Elemental Zodiack

Chapter 20: Ice...

"What's up, mister Poison Zodiack?! Did you run out of fuel?" shouts Mark while shooting towards Keigo, which was running around, trying to dodge Mark's magical bullets.

"Leave me... Keigo... I am only slowing you down," says Ryuuen that was being carried in Keigo's back, being the victim of Mark's catalyst. He got shotted three times, so he was already powerless in front of those opponents.

"Shut up, i***t!" shouts Keigo

"You know, it would be faster if you actually helped me a little. That poison guy is pretty fast, to say the least," says Mark while staring at the earth user girl that was accompanying him.

"I have to concentrate on my Tartarus... My earth golems are fighting more people than you do, so try to do your job..." says the girl

"As harsh as ever, huh?"

 Letting Ryuuen down on the grass, a bit far away from the battle, Keigo returned to Mark, to face him head to head.

"So you gave up on the baggage?"

"Don't call my colleague a baggage, you Authoranian trash!"

"I see how it is... It doesn't seem like you like me very much, but that's fine, I don't like you either, poison user!" shouts Keigo while continuously firing bullets towards Keigo's direction

"It doesn't seem like I'll be able to hit you like this... So what about...?" and after gazing in the distance for a bit, Mark fires off numerous bullets, towards the place where Ryuuen was standing at.

"You bastard!" shouts Keigo after rushing to the place where he left Ryuuen, shielding him with his body, and thus, getting hit by four bullets in his back.

 "Are you okay, Ryuuen...?" asks Keigo while coughing blood.

"You dumbass... This is it for us, right?" 

"It looks like this... " says Keigo after falling right beside Ryuuen.

"Oi oi, what are you doing? The fight just started!" says Mark that just arrived in front of the heavily injured Zodiacks

 Pointing his guns at them, one at each, Mark says:

"Say your prayers..."

  ...To which both of them reply:

"Go to hell, dumbass..."

"Tch..."

And just as he was about to press the trigger, Mark realized that he couldn't do it anymore...

"Are you... The Authorania Zodiack?" asks the figure that came in Keigo and Ryuuen's help, with a speed comparable to that of lightning...

"M- My hands! Ouch, it hurts! It hurts god damn it!" shouts Mark, while kneeling in pain

 Pointing the tip of his sword that had a golden pattern to it at that moment, was Yoso that asked him once again:

"Are you the Authorania Zodiack I just heard about?" 

 Yoso's voice was cold, and his murderous instinct could be seen from miles away. Hearing that a high rank from Authorania was present at such a time, and more so about to kill his fellow comrades, lit a fire of anger inside Yoso's heart.

"You god damn kid! I'm going to kill you!" shouts Mark in pain while staring into Yoso's lifeless eyes.

 Yoso answered his words with another punishment, cutting one of his legs off.

"Ouch! It hurts! Stop it, please! I am the Zodiack!" and so, Mark told Yoso what he had wanted to hear.

"Ah, I see... Then please stay still... You'll be coming with me after this meaningless fight is over..." says Yoso after turning his back to Mark.

"Saki and Shizuo are coming here right now, mister Ryuuen, mister Keigo... They will take care of you," says Yoso while heading back to where Shiro and Percival were.

"That kid... How much will he grow in the future?" asks Ryueen

"Who knows... But... We owe him big time," answers Keigo

 "What is taking those guys so long to defeat the earth user?!" shouts Masato, totally worn off by fighting the Tartarus' earth golem for way too much.

"I don't know if I should say that they might be alright, since there is also that Authorania guy there..." says Ye Cai

"That Sarus guy is there as well, and he is the best support for a fire user such as Ryuuen, so they should be fine!" says Osamu Jin

 While they were arguing whether the ones fighting the earth user were alright, Geoff was still fighting to his heart's content.

"Come at me mindless golems! Let's see who is the better earth user!"

"He seems like he's enjoying himself..." says Iulio that was guarding Shouko, together with Laure. They were guarding her against the golems ever since she fainted after Percival's attack, so they might be exhausted as well.

 In the meantime, Shiro and Kein were assaulting Percival with a barrage of attacks. Shiro was keeping him at bay with his ice spear, while Kein was using the little amount of Life force that he had left, to attack Percival from afar with wind blades.

"Wind Style: One thousand wind blades!"

"Useless..." quietly says Percival, and then he just kicks away Shiro and blocks Kein's attack with his gravity magic, striking them back with it afterwards.

"Thunder Original skill: Blue Lightning!"

"Hmph!" Percival is caught off guard by Yoso, that launched one of his strongest skills as soon as he got back. Even though it was harder for him than expected, he deflected the blue lighting with his gravity.

"Are you even in a measure to use such skills, i***t?!" shouts Kein

"I don't want to hear this from you... How much Life force do you have left? 100?" shouts Yoso

"You have quite the interesting pair here, little Shiro... Too bad for them though. They won't be making it out of here too easy," says Percival

"I don't think so... After all, I told you already... We will win this fight!" says Shiro

"I see... Then I guess I won't be taking you easily from now on..." and so, Percival unleashes an incredible amount of Lifeforce, shooting with gravity magic everywhere, changing even the shape of the terrain.

"Dude, you are nuts!" shouts Yoso after witnessing how a mountain got erased from this world with just one attack

 Then Percival uses his gravity magic to lift Kein and slam him into the ground with full force, making the earth beneath him crumble.

"Mister Kein!" shouts Yoso

 However, the pressure that was pressing Kein into the ground was by no means low... He had already started to cough blood, and he felt like he couldn't even breathe properly.

"You understand now, huh? No one can defy me... The two of you are the same as him..." and like this, Percival does the same thing, taking Yoso and throwing him just over Kein, pressing both of them into the ground.

"Tch... You bastard... I thought that I will have a nice fight with you, but I am going to end up just like those two, right?" says Shiro with a slightly annoyed tone

"You are a really intelligent one, Shiro... I am sorry to lose someone like you in the favour of this useless country, but this is how it ends up..."

"I see... Well, I guess it can't be helped..." and so, Shiro charges towards Percival at full speed, without any weapon on hand.

"So you gave up after all... I am sorry, little Shiro," and so, Percival slammed Shiro onto the ground, just as he did with Yoso and Kein, but...

"What is... What is this?!" says Percival feeling pain like never did before. Blood started spilling from everywhere on his body, and he felt like he's been shattered from inside.

"Forgotten skill: Chain of fate..." says Shiro after raising from the ground where Percival threw him... However, he didn't look like he used to...

"Mister Shiro... you are...?" Yoso couldn't move his body an inch, and Kein was in even more of a tough situation... They could only stare at Shiro, that came up from the ground, being covered in ice, as of he was made of it... It looked like the ice that was covering his body had shattered a bit after the impact with the ground... and also...

"What is this chain? Explain it to me!" shouts Percival, frustrated by the amount of damage he's taken out of nowhere.

"Master Percival... Former number one Zodiack, and one of the few that ever attained a Legendary class skill... I am sorry that you shall go in this way..." says Shiro, holding the ice chain that came from his chest, and connected him to Percival's.

"What are you saying!? You insolent fool think that you can defeat me?!"

"I already did... What I just used, is a Forgotten Class Skill... Chain of fate. I became one as ice and linked my entire existence to yours... All the damage I take, you will take never the less. If I die... you die..."

"Impossible!" after hearing this, Percival desperately hits the chain with his gravity magic, destroying it... But it always repaired itself on its own...

"Give up... It' a Forgotten Class Skill... You know it too well," says Shiro

"Mister Shiro... why?" quietly mutters Yoso, as he was about to pass out due to blood loss

"That idiot..." says Kein while trying to reach Shiro's place, crawling on the ground in the attempt to do so.

"I am sorry, Keiny, Yoso... I am leaving someone with such talent as you two on your own... Yoso, please take care of the Zodiacks in my place... Keiny, please continue your job, and help Yoso... and our country!"

After saying this, Shiro struck his fist onto the ground, completely destroying his right arm, and thus, Percival's arm disappearing as well.

"Ouch! It hurts! Stop it, little Shiro! I am sorry!"

"No... I am sorry that I couldn't stop you in time..." and so, Shiro destroys one of his legs now, having the same effect on Percival's.

"Tch... Stop it... Legendary class skill: Presence of the gravity God!" using this skill, Percival stopped Shiro on the spot, as of stopping him in time. This being a Legendary Class Skill, meant that Shiro won't be able to move at all, so he can't harm himself from now... However, Percival's catalyst broke after using this skill, so he can't keep Yoso and Kein in place. But they were exhausted, so the fight briefly stopped...

"I am sorry... Master. Yoso! I am sorry to ask you this... But you might get the gist of the situation... I won't be living no matter what you do, so, do it!"

 With tears in his eyes, Yoso just passed by Kein that was lying on the ground and looking at Shiro's final moments.

"Keiny... Just remember, that you have to be yourself until the end! Yoso, I leave the Zodiacks, as well as mister talented support in your hands."

"Yes... I am sorry, mister Shiro!" and with tears falling from his eyes, Shiro finished this war, with a strong hit on Shiro, smashing his ice body to pieces with his steel affinity...

As Shiro disappeared, Percival body disintegrated on the spot as well, thus ending the war.

"I am sorry... Mister Shiro..." says Yoso after falling on the ground, crying his heart out. 

     They won the conflict... But they lost a comrade...