Tomoe recalled hearing something in the past about Joshua being devoted to Illumin. That felt like so long ago now that the mad cultist couldn't even recall where exactly he'd heard it. It had to be some time last year, but everything was so hazy; either that, or perhaps it was one of those things that no longer mattered to him. Either way, he now found himself outside of Oakland Church. He'd heard word of Joshua being in the area from some syndicate contacts after Tomoe had requested info on the man. Such a thing was quite easy to find with how close this town of Oak was to North Fiore and the Sieghart Mountains.

A dark figure stopped in front of Oakland Church. It was the dead of night, with nobody in sight. He'd tracked down the inn or otherwise dirt hole that Joshua had been staying at, and left him a note. It would tell him to meet in front of Oakland Church for a final confrontation, and to bring no one. In the cultist's heart of hearts, he'd decided that he couldn't let Joshua live. Not anymore. It ain't even him anymore, in the first place, is it...?, Tomoe thought, sighing at the idea of the pitiful creature inhabiting the body of that man.

The man was casual in his gait, but cautious. Tomoe knew that he was a man wanted by many, and not in the positive sense. Not even the sexual sense, unfortunately, but that was a matter for another day. The Soul Ether embedded in his chest underneath his armor allowed him to see any and all illusions or invisibility spells, and his Moon Aura allowed him to see as perfectly in the dark as he could in broad daylight. He wore everything that he had except for his bow, which he was prepared to quick-draw by summoning it from his ring at a moment's notice. Covered head to toe in black, the Joyan was dressed like an assassin ready to carry out his god-given duty. He was glancing in all directions, ensuring that nobody within sight could sneak up on him. The area was wide-open and easily visible, with no notable trees or shrubbery to block off vision and no way to wander over without being seen first.

Tomoe needed this to be perfect. For tonight, blood would be shed. Tonight, somebody would be put six feet under.

Tonight, simply put, was a night of murder.

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The creature had gotten the letter and made its way happily toward the church Tomoe had come seeking his death. But the creature was already dying. Its own master had been devoured by the beast that embodied itself within Gunter. Its borrowed body was finally stating to rot, so the creature was fine with death.

It approached and smiled as it saw Tomoe, ready and waiting for combat.

"This one is grateful. You shall either give me a new body, or free me. Either way I win. But before you kill me, or attemptnto anyway... I want to ask, you have the power to leave this world. I can sense iy... your magic can let you fly through the void... why have you not left?"

The creature was wearing a suit, its body appearing half undead and pale. The creature had no weaponry. And it removed its shoes and first layer of clothing to allow himself to.fight properly. The creature smiled wide showing off its front teeth, sharp and spily like needles. "You can be rid of these parasites by submitting to the the true ruler, to the King maker." He got into a fight stance ready to engage.

Tomoe's expression and demeanor changed once he saw the man approach and heard him speak, though it would not be evident based purely on the visual side due to his mask and cloak. "I won't leave until the job is done. Until I find the answer and the true path towards a new world, I have no business going anywhere else. And...", Tomoe would cut himself off for a moment, pausing as the golden Rama's Bow would summon itself into his hands. "The answer does not lie with your foolish little piss-yellow king, boy. Come back to this world after you've had time to think things over in the afterlife."

Starting at 5 meters away from one another, Tomoe would dash backwards while aiming and shooting a Burning Shot arrow from his bow forwards towards Joshua just as he started his dash, letting loose a shot that would move at 30 m/s, reaching Joshua within 0.16 seconds and hit him for A-rank damage and a persistent A-rank burning damage afterwards. Afterwards, Tomoe would land 15 meters away from Joshua. Regardless of whether it would hit or not, Tomoe would maintain distance from the man, preferring to fight at range. Ideally, the Joyan would intend to keep a 15 meter distance, backing up as necessary while observing his opponent's attacks, spells and movements.

While doing so, Tomoe would keep his peripherals fixed to ensure that nobody else would join this fight for a cheap shot or sneak attack. The last thing he wanted was some uncertain phantom to sweep in from nowhere.

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The creature expected it, as he was ready to move and dodge. He remembered the destructive power of Gunters bow, and the teleportation he could do with his magic. But he didn't care if he died or not. He only wanted to show tomoe the truth of the world now.

He sidestepped the arrow as it sailed past his nose.

"The King in Yellow has been devoured. The one you call Gunter is something special." He stood up and looked Tomoe in the face. "I won't fight you, ill gladly let you end my existence in this rotting shell.

But I want to make it very clear to you... that what ever your goal may be, If you do not keep an ear to the ground of him you'll find everything destroyed from right under your feet. You'll find even the Queen in Black won't be able to measure up to him... although he has yet to realize just how strong he will be."

He raised his hands as if preaching, black liquid dropped from his eyes and mouth. "HE IS A SLEEPING SLAVE DESTINED TO WAKE UP AND TRUELY SEE THIS WORLD! LONG LIVE THE KINGMAKER! LONG LIVE THE TRUE RULER OF WORLDS!"

Strength :
27
Speed :
68
Constitution :
16
Endurance :
1
Intelligence :
21

"Truth be told, I don't care about any of this shit you're spoutin'. Gunter's special? So what? So're my nuts, but ya don't see me goin' off about 'em. We're all special little boys and girls when mommy tells us we are as kids.", Tomoe would retort, maintaining a 15 meter distance.

Expressionless through the mask, the man behind it would crack a smile at his own crude sense of humor. This opponent before him, this suicidal drug addict of sorts, was the kind that represented what the general public saw cultists as: crazy preachers with no direction causing random mayhem for no reason than for the sake of mayhem itself. He gave the more righteous cultists like Tomoe a bad name, and that wouldn't be permitted. SHE would bring a better world for all, and had no equal. For this madman to claim anybody could encroach upon her rule was laughable. It'd be a mistake that the Joyan would need to correct before sending this lunatic to hell.

"Nothin' for it other than to shut you up for good, though. You're beyond any hope of salvation at this point, insect."

Tomoe would dash forward towards Joshua with a lunge while pointing his bow forward in an aimed position, moving at 15 m/s, and stopping 5 meters away from Joshua. He would have moved from his previous location to his current in 0.66 seconds, bow pointed to aim at Joshua. If Joshua would move away, Tomoe would follow with lunges to maintain the 5 meter distance and then fire when he's stopped moving. If Joshua would dash to get in melee, Tomoe would take his shot before the man could reach him. If Joshua would stand stock still with no intent on moving at all, Tomoe would also take the shot.

The shot in question that Tomoe would fire would be his Meteor Shot, which would start as an arrow before turning into an 8-meter diameter meteor once it got within 1 meter of Joshua, impacting him for S-rank damage. The arrow as well as the meteor would move at 30 m/s, and from the current position that Tomoe fired, would hit Joshua in 0.16 seconds.

After firing, Tomoe would lunge to move 2 meters backwards and away from the molten rock that would explode everywhere on hit.

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The second arrow hit him before he even had time to comprehend it. The 8 meter wide fireball slammed into the man and carried him back, his skin and body were completely burned and destroyed. Yet he still loved.

The soul Ether could tell it was still alive, though it had died and already began coming back. The blow had completely destroyed the creatures first life. Its burnt shriveled body smelled terribly, but it regrew till it was living again. The creature gasped and sat up laughing as its face reformed and its hair reformed.

"Yes! God I love you humans. You fight and rage and live despite the pointlessness of it all!" He laughed and laughed before standing up and rushing down toward Tomoe. If he got within range he would lash out with a series of punches and kicks, each targeted at joints and obvious weak points. The creature did not know how to use magic and as such had nothing to use against Tomoe. He only had his body and his skills. Without even a weapon the creature that had once been Joshua assaulted 6he man he had once called friend and guild companion, he hoped to take the win.

Strength :
27
Speed :
68
Constitution :
16
Endurance :
1
Intelligence :
21

"I'd say you immortal freaks with your arrogance 'n false perceptions, looking down on humanity, is what really needs to go. For that reason, I'll make a better world at any cost, and I don't give a shit what that makes me. Go back to whatever pit you crawled out of and shrivel up there!"

Tomoe would state such while aiming his bow, firing an arrow directly upwards just as Joshua began to move forward. Joshua's melee attacks were weak against Tomoe's armor, so each of the man's attacks would deal D-rank damage to his Elder Hunter's Coat. However, just as the man would throw his first punch towards Tomoe, the cultist allowing his armor to block the strike on the left side of his body as he turned, a meteor storm would descend from the skies. The arrow that was fired before Joshua had advanced had disappeared, and had come crashing down as a torrent of meteors.

The meteors would descend at 30 m/s, and would instantly burn and crush everything within a 16 meter diameter from Tomoe, of which both him and Joshua were at the center of. This being the case, everything within that distance would become a crater, damaging both Tomoe and Joshua for A-rank damage. However, Tomoe was fully armored and his armor would not break, absorbing the full damage of his own spell and allowing him to continue unhindered. Just as well, Rama's Bow damaged anybody who touched its wielder, and thus Joshua would take an additional C-rank fire damage.

If Joshua would dodge somehow, some ungodly way, Tomoe would pursue him and with superior speed and more stamina, deliver a skull-shattering kick to Joshua's head for S-rank damage, aiming to break his neck in a single attack. Should he get hit by Tomoe's meteors as the two of them engaged in melee, the damage being enough to finish off Joshua, Tomoe would speak. Either way, he would speak once the battle was at its conclusion.

"Somethin' you don't seem to realize about those of us who live on this planet, is that we ain't afraid to make sacrifices to see our duties through to the end. Only the ideals and the wills of those who have seen hell and endured despair can press on for a better tomorrow. Learn that, and come back when you've realized, insect.", the mad cultist would conclude, starting the first half of his sentence with his regular Joyan accent, and finishing with the more biting words of the man who decided to be more open to the ways of the world.

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The blows landed, but just as he got started it was already done. The meteors slammed into the creatures body as it unleased an ungodly scream. The flames purged the body and scorched it burnt black. Tomoe would find the body looked no longer human, it was thin and burned and looked like a burning mummified corpse.

The creature heard the words of Tomoe and its intelligence dissapeared as its body turned to ash and blew away in the wind. The ashes carried to a far away place. The air of darkness had lifted, telling any nearby that the dark creature no longer existed.

A small portion of soul left the remaining ashes, it was weakened, almost destroyed. Some small portion of joshuas soul had survived, and made its way toward the heavens. The clouds infront of the moon changed, if one looked closely enough and perhaps squinted, they could see the figure of a cowboy man, tipping his hat to Tomoe for saving him.

The cloud would then disperse shortly after into the wind leaving nothing but a clear cloudless moonlit night once again. What ever that creature has been, it was gone now. The world was safe from. Its parasitic darkness.

-dead-

It was just another job, really. Tomoe held no remorse or regret for his actions, and felt no warmth in his heart for freeing Joshua. After all, that daring cowboy had given it his all to see to the death of the man he found himself thanking. That was a hypocrisy that the cultist simply couldn't wrap his head around, but he would also not trample upon the last vestiges of a former ally's soul. Even if they ended as enemies, Tomoe still knew that this man would be reborn in the new world; not the alien cockroach that had overtaken him, but the Joshua that fought for the things he believed in. While they didn't have many conversations, Tomoe at least knew that Joshua possessed the guts to run into any fight without fear. That kind of determination would be rewarded in his next life.

"In the end, the one who took you over was nothin' else but a flailing little parasite. We'll see each other again some day, bud, don't you worry.", the cultist would say to nothing in particular, eyes to the sky to get one last look at the real Joshua heading to his next adventure.

With that, Tomoe would turn away, making his way back towards his inn room for some rest. Another member of his old guild had fallen, and that meant one more person that he could finally say goodbye to in a proper fashion. One more person he could say qualified for the new utopia of the world. It didn't matter what it took to get there, because SHE would save everyone upon HER return. All of Tomoe's sins along the way would mean nothing once SHE creates a perfect utopia for all souls throughout time to coexist in.

Another one saved. Are you happy?, he would ask in his mind, but knew that SHE would give no response.

Why would he receive a response, anyway? At this stage, it might be too late to hear HER at all times.

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- EXIT -