For a moment, silence gripped the field like a blade drawn to the throat. Yukiko and Ema's piercing stares said more than words ever could. Vincy's flames surged brighter and hotter than ever. Malice stood frozen, her confident mask cracking, sweat dripping down her temple as reality began to close in.
Then, Malice tried to convince them, smiling innocently:
"W-What are you talking about, Vincy? That's me, Ta–"
"I'll give you a chance then. What's my real name?" He asked, interrupting her.
"That's simple, VincenzoGiannsoni!"
The moment she spelled his name, a fireball scorched the right side of her face. She stood silently, covering with her hands.
"Sorry, your answer is correct, which makes it wrong!" Vincy shouted, grinning.
"Why... did you blast me...?" She asked, growling.
"All my friends know I hate that name," Vincy responded. "And Taro? He'd never fall for that one. He's not just my friend, he was the first... and the best!"
He pointed at her, adding:
"I knew you were a faker the moment you knocked on the door."
"How? Because of the voice?" She asked, clearly irritated.
"No, silly! Taro wouldn't return until he found a solution for his voice anyway," he answered.
Instantly, he continued, counting on his fingers:
"First, the knocking. Taro knocks three times, then opens the door. Second, his name. I always call him by his first name. If I used his surname, he'd be confused."
Then, he added:
"Third, our greeting gestures. We never shook hands, but it was always a fist bump. Fourth, his habit. He refuses fast food and always cooks for us. That pizza party? Just a test... to see if you'd refuse it or not!"
Then, his expression turned serious as he looked at Yukiko:
"There are more reasons... but the most important one... Taro would NEVER disrespect others, especially not any parents... like his own mother."
"And why are these two here?" Malice asked suddenly.
"Heh, that's simple!" Vincy said, smirking.
February 6, 2009 – Friday. (Flashback)
Right before Ema left the kitchen, Vincy grabbed her arm silently and handed her a small paper. He had written it the moment Yukiko slapped Malice. The note said:
"That's not Taro. Come tomorrow with Yukiko when I leave with the faker."
Vincy suspected Malice would be listening, so he wrote instead of speaking.
Later, when he went upstairs, he knocked quietly on Yukiko's door. She opened, visibly upset.
"Sheesh, you took that personally," Vincy whispered.
"What do you want?" She asked coldly.
"Yukiko, listen," he whispered. "That's not Taro, he is an imposter!"
"Nani? Then why didn't you expose him?" Yukiko asked, shocked.
"I can't now. But tomorrow, come prepared with Ema."
"Going where?" Yukiko asked.
"Remember the first time you fought Taro? Go to the same place," he replied. "I'm counting on you two. That imposter has to pay!"
Back to the present, Vincy pointed again at Malice and said:
"You thought you could fool us, but you're the foolish one! Not only you failed to copy Taro, but you also failed to break our friendship with him."
Malice remained silent, then laughed maniacally, revealing her voice.
"I admit it. I underestimated you," she said. "You're smarter than you look."
"Tch tch, that girl over there tricked us the same way before," Vincy said, wagging his finger toward Ema. "I'm not smart... but I know my friends better than anyone!"
"Oh please, I'm about to throw up," Malice sneered.
Then, her form shifted back to her original appearance. Behind her, large numbers of crows began forming. They were her dark energy, shaped just like crows.
"You finally showed your true self," Ema said confidently.
"A female creature, huh? Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!" Vincy added, clenching his fists.
"I'm Malice, one of the three Dark Lords," she said. "Now, none of you shall leave alive!"
Suddenly, the crows began transforming into exact copies of her, surrounding them in a circle.
"What?! She duplicated herself!" Vincy shouted.
"No. They're dark clones. Defenseless, but still dangerous!" Ema said.
"Yeah, but which one's the real one?!" Vincy asked.
A sharp yellow iris appeared within Ema's eye, a sign she had activated her ability: {Falcon Eyes}. Suddenly, she looked upward.
"Watch out! She's overhead!" Ema shouted.
Malice launched a dark blast downward. However, the three managed to dodge it in time.
"That was close! How did she fly up there?" Vincy asked.
"She must've shifted into one of the crows," Ema answered.
Soon, the clones began casting dark spells toward the trio.
"Abunai! The clones!" Yukiko shouted.
"Quick, aim while dodging!" Ema ordered.
Vincy countered with fire blasts, Ema with light arrows, and Yukiko with her ropes and dual katanas. After several minutes, the clones were cleared.
Malice, however, kept firing from different directions.
"This is getting annoying," Vincy said. "I need to use my {Berserk Mode}!"
"Not yet, Vincy," Ema replied. "It doesn't last long, save it for necessity."
"And it's hard to reach her anyway," she added. "We need a better plan."
"Do you have anything left you haven't used?" Vincy asked.
A couple of seconds later, Ema remembered her special attack.
"Right! I can use my {Light Beam}!" She said.
"Then do it! What are you waiting for?" Vincy shouted.
"There's a risk... I won't be able to stand on my own for minutes," she responded.
"Aw! Then we need the perfect moment!" Vincy added.
Malice summoned more clones. They all fired more dark blasts. Yukiko, this time, blocked with her blades. The others, meanwhile, dodged and counterattacked.
After a few minutes, Ema got an idea. She soon gathered them and shared a plan.
"This might work. Leave it to me!" Vincy shouted.
"What about you, Ema-chan?" Yukiko asked, worried.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Ema responded, smiling.
The trio spread out. Vincy charged toward Malice with flame blasts. She dodged all his flames, until he stopped mid-attack and stood still,
panting and open. Malice grinned and aimed a heavy blast, seizing the opportunity... or was it?
From behind, Yukiko's {Sakura Rope} wrapped around her, binding her just in time. Ema raised both arms, gathering light energy from her necklace for a massive beam.
Malice broke free and survived, yet one of her wings was torn, being unable to fly anymore. Ema collapsed, and the others rushed to her.
"Tsk, she dodged it!" Vincy shouted, pissed.
"No worries... look closely!" Ema said, grinning faintly.
"Her wings... she's grounded now," Yukiko said.
"In that case... now it's time for my {Berserk Mode}!" Vincy shouted, grinning.
Before Vincy could slam his fists together, his heartbeat was massively quick. He fell to the ground, trembling. Suddenly, a massive aura burst from him, sending Ema and Yukiko flying backward.
"Vincy! What's happening?!" Ema shouted.
When the glow settled, he looked completely different. Two wings had sprouted from his back, two red horns from his head, and both of his eyes and expression were terrifying.
"I'm not 'Vincy'... stay out of my way!" He shouted, grinning.
He hurled a massive fireball at them. Yukiko tried blocking with her swords, however the fireball exploded, slamming her into the ground. She fell unconscious, and Ema could barely sit.
Then, he turned to Malice.
"You! You must be one of Armageddon's minions!"
She fired a dark blast, but he swatted it aside easily.
"I-Impossible!" Malice trembled.
In a blink, he teleported and punched her across the face, sending her crashing backward.
Then, he turned back toward Ema and Yukiko. He prepared another blast, but just before it could strike, he grabbed his own arm and redirected the attack into the sky. That was Vincy, trying to stop that figure.
"Get... out of me!" Vincy shouted.
"Grrr... stay out of this... you punk!" The entity within roared.
Suddenly, a slash of dark energy struck Vincy from behind. Blood spilled from his back, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Idiot... look what you've done!" The entity muttered, before falling unconscious.
Then, his wings and horns vanished. A shadowy figure stepped beside Malice.
"Even you couldn't stop them, Malice," he said.
He turned to face Ema.
"Only one left? Not for long," he added.
Immediately, he drew his black sword and launched another dark slash toward her. Before it could reach her, it was stopped by a crimson slash.
"I wouldn't be so sure," someone said, stepping forward.
KevinDawson had arrived in his Crimson Knight armor, sword in hand. Beside him stood LaraTakumi in her Violet Ninja outfit, wielding a matching scythe.
"Lara, protect them," Kevin ordered.
"Alright. And you?" She asked.
"I'll handle him," he replied...
...as he stared the enemy down with a deadly glare!