parents.”
“No!” Izanami screamed. She fell to her knees in emotional agony for the lives that were so needlessly snuffed out.
“I am sorry,” her husband said. “It appears we cannot be a family after all.”
Hiruko said, “Don’t fret about it too much. Even if you hadn’t interfered, we still wouldn’t have joined you. Our hatred simply runs too deep.”
“So be it,” Izanagi said. In an instant, he closed the distance between them and smashed his fist into his son’s face. But something wasn’t right; there was too much give, and no sound of crunching skull.
Hiruko’s head flew backwards and immediately snapped back into place like some sort of balloon. “Have you forgotten, father? I was born without bones. That is the curse you abandoned us for.”
Izanagi stepped back—though he was still in mid-air. “Truthfully, I was so focused on reuniting with you, I had forgotten. But if punches will not work on you…” He conjured a tanto , a Japanese short sword, and began swinging it at his son who was truly lost to them.
Without any bones to impede him, though, Hiruko was able to contort his body and dodge his father’s strikes.
* * *
Seeing her husband fight, Izanami summoned her strength to do what had to be done. She summoned a long pole-arm called a naginata which consisted of a long wooden shaft with a curved blade at the end. She twirled it about before lunging at her daughter.
“Mother’s getting serious!” Awashima exulted.
Izanami struck first, slicing Awashima’s collarbone and shredding her frilly outfit. To her surprise, though, her daughter laughed. “Our parents have forgotten much in their old age. I’ll remind you I absorbed my brother’s bones inside your womb, giving me a bone structure twice that of any god. Your weapon can’t hurt me.”
Awashima raised her palm and fired another incendiary blast at her mother. Izanami felt a flash of searing pain throughout her entire body and fell towards the Ultimus Point below her. But she managed to right herself just in time.
Awashima flew down and began pummeling her mother with powerful strikes. Izanagi used her naginata to block them, but her daughter displayed ruthless aggression, not giving her a moment to breathe.
Eventually, Izanami spotted an opening and bashed Awashima over the side of the head. It only served to briefly stun her, but it gave Izanami enough time to think. I have to attack a part of her body that’s not protected by her bones. Either her stomach or throat. But can I really kill my own daughter?
The heart-wrenching decision took too long to make, and Awashima swiftly resumed her attack. This time, she raised both palms and fired off two blasts simultaneously. Izanami used her god-speed to dodge, but her daughter kept up the barrage. “How long do you think you can run, Okaa-san ? Sooner or later I’ll put an end to you.” She was right, of course; she would surely succeed unless Izanami did something.
An idea suddenly occurred to her. She decided to stand her ground as Awashima launched more balls of white-hot energy down at her. Remembering an old American game called baseball, she swung her blade, knocking the balls back at her daughter. Awashima screamed as they exploded into her, causing Izanami’s heart to be torn in half at seeing what she was doing to her own child. She began crying uncontrollably. “Why? Why must I do this?”
But through the smoke, a voice replied, “Save your tears, Mother. No member of Zero Grade would ever be defeated so easily.” The smoke cleared, and Izanami saw her offspring burned but very much alive. Despite everything, she was unspeakably grateful.
But Awashima raised her palms again. This time, however, she did not fire off
“No!” Izanami screamed. She fell to her knees in emotional agony for the lives that were so needlessly snuffed out.
“I am sorry,” her husband said. “It appears we cannot be a family after all.”
Hiruko said, “Don’t fret about it too much. Even if you hadn’t interfered, we still wouldn’t have joined you. Our hatred simply runs too deep.”
“So be it,” Izanagi said. In an instant, he closed the distance between them and smashed his fist into his son’s face. But something wasn’t right; there was too much give, and no sound of crunching skull.
Hiruko’s head flew backwards and immediately snapped back into place like some sort of balloon. “Have you forgotten, father? I was born without bones. That is the curse you abandoned us for.”
Izanagi stepped back—though he was still in mid-air. “Truthfully, I was so focused on reuniting with you, I had forgotten. But if punches will not work on you…” He conjured a tanto , a Japanese short sword, and began swinging it at his son who was truly lost to them.
Without any bones to impede him, though, Hiruko was able to contort his body and dodge his father’s strikes.
* * *
Seeing her husband fight, Izanami summoned her strength to do what had to be done. She summoned a long pole-arm called a naginata which consisted of a long wooden shaft with a curved blade at the end. She twirled it about before lunging at her daughter.
“Mother’s getting serious!” Awashima exulted.
Izanami struck first, slicing Awashima’s collarbone and shredding her frilly outfit. To her surprise, though, her daughter laughed. “Our parents have forgotten much in their old age. I’ll remind you I absorbed my brother’s bones inside your womb, giving me a bone structure twice that of any god. Your weapon can’t hurt me.”
Awashima raised her palm and fired another incendiary blast at her mother. Izanami felt a flash of searing pain throughout her entire body and fell towards the Ultimus Point below her. But she managed to right herself just in time.
Awashima flew down and began pummeling her mother with powerful strikes. Izanagi used her naginata to block them, but her daughter displayed ruthless aggression, not giving her a moment to breathe.
Eventually, Izanami spotted an opening and bashed Awashima over the side of the head. It only served to briefly stun her, but it gave Izanami enough time to think. I have to attack a part of her body that’s not protected by her bones. Either her stomach or throat. But can I really kill my own daughter?
The heart-wrenching decision took too long to make, and Awashima swiftly resumed her attack. This time, she raised both palms and fired off two blasts simultaneously. Izanami used her god-speed to dodge, but her daughter kept up the barrage. “How long do you think you can run, Okaa-san ? Sooner or later I’ll put an end to you.” She was right, of course; she would surely succeed unless Izanami did something.
An idea suddenly occurred to her. She decided to stand her ground as Awashima launched more balls of white-hot energy down at her. Remembering an old American game called baseball, she swung her blade, knocking the balls back at her daughter. Awashima screamed as they exploded into her, causing Izanami’s heart to be torn in half at seeing what she was doing to her own child. She began crying uncontrollably. “Why? Why must I do this?”
But through the smoke, a voice replied, “Save your tears, Mother. No member of Zero Grade would ever be defeated so easily.” The smoke cleared, and Izanami saw her offspring burned but very much alive. Despite everything, she was unspeakably grateful.
But Awashima raised her palms again. This time, however, she did not fire off
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