112 Scream

{RIKU POV}

"I don't think the barrier's going to hold out for much longer!"

Shizu's cries of alarm rang in Riku's head as he recalled just how exactly they got into this mess. Some time after he got Nyx's second hint, the Champion chasing them down unleashed a scream so powerful that it broke through his guard and killed his whip. It wasn't the best to learn that his power had their own limits, but at least it wasn't completely debilitating since all he had to do was wait for a few seconds before his power returned.

Still, those few minutes where both him and Shizu didn't have a barrier up was more than enough time for the enemy Champion to catch up to them.

"Give me a boost," he instructed her as he crouched down low. "She wants a fight, then we'll give her one."

It wasn't ideal, especially now that they were so close to their destination, but there were just some things that they couldn't ignore. The woman screaming at them had a simple but powerful ability. Her screams were supersonic, allowing her to just barrage them with massive attacks that affected both body and ears in a way that not even the more outlandish abilities they've encountered ever could. It made fighting her a nightmare, especially since they both didn't have anything that could possibly pierce such attacks currently.

In the end, it was decided that they'll just have to work with what they've got. Coupled with the fact that their combined hints have actually made it obvious where they needed to go, the collective plan that they've agreed upon almost certainly needed someone to fight back while the other tried to make progress.

"[Fate's Edict! The Chariot: Upright Position] [The Sun: Upright Position]!"

Feeling the sense of speed washing over him, Riku brandished his burning knife as he prepared himself for a brawl of a lifetime. He still wasn't fully recovered from the earlier attacks, but he was going to have to roll with it, especially since they didn't have the luxury of waiting for Shizu to draw another healing card.

"I'll support you whenever I can, Riku," she told him with a grave nod. "Just shout for me and I'll give you a random buff."

"Good," he nodded back. "Keep looking for the office for now. tell me once you've found it."

"Got it."

With their plan now firmly in place, Riku waited for another scream to wash over their barrier before jumping in. He wanted the ever-growing wall of stars to disappear in front of him, giving him a clear shot between him and his target.

"HAAA!!"

A guteral shout rang from the woman once more, her sonic attack destroying every star in its path before colliding with Shizu's weakening shield. For a brief moment, the threads of fate keeping them safe held. But eventually, it shattered, leaving them vulnerable once more as Riku took that as his signal to push forward.

"[Chaos Whip]"

Invoking his power's name, the whip that erupted from his knife flew with a vengeance as he defended himself from the stars that threatened to flank him. In front of him, the woman was doing the same, her sonic barrier now becoming clearer the closer he got to him. A faint constant hum began to ring in his ears, the enemy Champion's voice both angelic and foreboding as she glared at him like he was the scum of the earth.

"So you finally decided to come and face me," the woman growled, her sonic barrier flickering with every word that she spoke. "Thank you for sparing me the time to personally kill you."

Riku's eyes widened in alarm as he saw her open her mouth for a wide shout. Thinking quickly, he extended his whip out toward her ankle. It didn't do what it was intended because of the barrier, however, but that didn't mean he was done. The sonic barrier flickered as the whip instead wrapped itself around the barrier itself, just low enough for him to pull her off balance and stopping her from screaming at him in point blank range.

"Ahhh!"

*BOOMM!!*

The sonic boom created by her scream got aimed upwards as she fell down, but it wasn't enough to prevent his ears from ringing as he did his best to shrug off the pain and momentary hearing loss. Then, he tried to pull her in, only for his whip to finally slide of her barrier.

"You... That actually hurt..."

The woman was glaring at him with pure anger and hatred as she picked herself back up. During this time, Riku found himself busy fending off the shooting stars trying to poke holes at him. His whip blurred in his arms, creating the makeshift barrier that he had been using even before all of this happened.

"I was thinking of just turning you into pulp, but I want to at least see your ears bleeding out first," the enemy Champion hissed with hatred-filled glee. "You're just a man. One of many that has no honor or care for those weaker than them."

Riku narrowed his eyes at that. He was pretty sure he had never met this woman before in his life. So why was she talking him down like he had just molested her? Even more, did she seriously just insult his professionalism?

"Lady, whoever you are, I never did anything of the sort," he scoffed.

"But that doesn't mean you won't do it if given the chance," she fired back. "I've seen your kind. The disgusting filth that let Roma be filled with debauchery and disrespect!"

Her shout almost made the former assassin buckle as he quickly adjusted his footing. For one, Roma? She was talking about Rome then. An Italian? She looked the part with her dress, at least. And the gash on her neck... Surely, she shouldn't be able to speak with how massive and deep it was. Then again, gods were involved right now, and even a single shout from this woman was sure to be devastating.

Still, whatever this woman was talking about didn't matter. He just had to take her down before she decided to start screaming again.