Fractal Plane: Maiden's Heart

Chapter 15 - Arrow that Pierces Despair

1

"You don't look so good," commented Kazuki, a serious expression on his face. "What's with that evil-looking aura? Where's your girl?"

Getting no reply, Kazuki took note of the regenerating tentacles and the shape that his opponent was in.

"Guess that's how you want to play the game, huh?"

Kazuki went into position, and after making sure that all blind spots to Amagi and Uehara can be accounted for, put his bladed shield forward. Clearing the air, he yelled to commence the battle.

"Let's go, Touya Satoru!"

"Pathetic, weak humans! Begone!"

Kazuki kept his ears open for changes in the surroundings, but little could have prepared him for the wave of shaking noises that signaled the very walls of the labyrinth moving.

The walls?

He watched the tentacles from Satoru approach him in a much faster speed than he saw before. Still, he was prepared.

He swung the shield.

The appendages dissipated into the air after being cut by his Armament.

He kicked his feet off the ground, landing a short distance back.

Just in time to see waves of vines crash onto the ground where he once stood.

A pincer attack. Not bad.

He had little time to gather his thoughts as the ground underneath him shook. Looking forward, he saw Satoru take several steps back before raising his left arm and bringing it down.

As if in concert with the movement of the arm, the vines from the ground shot up and down.

Seeing those vines headed his way, Kazuki sidestepped.

A second wave came, and he was forced to dodge.

The ringing sound of vegetation warned him just in time to dodge a third wave of vines meant to impale him, having seemingly come from out of nowhere.

Did he trade that woman Nullity for the power to control the whole labyrinth?

Slicing his bladed shield upwards in a circular direction, Kazuki smiled as he saw several swathes of vines fall to the ground.

He quickened his pace and followed a circular trajectory towards his opponent, never letting Satoru off his line of sight. Ignoring the sounds of vegetation coming in from all directions, he aimed for the puppet master.

He would be tiring himself out and wasting time on these vines. What mattered was Satoru and his tentacle arm.

He realized that Satoru also had his eyes locked onto him. They stared each other down as the distance of several meters became a few feet in an instant.

"Take this!" shouted Kazuki as he found himself off the ground and quickly descending onto Satoru.

The bladed shield would descend onto the opponent, cutting him from the right shoulder down and disabling the use of those tentacle arms for good.

At least that's what Kazuki thought before he found the tip of his blade stopped by a blunt force.

"What is this?"

Kazuki felt the strength of his attack weakening as the blade found itself buried deep within a bunch of his tentacle appendages now shaped like a shield.

"Good. Good. That's more like it!" gloated Satoru.

Kazuki, on the other hand, was in no mood to respond in kind as he found himself losing energy. He had experienced this feeling before. His eyes bulged as he looked at Satoru in disbelief.