The Nature of the Enemy (Open)

[Chaos]

Chaos listened to them talk. So then the legend did exist on many worlds, and this Anti-Christ did seem to fit him slightly. But he was always Chaos.

Sentenza's outburst amused Chaos. The child was high strung. He didn't know it would be bad for him in the end. Of course Chaos intended to salvage the situation. He had not been doing this for years to have a child catch him on one slip. The child was a fool, seeing shadows where there none, Chaos' one slip feeding into this paranoia, his logic was simple and ridiculous. He should have played his hand close to his chest, he should have watched, tried to get more clues to back his theory so that it was irrefutable. Now Chaos would have a chance to counter it. Sentenza had fired off blindly into the dark, just luck would have it, he was actually right.

Outwardly he took a step back with his hands raised. "Whoa, whoa, whoa man. Look you got me all wrong." he said nervously. "Hear me out, see I know War, she didn't use that name, but I was able to put it together. She left quite an impression. We met a few years back. I mean tall fiery redhead, has a thing for old styles and wears a saber, huge chest. Anyway we met in a bar, I was drunk and bold, and she accepted." He said with a whistle. "I spent near a day in her room, after we were both exhausted we got talking, and ending up on fighting. We even sparred afterwards. She said I had talent, but it would be years before I was on her level."

"Look I didn't want to bring it up when I figured it out. I thought it might be awkward, but damn I shouldn't keep secrets from you." Chaos said a little wide-eyed. "So I'm really sorry if one of my past lays troubles you, but that's it I swear.I love the worlds man, I would never work to bring them harm." He said believing his words. He wouldn't harm the worlds, he was saving each of them from the terrors Human's wrought.Would Sentenza try to make it harder for him? Chaos was a skilled actor, and had made a quite plausible story for the actions. However humans were not always rational. Sometimes they would take their suspicions and hold them close no matter how deluded they were.

It only irked Chaos more that this paranoid creature was right.The child had no reason to jump to such a conclusion. In fact most wouldn't. People are always so willing to believe in the best of people. But this child expected such trouble. Was he just as paranoid of Micheal, the harmless scholar behind him, with the hungry eyes.

Chaos could recognize that look anywhere. The sudden loss of control and the withdrawal from such hunger. Had this man ever fed his craving, or did he consider himself strong for fighting such powerful needs. It amused Chaos that he may not have to kill Sentenza himself.

[Sentenza Hoshizuki]

"I would believe that were it not for one to many coincidences or information that otherwise added up." Sentenza said calmly. "The heartless only fled after you arrived and started fighting. Maybe you summoned them, maybe an ally. You've been a little to calm, this whole time. You also just contradicted yourself, you questioned the existence of the horsemen before, but just now said you knew War." Sentenza didn't break eye contact with "Richard". Emotion never entered Sentenza's voice or face. That was what unnerved many people when it came to Sentenza, he outwardly seemed devoid of emotion.

"Your knowledge of War is astounding, and there was that tic in your face when I started talking about the Horsemen's plans." Sentenza said, "That wasn't recognition, I can tell you that much." Sentenza was sure "Richard" was not who he claimed to be. Sentenza's attention was not on Michael. Sentenza's eyes continued to stare "Richard" down. Sentenza would prefer if "Richard" would simply fess up, walk away and leave, unfortunately he knew things could never be that clean. Especially when dealing with incarnations of the end times. Sentenza decided to creatively bend the truth to his own end. "War certainly has a loud mouth. She said I could expect to see another horsemen any time, however, I never expected it to be this soon." Sentenza said, "It's certainly interesting, ending each world one at a time using Heartless. To what end I wonder, that's the one thing she never said."

[Micheal Coen]

Micheal continued to star at Sentenza. Something was drawing him to Sentenza. Something he wanted and needed, something Sentenza had. He could feel Soul Stealer in his hand. He could move so quickly, take it, maybe even kill Richard if need be. No Richard wasn't a concern.

{i}What the Hell? Why would we think this.[/i]

We, he thought we. Have I accepted this, had he come to terms that he was forever broken? Had he finally gone insane?

Because it is what we are, we are stronger then them, but we need stronger then every other. You want to save you have to grow, we have to grow. We can not play at this anymore. Something is happening now, I can hear it, and we need to be prepared for it

That way only lies a monster. She won't want us then. She won't want the monster, so what does it matter anymore?

Because I want her, she is ours.

Maybe I am the monster.

He gritted his teeth as the faint tingling continued up his arm. It really did get obnoxious after a while. He hoped it ended before he went to sleep. Of course they hadn't been too strong, so it shouldn't' take too long.

Micheal did make one observation. It wasn't something he was feeling off of Richard, it was something he was feeling of Sentenza.

[Chaos]

Inwardly Chaos sneered. Had War gone so far from his orders as to do that? Would she disobey him in that way? No matter, at least now he knew why the child didn't trust him. The child wanted to fluster him. The child was calling his bluff, he just didn't' realize Chaos wasn't done bluffing yet.

His defense was a strange mix of the ludicrous and observant. He noted fine details and yet seemed to gloss over other ones. Was it possible Chao' bluff would fail because the child was too stupid. It didn't matter, fail or not he only had to keep talking at this point. Micheal was practically salivating. He was a man on the edge that one.

Richard step forward one step, keeping his hands up. "Look man I already said I didn't know who she was at the time, called herself Seraph with me. I don't imagine she tells the guys she picks up she's a world ending monster, can't imagine that gets her many dates." He said with sarcasm and anger. His body language suggested he was exasperated and pissed at the situation. "Even if she did tell me, not like I would believe it anyway. You know what kid, I'm calm because I'm used to this shit, been ten years on the road."

He bit his lip slightly and looked into Sentenza's eyes. "And by this shit, I mean this too. Your not the first overly paranoid piece of shit I've encountered who wants to question the stranger. I've been beaten, I've been banished, once got chased out of a town by a mob with pitchforks. I may not have seen everything, but I seen this enough."

His eyes burned with anger and scorn. "So you know what, fuck it, come on little man. You wanna pull a sword on me, you wanna say who and who I don't work with, you wanna pass judgement on me, go one ahead. Just ask yourself how sure you are, and whether your hurting someone who's on your fucking side."

[Sentenza Hoshizuki]

"Attempting to play with someone's morals is utterly pathetic." Sentenza responded calmly to "Richard." He seemed completely unphased by what he had to say. "Insults will do you no good," Sentenza said curtly, "What you fail to realize is that we are two monsters. Hunters who have each other as they're prey. Fine then, if you insist . . ." Sentenza grasped in his mind, hoping to pull which horsemen was right. Which one could have this amount of skill at deception? It dawned on Sentenza that if each horsemen matched their title as much as War, then Death would simply be homicidal and pestilence would be a sadist in all likelihood. " . . . Chaos, then we can do battle," Sentenza said, "Teach a 'paranoid shit' like me a lesson."

It was only then that Sentenza glanced over to Michael. This could be a problem. Sentenza turned to "Richard" once more. "Your responses are getting much more desperate." Sentenza said, "You're simply trying to toy with emotions now rather than explaining things away. Someone who's 'Chaos' or 'the antichrist' reduced to this level of deception, it's a farce. Pathetic. If I wanted to listen to anything more sad, I'd track down War and listen to her rant volumes about the glory of fighting again." Sentenza kept speaking, hoping to hit a weak point, a small chink in Chaos' armor. "I shouldn't even bother trying to fight you, obviously you have no interest of being anything close to a threat." Sentenza said as he turned his back to Chaos, "You're hardly more than a common criminal. A conman, maybe, but a half-assed one." Sentenza dissipated the blade of his weapon and simply started to walk away. If Sentenza was right, which he hoped he was, "Richard" either wouldn't allow anyone that knew too much get away, or he would be to insulted not to attack.

[Micheal Coen]

Micheal watched the two of them. Why was Sentenza so dead set on saying Richard was this other person. Sentenza struck Micheal as a bit paranoid. Of course he was keeping more focused on his internal conflict.

If not him, at least the unjust, kill them and take their power.

We are not that person.

He had lived most of his life in blissful ignorance of all this darkness that existed in every world. He had never had to fight for anything. He had never had to go without eating, at least not until his first few years in college. His world wasn't at peace, but it wasn't at war either. He was not prepared for the horrors that awaited him.

But we will endure each of them, we are stronger then anyone else, we have to be.

No, we have to be more adaptable. We need to provide our own power, we don't need to steal anyone elses.

Suddenly the tingling sensation stopped and Micheal gasped. He began to breath shakily as his body shuddered with the monstrosity of the revelation. It was impossible. He couldn't be like that. But there it was, the sense, the sense that drew his eyes to Sentenza. Micheal knew what it was now, it was Sentenza's heart.

He craved another being's heart. Then an even darker thought filled his head. A sudden realization that was more urgent then his disturbing sense.

"He doesn't have a heart." Micheal said softly, referring to Richard.

[Chaos]

Chaos was beginning to become annoyed at Sentenza. He was going to call his bluff. It didn't matter. He'd beat the kid, and continue to explain it was a misunderstanding. It was mildly surprising to hear Sentenza use his real name, but even Chaos could see it was a shot in the dark.

He prepared himself for his next words, the next act of his charade. He was angry, pissed, but defiant. Then Micheal spoke up and shocked filled his eyes. He grined slightly as he took a breath. He exhaled and all of the emotion drained from his face.

He quirked an eyebrow at the man who saw through him and smirked. "I don't usually reveal myself until I kill my audience." He said with a chuckle. He turned his attention to Sentenza. "Your truly obnoxious in your game. Did you think I would rise up at all that. At worst I would have left without you knowing who I was. The funny hing is that your actually right. Being right for the wrong reasons is just as bad as actually being right, when your trying to keep a secret. You two would tell everyone else you saw Chaos, because the child called it out under false pretenses."

He looked to Sentenza. "Do you realize you're a moron. The worst part is you don't learn from your mistake if your right. All of your reason were ridiculous.Was it not possible I knew the type of women. Do you know how many women I met like War, even though her breed was rare. But you put that with the slight shock of hearing my legend on another world. I was honest, that was what had surprised me, not your so called insight into my plans."

"War doesn't have insight into my plans.Although your penchant for bluffing has me wonder what little you actually know." Chaos shrugged his shoulders. "I had wanted to learn more information from you before I had to kill you. You had to be so stubborn, how human of you."

Chaos rushed forward. He was faster then War, but not in her Battle form. He brought his hand up to grasp for Sentenza's throat. He was stronger then War was naturally as well.

[Sentenza Hoshizuki]

"A moron? You spent the whole time rebuking two accusations with incredibly weak explanations that relied entirely on coincidence." Sentenza said coolly, not at all surprised by Chaos revealing himself, "How likely is it that we both met the same woman? How likely is it that someone who had had even less contact than me with her knew more about her?" Sentenza responded to Chaos' attack by taking a step back and swing out Kuroki Kemono's handle, forming the blade mid swing. "If I'm a moron, what are you? A failed actor? If I'm to believe War is War incarnate, am I to think that you're arrogance incarnate?" Sentenza asked, "Arrogance, might I add, that is not backed up at all."

Sentenza locked eyes with Chaos as the previously blue eyes transitioned to a deep bloody red. "I find you even sadder than War." Sentenza said, "Not because ally yourself with her, but you cocoon yourself in lies. War protects herself by taking away any will for another to question her strength. You protect yourself with a web of lies and deceit." Sentenza raised his sword above his head, then cleaved downward at Chaos. "Perhaps you are beings so encased in your own despair that you lash out in ways related to your death. Were you cheated? Betrayed? Left with nothing?" Sentenza asked.

[Chaos]

"You really are trying to rile me up." Chaos said at his words. "Do you want to make me angry, cause me to make mistakes. Is this your plan. As I said, you won't learn. He smiled slightly. O War does have so much to prove. She's going to be upset when she learns I had to kill you, she likes to prolong these things."

He chuckled as he heard Sentenza's words, looking to his feet his laughed bitterly. He did not seem aware of Sentenza's strike. Suddenly his hand lashed out and caught the blade with all of his strength. "I was found out for the hunter I am. It's interesting that you know I died once. It makes me happier that your going to die, and trust me, I know what it's like."

Chaos concentrated and shaped the chaos around him to cause a lot of damage to hit this area.

[dice=10]

One of the shop's gas valve opened suddenly. beginning to flood the area with gas. A rusty screw let loose, causing one of the pipes to rip away from the wall, causing the gas to flood the area exponentially faster.

Chaos smiled as he saw he domino to push. He twisted and threw the blade away. It did not matter if he disarmed the child or had sent him fling. The throw had been at as much strength as he needed. No matter what happened the chain was complete, the spark lit the methane bathing the whole area in flames.

He jumped back and then held firm for the blast. The fire seared away his clothes and part of his skin, but he regenerated it all back, plus his all black nobles clothing. His ouroboros was clearly visible on his forehead.

"You think I'm arrogant." Chaos said. "It's not because I am arrogant. It is because I know the truth. I am the ender of worlds. One day your world, i have have already finished with his." Chaos said pointing to Micheal. It was obvious on Micheal's face he had lost a world, it bled into everything.

"Surrender now, you'll save us both time." Chaos asked. "If you want proof, ask yourself, did War beat you, cause I'm much stronger."[rand=568820297150641440753415331081183010861278233548274081454488439]

[Micheal Coen]

Micheal was surprised at the speed in which the other two moved. He had only seen stuff like that on Saturday cartoons.Yet here these two were, and Sentenza's weapon seemed to large to move that fast. Then Chaos just grabbed it.

He grabbed the sword, that should be impossible. The reflexes you would need. This was another time he came to hate leaving his world. How could such beings exist.

This is why we must get stronger.

Then Micheal smelled the slight smell of methane when he watched them and horror suddenly filled his mind. Micheal melted with the shadows around him, becoming a black puddle on the ground. It didn't matter what they thought, he had to survive.

When he returned he looked to Chaos and terror filled his eyes. He had watched Chaos burn, he had been burned. Then those terrible words [color=red]"I have already finished with his."[/color]

Was it possible? Was he the horsemen of the end? Then that would mean he couldn't be beat.

NO! If he had anything to do with our worlds death, he ends. If he had anything to do with me and her not being together, he will pay.

With these thoughts he sprang into motion slicing the Soul Stealer deftly and dancing around the battlefield with the Ghost Heartless' teleport.

[Sentenza Hoshizuki]

Sentenza was disarmed, but not for very long. Kuroki Kemono was forged from the darkness within Sentenza, as such it almost immediately returned to Sentenza's hand. "You, kill me?" Sentenza asked, "You are indeed powerful, but you fail to look at one fact. Only humans are meant to slay monsters." Sentenza slowly approached Chaos as the area around him burst into flame. "You have surely seen a lot, you know people at a single glance, you analyze, you make their mind yours." Sentenza said, "However, you are still a monster. As am I. I am a monster cursed to fight monsters as he protects humans who hate him, who hate his strength, who hate who he is." Sentenza swung the massive width of his blade, at first making the fire directly ahead of him, blocking his way to Chaos, engorge and roar into the air before putting it out. "I don't care who hates me, who hates what I am. I fight for the sake of people to look forward to a brighter tomorrow, even if I am a monster, a beast of shadow." Sentenza said, charging at Chaos, "You call yourself a destroyer. I call you someone who has lost all hope, who grasps for a purpose." Sentenza thrust his sword forward, intending to impale Chaos. Sentenza's voice rose for the first time in years. Sentenza roared in a voice full of passion, full of his resolve. "I don't care who you are! You want to destroy worlds?! Then fight for your resolve! Prove that you're greater than War and show that you draw your strength from something other than fighting and causing pain for the hell of it!" Sentenza roared, his crimson eyes ablaze as the fire around him.

[Chaos]

Chaos smiled. So they thought they should take him head on. They would learn. Micheal's weapon caused nicks that hurt, but were doing no overall damage. Sentenza's weapon on the other hand looked like it might cause some actual damage.

Chaos jumped back, flipping over in midair and landing on his hands. He jumped back again righting himself this time."And show me you fight for all of humanity, so I can show you how worthless a cause it is."

Chaos reached out into the chaos and called a weapon to his hands.

[dice=10]

Elsewhere a knife block had a piece of paper pushed under it, throwing off it's balance. The nearby cook suddenly burned himself on the stove, causing him to whip back his hand, impacting the knife block, sending it flying to the window ledge.

The butcher knife slid from the slit and began to tumble through the air. A the same time a painter two floors below decided to throw open his shutters, hitting the knife full force, and drastically changing it's course.

It buried itself in the wall just next to Chaos' hand. Chaos reached over and deftly took it from the wall. "Now things are a little more fair. Not that I needed them to be.

First the annoyance, then the threat. He watched Micheal and Sentenza's movements and waited for the perfect point. Micheal had just landed after a teleport, he wouldn't have a chance to react.

Chaos rushed forward the deadly edge of the butcher's knife gleaming in the twilight.[rand=52321988708113343301696728322850497704585727108150030444117377456115]

[Micheal Coen]

Micheal was beginning to realize his attacks were ineffectual. What few of the cuts Chaos didn't dodge seemed to not hinder him in the slightest. To make it worse, the Soul Stealer was taking nothing. It seemed this Chaos was immune to the nature of his weapon. Was it because he had no heart?

The he watched Chaos get the knife, from seemingly out of nowhere. What the hell were they fighting? It regenerated quickly, moved faster then a human could wish to, and based on what he did to Sentenza's weapon was much stronger.

Micheal telported again, launching another burst of attacks that meant nothing to Chaos. When he landed from the teleport he looked up and saw Chaos moving towards him. Time seemed to slow as Micheal tried to react. Then Chaos was in his face with that hellish grin of his, and Micheal could only shudder.

Pain erupted from his abdomen. He looked down to see his cloths stained in blood and the handle buried in his gut. Blood spilled out so fast. He keep breathing in ragged gasps as his body continued to convulse from the pain.

He numbly took a step back and marveled as the steel slowly appeared from within his gut. Shouldn't it still hurt as the blade was removed, shouldn't it hurt more. He had read somewhere that if you stopped feeling pain it meant death was near. Was he going to die here and now, after everything that had happened? Would it all be ended here at the end of a madman's knife.

He stumbled back and fell to his knees clutching his gut, as blood continued to well up around the wound. He focused on continuing to breath, but that was made harder when he had to spit up blood. He knew that was a sign of internal bleeding. If he didn't see a doctor soon he would surely die.

NO I WILL NEVER ALLOW IT.

He looked fiercely defiant for a second as flames of rage and passion filled his eyes. Then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he slumped over. An oval of darkness blossomed into existence over him and when it faded Micheal was gone, only the large amount of blood leaving any proof he was there.

[Sentenza Hoshizuki]

Sentenza watched as events unfolded. What was Chaos' power? War could boost her own strength, which made sense, so could Chaos then alter the course of events around him. If that was the case, Chaos' boast of being more powerful than War certainly was no lie. Shock entered Sentenza's eyes as he saw the blade pass into Michael. Chaos' timing was impeccable. Sentenza watched the man fall to the ground, then simply disappear. The shock seemed to cause Sentenza to regain his previous composure "You simply kill everything don't you?" Sentenza asked, "You don't care whether it will further your goals or not." Sentenza jumped back and changed his weapon to its gun form, taking aim at Chaos and starting to fire.

Unlike Chaos, Sentenza had been able to tell there was at least a hint of good left in War, at least a small bit of human emotion. Conversely, Chaos seemed to be a complete and utter monster. "You truly think that this is your purpose, don't you?" Sentenza asked, "Then talking to you is truly pointless. War . . . I could tell something was left in her, at least a memory of a heart. All you are is destruction incarnate." Sentenza leaped forward at Chaos again, aiming to land a diagonal cut from right should to left hip. Sentenza knew that even if the cut hit, Chaos would probably treat it like a scratch. "You may be more powerful than War, but humanity is the price for your power." Sentenza commented.

[Chaos]

"Every kill furthers my goals. I wish total annihilation of the human race." Chaos said with the same grin he killed the other one with. He duck and wove through the hail of bullets. He was not fast enough to dodge all, but he was fast enough to dodge most. What few hit Chaos gave him the same pain he had gotten from Micheal.

The pain was odd, that he felt it any way. He had a arm cleaved off once, and hadn't felt a thing. His nerves still worked, he could feel everything just fine, just not the pain. Now it made him understand, those had never been threats. But could he die from this, could this actually kill him? Could he actually die, or would it be like Death? Not that this bullets concerned him. It only hurt the moment it hit, it would take hundreds upon hundreds to be a threat.

"Of course this is my purpose, would you deny it if it were your purpose. Would you deny that the world is teeming with useless waste?" He saw the attack coming, He jumped, flipping over the blade, slashing with the knife as he did. He hit the ground and tumbled away jumping up a few feet away with a jovial face.

"You have to have humanity to trade it away, and I assure you I never had that." He said with a laugh. "I evolved past the need of such a concept. I realized that I was a wolf among the sheep, necessary to control the population." He looked up to Sentenza, a feral glee in his eyes. "In my second life I understand what I was being prepared for."

He snapped up suddenly and grinned wryly. "How rude, do you think me so uncivil to not have discourse merely because we disagree on the trivial need to keep one's life. No I welcome conversation. Shall we talk about War, and the ever so small bud that remains of her human heart?"

He moved quickly throwing himself to the left. It was best to never rest in one spot. Moving served two purposes, it kept him from attacking, and it unbalanced him. Sentenza would never know which angle to expect attack in, and it gave Chaos the time to see the weak point in his defense.

"I know about her little seed, the thread of doubt. I know that women well, I knew her history before we were brought together.. You aren't equipped to deal with that. She was a hero once, to bad she found out about the reward for heroism. You can't save her, because she's your future. What do will think will happen when you become known, when the humans hear what you are, cause I don't know what that is yet, but I know it's not human. They won' praise you, either they'll hunt you down, or tolerate you until the can remove you." Chaos said. "You know, your lucky, I'm going to kill you before you have to experience that."