22 Final Struggle

"Old Woman! What the fuck have you done!" Dante yelled his lung out. He knew what she had done, the time sphere could never reach close to their place for some reason so when it spawned out of nowhere under Edward's feet, he was skeptical. Whatever it is that she did to him, it wouldn't have been pleasant.

"It is must be done. Let's just say it as a test, Dante." She stopped what she was doing and formed a mother protective bubble covering them. The genmas still attacking in frenzy but were blocked by it.

"Test for what? For god's sake, old woman! He's just a fucking child!"

Samanosuke unsummon his weapon and just step back, not wanting to take part in this mess, but his gaze was cold. Clearly, he also unsatisfied with what was happening.

"I've seen what the world has for him and what will he become. You won't understand how many stakes were put on his shoulder. Any mistake and he would either be our savior or our doom!" The Ancient One raised her voice again.

"No one has the right to decide that. With that reason alone you tried to put someone's child in danger?"

"He's stronger than you think Dante, it won't do him any harm. You saw how he fights, winning against those that were much stronger than him" said her, reassuring.

"But not mentally. Have you seen how he watch the people dying on the road? The kid never said anything but he keeps gazing at them. He could still feel sympathy. He's still not like us." Dante remembered how Edward prayed to every soldier that fell before he took their weapon and magazine clip. He even returns a broken doll to an already dead child. He wasn't a cold-blooded type guy that would feel no remorse or anger whenever he found innocent people dying. Edward was still in the growing phase.

"That's why I sent him away." The ancient looked down toward the resisting armies. Most of the genmas were directed toward the floor the three of them are right now. The armies only need to fight the stray genmas on the edge.

"Then, where did you send him?"

"That will be left to fate itself."

"Haha..." Dante chuckled. "The Ancient One, the great sorceress, the master, the high lama, how many names did you have? You take yourself as the protector and caretaker of the earth but you didn't even care or know anything about your own damn action. Leave it to fate? Sure! Next time I want to eat, I'll let fate tell where to eat."

He then mockingly continued, "Hey Fate! Can I order pizza? With a fucking lots of cheese and pepperoni? The next time he came and he would say surprise! A fucking pineapple pizza was served!"

The Ancient One sighed, "Dante, I understand that you like that kid, but don't be too attached to him."

"And why the hell not!? It's a fucking common sense, old woman, he's still growing. What you're doing is torturing him, now tell me, where did you send him."

"I told you..." before she could finish, Dante interrupts her.

"No. I know that you know! Don't give me shit about fate anymore."

The Ancient One closed her eyes as if she coming"It was on the day when both his parents died."

Dante was speechless, sending the kid on the day their parents step on death's door. How much cruel can you be? "What the fuck have you done...?"

They went silent. If the Genma's could think they would say 'Oh hell nah, this bitch worse than us.'

Nobody said anything to each other. Dante just sat on the edge, waiting for the time to pass. The Ancient One already fixed the time generator, but until whatever happened on the other side was done, she will be just waiting.

She never doubts her own judgment. Long ago, she couldn't see the future, further past the time of her death. However, she had seen several signs about hundreds of years ago. And then everything changed 8 years ago, the day Edward was born, which she found out after looking at the future's fate. Everywhere she saw, that kid was there. Wherever he is, only destruction awaits until this whole universe comes to an end.

...

"Barry, do you think he was there?"

Chris said while watching the occasional explosions on Eiffel Tower. He was still staying on the Eastern Outpost, helping to evacuate the civilian. The last truck would depart in a few minutes, however, he refused to go with them and just watching the ongoing war.

"Who? Edward? He might be."

"It feels weird, on the day I met him, he was very fragile. I was afraid that any words coming from my mouth would hurt him." He sat down on the floor, leaning on the railings, and just watch the dim stars on the night sky.

"What? Now that he was strong enough. Are you disappointed?"

"No, Barry. I was scared," said Chris scraping the bandages on his head. "I was scared that someday he would crumble from the sheer pressure. I was scared that because of his power he would be swallowed bit by bit."

"You don't know him, Chris. And neither do I. We just met with him less than a week. Why are you so nervous?"

"What would you do if you were him, Barry?"

Barry raised his brow and looked toward him, "What do you mean?"

"What would you do if your parents died before you, and you have the power to avenge them."

Barry sat on his side and watched the night sky too, "I don't know. Revenge? It would be the only answer."

"Yes, but toward who? Even until now, all the bodies couldn't be identified. It was like they never existed. How he will fulfill it, and what's left after? and what if... What if he couldn't find anyone to aim his revenge at?" Chris looked down, he was imagining the worst thing that could ever happen. The time when Edward would walk a different road.

"Do you want him to fulfill his revenge?" Barry took out a cigar he found on one of the compartments in a patient room and lit it. Chris then raised his head again and continued at gazing the stars, somehow the stars went brighter.

"No. It would never bring our family back. I just want him to be happy, without doing it."

"I hope so, Chris. I hope so," answered Barry after he blew a puff of smoke.

...

Two new time spheres spawned in the middle of the floor. Dante, Samanosuke, and The Ancient One turned toward it. A man in a black trenchcoat came out of it, on his right arm was an Oni Gauntlet. It was Jacques Blanc, the man who got thrown into the past Sengoku Era.

Then on the other side was Edward. He was kneeling on the ground, his hand was still trying to feel his mother that was gone now. Not finding the soft body he was supposed to hug, his hand just wrapped on his body.

Realizing everything that was just transpired, he bowed down while still in that position with his forehead touching the ground. A muffled cry echoed along with the occasional explosions and gun fires outside the sphere.

Looking at what he comes to after being transferred, Jacques was left confused. He found Samanosuke and had a small talk regarding the past world and the present.

Samanosuke then walked toward Edward. He didn't know what to do or say. Consoling someone was not his thing. So he just tapped on his back with a calming rhythm.

"It is time, Samurai," interjected The Ancient One. He didn't reply and just stood on a clearing. Clearly, he was pissed off as well. A new time sphere was spawned under his feet. He nodded at Dante before vanishing from the tower.

Dante then walked toward Edward and do the same thing as Samanosuke did. Jacques was also forced to stay there, he was still feeling worried about his son, Henry, and Michelle. However, Samanosuke already reassured him of their safety. Now, all they need to do was just wait and see.

...

20 minutes past inside the bubble when suddenly the genmas stopped on their track and collapsed one by one. They screamed altogether, causing a huge ruckus.

'How long has it been.'

I raised my head up. My eyes were red and felt sore. By my side was Dante, still tapping my back.

"Dante?"

"How are you feeling, kid?" He seemed to be down as well. He might have seen my sudden outburst and just stayed by my side all this time. I need to thank him.

"Brace yourself," said Dante out of nowhere.

"Huh? Of what?"

Suddenly the floor shook so hard, earthquake? No. The tower itself was collapsing. The Time Generators' main body, the weird-looking tentacles squirmed while letting out a loud noise. To top of the tower suddenly broke apart and we fell down.

'What the hell is happening!"

Gruung! gung! gwang!!

The majestic Eiffel Tower collapsed from the sheer damage caused by the trembling tentacles before it too fell on the ground. Clouds of dust covered the ground we would land to but yellow light rope entwined my both me and Dante.

It was Jacques, who helped us. He already landed on the middle section stairs using his Oni Whip and grabbed both of us from falling. I mean Dante would be fine if he fell, so why do I have to be stuck together with him.

"Big isn't it?"

"What the fuck are you saying you fucktard!" I was disgusted by Dante's remark.

"I meant Ebony and Ivory, dude. What the hell you were thinking about?"

"Let me show you big my handgun's bullet is."

"Hey, stop squirming or we gonna fall!"

We safely landed, but now what? Looking at the flesh and blood of the boiling Genma makes me sick. Suddenly, they burst in fire. I saw the Ancient One on the ground chanting more fire to burn, she seemed fine.

I sighed... I just wanted to rest and sleep. But we still need to move, the military was coming, it would be a waste of time if they were delaying us from taking our rest. Faraway, I saw both Scott and Jean, being carried by Storm out to safety. Scott waved his hand when our gaze met and I waved back.

I should have said goodbye to Samanosuke. I felt really bad now. Jacques tapped on my shoulder, he also was going to find his family. We just smiled toward each other and nodded. There's no need to say anything. It was just a long day. Hellish, yes, but now it was just another day.