15

Chapter Text

First, there was nothing. I was nothing.

At no point did my existence begin or end. I was simply nonexistent.

And then I was something. A light, shining through my eyelids.

Light. A bright, ethereal light, surrounding me on all sides. A feeling best described as divine in nature flowed through my body.

And then it was gone, a faint remnant. Everything else swam into focus.

There was something cold and smooth underneath me. I could feel.

A tang, something my mind registered as "metallic" filled the air. I could smell, taste.

My sudden existence frightened me. I moved, violently.

"Careful, my child." A man's voice, smooth and warm. I could hear.

Large hands rested under my arms, helping me from where I'd fallen. Something warm covered my shoulders, scratchy yet comforting.

I was alive. And…

I opened my eyes.

"You've only just begun." The man smiled.

I could see. I existed. The flush of emotion filled my chest. I cried and clung to the man. My father. I don't know how I knew, but in that moment, I was aware of it: this man had created me.

Had given me life. An existence. A soul. Souls.

"Soon. Soon, you shall achieve what all beings strive for."

"Perfection." The words fell from my lips, like the sweetest of honey. "The Truth."

I knew nothing yet, but somehow, someway, I knew this.

Father hugged me.

"That's right."

And from that moment on, I never knew peace.

…

…I wouldn't want it any other way.

-=-=-=-

Evening

Centermost Section

Xerxes, Eastern Empire

"Well now, look what the cat dragged in."

Nin looked up, blood splattered across his goggles. He smirked.

"That doesn't work when you're the one visiting, Eve."

"Of course it works. You're the one that looks like shit, after all."

Eve stepped further inside the room, strolling past shelves and tables filled and covered with everything you'd imagine an evil scientist loving. Vials of bubbling fluid, pipes and tubes steaming and flowing, books opened and not, figurines, statuettes, bloodstains, unidentifiable stains…

It was all there and more.

"Honestly, would it kill you to clean up sometime?" Eve wrinkled her nose, stepping around a particularly fresh stain on the cobblestone floor. "A lady shouldn't have to visit in such conditions."

"Well, if you happen to find a lady to visit here, I'll make sure to roll out my best red carpet."

Nin straightened, pulling his arms out of the massive shadowy corpse. Blood and black mess clung to his arms up to the elbow.

"Very funny." Eve stood a respectable distance away.

Nin raised his arms. "What, no hug for your good friend Nin?"

"If you come near me without washing off first, Drake will need to make a new son. Preferably one that knows how to mop."

"Fine, fine." Nin rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He pressed his hands against their opposite forearm, the tattoos along the back of his hands glowing briefly. Red electricity sparked for a moment, and the gunk coating his arms vanished into mist.

"Better?"

Eve said nothing, instead pointing at the large industrial sink she'd made him install a while back.

"Fuck!" He threw up his arms. "Fine, fucking A. It's like my efforts mean nothing to you."

Eve watched as Nin trudged over and vigorously washed his arms, keeping a close eye to make sure he didn't skimp out.

"How about now?" Nin said, drying his arms off with a towel and looking over. "Am I finally presentable enough for your delicate sensibilities?"

"Well, it's a start." Eve walked over, and the two shared a brief hug. "Now, you just have to do something about that ugly face."

"There's nothing wrong with my face."

"It's your face. Of course there's something wrong with it. No matter how much your change it, it's still you."

"Now you're being hurtful." Nin let out a huff, crossing his arms, "You're only such a comedian when you're in a really good mood. So go on, spill it. What have you been up to in the week since we've last met?"

"Oh everything!" Eve smiled, a dreamy look overtaking her. "I think I met her, Nin. The One! I think I'm… in love."

She sighed like an infatuated schoolgirl.

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble Eve, but you say that all the time. Like, once a month at least."

"You don't understand, Nin! This time, it's real! I can tell!" Eve sighed again, a hot blush splashed across her cheeks, "Her name was Mary… and she's perfect. So innocent, so cute, so strong. Her hair is this adorable short style, with braids in the front, and her eyes-"

"I get it, I get it!" Nin waved her off.

"Although," Eve's expression darkened as she continued, "She has a 'friend'. Her employer, she said, that she's on 'friendly terms' with. Tanya…"

Nin sighed. "Whoever this 'Tanya' is, I fear for her life. Don't do anything rash."

"Oh, like you can talk?" Eve snapped, "Who was it you couldn't kill, that's now in Xerxes on your tail? Some 'Tasha' woman? If I were there, I would've done to her what I'll do to this Tanya, should she even think about getting nearer my darling Mary."

"That is to say, you'll murder them."

"Yes, that is very clearly what I was implying."

"I thought so, which is why I'm so disappointed." Nin spread his arms wide, "You're being so basic with your plots. Merely murdering this 'Tanya'… so boring. Tsk, tsk. You're starting to take after Octavius, it's so boring. Meanwhile, I have already come up with an incredibly clever and entertaining method of dealing with Tasha."

"Oh really?" Eve crossed her arms. "Go on then, my creative and entertaining Fourth Head. How will you clean up you own mess? I'm eager to find out, especially since you're always utterly incapable of cleaning up literally everything else."

She nodded at the massive shadowy corpse behind him. Nin ignored her jab.

"I'm glad to hear you so intrigued, Sixth Head. Here's what you must know," Nin held up a finger, "By this time tomorrow, Tasha the Hero will be taken care of. Cleaned up and wiped away like the stain she is. I've already set my plan in motion with help from Octavius. All that's left is to set the bait."

"Octavius is around? So, that's why Drake is calling for a meeting." Eve said, "He must want that lazy vampire to actually attend for once. Have you been in contact with Drake recently?"

"Not recently, no. We're both busy setting everything up, you know. Father is focusing his effort on the tunnels and on public opinion, and, well," He gestured at the dead Shade he'd been elbow deep in earlier, "You can see I have my own work to do as well. And you?"

"Communications between Xerxes and the capital are being carefully monitored." A snake poked its head from her satchel, it's forked tongue flicking about curiously. Eve brushed a finger against its head, a fond smile on her face, "I have my littler ones keeping a close eye on everything. We won't need to worry about them, nor should we be bothered by those buffoons in Cerberus."

"Excellent. All that's left then is this one loose end."

"A loose end that came about from your carelessness."

"Yes," Nin sighed. "I'm aware. That's why I'm going to tie it up tomorrow, like I just told you. That way, I can report to father about a clear path ahead, rather than one potentially shafted by a single hero annoyance."

"Fine fine, don't get so twisted." Eve stepped forward, patting him on the shoulder, "I'm only messing with you, anyway. Tell me more about this plan of yours. I'll totally help out if my schedule is free."

"Why wouldn't it be free?" Nin immediately regrated asking, as Eve shot him a grin.

"Well you see Nin, when two women love each other very much-"

"Shut up."

"-They will oftentimes find themselves rather busy. I am of course referring-"

"Eve, shut the fuck up. I get it."

"-to the absolute bed breaking making of love that two impassioned lovers can find themselves engaged in- mmphhhmmph."

Nin covered her mouth with his hand.

"I get it. I got the meaning, Eve. You can stop now. For the love of everything, just stop."

Eve nodded.

Nin pulled his hand back with a sigh. "You're evil."

"I'm evil?" Eve raised an eyebrow. "You experiment on people and transform them into those Shade abominations."

"Yes, I do. And I'm a monster." Nin deadpanned.

"…Point taken."

"Of course, I mean that metaphorically. I'm not calling myself a literal member of a monster species."

"I said point taken!" Eve huffed. "Jeez, just tell me about your stupid plan before I decide to actually fill my schedule for tomorrow."

"And now you know how I feel." Nin clapped his hands together. "Alright, so here's what I…"

-=-=-=-

Morning, the Next Day

The Maj Inn

Xerxes, Eastern Empire

Tanya tucked into her waffle with the gusto of a starved man seeing his first meal in days.

Also known as: her usual amount of gusto no matter the meal or how recently she had eaten.

Mary said as much, as she said down across from her.

"No one's going to take it from you." She didn't even blink as a plate was set before her, simply digging in immediately.

Tanya picked up her cup of coffee, sipping leisurely at it.

"Eating quickly is a habit, even so far removed from war."

"Well, I just think you're a glutton." Mary said, "By the way, did you manage to find anything yesterday? I got back to the inn before you, which I honestly didn't expect."

"I found a Shade, if that's what you meant. We had a brief scuffle."

"So, it's dead."

Tanya nodded. "A few of Xerxes' local military officers approached me afterwards and took me to meet their head officer, a General Lotte Garmstrong. Apparently, these Shades have been a problem for months, and I was more than happy to provide her a description of our foe in exchange for her help."

She set her mug down on the table.

"And what about you? How much did you manage to accomplish before returning?"

"Well, I was able to note the main runes and their structure at the southern and eastern points of the wall." Mary set a leather-bound journal on the table, sliding it over while picking up a slice of bacon with her other hand.

"Only the south and the east?" Tanya finished the rest of her waffle, wiping her hands on a cloth napkin before flipping the cover open. "Well, I suppose there were a good number of runes. Did you have trouble figuring out the order?"

The question was genuine, which only made Mary want to sink into the floor.

"No, it's just..." She looked away. "I had to buy that journal first, before I could write anything down."

Tanya glanced over the pages, only marginally interested in the contents. She had no intention of trying to decipher them without the full set, after all.

"Was that a problem?" Tanya closed the journal. "I'm sure I gave you more than enough coins for that on top of your train tickets."

"No, you did." Mary reassured her, "I just... couldn't... find a store."

"You couldn't find one? But you eventually did, right?" Tanya raised an eyebrow, "This one right here."

"Yeah. I did." Mary coughed into her fist, her cheeks coloring slightly, "After like… 3 hours."

"…Are you alright? You do know how to function in society, yes?"

"Of course I do!" Mary snapped, "It's just difficult to find a damn bookstore or whatever when you can't read any of the signs."

Tanya blinked. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Yes, I suppose I did. You can't read…"

Ah, that's right. This world uses Japanese kanji, hiragana, and katakana in its written language. Meanwhile, most of the spoken languages I encountered in our previous world were verbally Japanese or a variation of English, while at the same time using different symbols and characters for writing. Truly an isekai world, despite its abnormally war-tuned setting.

"Huh. You can't." Tanya shook her head, "And you never brought this up before now?"

"I've never had to write anything in this world before now. Or really buy anything, either. Most of my time is spent ether training or resting. And I basically never worry about food, since Shuna or Gob'ichi cook all the time. Between the two of us, you're the one with the actual job, in case you somehow forgot."

"Right…"

"To be honest, the only reason I know what the symbols on my sword mean are because Kurobe told me about them and their meaning." Mary continued, sweatdropping, "I didn't even ask. He just started gushing about the blade as soon as he handed it to me."

"…Remind me, when we get back to Tempest, to teach you the written language here." Tanya said, tactfully ignoring that this situation was ultimately a lapse in her duties as Mary's superior. "It's the same language we're speaking right now, so you should pick it up fairly quick. We'll do that in place of your magic training until you get the hang of it."

"Is that alright? Shouldn't we keep training anyway?"

"Don't worry about it." Tanya waved her off. "You can keep the rust away by applying what you've learned against Hakurou. To be honest, Sue, you're a lot stronger now. You don't need me looking over your shoulder anymore. Not as much, at least."

"Oh." Mary looked away, the back of her neck growing hot. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me for telling you the truth. If anything-" Tanya paused, as her tracing spell yanked harshly at her Magic Sense. "Never mind. Our foe seems to be playing his hand."

"Really?" Mary made to stand, her plate still half-filled.

Tanya motioned for her to stay put.

"I'll deal with this. Finish your breakfast, then finish the task you've been assigned." She gestured at the journal, "Get the rest of the runes transcribed, from the north and west. Nin is not our only enemy in this city, so don't let your guard down. Make sure Souka knows as well, when you link up with her."

Tanya paused.

"Actually, why didn't Souka help you find a store? I know for a fact she can read."

"Oh, right." Mary's brow furrowed. "I didn't see Souka at all. I kind of assumed you called her back for something or other, so I did everything yesterday by myself. Then, we didn't talk about it after we got back. Did you not…"

She trailed off.

Oh. Tanya blinked. Shit.

-=-=-=-

A Little Bit Later

Between Southern Sectors

Xerxes, Eastern Empire

Nin stepped outside the warehouse, stretching his arm high above his head.

He yawned, rubbing absentmindedly at the bags under his eyes. They faded away under his touch, his hair lengthening to just past his shoulders at the same time.

It was a beautiful day out. Sunny and cloudless, though chilly. It would probably snow in a few days, he thought idly, enjoying how to cool air felt on his skin.

He stretched again, this time spreading his arms to either side, before bending down and touching the toes of his polished grey combat boots. His white, long sleeve button up shirt wrinkled at the motion, the back coming untucked from his black military trousers.

After several seconds, he straightened up, a satisfied groan escaping him. It was the perfect day, really. He had finished much of his work, he had a plan to deal with an annoying bug…

All was good.

Nin blinked.

…Why do I feel like I just raised a flag.

He looked to the left and right, checking either way down the street. No one was around, this area sitting behind and between several other, much taller buildings. Most normal people wouldn't even know this area existed, which was exactly the point.

A flash of blonde caught his eye.

Huh, that's odd. I thought Eve had business to take care off before helping me out. He squinted. If that's the case, why is she-

The person began running at him. Nin's eyes widened, and he ducked back inside the warehouse.

"Shit shit shit!!"

The door slammed open behind him, rapid footsteps getting closer even as he rounded a corner and jumped down an entire flight of stairs.

This wasn't the plan! I was supposed to find her!

He sprinted down a hallway, the extremely clean wooden flooring a stark contrast from the busted and beaten down appearance of the warehouse just a floor above.

How did she find me instead?

He turned another corner, ducking inside the first door he found. In the center of the room, a large trapdoor lay open, an earthen tunnel leading directly down into the earth for several meters.

Without hesitation, Nin jumped, falling through the trapdoor and the vertical tunnel underneath it. He fell like a rock, the tunnel shifting from vertical to a sloping horizontal, until he slid out and landed in another, much larger tunnel.

He kept running, alternating between sprinting and shadow hopping through the cylinder-shaped horizontal expanse.

-=-

Tanya landed with a muffled thump, a dirt kicking up under her boots.

Another tunnel? It's fairly big, too. About the size of a… hm.

She held up her sword above her head, blue flames along the blade lighting the area around her. The tunnel seemed endless, pitch-black shadows sitting in every crevice, alcove, and gap in the earthen walls.

About the size of a subway tunnel, actually. Is this one of those underground magitrain tunnels Xerxes is digging?

Her magic flared briefly, and she slashed in a circle, forming a ring of blue flame in front of her. She pulled back her other arm, her palm glowing. Then, she thrust it forward.

FWOOOSH

The ring expanded to the walls and shot forward, leaving intermittent splotches of flame along the tunnel as far as she could see. She kept the flow of magic steady for several more seconds, keeping the ring of blue fire in mind thanks to Magic Sense.

Still darker than I'd like.

Abruptly, as if a string was cut, fire ring disappeared from her senses. At the same time, the connection formed by her tracer spell went taut.

There you are.

She ran for a moment, then took off, flying at breakneck speeds that were almost definitely too dangerous for such an enclosed area. Too dangerous for almost anyone else, at least.

Thanks to this, it didn't take long to reach what she was looking for. Or rather, who she was looking for.

It didn't take long at all to find her prey. He wasn't even hiding.

Tanya touched down lightly.

"Fancy meeting you here." She called, pointing at him with her sword. "Should we engage in banter first? That's the stereotype you're going for, right?"

"I've been waiting for you, Tasha." Nin held out a hand, full of false bravado, "So very kind of you to finally show up. I'd say I missed you, but we've hardly been apart."

"You know what, never mind the banter, okay?" Tanya said, "So, this is a trap then? Perhaps you should try better next time; I'm not exactly feeling the welcome committee."

Nin and Tanya began circling one another.

I need to avoid his hands, that much is obvious. Unfortunately, the space in here isn't the greatest, and if I use anything too powerful, I'll collapse the tunnel on my own head. Decisions, decisions.

"You've been making a real nuisance of yourself, and it's only your second day in Xerxes. I'd be impressed," Nin's grin turned downward for a brief moment, "If it wasn't so irritating. Has anyone ever told you that you're a real annoyance?"

"More than you know." Tanya flipped her sword into an underhanded grip, "You have no idea the amount of joy it brings me. Really though, don't worry too much about it. It's not like you'll have any more worries at all after this."

This whole situation is odd. Those tattoos are weirdly familiar, for one thing, and his ability to… what, to shred things? Whatever he was trying to do to my knee last time, that's weird as well. And also, not related to the tattoos, I think. When he destroyed the house, there was this red electricity, and his tattoos glowed. But I didn't see either when he tapped my leg.

"Is that so?" Nin replied.

"You'll be dead soon. Don't you know? It's hard for a corpse to carry anything into the afterlife."

Also, his power, both magicules and that unique energy, is circulating through his body, but the flow is irregular. Not entirely unlike Sue's magic, though they're clearly not the same. Where her flow lags behind, his flow is disproportionate. In fact, it seems like…

"Well, I appreciate your candor." Nin flexed his hands, "But I'm afraid you're the one who will die here. You have no idea what you've walked in to, do you? Did you think I would set up a trap with no plan? That I was merely lurking in a warehouse, or underground, with no reason, no hidden ace up my sleeve to put that smug face of yours six feet under, permanently? Don't be ridiculous. You'll meet your end here, in these tunnels where all Scylla's wishes will be fulfilled. Your blood will be the first, and your corpse will serve as a fine frontline puppet in Scylla's army. My greatest Shade yet! You should be honored-"

Ah, is that it? Tanya was not listening. The flow of power is... his hands are particularly bright under Magic Sense. That would make sense, so let's test it, shall we?

"Shut up already." Tanya stopped circling, turning to face Nin fully. "Did you lead me here to talk? To prattle on about your evil schemes, to continue acting as though you have the upper hand?" She scoffed, "Who gives a shit?! I'm going to kill you, and then I'll find this 'Scylla' you've so helpfully namedropped and kill all of them too."

"Tch." Nin stopped as well. His grin sharpened. "Keep that same energy, hero. How could I not have the upper hand, when you've already lost?"

He held up a hand, a disk of red magic circling his ring finger.

"I had to call in a favor from the Second Head for this. So, I hope you appreciate my efforts in the midst of your suffering!" Nin thrust his hand forward, runic script and crimson magic swirling quicker and quicker between his fingers. "Enjoy this blood curse, from me to you!!"

Tanya stiffened.

The magic continued to spin around Nin's ring finger. Fire crackled in the background, blue flames casting the area in an eerie light.

That was all that happened.

"Why isn't it working?!" Nin poked furiously at the magic ring with his other hand. "Octavius said the effects would be small, not that there wouldn't be any effects all!"

Tanya took that as her cue. Hell, you could practically hear the battle theme kick in.

She stabbed downward, plunging her sword into the dirt. Blue flames shone and swirled around the black magisteel, quickly following the point of her blade underground.

"Huh?" Nin looked up.

Just then, the ground in front of Tanya exploded, gouts of blue and green flame bursting from the earth on a beeline towards Nin's position. Molten earth and hungry fire rampaged through the tunnel, growing with each meter and second, until it reached the ceiling and walls of the tunnel.

"You bitch!" Nin crouched, the tattoos on the back of his hands sparking red, "I was talking!"

A half dome of stone shot up, covering his front and redirecting the molten and burning maelstrom to either side. Even with this, Tanya's attack engulfed his senses, smoke and metal and burnt earthy musk filling his nose, and the crackling and crashing of flame and rock filling his ears.

"Shit." He spat, his tattoos glowing again. "That was cheap."

And now, he couldn't see in front of him, thanks to his own hastily formed shield. He disintegrated the half dome, hands raised and knees bent.

"I'll say it again so you can hear me!" Nin snarled, "That was cheap-!"

He cut off. Tanya wasn't standing across from him anymore.

"Fuck! Where did-"

Every sense, every cell and atom in his body screamed.

In an instant, Tanya appeared in the air in front of him, slashing downwards. Nin forced his body backwards, the strike centimeters from slashing his chest open.

Tanya landed, lunging forward with a horizontal slash.

"Too slow!" Nin ducked. The blow brushed just past the tips of his spiked hair, not even ruffling it despite the apparent force. "Now, you're mine!"

He shoved his hand forward, his palm slapping Tanya across the chest. And then, it went through, as Tanya's form flickered from existence.

"Eh?"

A flash. Pain lanced through his neck, his view forcibly tilting without his consent.

Tanya kicked his back, sending him back into the molten and uneven patch of tunnel ground she'd created with her first attack. She straightened up, eyeing her foe's collapsed body with a blank face.

"Get up." She called, blue flames flaring along her blade.

An annoyed sigh met her.

"You really…" Nin rose, one hand clutching at his chest and the other pointing at her accusingly. "…are getting on my nerves."

That's new. Tanya narrowed her eyes.

Blood was sprouting from his neck, rather than flowing or dripping like wounds were supposed to. It, along with the black mist and red energy of his other abilities, connected with Nin's severed head, making him look like an ugly giraffe hybrid with a red and black splotched neck.

I know I cut his head fully off. But his blood… congealed? Then, that tendril that feels like slimy ectoplasm under Magic Sense… that's what he reconnected his hands with when Mary cut them off. He used that along with his own blood to reconnect his head.

"This isn't as fun as I'd like." His blood yanked, and his head reattached with a disgusting sound not too dissimilar to the stirring of a good macaroni and cheese. "You're not very fun. Cool, but not fun."

Already healed. It's much faster than before, that's for sure. The effect was almost immediate.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Tanya said, mind racing, "I'm having a blast over here. Though, I do feel a little bad. This is just bullying the weak."

"What?" The air changed. He took a threatening step forward, "What did you just say?!"

"I said, 'this is just bullying the weak'."

Come on, get angry. Make a mistake. Give me more information, you fucking annoyance.

"Geh!" Nin held out his arm, the other pressing tightly against his shoulder. "Watch what you say, you shitty hero!!"

His outstretched arm bubbled, flesh flowing, expanding, and sharpening. His sleeve exploded, shreds of white fabric dropping to the ground as his forearm and hand were replaced by a metallic-looking, white-grey blade.

Shapeshifting? Is that a Skill, or is it part of his biology?

"I'm not weak! Not even close!" Nin bared his teeth, his canines elongating slightly into fangs. "You have no idea what you're dealing with! Not at all!!"

"Neither do you." Tanya bent her knees slightly, gripping her sword with two hands. "But by all means, enlighten me. That way, I'll know exactly who I'm sending to Hell."

"Ha… hahah!" Nin's grin stretched unnaturally, as though the expression didn't belong on his face. "Good! Is that good?! That's so good!! Fine! I am the Fourth Head of Scylla, Nin Gen! I have been declared the future God of Metamorphosis, the closest of all in this world to true perfection! I'll make sure to put that on your tombstone under 'Cause of Death'!!"

Nin leapt, reaching her in an instant. Tanya deflected his bladed arm, kicking out and launching him back. He flipped and landed on his feet, sliding backwards such that trenches were left in the dirt.

He's faster than before.

Tanya darted forward, flipping her sword into an underhand grip like earlier. Nin swiped at her, and she ducked, quickly stepping beside and behind him. She stabbed backwards, the tip of her blade spouting from his abdominals.

Her eyes brightened, and the flames along her blade flared.

"Arrgh!!"

Nin contorted, slashing behind him. Tanya yanked her sword free, his blade ruffling her hair as she ducked and rolled out of range.

And his body itself is tougher. I needed to use TLE Level One at max to do any real damage, when before I could cut him without TLE at all.

Tanya narrowed her eyes, splotches of teal energy starting to spread around her eyes.

I'll push Level One to the limit and jump to Level Two when necessary. Even with his new abilities, that should be enough for right now.

"Those flames of yours." The hole in Nin's abdomen slowly healed, his burns fading and his flesh knitting back together. He turned around, angrily brandishing his blade arm, "They hurt! More than they should. And they're distractingly bright. Especially-"

Nin bolted to the side, towards the largest of the still-burning clods of earth from Tanya's initial attack.

"-these ones!"

He slashed through it, flaming specks of dirt and rock scattering and petering out. Tanya's eyes widened as the area got noticeably darker.

Nin sunk into the newly formed darkness, disappearing from view.

The light!

Tanya didn't have time to second guess herself. She just moved, directly towards the next largest chunk of burning debris. Her intuition was proven correct, as Nin stepped from one of the flickering shadows cast by the roaring flame.

He raised his bladed arm, ready to destroy this source of light as well.

Tanya didn't give him the chance.

Her blade slashing down at him like a meteor, blue flames roaring. He spun with a grin, catching her blade with his own and locking them together.

His grin quickly disappeared, and his face shifted into a panic as Tanya steadily forced her blade closer and closer with both hands. He braced his bladed arm with his normal one, palm pressed tightly against the inside of his elbow.

The ground cratered underneath them. Tanya flared her magic, the flames of her sword nearly overtaking his own blade. The tunnel shook as Tanya drove him closer to the ground, their blades both inching steadily towards his neck. A lick of flame slashed him across his nose, another grazing his ear.

Nin's leg gave out, and he fell to one knee.

His blade pressed against his own neck, cutting slightly into the skin. His skin and blood sizzled from the heat, the disgusting smell of burning flesh filling his senses.

He couldn't think. He couldn't do anything.

The shine of the magical fire nearly blinded him, it's light and heat slowly surrounding him on all sides. For a brief second, it was all he could feel.

Light, surrounding me on all sides.

Something flooded him then, a flash of familiarity striking him to his very core.

That's right. You told me-

Deep within him, something shifted.

"Soon, you shall achieve what all beings strive for."

Nin's grin returned.

I'm not human, nor a monster. Why am I fighting like one?

He twisted his torso, forcing his blade arm to the side.

The motion caused Tanya's blade to slip down the length his arm, until it reached his elbow and sliced clean through. Then, it went further, cutting the same arm off at the shoulder.

Nin slipped to the side. The two sections of his right arm fell to Tanya's left, Nin stumbling to a halt on her right.

Tanya spun, slashing horizontally. To her surprise, Nin leaned into the blow, her blade slicing clean through and separating his torso from his waist.

He grinned at her shocked expression, tapping his right shoulder with the arm that hadn't been cut off. Instantly, the bleeding socket bubbled and burst, thin tendrils of black mist and blood shooting out and strapping Tanya's arms to her sides, forcing her sword from her hands involuntarily.

"That hurt." The blood between his top and bottom half had congealed as soon as she'd cut him. His torso reconnected with a wet slap.

Not giving her time to react, he spun, his blood tendrils pulling Tanya along for the ride. His speed increased with each rotation, the air swirling and kicking up loose dirt, until finally he let the tendrils snap near his shoulder.

BOOM

Tanya slammed into the wall. The tunnel shook, a huge crater forming from the impact. Part of the wall crumbled and collapsed, the miniature landslide adding insult to injury and completing covering her still-bound form.

Nin relaxed slightly, allowing his blood to reach back out and reconnect the two severed sections of his arm. The pieces slotted back into place without pause, the blade shifting back into his normal forearm and tattooed hand.

"But that… now, that felt good." Nin took a few steps forward, the ground shifting under his boots. He paused, reaching down to pick up Tanya's sword. "This is well made. Really well made. Better than anything Scylla's got. Too bad swords aren't my style."

He dropped it with a shrug, turning to walk towards Tanya's burial site and finish her off. A sudden blue light made him pause.

FWOOOM

Nin was engulfed in an instant, blue flames washing over him like a tidal wave. Blind with heat and pain, he crouched down, pressing both palms against the ground. Red electricity sparked, and a stone dome rose up around him.

He fell back, panting heavily as his melted flesh began regenerating and stitching itself back together. Sweat dripped from his brow, the heat inside the dome incredible as flames continued to wash along its exterior.

After several painful, regeneration-filled seconds, the roar died down and the temperature dropped. Nin touched the roof of his impromptu fire blanket, the stone dome disintegrating from the top down as he stood up.

He grit his teeth at what met him.

"You know, earlier you said I was getting on your nerves."

Tanya strolled towards him, brushing dirt and black mist from her overcoat. Blue flames licked the air around her, the section of tunnel they were in far brighter now that she'd spent the last several seconds engulfing it in a magical inferno.

Even if Nin wanted to extinguish the light, as his earlier intention had been, there were far too many splotches and gouts of blue flame scattered throughout the area for him to feasibly snuff out.

Well, technically he could. But destroying the majority of the tunnel wasn't exactly an option.

"I get it. Really, I do. Because, now you're getting on my nerves." Tanya blurred, appearing in front of him with a mage blade lining her arm. Her eyes were glowing, with cracks and spots of teal energy all around her eyes.

TLE Level Two was in full effect.

"So, I'm ending this."

She speared him through the chest, clenching her fist in the space where his heart was supposed to be. Her blue fire magic burst into existence, his body filling to the brim with cobalt flame. Gouts of blue light and heated gas leaked from his orifices, the smell of burnt flesh and scalding blood filling the air yet again.

At this rate, they would both go nose blind to the smell, so often it popped up.

Tanya yanked her arm free, spinning and kicking Nin back into the same wall he'd flung her in to. Even more of the wall collapsed then, burying Nin in an avalanche of earth.

Fitting. Killed and buried in the same blow.

Tanya picked up her sword from where Nin had dropped it.

As if. He's still not dead yet.

She didn't even need Magic Sense to tell her that, though it did confirm it.

That regeneration is powerful. It's not as fast as what I've seen before, but it's at least as comprehensive. I've already "killed" him at least three times. That means I probably need to burn him into literal cinders or disintegrate him entirely.

Tanya sighed.

It'd be nice if I could just blast him with an optical spell right now, but with the amount of magic Level Two makes available, I'm almost guaranteed to destroy both Nin, and the entire section of Xerxes that sits above us. Anything lower than that amount of firepower probably wouldn't do enough damage. I never thought I'd miss open-air mage battles. At least up in the sky I can let everything loose without consequence.

The pile of earth that signified Nin's current resting place shook. Clods of earth and dirt showered through the air, as the pile exploded outward.

Nin stood, mud staining his white hair and tracks of dried blood running from the corners of his eyes, mouth, and nose. The white button up of his was gone, burnt and shredded scraps all that remained. His pants and boots were in surprisingly good shape, all things considered, with only several pockmarks and holes.

He stomped over, stopping a few meters away.

"…What was it you said?" His voice was raspy, burned tracks of skin along his chest and throat still healing. "You said you were going to end things, right? That's a pretty cool line. But as you can see, I'm still here. And now, I'm way passed being annoyed."

"Funny, I'm past that point as well." Tanya resisted to urge to pinch her nose. He smelled like a cremation. She clenched her hand on her hilt, those familiar blue flames still flickering along the length of the blade. "Are we done warming up? Ah, sorry. I suppose you've warmed up quite enough, haven't you?"

Nin did not reply.

He grinned, though there was no amusement in his eyes. Only anger, and something best described as inhuman. The atmosphere was white hot; the intensity almost forming a sort of music or subconscious theme between the two of them.

They were nearing the end now, and they both knew it.

It was silent in the tunnel, only the crackling of intermittent cobalt fires filling the air.

Then, as if a switch had flipped, they moved.

Nin slapped his chest, his left arm elongating and his fingers sharpening. He whipped his arm forward, the transformed extremity rolling, spinning, and snapping as it tore through the air and dirt.

Tanya deflected it to the side, ducking and weaving under follow up swings. As the wrist of the arm whip roared overhead, Tanya shot her left hand up, gripping the extremity and pulling it taut.

Her eyes remained locked on Nin. The second his right hand moved, she let go. In the same instant, as his palm tapped his shoulder, she sliced upwards, her flaming blade slicing clean through Nin's elongated arm.

When nothing changed with Nin's appearance, other than a poorly hidden flinch in his shoulders, Tanya couldn't help but grin.

I figured it out, you know. Every time you shapeshift, you tap yourself with your hand first. Not only that, there's also a split second between the touch and the shift, as your magicules flow from one area to another. It's a conscious process, meaning it can be interrupted. You may be able to ignore your pain, but the physical shock response is not so easily cast aside.

Tanya crouched near the piece of arm she'd severed, her hand moving between her boot and the slashed off forearm and hand in less than an instant. Then, she stood, charging Nin in the same second.

You were so caught up in the battle that you didn't realize I noticed, but I'm not some negligent sparring partner. This was over the second it began.

Nin snarled, hurtling a palm strike at her face. Tanya tilted her head, his thumb brushing her ear as she stabbed him through the gut.

Unnoticed by either combatant, the ring of blood magic around Nin's ring finger flashed for brief instant, before fading. In that same moment, Tanya's tracing spell blared in the back of her mind. She cut it off without a second thought, and Magic Sense along with it.

Tanya stepped back, wrenching her blade free from torso. Blood sprayed from the wound, the smell of metal and cooked meat filling the space between them. Letting go with one hand, she slapped his arm away, slamming him in sternum with a palm strike of her own right after.

He recovered almost as soon as the blow landed, reeling back for another open palm blow even as his ribs shifted back into place and the hole in his abdomen squelched shut.

Tanya sidestepped to outside the blow, stabbing upwards through his extended forearm as he overextended. She switched to an underhand grip then, yanking her sword forward.

Her blade sliced though his arm like butter, half of it falling away as she pulled it through his tricep and shoulder. She took another step, pulling it free and stabbing through his back, until the point burst though his sternum. Her grip flipped once more, and she jerked her blade up through Nin's chest, bisecting his neck and cranium in one motion.

Mud was forming under her boots, so thoroughly drenched in blood it was.

Tanya turned, just in time to see Nin's arm slap meatily back together. His upper half was still in the middle of this process as he spun, swinging at her with an open palm and absolutely zero hesitation.

This is something else I've noticed, but you and your Shades don't regenerate new parts by default. Instead, your first action is to pull in the old parts and reattach them. It makes no sense, though. Why not just regenerate the piece from scratch? It'd be faster, right?

Tanya dodged the errant swipe, her knee snapping up and crashing against Nin's stomach. Multiple cracks rang out, his ribs snapping yet again. Tanya's magic flared, and she kneed him again, launching him away.

He crashed against the wall with a tunnel rumbling BOOM, dazed and down several ribs and IQ points. The two halves of his head slapped back together with a spurt of blood and black mist.

But you don't. Why is that? Because you can't? You regenerated smaller pieces from scratch, like those holes in your chest, so you definitely can. The next logical conclusion, then, is that it takes less energy to simply reel in the severed parts than to completely remake them. But that's a bad habit to have in a life-or-death battle. Your first thought will always go to those old pieces first because of it. Because that's what you always do, right?

Tanya pushed off, reaching Nin's position in an instant. Desperately, blindly, he swung his arm at her, the bloody and slimy red black tendrils from his still severed left arm stretching out past her and grasping for its missing piece.

That second of indecision is more than enough for me. The smart thing would have been to regenerate your left arm immediately. But you didn't. That just shows your lack of experience. You have habits that rely on your unique physiology and Skills. Against someone with years of battle experience…

Tanya burst forward, impaling him through his right hand. She let go, leaving her sword and Nin trapped against the wall.

…You can't make such mistakes. This isn't a shonen battle manga. The underdog doesn't miraculously win against the obvious favorite. It's called a one-in-a-million chance for a reason.

"Ack-!" Nin lurched forward, tugging uselessly at his impaled hand, "What? What?! Why isn't-"

His eyes widened. Back near the middle of the tunnel was the missing half of his arm. The tendrils trailing from his stump tugged at it uselessly, one of Tanya's combat knives impaling it to the ground.

"How…" Nin yanked at his right arm, only succeeding in ripping open more of his palm. "How are you so strong? How did you figure out my powers better than me?! You're just- you're just a stupid human!!"

"And you aren't?"

"I'm much more than a human! I've ascended far beyond my human origin!!" Nin snapped at her, maniacal laughter bubbling up between spittle and blood. "I'm going to be perfect! You hear that? A God-!"

Slap!

Tanya backhanded him.

And that's another thing. You're too confident. It's irritating.

"You were laughing just now. Is this entertaining? Is this amusing?" She slugged him across the face. "What's wrong? You were treating all of this like a game."

Wham! His stomach bent inward.

"Is this fun? Is it not? Come on, tell me."

Boom! His sternum cracked.

"You took so much joy out of messing with me. In wasting my time. What does someone's life mean to you, huh? Is it something you can just play around with, throw away, fuck over, as long as it's someone else's?"

Smash! His ribs snapped.

"I'm not the only one. As irritated as I am, I'm far from the worst off here. What did you do with Gobhua and Gobara, huh? Did you kill them? Absorb their energy? Turn them into Shades?"

Bam! His jaw dislocated.

"How many other lives did you destroy? You're humanoid enough. Did you not feel sympathy? Did you not feel that they were worth more than a simple plaything, than as ingredients for your beasts?"

Crash! His nose gushed blood.

Tanya took a step back, her chest heaving. Blood dripped from her gloved knuckles, and sweat dripped from her brow, heated breaths filling the silence.

"…Don't misunderstand me. I'm mostly asking this out of curiosity, rather than concern. I'm not someone who involves themself unnecessarily. If I could have shoved this mess on someone else, I would've. But, as usual, there's no one better for the job than me. Because of you, I have to go out of my way. Because of you, I have to exert myself in this manner, have to risk my life, investigate kidnappings, work to topple some stupid fucking organization's delusion of grandeur."

You talk far too big for someone with such glaring weaknesses. Compared to Tempest's heavy hitters, you're barely even a speck of dust. Hell, I know for certain Mary could beat you. Her Skill in particular makes her the worst possible matchup someone like you could face.

"Whatever." Tanya sighed, shaking her hands out. "I don't care enough anyways. I'll just end this."

She watched as his flesh began to knit back together, the shattered bones and dislocated pieces fusing and healing with a faint red glow.

However, it was slower than before, Tanya noted with a satisfied nod. She stepped forward, raising her hand towards the unresponsive Nin. A mage blade formed over her right hand, and she pulled it back, ready to spear him through the heart. Blue flames burned along it's razor-sharp edge.

Nin's head shot up.

"No!!"

He yanked his palm down, ripping his hand nearly in two in order to free it from her sword.

Son of a-

He lunged forward, his torn and bloody right palm flying towards her. In an instant, his hand was over her face.

"Got you!"

But nothing happened. His arm trembled as he tried to force it forward.

"I-" Nin couldn't believe it. "How did you- how are you so strong!?"

Tanya gripped his wrist even tighter, the bones creaking audibly. Not bothering with a reply, she yanked his arm down, slicing it off at the shoulder with the mage blade on her other hand.

"Who knows?" Tanya tossed his arm off to the side, before reaching up and pulling her sword from the tunnel wall. She sheathed it through her belt, keeping her mage blade trained against Nin's neck. "You don't need to, certainly. After all, you're going to die soon."

"You can't…" Nin's coughed, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, "Stupid hero… you have no idea what I'm capable of. Cut off my head, cut me in half, break every bone in my body and explode my brain… I'll return. This is ultimately just a scratch. You should know this by now."

"That's a nice thought. But your regeneration isn't working like you want it too, is it?"

Nin stiffened.

"I could tell the flow of your energy was strange right from the start. It's centered in your hands, isn't it? A bunch of your magic and energy likes to pool there." Tanya pressed her mage blade forward slightly, drawing blood from Nin's neck. "This is speculation on my part, but it's because your abilities all stem from there, right? Not just your shapeshifting ability, which requires you to touch yourself with one of your hands, but also that little transfiguration magic you pull off by way of your tattoos. That's a bad practice, you know, putting all your eggs in two easily cut off baskets."

She smirked.

"Knowing all this, I can't help but ask. Is this Scylla of yours embarrassed, having involved such a worthless reject like yourself? They must all be a failure themselves to have something so terrible."

"Don't speak of them!" Nin's eyes widened, his wounded pride burning more than any fire up until this point. "Don't you dare! They, Father- all of it is far greater than you could imagine!!"

"I doubt that." Tanya shrugged, "But go ahead and tell me all about it. If you spill everything you know, I'll even give you a painless death."

"As if I'd ever!" He spat at her. Literally. "Fuck you! Tricky, cheating hero! Go die!"

Tanya let her mage blade extend through his throat. He shut up, immediately choking on his own blood.

That's better.

She pulled her arm back, crimson sizzling against cobalt magic. Black mist and red energy desperately worked in tandem to tie Nin's vocal cords back together.

He glared at her, though the effect was largely diminished by his gurgling and complete inability to strike back.

I don't think he's going to talk. Oh well.

Tanya pulled her arm back again. She thrust her mage blade forward, her hyper-sharpened magic and flaring flames moving to end him simultaneously. Her hand cut straight through the center of his chest, hitting the wall behind him. At the same time, her flames washed over him, flooding him inside and out.

I'll just burn you to the bone, until there isn't a piece of magic left that could put you back together. I can always speak with Garmstrong about this "Scylla" and "Father" you mentioned.

Magic Sense rang out like a gong.

"Apophis! Swallow!"

WOOOM!

Tanya looked to the side, just managing to throw up her barrier as something massive, fanged, and fleshy surrounded her and carried further down the tunnel, until they were almost completely out of sight.

"Well, well. It's a good thing I cancelled my plans, then."

Eve strolled down the tunnel, looking for all the world like the cat that caught the canary.

In front of her, far past where Nin was collapsed against the wall, a massive snake filled most of the tunnel, winding and twisting in a spiral with its head buried in the center.

"You look like you need my help- oh shit." Eve glanced at Nin's slumped over form, before doing a double take. She rushed to his side. "Whoa, she really fucked you up! Are you even alive? Shit, please tell me you're alive."

She knelt down, placing her hands on his blackened and charred shoulders. His white hair was grey now, tainted by the smoke of his own burnt husk of a body. His skin was cracked all over, crimson red standing out and leaking from everywhere it could.

"Urrggg..." Despite this, Nin was alive.

He bent forward, puking all over her expensive-looking brown leather boots.

Eve froze.

"…You did not. I know you didn't just do that."

He puked again in response, covering her boots in even more blood and regurgitated, burnt up pieces of his internals. It was probably the grossest thing either of them had ever seen, though Nin was far more focused on not dying than on his or her disgust.

"Hurck..." He gagged, "...run…"

"What?" Eve took a step back, trying in vain to kick off some of the sludge.

"Gotta… run…"

A bright flash a blue lit up the area far ahead. The sound of ripping flesh accompanied an explosion of red, blood and gore splashing against the ceiling in the center of Apophis's spiraling length.

Eve looked over, her eyes widening. Even as the death of one of her Snakes registered in the back of her mind, she acted without pause.

"Glycon!" She held out a hand, one of her fingernails disappearing and a symbol appeared on her tongue. "Collapse the area in front of us!"

A large serpent half as tall as the tunnel materialized beside her. It rumbled forward quicker than it's size would suggest, its spiked tail lashing forward and slamming across the walls and ceiling. The tunnel shook, the earthen walls above and in front of them loosening and beginning to fall.

With one more slam of Glycon's tail, the ceiling and walls just in front of them collapsed, right as a massive gout of blue flames came roaring towards them. Eve could feel the heat of the attack against her skin, even as the tunnel continued to rumble and collapse.

"Glycon, disappear. Python, come."

One serpent vanished, and a smaller one took its place. Eve looked at her hand, annoyance flashing across her face.

"Three nails in one day. This is all your fault, you know."

Nin groaned.

"Yeah, yeah." Eve reached down, grabbing him under the armpit and tugging him forward. She stumbled as the tunnel shook again, the area warming to an uncomfortable level. The collapsed section of tunnel to her right rumbled threateningly. "Let's get the hell out of here. Python, open your mouth."

As soon as her Snake complied, she tossed Nin inside, before walking around and hopping up onto the space just past Python's head.

"Don't eat him. Drake wouldn't be happy with me if I fed you his darling boy. Just keep him in your mouth until we get back to HQ."

Python closed its mouth with a click. Eve took that as acknowledgment.

The tunnel shook again, a section of wall nearby collapsing.

"Now, get us back to HQ. You should be able to get there from here."

Python took off much faster than a snake should be able to.

Eve frowned, glancing backwards. "Well, this is certainly going to come up at tomorrow's meeting. Joy."

By the time Tanya was able to force her way back into an non-collapsed section of tunnel, the two were long gone. They had gotten away.

At least, that's what they thought.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Known Skills List

Tanya:

Common Skill: Thought Communication

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra Skill: Voice of the World Communication

Unique Skill: Formulaic Casting

Unique Skill: Tetrabattery Limit Enhancement

Mary:

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra/Intrinsic Skill: Physical Enhancement

Unique Skill: [Wouldn't You Like to Know]

Notes:

"Tempest's heavy hitters" in Tanya's eyes: Rimuru, Herself, Milim, Benimaru.

I'm gonna do the music thing with all future (important) battles.

I'm focusing on Tanya for a bit since Mary got so much development in previous chapters. However, Mary's going to get her chance to shine very soon. I was originally going to keep that exact description of her Unique Skill under wraps until the Demon Lord Awakening Arc, but I changed my mind.

Next time: "The Shadow of Xerxes"

Thanks for reading!