Omega Wars Chronicles

Chapter 97: Curtains Drawn.

   Years ago, a Ripar woman with long black hair was helping move a little Ripar girl on a wheelchair who was dressed in a white robe, having a long messy black hair and was facing the ground with a stiff expression. During the time the woman was moving the girl, the woman reached a market place filled with many Ripars having a huge celebration which made the woman to stop and smile at the scenery.
   "We are finally here." The woman said, "It's been two years since the accident and what other way to celebrate your recovery than to bring you to your favorite festival?"
   The woman gazed down at the little girl and smiled warm-heartedly at her.
   "Two years... I'm glad to have you back. My beautiful daughter... My little..."
  "Idjra." The woman said as the girl raised her head with her irises glowing.
Currently in the grey-leafed forest, Ziron stood and was glaring at Idjra while Idjra was still in her combat stance and as the two were gazing at each other, Ziron tried to hold back his laughter but failed, leading him laughing out loudly to the point of tears filling his eyes.
   After Ziron had finished laughing, Ziron wiped his tears and smirked at Idjra.
   "Please tell me you are serious. Show me how far bonds can go? What is this, a children's fable crap?" Ziron asked, "You've been in several tasks from the academy, tell me: how has bonds helped in any way when there are people that still died? How has bond helped anyone in this game when more are still dying?
  You think with this odd pressure flowing in you will help win against me?"
  Ziron felt the headache taking place again which caused him to groan and hold his head in pain.
   "Dammit...!" Ziron said while gritting his teeth.
   "He is pissing me off. He is bloody pissing me off." Idjra said within, "To think this would be the true color of this bastard...  He is nothing but a traitor. A cold-blooded murderer. Yet he speaks of himself like some righteous person.
   Is this the same person?"
  Idjra recalls an incident of Ziron glancing at her, Killer bee and Garl with a warm smile while having his eyes closed.
  'The same Ziron who many adored?'
   Another flashback occurs as an injured Ziron stood in front of a group of Moabians while clutching his arm.
   "Honor and dignity. I will not run from a battle even if it means dying, because... That's my warrior way!!" Ziron said with a deepened voice as his remaining eye glowed.
     "To think it was all a bloody farce... No... He is an enemy; he always has been." Idjra said within after the recollections.
    "A lot of us are putting our faith in you." Izaiya's voice replayed in Idjra's head which made .
  "You're not alone." Obaru's voice replayed in Idjra's head.
  "You're not alone." Izaiya's voice replayed in Idjra's head.
   "I'm not alone." Idjra said within, "I am not. Izaiya and others have placed their faith in me, so i cannot afford to let them down."
     "I am different from before." Idjra said within as she recalled her younger self laying unconscious on a medical bed while her mother stood beside her and held her hand.
   "I swear on my blood and the blood of others that placed their faith in me that i will not lose to Ziron." Idjra said within after remembering that moment, " So Izaiya, watch as i prove you and the others right for lending their strengths to me, and most of all... Obaru..."
  " Thank you..." Idjra said within as she took her first step.
  "For helping me heal from my wounds." Idjra said within as she recalled the incident of her and Obaru laughing together.
   "This beatdown... This victory..." Idjra said within as the foot she used in taking the first step sunk a little into the ground and cracked it in the act.
   "Is also for you." Idjra said within as a cyan streak of light drew out of her irises at the moment she set into motion.
   Idjra took off with an astounding speed that created a vertical wave from behind and destroyed the ground in the process which left Ziron  stunned and made him subconsciously step back.
   "What the?!" Ziron said within.
   Idjra showed up in Ziron's front in a crouching position and with her fist set to attack. Idjra appeared behind Ziron with a stretched out fist and just as Ziron was about to glance at her, Ziron reacted to an invisible strike on the cheek that drew out spittle from his mouth and created a mild shockwave. Ziron reacted to another invisible strike on his belly which raised him a bit high from the ground and turned his eyes pupilless, another strike on his jaw that drew out blood from his mouth, a strike to his right rib, another on his belly which made him scream out in pain as blood flew out of his mouth.
   Ziron began to react to countless rapid invisible attacks that made him scream out which ended as a mild tornado sprung out underneath him and raised him higher in the air. As Ziron was descending head-first to the ground, Idjra quickly turned and punched him in the face which sent him flying back and rolling on the ground. Ziron steadied himself and instinctively guards against a flying high knee from Idjra that broke his guard and pushed him back a bit.
   "So strong... Too fast...!" Ziron said within at the moment he was being pushed back.
   Idjra appeared on the ground in a crouching position and cuts off Ziron's balance with a forward leg sweep and followed it up with a savate kick that sent him soaring. At the time Ziron was flying back, Idjra met up with Ziron and attacked with a high back kick while balancing on both of her hands. The attack threw Ziron into the air and Idjra appeared in his front and attacks with a punch and followed with a kick which increased the velocity of his descendance to the ground, thereby creating a large crater which instantly increased as Idjra drops on Ziron with a stomp to the belly with her feet.
   The stomp also created a shockwave and filled the place with smokescreen. Idjra hops out of smokescreen but as she looked back, a blue crescent wave emerged out of the smokescreen, to which she dodged. Multiple blue crescent attacks emerged out of the smokescreen but Idjra easily evaded the attacks; in the act of Idjra casually weaving the blue crescents directed at her, a huge blue crescent attack rushed at her but Idjra effortlessly deflected the attack, causing the attack to change its course of direction into the sky and disperse.
    Idjra showed up at Ziron's back, slammed her elbow which pushed him forward and quickly followed up her attack by appearing in his front and striking with a reverse spinning roundhouse kick in mid-air. The kick sent Ziron spinning in the air but while he was in motion, Ziron sent a blue sphere at Idjra which she caught with both hands but was repelled mightily in the process.
    As Idjra was sent sliding back on her feet at the moment she was struggling to hold the sphere, Idjra was able to steady herself and with a heavy blare, Idjra crushed the sphere while her irises glowed, creating a blue wave that spread across the vicinity. The eyes of Ziron widened in disbelief as he was in shock with the display of Idjra's power.
   "What... What the hell...?"
  Ziron was swiftly met with a strong punch from Idjra that made him fly back and viciously roll on the ground.  Izaiya who was still residing within the barrier he created, was pleased with the performance of Idjra, leading him to speak within.
   "Just as i expected, Idjra has the higher ground. If it was before unison, she won't have lasted this long even in state Ziron is in, but now, she can move beyond her limitations and with Ziron's condition, she has 90% chance of winning... No... It's beyond that. She can even choose to stall until the poison takes full effect or end him quickly; whatever her decision is, it's still a win."
   Meanwhile Idjra was staring at her right palm as she was feeling the overwhelming energy flowing through her body.
    "Incredible. Until now, I have never felt like this." Idjra said within, "But there is something strange about this energy. A part of it feels odd... Very odd."
  Idjra raised her head and caught sight of Ziron making efforts to stand while clutching his face in pain and growling.
    "Damn you...! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you all!!!" Ziron said as he raised his head to glare at Idjra, "I'll kill you..!"
  Idjra remained silent at the words of Ziron while watching him pant out of exhaustion.
"Using the aid of others to fight rather than using your own strength. On top of that, you are attacking a weakened opponent thanks to the dirty tricks of Izaiya. Have you no shame?!" Ziron asked.
   "Huh? What nonsense are you spouting out all of a sudden?" Idjra asked, "Shame? I should be the one asking you that question. After everything you have done, you still have the gall to say that rubbish?"
  "Oh, i forgot." Ziron said with a sarcastic smile, "I forgot i was talking to the puppy who would go down on her knees for her master and throw away her own pride."
  "You're still on that? Let me tell you a bit about myself." Idjra said, "When i was younger i was adored by many."
   'The tiny but powerful light that shone in the darkness.' Idjra said as she recalled her younger self holding multiple sashes in her hand while panting and smiling.
   'I was even chosen both by the teacher and my mates to be the class representative.'
   Idjra said as she recalled her younger self standing besides a male Ripar in front of the class.
   "Thank you all for choosing me to represent this class. As the representative, i promise to do my best in living up and exceeding the standards and expectations set out before me." Idjra said, "So please..."
   "Watch me keep my word!" Idjra said as she closed her eyes.
    'And that's what i tried to do but the pressure was telling on me.'
   A flashback takes place as an exhausted Idjra was leaning against a wall with her arm while panting.
   'I was advised by many to request for an assistant, but i refused because i wanted to prove i could live up to what i promised; even with the warnings of the physicians concerning the dangers of my kan and me overworking myself, i still ignored because i wanted to prove i could carry everything alone, until one day...'
   A remembrance takes place as Idjra laid on the ground unconscious while several students and adults surrounded her. The audience gaped in horror at the situation of Idjra as several adults placed her on a stretcher and carried her away.
   'I got crushed under the weight.'
   'It was a practical exam between the school of the Ripars and the schools of the Graundars, and a representative of my class it was expected of me to bring victory but i failed. My body gave out because of how i overworked myself just to prove a point.
   For two years i laid in the infirmary; for two years i stayed in the state of the living and dead.'
   Another flashback takes place as Idjra's mother was holding the hand of her comatose daughter while crying.
   "When i recovered, i had no memory of who i was. It took a lot of months for me to even remember my name." Idjra said to Ziron after recalling her past, "I got to learn that in my failure, a lot of people in my class had to repeat. That exam event was their last hope in making it to the next level... I was their last hope in making it to the next level and i failed them. In my stubbornness... My selfishness and pride, i failed them. If only if i had requested for help to reduce the burden... I would have... Yes, i would.
    Some of them forgave me, some didn't. I also made the school i attended a laughing stock to that of the Graundar tribe. I tried to redeem myself by attending the pilgrim academy but my confidence was shattered.
  All those times, i wanted to do things alone and i ended up alone... Broken..."
   "But Obaru..." Idjra said as she gently clutched her collar while facing the ground, "He helped me. He helped me regain my confidence. He was there for me when i thought he wasn't needed... An unexpected friend."
    "Hm." Ziron said with a scowl.
   Idjra had a recollection of her and Obaru sitting alone in the pilgrim classroom and talking with each other.
   "Come on, say it." Obaru said to Idjra, "Just say I'm amazing."
   "Fine. I'm amazing." Idjra said.
  "Say it again." Obaru said with a smile.
   "I'm amazing." Idjra said.
  "Say it with a smile." Obaru said.
   "I'm amazing." Idjra said while smiling.
  "Again." Obaru said.
  "I'm amazing." Idjra said while still smiling.
  "Do you feel better?" Obaru asked.
  "Kind of." Idjra replied.
  " If you want to feel more amazing, have big muscles like me!" Obaru said while grinning as he flexed his biceps.
   Idjra stared at Obaru with a blank face at the time her raised eyebrow twitched.
    "Yes, he may be a moron, but he is not as bad as others make him out to be." Idjra said to Ziron after the recollection as she was still facing the ground.
   "So pride, i don't have any."Idjra said as she raised her head, "But as for confidence, i have a lot. Not just in me but in the people i am fighting for and the those that lent me their strength.
   So let me make this clear: with my own strength, i am not as strong as Obaru, Raen, Izaiya or Van. I am not even as strong as any of the big ones, but as of this moment, for the sake of those you have killed... Of those you will, i will not lose to you."
   "So, let's go!" Idjra said as her irises glowed.
  With a bawl of fury, Ziron fired a large blue beam from his right palm which Idjra evades and swiftly punched him in the face and sent him flying. Ziron tumbled several times but managed to regain his footing.
  "Gale vortex!" Ziron said within as he spread his arms apart, creating a humongous blue wave that moved far beyond their vicinity and destroyed more objects.
  Albeit, Ziron was bouncing backwards on his back repeatedly and as he stabilized himself, he raised his head in shock.
   "What the-?"  
   Ziron was cut short in his thoughts as Idjra popped up and kicked him across his face in mid air which sent him soaring back in a twisting motion and crashing on the ground. Ziron groaned in pain, but as soon as he stood on his feet, Ziron reacted to an invisible strike on the cheek and immediately found himself spinning anticlockwise in mid air.
  "Air quake!" Ziron said within as his irises glowed.
   Idjra found herself frozen in one place and vibrating rapidly with her fist raised to strike Ziron, however Idjra's eyes glowing as she gave out a strong yell and she immediately broke  out of Ziron's air quake and punched in the belly (while he still in mid air). The strength of her punch made a powerful breeze pass through Ziron and create a massive rift on the ground; Ziron was sent flying back back again and while he was in motion, Idjra easily caught up with him from behind and kicked him high in the air.
   "Faster!" Idjra said within with a cyan streak of light flowing out of her glowing irises at the time she moved towards Ziron in the air.
  Ziron reacted to an invisible attack to the right cheek that made spittle fly out of his mouth.
  "Faster!" Idjra said within as cyan streaks of light were still flowing out of her glowing irises at the time she was descending towards Ziron.
   Ziron reacted an invisible attack to the left cheek which made spittle fly out of his mouth again.
   "Faster!" Idjra still said within as cyan streaks of light were flowing out of her glowing irises.
  Ziron reacted to an invisible attack on the belly which made him cough out blood and spittle while still descending to the ground.
    "Believe you can go faster, just as you believed you could withstand his attacks!" Idjra said to herself.
   Idjra blared mightily as she easily caught to Ziron (whose back had almost touched the ground) and drove him down with a strong punch to the chest. The impact was great enough to create a powerful wave and fill countless vicinities with smokescreen. During the time Ziron was reacting to multiple hits, Idjra ran so fast that time froze before her, turning her entire environment black and white.
   Idjra attacked Ziron from all angles and followed her attacks with a combo of kicks that were raising him higher in the air and finalized everything with a downward kick to the head of Ziron. The moment Idjra connected with the kick, time unfroze and the environment turned back to normal, allowing Ziron to descend to the ground speedily and create a large crater.
    Ziron coughed out blood and wheezed repeatedly while struggling to stand on his feet and clutching his sides; Ziron fell on his knees a few times while Idjra stared down at him from a short distance.
   "It's over, Ziron." Idjra said.
   "It's only over when i say it is!" Ziron said with a spiteful tone.
   Ziron stretched forth his arm to release an attack but the energy he was charging to attack her dispersed which left him shocked
   "Huh? What the...?" Ziron said.
   "So it has finally happened, huh? Its about bloody time." Idjra said.
  "What... What are you talking about?" Ziron asked.
  "I was taught two techniques by Grei as a reward for helping to save his sister's life. One of them was an incomplete technique Pit copied and used on Govo in the tournament... The touch of null ." Idjra answered.
  "The touch of- wait, what do you mean incomplete?" Ziron asked.
   "One of the things i asked Grei to teach me was the technique he was currently working which happened to be the touch of null." Idjra replied, "Pit must have stumbled across Grei teaching me how to use it and copied it with her eyes, and knowing her when she copies something, she uses it two times better than the owner.
   Before i was lent power by others, i struck the pressure points needed to nullify the use of your ability but it wasn't working. Either i wasn't doing it correctly or you were just simply too strong for the effects. Guess i was wrong on both sides."
   "You bastard...!" Ziron said with irritation as he tried to stand back on his feet while his irises glowed.
  Before Ziron could move towards Idjra, Ziron felt a strong headache, leading him to cover the side of his head with his hands while groaning in pain. As the headache died down for a while, Ziron took notice of the blood on his hands while Idjra became stunned at the moment she saw blood flowing out of Ziron's ears.
    "Let me tell you how the poison is going to fully take effect..." Izaiya's voice replayed in Ziron's head at the time he was staring at his palms with widened eyes , "It's going to start with blood rushing out of your ears. Then your eyes. Then your nose. And your mouth. It will crush your kidneys and liver and twist every vein in your body. And just as i mentioned earlier, you are going to die and you are going to die horribly!"
   "The poison is starting to take full effect..." Izaiya said to himself, "Ziron's time..."
   "Is at an end." Izaiya said as Ziron was still staring at his palms.