Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 10: Fall and Rise

CHAPTER 10: Fall and Rise

-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^1-

Wakabadai

Simultaneously

Downtown Wakabadai was a warzone. Some minutes ago, the fight between Cure Black and White and the Souju twins spilled out of the old pine forest, despite the Precure's efforts to contain it. Of the few civilians left who had not evacuated the area, many were crouched inside buildings, heads down, too terrified to move... and many were simply unable to flee at all. The Soujus attacked indiscriminately; anyone or anything that got in their way was a target. Many streets were now lined with businessmen, shoppers, mothers and children, all manner of people, trapped and helpless inside bitter cold sheets of ice... perhaps alive, perhaps not. With others, the far less fortunate ones, there was no question: bodies charred black, or lying in pools of blood with holes through them, or in some cases, both... The buildings shuddered around them with the exchange of superpowered blows and bursts of magic. A broken fire hydrant spouted a geyser of water three meters high onto nothing at all, its random spray doing nothing to quench the random flames that licked over storefronts and sidewalks. Deep fissures ran the length of the street, and there were places where the asphalt was torn up enough to see bare, scarred earth underneath.

By this point, it was clear that unlike their battles against Dusk Zone, the Soujus didn't bother creating some strange "otherspace" to fight in without interference. Whether that was because they couldn't, because they simply didn't care, or some combination of both, was anyone's guess.

To Cure Black, it looked increasingly like the second of those options; the concept of a fair fight didn't seem to occur to either Souju. The one in white laughed like mad, flinging fireballs left and right with no regard to where they landed or what damage they did, and from what little she saw of the red one out of the corner of her eye, she was quieter but no less willing to take any cheap advantage she could find.

Black was used to her punches landing like lightning bolts, to the strength of her Cure form overwhelming any enemy so long as she fought long enough and hard enough. Now, though she whaled on Ayase every time she was in reach, it seemed she never hurt, never tired, barely even slowed down.

I don't believe this! thought Black as she skidded backward, a burning volley streaking over her where her head had been mere seconds before. What are these guys?! They're taking everything we throw at them, it's like they don't even care- Interrupting that thought, a shiny red compact car came hurtling through space like a missile, right at her head. "Crap!" Black held out her hands and somehow managed to catch the front bumper. Digging her heels into the smashed concrete, she somehow managed to stop the car's inertia and hold the car aloft above the ground. Her fingers gouged dents the silver chrome... it was too heavy to hold onto for more than a few seconds. Hope this thing's owner has a really, really good insurance policy! Sorry, whoever you are... It was dark humor, but it was all that kept Black from losing herself to blind rage. This time, civilians weren't just in danger, they were being killed... People were being murdered in cold blood by these lunatics for no reason at all, and there was nothing either she or Cure White could do, except try to stop them, try to keep them from hurting anyone else. They had to finish this, and fast...

"Catch~!" called Ayase from a block away. With a shriek of demented laughter, she tossed off another fireball at a low angle.

Doesn't make sense, what's she aiming at? That won't hit anything but- It was then that Black noticed the smell. That heavy, oily, smoky smell... She spared a brief glance around the edge of the fender, and saw a trickle of amber liquid leaking from the car's undercarriage, spreading in a pool beneath it. Oh crap oh crap oh crap!