Kingdom of Madness

The Eye of Evil
"What the...?" Cobra stared in awe at the sky, seeing what could only be described as an "eye" staring back down. He clutched his arm in pain, alone and seperated from everyone else "I need to find the others, but I can't smell or detect them in all of this...stench." He said, walking through the streets of the ruined buildings. Cobra couldn't differentiate the scents from one another, blood, rotten meat and various other mixtures and smells. "Ah." He stopped before a ruined hospital, walking into it and searching for any possible first aid kits to deal with his injuries "Of course, everything here isn't usable...Great." He tossed aside all the broken syringes and openned drug packets into the ground, finding nothing useful.

"Are you needing this?" Cobra jumped in shock, as the a skeletal, zombie-like samurai spoke, holding up a medical kit. The samurai wore a white garb, with grey hair tied in a top knot, his eyes sunken and bandages covering over one of his eyes, and a sheathed sword at his hip. His voice and tone was accompanied by his heavy breathing, as if exhausted and struggling for air "I can't exactly make use of this, ahh, so...you are...ahhh, in greater need of it.".

"T-...Thanks." Cobra said, taking the med kit, albeit hesitant.

"My name...is Zato." Zato introduced himself "You must...be new here, yes?" He politely asked.

"..." Cobra stared at Zato, trying to comprehend what he was looking at. Was it a demon or a zombie? He couldn't tell.

"Ah, let me help." Zato said, noticing Cobra struggled to use the med kit with one arm. He openned it for him "Shall this suffice?".

"Uh, yeah." Cobra said, taking back the medkit, pulling out the bandages and beginning to wrap it around his broken arm.

"I know a doctor." Zato said "He could treat that arm of yours and any other injury.".

"That's a nice offer, bud, but I need to find my friends." Cobra replied, tightening the bandages around his arm "I can't waste time doing detours.".

"Oh, one of the visitors?" Zato inquired "Knowing Barka, he sent the ribbon girl to find them and get them to his clinic as fast as posisble." He said "It's best you head there, your friends could be there already.".

"...Why should I trust you?" Cobra asked, bringing up a good point.

"...Oh, I don't have any good excuse..." Zato admitted "I suppose you have no reason to...believe me...".

"Then good day." Cobra said, shutting the medkit and walking away "I'll keep looking.".

"Well, if you need help, do call." Zato said to Cobra as he walked away, waving goodbye "Do enjoy your stay, but be careful..." Zato ominously said "Dianoir is unkind.".

"So..." On a different part of the island, Erza walked alongside Ghost, finally breaking the silence "What...is this exactly?".

"Dianoir." Ghost replied "Or what's left of it.".

"Oh." Erza held back asking further, feeling as though she would overstep her boundaries.

"I don't exactly know what happened myself, but..." Ghost continued to speak after a moment of silence "It happened when the waters became black. The people felt strong at first, diseases were easier to cure, even blindness and other disabilities vanished as if they never happened. It was an age of miracles...".

"Could there really exist something so...potent? To heal wounds is one thing, but healing blindness?".

"These black waters..." Ghost pointed her rifle to the sides, aiming at demons who hid in rubble, scurrying away in fear from her weapon "Turned the people into these things. Demons. Some are worse off than others though.".

"So that is why you checked me..." Erza recalled, Ghost checking if she was "infected", she knew what it meant now "Then are you...?".

"I'm infected, but..." Ghost stopped, exposing her wrists to Erza, showing the veins turned pitch black "The black waters seem to only react to strong emotions, which boost the demonification process." Ghost explained "And demons were born from the human shells.".

"Black waters..." Erza focused her sights on Ghost's veins, the blood itself was pitch black. The sight seemed familiar, even the sensation and story. Ghost pulled her wrist away, gesturing Erza to keep following her "Where are we going?".

"Barka." Ghost replied "He is the last doctor you can trust in Dianoir, and his place is a safe haven from the infection. He has clean water and edible food.".

"What am I supposed to do there?".

"Stay safe and alive. You hadn't come here alone, did you? I detected multiple surges in power around Dianoir, so you must have had allies, yes?" Ghost questioned Erza.

"Ah, I do, but I have no idea how we ended up here." Erza replied.

"Hm. A mystery..." Ghost said "You were among the highest power surges. If all the other ones are your friends as well, then we're in a good spot.".

"Isn't there a way we can help?" Erza asked "There has to be something we can do. What happened to this kingdom is simply awful, hence, I am willing to save it, if you would allow.".

"..." Ghost stayed quiet for a bit, before stopping "Just find your friends and leave this island. Trust me, there are monsters here you people shouldn't confront." She said, as if warning Erza.

As he came to, Amon was seconds away from jumping, but stopped himself last minute. His eyes widened in shock and confusion, as if he just experienced a nightmare he couldn't explain "...?" He looked around, trying to gauge wherever he was. All Amon could see and remember was visions of being chased, fighting and then black. He wasn't even sure which bits were real and which were just him losing his mind. Rising from the bed, he was immediately halted by a blade being unsheathed and placed near his neck. Following the blade along to its owner, he saw a familiar face, the woman with the white ribbon, purple hair and in an eastern garb, a kimono as it were, with flower patterns.

"I'd suggest you stay down." She said to Amon "You're still in no condition to get up.".

"Kagura, please!" Another individual made himself known, a black, demonic creature with various tentacles, and a hulking form, his arms constructed from several tentacles joining forces to form an arm with fingers, yet his face was skeletal "This is helping no one and you know it! You're just going to make their condition worse. What if he has heart issues?! Are you going to give him a heart attack?!" The black creature scolded Kagura, causing her to awkwardly sheathe her sword back in.

"Apologies, Barka." Kagura said to the demon, Barka "I'll try and not repeat this mistake.".

"Uhh..." Amon rose uninterrupted, as the blanket fell off his body, revealing the heavy amount of bandages on his upperbody "...".

"Don't move too much." Barka suggested to Amon, keeping himself from coming into contact with him "You have to rest. Your body is in serious condition.".

"I..." Amon scratched his head, trying to remember and distinguish what was real and what was fiction. It all was a blur, yet he could make clear images, and they felt real. He knew they were real. But the name Alia kept appearing in his mind "Urgh...!" He felt his head pulse, gripping it in pain.

"Oh dear...it seems you have a headache too..." Barka turned to Kagura "Please, be a dear and get some medication to help with his headaches.".

"Will do." She said, getting up from her seat and walking towards a nearby cabinet full of medications.

"Now, if I may ask you some questions..." Barka said to Amon "Who are you?".

"I am...Amon." He replied "Who...?".

"Please, I'll answer in a moment." Barka interrupted Amon "This is very important. What are you?".

"What am I...?" Amon pondered that for a moment, and getting a clear look at his surroundings, Barka and Kagura, he didn't know what answer to give. "...I am...Demon...".

"Ah, so you are..." Barka said, with a disappointed tone of crushed hopes and dreams "Perhaps I was a bit too optimistic.".

"Nonsense, Barka." Kagura said, handing Amon over medication and a glass of water, yet keeping her attention to Barka "This was just a fluke, think nothing of it.".

"Yes, but his blood..." Barka said "Bah, you're right. This was just a...mistake.".

"What about my blood?" Amon asked Barka.

"Ah..." Barka coughed, clearing his throat "Nothing, think nothing of it.".

"It's because of the Black Blood, right?" Amon replied "Did it...do something? Oh god, did I do...? Did I hurt someone? I remember...growing wings and...fighting alongside..." Amon clutched his head trying to remember what happened, but he couldn't tell if it did happen.

"Relax, nothing happened." Barka said "I merely noticed your blood, it remained a mixture of red and black, with neither color dominating the other." He explained "I've nevr seen someone subjected to the infection with such an equilibrium.".

"...Infection?" Amon looked up at Barka in confusion "Infection...".

"Ah, speaking of..." Barka said, quickly changing the subject "I should note, you mustn't come into physical contact with anyone for a while, probably a few months...".

"Huh?".

"It...well, how do I say this...? There seems to be an overflowing amount of magical poison going throughout your body. It has subsided, but, I fear it has had some...detrimental effect on you, physically and mentally." Barka explained to Amon "And right now, your body itself houses this unfathomable poison, and I fear that physical contact could poison others.".

"Poison..." Amon's expression twisted into a pained look, as he clutched his head with both hands, beginning to have flashes of recent memories "Hawk...!" Amon suddenly shouted, his eyes dilating, as his pupils became slitted, black liquid poured into his sclera "My body...is poisonous...?!" His tone became progressively more agonized and angered, clutching his chest, sweating from exertion despite minimal movement on his part "I can't...M-...My...What did I do...?!".

"Breathe in, inhale, exhale." Barka said, trying to calm down Amon. Amon's eye twitched, suddenly grabbing Barka by one of his hair tentacles, pulling him closer, his flesh beginning to darken with scale-like appendages making their way from his shoulder to his fingertips, turning them into claws "I understand your confusion, that you're terrified of what's happening to your body, but...".

"But what?!" Amon angrily shouted at Barka, further parts of his body began to turn demonic as his rage grew "I can't...get close to...to anyone...?" His grip loosened, freeing Barka, before Kagura could try and stop him herself "I...".

"Kagura, get me the vaccine." Barka asked of Kagura, who went ahead and filled a syringe with a vaccine she pulled from the nearby cabinet, handing it over to Barka "This should ease your body." He said, injecting the syringe into Amon's arm, causing the demonification to subside "I have medicine that can calm down and subside demonification, but for the poison in your body, you will need to take medication often." He explained, extending his tentacles to a high cabinet to bring out a bottle of pills "These will subside the poison, and prevent most of the symptoms. I had to inject some into you prior, your eyesight was impaired severely, you were undergoing severe demonification to try and combat the poison, and so did your immune system, and your body temperature was plummeting at an alarming rate. If it weren't for Kagura, you may have even died from that alone.".

"..." Amon's placed his hand on his face, feeling a sudden headache, calming down but feeling overwhelmed "I just want to go home...".

"Amon?" Erza said, catching his attention, entering the room with Ghost "You're here?".

"Oh, see? I told you. You're friends are here already." Ghost said to Erza, before turning to Barka "A'right, I got'cha one of the survivors. I'll go find the others.".

"Ah, thank you, Ghost." Barka said to her "Oh, and have you seen Zato by any chance?".

"No-...".

"Erza?!" Kagura suddenly shouted, walking closer to Erza "Have I finally gone mad, or is this really you before me?".

"Ka-...Kagura?" Erza smiled quickly, embracing Kagura in a tight hug, causing the fellow swordswoman to blush by the sudden bodily contact "It really is you!".

"T-...That is wonderful, Erza...!" Kagura said, stuttering, her smile being forced as her face grew redder from embarrassment.

"...Oh, I see." Ghost said, tipping her non-existent hat to the two "I'll give you ladies some privacy, goodbye." She said, despite the fact she was leaving the two with Barka and Amon, so not really much changed by her exit.

"Erza...you're real..." Amon rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure he wasn't hallucinating "Bosco...Hawk...Ah, I remember..." Amon said, getting up from the bed, but was stopped by Barka, who tried to hold him down "I need to get back to Hargeon, I need to get Erza and everyone home...".

"You're in no condition to do such a thing!" Barka snapped at Amon "You will die before you reach the edges of this island.".

"Ah, you must be the doctor." Erza said, deducing from Barka's behaviour "Amon, you best listen to him. You have been through alot recently, we all have. You've arguably suffered the most." She said, still tightly holding Kagura, who seemingly lost consciousness as blood lightly dripped from her nostrils "...Oh, I killed Kagura again.".

"Ka-...Kagura...?" Barka said, concerned as he helped carry Kagura, gently placing her on a seperate bed "This...this is a regular occurence?".

"...I mean..." Erza tried to explain the situation but couldn't find the right words.

Amon breathed out, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor "Ugh..." He gripped his head, scratching it in irritation. The demonification backed off, but his body kept aching. He slowly let everything sink in, recalling the events of Bosco, starting from defeating Lancelot, reuniting with Black, arriving in Bosco and reuniting with everyone there. It came back to him in pieces, but he figured it out, what was real and what was just a false memory. But having these memories return to him only made him more frustrated. He stopped thinking about it, but his breathing were going at odd paces.

Erza drew closer to him, noticing he wasn't in the best condition "Are you okay?" She asked Amon, gently placing her hand on his shoulder, causing him to suddenly jump in surprise, teleporting a small distance from her. Erza gawked at Amon, who stared back in a mix of anger and worry "...Amon?".

"...Don't...touch me..." Amon said to Erza, taking a step back.

"Ah, please." Barka got inbetween the two "Amon's body is exuding a worrying amount of poison. He took medication but just to be safe, no physical contact should be permitted." He explained "Luckily, as a demon, I am capable of resisting the poison, and being the doctor, this is the preferable route.".

"I need..." Amon tried to speak up, but felt a headache thumping in his skull, forcing him to sit down on a nearby chair "When can I go home?".

"We will discuss that matter at a later date. You need to rest now." Barka said "Ah, Erza, please, rest as well. Ghost should find your friends soon, in the meantime, allow me to get you something to eat, maybe drink." Barka said, moving away to a different room, the kitchen, to prepare a meal and drink for his guests.

The Demon Protector
Midnight, Racer and Angel arrived in Dianoir alongside the others, yet they had the least peaceful welcoming. The moment they awakened, they saw demons surrounding them, and only when they showed expressive fear did the demons lunge at them, attacking them with the intention to rip them apart. Thankfully, Midnight's magic was more than enough to pull back the demons, as Angel carried Racer away, his broken leg preventing him from walking away without asistance. All he had to do was raise his arm, and create a twister of rubble and debris to pummel into the demons, shattering their bones and bodies into fine paste, quickly getting rid of this menace.

"What is this place?" Angel asked, helping Racer walk alongside her, his arm around her shoulder "We're no longer in Bosco, I feel.".

"Indeed." Midnight replied "If I had any guess, something happened when we got knocked out. I can't exactly specify, but it seems we've been teleported somewhere else..." He deduced, looking at Calypso's sky, its gaze moving around the island "This is...most likely a dangerous place. We'll have to find the others and leave as fast as possible.".

A footstep echoed through the empty streets, causing everyone to suddenly halt, looking around to try and detect the source of these footsteps, but the echoes made it appear as though there were multiple people around. They kept their guard up, trying their best to keep track of the footsteps, but were continually thrown off by the sounds.

"Hello." Suddenly, they all focused on a single voice, a single man standing a distance away from them "I am a skinless man." The man with black hair uttered, walking towards the three, black pants and a black jacket over a white shirt "My skin is charcoal and my eyes are dry." His festering, crisp and burnt flesh becoming clear through the little light there was in the area, and a white, boney mask stitched onto his face, with flesh-like gloves on his hands "My clothes are covered in soot and my lungs are full of ashes." He stopped, revealing a belt roughly tied around his waist, his clothes torn and dirty, his hair messy and his expression just giving off the impression he was tired, even exhausted "Tell me your name?" The skinless man asked them, casually, and with a tone similar to a friendly first meeting.

"..." Everyone stood infront of the skinless man, silent, processing the man's ominous presence, his aura felt hollow, empty, as if there was nothing, no power inside of him to bolster. "Our names?" Midnight said, placing his arm infront of Angel and Racer, keeping them behind him "And what will our names add?".

"I just want to know." He answered "Did I come off too strong?".

"A bit." Midnight sarcastically replied.

"Hm...you're new and not infected..." He made note of, causing the three to become more cautious towards him "That is a problem...Mother will not be pleased..." Skinless said, as it suddenly began to rain, drenching all four in the waters "Mother does not approve.".

Midnight openned his clenched fist into an open palm, causing the rain to go away from all three, creating a dome-like shape that causing the waters to slip around them, refusing to go near them "You use water based magic." Midnight deduced "You made it rain, so that you could have an advantage against us, correct?".

"Hm." Skinless grunted, moving his hands around, like he was leading an orchestra, before striking a definite pose, his arms stretched to the sides, facing the skies, as all the rain drops stopped in place, halting as if time froze. All the rain drops gathered around him, forming into the shape of a spear, large enough to cast a shadow over a building, with enough water to drown an entire city street "I will drown you." He said, clapping his hands together, sending the spear of water towards them, the pigment of the waters going from clear to pitch black "Sea God's Trident." Skinless uttered, the spear shooting at them, leaving behind a trail of water.

"Get back!" Midnight exclaimed at Angel and Racer, taking a step forward, opening his hand into a palm towards the spear "Reflect!" He uttered, extending arm forth, the palm of his hand meeting the spear's tip, beginning to use Reflector to try and redirect the attack, or at the very least, spread it away from him and the others. "Diffuse." Midnight said, as the spear broke apart, reflecting the waters into every concievable directions, away from him and Angel and Racer, causing it to hit the buildings around them, yet left them dry. He breathed out "My magic prevents you from touching us, as long as I am here, we're untouchable.".

"Hm. Are you so sure?".

When Skinless returned with a question, Midnight turned around, seeing Angel and Racer were gone, a large mass of water dragging them away "...!" How could he have not noticed them being draged by such a large body of water? "You! Where are you taking them?!" He quickly attempted to give chase, yet a wall of black waters erected before him, halting him.

"Mother and Father do not like you non-infected running around." Skinless said "I need to fix that. But I know there's more of you." He said "But, I am no monster. So, let's make a deal." Raising his index finger, he began his bargain "Bring your friends, all of them, to the location I pinpoint." A tendril of water handed Midnight a piece of paper, a map of the island with a location marked on it "If you come there, you can fight for their lives. I will not infect them, I will not kill them. Come alone, and I will instantly decapitate both of them infront of you. But, I can't promise starvation and thirst won't get to them first." He calmly explains his demands and conditions.

Midnight clutched the map in his hand, glaring at Skinless "Fine. If you're so inclined to face all of us at once." He said, being granted passage, as the wall of water moved away, as Skinless himself got dragged away by a large body of water. Midnight quickly ran out into the wide streets, looking around, but finding no trace of Angel or Racer "...Alright. Find everyone...That's my mission now.".

Before he could take a moment to breath and calm down, Midnight's attention was caught by a rising cloud of dust, that seemed to come closer and closer "W-...What is it now?!" Suddenly, Kamma leaped towards Midnight from atop a building "Ka-...Kamma?!".

"Run, Midnight!" Kamma exclaimed, grabbing Midnight's wrist and pulling him with her as they began to run.

"What is it? What is it no-...?!" And right then, an eyeless, horned, pale-skinned demon dragged its feet through the ground, sliding against the ground and tearing through the earth as it closed the distance between it and the two, carrying a large cloud of dust with it. The demon wore a silver gauntlet on its left arm, with a red cape attached to it, billowing with the strong winds caused by the demon's own movement, and wore armoured, brown pants, but was barefoot, revealing the claws on his toes, which were also on his fingers, and his teeth and mouth were shark-like in their structure.

"Protect..." The demon uttered, grabbing Kamma by her head, instantly stopping her in place "...the people..." He breathed out, striking Midnight in the stomach, and lifting him up, his fist digging into his stomach, causing the latter to vomit up blood. "Protect the people." He said again, repeating the same phrase "Protect the people, protect the people..." The demon bellowed, roaring loudly.

"Gustav, you need to greet our guests more diligently than this." A voice called out to the demon, Gustav, turning and gazing at Zato "I need to reunite those people with their friends, if you don't mind, so if you'd kindly." Gustav dropped the two on the ground, beginning to walk towards Zato "Ah, never miss out on a chance to go at it, huh." Zato cheerfully said, taking a stance, gripping his sword's hilt "Well...how long has it been since our last bout? Two months? Three?".

"Protect...the people..." Gustav repeated, his tone seeming more volatile than before.

Midnight coughed, trying to get up, before being assisted by Kamma "What...what is that thing?" Midnight said, suddenly feeling Gustav's energy begin to boil, becoming unbearable with how just wrong it felt, a culmination of madness and bloodlust, boiled to a point where it can't distinguish between friend or foe, driven by the desire to protect a lost kingdom.

"Gustav." Zato said, slowly unsheathing his katana, revealing a black blade "Show me again, how you protect a dead city.".

Gustav bent his knees, the weight of his body and feet causing the earth to sink under him, and with a push from his legs, tore through the air like a bullet, causing earth and debris to fly everywhere, appearing infront of Zato in a split second, his fist raised above his head, thrusting his arm downwards, to which Zato retaliated by swinging his sword, simultaneously leaping back. Gustav's fist struck the earth, splitting the earth in half, leaing a wide crater between the two, as a slash appeared across his chest, constructions around the two began to fall down after appearing to have been sliced clean. Zato's feet touched the ground, immediately kicking against it and rushing towards the blind demon general, thrusting his sword forward.

Gustav clasped his hands together, stopping the blade inbetween them, inches away from his face. He grabbed the blade with one of his hands, pulling Zato towards him, to which the zombie samurai let go of his sword, rolling out of the way of Gustav's fist, narrowly missing it, yet Gustav halted his fist, tracking the sounds Zato made as he rolled on the ground, standing up again "Protect the..." Gustav was silenced by Zato's open palm striking his jaw, forcing him to close it, his teeth cracking from the pressure. Taking a step back in a stance, Zato struck Gustav in the chest, a burst of crimson energy blasting through his back.

"I'm a warrior first, and a swordsman second." Zato said, to Gustav, quickly running over to grab his katana as Gustav tried to regain his balance "This is my win again, Gusta-...!".

"...people." Gustav said, finishing his sentence, suddenly regaining his balance as he dug his teeth deep into Zato's neck, causing a large fountain of black blood to gush from his wound. Pulling on the skin with his teeth, he wore a good chunk of Zato's neck off, only further increasing the blood loss, before clenching his hand into a fist, striking Zato square in the stomach, the air around the two erupting like a bubble from the pressure of Gustav's strike. Without letting Zato fly away, Gustav grabbed his wrist, pulling him again, striking him on his decaying face, keeping him in place by holding onto his wrist, assaulting him repeatedly without giving Zato a moment to take a breathe.

Among the endless assaults to his face, Zato raised his blade, the sharp edge right infront of Gustav's fist, causing the General's arm to be sliced by the sharp blade, starting from the knuckles, all the way to his elbow. Gustav pulled his arm back, giving his arm time to regenerate back, giving Zato the chance to attack, first by slicing off Gustav's other arm by its shoulder, freeing him from his grip. "Don't tell me you're getting older first, Gustav!" Zato exclaimed, gripping his sword's hilt with both hands, swinging down on the demon from overhead, slicing down from the top of his skull down to his stomach, bringing forth a fountain of gushing black blood to coat the skies in an almost rain, covering and dirtying Zato "Whew..." He breathed out calmly, as Gustav fell on his back, the blood making a puddle atop and below his body. Zato turned to face Midnight and Angel, sheathing his sword and waving his hand to them "Greetings, my name is Zato, if you do not mind, I would like to help you return to your friends." Zato said to the two, trying to appear as welcoming as possible to them.

Without warning, Gustav jumped above, kicking Zato's head and sending him crashing through a multitude of buildings, landing on the ground with perfect balance "Protect the people." He continued his phrase, raising his leg up in a position very akin to kickboxing, despite both arms now being useless, he still maintained a fighting spirit to continue on this grueling battle. It took a few moments, but Zato returned, rushing towards Gustav with his sword in hand. The samurai tossed his sword upwards, leaping after it, and with a full turn around on his part, kicked the very hilt of the sword with his foot, sending it flying towards Gustav. The black blade glimmered with a crimson aura, shooting and cutting through the air.

Gustav raised his foot up, kicking the blade, slicing through his foot, but the attack was interrupted, the sword twirling in the air. Gustav stomped the ground, leaping up and biting the sword's hilt, landing on the ground, holding onto Zato's Wagachi in his mouth, inbetween his teeth. Zato landed back down, rushing at the General demon, as the latter rushed towards the zombie samurai as well.

Gustav swung the blade towards Zato, who ducked, avoiding the blade's sharp edge by a margin, quickly rising and striking Gustav in the throat, causing him to spit out the sword, freeing it. He struck again, this time in the stomach, pushing Gustav back, giving him some room to breath as he grabbed his sword's hilt, but before Zato could regain his composure, Gustav leaped towards him, delivering a straight kick towards Zato, who blocked the kick with his sword, his feet sinking into the ground from the impact. Gustav used the blade to weigh in, standing atop of it, raising his other leg upwards, kicking straight down on Zato's head, causing him to hit the ground, the blunt force trauma sending him into a daze.

He rolled out of the way, as Gustav landed another kick, missing Zato by just a few inches. Zato got back on his feet, but Gustav already closed the distance between them, and with the small window he got to react, the two began clashing, sword against kicks. Zato deflected and blocked a barrage of kicks from Gustav, being pushed back slowly by the impact and power behind each and every kick, the speed and consistency of each following strike refusing to give Zato an opening to attack, effectivel keeping him in a corner.

"Protect the people." Gustav said, his attacks becoming much more aggressive, with greater impact and more speed, managing to get some hits on Zato's arm, yet the samurai continued to block and deflect his attacks "Protect the people." He repeated, the impact of his kicks, pushing Zato back further, and quickly closing the distance between them to continue his barrage, slowly but surely breaking through Zato's defenses "Protect..." With one upward kick, breaking Zato's defenses, his sword flying away from his hands, losing his grip, he performed a full-body spin, using the momentum gathered to deliver a swinging kick to Zato "...the peo-..." However, his leg blasted off, a gunshot being heard prior, hitting his knee and seperating the lower half of his leg from his body, cancelling out his attack entirely. A secondary gunshot echoed like thunder, hitting Gustav's skull, yet the bullet bounced off, barely grazing through his scalp, yet the impact of the bullet made him lose his footing and balance.

Taking the opportunity, Zato cocked both his arms back, rushed at Gustav, and struck him on the chest. A crimson aura gathered from the spilled blood on both their bodies, turning the darkened blood red, blasting a clear hole through Gustav's chest, a flare of red energy glittering in the scene as he tumbled and fell on the ground, seemingly dead.

Zato breathed out, calming down, looking out at the top of a building a fair distance away, deducing it was Ghost who fired the bullets and saved him. He quickly grabbed and sheathed his sword, walking over to Angel and Midnight "Come, we must go now.".

"What was that...?" Midnight asked.

"This isn't the time! We have to go before he wakes up!" Zato said, as black blood began to gather onto Gustav's body "Now, now NOW!" He shouted, a sense of urgency in his tone, quickly helping both of them up, beginning to run away, as Gustav's body regenerated using the blood in the area.