" Rose screamed, trying to use her ability to pry Zeigfried's hand away. "Hold on!"

 

As Bruce gurgled and struggled to breathe, his eyes were only focused on one thing – the shivering body of Azuka, who had yet to move from her spot in the center of the highway.

 

"Azuka!" he grunted. "We could use some help here!"

 

But terror had taken hold of the woman's heart. Since she had been a child, Tao had taught her to fear the Church of Holy Truths and the Apostles that sat at the top. They were more than human, on a completely different level of existence, and she knew she didn’t stand a chance.

 

On top of that, night had also fallen, crippling her powers. From the moment Zeigfried had appeared, she’d been locked tightly in a cage of despair, and the intense guilt and regret that filled her soul only twisted it tighter.

 

Azuka clenched her fists and stepped

 

*************

 

forward. Vance's eyes were calm and composed, while his opponent fumed.

 

"No more games, Winslow. If you have something to settle with me, then let's settle it. Face to face, hand-to-hand...like true warriors."

 

Winslow threw his head back and laughed obnoxiously. "True warriors? Are you kidding me? You, a true warrior? A coward like you, who doesn't even have the guts to kill someone?!"

 

"You're half-right," Vance replied. "I'm not a murderer. But trust me, Winslow, that doesn't make me any less powerful than you."

 

"But that's exactly it!" Winslow called back with glee. "You don't know what true strength is, Vance! You don't even know the first thing about psynergy!"

 

Vance sighed. "The greatest difference between you and I is the way we look at the world."

 

Winslow furrowed his brow, but kept his mouth shut.

 

"When I first met you, we were exactly the same. I admit it. I was an annoying, stuck-up little brat who thought that that no one understood him. I constantly felt sorry for myself, and used pride as a shield. We fought then, and you beat me, fair and square."

 

"So he admits it!" Winslow screeched. "Go on, admit your weakness, Vance! Admit that I'm stronger than you!"

 

"I'm not finished," Vance went on. "The difference between you and me, Winslow, is that I've grown since then. I know I have a lot more growing to do – I'm reckless at times, I get impatient and annoyed, and I still shirk responsibilities. But I've matured. Even if it's just a little, I've matured."

 

Winslow twitched, visibly seething as Vance went on.

 

"I know there are things I can't do myself. Sometimes it's better to listen to other people's advice on things and work with other people in order to get things done. I acknowledged that I was wrong, Winslow, and I took the steps to make myself a better person. I did it, and I wondered if you would too. But you're still just how you've always been: a spoiled, bitter child."

 

"He's grown up," Frank said, as he watched from the stands. "But you know who he reminds me of, Ed?"

 

Vance's father let out a sigh. "Victoria, right?"

 

"No," Frank answered. "He certainly has many qualities that she does, but the slightly awkward, candid way he speaks...that’s all you, Ed."

 

Edward Darcouver turned Frank's words over in his mind. "But I was never that strong."

 

Down below, Winslow was barely able to contain the immense rage that boiled within his body. "How dare you?" he screamed. "How dare you try and patronize me?!"

 

"I'm not!" Vance shouted back. "I'm just saying: I wish you’d stop being such an ass!"

 

"Shut up!" Winslow hollered. His face was beet red and distorted, like an infant having a tantrum of nuclear proportions. "Just shut up! You're wrong! You don't know anything!"

 

Vance heard the sound of bending, twisting metal as the lining around the walls of the arena began to slowly peel off and fly toward Winslow. Within moments, they clumped together into a mass of metallic objects that floated over the young man's head.

 

"You think you understand me?!" Winslow shrieked again, crackling with psynergy as he poured his power into the colossal ball. "You don't know the first thing about me, and you never will!"

 

A smile crept across Averyl's face as he watched the two boys from his waiting room. Winslow's ball cracked and clashed with the psynergy barrier around the arena, piercing it at its highest point as the mass continued to grow larger and more powerful.

 

Averyl couldn't keep himself from shaking with anticipation as he focused in on his nephew. "Now, the final portion of your training begins, Vance. Don't let me down. Give me a glimpse the power that lies dormant inside you...the limitless power of the Nephilim!"


Next: Severance