V.I.R.A.L - Chapter 261

“Admiring the fight ahead, are we miss Trost?”

Zinnia snapped back to reality, giggling. “Oh, sorry, It’s just all so exciting.”

“Of course, you take after your mother like that, don’t you? Always ready for a good fight.” He chuckled. “You more like her every day.”

“What?” She whispered, dazed by the words. “Umm, I don’t.”

“Kurt, you were looking for a name to use, yes?” He stated before leaning forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. “No need to be alarmed. I’ll have you know I’ve been searching a long time for you, Zinnia Trost.”

Zinnia was frozen in fear as Kurt stepped back, adjusting his tie. He gave a small smile before walking off, leaving Zinnia to her thoughts. She held her chest, feeling her heart racing. “What the hell was that about…”

****

Bursts of shades crept around, biting away at the village’s defence as the elder kept everyone behind her fighting back the incarnation of death. An endless solid gust of wind blocked off the onslaught as she turned to the others. “We cannot defeat him. You need to flee with the others.”

“Like hell I am. This is my problem as much as it yours. He’ll only keep coming after me If I run. I must take a stand here and stop him.”

The village elder was pushed back as she kept her shield up. “Your father is gone, Zinnia. We cannot save him.”

“But we can set him free. We stop him now, or else everything I did would be for nothing. We cannot let him ruin other people’s lives!”

The barrier was destroyed as the elder collapsed to her knees, bleeding from the head. Mortem walked forward, holding his hand up as a sinister shadow crept out with a crazed smile. “Allow my darkness to swallow you whole. Purge of darkness.”

The shadow snapped forward, going for the elder’s shadow. Zinnia had enough moving forward, zipping past with a bolt of lightning. Now behind Mortem, she stabbed ahead, unleashing a bombardment of electricity. Another dark shadow crept up, blocking each of the attacks leaving little to no damage. The shadow fell as Mortem turned his head towards Zinnia smugly. “Oh no, you don’t. Heroic strike!”

Zinnia swung down with her katana as Mortem caught it with one hand putting up little effort to stop her. Trapped on the spot, Zinnia was left dazed by this raw power. “Not fast enough.” Pushed back, Zinnia crashed, backstopping herself halfway down the village. Her eyes broke contact with him for a split second before finding Mortem right in front of Zinnia taunting her. Swinging her katana around, Mortem phased through Zinnia, turning to smoke before her very eyes. Mortem raised his hand with the tables turned as the shadows crept around, turning his arm into a deadly giant sword. Riley came to the rescue blowing the area away, setting the forest behind her briefly on fire before the blizzard froze it over. “Syndicate always such a pain in the neck. You’re like an itch I can never reach.”

Riley hopped back, pressing her hand against the floor, blowing point apart, allowing her to push herself further away from the shadowy attacks. Mortem held his hand up, firing off serval smoke bombs throwing off Riley blowing her out of the sky. Zinnia rammed into him as the two clashed. “Your fight is with me, Mortem. Leave the others out of this!”

“I agree. Petty distractions ruin the fun of killing you once and for all.” He gloated, kicking Zinnia to the ground sending a shadow stalking her looking to devour her own shadow. Quickly responding, Zinnia blasted herself into the air as serval after images of her appeared all around. Mortem idly watched as Zinnia began teleporting between them, trying to throw him off. After darting around at the speed of sound, Zinnia went in for the strike behind Mortem. As he went to counter, she raced over him, slamming down where he once faced landing her blow. As Zinnia went in for the strike, she felt a sense of dread take over her as Mortem chuckled, avoiding the attack pinning Zinnia to the ground. “I used to find your kind so troublesome at one point. Unfortunately for you, Zinnia, you fight just like your mother and well, you see. I know all of her moves.”

Pressing down on her even harder, Zinnia let out a muffled scream as her life was being drained. Mortem grinned manically, watching Zinnia slowly dying. But as this kept going, his grip became loose, giving Zinnia enough to break out. Stumbling back, she almost collapsed, feeling weak to the knee. Mortem grunted, holding his hand out to blast Zinnia away, only to hesitate for a short moment firing too late to allow Zinnia to dive to the ground out of the way. Realising this, Zinnia stared on, shocked. “He’s still in there… The Phantom is still fighting for control… If that’s the case. I can save him…”

Mortem stood up, smirking. “Save me? How the hell do you suppose you do that?!”

“By beating you down.” Riley roared, tackling Mortem to the ground holding both hands down letting out an almighty explosion. Mortem screamed out, blasting her back as Riley stopped her fall floating in mid-air. Ripping pieces of rubble and rock from the village, she tore them all towards her having a bombardment of attacks ready to go. Pulling her arms back, she threw her whole body forward, unleashing the attack on him.

“You call that power? I’ve fought Syndicate members twice the girl you are. Allow me to show you justice!” Smoke poured from his body before he ignited, firing off into the sky. smoke rippled and exploded from his body, igniting the sky. Mortem bolted even further into the sky like a speeding bullet. Making it to nearly the top of the trees around him, Mortem turned around, crashing back down like a bomb ready to explode. Smashing to the ground, the village was blown away, with the trees ripping from the ground being sent flying back. Riley was caught in the middle of the explosion, crashing back being saved by Zinnia. “None of this had to happen, Zinnia Trost. Your friends wouldn’t have to go through this pain. If you had just played the good girl and listened to your father, no one would have got hurt.”

Zinnia placed Riley on the ground staring off with Mortem. “Perhaps you’re right. But falling in line with evil isn’t my groove. My name is Zinnia Trost, daughter of the legendary heroes The Phantom and Geostruction. I intend to keep their legacy going forward for as long as I breathe. I’ll save myself and this village from your grasp and free my father from your grasp!”

Electricity and smoke poured out of Zinnia from two different sides of her body, making Mortem on edge. Pressing her hands together, she blew into them as an electric tornado rippled out, sucking Mortem in with no chance of escape. Slamming her hand down, smoke burned into the storm cooking Mortem before throwing him out. Saving himself, he gritted his teeth, bolting to the ground, attacking Zinnia head-on. Exchanging blows Zinnia’s would stun Mortem for a split second giving her time to avoid attacks easier. Dropkicking him back, she used the smoke to disperse her closer appearing behind Mortem roundhouse kicking him to the ground. Mortem yelled out, sending out a set of shadows tailing on Zinnia as she darted around the village, avoiding each one as best she can. Jumping into the sky, she vanished into a puff of smoke appearing behind the shadows casting a burst of icy wind freezing them all.

“It’s like fighting both at once… Damn, it’s Kurt. You just had to produce the most powerful Antihuman alive, didn’t you?!” Mortem barked, holding his hands out as a flood of smoke died out, drowning the village. Zinnia landed back on the ground, looking around. Unknown to her, she was smacked about, unable to fight back. Creating afterimages blasting around her, she kept teleporting between them, avoiding the attacks. Gripping her katana, she swung into the blind as a large burst of wind blew away all of the smoke giving her clarity. Turning Mortem was striking down as Zinnia matched with her own attack for one final confrontation. Both slashed past each other as one fell.

Mortem turned, seeing Zinnia on the floor defeated as he smirked. “Zinnia… Get up. You can’t give up.”

Zinnia lay lifeless, coughing, unable to move as Mortem walked over to her victorious. “This was how it was always going to go. Die like your beloved heroes.”

“No.” Mortem turned startled as Percy stood behind him, hunched over cracking at the face.

“Impossible!”

“You will not lay a hand on Zinnia!” Percy snapped, creating dozens of clones surrounding Mortem. He stepped back, watching on flinching. Each of them held their hand up as bloody swords appeared everywhere. “You will not ruin any more lives, Mortem!”

“Shit!” He snapped, blocking and avoiding as many attacks as possible. However, it was futile as he was stabbed serval times, falling to his knees. Percy limped over, clenching his fist back. “I will not fall to the likes of you.”

Smacked back, Percy looked up, seemly taken out. His head snapped back down as he stabbed through Mortem, dragging him along pinning him to the ground. “You took everything from me! Drown in my pain together!” Pulling his hand back, Mortem yelled out as a dark essence was ripped from his body thrown around. “Free at last…”

Zinnia looked up to see a hand being held out. Percy was there to help her up as Zinnia stared on shaky. “Percy?”

“Zinnia. I’m sorry.”

Zinnia hugged Percy shaking her head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Please, don’t ever feel responsible for whatever happened.”

Percy wiped his eyes, whimpering. “I tried to fight back that monster, but he was too strong.”

“You did amazing like always, Percy. You came back and saved the day when we needed you the most. You’re the hero of Team Rhapsody.”

Percy looked around, nodding. “That makes me happy. Is this your home? I’m glad you finally found your place, Zin.” His body began to glow purple, fading away. “Please, Zinnia… I have a request.”

“No, wait. You can’t go! I just got you back, Percy!”

Percy lowered his head smiling. “I died a long time ago. Just standing here talking to you is incredible. I got to save the day again; that’s all I need. But please, don’t give up on the others. They need you, Zinnia, and you need them. Bring Team Rhapsody back together. Please.”

Percy vanished, leaving Zinnia devastated. She wiped her eyes, smiling. “Rest easy, Percy, you’ve done enough.”

“Don’t think this is over yet!” Zinnia jumped as darkness consumed the area. A shadowy figure stood staring with a glare of death. “I cannot die!”

“No way… How are you still alive without a host?!” The village elder cried.

Mortem cackled, walking forward, holding its hand out. “I can survive like we always do. Zinnia! You have caused me so much pain and trouble. I will take your body for my own. You belong to me!”

“Oi Mortem.” A voice croaked, forcing Mortem to stop staring on with fear. Kurt stood up, staring Mortem down. “What’s wrong? Was my body not good enough for you?”

Mortem turned, stumbling back at the sight of the Phantom in the blood. “You should be dead. Leaving you should burn you up.”

“Should it now? Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I just don’t know when to quit.” He said with a cocky tone flicking his hand down. “If you want to hurt my daughter, you’re going to have to go through me. Your fight is with the Phantom of New York. Prepare yourself, Mortem. Let’s finish what we started 400 years ago.”

Zinnia watched in disbelief. “Dad?”

The Phantom turned to Zinnia with a heroic smile. “Worry not, Zinnia, you can rest easy now. I’ll take care of the rest; I’ll be the hero you see me as once and for all. Watch me and learn villain as I stop your reign of evil once and for all!”