https://youtu.be/k-Q6K9RYmSI

She was fast.. 

Faster than Erice could even think. 

Okita Souji was there one moment, and gone the next. 

Rinse.. repeat.. the fight went on a bit like that.. 

Erice didn't want to think about the fact that this was supposed to be a 2 on one fight, that she was supposed to have backup, but for whatever inexplicable reason, that backup was missing. 

She knew that overall, in the grand scheme of things. Compared to Cloud, Raijin and even the likes of Repo. She, Ben and Hanzo were the rookies here.  The reason why they had been given partners in battle was because Mordred didn't yet trust them to run a mission on their own.. 

She knew that.. 

But now..

Everything relied on her soloing this right.. 

Erice's eyes darted left and right, her hair glowing with the amount of power erupting around her as she absorbed moisture and liquified it. 

She would only see brief flashes of Okita now and then. 

She was a Servant. overall she was stronger, faster, and if she even got in slightly close it would be over. 

Erice felt sweat trickle down her forehead as she thought about the cold katana's blade across her belly, her blood warming her. 

She was no good in close quarters combat if blades were involved. Even Great White Shark mode wouldn't protect her against an armed combatant if the blade was sharp enough. 

She had to keep distance.. no matter what. Till Yuffie came to provide the close quarters advantage she needed. 

"Fwip.."

Erice's senses lit up as she saw a brief eruption of sonic air break, showing Okita charging forth with her blade, faster than a human could blink. 

"RAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Erice lashed her hands out, and a churning whirling cyclone of pure glowing water erupted in the point between her and Okita. 

Okita was forced to twirl in mid air, stopping mid way, and landing on her feet. 

Tower sized waves of water slammed down at Okita from above, as Erice took full opportunity. 

Okita's eyes remained cold.. unfeeling, as she turned into a breadth of air.. disappearing with such speed and silence it gave Erice flashbacks to training against XLR8. 

No.. XLR8 was faster still.. she could do this. 

Erice snapped her fingers, and several portals of liquid opened up around her, several koi fish swimming into view from the portals and swimming around her. 

"You want to play it tricky huh?" Erice muttered. "Lets see how you handle this new trick I've got?"

During the brief moments of training their Omni, Gojo had been quite explicit. 

"Ocean Magic is very overpowered when you think about it." He had said. "It encompasses everything, much like air, and those who fight within it, and move around within it can make even better usage of location features like Echo Location. Why? Because water is more affected by vibration than air.    You ever notice how when you drop a metal thing in a pool and when it drops you can clearly hear it?  Because of the density of water, sound travels better.. vibrations travel better.  Take advantage of that. "

This move would probably take a TON of her magical power to produce, especially since it was only possible to do without unnecessary casualties with Omni..  However, it would give her the advantage over Okita she needed. 

"NOW!" Erice roared. 

The koi fish all fired jets of water in a multitude of directions, the jets becoming thicker as they spiralled out, till they were becoming gallons and gallons of massive magical water.. erupting outwards till.. finally a huge bubble the size of multiple city blocks engulfed all the buildings  in the area, the air..

"Wh-wha!?" Okita was spotted floating within the giant floating bubble. "Wh.. wait I can breathe?!"

"Yeah.." said Erice as she swam upwards to meet with Okita a hundred feet up. "I guess I caught you mid jump.."

"Fool.. couldn't you have made the water drown me?" Okita muttered. "That'd be more efficient." 

"Creating a flood on that scale for a single target would be a waste of magic power." Erice said simply. "Plus I don't wanna drown civilians.. The Fish Bowl is a move I use that consumes minimal power and allows me to isolate certain enemies I want to give a chance.. or take on enemies that otherwise could breathe here either way." 

Okita frowned. "You.. really don't want to hurt other people do you?"

"Not why we came here." said Erice. "If you want to stand down-."

Okita's blade flashed towards Erice's neck. 

Erice's speed was 10 fold in the water and she easily side stepped  the blade now, sensing it before it could even reach her. 

"I am a man killer by nature, don't think this sort of bullshit will convince me." Okita said coldly. Her eyes that had been briefly warm and innocent reverted to a freezing assassin's gaze. 

Okita leaped through the water.. her movements were slowed, but somehow she was able to step on water the same way she miraculously stepped on air, using a cushion of pressure to propel herself. 

The difference however, was this time, Erice was absolutely aware of each and every movement she made. 

Erice clicked her tongue, the sound of a Dolphin's chatter pinging around her, giving her a 360 degree view of her surroundings in the giant water sphere. 

Simply controlling the water itself wouldn't do the trick now.

Erice furrowed her brow, her fish suit changing into its more shark-like version, a tail whipping out behind her, as her teeth sharpened and turned serrated. 

Now in her Great White mode, she soared through the water with extreme speed, intercepting Okita mid leap. 

"Hmm..." Okita barely let out a vocalization, and instead her eyes flared into a glare and she slashed her blade at Erice's neck. 

Erice ducked the slash and hurled a powerful punch at Okita's abdomen. 

The power of the punch was such that it sent a shockwave through the water, which Okita flipped over before aiming a crescent kick down at Erice's head. 

Erice crossed her wrists, her rough shark scales dulling the impact from Okita's kick before she thrust her wrists outwards, forcing Okita upwards from the force. 

Okita turned into a blur, reappearing behind Erice in the water. 

Erice however, now fully aware of every movement, was able to easily turn around, open her mouth and chomp on the blade, stopping its movement with her sharp teeth. 

Sparks grinded out from Erice's jaws as Okita tried to force the blade further into her mouth to cleave her skull in half through the jaw.  But Erice's strength in Great White form, further grew in an instant as she applied Omni to it.. green aura erupting from her body as her powers grew in potency. 

Okita bit her lip and suddenly green light ripplied around her too.  Of course, she knew Omni as well. 

Erice let go and flipped backwards before the blade could cleave the top of her skull off through her mouth, and her powerful shark tail slammed into Okita's body, sending her flailing through the water. 

Okita exploded into a building, a burst of bubbles, smoke and rubble filled the bottom of the giant water dome before she emerged, her hair waving in the current, only a few scratches on her cheek as she glared up at Erice. 

Erice felt fear clench her chest. 

A Servant. 

This was the real deal. 

Even Van Kleiss couldn't compare to the type of fight she was facing here. 

Perhaps she should try one of the new forms Ben used to the Omnitrix to help her perfect.. 

But Amperi mode and Aerophibian Mode were still too unstable to even try.  Her Omni was still too unskilled to prevent her from ripping her body apart through the sheer weight of handling it. 

She couldn't risk ripping herself apart to deal with just one of Nobunaga's soldiers. 

She had already resolved herself to the fact that she would catch up and help Ben beat Nobunaga.. help Hanzo. 

She was one of the Radiant Seven.. she couldn't sit back while other people handled that stuff. Hanzo and Ben were here responsibility, her friends. 

"You seem to have a lot on your mind." Okita called, her voice echoing into the water. 

"... huh.." Erice let out a surprised grunt. Was this a tactic to throw her off? Okita's movements had been cold, calculating, fully driven to kill, this was an unexpected moment for her.. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." said Okita. "Just.. I guess I relate on some degree. What is Oda Nobunaga to you?" 

Erice narrowed her eyes. 

True enough she never thought about that.  All she ever saw of Nobunaga was when she attacked the village.  Though.. when she thought about that moment...

"A cruel tyrant.. a monster.. somebody who ruined my friend's life.. " said Erice. "Who didn't think even a moment about destroying the village's women, children.. and.. "

"Hmmm.. I hear it all the time.. I walk out into the streets. Some praise the Shogun, some speak of the slums and the Yokai who are treated lower than the humans, even though this era should be one where we live side by side.. and yet.. I never witnessed it.. I've lived all my life.. away from that." Okita murmured. "Tell me something.. Water Fae.. have you?" 

"I've..  a bit..  recently." said Erice.  

"Recently.. and yet you fight like you've known them all your life.." said Okita. 

"No.. I've known Hanzo all my life.. and that's enough." said Erice. 

"So you can't offer me proof for why you fight?" Okita asked. 

"I've only seen two villages total." said Erice honestly. "And while one is a self functioning rebel hideaway free of Shogunate influence, the one I recently came from had signs of huge abuse. Starving people.. Yokai living in abject poverty compared to this capital city.. .. but it's just one village.  I can't say I've stayed in this world long enough to understand it fully.. but my friend has.. and that's all I need to trust what I'm doing."

Okita looked down quietly. "I don't have that much... I used to think the Shogun could do my thinking for me.. but.. now..   but even so. You can't even offer proof yourself. All I can do at this point when there's no clear picture of what is right,  is obey my orders. "

Okita then turned into a blur.. 

"Wh-wha!?" Erice let out a cough of blood.. as a blade pierced straight through her abdomen and she was pinned to the wall of a nearby tower, clouds of red erupting from her wound as Okita's face was inches from her own. 

She had been holding back

Holding back because of uncertainty.. but because nothing Erice said could sway it, she had stopped holding back her power. 

She truly never stood a chance to begin with. 

"Sorry about this. You're a rookie overall, but your power really is something special.." Okita murmured. "I hope that at least you end up engraved on the Throne of Heroes.. maybe we'll meet under better circumstances."

Okita withdrew her blade with a sliding rattle from the concrete on Erice's back, its clean coldness retracting from the warm insides of Erice's bloody gut.. 

As Okita watched dispassionately and the water sphere evaporated into clouds of shining vapor.. Erice slid down to a sitting position, desperately clutching her gut, putting pressure. 

Her consciousness slid in and out as Okita Souji turned away and slid her blade back into its sheathe. 

Flashes of her life erupted before her eyes..

A field trip.. to Britain...

Falling.. in a misty lake.. 

no idea where she was.. 

Her other self.. hissing.. laughing.. 

Her current self.. crying.. hurting. 

Vivian's voice.. 

A beautiful maiden, once a king in a field of flowers.. 

Becoming a hero..  fighting alongside other friends with fairy powers.. 

Falling into depression..  waking up in the radiant war.. memories dim.. 

Watching people die.. people she grew to care for.. and then being forced to kill them.  And then.. 

Ben.. 

Ben Tennyson.. 

Ophelia Anderson.. 

Hanzo Miyamoto..

Shijian..

Dragfeld..

Parvarti....

Deca..

Mom.

"FUCK... FUCKKK!" Erice spat viciously as the visions blasted aside and she smacked a bloody hand against the cobblestone road.. blood cascading from her mouth. "I ain't.. .going to leave you alone.. not any of you.. I haven't.. managed to even find the others yet.. I promised we'd find them all Ben.. didn't I!? " 

Erice stood up.. gasping.. as Okita looked back, looking bewildered. 

"You.. shouldn't be able to stand.." Okita said, staring wide eyed.  "Your organs should at least be failing..  how are you..?"

"RAAAAAHAHHHHHHHHHH!" Erice screamed as her blood shot out of her wound and enveloped her. 

She wouldn't die

She would live..

Ben... would live.. 

She wouldn't stop..

Not until everyone in the Radiant Seven.. at least... got to sit together again.. in the same room. 

Not until she at least lived to see each and every one of them again.. 

Blood continued to weave around her, as her hair turned pale.. and then stark white.. weaving itself into a pony tail.. part of it goinv over her right eye.. obscuring it.. 

The blood wove itself, congealing into black fabric..becoming a dark kimono.. as other parts of her blood hardened into metallic armor, like a samurai...

Her eyes became filled with dark blood.. turning red.. as more of them opened up underneath like a tetramand.. and then down her neck.. the eyes baring the gaze of an unknown Outer God.. worshipped by the Lord of Blood in another world, perhaps one similar to Malenia's.. 

Erice's stare became colder than Okita's, as she glared straight at her opponent in horrid silence.. blood pooling around her armored boots.. a white haired Samurai from nowhere.. 

Okita stared, drawing her blade slowly. "What.. are.. you?"

"This.. is new.." Erice whispered. "odd.. I never did think blood could be concieved as a concept of the Lake itself.."

"SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" Okita slashed Erice's head off in an instant.. 

Erice's head flew into the air as the Man Killer made no hesitation. 

"Giving you a chance to try a new power that can turn the tables.. as if.." Okita gasped, her eyes wide and fearful. "Forget that.. this ain't some fantasy world."

Erice's head tumbled to the ground as Okita stared quietly... 

Erice's body fell to its knees, and crumpled to the ground as well. 

Reassured of her opponent's destruction, Okita slowly slid her blade back in it's sheathe.  "Whew.. that was.. something."

"Eh? so that's what it feels like to be beheaded.."

Okita froze and slowly turned around to watch as the lips on Erice's head moved. 

"huh.. I thought I'd be more freaked out.. but its as if this form drains me of my emotion quite a bit.." Erice's head muttered lazily. "Huh.. cool I guess.." 

Erice's body rose to its feet as strings of blood whipped out from the stump of her neck and attached itself to the head, pulling it back in as the blood turned into fleshy string and sewed the neck sinews back together. 

Erice's mouth slid into a lazy grin as she tilted her head and spread her hands out. "In fact.. I kinda feel.. kinda.. giddy.. so maybe that's not completely accurate. I kinda feel.. curiously giddy.. maybe cause.. I'm just so.. DONE."

Erice spread her hands out, and pools of blood erupted around her in explosions.. and from them, rose hundreds upon hundreds of swords,  japanese spears, and cleavers , formed of congealed blood that hardened and turned metallic  as they rose higher and filled the sky, more suddenly and instantly than even Archer's Unlimited Bladeworks. 

They all pointed themselves down at Okita, who redrew her katana in a flash. 

"Sh.. shit.. shit!" Okita stammered, eyes wide with shock.  "Why.. does this feel like an Outer God!!?" 

"hehehehehehe" Erice chuckled, her eyes rolling back as the blood weapons shot down like a rain of bloodfire. 

Okita stammered out curses before zooming back at high speeds..

But she barely made it 50 feet back before she felt her steps slowing. 

Looking down, she noticed her sandles sticking to the ground.. as she yanked them off the ground with every step.. as if she were walking in an extra sticky glue.. no.. partially dried blood. 

The ground was covered in metallic smelling foul red gunk.. as if the earth itself had been wounded and was now bleeding. 

"This isn't the power of a Fae.." Okita whispered in horror. 

" A bit like fly paper ain't it?" 

Okita roared out in pain as a spear made of blood metal shot straight through one of her arms, and more spears shot out of the sky, pinning her feet to the ground and her other arm as well. 

She dropped her sword as Erice stepped forward, grabbing a blood sword that swirled into existence in mid air, putting its blade to Okita's throat. 

For a moment.. Erice's eldritch red eyes stared into Okita's...

"Go.. leave.. and don't fight us." Erice muttered, snapping her fingers, the spears vanishing from Okita's limbs as she fell to her knees.. her blood stitching her flesh back together the same way Erice had done for healing herself. 

"Wh-why?" Okita muttered. "What are you?"

"I honestly.. in this form.. don't very much care what happens... to anyone.. but for some reason, every time HE enters my mind, I get a sense that I shouldn't.." said Erice. 

Okita stared up at Erice for a moment. "That moment.. when you need to kill and you shut off all emotion so that you can slay every man before you without regret.. I know it, it's my skill as a manslayer after all.. you've taken it on. You.. as a Fae does.. took on the nature of that which surrounds you, and thanks to me, what surrounds you is death."

Okita stood up slowly and bowed her head, appearing regretful now.. a sharp contrast to her cold demeanor before. 

"But while it suits me, it does not suit you. I did this. Because I chose to ignore what was obvious.. what was weighing on my mind..  she.. she truly is a tyrant.. isn't she?"

Erice tilted her head. "Yeah.."

"You need to let go. "said Okita. 

"Nah... don't really feel a reason to." said Erice. "This power's pretty strong right..? I can just use it to kill everyone.. everything.. and now I know sparing the civilians are kinda pointless too. Ain't paying attention to them just in the way of the goal?"

"I know that's what you're thinking in the moment, but I had to learn to concentrate that feeling to a single target, to not let it merely spread to those around me!" Okita said. "You have to let it g-" 

"Now this just won't do.." 

"SLAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!!"

"Eh?"

Okita felt a daze.. as she watched her own blood fly out of her mouth while something large and heavy slammed her into the side of the building.. smashing her through stone and wood. 

Erice watched on dispationnately , tilting her head curiously as Okita tumbled to the ground, lying in a stain of her own blood. 

"Oh?" Erice's multiple eyes slowly slid their red irises to stare upon Nobukatsu as he approached. 

"Wh.. what hit me...?" Okita muttered as she lay, coughing.  "What.. .ack.. what.. when.. when was he so strong? He's.. just.. her advisor.. right? A.. weak.. servant.."

"Tsk tsk Okita.. you really have to learn a little bit more about deals made with Outer Gods. They tend to.. well.. give you a bit more leeway to your own victory than you would have normally.." said Nobukatsu as he walked forward towards Erice. "I was well aware of the Red Knight's tactic of drilling through the least civilian populated portion of the city to ensure success without needless death.. and I made sure that Sister was well prepared for it.. however.. this.. this is new..   two new things to be specific.."

Nobukatsu gestured at Okita. "First.. the new Captain of our police.. so quickly willing to betray us instantly.. and secondly.."

Nobukatsu grinned at Erice. "The emergence of a new power that REALLY draws my curiosity..  I've heard of that Rondo fellow before.. he appeared in this world for a brief moment before your damn school came to make things difficult.. but this.. this is different.  This isn't merely the manifestation and alteration of blood. No.. a Blood Fae.. dare I say.. Blood Bride?  It's.. been an eternity since that Yokai was born.." 

"Wh.. what are you?" Okita gasped.

"Oh you simpleton, you couldn't possibly understand.. the Yokai whose myth was never written because it was always born in such a way that witnesses could never survive to tell the tale..   When a Water based Fairy from a Foreign land comes to Japan and witnesses miraculous horrible battle.. to the point they are bathed in the blood and cold killing.. at the point of death.. they become a unique Yokai neither native to the land of the Sun or the lands beyond.. a Convergeance.. a War Goddess..  The Congealed Goddess of Slaughter.. a Blood Bride. I had the decency to witness one... and survive.. a one in a million chance.. me.. and a scholar whom which I communicated with." said Nobukatsu. 

Nobukatsu held out a hand to Erice. "The beautiful thing about that sort of God, is that before they end.. they put on quite a show.. of SLAUGHTERING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.."

Nobukatsu grinned. "Sister.. has long been disappointed with the state of affairs in this capital.. and with you BETRAYING Her Captain.. well.. it's only obvious that we need to purge the whole lot.. and start over.. wouldn't you agree Ms. Tsukiyomi?"

Erice held up a hand quietly as Nobukatsu said these words and a giant cloud of red appeared over the entire capital. "Well I suppose.. it's only logical.. it'll make our job easier too.. if the rest are dead.."

Okita stared up, blinking at the cloud, but then upon closer inspection, in horror, Okita realized what it truly was.. 

Swords.. and spears.. made of blood, enough to cover the entire city.. and kill everyone and everything at once.

"WAIT!!" Okita cried out. "YOU-!"

"Don't bother Captain.." said Nobukatsu. " This... is inevitable with killers like them! And that is why it must be a tool to suit sister!!"

"But.. "

"Eh?" Nobukatsu blinked as Erice continued to speak. 

"I honestly.. can't think of doing it.. whenever he pops into my head." Erice murmured. 

Erice grabbed the red bloody armor on her shoulder.. and tore it from her kimono.. as blood gushed out.. and she grunted in pain.

Nobukatsu and Okita both watched, flabbergasted as Erice continued to tear off her blood armor.. blood seeping from her as a result.

Erice fell to her knees.. her blood clothes dissintigrating into scarlet mist.. her hair black again.. and messy, her multiple eyes gone.. naked now that she was simply in human form again... drenched in dried blood on parts of her body.

"She.. she overcame it.." said Okita in barely a whisper. 

"Tsk.. disappointing.." Nobukatsu grunted, his face now twisted in disgust. "Oh well.. guess we'll need to rely on the orbital weapon after all."

Nobukatsu raised a hand.. and multiple giant rotting.. black tentacles.. slid out from his back.. strewn with glowing starlight like pimpricks on the rotting slime infested surface.  They twisted and undulated a few of them smashing straight through a few buildings next to her. crushing them to powder in an instant. 

"What the hell?" Erice gasped as she stared at Nobukatsu. 

"Is that.. what he used to sneak up on me?" Okita gasped. "J-just what was the extent of Lady Shogun's.. deal.. with that god?!"

"Simply giving her servants the power to deal with their enemies would suffice wouldn't it? I guess it already speaks volumes that I am one of the only ones to get this power wouldn't it eh? Former Captain of the Shinsengumi!" said Nobukatsu with a grin. "You can both die together now.. with the soon to be dead member of the so called... Radiant Seven.."

Erice closed her eyes as the tendrils shot down at her with super sonic speeds.. breaking the sound barrier, ready to batter her into a bloody pulp.. 

So... 

This was how it ended..

"The Scarlet Flowers... bloom once more.."

https://youtu.be/ZFH-iiqA-uE

A voice...

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Nobukatsu screamed in pain.. 

"Eh?" Erice opened her eyes and stared with shock as the tendrils that were mere moments away from grabbing her.. were now twisting and thrashing in agony as red mist shrouded them.. scarlet and pale brown.. like a hideous scab made into a beautiful yet ugly mist. 

Flowers were blooming under the tendrils..  glowing scarlet flowers.. their petals twisted like a whirlpool..

The sound of a blade scraping the cobblestone was heard as a set of metal plated feet walked closer.. 

The tall woman who had been with Thor.. Malenia, her hair fluttering behind her, her helm hiding her eyes as she slowly stepped next to Erice from behind her.. her blade's tip scraping the street as she strode forward..  she approached quietly. 

She removed her red cape from her dress and gently put it over Erice's shoulders to hide her nakedness as she rose and continued to approach the now fearful looking Nobukatsu, still moaning in pain from the scarlet flowers sprouting over his eldritch tendrils. 

"Y-you..? You and that... white haired girl.. and big bruted god.. you were supposed to leave.." Nobukatsu growled, sweat pouring down his face as he fought through his pain. 

"A warning if you would..  retainer of the Shogun of this world.." said Malenia as she continued striding forward. "Sephirah wants her alive..  and I do not wish a comrade in arms death..  your vile plot to use the deaths of these civilians sickens me..  and for that, you've earned death by my hand personally.  So know this as you face me.. I am Malenia, Sephirah's Blade.. and I have only known defeat but once.... now..... ROT."