Chrono X Angel, Book 7: Trial By Fire

Chapter 17

The fight was going very poorly. Actually, to say it was going poorly would be an understatement so large it could almost have it's own gravitational pull. Nonami, Iris, and Elisabeth were facing off against the fully powered up Sasori, who now had the lower half of a Scorpion the size of a minivan, and a stinger tail easily 15 feet long. Her body was armored with chitinous plates several inches thick that were harder than steel, and which reflected just about every blow the trio could dish out. The claws, which emerged from the elbows of Sasori's human upper half, were sharp as razors and could slice the bedrock chunks Nonami was hurling at her into tiny pebbles with ease. If Sasori had been in full control of her mental faculties at this time, the fight might have already ended by now. At least, that was what Nonami was thinking as she gathered up the nearby asphalt and tried channeling it down Sasori's throat. It would have been a lot easier if Kobayashi had been here, she thought. Raw strength aside, she could have heated up the asphalt and made it molten as it went in. As it was, the Scorpion girl merely spit out the black rocks and roared in a primal fury before shifting her focus to Nonami. Elisabeth was definitely grateful to no longer be the center of attention for the moment, and began attempting to formulate a plan to end this fight. She had already tried to use Bloodsplosion against her foe, but as it turned out scorpions did not have iron in their blood. Apparently they had copper instead. That mistake had earned her a swift kick in the gut from a pair of arachnid legs which sent her into the corn. Iris had been trying to use the same magnetic wave attack that had nearly killed Sasori earlier, but this new form had made her hide too strong to melt. She grimaced as that tail came swinging at her, green acid flying in an arc ahead of the stinger. Iris just barely managed to dodge both strikes, but where the acid fell whole swaths of cornfield was melted away. A part of her wished she had gotten a different Magical Girl power, maybe gravity or something. Then perhaps she could root Sasori in place and keep her from moving at all. Instead she had magnetism, friggin MAGNETS!! How do they even work?? Wait... she was getting an idea. One of the souls the comprised her life force had worked for the Department of Defense in life. His knowledge of a vast array of military weapons was definitely not something she usually needed, but now? Now she was getting an idea.

"Nonami!!" She shouted to the Vampire who was only just barely holding off a claw strike with her bare hands, "Can you open a chasm in the ground and drop her?? I have an idea but I need time to set it up!!"

Grunting in acknowledgment, Nonami put all of her unholy might into one massive push, sending Sasori staggering backwards a few yards. It was not much, but it gave Nonami time and enough room to do what Iris had asked. Channeling her Elemental power of earth and stone, she pried open a crack in the earth several hundred feet deep right underneath Sasori's feet. Before the girl could react, Nonami then slammed the chasm closed again. Both women knew it would not be enough to hold her for long, but it would give them time to make this work.

"Long story short, we need to make a railgun," explained Iris, "Nonami, Elisabeth, you two need to combine your powers to make the projectile, meanwhile I'll charge up a track. As soon as she surfaces, I'll aim for the head."

"Easier said than done," smarmed Elisabeth, "Where are you gonna find the pieces for a railgun out here in the sticks?"

Iris's eyes glowed violet, and several pieces of Melody's van came floating over and began shaping themselves into the rough form of a railgun track.

"You just worry about making the bullet. We'll only get one shot at this, so make it count."

"Are you sure you can do this?" Asked Nonami, already forming a casing of stone around the shell of iron shrapnel Elisabeth was gathering, "I don't doubt your ability, but she's still your sister and all. Having been there myself, I-"

"I'm sure," stated Iris coldly, cutting Nonami's words off.

In mere moments, the trio were finished. The weapon on Iris's shoulder looked like something from a post-apocalyptic video game, and the hunk of stone and iron in the track certainly did not seem like something that would finish off the rouge Scorpion girl, but they had to believe this would work. There was not much else they could do at this point... As if on cue, the ground began to rumble and soon a pair of claws erupted from the soil, with the rest of the scorpion they were attached to following soon after. Nonami and Elisabeth both sprang into action, making sure the claws and tail were distracted and so not able to block what was coming next. Iris needed one clean shot to the dome, that was it. Just one shot... if only that girl would just! Stand! STILL! She could feel her hands trembling, the makeshift sights on her even more makeshift railgun were jittering all around, and she could feel the tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Was she really going to do this? Could she bring herself to pull the trigger on her own sister? When their first sister, Spriggan, had been slain by Usoko, both girls had felt the pain in their souls. Like a piece of themselves had been ripped away. Could she really bring herself to kill the only family she had? As she watched the other two continue to dodge and weave deadly blows from Sasori, though, it clicked for her. Her family, her real family, was in front of her. It was not Sasori, or Spriggan, or ol' Ahrimanes. No. It was the friends she had made. Elisabeth, Hyoka, Midori. Her girlfriend, Melody. Even Nonami was growing on her. These people were her true family.
The shaking ceased. The tears dried. With a pained shout ripped from the depths of her soul, Iris released the energy that was holding the bullet in place. It shot silently across the battlefield towards its target. The last thing Sasori would see was the face of Iris, silently mouthing the words "I'm sorry" before darkness everlasting fell upon her. Immediately her magia crystal shattered, and her body reverted to its natural Manticore form. The damage the bullet had done to her head was magnified as her body shrank to normal, to the point where there was almost no longer any head at all. Immediately, Iris collapsed to her knees. The strain of the situation finally getting to her, and she passed out. As Elisabeth tended to her compatriot, Nonami cautiously examined the body. There was definitely no way Sasori was coming back from this... hm, now that was odd. She reached down and very carefully plucked one of the needle-like quills from Sasori's tail. She had expected it to be hollow, so as to channel the deadly venom Manticores were known for. Instead it was completely solid, made of a some manner of keratin like a hedgehog's quill she guessed. That meant... that could only mean that there was zero possibility Sasori had killed the Blue Oni king!! Then who... and how... and why frame her at all? Another layer to the mystery Nonami was desperate to solve. It almost seemed like someone was trying to start a war... but who could a War of the Yokai ever possibly benefit...