The man was the calmest person ever with lifetask to kill people and only walked around with his hands in his robe and hood on. For some reason he had strange red fire aura around him, but it seemed to be only illusions. He didn't check his sides, behind or even front and seemed to sing something facing the ceiling.
Still it was impossible to strike him.
There was hundreds of blades, shields, hammers.. everything spinning around him. All absorbed magic that came in contact with them and faster than I could run. Not to mention they were all physical. It's as if Selshin magic wasn't magic in the first place, but something to kill other mages with.
But that couldn't be right.
”Nan-chan, Tenchi, you're not really doing your job are you?” He stopped singing and began searching us. Nanoha-san was hidden behind a pillar near him as was I.
”Well, you're doing pretty good at defensing.” Nanoha complimented from her hideout.
”Why, thank you. You think I should go offense as you won't?” He taunted.
It wasn't hard for me to hate him. He was arrogant, annoying and too calm.
”Knock yourself out. Maybe we get a change then.” I answered. The second he would drop his defense down, I would break that bond.
The black monk just laughed.
His strangely polytonic voice distorts into laughter like no-other. ”That funny?”
”But I really don't want to.” He groaned. Like a boy in puberty, his voice rocks from one extreme to another, reminding a strange union of bass and violin.
”Well what do you want then?”
”What do I want?” The annoying voice became louder like he had expected this question. ”I want life as a human, my family, a cane, A monologue!” His voice echoed around the room.
Ridiculous.
”Haha~” Nanoha forced a laugh or atleast I hope it was forced. ”You're pretty interesting. Once we're done here, how about you come to RF6? We can give half of those.”
”Ah damn... there went my monologue... now it's a bilogue.”
Was he really that stupid? I would have imagined the elite of Selshin a bit different, but this would only make our job easier, so I wasn't complaining. ”Get on with it already. We don't have all day.” I tried to make him drop his defense.
”In a hurry, are we? I better get going then.” The items picked up speed and the music-like harmony of the blades created a qentle wind in the hall. The wind was perfectly balanced between calmness and power, making my hair flutter like nothing else.
A dazzling sound of Nanoha's boosted barrier came from her direction.
This would be my change!
-Fake Silhouette- I casted and from behind every pillar, two illusion Teana ran towards the monk in the center. I had never casted this many illusion before, let alone maintained them, but I guess situations like this bring out the true form in people.
[Dagger Form] Every Cross Mirage transformed into an orange energy dagger.
”Oh...” He noticed his demise. Stangely enough, even that quiet mutter seemed like it echoed.
He didn't even get to turn his head before I had him in my range.
Every illusion had reached the black figure at the same time and sliced every spot in his body. I personally made sure he didn't live after my slice.
”What the...?” He vanished.
”Doppelgänger. A shadow copy.” A voice behind my explained.
When did he...?
A swarm of black items hit me and drained my barrier jacket away almost in an instant.
What's wrong with these shadows!? I can't win! Nobody can!
Two black round shadows came and hit my sides with a crack. Third hit quickly to my back and rammed me all the way to the other end's wall. I knew the wall was hard and reinforced with metal and now that I saw it closer, it indeed was something like metal. Nothing like normal metal thought as it had something black all over it.
"'Teana!"' I heard Nanoha-san yell in my mind. The pain was strangely tingling. I would have imagined that cracking ribs would be more painful. Perhaps I was too numb to feel anything.
”Nice plan.” He praised, walking towards me slowly followed by a rhytmic sound of wooden shoes. It would have been calming in any other situation, but now I could only think how it would end my life.
Was this really it?
”I try to make it quick.” I think I heard something else. Nanoha-san shot something, but it didn't last long. I couldn't even turn my head because of the force on my back.
I don't want to die.
I could feel something enter my hand. It felt like millions of needles pierced my palms and then wrapping my hands in tight gloves, almost like not to let blood flow throught the tiny holes.
”Aaaaargh...” I screamed from the pain. Was this the first time I even let a sound?
My back was released from the pressure and I was now kept airborne by the gloves.
Slowly he turned me around. My arms were about to rip out of their sockets in this pseudo crusified position, but I was too numb to feel the pain. Finally I was going to see his face up close.
What would it be like?
It was crying. Small tears ran through his cheeks as an apology. He couldn't fight the bond with his actions so he showed it like this. Even that he had tears running throught his face, his deep violet eyes showed no emotion. It was as if he had been looking a failed art piece, which he had poured all of his heart in.
Yet finishing it didn't bring him any joy.
”Yo-you don't have to do this...” I managed to splurt out. Pain had numbed all my senses and that was everything I could say.
Even that his face was crying, his voice was just as it was when we got here. I missed those times.
”You don't deserve to die here.” He smiled and with his rising arm multiple weapons aimed at me behind him. ”But some things just don't go like you wanted.” His arm dropped.
I'm scared.
____________________
”Vita-chan. You look cornered.” Linque smirked, circulating the trapped warriors.
”Tsk...” Vita cursed her back against Subaru.
The room was almost complitely filled with blue and yellow lights. Touching one with finger would lead to losing it. They were slices and stabs trapped in time, ready to strike on contact.
Linque on the other hand walked freely in the light show. Maybe it was because of the flaming green aura around him.
Vita and Subaru couldn't even fight back, they were fully occupied in tries to stop the man from taking the little of space there was in the small room, which had a constant wind in it as stored slices and stabs were released from being kept too long.
"'Subaru, we need to keep him where he is for 7 minutes. That is his limit for storing."' Vita adviced from experience telepathically.
"'How? He can always leap back and force us stay here."' She stated. The space Vita and Subaru were cornered was in the middle of the room and even smaller than a forward's room.
"'Hit him unconsious then. He can't keep these things up like that."' Vita explained again.
"'He is consciously keeping all these lights up!? That's madness!"'
"'Madness? This is Selshin."' Vita corrected and casted:
-Schwalbe Fliegen-
Subaru ducked when Vita swung her mallet at the four silver balls. They flew quickly towards the man walking around the small area.
But the balls were easily sliced in mid-air by blue lights, which were then replaced by new ones.
”I'm still waiting for those new tricks.” He laughed and sliced the air again leaving blue lights behind.
”As am I.” Vita stroke back.
Linque had always been like this. Rarely fighting directly but slowly and surely trapping his enemies and then killing them when they couldn't run.
"'Vita. I think, I could get us out from this area with wing road."' Subaru remembered.
"'Stop asking for such things and DO it!"'
-Wing Road- Subaru casted and a blue road filled with insignias rose from the ground and led over the blue wall.
”That's new.” Linque watched the two woman run over him on the newly formed road. ”But that's not your trick, Vita-chan.” He tilted his head, smiling obnoxiously.
Without a word Vita readied herself for another area battle.
”If you can do that I better start doing something myself.” He shook his head and all the lights gradually vanished, creating a disturbting wind in the now dark room.
-Abyss Move: Sostenuto- Linque casted and began running, althought he didn't move. It looked ridiculous and Subaru had hard time trying not to laugh.
”DODGE!” Vita kicked Subaru from the gust of wind that went past them leaving a blue stream on Vita's leg. ”Ugh...”
The man now on the other side turned around unsatisfied. ”You saw through it. You've improved.”
”Storing run speed on yourself and releasing it all at once.” She deducted from the move.
”Nice.” Subaru praised, getting a commanding glare from Vita.
”But that's not all.” He appeared in front of Vita. ”There's no limit how much I can store in myself or how I can release it.”
Despite the sudden move, Vita managed to block the man's swift initial strikes and continue doing it.
"'DO something!"' She ordered as she was constantly pushed back and realied too heavily on her barrier.
-Abyss Move: Ambidextrous- Linque casted again now slowing his arms.
”No...” Vita's eyes widened as the cut in her leg was used and Linque's arms dissapeared from extreme speed.
”Vita!”
The warrior fell on her knees before the man. Her barrier jacket was rippled and she was bleeding from multiple places.
-Divine Buster!- Subaru yelled loading multiple cartridges.
Linque showed no preperation and appeared far away from the blast.
”And I got plenty of movement stored in myself.” He smiled appearing now in front of Subaru.
-Protection!- She screamed, extending her arm towards the man.
”Tsk... Barrier freaks...” He cursed
-Barrier Hit: Echoplex- and swung his blades at the barrier, ignoring it and slicing Subaru's left hand.
But there was no pain, nor was there blood flowing. Only blue streams on her arm.
Linque quickly moved away and released his strike.
”Aaagh...” Both of them screamed.
Linque took the barriers strike in his hands and Subaru's wound opened bleeding deeply.
[Gigantform] A gigantic hammer hit Linque to head.
”Ah... I was careless.” The hammer was stopped complitely.
”What?!” Vita wondered, moving her hammer away to see what had happened.
-Messa Di Voce- Linque sang briefly.
Linque's head was all red. But not from blood. It was the power of the blow stored in his head waiting for release.
”So now I got 7 minutes before I have lost...” He laughed. ”Better get serious.”
-Schlangenform- He casted and spun his blades around his finger leaving a constant blue stream behind. Like a dancer he spun around and eventually dissapeared into the blue light.
”Schlangenform...?” Vita stuttered from safe distance.
After a while, the long blue stream returned to his blades like pulled by something. An undescribeable light flashed in his hands and he did the same with spiked saws.
Another flash turned the saws back to the swords, that were now followed by loose green light. Somehow it resembled a wide blade whip.
”Now...” Linque stopped. ”...I'll be serious.” He said, swinging his blade and made the green blade extend towards Vita with ludicrous speed.
By sheer instinct she attempted to block the hit but it went straight through her weapon and pierced the wall behind her, missing her head only by inches.
”My blade defiles reality. Your weapon is nothing to it.” Linque closed his eyes and gave the blade a tiny shake, which led to a massive twist by the time reached the other end.
But Vita was already far away thinking what to do against unblockable, blinding fast, long range sword that could twist mid-air.
”You copied that from Signum?!”
”Copied?” He smirked, pulling the green blade back. ”Inspired by.”