[John Kaisen's POV]
Somewhere in India - 30 Minutes Ago
These past couple of days have been agonizingly hard. My body had to constantly endure these micro-doses of lethal radiation from the secret geographical hotspots in India that Cecil sent me to investigate. But the physical pain was nothing compared to what was happening inside my own head. My mind was the thing that truly worried me.
My thoughts have been buzzing constantly ever since that forced Intervention Sebas shoved down my throat. He literally rewired my broken psyche and brought all those suppressed memories bubbling right back to the surface.
"Ahh!" I screamed into the empty quarry.
I threw a heavy punch and slammed my bare fist directly into a massive granite boulder. The rock cracked and indented under the sheer kinetic force.
Thick red blood oozed slowly over my raw knuckles.
The sun had finally set and the sky grew pitch dark.
TWANG
Nakime made her entrance, her biwa's strung echoed through the dusty air as she appeared, stepping gracefully out of a sliding wooden gate.
She looked at my bleeding hands and frowned softly. "Master, it's time to stop training and take some rest to let your body heal."
I closed my eyes and all I could see were those damn tickets glowing in my mind. I had two shiny gold tickets and two motherfucking diamond tickets just sitting there in my inventory.
I desperately wanted to rip into them. I wanted to gamble all my chances away and feel that fleeting rush of dopamine to numb the pain.
But the withdrawal's shaking took over my entire body. I gritted my teeth and I punched the boulder again. And again. And again.
I kept punching until my bleeding fists completely bore through the other side of the solid stone.
I pulled my arm back for another strike, even widening my stance for a power blow, but then I felt two large hands slide under my armpits. Sebas pulled me backward with an immovable yet gentle strength.
"Master, I'm incredibly grateful you're actively fighting your demons," Sebas said quietly. "But please don't put your physical body on the line like this."
He turned me around and forced me to look at the surrounding environment.
All I saw was a massive quarry of destroyed stone. Every single boulder in the vicinity had been cracked open or punched completely through. Blood was splattered all over the jagged rocks perfectly matching the frantic prints of my fists.
"No!" I yelled, my voice raw from exhaustion. "You said I was weak, right? You said I would hurt the people I am close to again if I don't get stronger! So just let me train! I don't wanna let her down–"
Ring. Ring.
The rudely timed ringing from my cellphone stopped my rant dead in its tracks.
Ever since the global news broadcasted Omni-Man's violent return I have been on edge. Not to mention these damn psychological withdrawals were being an absolute bitch to deal with. I had tried contacting Cecil multiple times to figure out what his tactical plans were or if he had finally devised a way to get rid of Omni-Man while the Viltrumite was still recovering from whatever unholy deeds he committed to wipe out an entire civilization.
'I know I joked about Nolan wiping them out but damn! He actually did it!'
The phone rang again and cut off my spiraling thoughts. Sebas calmly reached into his immaculate suit pocket and handed the device to me.
I snatched it and pressed it to my ear. "About damn time Cecil! Please tell me you've finally figured out a way to contain Nolan!"
A much heavier and rugged voice burst from the other side. "Mr. Joestar! It is me, Titan. Do you remember me? You saved my daughter and me that night in the alley. You explicitly told me to call you when I finally wanted to deal with Machine Head."
Oh right. I did give the future mob boss my burner number. But shit, I was not in the right state of mind to deal with organized crime right now.
"Gahh!"
I heard Titan scream agonizingly through the phone speaker. The sickening sound of blood splurging and heavy impacts echoed through the receiver.
"Please... he has my family," Titan muttered. He was actively gargling on what sounded like his own blood. "He has Fiona..."
The line went dead.
"Hello, Titan? Hello!" I barked into the phone as unease filled my chest.
I threw the phone down and turned to my familiars. "Nakime! Send your eyeball familiars over to Chicago to scout for Fiona and Titan. Find them and open a gate directly to their location!"
I was barking orders in a frantic voice. Both Nakime and Sebas observed my chaotic state in complete silence.
"Master," Sebas said in his deep and calm voice. "Maybe it'd be best if I went to rescue this Titan and his family in your stead."
I glared at him. "Sebas, I'm on fucking withdrawal right now. If this is another one of your psychological tests to gauge my morality..."
Nakime stepped forward and interrupted me before I could say anything more.
"Master, please," Nakime pleaded softly as she bowed her head deeply. "Look at your hands and look at your tired body. Please just let Sebas handle this mission."
I finally paused and looked down at my hands. They were still stained red with blood still oozing sluggishly from my torn knuckles. My breathing was incredibly heavy from physical exhaustion and my body was actively shaking from the damn withdrawal symptoms. I was drenched in cold sweat and I could barely stand up straight.
I looked over at Sebas and let out a long breath to finally steady myself. "I know I haven't been the most pleasant or honorable master to you. But please... just go save the little girl."
Sebas bowed perfectly as always. "Don't fret, Master. I will fulfill this order no matter what it takes. That is my word."
[Sebas Tian's POV]
Present Time - Chicago
"Why don't you help an old man stretch his muscles, Beastkin?" I asked in my perfectly trained and formal tone.
My esteemed creator, Lord Touch Me, the most honorable warrior I had ever known, instilled these flawless manners and polite combat etiquette into my very being. But the situation surrounding me in this penthouse was a truly sad sight.
These young and supposedly heroic individuals were laying all over the carpeted hall. Their bodies were broken and brutally battered. But the massive white Beastkin standing in the center of the room was entirely different. He was covered in blood, appearing barbaric but radiated the unmistakable aura of a true warrior.
His physical presence and raw power felt even stronger than Lord Cocytus back in the Great Tomb. Which was... concerning. Lord Cocytus was a Floor Guardian. One of the Supreme Beings' greatest creations. For this Beastkin to match that level of strength meant I was dealing with something truly exceptional.
"You!" the Beastkin rumbled. He casually licked the fresh blood off his white mane, his tongue dragging across the matted fur like he was savoring the taste, and glared at me with piercing, battle-crazed golden eyes. "You are not fully human like the rest of these fragile insects, are you? I can smell it, the overwhelming scent of a predator hiding beneath your skin. You're a mix of human and something strong."
He slammed the heavy head of his spiked mace onto the ground; the impact cracked the expensive hardwood flooring, sending splinters flying.
He raised two massive fists into a practiced martial arts pose.
"Yes. That is very observant of you, Beastkin," I replied calmly.
I engaged my leg muscles, channelling ki through the meridians Lord Touch Me had taught me to open. The energy flowed smoothly, naturally, like breathing. I used my superhuman speed to appear right beside the beast in a fraction of a second and feinted a high punch directly toward his jaw.
He predictably raised his thick arms to block the strike. But the real damage came from below as I delivered a devastatingly fast kick to his outer thigh to completely throw his centre of gravity off balance. I followed it up instantly with a brutal spinning kick directly to his ribs. The kinetic force behind my strike lifted his massive frame completely off the floor and threw him violently backward out of the shattered penthouse window.
I adjusted my cuffs and looked over at the shocked and clearly injured hero known as Dupli-Kate.
I observed her trembling form, blood running from her nose and eyes wide with shock. Her body language screamed trauma. Recent clone deaths, if the copies of her lying mangled on the floor were any indicator.
A cloner of all beings being this weak and terrified was a pathetic waste of potential. But I had to prioritize my Master's orders.
"Little Hero," I said clearly so she would focus on my voice. "By my Master's direct order I highly suggest you take little Fiona and her mother and run far away from this building immediately."
"What was that, old man? Who the hell are you to give us orders!" another kid wearing an orange suit yelled from the floor. I could hear the height of disrespect and immaturity radiating from his grating tone.
I didn't have the patience for insubordinate children while actively executing my Master's will. I narrowed my eyes and activated my Intimidation skill as I directed a wave of Lethal Intent directly at the boy.
The invisible aura of death and its crushing pressure instantly paralyzed his vocal cords and forced him to his knees. His eyes rolled back slightly as his nervous system went into a state of severe physiological shock from the primal terror I projected into his mind.
That ought to do the trick. I watched the heroes quickly scramble to their feet and run toward the terrified mother and child.
"GLORIOUS!" a booming voice roared from outside the building. The shout was filled with pure, unbridled joy
[A/N]: Dorp them Stones for the Glorious Fight!!
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