Luis, Astra, and Ronbun vs Kaze, Part 1

Lycan falls to his knees, sobbing. "Hell, Hell, HELL! My life was HELL! Ever since I could remember, hell! Everytime I sleep, I get nightmares, visions of a white wolf devouring my friends and I! I haven't gotten more than two hours of sleep at a time. Who knows how long? The sun, it burns my skin, my eyes, and I'm always feverish, shaky. I can't relax, not even for a second, because if I do, the wolf takes control. And that doesn't even matter, because if the full moon I lose control anyway! I can never get angry, happy, or sad because if I do. The wolf takes control as well! I'm not a human living on earth, I'm a monster living in hell!" Lycan cries.

"But what about the hell before? When you were living with your family?" Slayer Kurāken smirks.

"I don't remember much of that. I've been beaten by my mom a few times, but I probably deserved that. For a while I kept looking away in my room. Years and years of starvation and loneliness is what I remember. But then one day...it went away. I don't know who...but it did," Lycan answers, his voice shaking.

"So you don't remember that day you obtained your freedom? The day you became alive? Slayer Kurāken asks.

"No, why?" Lycan asks.

"Because you killed your family, Lycan, remember?"

Lycan's eyes widen.

"You don't remember the screams of your dying family, as you tore their flesh from their bodies with your fangs as they spilled their blood with your claws? You don't remember the smell of blood as you feasted on the dead meat of those you once considered your loved ones?"

"Please…stop…" Lycan whimpers.

"You don't remember how joyful you felt, how free, how liberated you felt as you slaughtered your brethren?!" Kurāken cackles.

"MAKE IT STOP!"

Without another warning, Lycan's hand morphs into a furry white paw with wicked, black claws. Lycan collapses to the ground, sobbing as hard as he can sob. "Make it end, please. Just make it end," he whimpers.

Kurāken smirks.

"Kill me."

And then…Lycan plunges his claw straight into his chest.

***

An injured, blood soaked Ausitn then limps over to Lycan and Kurāken, just to see whirting on the ground in pain, a large, bleeding hole in the center of his chest. "What's…happening?" Austin asks as his eyes widen.

"Your friend is hurt. He'll die soon if he doesn't get immediate medical attention," Kurāken coldly answers.

"You demon, you went too far!" Austin shouts.

"Oh did I?" Kurāken smirks. "Check the footage of our match when we're done, you'll see."

With a growl, Austin aims his shotgun at Kurāken.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kurāken smirks. "If you don't forfeit the match now, Lycan dies. The other girl? Maybe her too."

Austin doesn't respond, he keeps the barrel of his shotgun trained on Kurāken, who's eyes widen. "Wow, you're cold!" She comments.

"I'VE COME TOO FAR TO GIVE UP FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS!" Austin roars. "I WILL BECOME A FAMOUS PRO SLAYER, AND I WILL BECOME RICH!"

"So you'll put material wealth over the lives of your teammates?" Kurāken asks.

With an awkward frown, Austin peers to the maimed body of Lycan, then back to Kurāken's smirking grin.

"Oh! This is a fun game!" Kurāken swoons. "Do you sacrifice your win in the competition to save your teammate's life? I'll make this easy on you, there is no chance of beating me, anyway!"

Austin's grip on his shotgun begins to weaken, as his arm begins to temple. Austin looks from Kurāken to Lycan again, then grits his teeth in frustration, biting down so tightly that blood begins to trickle out from the corner of Austin's mouth. Austin then sighs, and lowers his arm. "DAMNIT!!!!" Austin roars as he slams his shotgun to the ground, which fizzles out back into Autin's glowing orange Cursed Power.

"Excellent choice," Kurāken smirks.

"That's it, I quit," Austin gloomy replies as he holds his hands up in surrender with a scowl.

***

"I don't know what's happening down there, folks, but it looks like Slayer Takonome has just fortified the match!" The announcer cries, causing the audience to boo.

A team of Medical Slayers instantly rush onto the scene, and Austin gloomy watches as they carry the unconscious and gravely injured Rokku and especially Lycan off of the battlefield.

"You…just who are you?" Austin growls as he turns around to face Kurāken, who smugly smirks in response.

"In due time, you'll learn. Now is not that time," she answers.

"Don't think that I won't tell what Lycan said to the Chairman," Austin growls.

"Hah!" Kurāken spits. "Do you really think that the Chairman would trust some no-name Junior Slayer over me, the head of the Research Branch of the Slayer Organization?"

Austin's face flushes as he turns away, clearly pisses off.

"Somehow. I'll expose you. I do have Slayer Hachi on my side, afterall," Austin then says as he turns back to Kurāken, who's now scowling this time.

"That damned Slayer Hachi. The Chairman's favorite…" she grumbles, and this time, it's Austin who's smirking.

"Nick…" Austin says to himself under his breath. "With his help, I can expose Slayer Kurāken."

***

"Let the match begin!" The announcer booms.

"What are you lookin' at?" Snaps Astra, upon sensing my piercing gaze.

"Oh…nothing…" I reply as I swiftly turn away.

"Were you…staring at my butt?!" She snaps.

"Of course not!" I snap back. "I'm just appreciating how cute you are!"

"I'm gonna kill you!" Astra roars, but Ronbun interrupts our squabble.

"So our opponent, Slayer Kaze, is another wind user," she says.

"Yeah, I figured," I sigh.

What the Hell. I have a looong list of things that I never wanted to do upon entering the Slayer Organization. Most of which I've unfortunately been forced to do, such as forming rivalries, or entering contests/competition. High up on that list is fighting an opponent with the same abilities as me; wind. Because now, unless I win, I look like a scrub. Some copy-cat scrub, who stole this one guy's Cursed Ability, only to be a weaker version of them. Now, this battle is like a test of me. All eyes are going to be on me. They're going to be comparing our wind, I just know that the announcer is going to be annoying like that.

Well, let's go see if I can beat this more experienced, more powerful wind user. Because as much as I hate it, there's no sense in not trying.

Our conversion is interrupted when the wind around us begins to howl, as the breeze quickens, a breeze so fast that it blows around the surrounding sand dunes, pelting us with sand, and even kicking up a cactus or two. The sky grows dark and gray, and we're forced to shield our eyes from the sand we're being sprayed with. It's all we can do to not get blown around by the breeze.

"What's happening?!" Ronbun cries.

"Luis, are you doing that?" Astra asks, shouting over the howl of the wind.

"I wish I could!" I answer.

Slowly, I lower my hands from in front of my eyes and peer upwards. Opening my eyes up just a smidge, I can see that a towering tornado stands on the opposite end of the arena, across from us. Not nearly as large as a regular tornado, but still one tall enough to be pretty dangerous, about the size of your average house. In the eye of the tornado, I can see a figure, and as with each step they take, the tornado follows, perpetually wrapping around the figure as they stand in the center of the eye.

"That must be him, Slayer Kaze!" I call to my teammates over the howl of the wind.

"So he's got just a naturally stronger version of your own Cursed Ability? How are we supposed to beat him?!" Astra asks.

"Don't worry, the wind doesn't bother me," I answer as I swipe my arm outwards. "Air Control!" I emit my Cursed Power into the atmosphere and take control of the surrounding air and wind, settling it down, and forming a small safe haven around me from Kaze's intense breeze. "I know my Cursed Ability well. Kaze can only control the wind around him, that tornado. The intense winds around us are nothing more than a byproduct of that tornado, which means that I can control them," I explain as Astra and Ronbun enter my little safe haven from Kaze's wind.

"So what now?" Ronbun asks.

Slowly, I draw my katana and pour my dark blue Cursed Power into it. "Um…I might be able to cut through Kaze's tornado if I'm close enough," I answer.

"And with my Pregoniction Cursed Ability, which allows me to see seven seconds into the future, I'll make sure that you don't get hit," Astra adds.

"Alright, let's go!" I order as I take off running towards Kaze, Astra and Ronbun carefully making sure to stick to my side, to stay in my Air Control barrier.