The impact twisted my hip bad, so bad that even the slightest shift felt like a fire burning on my side, other than that I was fine, just a couple thousand tiny scratches here and there, no big deal. But when I tried to stand up my whole body groaned in mass protest, threatening to overthrow my conscience.

I come so far, I am not just going to walk away, after all he done to us. So just move my god dammed legs!

That moment my will triumphed over, my foot was set in place, back arched, head facing forward, then upwards as I scanned the surroundings. The place was a wreck, not a single crate left un-shattered. Too make matters worse, the wooden debris from the shattered crates jutted out from all sides like sharp stakes. From what I saw, the previous entrance has been buried underneath the debris, the only I could go was ahead. The entrance of what is possibility Francisco hideout.

He was going to pay, every last bit of it. Holding onto that thought, I took a bold stride towards the door, with the debris cracking beneath my feet. And it was that moment a question hit me hard:

What am I going to beat him with?

The original plan involved a split team scenario where, I and Yoshino will find Francisco and deal with him in our own ways; I will deal with uncovering his illusions, and Yoshino will go for the take out the actual Francisco with me pin pointing it for her. But that was before Yoshino was driven mad by the vision. At the time my plan was truly in ruins, and my head grew light at the thought of it. And the moment I straightened my back, I felt something cracking beneath my shirt. Nauseating, I lifted up my shirt to check, sure enough there was some plastic case cracked beneath my shirt...

The memory came back to me like a punch, I can't believe how much of a moron I am! As I recall at the time, I had this phony plastic time bomb on me that I stitched together last night, in a last ditch effort. Basically I converted my black electric alarm clock, into a timer that actually starts counting down when I press a specific button....and more than that, when I scan my eyes across the space one last time, a genius plan came across me, one that was so good a little laugh escaped from me just from the thought of it. Truly I have gone mad as I scooped up a handful of fallen gunpowder around me, and began to rub myself all over with it. I smeared myself with so much of that stuff, I was literally a standing shadow. And with that hint of madness and rage still boiling inside me, I began climbing my way through the wreckage, all the way to the last door.

***

On the other side of the door was dark long corridor, so dark no lights penetrated deeper then 3ft, and I felt I still have a mile to walk. But really the actual walk wasn't that long, not even close to a hundred meters, but it was the darkness that made it felt like eternity. Feeling less confident after step, I traced my hand across the wall, until suddenly I hit a wall, until I realize it wasn't a wall, it was a door. I gave it pull but it wouldn't budge, and tried several more times. Before finally giving it a push instead, a like that the door opened smoothly.

What an idiot I am. I thought to myself. But as soon as I walk through the door, I was stunned by the scenario. About 30ft away from me was Aurora wrapped in changes, dangling head down over a pit of lava and Aine nowhere to be seen. And as soon as I arrive, Aurora eyes flew open and began to scream for me:

"Help Ying! Get me out of here! Please!" Tears swell in her eyes, as the run down her cheeks like living sapphires. Her expression, the heat, her voice, it was all too, but it was her sentence that made me think twice.

I take a step back calmly and said:

"Nah, you hang in there."

Despite the tears, she blinks back at me in confusion.

"If the Aurora I knew was one tenth as kind as the Illusion, I would be the happiest man in the world." I chucked at the irony. And like that the illusion evaporated like a mist of a sunny day, revealing what appears to be a grand throne room like the medieval ages. Below me was a red carpet, by my side were row upon rows of stone pillars, each with a silver knight armor armored to the teeth standing in front of it. And in the far end of the room was a golden chair about 10ft tall, and on it sits our old friend Francisco Amelia.

"I see you have made it home boi!" there was a jovial accent to his voice. The room was silent, even the air seemed to hold his breath. And it seems to me that we were the two only living people inside this room, for now.

"I ma tell you this first; I am sry m8." he said, when I didn't speak.

"What do you mean?" I replied, curious, because I have no idea what the hell he is talking about.

"Used as a peasant after all...and she ain't give a single jack shit about u."

That usually doesn't strike me the hard way, but for some strange f***ing reason, I began to feel the blood inside me boil.

"What did you do to the twins?!" I said with so much furor, I was even surprised myself, but Francisco seemed unmoved.

"Naw m8, u mean u need to git gud. But no worry, I ma end yo misery soon enough." He reached inside his tuxedo and pulled out a pistol, even though we were at least 100ft apart, a bullet was still a bullet. But this is when my back up plan comes in. With a single smooth movement, I shrugged off my jacket and revealed the phony bone strapped to my waist. Francisco eyed it curiously for a while, with the gun trained on me the whole time.

"Go ahead, shoot me, I will take down the whole place with me." I bluffed.

"You are bluffing." He said with a sneer.

"You are welcome to try, after a life of the peasant for the life of an area boss...I would say worth."

He lips went into a thin line, and next thing I know he tosses away his gun with a bored expression as he got up and stretched lazily, all the while he said:

"I see you have chosen the hard way m8." His face was masked by a grimace, and with one stroke, he picks up the golden cane leaning against his arm rest and holds it up in the air; with one hand on gripping the middle and the other pulling the golden hilt, the black scabbard of the cane was gone, replaced by a long slender silver body of a blade.

"She's a work of art isn't she? I call her the 'Noob slayer 666'. Now I really feel bad for u m8, because I ma take my time to wup yo ass."

"That's my line." I stepped forward as rage continue to boil inside me.

"Should have choose to pistol m8, oh." He paused, in a way an amnesiac remembers somethings: "Almost forgot to tell you; the twins are in safe hands."

"I don't give...wait, how do you mean by safe hands?" my eyes narrowed at the word safe.

"Ah, they were fiddling around in my bedroom, gave them a little gas that's all."

"Gas?" I said, not sure how I feel about the word.

"Xenon. Good stuff, I mean when it's not used against you. Colorless, odourless and...deadly. But no worries there out cold now, though one of them always is, as for the other one, it's for her own good that her hot head needs to cool down once in a while. Git it?"

These were some awfully bad stereotypical puns, so bad I wanted to rip my ears off, but at that moment I want nothing more than to slay that son of a bitch Francisco himself.

"You know," I replied in a cool calm voice, as I did the best to restraint myself from charging at him in full rage, because fighting while under armed will be the last thing I want now.

"I am glad you Aine and Aurora is knocked out so they don't have to suffer your bad puns. And If you let me choose between cancer and your puns, I would choose cancer every single day of the year."

That seemed to upset him more than anything else, as his face turned form a cheerful red to an eggplant purple. He threw his scabbard aside and leaped off his throne and began charging at me, he was fast, I will give you that. And as he rush towards me, the air around him began to distort, he was furious to the point like I just murdered his whole entire family. But it doesn't matter now, whether it's one bad pun for not, I brace myself for the last battle, the battle that very well maybe my last. The illusionist verses the mind reader, the battle that will be sang for centuries...ok I may be getting a little too ahead of myself, but the point is whatever the outcome, my life will change forever. For a moment I felt no fear, no rage, as I draw in a deep breath, deep ragged breaths. Francisco was only 10ft away from me now, as illusions of copies of himself surrounded me from all sides, all swords pointing at me, his eyes crazy, his lips curved into fervent smile, his moustache bouncing up and down in the air. I decided I seen enough, and that's when I closed my eyes and called upon Eji.

***

Last time I have called upon Eji was the time when I, Aine and Aurora squared off Yoshino, and barley winning. Now I was just by myself, except I am not alone. Whenever I am with Eji, I don't feel alone. And in amidst this sea of Chaos; Eji was my only harbour of clarity, and with that clarity I found confidence. Confidence not in myself, but rather full confidence of putting my life in Eji hands. That moment we were one. I open my eyes again:

***

Dozens of copies of Francisco began to unfold around me, but with Eji powers I knew, Francisco never moved a step. So un-stunted, I stood there and let the illusions harmless slash through me. I looked up and met Francisco eyes once again, his eyes showed surprise that was never there before, amusement even.

"Not bad for a scrub, most will just shit themselves at the sight of it, and I meant literally." He said with ease.

"How about you quit being such a pussy and come git me m8, unless u scurred?" I taunted with ease, as I slowly drift towards one of the armors besides the pillar, hoping to snatch a weapon off the armor in time.

"Li-Ying. Over this past 2 weeks, you have no idea how much noise there was about you. I heard about your ability, mind reading isn't it? Useful I admit, but your dam unlucky to run into a 420 blaze it Swag lord like me. So prepare yo anus, because I ma bout to 720 aerial no scope yo ass!"

I had enough of his bullshit, but it was only thanks to his over inflated narcissism I was able to get close one of the armor and snatch a spear off of it in time, and charged at him without turning back once more. Behind me, I hear the empty metal shell of the armor collapsing behind me, the path between me and Francisco seem to stretch infinitely further, like Zeno's paradox. Except it was all an illusion, because I know in reality, I could be running into his sword point any moment; Eji ability allows me to read mind, but it doesn't exempt the data my optical sensory filtered into the brain, so in other words, I still see the illusions. Well before this night, I did some thinking on my own, I came up with several theories about the ability. First thing about Francisco ability is that it's strictly optical illusions, no sounds, no smell, no taste...though the chance of getting to try the last one is highly unlikely. This point has been proven, when I entered the mansion, at the main lobby I noticed, Francisco movement made no sound what so ever when he walked down the stairs, and just judging from observation of the thickness of his soles, not even a ninja could gone entirely quiet. The only reason why I didn't notice it at that time was because we were paying so much attention to his bullshit. And that moment, without his bullshit in the way, my mood became as clear as day. We charged at each other at the exact same time, him with sword tip pointed at me. As he charged at me, his form began to shift, like an object shimmering in mirror. Within a blink of an eye, there was 2 copies of him, and every second afterwards, he seemed to duplicate himself non-stop. All the illusions of him charged towards me with synchronized steps, unlike the first time, this time it came at me in a formation, single row, just like a wall of swords. When he was about 10ft away from me, I counted a dozen copies in total, as the wall of swords continues to charge at me.

"I call this the Scrub Remover!" the voice came from amidst of the formation. But it didn't matter, because that was all anticipated.

I close my eyes, and listened to Eji.

8 o'clock, 1ft, vertical strike.

I moved the spear vertically to the right with both hands on the shaft. The parry worked, but what I didn't anticipate was the fact that the durability of weapon. Apparently the spear I was holding was no more than ceremonial purpose, while Francisco sword was gleamed and seemed to be well tended. Not too much surprise, my spear snapped in half, as he quickly regain his balance and his sleek silver blade continue to press forward once more. I tried to side step but it was too late, he maybe a middle age old man, but as sure as hell he doesn't move like one. In normal circumstances, an ordinary person may be able to get a single shallow slash on my shirt, but not Francisco. In just a short burst of time, 3 deep gashes appeared across my chest, before I was able to jump away and clutch my chest in pain. But he didn't stop, he continued to press forward and add to my burdens, first a light slash on my arm, another on my feet, then another across my back. And under the weight of a thousand gashes, I fell to my knees, facing down and staring at the reflection of my own blood; I was statue of gore, a piece of painful art for sight, a figure my mom wouldn't even recognize.

"Mind reader, you hear me? Can you still read my mind?" he paused, as he slowly paced towards me, then stopped about 3ft away, before leaning down and continued:

I wanted to tell him to F-off, but I found my own voice hoarse. I tried to look up, but the blood loss in my body was too much.

"That's right, you need to git gud!" He threw himself backwards in devilish laughter, and after what seemed to be like an eternity, he slowly began to recover himself. As he circled me, he began to dragging his sword behind him, creating this terrible screech blade, before finally flipping it into the air with one flick of the wrist, caught it, then pressed it just at the base of my neck.

"GG no Re. As an honor to a fellow devil instrument, keep your butt clenched and prepare yo self for my 720 aerial no scope, next level 420 blaze it, too much swag MLG..."

This was really it. Or I thought it was until, out from the corner of the blood pool, the broken shaft of the spear, the one with the spear end, laid within arm reach of me. So without hesitation, I snatched it up and raised it up with the last ounce my strength.

"...half court Dunk...Hey! U still listening to me m8?"

That moment I felt a person right beside me lifting me up, and guiding my art and thrusting it forward with speed that even surprised myself. For a moment I swear I saw some sort of ghostly figure or apparition flashing before my eyes. But it all didn't matter as I found myself screaming at the top of my lungs, the vision around me collapsing around me like a dark tunnel, until no light was left. In my last conscious moment, I felt a jibe coming from the tip of the spear, the spear has hit something, my efforts and mysterious Adrenaline have not gone to waste. And that was all I needed to know before my world went dark.