Chapter 43

As the horde of Apostles teleported in, I turned to look at Tsuki who was smiling with a devilish grin. She still had her pink halo-crest behind her, but she also had her twin katana manifestations conjured. She was ready to fight. I examined the area one last time, thinking of the best course of action. At that moment, I heard a voice ring out in my ear.

“We’re in place. Ichiro says he can’t sense any magi officers or Apostles near us. I’ll support Tsuki. Good luck with that guy.” Marie affirmed over the earpiece.

“You came to the same conclusion I did, then. That guy is definitely a Bishop. I didn’t expect them to send one with the main force. I guess I made quite the impression on them.”

“It also means they’re taking us seriously. We must take even more caution in our fights.” Marie said with a stern tone.

“When do I not?” I said, a smirk on my face that could be heard through comms.

“I’ll shoot you again.”

“Okay, enough flirting you two.” Tsuki said over her own earpiece. “Ryuki, you fight the Bishop. Marie, support me as I make this concert a blood bath.”

“I don’t know how much I like taking orders from you.” Marie said as she zeroed her scope on the magi.

“Oh, but you like taking orders from Ryuki? My oh my, what do you two naughty kids get up to at night?” Tsuki teased as she launched off the stage toward the horde of Apostles.

She gave Marie no time to retort as she started to slice apart the Apostles and magi officers. Marie supported her by sniping any mages that were casting spells in Tsuki’s blind spots, her large caliber bullets tearing through the weaker mages with ease. I flew on over to the Bishop standing on the walkway, firing my manifestation several times at him. He stood there with his arms crossed and the bullets all bounced off an invisible barrier. I conjured a second manifestation and fired a hailstorm of bullets at him, but they all bounced off the same invisible barrier. I grunted in frustration and put more magical energy into my manifestations, causing them to transform into the larger hand cannons that I used to kill Kyosuke. The man tilted his head, as if he was unaware that I could do this. I fired the stronger guns at him and they tore through whatever barrier he had set up, forcing him to dodge the bullets. He moved at an inhuman speed, dodging each shot. His movements weren’t like someone just using speed to give him the ability to dodge; his movements were specific, deliberate, and minimal. He was trained in combat; that much was obvious. As I flew closer to him, I fired more and more bullets at him, then as I got into close range with him, I dispersed my manifestations and conjured the long bladed naginata I cloned from Yukino. The man’s eyes went wide as he jumped backward off the walkway, clinging to the backside of it. I swooped over the bridge and looped down at him, but to my surprise, he leapt off the bridge and punched me with a glowing green fist.

***

Meanwhile, Tsuki was in a horde of magi and Apostles, slicing through them with her dual katanas. She carved up any magi she got close to, while shooting out small, pink, laser-like beams from her halo-crest. Marie was sniping off the weaker mages whose mana shields could not withstand high caliber civilian weaponry. Shibuya Crossing, which only a few moments ago was a rock concert, was now covered in corpses and pools of blood. Tsuki leapt and pirouetted at intense speeds, dodging and attacking everyone around her. Some spells managed to collide with her, but her mana shield blocked them with ease. A few Apostles started to conjure their manifestations, bringing out electrical, green weapons. Marie relayed this information to Tsuki which just made her cackle.

“Great to hear! I always wanted to see what being shocked felt like when I wasn’t being suppressed!” Tsuki screamed out over the earpiece.

“What the hell does that mean?!” Marie responded as she took aim and killed several more magi.

Tsuki didn’t reply, instead letting out a war cry as the Apostles swung their electrical weapons at her, arcs of green magical energy slicing through the air. Just like that time when Marie and Ryuki attacked that compound, these Apostles used the same tactic to subdue their prey. Marie had a flashback to Ryuki being incapacitated by the electric magic, and took aim at the Apostles, but her eyes went wide in shock as she watched Tsuki.

“IS THAT ALL YOU CAN DO?!” Tsuki shouted in a guttural, menacing voice.

She was tanking the energy waves, the green electricity crackling all across her body. However, she didn’t stop moving. She kept her speed and trajectory, running right at the Apostles. The panic on the Apostles was clear as they trembled and some even tripped over their own feet. Tsuki did not relent as she decapitated the ones who fell and bisected the ones still standing. Marie gaped in both horror and amazement, watching the lightning magic do nothing to Tsuki. Tsuki then licked her blades, spun them around and charged at more Apostles and magi. She was completely drenched in blood, and her eyes were wild and wicked with an equally wicked smile on her face. She loved the carnage she was creating. Another part of the ground lit up with a crest on it, and another massive wave of Apostles teleported in. Tsuki just grinned and dispersed her manifestations. She then took a wide stance with her hands clasped together in the shape of a gun, imitating a police officer holding someone at gun point.

“Halt! Don’t move or I will open fire!” She shouted.

The Apostles all hesitated for a slight moment, before each of them conjuring their manifestations. Tsuki just cackled at them. They then launched their attack on her. Some of them dashed at her, others started to slice their manifestations through the air, arcs of green lightning slicing through the air.

“Wrong move! You’re all under arrest!” Tsuki said, imitating shooting with her hands. “Bang!”

At that instant, the crest behind her lit up and shot out a massive pink beam that engulfed every Apostle that had just teleported in. The beam met no resistance as it passed through each enemy, completely vaporizing them in its wake. When she finally stopped her attack, nothing more than a few disembodied legs remained in front of her. She put her hand into a peace sign and put it next to her eye and stuck her tongue out.

“See you in jail!”

“They’re dead, they won’t be going to jail.” Marie said over the earpiece as she took out several more magi with quick headshots.

“Boo, you’re no fun. Oh, look another crest is forming!” Tsuki said as she conjured her manifestations again.

***

I got knocked into the side of a building from the Bishops unexpected punch, my back slamming into it and causing it to crater around me. Despite his punch not breaking through my mana shield, I still felt the impact of it across my body. I shook my head as I looked down at the street below me to see the Bishop standing there. He had no way to fly like I did, but he also made it clear that he could dodge my ranged attacks. He was the worst matchup for me. I peeled myself off the wall and floated down to ground level, dispersing the flaming dragon around me and conjuring the naginata gain.

“The Secular actually used some thought sending you out here.” I said, standing across from him.

“The Elder did. He analyzed you. He has a keen interest in you, you know. And now that I’m this close to you, I understand why.” The man said.

"Oh, is that so? I’d love to meet him. Maybe you’ll tell me where he is?” I took up a fighting stance. “I mean, unless I kill you like I did those other Bishops.”

“You mean those augmented freaks? They were barely above Apostle. I’m a true born and bred Bishop.” He took up a fighting stance too but didn’t conjure a manifestation. “And the only thing you’ll meet is a swift end at my fists.”

“By the way, what is your name? I’d like to know who I’m killing.”

“How honourable. Call me Theseus.”