Previously on Hakuna, Nolitha has mysteriously vanished, so we're gonna delve into how that seemingly impossible event occurred.
The Ambush at Milner
Fade in.
Nolitha is seen walking near Milner High School, her stride elegant and unhurried, enjoying the crisp afternoon air.
Nolitha says to herself, a faint smile on her lips. "Hmm, I wonder how he's doing. He hasn't called me back yet. I should probably give him another stern warning about forgetting me."
Somewhere in the distance, Rorisang approaches, flying silently and cloaked in a veil of deep shadow.
The eerie voice of the ancient demon returns, echoing only in Rorisang's mind. "Princess, you seem to be taking your time with this trip. Are you losing your resolve? Why don't I send in a few Angel Blood Demons to keep her busy and soften the target for you?"
"Fine, you may send them in, but ensure she is alive and intact when I arrive. When I step onto that scene, she's mine and mine alone to defeat," Rorisang says, her voice echoing with a hard, cold resolve that was not present before.
She has a sinister, terrifying smile on her face, the dark energy settling comfortably within her.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Super is driving by in a small, slightly beat-up blue sedan, performing his daily security patrol.
Super says to himself, slumping over the wheel. "Man, I hate patrolling on Fridays. Traffic is insane, and the boredom is a crime against humanity. Please let it be a quiet one so I can go home and watch some anime and forget about all this nonsense."
A Grizzly-sized demon, one of the new Angel Blood variants, erupts from the ground directly ahead of Super and runs in the opposite direction.
"How the hell can it even hear me over the roar of its own power? Wait, where is it going with such perfect timing?" Super says, noticing the almost choreographed entrance and exit of the creature.
Nolitha, completely unaware of Rorisang's proximity, senses the first demon coming her way and prepares to meet it, but before she can fully raise her shield, another demon, equally large, tackles her violently from the side, sending her skidding across the pavement.
She then thinks to herself, "Okay, this is definitely an ambush. Obviously yes, they are demons trying to attack me, but this seems pre-meditated. It feels like someone is purposefully setting me up."
She recovers instantly, grabbing the head of the second demon and smashing it repeatedly on the ground before they could both reach the nearest concrete wall.
"Nolitha?! What in the actual hell are you doing here?" Super stammers, recognizing her and slamming on the brakes.
"You're one of Hakuna's loudmouthed friends, right? The one with the big nose?" The princess asks, regaining her composure.
Super responds instinctively, offended by the descriptor. "Best friend, you tiny midget! And my nose is perfectly normal!"
Nolitha then thinks to herself, "Rude. Why does he insist on hanging around people like this? His choice in companionship is terrible, but his choice in girlfriends is exceptional."
Super blasts one demon away with a controlled energy wave as Nolitha casually slaps the other across the face with devastating force.
"Bad demon. Go home," the princess says, watching the creature stagger back.
"What are you doing? Why are you slapping it? That's not how you fight a Level 5 threat!" Super questions, completely bewildered by her technique.
"What? If you take a closer look, these demons are little more than just overgrown pets, Super. They have no actual will to fight, just a direction. I don't want to stain my jacket by using lethal force," she argues, dusting off her hands.
Super looks at her with a slightly annoyed, confused expression, his internal assessment confirming her status as unhinged.
He then thinks to himself, "Crazy. She's definitely crazy. But she's fighting two Level 4 demons with less effort than I use to open a jar of pickles."
The demons both stand up at the same time, recovering faster than anticipated due to their angelic resilience.
"Ugh, this is getting annoying. Their persistence is bothersome," Nolitha grunts, her patience thinning.
She flares her energy to a blinding white light and prepares to decimate both demons with a single, massive attack.
But before she could launch her attack, a dark, ominous figure lands between the princess and the demons.
Rorisang arrives.
"Stop. The game is over," she says, her voice echoing with the shimmer of a high-level demon's energy present in her throat.
The Angel Blood Demons, recognizing the authority of the darker power, instantly vanish into thin air.
"What the...? What did you do? Where did those things go?" Super questions, utterly baffled by the demonic obedience.
Nolitha replies, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "I have no idea. That was a high-level command signal. Wait, who the hell are you, and why do you look so familiar?" she questions, noticing Rorisang for the first time.
"My name is Rorisang, Princess of the Tshabadira Clan, and the rightful owner of Hakuna's heart," Rorisang declares, her stance radiating newfound, dark confidence.
"Say what now? The rightful owner?" Nolitha mutters, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
Super chimes in, leaning back against his car and pulling out his phone. "Okay, this just turned into a Telenovela series. I like it. Grab the popcorn."
"Big Nose, shush! I'm busy here," Nolitha snaps, cutting him off.
"Bitch, wha?!" he questions, thoroughly offended.
Rorisang then continues, stepping closer, her voice laced with venom. "Oh, he didn't tell you? We met a while back at the Citadel of Crowns, and I've been in love with him ever since. I have a claim on his future, however, you on the other hand, Nolitha, stand directly in my way, so…"
Nolitha then speaks, holding up a manicured hand. "Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Let's pause for some common sense. I know for a fact that that very adorable, sentimental man would never lay eyes on another woman, especially one who tries to kill him. And, not to be rude, but you seem to be entering your 20's. What are you doing chasing a 16-year-old? Actually, shush, I'm gonna call him right now and get his side of this ridiculous story."
Uhm… the level of sass is off the charts.
She takes her phone and calls Hakuna.
Hakuna speaks on the phone, "This is a nice surpri—"
"How dare you?" Nolitha interjects, her voice shaking with rage.
Hakuna attempts to ask, "How dare I wha...?"
"You lied to me! You told me there was nobody else, but there is!" Nolitha shouts.
"Mammie, I think we both know that I'm terrible at lying. That's impossible," Hakuna says, trying to be smooth.
"Who is Rorisang? Don't insult my intelligence!" The princess questions, her voice sharp.
"Rorisang? Oh, some girl I met at the Citadel of Crowns who kept trying to kill me and then asked me on a date. That's all. I haven't spoken to her since," Hakuna replies honestly.
"So, there was a girl…? You just confirmed it! And she asked you out!" Nolitha denotes, furious.
"What the hell is going on here? Where is this information coming from, Nolitha?" The prince questions defensively, his own anger rising.
Rorisang, enraged by the confirmation of Nolitha's priority and the ongoing conversation, uses a burst of dark speed to attack Nolitha and smashes her phone before she can finish the call.
Nolitha stops Rorisang's follow-up attack with casual ease, her face slowly turning from fury to absolute, cold violence.
"That was a Brand-New Samsung that Hakuna bought me. It's the latest model, and it was in my favorite color, obsidian black. You might as well have just died," she roars, the air crackling with energy.
She slams Rorisang viciously on the floor and punches her so hard and fast that Rorisang is sent flying uncontrollably into a distant, abandoned warehouse.
"Why are you getting worked up over an object? It's just a phone!" Super questions, completely unable to follow the logic of the extreme violence.
"Hakuna bought it for me, and it's in my favorite color, which he remembered, so I am acting pretty rational right now," she declares, completely justifying the attack.
"It's almost shocking how perfectly matched you two are in your over-the-top, possessive rage," Super says sarcastically.
"Speaking of which, tell him to come here please, while I deal with this minor inconvenience," Nolitha commands, turning towards the warehouse.
"Minor inconvenience, you say? That's what you call me?" Rorisang's voice echoes from the warehouse rubble.
The warehouse explodes in a shower of steel and dust, with Rorisang walking out slowly. Her eyes have turned completely black, and her energy is a dark, churning, ominous force. She has activated the internal powers of her absorbed demon for the very first time.
Nolitha thinks to herself, "I've felt this kind of raw, dangerous, chaotic energy before."
Super then thinks to himself, "That's just like Hakuna's power. She's a vessel now, too."
"This'll be interesting. A worthy challenge," Nolitha voices, a dangerous excitement replacing her anger.
She vanishes. Rorisang, now much faster, does the same. The battle begins, two forces of nature colliding.
They are moving too fast for the eye to see, leaving only trails of black and white energy distortions in the air.
"So, this is it, huh? Two girls fighting over a prince with enough power to level the city," Super says, trying to follow the streaks of light. "Definitely Telenovela material."
Divine Versus Dark
The princesses stand back, the dust settling. Nolitha comes out completely unscathed, not a hair out of place. However, Rorisang is bleeding from her nose and lip, her dark energy flickering.
"Hey demon guy, you promised I'd even out the scale! So what's this pathetic display?" Rorisang questions, demanding an answer from the demon within her.
The eerie voice responds, its power causing a tangible, echoey ripple in the air that everyone present can hear. "How very restless, Princess. You are not utilizing your gift. Dig deeper, Princess. The power I bestowed upon you is akin to a bottomless pit of absolute potential. Unleash it!"
"Sparta..." Super mutters, recognizing the voice and realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Whatever it is, it's dead," Nolitha declares, her eyes glowing white.
As she says this, her energy emanates not as light, but similar to pure, clean steam, a power far beyond the demonic. She activates Divine Energy.
Rorisang thinks to herself, "Her energy completely vanished! I can't sense her at all! Foolish! That's a massive mistake!"
She attacks with full dark power. Nolitha blocks the strike effortlessly and counters with a punch twice as powerful as Rorisang's.
Rorisang thinks to herself, "What the…?! How can she hit me?! Ooww…" she grunts, feeling genuine, crippling pain for the first time.
Sparta then speaks urgently in Rorisang's mind. "You don't seem to get it, so let me tell you. You are now fighting a person wielding the power of a God! She is using Divine Energy! That's why you can't sense her; your demon power cannot read the frequency of a holy source!"
Rorisang then declares, ignoring the pain and the fear. "Simple challenges require simple solutions! If you cannot sense her, then simply overwhelm her! Just unlock more POWER!"
Her Dark Energy shoots from her body like a geyser, a turbulent, chaotic column aimed at the sky.
"I think I should join in. This is getting out of hand," Super says, preparing to enter the deadly fray.
DEATH STARE!
Nolitha fixes her gaze on Super and Rorisang, and a paralyzing wave of pure, absolute power washes over the entire area. Everyone instantly stops.
"I can't even breathe! I can't move my muscles!" Rorisang strains, utterly locked down.
Sparta then thinks to himself, "Such ferocious, elegant potential. This is an interesting one. A true rival."
"You will do nothing. Stay out of my battle," the princess orders Super telepathically.
Super then thinks to himself, "I couldn't even move a single finger. Is she even stronger than Hakuna in a controlled fight?"
She slowly turns her head, focusing her intense white-hot glare towards Rorisang.
And then declares, her voice calm and final. "I'm already done with you."
Nolitha vanishes. She moves faster and faster and faster, her speed reaching incomprehensible levels.
Rorisang thinks to herself, "I can't follow her movement! I'm completely blind to her strikes! Ooff!"
Nolitha lands a devastating punch to Rorisang's stomach, instantly knocking the air out of her. She then unleashes an onslaught of punches, a relentless flurry of Divine force, nearly reducing Rorisang to dust.
But… just as Rorisang's energy is about to collapse…
"I'll take it from here, Princess. You fought well," Sparta declares, taking full control of the host body.
Rorisang's dark energy suddenly subsides, then erupts again, but this time, it is different. Divine energy has been subconsciously unlocked through the brutal stress.
She grabs Nolitha suddenly on her jaw and slams her hard to the ground with overwhelming, unexpected force.
"I still wonder what he sees in you, Princess Nolitha. Perhaps I'll find out when he comes looking for you," Rorisang murmurs to the rapidly fading princess.
The force of the slam is too great, and Nolitha instantly falls unconscious.
"Uh oh. This is very, very bad," Super mutters, finally able to move again.
Rorisang turns her head in a slow, scary way to face Super, the black eyes fixed on him.
"Gheuugh," he recoils, instinctively putting up a defensive guard.
She then takes the unconscious Nolitha and flies high into the air.
"You're very handsome. I would take you as my own, truthfully. Sadly, I only have eyes for one. However, here is a small parting gift, my dear," she says.
"Huh? Wha…?" Super stammers, completely unprepared for the declaration or the gift.
Rorisang opens three swirling portals in the air, and out comes an army of 8 Level 5 Fallen Angel Blood Demons.
She then vanishes with Nolitha.
"Oh great. She gets two pet demons, and I get an army of Level 5s? Where is the equality in that exchange?" Super says, sarcastically referring to the Xhosa princess's power.
He prepares to fight them all, and then… help arrives.
The BBC—Bodega, Enzo, and Freddie—arrive in a flash of light. Freddie kills three demons with one fell swoop of his augmented blade.
"Okay, what did you do this time, Super? You seem to attract chaos like a magnet," Enzo questions authoritatively.
Super responds, pointing to the spot where the princesses were. "Don't ask me; ask her. Where is she?"
"Who?" Enzo asks, not seeing anyone.
"Hakuna's girlfriends," Super replies, frustrated.
"Heh?!" They all respond in shocked unison.
Fade out.
The Shocking Truth
The scene shifts to a slightly later time, as Super is explaining the entire sequence of events to the gathered crew, including a newly arrived, frantic Hakuna.
"And that's how it happened, right up till now, after I texted you that message," Super concludes, breathing heavily from the recounting.
"Wait, wait, what? Rorisang? That girl?" Hakuna stammers, still processing the impossible information.
"What a playa, Prince. Two royal princesses fighting over you in the streets of Milner," Enzo comments, impressed.
Hakuna then argues, dismissing Enzo completely. "No, how the hell was she able to beat Nolitha? That's what I need to know!"
"What are you talking about, Hakuna? Don't disrespect my report!" Super asks, feeling underestimated.
Hakuna then continues, his voice completely serious. "If she wanted to, Nolitha could kill each and every one of us, including the demons and any nearby Level 5s, with a single finger, at the same time. She's on another level."
"You Simp. She's your girlfriend; of course, you'd say that," Super says, utterly disbelieving.
"No word of a lie, Super! She knocked me out cold once when I couldn't control my power, just to save the world. Not to mention, she also took on five powerful Kings at the Citadel of Crowns single-handedly just to protect me!" Hakuna replies, revealing unprecedented levels of Nolitha's power.
"So you're saying that the girl who took her is… literally a world-ending threat now?" Enzo mutters, slowly realizing the stakes.
Hakuna interjects, his mind racing. "That's the thing! She couldn't even hold a candle against me last time I saw her! How did she suddenly gain the power to challenge Nolitha's Divine Energy?"
Super then mentions, finally revealing the crucial piece of intel. "She was also made into the vessel of a demon, Hakuna. Just like you. She's now the vessel of Sparta. That's the only reason she could fight Nolitha."
They all look at him in utter disbelief.
End of Episode 32.