Chapter 142: Losing Focus
The battle had become a massacre.
Playmore was no longer a city caught between opposing factions. It had become a hunting ground, and the ten manifestations of Shogun moved through it like living disasters. Wherever one of them appeared, entire streets were reduced to rubble, fighters were thrown through buildings, and carefully planned strategies collapsed within seconds. The difference in power was becoming impossible to ignore.
The city was losing and was being crushed.
Every district carried the same story. The King's forces were being overwhelmed, the Stars were struggling to survive, the Freakers were being slaughtered, and even the strongest fighters on the battlefield were discovering that their usual techniques were no longer enough. The ten Shoguns moved with frightening coordination, as though they were not ten separate warriors at all, but ten bodies controlled by one merciless consciousness.
And above them, Gluttonous Depth continued to grow.
The crimson-purple vortex rotated endlessly, its enormous mouths opening and closing within the darkness while the energy surrounding Playmore became heavier with every passing second.
Brandon was one of the first to experience just how terrifying that difference in power had become.
With a roar, Brandon finally tore himself out of the wall.
KRRRRAAAACK!
Chunks of concrete fell from his shoulders as he landed heavily on the street below. Blood ran from his forehead and down the side of his face, while several bruises had already begun spreading across his body.
He looked toward the Shogun clone, as it was still standing in the same place.
It hadn't moved. It hadn't even changed its expression. Brandon wiped the blood from his forehead and clenched his fists.
"Fine."
He lowered his body.
"I'll just hit you harder."
The ground beneath his feet shattered.
BOOOOOOM!
SWOOOSH!
Brandon launched himself forward.
His enormous fist travelled toward the clone with enough force to pulverize a concrete wall, and the air screamed around his arm as he accelerated.
WHOOOOM!
His punch reached the clone. Or at least, Brandon thought it had.
The fist stopped only inches from the clone's face.
Fwoosh....
Brandon's eyes widened, as there was nothing visible between them.
No shield, barrier nor weapon.
Yet his punch had simply stopped as though he had struck an invisible wall.
"What…?"
The clone tilted its head. Then the force of Brandon's own attack suddenly returned.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact exploded directly into Brandon's body. His ribs cracked and his massive frame was thrown backward.
"GAAAH!"
He flew across the district, smashing through a house, then another, then another.
CRASH!
BOOM!
KRAAASH!
Buildings collapsed behind him as his body continued through them like a cannonball.
He finally crashed through the side of a warehouse and disappeared beneath a mountain of debris. For several seconds, nothing moved.
BRRMM!
RUBBLE!
Then a hand emerged from the rubble. Brandon pulled himself forward. His breathing was ragged. His vision blurred.
He tried to stand but his legs shook.
THUD....
THUD.....
THUD....
The clone was already walking toward him.
Brandon stared at it and for the first time, he understood something that frightened him more than the pain.
His strength didn't matter.
* * *
Champagne
Several districts away, Champagne slowly pulled himself from beneath the rubble.
His dragon aura flickered around his body, but it was unstable now, appearing and disappearing like a dying flame. Blood ran down the side of his face, and his breathing became heavier as he pushed a broken piece of concrete away from his chest.
He spat blood onto the ground.
"Okay…"
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"That hurt."
A sudden pressure appeared behind him as Champagne's eyes widened.
Fwoo....
He turned.
The Shogun clone was already there.
He hadn't heard it, nor sensed it. He hadn't even seen it move.
The clone's leg swung.
BOOOOOOM!
Its kick struck Champagne directly in the stomach. His body folded around the impact before being launched through the street.
CRAAAAASH!
He tore through an entire row of buildings, his body bouncing between concrete walls as the force of the attack continued carrying him forward.
SWIISH!
Champagne finally managed to twist his body and regain control.
His dragon aura ignited.
"Dragon—"
The clone appeared above him as Champagne looked upward.
"…Aura!"
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The clone's knee slammed into his chest. The pavement beneath him exploded.
KRAAAAAASH!
Champagne disappeared into a crater. Dust and shattered concrete erupted several meters into the air. His dragon aura flickered once, twice, then shattered.
For several seconds, Champagne remained at the bottom of the crater.
SHAKE...
TREMBLE...
He tried to move, his hand pressed against the ground. His arm trembled but his body refused to rise. For the first time in a very long time, Champagne couldn't stand.
Fwooo...
The clone descended slowly into the crater.
Champagne looked up at it, his breathing was heavy.
"Seriously…?"
The crimson eyes stared down at him.
Champagne forced a smile despite the blood running from his mouth.
"You're annoying."
Fwoo...
The clone raised its hand.
* * *
Wei-Wan
While other battlefields were collapsing, Wei-Wan was still fighting.
His martial arts remained precise and controlled despite the overwhelming pressure surrounding him. Every movement had purpose, every strike was calculated, and every defensive maneuver was designed to conserve energy.
He struck the clone across the chest.
THUD!
Then followed with a kick.
BOOM!
A palm strike.
CRACK!
A spinning attack.
The clone blocked every one as Wei-Wan stepped back.
His eyes narrowed.
The clone had not simply defended itself. It had been watching and learning.
SWOOSH!
Wei-Wan attacked again.
Fwoo....
The clone moved as Wei-Wan immediately recognized the movement.
His own stance. His own footwork. His own counter.
The clone had copied him, Wei-Wan's expression changed as the next exchange confirmed it.
POW!
BLOCK!
He threw a right hand, and the clone blocked.
KICK!
DODGE!
Wei-Wan attempted a sweep, but the clone avoided it. He changed his angle and attacked the clone's ribs. The clone responded with the exact counter Wei-Wan would normally use against an opponent attempting the same attack.
CRACK!
The strike connected with Wei-Wan's jaw his head snapped sideways.
PSSHH!
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he staggered backward.
Wasabi's eyes widened.
"It's learning!"
Wei-Wan barely had time to recover, the clone appeared in front of him.
BOOM!
A strike hit his stomach.
CRACK!
A second blow struck his ribs.
THUD!
SKREETCH!
A third sent him skidding across the road. Wei-Wan finally caught himself with one hand.
"Huff.....huff...huff..."
His breathing became heavier as the clone stood several meters away.
Waiting, watching and adapting.
Wei-Wan slowly stood again his eyes remained focused. But for the first time, he understood that every second he continued fighting was giving his enemy more information.
* * *
Zachia
At the Dam, Zachia was fighting for his life.
The remaining Samurai Ghosts surrounded the Shogun clone, attacking from multiple directions while Zachia attempted to find an opening.
Five remained.
SLAASH!
Then four.
SLIING!
Then three.
SHING!
Another spectral warrior disappeared.
Zachia gritted his teeth.
"Keep moving!"
SWOOSH!
The final Samurai charged as the clone's dark blade flashed.
SHIIING!
SWOOSH!
The spectral warrior was cut apart as Zachia's eyes widened.
Only one remained.
Step.....
He immediately stepped forward himself. His body surged with Savage Power as he drew his weapon and attacked.
CLANG!
The clone blocked.
Zachia twisted his wrist.
CLANG!
Another strike, but the clone countered.
Zachia ducked beneath the blade.
WHOOSH!
He attempted a slash toward the clone's side.
Fwoo....
The clone avoided it by barely moving. Then it stepped forward.
THRUST!
The dark blade pierced Zachia's shoulder.
SHNK!
Zachia's eyes widened.
PSSHH!
Blood sprayed from the wound.
"GAAAAH!"
The clone pulled the blade free and kicked him away.
BOOM!
CRAAASH!
Zachia's body flew across the battlefield and crashed onto the Dam.
SKREETCH!
BOUNCE!
His body bounced once before sliding toward the water. He finally stopped near the edge.
His vision blurred, the sound of the battle became distant but he still tried to lift himself.
His arm gave out and Zachia collapsed again.
THUD!
The final Samurai Ghost disappeared behind him. For the first time, there was nothing left between Zachia and the Shogun clone.
to be continued....