V.I.R.A.L - Chapter 323

“Go on without me… I’ll…”

Zinnia held her hand out as her electrical katana appeared. The moment it reached her hand, she bolted ahead, vanishing with a bolt of lightning behind her. Cutting through Anger, she bit her lip, causing it to bleed as she kept going back and forth, attacking non-stop, striking the Stage of Grief with each blink of the eye. Feeling her overwhelming dread take her over, she screamed, outgoing even faster. Just a simple blur, Anger was cut down, again and again, her armour cracking at the raw power. As Zinnia crashed back down, pinning Anger to the ground, she held her katana behind her swinging it once more as a giant tornado ripped through the village, swallowing her up. Slashing her arm back around the tornado was consumed by serval elements of hail, lightning and fire, causing a mixed reaction before blowing the tornado up completely. Coming back together, Zinnia raised her sword up, casting more lightning storms destroying the last of her village in a pit of rage. As the last of her energy was used up, Anger came shooting forward, landing a single punch to Zinnia’s stomach. It was enough to shatter her ribs and destroy her insides in a single blow. Coughing up blood, Zinnia collapsed to the ground, defeated once and for all.

Anger took serval pants before giving up and leave Zinnia to die alone. The snowstorm came hammering in, slowly burying the two heroes. Zinnia stared blankly at her father’s corpse being buried in the snow as she began to share his fate. Gritting her teeth, she tried to scream, but her lungs wouldn’t let her as she kept gargling up blood. Hissing, she spoke with all her might choking on her blood more and more in her last moments. “I’ll kill you! I can’t let you get away with this! I can’t die here….”

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“Do you remember that Zinnia Trost? Do you remember the moment you died alone and filled with rage and anger for me, and because of that, you activated my Stage? Anyone with hate in their heart for me will return until their hatred is ripped from their soul. You’ve been given a great curse Zinnia Trost. The curse of immortality.”

“Leave her alone!” Iris yelled, throwing a cube at high speed at Anger. Then, turning, she flicked it away as the cube was launched out of the building like it was nothing. “No way….”

“Bow your heads or face the consequences. You cannot best me faker.”

Iris backed away, looking to her allies, feeling overwhelmed. “This can’t be happening…. I, I can’t. Alice? Where are you sis, please help us.”

Anger snarled, throwing Zinnia aside, who was still traumatised by these past events as Anger approached Iris. “Look how truly pathetic you are, Iris Hawthorne. Still hiding under the wing of your far superior sister. How much longer do you wish to be a mere shadow to her? Those who cannot fight their own battles do not deserve to live, therefore. Allow me to put you out of your misery!”

“STOP IT!” Zinnia roared, racing in striking Anger. Then, holding her arm up, the blade held against the golden armour as Anger held Zinnia in a stalemate. “You won’t hurt any more of my friends!”

“It’s unbearable, isn’t it? The rage and anger constantly taking you over. You’re never sure who you truly are anymore as everything becomes a blur to the never-ending rage. Fighting me is futile. You cannot hope to win. You couldn’t defeat me the first time.” Anger threatened, overpowering Zinnia holding her to the groundbreaking her guard. “You couldn’t defeat Denial, and you couldn’t defeat Ten. What good are you, Zinnia Trost, apart from constantly losing. Give it up, and I’ll make it quick.”

“No!”

Zinnia ripped herself from the ground, fading in and out, passing by with lightning bolts striking everywhere. Appearing behind Anger, she spun around, igniting a flaming tornado sweeping everything up as it tunnelled towards Anger. Crouching down into a stance, Anger held her hands into a fist each by her side as she blasted one forward. “Absolute cancel.” Her fist landed against the tornado stopping it dead in its tracks, breaking it apart, leaving nothing in her wake. Turning her hands around, her eyes kept flashing with each pass as Anger kept whispering to herself. “One, two, three, four, five. Stance five, unrelenting torment.”

Standing on one leg, Anger opened her hands into an open palm position waiting for Zinnia. Taking the bait, Zinnia flipped forward into a spinning wheel motion ramming at Anger’s position. Once contact was made, Anger’s hands propelled at high speeds blocking each attack. Landing a single strike on Zinnia, forcing her to relive the moments of her father’s death. She soon remembered how she had no chance in victory being left for dead as a weakling. This only sent Zinnia into a further unnatural rage attacking Anger with no real plan or fighting style, just swinging her sword aimlessly, hoping to win. This would only continue to work in Anger’s favour overpowering Zinnia each and every time. “She’s completely lost it.” Harmony whispered. “Shouldn’t we help her?”

“Doing that would only get in her way.” Tempo admitted. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Iris stepped forward, spinning serval cubes around. “I’m not about to stand around and let my friend die out there. Do what you want; I’m taking a stand. Haggis and Bargaining might have run away, but I’m here to take a stand once and for all!”

Anger blocked Zinnia knocking her back as she got back into her stance, whispering to herself. “One, two, three. Stance three brutal swing.”

Twisting her whole body, Anger ripped at Zinnia only for a pillar to blast through the floor, blocking the attack. Anger tore it apart as the shards flew in the air, turning into spears of might crashing down and cutting Anger down. Her armour began to shatter and crack as she took the heat of the attack. Stepping back, Iris pulled her cube back like a slingshot powering it up more and more before blasting it forward, smashing Anger through the wall into the storm. Running over to Zinnia, she did her best tapping her face. “Zinnia! Zinnia! Calm down, hey!”

Finally, coming to her senses, Zinnia looked on terrified, gasping. “I don’t know what happened…. I lost control. I just couldn’t stop myself….”

“If we want to defeat her, we need to remain calm and cool-headed. She’s strong, but we can take her together.”

Anger came walking back in, tearing off clumps of her armour, revealing more bandages wrapped around her as she tossed them aside, snarling. “Iris Hawthorne.”

Iris stood up, allowing Zinnia to catch her breath. The cubes began swirling around her, ready to counter any attack possible. Anger took a simple approach walking towards Iris as the cubes kept halting her, smashing into her countless times. This didn’t appear to hurt Anger too much, but it did halter her approach each time, but the unstoppable machine kept pushing ahead like it was nothing. Concentrating her cubes together, Iris sent another attack only for Anger to punch through it, breaking the defence apart. Now too close for comfort, Iris propelled herself into the air, injuring herself in the short run but avoiding any apparent major hit from Anger. In the air, Iris looked down, ready to continue the fight only to flinch, seeing Anger already in a stance, ready. “Stance one, oblivion’s wing.” Swinging her arm up, a barrage of power ignited up, blasting Iris from the sky, knocking her to the floor, coughing as she struggled to move. Trying to get away, Anger pressed her foot onto Iris, pinning her down. With a last ditched effort, Iris began flinging her cubes at Anger in hopes of pushing her slightly to escape. This did nothing as Anger stared at Iris with a blank look. Finally, curling her hand back, she shook her head, speaking up. “Stance two, God’s hand.”

Pushing her hand forward, Iris prepared for the worst as Zinnia ripped through, slashing Anger’s face tackling her to the ground knocking her into the wall. Falling onto her front, Zinnia began panting, whispering. “You can’t kill her. I won’t let you kill her! I’ll…. I’ll…. Kill you!”

Anger smirked, standing up, flicking the blood from her face getting into another stance. “My hatred swells…. Final Stance, Stage of Grief Anger.”

Zinnia held her blade behind her, ready to give it her all. That was until the shatter of ice was heard, and in that split moment, Anger was sent flying back. Zinnia fell back as, from the dust, Alton stood in front of her holding his hand tightly. “Alton?”

Turning to her, he gave a saddened smile shaking his head. “I’m sorry for all of this, Zin…. Please allow me to end this pain and suffering once and for all.”

Anger poured from the rubble with an insane look as she laughed to herself. “Always so fashionably late, aren’t you Ten? Did the suffering of this girl send you over the edge?”

Alton held his hand out, tutting. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Ten won’t be coming to greet you. So I’ll be your host today…. Coming here was a mistake Anger turn back and leave or else.”

Anger clenched her fist, grinding her teeth. “Are you threatening me?! I’ll tear you limb from limb Alton Brantley and soon after, your friends! How long will you last against my never-ending rage.”

Dropping his hand, Alton slouched over his hands in his pockets. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Threatening me is one thing but others…. Unfortunately, it seems I can’t avoid conflict so. I’ll have to completely annihilate you once and for all.”