To Love A Monster

Chapter 6

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They stood on opposite sides of the clearing. Slender stared back at her, and Enderbrina took hold of her swords, gripping them readily, a smirk firmly in place.

"Do not forget your promise, Enderbrina. I will allow you to strike first," Slender reminded her. "I understand you may need a moment to prepare yourself mentally."

Her smirk widened. "You might say that." She left the weapons floating in the air beside her as she gave a nonchalant shrug. "After all, none of you... besides Ben, of course, have seen Brillansui yet. I suppose it's only fair, since I'm fighting you, that you get the first taste of her capabilities."

"Who is Brillansui? I thought I was fighting you."

"Oh, she and I are one in the same... but she's a little... shall we say... more unhinged, than I am."

"Why do you refer to this 'Brillansui' as another being, then?"

"I just like to think of my second form as someone else. It's not really me, it's more like... emotions on steroids. And... well, every now and then... emotions can take over."

She broke down the wall of all her bottled-up emotions, the dam cracking, breaking, and flooding her mind and soul with the hatred, craze, and depression of her memories. It felt good to let loose, and she finally was. She sighed when she felt the rush of power from becoming her second form. The mixture of emotions swirling in her soul left an odd calmness in her mind. She was in control. She took up her swords once more, turning to Slender. She could almost see the surprise in his rigid posture.

"It may not look like it very much, but I have unleashed my inner strength. Let's begin."

She turned, rushing him, preparing to slash with her Shadowblade in her right hand. At the last second, she feinted to the right, using her momentum to swing with the Silvershade in her left. She nicked him in the leg, and felt her wings' membranes being torn open by claws. She hadn't planned on using them anyway. A quick wave set down a copy of herself next to Offender, lifeless. It was a precaution.

Whirling around, she found herself alone. She waited, listening for his breathing. Wait for it... there! She stabbed toward him, her blade finding a home in his ribs. A screech and a slash of five huge claws tore open her arm and some of her shoulder. Her left arm was left useless. Just dead weight. She growled and tried to heal herself, teleporting out of the way of his attacks. Duck, spin, kick, until she felt the strength return to her arm and went on the offensive again, slashing at him once more. His hands had turned into bony claws, she noticed, catching her sword with ease and twirling her around as if they were dancing. With her world spinning, she felt one of her wings lose all feeling... and then a thump on the ground. One of her wings had been severed, completely removed. For some reason, that infuriated her. She stood up, pulling her mentor's soul into herself from her necklace and used his expertise, what little there was besides her own, to fight back, seeing a tentacle headed straight for her side. Giving the suited monster a taste of his own medicine, she cut off the limb, leaving only a few feet, nothing he could hurt her with. Four more attacked her, and she managed to cut off three before one caught her and forced her sword against her own throat. Instead of giving up, she turned her head to the side, catching the tentacle around her wrist between her teeth. She bit down hard, black blood spraying over her face as she tore out a chunk of the limb and then cut it just past the wound now present. She spat out the flesh, and crouched a little, her tail waving dangerously. She heard claws whistling, and caught them on her sword, pushing back hard enough to make her opponent stumble back for a couple seconds.

One was all she needed.

In a flash, she jumped on his chest, driving her tail into his chest where his heart would be, puncturing it before ripping the tip of her tail out, dropping down with her sword driven into his right side. A huge gash tore open and with blood loss overcoming Slender, he fell to the ground, on his hands and knees in front of her. She panted, falling into a sitting position. Her own wounds were rather severe, the one on her back being the worst. Her second form petered out, but the monster knew he was defeated.