Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 260: Arc 4, Act II, - 105: The Rainstorm Slasher
Jotou skidded to a halt, brows knitted and eyes wide. The many contents of the tent was flung aside or following the remnants of water down the uneven ground.
The allied soldiers rushed to her aid and aimed. "BLAST!" "Blash-!..." "Blast!!!" With the exception of a few waterlogged firearms, bullets flew towards Rain.
Rain gave no shift of his head and raised his sword... In one swift swoop, murky blue water emerged in a blasted up into a wall, spanning several metres across and a few metres high.
"Pwosh." "Pwoosh." All the bullets pierced the water and were only caught in the thick wall. Only one gap existed in the wall—right at Jotou’s feet; an entrance where the two could see each other was made, like a chunk of the wall was a missing puzzle piece.
The wall remained, tanking each bullet without hassle. Behind Rain and behind said wall, were five pillars of water and on each of them emerged—"SWISH!"—a sharp-looking blade of water over the necks of each captive.
Asobi whimpered, Hotaru’s eyes went wide while she tried to use her magic; however with her limbs encased, there was no healing a sore muscle, much less a slice across the neck...
Daiyu growled and whipped her hair to the sides, "COME FIGHT ME YOU BASTARD!" she screamed. Arabella fluttered her lashes, realizing none of her magic was usable.
Rain kept his eye on the blonde and his hand signalling to stop turned; with four fingers he beckoned her forward. Jotou glared to the elite soldier, her gaze trailing across the pillars of her captured friends...
’No, no, no- NO!’ The hilt of her blade nearly broke, her heartbeat quickened. Other than a silent sniffle however, the Thundering Blade kept the glare as her eyes gave off a few sparks.
Fumeko finally managed to flip all her wet hair away from her eyes, only to notice the watery scythe at her throat. A disgusted groan escaped her lips before she observed the situation.
All her friends trapped to her left, soldiers coming out of tents from afar, the nearer ones trying to find an angle to shoot at, but clearly failing to breach the giant wall of water.
And the figure at the inner edge of the giant circle, beckoning Jotou who stood completely across. Jotou was not running, her blade did not spark... Fumeko figured this was not a brash fight; not quite yet at least.
The figure was an elite they didn’t see coming; but why weren’t they dead yet? There’s something going on and these soldiers shooting like idiots wasn’t helping.
Shadows took over her form; she blinked to the floor, escaping the pillar. She glanced up to her struggling friends and pouted, "I’ll get you guys later, please don’t die," she muttered and blinked away.
’What’s his angle...? Think carefully of the next steps you take?’ Those words buzzed in her mind whilst she did not budge from her spot, staring him down.
Shadows formed in front of a soldier, too low for where the firearm was aiming. "Blast!" The bullet shot into the sky as Fumeko pushed the barrel of the rifle up.
"Stop shooting! Clearly it’s not working! It’s an elite, let us handle it!" she yelled and blinked away.
Each time she blinked to a different soldier, all around the circle to spread the message as quickly as she could; it may be the only thing that convinces the elite soldier not to kill his hostages...
"She was just a person. Like the fucking rest of us..." the words the Daiyu said to Jotou. ’...Maybe he’s like Frost... Maybe there’s some amount of reasoning with him. Regardless, he’s got them in a bind. If I do something out of line, then...’
The shadows appeared next to her, "Jotou!"
"Meko," Jotou immediately turned. Rain noticed the other person in view. He glanced back to the pillars and then glanced back at the two. The empty pillar of water fell and splashed against the earth.
"I got the soldiers to stop shooting, but backup’s incoming. I’m gonna go try to get Feyan here, but the hell do we do? That’s," Fumeko looked to the elite soldier.
"Rain."
"Jotou," Fumeko hushed. "Them," her eyes shifted once to their friends pinned into the pillars.
"I know..." Jotou had little time to ponder and plot. She took a deep breath, the fingers gripped onto her sword slackening, "I’m gonna have to talk to him.
Detective." Jotou faced away from her and readied herself to march into the ring. ’She’ll figure it out.’ "I trust you. You know what to do." Jotou stepped into the gap.
"What?" Fumeko furrowed her brows.
Once Jotou had made it past the inner side- "FWOOSH!" Water surged up to close the gap. "Wait, Jotou...!" Fumeko curled her fingers.
More soldiers were gathering around. What was she supposed to do!? She could make out the blonde through the water, there should be no trouble to blink in right next to her. But trust her? Trust her to do what!?
"Gah!" Fumeko blinked away, having to come up with what to do on her own...
Behind her, the water surged up to shut and the two were left in a little arena of sorts... Rain slowly strode forward. Noticing this, Jotou followed, both of them heading for the centre.
Midway Rain raised his entire arm holding the water-based blade. Unfurling his fingers the sword dissipated into droplets and vanished, showing a free hand in his walk.
Jotou kept her eye on him, matching his pace. ’Fine.’ She drew her blade up, pointing the hilt towards him; the armite blade sparked and fizzled before she sheathed it into her coat, leaving a trail of electricity to flicker out.
Steps, steps, steps... Merely a couple of metres away, "I’d stop right there," Jotou uttered, footsteps coming to a stop. Rain paused... and stood the same distance.
Eyes unable to pierce through the visor in the dead of night while the clouds swirled above.
"If distance was your issue, you need not worry; I would have commanded a fountain from where you stood and let gravity do the rest," the same pride, the same boom in his tone.
"I’m aware," Jotou’s eyes darted for a second to her trapped friends. "And I’m sick and tired of this pattern. The Trailon Regime has had enough chances to kill me ten times over.
Why haven’t you done that? Why have you opted not to kill me instead?" the voice of a songbird.
Rain examined her up and down, "Beautiful," he uttered. "So composed. I commend you. However, you may not like my answer." No expression to judge, much like Frost.
"So the pattern continues. I’ll never know why you won’t just end me. This many chances stacking up; you realize I’ll always be a threat to the regimes if that’s the case."
Rain took a step to his left, "We have orders to capture you, the princess and Namora. We haven’t actually been told why the first two."
Jotou took a step to her left.
Rain continued his steps, "Namora, Trailon has a personal vendetta after the incident in Kria would be my best guess. That, paired with her father’s reputation, there are many things that could be theorized.
Regardless, we have orders; we don’t question them."
The two continued taking steps in a circle, like two circling predators, staring down the other. Jotou’s lip curled up to one side, "Such a zombie. No free will, no questions. Nothing more than a pawn?"
"If that were the case, the friends you so dearly hold would be long gone. Bringing you back alive are my orders; whether or not I kill them, is not."
The smirk faded, "It’s impressive what you’ve done. Manifestation magic is it?"
"One part, yes. Summoning magics are also my speciality. So be warned, whatever you may do, you will have a slim chance of success."
"I like those odds," the smirk returned. "Could you create and summon enough? Enough to the amount of destruction I’m capable of?"
"An offensive caster is someone already on the path of destruction. I shall have no issue."
’Keep stalling, draw this out as long as you can Jotou.’
Meanwhile, the soldiers already out in the open approached the wall of water, seeing no way to ascend or break it. The surface tension alone did not allow for their rifles to poke through, their bullets had made barely halfway.
Fumeko blinked towards a tent full of soldiers running out, commanders now barking out orders to go towards the direction of the fray.
"Don’t shoot, don’t do anything, just stand ready!" Fumeko told every commander and soldier she would pass. Finally, she blinked towards, "Feyan!"
Feyan stumbled out with a hat on his head, unstrapped. "Detective Namora! What is the situation!? Is the princess-"
"Everyone’s in danger."
Feyan’s already worried expression only worsened.
"...Ish..." Fumeko winced with her hands out. "It’s the Rainstorm Slasher. He got five of us and put us up on display cases pretty much and had a blade to our throats.
I blinked out, but he wants to talk to Jotou. He made a giant wall, called her in and Jotou accepted. She then sent me to do, to, do something!" the brunette threw her hands up.
"That means... Daiyu..." a smoke of shadow flashed in his eyes.
"Daiyu? I’ve never heard you say her name bef- Wait, wait, wait!" Fumeko held Feyan by the arm before he rushed off. "Don’t do anything stupid! He’s holding them hostage, I’m hoping Jotou’s reasoning with him!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Feyan knitted his brows, "How could an elite soldier, who has a mission to kill us all, have any reasonable offer that is favourable for us!?"
"I, don’t, know! But don’t do anything, alright!? Daiyu’s up a pillar- Forget I said that last part!"
Feyan wrestled out of her grip, "I will not do anything rash, but there better be some logic behind this order," he rushed out with the other soldiers.
Fumeko groaned into the air and palmed her face, "Logic, logic. Come on, what does Jotou think I can do here!? Think, think, think, think, think-"
Fumeko let her face go and took a deep breath, "Okay." Imaginary red strings began to form in her view, her eyes open whilst soldiers ran in an ordered manic around her.
"Jotou went into the wall and got trapped. Clearly Rain would’ve killed us if he wanted to, so why not?" she held a hand to her chin.
Dots connected the red lines, "No, the elites have orders not to kill some of us. Then the reason not to capture Jotou outright is because,"
Meanwhile...
"Why haven’t you just captured me then?" Jotou queried.
Rain cocked his head, "That’s simple. You will not go willingly. If I kill your friends, there is no chance you will not go into an unpredictable outrage."
’Not like that’s not happened before.’
"And even if I do hold your friends hostage and offer to let them go in exchange for you, you will not surrender and come quietly, will you?"
"Unlikely."
"And if I take you by force, I cannot predict what havoc you might wreak."
"Or you can’t hold me for too long with your spells and I’ll escape. Never heard of an affinity-lock?"
"That takes time to implement. Besides, you will struggle at every opportunity you get," Rain gazed at her eyes. "The voice of thunder personified; I doubt your will is weak."
Jotou gave a small chuckle, "You’d be surprised~"
"So my options are dwindled down to defeating you in a fight. To beat you into submission or until you are unconscious."
"So you can’t knock me out in one shot? That’s good to know," in no haste she held the handle of her blade, drawing it out inch by inch.
The blade arced in lightning, "It’s also good to know you understand there’s no avoiding this fight. And here I was thinking you weren’t much of a talker."
"I talk when it’s necessary," Rain held his hand out. Water droplets formed into a small globe and with a swish, it formed into a sharp glowing blade of murky blue water, similar to Jotou’s.
The two circled and circled under the midnight that thundered—the smell of incoming rain. Two thundering blitzes tucked into her blonde locks waving in the wind alongside her yellow coat.
The same wind blowing the five fabrics making up the cape of the Rainstorm Slasher. He readied his blade, "I want to know; why do you fight?"
She answered, "To win, and to protect. And given enough reason, out of spite."
"Fighting for the sake of vengeance is arguably not very wise."
"Arguably I’m not very wise. But I know that revenge fuels some part of my blood too. Who would you remember more?
The opponent who gave up with honour? Or the one who’ll leave a permanent scar? A nuisance pestering your mind although they’re long gone," her eyes sparked.
Rain went silent, turning and pivoting the water-based blade. "I see your perspective. Although your eyes show more honour than what you speak... Tell me; if I defeat you without killing, will you surrender?"
"Never." ’Unless I can play off of it.’
"Hm, it’s a shame then. You know my orders. I must take you as prisoner, not corpse. Even if every bone of yours is fractured? Even if the pain will send you into shock? You would not?"
"Are you deaf?" Jotou used her left hand to signal ’No’ in Cravoltan sign language.
Rain’s blade twisted in between his fingers and whipped forth as he stopped circling, causing Jotou to do the same. "Then do not say I have not warned you," water droplets formed around his feet.
"SPLOOSH!" Water jetted from under his feet, launching him towards the blonde!
