Chapter 14 — “Wretched Witch”

Chapter 14 — “Wretched Witch”

There is no perfect day anymore. The time of peace has long gone, replaced by the sounds of war and gunfires. People screaming, shrieking for their life — barking orders and commands throughout the chaotic environments. Two opposites have blended into a single tune of discord. Two whirlwinds have dawned on top of the landscapes, wreaking havoc of once a beautiful noon.

“Fushimi Inari Taisha, huh? You picked such a landmark for your battlefield.”

“Hiding in plain sight. Heard about that phrase, big bro?” Shem chuckled, observing the tensed boy.

“Stop calling me with stupid provocation, witch. What did you do with Lime?”

“Oh, rest assured, we had a pleasant conversation.”

“You bitch. If you laid your hands on her…”

“How very rude. I can see where she got her attitude from.” Shem shakes her heads, “So? You’ve figured me out yet?”

Across the endless stairs and the never-ending red gates, hundreds of Shem poses for the assaulter — provoking Lemon’s already fuming head. For any normal Arkus, there are hundreds, if not thousands of presences causing mass disorientation. That is, for the normal.

Lemon’s pace is firm. He keeps on climbing, and climbing the shrine. Tens of Shem throws fist to him from the left, tens more striking him from the right. A couple taunted him with their dubious actions — but his stride is unwavering. Hundreds phases through him, on and on and on, until he stopped. Right at the middle of the stairway, face to face with a Shem, with a cold sweat dripped from her cheek.

“What a drag…”

With one swift move, Lemon strikes her with his bare fist. As physical contact made with the Shem, the other ‘Shem’ vanished into thin air. Shem let the momentum carries her to the back. She drops back to the ground, trying to regain her balance.

“I see the reasoning behind the title of ‘abnormal Arkus’ now. You have no extra power, no supernatural skills, no ‘cheat abilities’ whatsoever. But your body possess a certain condition. Condition that only valid, for specific individuals.”

Shem smirks, confident in her deduction. “Power nullification — for whoever touch or touched by you. That’s why you always jump into the enemy. That’s why you didn’t even use the weapons you’re equipped with. Its effectiveness is nothing compared to your own flesh.”

“Then you know I am the worst match up against people like you,” Lemon approaches her again. This time, ready with his arms up to his face.

“True. Seems like you didn’t even affected in the slightest by my illusion…I must have looked like an idiot in your eyes — standing there, not moving — to only receive a punch from you.” Shem laughed, realising the dumb scenario.

“Get me Lime, and I might spare you.”

“Oh-ho, you’re so confident now, aren’t you?” Shem smirked, patting dust from her attire.

Lemon stopped his approach. There’s a feeling of uneasiness suddenly rising from the bottom of his guts. Seeing her face still full of confident sends all of his body a warning. A feeling of dread — as if he just walked into a trap. A deathly trap.

“Let me teach you something, SCF dog.” Shem’s tone suddenly becomes sharp, “A lesson in lies.”

She reaches out her right arm. As she did, a fox jumps to her embrace, making itself comfortable on top of her right shoulder.

“We all know the concept of an illusion — making things that doesn’t exist, exists. Fooling the audience. Creating a deceitful miracle to the ignorant, before finally revealing a grand surprise. All illusion, in the eyes of amateurs, is all the same — entertaining tricks deserving a round of applause.”

Shem reaches out her left hand. As like before, A raccoon-dog jumps to her, staying on top of her left shoulder.

“However,” she continues, “There’s a notable distinction between a good and a bad illusion in the eyes of the professional. The most noticeable one, is the core of the illusion. The lie. A lie, so convincing — it often mixed up with the reality itself. That is the secret of a good deception.”

“…Your point being?” Lemon’s sweating bullet, reaching to his holster.

“You see, I have shown you my power. The illusion I casted to you SCF dogs. You have taken great details about it as well, I’m sure. But let me reveal you a twist. My illusion power itself, is the core of my illusion.”

Thunder roars even louder. Wind gust howls more powerful than before as the tension between them becomes more apparent. The little critters even have problems staying on Shem’s body. Lemon’s hand gets closer and closer to his holster as times goes.

“Now, for the grand reveal — a question. If my illusion power is a lie, then how could I use an illusion power?”

It took Lemon a moment, before he realises the answer to that question, “You’re simply not the owner of the power…which means—!“

“Let me demonstrate it to you — a comeback of a lifetime!” Shem claps the both of her hands together. It didn’t take long, before she points her index and middle finger towards Lemon. A glimpse of red light shines behind Lemon. Before he’s even able to react, a blunt strike hits Lemon’s side — throwing him to the edge of the footpath. As he’s recovering from the hit, two striking phenomena startled the young man.

A glowing torii gate, shining its colour so bright, and a creature from the myth. A massive red skinned ogre with a devilish mask covering its face. Horns coming out from the its forehead, curling upwards toward the sky. The creature has a club with the same size as Lemon’s whole body, covered in bandages that has ancient writings all over it.

“—Summoning!” Lemon concluded to his horror.

“Yokai summoning, to be exact. My assumption on your negation condition is correct — you can negate the summoned beast power through me, but you can’t reverse the effect of a power already in effect — proven by Tanuki and Tamamo-no-Mae’s existence. The only thing you can do to negate my summoning is probably to touch the torii gate itself, but you’ve failed to see it through in time.” Shem pets the two critters, who received the cuddle wholeheartedly.

“So now the question for me — how do you beat someone who will negate any power directed to him?”

Lemon draws his gun, shooting Shem right to her head. Within a single second, the creature blocks the trajectory of the bullets. Its club swung with the power of thousands men, and the bullets simply disappear into thin air. The creature roars in rage, as it rushed to Lemon. In desperation, Lemon leaped out from the deathly stampede of the ogre.

“The answer is simple — bring in something with the most extraordinary, organic strength that no ‘supernatural power negation’ can negate!”

Lemon stumbled to the ground, as he cursed the cunning ‘illusionist’ underneath his breath —