Shike VS War (1)

-13 Minutes Until Providence's Arrival-

With an encapsulating explosion, War's head completely shot off of his body and splattered against the fountain wall. I thought that had been it and fell to the floor, as I have been exerting too much power against War. I didn't realize my limit was that close.

"Wow... this isn't looking good for me! My head's gone!" His voice came from his body and his head regenerated.

"What the hell?! You mean to tell me you're indestructible or something?" I asked War.

"Don't be silly, nobody is indestructible, there's always a weakness, like yours, and how a multitude of things attacking you is your weakness. You just have to find mine!" War said. His sword was coated with black smoke and his right arm had regenerated. When his head came back to him, it was a skull...

A weakness... huh...?

I jumped over the great sword he had swung toward me, then slid under the next strike he followed up with.

I kicked his knees and absorbed the kinetic energy I threw at him again, then put my hand to his chest and launched it back. It wasn't nearly enough to do damage, but it stunned him from the surprise of the impact that it provided.

Using the very tip of my sword, I stuck it into his stomach and turned my body to push the entire sword up and through his chin.

His body opened up and I saw it! He had a core!

It wasn't a normal body, and I knew exactly what I had to destroy!

He swung his sword and I dodged to catch my breath.

My stamina is rapidly waning and if I keep up the same pace of battle with him, the chances of victory would be almost non-existent. I was doubting myself, but he was a strong opponent, so it was founded.

To my surprise, War spat up blood and wiped it from the corner of his lips. Where did that come from? And why did it come out? What was he hiding?

"Goddamn, that woman..." He muttered. Woman? Was he talking about Providence?

"That woman did a lot of damage to you, didn't she? Looks like it might be fatal." I said to him. I tried to worry him or invoke a sense of worry within him. He stumbled around and then cracked his neck, then his arms, and smiled.

"Ali Asterio may have hit me with her Golden Strands, but that doesn't mean I won't kill you guys before I drop," War admitted.

And that would be one of his final mistakes.

The amount of stamina I was using felt like nothing now as I charged in wildly. I dropped the shield and ran in while swinging my sword. I repositioned War so many times as I desperately charged in to fight him.

I didn't care about his sword as he tried to hit me with it. I absorbed every attack and launched it back at him with equal strength using my own sword.

"You seem pretty excited! What's wrong with you, Shike? Did you find a new motivation?" War asked me with a wicked smile.

I'm not sure what it was, but I had a surge of power and before I knew it, something was churning in my left hand as I kept it open for use.

I swung downward with my sword and War fully turned his body around mine and was beginning to slam down on it to try to cut me in half with that large sword of his.

I watched him as time came to a near stop and the sword continued to travel down.

Then... I felt it.

Like sparks shooting out of my body, a surge of heat shot out of my left hand, and just as I peered down to see what the sudden sharp pain was... I saw it.

A Saber, almost identical to Sky's main weapons, was now in my hands against my will. I took this as an opportunity and used it to block War's attack. After I blocked it, I shoved my sword into the skull's forehead and the blade snapped down the middle while also damaging War.

"You bitch! Dammit! Ah... so, you found it?" War asked me.

The saber in my hand was skipping in the sounds it made like it had been flickering, and the strands inside of it were wildly flowing around in the shape of a cylinder. I wasn't sure where this weapon came from, but I knew that when Sky used it, he was pretty much unstoppable.

"You were hiding that ability from me? Do you think you stand a chance since that weapon came out of thin air? Don't be silly, Shike. I'll still beat you." War told me.

I ignored him and looked back at the saber... why did I have this? I thought I didn't have strands?

Wait a minute...

Did Ali give me these strands?

She put strands in me to awaken me, but did I use them to summon this Saber? Does that mean I can do everything Sky can?

I slid the saber into War's leg as he tried to retreat and went straight through it. I was impressed with how easily I could slide through his body. I thought his core would've been his weak spot, but it looked like he was alluding to his skull being the real weak spot...