Chapter 19A: Battle Between Evils II – Shuren Versus Rasputin II (Perspective: None)

Fenrir instantly charged at Shuren and closed the distance almost instantly. Fenrir unleashed its fangs, Shuren took evasive action to the right, but Fenrir still managed to bite into his left arm.

"Gah!" Shuren cringed from pain. Despite the fact Shuren was surrounded by flames, with the area that Fenrir was biting as the epicentre Shuren's arm was being frozen, "You give the term frostbite a whole new meaning," Shuren joked as he surrounded his right arm with a flame blade and severed his left arm before the ice spread any further.

Shuren quickly shot several beams of pure flames at his assailant, however Fenrir quickly encased itself in a hollow egg shaped ice shell, although Shuren's flames melted the ice somewhat, his attack didn't reach Fenrir. "Tch," He grunted as his left arm regenerated.

Shuren then quickly notices a colossal blade surrounded by fire was coming down on him, he immediately dodges Sutr's attack by flapping his invisible wings. The blade crashed into the floor and created a huge crater at the point of impact. "You trying to hit me like that is like me trying to kill a fly with a pistol!" Shuren shouts as he creates a huge orb of fire and throws it directly into Sutr's face.

"Urghhhhaaa!" The monster grunted as it held its hands to its eyes and stomped on the ground with its huge feet in anger. It then clapped its hands together in a loud thud and a tsunami of magma reached high into the sky. Seeing the incoming attack Shuren quickly ascended higher into the sky as the huge boiling waves levelled all in its path.

He then noticed a white beam heading for him, Shuren quickly dodged and expanded the length of his flame sword and swung it at Rasputin who was over twenty metres away. Rasputin dodged and flew straight at Shuren, who switched his attack to numerous fireballs, but Rasputin dodged them whilst not slowing down his momentum. As Rasputin was within a few metres, Shuren suddenly felt another presence behind him.

Fenrir let out an ice cold breath at Shuren, who expanded his wings to defend his body, his wings instantly shattered and he began to fall towards the ground. Rasputin charged at Shuren and swung his white blade at him, Shuren expanded the flames of his fists and propelled himself further to the ground to dodge the attack, whilst at the same time, using his feet, he kicked a wave of fire at Rasputin, who was too slow in dodging the attack and got his right arm burnt.

Shuren quickly regenerated his fire wings and regained his fighting posture.

"Impressive," Rasputin complimented as he tore off the heavily singed right sleeve of his clothing. "To fight all three of us as at once, for you who was merely Nadia's rearguard support, you've truly become strong."

"Did you think I would have come here if I was weak? Back then I merely fulfilled my role of being Nadia's partner, that doesn't mean to say I don't know my way around a fight." Shuren states as he notices Sutr hurling a colossal boulder at him, Shuren punches forward as he released a huge fire beam that was taller and wider than he was. The boulder instantly disintegrated and the beam carried on to Sutr and hit him in the face again, this time knocking the titan onto its back from the sheer force of the attack. The giant's fall shakes the ground. "From the very beginning I've been targeting you who has somehow managed to survive countless assassinations throughout history. For the sake of turning you to ashes, I will not allow myself to be weak!" Shuren screams as he claps his hands together and a huge quantity of black fire gathers below him and slowly takes form, into that of a giant black flaming bird. Shuren stood on the bird's back, that released black embers with every flap of its wings. "The incarnation that will grant me my vengeance, Malice Phoenix!" The huge bird roared as it ascended higher into the sky as Shuren gazed at his nemesis with his hatred filled eyes.

"HA HA HA HA!" Rasputin laughed as he looked on at the bird manifested of Shuren's flames of pure hatred. "You're growing more astounding every second, Shuren. Now I definitely must have your soul." With a loud rumble Sutr returned to its feet and swung its blade at the Malice Phoenix, which quickly dodged and released huge black fireballs from the heavy flaps of its wings, Sutr attacked the incoming flame with its blade, although it succeeded in defending itself more cracks appeared on its blade.

Fenrir tried to freeze the Malice Phoenix with its ice breath from behind, but one swing of its wings instantly evaporated the attack. Afterwards numerous smaller black birds sprouted out of the Malice Phoenix and with swift movements they flew at Fenrir, before it could react.

Boom! Boom! Boom! - They exploded onto Fenrir at point blank range. With a whimper Fenrir slowly faded away into a similar dark abyss hole from where it once appeared.

"Einherjar Alfheim!" Rasputin shouts as numerous spectres with pointed ears flew towards Shuren and the Malice Phoenix. The Malice Phoenix released another huge fireball that engulfed all the spectres who tried desperately to erect a barrier of light, only to scream as they dissipated into nothingness.

"What were you trying to accomplish with those weaklings!?" Shuren asked as he glared at Rasputin.

"Just a distraction for this," He replied, suddenly huge chains wrapped around the Malice Phoenix and dragged it down towards the ground, Shuren was shocked, it was the same chain that had summoned Fenrir. "The Gleipnir segment of my Soul Slayer can do more than just drag out Fenrir, its a chain that cannot be broken, even by your beloved Malice Phoenix." The chains further pulled the Malice Phoenix down to the ground as it tried hopelessly to fight the intense pull.

Sutr, upon seeing its now restrained prey, swung its huge blade at the Malice Phoenix. Shuren jumped off the Malice Phoenix's back and used his wings of fire to remain airborne. Before the Malice Phoenix could be sliced by Sutr's blade, it suddenly turned into the miniature birds, the restraining chain came loose at the sudden change in size of its captor. The many thousands of birds then flew at Sutr in a mass suicide attack.

Boom Boom Boom! - The heavy power and number of explosions shook the sky and covered Sutr's entire body. The spectre of Sutr slowly faded and then vanished, the only remains of the giant was the damage it had done to the landscape.

"Ha ha ha ha, even Sutr has been defeated. I guess now it is just the two of us. I doubt you can call upon that Malice Phoenix again any time soon." Rasputin states.

"You also have lost the most useful of your Einherjar, so don't think you have me beat." Shuren surrounds both his hands with his fire blades and flies at Rasputin, who in turn charged at Shuren wielding the two blades that made up his Soul Slayer.

Ching! Ching!! - The two arch enemies exchanged each other blow for blow as they flew at high velocity. Suddenly parts of Rasputin's mist hardened and manifested into several javelins which he launched at Shuren, who blocks them with a large wave of fire. During the quick exchange the destroyed mist javelins returned to mist and blocked both anomalies' view of one another.

Shuren instantly noticed Rasputin flew below him and had sent a white wave at him, he quickly dodges the attack, but then he notices numerous mist javelins formed overhead and raining down towards him.

"URGH!" Shuren grunts as many of the javelins pierce his back as Rasputin watched on with an evil smile covering his face.

Suddenly the area around Shuren instantly turned black.

"What the!? Where am I? Where's Rasputin!?" Shuren shouted in shock as he turned left and right to try and find his nemesis, who was nowhere in sight. His eyes then happened upon the back of a teenage girl he recognised. "It can't be..." Shuren's body shook, "Nadia!?"

Suddenly in front of the girl a grotesque monster made up of many different creatures appeared and devoured the girl whole. "NADIAAA!" Shuren screamed at the horrible sight as the monster's jaws crunched on the girl, "NOOOO!" Shuren cried as he shot a huge dense flame at the monster that disappeared before his attack even reached.

Then several more images of Shuren's deceased lover manifested. As did several creatures and people around her. The many images of Nadia were suddenly killed in many gruesome forms including disembowelment, beheaded, disintegrated and eaten alive.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shuren upon seeing the many Nadias dying let out a tear endued scream. "Those javelins..." Shuren's body shook, "They're behind these images..." Shuren analysed as he tried to convince himself none of this was real. "So that's his ability, that mist can attack mentally, not just physically."

Suddenly all the severed heads of Nadia hovered around and orbited Shuren.

""""Why didn't you save me?""" The many grotesque heads asked in sync, as their bloody hollow eyes glared at Shuren, """Even though I loved you so much, even though you said you loved me, where were you when I needed you?""" Shuren cringed at every word the image of his lover said.

"I wanted to save you! But I didn't even know what happened until it was too late!" Shuren replied as his eyes filled with tears.

"""Does that excuse your betrayal?""" The heads rebuked, Shuren opened his eyes wide at the malicious words spoken in his lover's voice. """Want or not, the fact remains the same, I died. And you were nowhere to be found!"""

"Don't you think I suffered enough knowing that!?" Shuren couldn't hold back his voice, despite knowing it was an illusion his feelings were only growing.

"""Do you think that I suffered less than you, Shuren?""" The heads all stopped right in front of Shuren's face, merely inches away their eyes filled with malicious intent. """Shuren, I died despising you!""" They all shouted eerily. Shuren was only momentarily shocked from hearing those words as he recalled the time shortly after Nadia's death.

"Nee-sama, wished for me to tell you, that she loved you," A young Alma said with her eyes filled with tears, "Even at the end, Nee-sama thought the world of you. I could tell, she regretted that she couldn't be with you any more. That's how much you meant to her. She died loving you." Alma said as her tears got the better of her and she fell to her knees.

Recalling this memory, Shuren knew just what he had to do as he glared at the many heads showing a face more angry than he had ever shown anyone. His body got surrounded by an aura of flames that flowed around his entire body.

"When Nadia died, she may have indeed resented me. However, that is not for you illusions to say! The only one who has that right, is only Nadia herself!" The aura of flames expanded throughout the entire black world, disintegrating the heads and slowly the world cracked, then shattered.

"How did you!?" Rasputin glared on in shock as Shuren got to his feat slowly whilst pulling the mist javelins out of his back. "You escaped from my Sorrow Cage?" Shuren just continued to glare at Rasputin. "Well whatever, after going through that I doubt you are still in any condition to fight!" Rasputin shouted as he charged at the still glaring Shuren.

Rasputin sliced at Shuren with his white blade, Shuren didn't move, the attack sliced right through him. But Rasputin's gleeful smile was instantly changed to one of shock as Shuren regenerated almost instantly, "What!? Before there was always a delay before you regenerated!" Rasputin screamed in shock as he swiped with his black blade, however the same thing happened, Shuren instantly regenerated.

"Damn you!" Rasputin sliced relentlessly at the still unmoving Shuren. Despite feeling the pain, Shuren endured every slice and instantly regenerated his body and soul after every strike. "Just how is that possible!" Rasputin screamed without letting up on his attacks, but they were still useless, slice, regenerate, slice, regenerate, slice, regenerate.

Suddenly two arms made out of fire sprouted out of Shuren's back and held both of Rasputin's wrists into the air, restraining the man.

"Shall I tell you?" Shuren at last said his eyes glowing with restrained anger. "My ability is fuelled by the malice I have for my opponent, in this case you. After showing me all those images of Nadia, just how angry do you think I am right now?"

"A power fuelled by malice!?" Rasputin questioned in shock.

"That's why even that man, who can copy every other Soul Technique, can't use mine. He's unable to feel malice after all." Shuren's glare further intensifies. "I've waited too long to do this, Rasputin." Shuren gathers fire around his right hand and pummels it straight through Rasputin's heart. Rasputin gurgles horribly as blood seeps through both his mouth and his wound. "Return where you belong, to the depths of history remembered as the madman you are!" Shuren releases an intense flame from his right hand that engulfs Rasputin's body from the inside.

"UUUUURGGGGHHHH!" Rasputin's flesh, body, and soul burn as the madman screams in anguish until there was literally nothing left of him.

There was no two ways about it, the Human Anomaly that lead the Church's Slayers had died at the hands of Enigma's shadow leader, Shuren Azusa.

Chapter 19B: Battle Between Evils II – The Next Target For The Malice (Perspective: None)

"So, you've killed him," the masked man approaches, "But you are aware that he was only a pawn right?"

"I'm aware," Shuren glares at the masked man, "I'll find the one who ordered Rasputin to create that monstrosity and burn them to cinders."

"Cardinal Iodine was the one who did that," The masked man states, "I've already completed my goal of retrieving Nadia Ivana's soul, so I'll give you this, that I found." The masked man threw a bundle of papers to Shuren, the front page read 'Project Messiah' and had the name and signature of Cardinal Iodine as the authority figure of said project. But Shuren's mind was logged onto something the masked man had just said.

"What do you mean you have Nadia's soul!?" He screamed at the masked man, who simply showed Shuren the jar which contained the soul of his lover.

"Exactly as I put it," The masked man replies in his usual emotionless voice. Upon seeing the Jar, whose contents were uselessly rattling from within, desperately trying to escape from its prison, Shuren rushed at the masked man at an unbelievably high speed.

"Let her go!" Shuren shouted as he punched with a fistful of flames, but the masked man guarded with Muramasa-Masamune. Before Shuren could react the masked man pushed his fist aside and slashed at Shuren several times with his stolen Soul Slayer.

Shuren quickly regenerated but not before the soul devouring rain came down from the sky. "Urghh!" Shuren grunted as he fell to his knees.

"You are a good back-up option for my final project should Yuichi Shiro not measure up to my expectations, therefore I won't kill you. For the sake of your loved one's soul just try and hunt me down." The masked man said with his emotionless voice, "I will also be taking Excalibur-Gleipnir-Ragnarok." He stated as he picked up Rasputin's Soul Slayer, "Farewell for now, Shuren Azusa. Connect..." And like that the masked man disappeared with both Rasputin's Soul Slayer and Nadia's soul.

"DAMN YOU!" Shuren cursed as the soul devouring rain slowly subsided leaving a bitter Shuren screaming into the sky. "I will definitely get you, but first..." Shuren redirects his attention to the document labelled 'Project Messiah'. "I will have you join Rasputin, Iodine!"

Two new targets for Shuren's malice had been born.

Shuren wished to chase the masked man straight away, but he knew he was no match for him.

"Just wait for me, Nadia..." He said with a soft voice as tears flowed down his eyes.