Creating the Forge pt. 2

The Children Of Conquest Would Spread Silently Throughout The Remainder Of The Field And Into The Rest Of The Nightmare. It Was Consumed By The Locusts, Which Erase All. Now That Their Existence In That World Had Been SECURED By This Action, They Could Continue On Uninterrupted.

ZK: ~It looked just like he remembered. Void and empty, but graciously colorful enough to exude a presence. The magnetism that drew them inward waned and became the carpet rolled out to meet the leaders. Passers by peered in to see what the pair had going on, looking on expectantly, craving some sort of magical whatever-has-it to be a spectacle of wonder.

ZK stepped forward and cracked his knuckles, ready to work some real magic in the Mirage Arena. He and Atra were going to create the first piece of Neo Nightmare grand defense, a piece of accessible hardware for when things looked grim. ZK had the idea, but it needed some real form and Atra's shadowy stoicism ZK admired. It let him be a free spirit and they worked easily toward a mutual goal.~

Atra: "Well..."

Atra said into the ebon-expanse. His voice echoed off boundless space and back again conveying a desirable emptiness. But it was an illusion. ZK and he were not alone, slowly but surely people from the Nightmare were coming in filling the seats wanting some action. Threads of light and dark spun into existence the field in which the latest Neovian defense would be forged: The Resonance Was High. They were at what would be synonymous with Vescrutia's arctic circle. The twin moons danced overhead and the environment was so chilling only the heat of a most powerful forge would warm the two combatants.

"Gotta get the forge hot before the weapon is created ya kno?"

The two Destati were mere feet apart, a horrible position to begin a bout with a shadowmancer. Luckily, they were just sparing, and luckily Atra respected ZK. So he vanished and separated himself by a few dozen feet.

They had to bare all from the get-go, Atra would oblige. ZK had a landslide of an advantage having practiced with his Cordis Nova an obscene amount. This would be Atra's first time playing with the two of his. Yes... two.

The Nocturnal Majesty's body flickered revealing his lifelong partner(s) Des'Noir. The form it materialized was indicative of what Atra was planning to face, there were 6 of them. He hoped he could keep up with ZK's agility this way. Now to reveal his Arbiter... The second one will have to wait.

Out of his chest emerged that same crystaline glowing flower, he plucked it like a weed and divided the petals among his ghastly posse, leaving the stem for himself. The petals of clarity embedded themselves into the Des'Noir clones' core which caused grey veins to form, palpitating quicker and quicker by the moment. Atra himself twiddled the stem in between his fingers and simply waited.

The stage was set. The flames were being stoked. Would ZK back out of a simple challenge?

The Locusts Began To Feed Upon The Neovians; One By One As They Gathered In The Stands Whilst The Battle Raged On. Some Would Not Be Consumed, However, And Would Be Left With Only A Fly On Their Backs That, Upon Their Leaving, Would Set Them As A Target For The Further Consumption Of More Intricate Parts Of The Land. Anywhere The Initial Swarm Did Not Cover With A General Sweep Through, The Flies Would Mark Those Specific Locations For The Locusts To Feed On Later. Meanwhile, The Entire 'Mirage Arena' Was Afflicted And Captured. This Land, Like Many Pieces Of The Land, Belonged Now To The Veritas, And It Was Thanks To The Foolishness Of The Newest Kage. Bless His Poor, Unfortunate Soul.

ZK: ~Double moons, expanse of cold with frigid-- nah, chilly floes creeping over the ground. The Mirage Arena kept it sreputation as the place to be in the Neo Nightmare, the spot where you could watch dreams become real, become your own hero, make what you want of a situation. Atra and ZK were no strangers to the place, but ZK had not visited since felling their mutual foe. Taking in the awesome view, it seemed Atra made the call for their forge space.

ZK took a spin and watched the seats fill, a smile scrawling across his face. The people came for a show and he wanted to craft this weapon in the most spectacular way possible. They had to get enough bang for their buck and ZK willingly obliged. He waved to the rapidly filling stands before turning to face Atra and having his jaw dropped.~

Seven on one? That's hardly fair.

~He raised an eyebrow cockily, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Seven shadowy figures stood before him like an army of darkness, holding a piece of the flower they intended to place in ZK's grave after their confrontation. The likelihood of that was slim, but the scene definitely left a strange quiet in the air. Never ending Vescrutian Tundra dotted with one man staring down a small fleet of shadows, the only thing that could make it more picturesque happened to be a robot arm to rip through the opposition.

ZK possessed no such arm, but the heart of a predator from space, the will of a swordsman named Jack, and a drive felled only by a flying blue shell.~

You wanna give the people a show, we'll give them a show.

~The seats continued to fill around them, the murmur from the crowd slowly growing into a low hum hanging over the frozen landscape. ZK shrugged off the small bit of cold that fell upon his shoulders and tousled his hair, rubbing his eyes and shaking out every limb all at once. Their last meeting pushed ZK to the limits of speed escaping the harrowing fate of having his shadow taken. This time would be no different with six shadow iterations hunting him down. But, he had a few contingencies to back him up this time, the first of which being his eyesight from the realm of Makai. With the seven shadows in the fray, ZK needed all the sight he could get.

He extended his hand towards Atra and the six shadows, his soft glowing orb appearing in his grasp. Shade Render, quite the apropos name for such a blade he wielded, extending its length and casting his arm behind him. He stood up straight and turned his body sideways enough that the light emanating from his claymore extinguished shadow from the ground. No surprises.

ZK raised his free hand and beckoned the coming wave of shadows. The crowd around them swelled with excitement. The low murmur grew with claps and whistles, cheers of all sorts falling on the two Destati. ZK never performed in front of an audience before, but he was no stranger to making a spectacle. They might as well fan the flames of forgery and strike while the iron is hot.~

I get them out of the way, I'm coming for you.

Atra: ZK had an interesting approach to the crowd's obvious favor. He had the poise of that seasoned heavyweight champ who decided to come back for one more brawl; just for the love of the sport. His mannerisms, his physique, his body language was all to humble. They roared when he stretched, and cheered when he brandished his new blade. The Neovians were familiar with ZK's feats and appeared all too trusting in his inevitable victory. It was their doubt however from which Atra derived his strength. He stood absolutely composed twiddling that glowing stem of a crystalline flower in between the fingertips of his left hand. Part of his mind wasn't even truly there, he was thinking a few steps ahead, following every avenue of action to the end game- Shadow Possession.

Very few aspects of creation could survive how absolutely thorough that one technique was. And Atra knew one he captured ZK's shadow...

"Out of the way?"

He inquired, it was as if ZK figured The Nocturnal Majesty's spectral entourage would be fighting in his stead.

"Come do it then."

Atra fired back. And they surrounded him, their veins still aglow with that eerie grey, beating like the drum of a metal band, faster and faster. The more their existences seemed to pulse, the more the gale-force storms of diamond dust like snow began to transform into a maelstrom of black globs. It sprayed the ground with its snot like consistency spangling it with paint as if Picasso was in rare form. Its intensity picked up quite nicely, so nice in fact that its monsoon cloaked Atra and his entourage from view. ZK was more than welcome to take back the playing field or become a boulder in this ebony stream of muck.

Whilst The Battle Between The Two Had Only Just Begun, So Had The Battle Unseen And Unknown To Them; The Battle For Whatever Was Left Of Their Already Massacred Planet. As It Fed From Their Life Force, The Locusts Fed On It, Thereby Sucking Out Slowly, But Surely, Each And Everyone That Was Part Of The Planet. This Was The Extent Of The 'Black Friday,' Yet Now Would Be Viewed Before Their Eyes; Beginning To End, Replayed For Their Entertainment.

The Locusts Took On The Forms Of The Neovians After They Were Consumed. Those That Sat In The Seats Had The Form Of Men, But Were In Truth, The Angels Of Death. They Had No Definite Shape Nor Form, But Like A Certain One Of Their Kin That Inhabited The Planet Already, Making It Ripe For Many Years, Whatever They Consumed, They Were Capable Of Assuming Its Form. Thus, None Would Be Able To Tell The Difference Between The Normal Crowd And The Swarm Of Locusts. There Was No Difference.

As The Energy Rose, The Neovians Fed On It. They Cheered The Two On, Seeking Out Greater Splendor And Excitement At The Very Expenditure Of Every Trace Of Chakra. The More They Released, The More The Crowd Roared For More. They Were Being Fed Just Through Participation, Even As Mere Spectators. The Transfer Of Energy Should Have Been Understood Emotionally, For That Was The Prime Choice Of Consumption This Time. Through Their Emotions.

ZK: ~ZK took Atra's challenge with a smile, his reserved demeanor showing a special tone of confidence.

Once he saw Atra's energy flow swell towards him and seep outward, ZK felt himself tense up immediately. The black energy flowing throughout the battlefield now steeped in Atra's signature shadow energy meant one thing for ZK: Do not touch. The sweltering blackness that swamped the pristine battlefield and just the light of his blade didn't seem like it was enough to keep him safe. So he made a move to nip the burgeoning weather in the bud.

Sliding his blade from behind him to slice across the incoming bellows of shadowfolk energy, ZK cast a a corner of Mirror Force towards the wind as tall as he and then some, curving over his head to divert the shadow winds around him and maintain his maneuverability. Their bright golden shine and transparent luster lit the ground he stood on more than well enough to snuff out his shadow at his feet's end, but he watched the blackened winds flow past and the ground at his feet intently. All of their last encounter amounted to was a game of cat and mouse, ZK running almost all across Vescrutia just to make it out unscathed. Today, he had a ring and presumably a finite amount of space to run. He needed to play his cards more carefully.

Shade Render still brandished, ZK let the winds buffet his beaming shield, watching through the darkness for any sign of a shadow man moving through the darkness. Slowly, he let his own energy seep hrough his body, knowing full well he'd need all the speed he could get now. Maybe, if he tried really hard he could see through the storm and get eyes on Atra and Des' Noir. For now, he fought the -1 visibility.~

Atra: The battle had just begun and the circumstances were all to poetic. The ever encroaching darkness versus the all to resilient light made its metaphor manifest on this frozen tundra turned epic poem. Either Destati took refuge under the paradigm they were comfortable exemplifying; the crowd absolutely loved it. You would have thought the entire thing was scripted...

It was in Atra's head at least.

ZK had buckled down, and barricaded himself in a shark cage. His radiant light and mystical shields kept Atra's encroaching Tar at bay like a boulder in a stream. All around ZK was a sea of blackness that splattered on the frozen ground with the most gelatinous of sounds which melded together and formed a cohesive symphony of cacophony.


Splat... Squelch... Bubble...Churn...


The speedster turned samurai was afforded no sight, sound or smell of his target.

The predators, who were waiting for him outside of his shimmering shell of light, revealed themselves ever so slightly. Patient, sadistic, calculating, like a mad scientist.

Every now and then there was a glimpse of a Des'Noir or three. They were seen circling him like buzzards, standing still tapping their foot anxiously, or crackling their knuckles. Their appearance was never truly solid for more than a second seeing as how they vanished soon afterwards like silver glowing ghosts. ZK's senses were tracking every nuance of their appearance to the letter, rendering him preoccupied with the smoke and mirrors and distracted from the boom.

Atra couldn't give ZK a chance to get comfortable. The laid back Destati took pride in his maneuverability to force foes to fight at his pace. The Nocturnal Majesty fought similarly.

Just like their previous bout, he needed to put the pressure and keep it on from beginning to end. He pretty much interrupted his charging of power with several dozen ghastly hands covered in the pulsating grey veins forcing (phasing) their way through his treasured mirror force absolute defense.

The grey consistency flowing through their bodies was Atra's own Grey Plasma created by his union with Bloom, and ethereal Goddess of all these energetic. It was a unique stage of matter that could travel through any vacuum unhindered with brute finesse. In this case it made its way through ZK's existential confines and materialized inside of his shield. Now the Mirror Force was magic in nature, Atra figured Des'Noir couldn't create himself whole without being compromised. So it was no surprise all the hands detonated violently as soon as they breached the shell, splattering what lie inside with their insidious goo, no doubt covering ZK in their murky maladies.

Normally Atra could share a limited arsenal of abilities with Des'Noir: Nocturn and The Grey Plasma, were exceptions. But his Celestial Body, clarity bypassed genetics...

The Spread Of The Darkness Was The Feed Of The Locusts. Just As Atra Insisted, The Crowd Loved The Show And Their Emotional Feed From The Two Of Them. Though ZK Was Protected By A Barrier That Kept His Energy From Being Feasted On By The Crowd That Cheered, Atra's Was All Too Spread Over The Land. This Meant More For Them To Eat.

Eventually, The Roaring Crowd Would Eat Away At The Reality Of The Mirage Arena, And That Reality Would Be None Other Than The Outskirts Of The Veritas That Remained. The Twin Moons Were Merely Two Of The Veritas' That Were Nearest To Their Destination. Atra Was Being Consumed Whilst ZK Was Protected, But Nonetheless, The Reality Was Completely Devoured, Even If It Looked The Same, Like The Neovians. The Locusts Could Assume Any Shape And Any Form They Wished After They Consumed A Target, Including Actual Reality. Therefore, The Atmosphere Was Naught But Locust. The Air Breathed; Locust. The Sight Seen; Locust. Nothing Looked Any Different To Their Eyes, But Everything Changed In The Mirage Arena At That Point.

ZK: ~Atra's smoke and mirrors were a problem force he had trouble seeing through. The many forms of Des' Noir floating through the blackness were enough to distract him, and remind him to use his next level sight. Once he activated his Makai Sight, his nervousness subsided just barely. He still wore his confident smile, happy to be put in such a harrowing position.

Des' Noir and the black tar revealed themselves periodically and ZK kept that off rhythm, watching to and fro. It was a passing shadow moving behind him that let him catch a glimpse of the energy moving toward his backside and straight through the Mirror Force shield.

Too close for comfort, ZK dashed forward instantly with another vaulted wall of Mirror Force, this one more heavily laid than before, a frosty white panel rather than its usual crystal clear clarity. He shot through the darkness as far as he could and let that former shield disappear into the mist. Moving like a torpedo, ZK narrowly escaped the muck of an explosion waiting right behind his back, but diving into the darkness was the lesser of two evils. So far, Mirror Force kept the tar at bay and missed a particular technique.~

Noted.

~ZK slid to a stop on the freshly carved, tar free tundra below him, his vaulted shield of light folding over him into a full blown dome. Evidently Des' Noir could phase through the Mirror Force at its initial thickness, but the tar stayed at bay. The shadow siblings played in the muck to throw off his senses, but they were only slightly more troublesome far away. ZK's quickness needed no introduction, but Atra's cunning nature preceded him. With not a moment to spare, he took a deep breath.~

Noted.

~And exhaled sharply, making one handsign with his bladeless left. The dome's exterior exploded into protruding shards of Mirror Force, each one as tall as ZK and covering the surface of the shield with little space between each, lifting the now spherical shield from the ground with ZK suspended in the middle. The bladed death ball appeared and took no time to begin spinning, hellishly whirling into a spherical blender to keep the baddies at bay. It ripped through the muck with a low hum to harmonize with the rhythmic double kick of the hiding Des' Noirs.

ZK hated playing defense like he did, but Atra gave him no choice. If Des' Noir or Des' Noir or even Des' Noir or Atra wanted to get close, they'd have a subsonic reflecting blender to get through, and that blender began moving through the muck deliberately, scanning the darkness for any sign of a shadow man or shadow creature to rip to shreds. The ball of light floating through the darkness was a lantern in the pitch black night of the lucid south under a new moon.

ZK brandished his blade and kept his focus, letting the shield do the heavy lifting. He needed a plan to take back the field.~

Atra: ZK began this fight under the impression that Des'Noir was some minion to the thrown ahead of him; Used and abused like a pawn until it was time for Atra to land the finishing blow. Their bond was extremely unique and they normally fought as one. But since Atra had the field there was no reason to personally address ZK. Not yet.

Atra was around every now and then just like the spectral vanishing retinue, his companion, Des'Noir. He did indeed personally bear witness to his first strike floating far enough away from ZK with wings so wide he looked like a mighty Raven Demon. He had horns and silver glowing hair to match professing his lineage of the Jaeger. And like every hunter he analyzed every aspect of his prey, from how they fought to how they panicked. The grey plasma preformed as expected, it amplified his own natural proclivity to phase through solids and cover ZK in his demise but his counterpart, now peer, was far too fast.

Atra vanished thereafter and watched ZK raise his bet, and readily acquiesce to the weather. He shrouded himself in a swirling shredder of cordis powered light that began forcing away his sludge; there was no way an ordinary Des'Noir would get close. He didn't need to pierce the shield, just stop it for a moment, even hold it in place.

He knew the perfect pillar to complete the task, scaffolding composed of mentor and friend.

All he needed was invoke the name and the memory of when he added their shadows to his collection to transmogrify the rains into most convenient allies.

"The Great Destroyer."

"My Only Friend."

And they were made manifest; with the cacophony of a steel train wreck and a medieval sword fight gone wrong, accompanied by the repetitive cadence of metal grinding against a chalkboard.

ZK's forceful procession of light came to a literal grinding halt.

Surrounding, and temporarily thwarting the advance of ZK's very malicious, serrated sphere, arms extended, gripping the blades of the most pure light, was Kham himself, The Great Destroyer. He looked absolutely different. There was a black steam emanating from his body which had the texture of withered scorched earth. He was driven and hell bent on using the last ability Atra witnessed before he was possessed, his durability.

"Shade Render."

Atra said from his lofty perch. His gaze was like Kham's, murderous. He couldn't help it. He had to act fast in the next brief moment because This wouldn't last. Literally the near infinite cornucopia of gelatinous rain was being poured into these dozen or so copies, fortifying, amplifying and solidifying their atomic makeup by the specter to Atra's right...

Aizu.

Who too had one arm extended and his swirling Crimson eyes active, editing the bio atomic makeup of Kham to combat and stall the orbital render of darkness with not only the plasma but a great deal of fucking chakra.

Atra controlled light. Shadowmancy came with being a pixie. Because he controlled light, he controlled information, perception and reality thereafter. The legion doing his bidding were literal concepts of the abilities they last demonstrated on the physical plane and had to be fortified constantly to keep ZK still for what all of happened in the following micro-second.

A very thin laser neared the focal point of ZK's impregnable damed defense. Upon closer inspection it fired from the depths of Atra's wings; 6 lasers in total that formed one beam. The single shot volley didn't collide with the mirror force, it instead unfolded itself from the inside. Once it neared the vicinity it looked like a vacuum. It was shadow energy in its pure form, anti-matter. Even light couldn't help but assimilate. It Attempted to devour ZK, his cordis nova, and his blasted mirrors all in one with an black hole laser from makai.

The Locusts Writhed At The Chance To Consume New Energy; Anti-Matter At Its Finest. As The Light Swirled In The Air, Folding In On Itself And Unfolding As The Beam Of Anti-Matter, The Locusts Themselves Would Become Equipped With This And Seek To Eat Away At ZK's Defense As Well. They Sought To Devour His Energy As They Had Already Done To Atra. With The Barrier Of Mirror Force Halted Thoroughly By Their Shadow Puppet Of Choice, They Would Assist With Penetration Through Consumption Of The Mirror Force, As Well.

ZK: There!

~So many Khams, so little time, but always enough. Atra and those damned shadows put a great strain on the blender bender grinding around ZK, curtailing its spin to a halt. That turned out to be a fine maneuver, one that the Kham's all around him risked their forms to pull off. Great feats of strength from the shadow of a strong man surrounded the boy in the bright bubble, but something chimed through the darkness just in time and gave away the location of the Shadow Man.

As the laser unfolded itself in the air, ZK reacted the only way he knew how, banking on the fact that the laser came from the real Atra. One thing that seemed to remain true throughout their battle was that Atra still had trouble keeping up with ZK's speed, even with his six shadows and these extra Kham's around. The laser's energy gathering spurred ZK to make a knee jerk dive to the right with his eyes locked on to this laser's point of origin deep within the tar.

With the Khams in the way, ZK dropped the focus on his Mirror Force Spinning Ball of Doom, the force exerted by the Kham's shadows cracked the shield in the fraction of time it took to move a few feet. Might as well have been instant for ZK, about as fast as he could since this laser appeared just as quickly as the Khams dogpiled the shining blades.~

Cut Through!

~ZK dove and carved through the darkness with Shade Render, one slash with his right hand like tossing a baseball millions of miles an hour. His whole arm disappeared through the slash with Shade Render's light becoming a flash arcing through the tar. The faster he swung, the more concentrated his focus and the light beaming from his sacred blade, the easier it became for his Cordis Nova to Cut Through what stood before it. He destroyed Atra's shadow beings before with his bare hands, or as bare as they appeared using the Essence of Speed, only barely visible to the naked eye fast enough to track him. There were none to do so yet.

The micro-moments that passed appeared like frozen time to ZK. Normally, the normal passage of time seemed like a horrible drag of time, everything in existence slowly moving along while ZK strained himself to keep that pace. His finagling in Chrono Magics taught him the importance of keeping up with the rest of the universe in that regard, but it proved to be such a strain he spent most of his time relaxing to pass what seemed like days but were only hours. In this horrible storm of shadow tar, he moved so fast that each drop stood almost still. The laser slowly gained voltage and was the fastest moving thing at the moment, the Mirror Force Blender cracking under the weight of Khams obstinate efforts still holding its form with shining stress lines giving way minutely.

With this blazing swing, and their shadowy construction, ZK made his swing for the laser's barrel, the flash of Shade Render cast through whatever Khams stood solidified in the way. The aim, smacking the shit out of Atra to knock the laser off target at least. With the Khams in the way and Mirror Force falling to make this move possible, ZK relied on his speed to hit Atra right when the laser fired completely and send that beam elsewhere, knocking Atra far and fast into the synthetic stratosphere. Such a last ditch dive left ZK wide open but could give him a moment to deal with the tar and inevitably encroaching Des' Noirs. his body flared with chakra, burning and crackling like it is wont to do, unable to reasonably hold anything back if his plan did what it was intended to. Until then, a flash of light ripped through Khams and the blackness of the tar storm to knock Atra far far away.~

Atra: The innards of the Mirage Arena was akin to the eye of a hurricane, a focused unmatched intensity that brought almost every neovian out of their homes, out of their daily routines, into these gladiatorial seats, and onto their respective edges. The average camera, the mundane sorry excuse for human innovation, stopped keeping adequate footage once The Nocturnal Majesty asserted dominance over the area. The Rains were so intense and superfluous any news anchor would throw in the towel. All that could be seen within were flashes of light among the dark that signified resistance.

The spectators weren't upset, because they were sitting in a place where anything was possible. And even if this was supposed to be a spar, everything was certainly permitted...

Neovian technology readily surmounted inadequacy by providing the onlookers what it is they wanted, and they wanted a clue. Camera crews manned their stations powering on sophisticated techno-organic machinery. They easily slowed down the procession of epic combat, zoomed in on every intricacy and showcased all the gritty details. Atra's face was emotionless as ever, and ZK looksed as if he looked as if he was having the time of his life; all up until he saw his comrade, The Great Destroyer, make an appearance.

It was as if he realized what exactly his fate would be if he was ever shadow possessed. It was a terrible feat indeed. A part of him would be a doll, an action figure, a sacrificial lamb forever. To be fair, Atra hated this facet of his abilities. He knew every life had a purpose, and it's purpose was to not be his tool, but BOY was he good at exploiting their usefulness. If his kin the Jaeger ever had to fight any army straight up they usually numbered no more than a raindrops on a windowpane. If push came to shove they would be a waterfall in the next instant. Reanimation on a scale this large wouldn't be possible if Atra hadn't left humanity behind, and while his face gave no inclination to his thoughts, he was loving the power.

Members of the crowd turned their heads away ruling the speedster old-news at the carnage of the newly rendered freeze frame. There were Kham's a plenty gripping the mighty broadswords in their hands, muscling their way through the dome of reflection with legendary strength. Their puppeteer was now a duo overlooking the proceeds like a science project while Atra himself let loose a blackhole laser that would consume shade render indefinitely.

They let out a mighty uproar when the scene resumed, monies exchanged hands, mothers almost dropped their infants, nails were bitten to snubs.

It would be foolish to count ZK out of any circumstance. Because a blinding slash forced its why through the shadowy retinue and aimed to swat Atra from his perch, another freeze frame was in order, no slow motion, so the crowd could fully comprehend just what occurred and why Atra added another shadow to his collection, complete with a mock-shade render.

If it was ZK's sight that allowed him to counteract so efficiently, it was Aizu's sight that probably saved Atra's life. If we allow the neovain technicians to zoom in on Shade Render's advance we see the blade splatter shadow energy across the arena from sunrise to sunset. We also see Aizu grasp Atra's shoulder in desperation, and use his horribly gifted power to transport and coagulate Atra's being with obscene impetus around the scattered remains of his army and cause him to reappear behind ZK with his arm extended. Shade render continues uninhibited and banishes both the rains, Kham and Aizu from the premises, but by this time there was hand on ZK's shoulder, and it belonged to the master of the immaterial. This grasp induced a paralysis unlike any other and spelled a hearty GG for the afflicted.

There were no shadows to possess since the blade brandished by the opponent was mighty bright, but material possession by physical contact was the sharper blade of his wide arsenal of subterfuge. Now we press play, and see exactly who emerges compromised...

Just a tuft of hair was necessary, a sliver of skin, a drop of blood, even saliva could compose all of ZK from the confines of the shadow realm. Inches turned to millimeters which turned to fractions of a degree away from slavery.

The Spectators that were now but only the Angels; those Locusts ready to feed from what they had Seen and Felt were already buzzing. Their lips flew aflutter as the beating wings of the cluster, humming growing among them.

"Ew. We Have Witnessed The Shadowy One's Words. Clearly Drunk."

It was clear that they were not impressed, but appalled at what they had seen. Yet, to the Angels, those who had Higher Knowing, they were to expect this from a Child such as this, still needing to be spoonfed for his great Ego.

Quote :

The spectators weren't upset, because they were sitting in a place where anything was possible. And even if this was supposed to be a spar, everything was certainly permitted...

As was permitted, they would begin their talk amongst themselves about the less humble of the two Kages, leaving the one that they were familiar with, ZK, to be as he was; socially acceptable. To The Other, however, many words were thrown about. He was still young, and it showed inexplicably clearly to the Eyes That See.

"There Is Much Boasting In That Darkness, Yet It Is Clearly In The Light."

Quote :

Members of the crowd turned their heads away ruling the speedster old-news at the carnage of the newly rendered freeze frame. There were Kham's a plenty gripping the mighty broadswords in their hands, muscling their way through the dome of reflection with legendary strength. Their puppeteer was now a duo overlooking the proceeds like a science project while Atra himself let loose a blackhole laser that would consume shade render indefinitely.

It was clear to them that he did not use his own power, but disguised the power of others as his own. He must not have had any himself, and therefore, needed to fight using those of others in order to feel or be strong. It was clear to the Eyes That See.

"Most Children Wish To Be Recognized For Their Doings," someone would say, noting specifically that he was not using his own power and yet used that of someone else's, "They Beg For It." The crowd seemed confused as to why he would not use his own power when he boasted of it so greatly. It seemed suspicious. Yet, it was something to be expected from someone so green.

"Praise Me. Notice Me," someone mocked, one who was clearly more astute than the others and had been taught to be as brazen and foolish as the Kage that ruled over them. They had learned his ways and now were using just what they were taught to ridicule the new one, "Have You Not Seen My Work?" The jesting soon became laughter among the wiser ones, whilst the rest looked on in either confusion or amazement at the spectacle that Atra made of himself in the public eye.

Quote :

They let out a mighty uproar when the scene resumed, monies exchanged hands, mothers almost dropped their infants, nails were bitten to snubs.

"It Is Like Cain And Abel," the more religious of the group spake amongst themselves, "... Genesis Is Repeating. One Son Receives Favor, Yet The Other Begs For Favor And Receives Only A Fraction." These men, the wise ones that knew the Lore and Scriptures, which were present in every realm, could see how the Lord's work was prominent, as well as how things continued to spiral downward into a sinful path. "Cain Was Not Humble. This Is Why The Lord Did Not Favor Him; Not Because His Offerings Were Too Little. Or Lesser Than His Brother." The wise ones shook their heads, seeing now the full exposure of this man's Childhood. "It Was He, Himself, Who Tainted And Besmirched His Offerings. And, As A Child, Instead Of Turning Inward To Look At His Own Pridefulness... He Became Wrathful."

Quote :

If it was ZK's sight that allowed him to counteract so efficiently, it was Aizu's sight that probably saved Atra's life. If we allow the neovain technicians to zoom in on Shade Render's advance we see the blade splatter shadow energy across the arena from sunrise to sunset. We also see Aizu grasp Atra's shoulder in desperation, and use his horribly gifted power to transport and coagulate Atra's being with obscene impetus around the scattered remains of his army and cause him to reappear behind ZK with his arm extended. Shade render continues uninhibited and banishes both the rains, Kham and Aizu from the premises, but by this time there was hand on ZK's shoulder, and it belonged to the master of the immaterial. This grasp induced a paralysis unlike any other and spelled a hearty GG for the afflicted.

By the Voice of Azrael, the Young Grasshoppers, those Locusts ready to feed on any and everything, would be taught this lesson;


As the Angel of Death spake to the Locusts that watched on, this would be the equivalent to a 'Public Execution' in the square; The man that stood in the center in full view of the crowd was being slain by their sharp words and judgment, as if being stabbed by a sword. It should cut very deep and numerous times, and could be considered a form of 'Death.' Even if the man still stood full of physical Life, what would be of his other parts? The Mind and Spirit are just as alive as the Flesh, and so, there are methods of bringing Death upon them that are completely independent of the traditional killing of the Flesh. This is an example of one of their way.


Azrael: Do Not Ask To Be Recognized...
Then Seek Not To Be Recognized For What You Have Done That Is Wicked.
You Say, "Notice The Good I Have Done!"
Yet, We Say, "Notice The Wickedness You Have Done!!!"
What Good Is There For Your Good If You Sow More Wickedness?
We Know What Is Good. We See When You Do Good.
But To Pridefully Boast About It And Completely Ignore What You Do That Is Wicked...
It Is Detestable In The Sight.
The Sight Is Balanced.
It Knows The Fruit Of Good And Evil.
And Separates The Seeds.

This was a Lesson to the Locusts that would look on at the Example as he were used as their Subject. His Pride was of Prime Example, and therefore, it would be used to Teach them. Azrael was pleased with what the Locusts would learn from this, but severely disappointed at the 'Nocturnal Majesty,' as he sought to be referred to. More hubris, most likely. Therefore, Azrael would speak unto (and not TO him);

Azrael: You Still Plant Them Both In The Same Field.
How Tainted Your Crops Are, Therefore.
What Sort Of Offering Is That To The Lord? To Anyone?
To You, Even?
Are You Not Greater Than That?
You Boast Of It.
Yet Do Not Show For It.

Azrael, watching over the entire Planet from afar would shake his head, turning away from Atraand speaking to his Pupil, Shinritha, "I See Nothing Of Value To Harvest, Save The Lesson To Learn." She would be instructed to archive this in her realm so that it may be reviewed as a Lesson for others later, as well as a constant reminder for Atra of his mark of Sin. This was what the Lake of Fire looked like, and it would burn forever and ever. "That Is Of The Greatest Value To That One." 'That One' being 'The Nocturnal Majesty.' "Do Not Feed That One's Ego. It Will Make Him More Wicked. He Is Starving For It."


Azrael then spake to the Locusts about The Nocturnal Majesty, and all like him, saying, "The Prideful THIRST And HUNGER For Praise. See Now The Work Of His Hands... And How Naked He Is To His Starvation And Dehydration." The Finger Of Judgment was cast at him, seeing very clearly all of his exposure and bringing it to the light. "We Will Educate Him And Use Him As Education For The Masses. He Shall Be Made An Example On When The Time Comes. And The Locusts Shall Feed. Young Grasshoppers Must Learn From The Sins Of Their Brethren."

At this, the Locusts that could hear would cheer and roar with great joy and splendor, which would be guised as cheering for the battle and the heat of it. Yet, it was to Azrael's words that they would be made so joyous. Yet, to the Eyes Of The Blind, they would be none the wiser and take it as a feed to their Ego. That was something fortunate and that could ALWAYS be counted on. "The Grasshoppers Will Eat Anything That They Can, Because They Are Hungry. And Become Greater." So, they would wait patiently for their next meal.