V.I.R.A.L - Chapter 268

The police office building exploded in a wondrous flurry of lights and fire as the glass shattered and Vanguard burst out roaring with fury smashing to the ground below, crashing back before finally stopping himself. Blood covered his face as he looked up at the angel of death. Charmeine floated her angelic wings on full display in the air as she held a golden orb in her hand. Flicking his hand around, he scoffed with his dull look. “Typical; I’m always getting the longwinded fights, aren’t I?”

“Attacking me like that was a stupid idea, Marcus Culling. You may not know it, but you are incredibly outmatched.”

“When am I not?” He sighs, walking forward towards Charmeine. “Regardless, I’ve always come out on top when I needed. Regardless of what happens next, taking you down is all that matters.”

Charmeine twirls her hand around as the golden orb follows. “The more I watch you, humans, the less I understand you. All you understand is greed and selfish endeavours, yet you throw away your lives for people who’ve wronged you in the past. You have no need to do this, no bond or contract tying you to Alton Brantley, so why help him?”

“And that’s why you can’t understand. Regardless of my own personal opinions towards that maniac. I know this fight is the right cause; forget my own personal gripes with this world; fighting for what’s right is all we need to rally together to stop evil like you.”

This speech got a small chuckle from Charmeine as she shook her head in disappointment. “It seems I heavily overestimated humanity’s evolution these past 400 years. You’re no different from the pathetic apes before you; to think your race can even walk baffles me. Regardless you know how to cause grievance, so allow me to finish you off.” The orb shrunk before releasing a powerful beam at Vanguard striking him directly. Slightly moved back, Vanguard showed no form of pain through the attack marking Charmeine intrigued. “Hmm, have I grown soft in my years working for Mortem?”

Lightning up another orb, this one being red, she held it forward, slamming to the ground, looking to directly hit Vanguard with it herself. Wedged into her palm Vanguard braced himself as she struck, now letting out a fiery blast. Vanguard slouched over, taken back by force only to propel his hand began thrusting forward, smashing Charmeine in the face. “Your attacks are just small fry compared to what else I’ve fought!” Flung back, Charmeine stopped herself mid-flight, floating spitting blood. Crouched down, Vanguard propelled into the air changing his gravity crashing down on Charmeine. Slowed down by Vanguard’s leachability, she didn’t have time to avoid the attack crashing to the ground crushed under Vanguard’s might. He lifted his arms up, punching away the Ten’s Judgement.

Attacking one final time, he began panting, thinking it was over. However, a green orb floated in front of them, falling onto Charmeine as she opened her eyes. “I understand now, so that’s how it is.” Jumping off, Vanguard darted back, frustrated his attacks weren’t enough to take her down. Now seemly unharmed, Charmeine began stretching her wings, yawning. “Weight manipulation, you use it so effortlessly anyone without a keen eye would assume you have incredible strength and power. You are nothing but a cheap hack that tricks others. Oh, and before I forget.” The green orb passed through Vanguard, leaving him slightly startled. “That should deal with you from now on.”

“What did you do?” He asked in a dry tone, only to jolt as a cold drop of water fell onto his neck. Stumbling to the ground, he fell over, hitting the floor with a painful sting leaving the man speechless. “That’s not possible.”

“Any sane person would have realised your ankle was broken from that fall. Yet you kept going like there was nothing wrong in the slightest. The golden orb of the sun, the red orb of fire. Both would have left an impact on anybody, even Alton Brantley himself, yet you didn’t shiver to the smallest bit. The blessing to feel no pain is nothing to smear over. That’s how you’ve always fought, correct? Overpower the enemy and make it seem their attacks don’t affect you as in turn you can’t feel any of this.”

“It’s not a blessing. It’s a curse.”

“Wrong.” Charmeine mocked. “You see my power bestowed across me by Fairy-Tale is an element. I can conduct all the main elements into attacks. Fire, the sun, water, ice, earth, wind. All of those are at my disposal. But avoiding any feeling of pain, that’s what holds back any human from being greater. Our own bodies limiting our natures. I simply took that away and returned your humanity rightfully to you. No more playing God for you, Marcus. That’s my own ability, original state. I can return anything to what it once was. Take that building. I can reconstruct it like it was never destroyed. That includes all your physical problems. I can really cure anything.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Why? Why, indeed, maybe it’s because I know I’m so much better than you telling me makes no differences? Or perhaps it’s to show you just how weak you truly are. I’m sure, given the circumstances, you would have given Mortem some trouble. Still, you see, we’re on a whole different level, her and I.” Charmeine scratched Vanguard’s face with her wing making him howl and cry in pain as he feels back. “Stings, doesn’t it? Most would feel just a simple sharp pain for a short while, nothing a normal person couldn’t handle. However, feeling pain for the first time makes everything just so much worse. All you can do like a baby is a cry in pain over something new.” Charmeine gave off a sadistic look kicking Vanguard in the stomach, knocking him off the floor making him scream in pain as Charmeine cackled to this stomping on his head. “Yes, scream more for me. Squeal like the vermin you are! Feel every last bit of pain over and over… Oh, he passed out, fuck. Well, it can’t be helped. All of this might have been too much for him. It’s funny he actually thought he could match the power of Fairy-Tale a mere human.”

Walking away, kicking Vanguard once more, Charmeine kept giggling to herself over the fun she had. That was until she found herself unable to move her body and the ground around her breaking down. The weight on her shoulders was so much she couldn’t stand properly. Bleeding from her nose, she slowly turned, finding Vanguard pulling himself up, dragging himself forward as the floor around him shattered by the weight. “What’s wrong? I thought I was meant to be a joke to you. Laugh.”

“Just how much power does he have stored up?”

“You are a correct woman.” He boomed, lifted his head up, head turned, taunting her. “I am weak, but regardless of petty assessments, I only need my opponent to be strong to win this fight.”

Charmeine flinched holding her chest. “That punch… You leached my power… You bastard, that’s how you got so strong?!”

Vanguard stood towering over Charmeine, staring down at her chuckling nonstop. “Now that you mention it, this is quite funny. The thought of a human defeating your mighty race is a joke, alright. I apologise. I’ve never felt this sort of emotion before, so perhaps the joke isn’t anything special. Now, where were we?” Vanguard threw his fist forward, snapping Charmeine from her spot, causing her to gag, flying into the air. Before she could escape, Vanguard clutched her wing, ripping her down. Stepping on her back, he tore one of her wings off, kicking her aside. Charmeine snapped, flinging forward, lobbing serval orbs at Vanguard, blowing them all up. Vanguard snapped back, roaring in pain, almost collapsing at once. However, a newfound fire burned in his soul as he returned back, sending just as much power or even more back at Charmeine, knocking her right back down. Unable to move, she lay on the ground hissing. “This extravagating feeling? What is this? I’m feeling right now.”

The red and blue orb joined together, unleashing a burning torrent of water pushing Vanguard back. “I will not fall so early! Especially to a pathetic human like yourself!”

An explosion rippled behind Vanguard, pushing him further to fight. He threw a punch blowing the entire area away, making the buildings behind collapse over the sheer force. “I never got to experience this sort of thrill before. The thrill of a fight, no, it’s more than that. The thrill with my life on the line protecting the city. Was this how you felt on that day, too, Percy? I think I finally understand!” Stomping forward, taking the last explosion head-on with his final burning willpower. Vanguard attacked with one mighty blow, directly hitting Charmeine. Everyone stopped, and Charmeine cursed out being flung through serval buildings. “The thrill to be a hero!”

As Vanguard’s almighty state ended, he felt sluggish, losing all feeling in his body once again. Collapsing to his knees, he fell to the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood. The sense of nothing wasn’t new, but this time it felt different; the feeling of everything fading brought peace. Lying on his back, Vanguard smiled, he wasn’t sure he knew how to, but nonetheless, he found himself smiling with a quiet laugh as the world sent him out. “It took me this long to finally feel something? How ironic I spent all my life trying to feel something, and I find that through death… Did I finally make you proud, Percy?”

“You did, Vanguard.” He glanced up, seeing a bright light consuming the area as Percy stood smiling, holding his hand out. “That’s the hero we all looked up to. You’ve done enough you can finally rest.”

“Rest… Yes, I think I’ll take a rest… Only for a short while, this feeling I don’t want it to go away. I want to be a hero like you, Percy.” Vanguard spoke with his last breath as he passed alone in the wreckage of the battle. The survivors of the battle would soon find him. Once all was said and done, he was found at a sense of peace with a bold, heroic smile on his face reminding the world of the number one streamer and hero of V.I.R.A.L Vanguard.