Graveyard of a Madman Part 45

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''Their swords crossed in front of them, and they pressed against one another with a force between them that would crumble many buildings. Usagi concentrated on keeping her strength level with Shinan's, if she made one single miscalculation, it could give Shinan an advantage that she could not recover from. It was Shinan that pushed off from the struggle at length and instantly sheathed her sword, glaring at her opponent. Usagi decided that this fight needed to end quickly, and she caused a strange energy to emit from her body. The energy wavered above her, and she locked into a fighting stance. The building around them was very close to on the verge of collapsing. Much of the walls and all of the ceiling were full of enormous holes, and remnants of what remained of the androids that attacked them earlier.''

Shinan: One Sword Strike! Scarlet Flare! [Came forth, swiping out her sword once and unleashing a huge razor edge of energy straight at Usagi.]

Usagi: Teisei! [Image wavered away and she appeared behind Shinan. She quickly turned around with a slice!] Coisuji!

''The huge path of the attack that blared straight at Shinan in very close range! Shinan couldn't put up a proper defense up before she was blasted backward, with a cut appearing on her left shoulder, three on her side, and on her leg. She was pushed far back, and was visibly injured. However, she noticed Usagi coming in for yet another attack, and was able to sheathe her sword faster than the eye could see, and lunged straight to meet Usagi head on! The two of them crossed one another and attacked at the exact same time. They stood back to back, still in their fighting poses.''

''It wasn't long before a huge cut appeared on Usagi's midsection, and she winced terribly, but went back to a straight face. That was when both of them sheathed their swords, and in a second, the two of them turned around and attacked!''

Shinan: One Sword Strike! Crimson Fang!!!

Usagi: ItoryuuIai: Narabi!

''The walls behind either of them blasted apart in gigantic holes! The Usagi and Shinan struck at one another with quick attacks, both of them parrying and attacking at the exact same time. Usagi attacking, and Shinan dodging, then the pirate moved to the side of Shinan's next vertical strike. Their swords met once and twice more, clanging together in beautiful purple and red slices in the air, and the two of them jumped back from one another to catch their breath. For a moment, they merely glared at one another once more. Shinan was far taller than Usagi, but that didn't stop her from growing tired against such enormous strength.''

Shinan: So this is the power of the Tiger-Stripe Pirates, I'm impressed. I would have expected this kind of strength from Dracule Sakura, not from this unsuspecting, pink-haired cutie-pie. The force behind her sword is far more than I would have anticipated. Perhaps it's time to take things up a notch.

Usagi: Itoryuu! Rakuga--- [Was stopped in her tracks as she saw Shinan's body begin to turn pitch black.]

Shinan: Degeneration!!!! [Sheathed her sword and held up one hand, producing a pitch black ball from her fingertips that got as big as a basketball.]

At this point Shinan's entire body was almost all black, except for half of her face and her right shoulder and arm.

Usagi: What in the world is...

Shinan: Kimyou Kimyou no Mi... It is a logia fruit with the power of strange matter. A very mysterious compound that I am able to control and produce at will! Here, have some!

''Shinan lunged the ball of black directly at Usagi with the speed of a bullet! Usagi very quickly side-stepped it, but a flap of her kimono was caught by a very little bit of it. She looked at her sleeve in terror as it began to come apart with the strange matter growing over it. With no time to lose, Usagi cut her entire kimono off of herself, and stood there in her underwear and chest-wrap.''

''Shinan allowed Usagi to look at the wall behind her, then look in terror as it was consumed and completely destroyed. It crumbled in black ooze, and the strange matter disappeared.''

Shinan: You like it? There's plenty more! String Theory!!!

''Just then, a thick string of black latched from her head, to the wall beside her, then one from her arm, to the floor, and yet another went up to the ceiling from her leg. More and more, thick, jagged strands of strange matter started to attach to the area around her, and she started to spread all around. One strand almost came straight into Usagi, but she was able to dodge it to the side.''

''Usagi started to maneuver around the incoming attacks from Shinan, doing everything she could to dodge them as fast and agile as she could. She was afraid to touch her sword to any of it, afraid that it would do the same to her blade as it did to the wall. Then she thought of the wall, and how it was now nonexistent. That was when a thought occurred to her, and where they were. She had to think fast, or there wasn't going to be anything left of her. She saw a very dark blotch from the corner of her eye, and she had a very split-second to slide forward on her knees and bend way backward to avoid the thick strand of strange matter.''

''Usagi ran all around the room, starting to become short of breath. Some of the strands, she was forced to run onto the wall for a few steps, and then flip off of it. The strand, however, ripped off of the wall at that point, and sliced Usagi in midair! The side of Usagi's back opened up by the unfathomable sharpness of the strand. Usagi's blood splashed against the wall, and she was forced to keep running while her back burned with such a fierce, white pain. Her body screamed at her to stop, but she had to position herself, no matter how much blood she felt draining from her back.''

''She finally got to the spot in front of where the wall once stood. She faced the gigantic blotch of black strange matter that was Shinan. Shinan hung from all of the strands that she stabbed into the entire room around her.''

Shinan: That's the spirit! Face your fate like a real warrior woman! Not many have forced me to use my devil fruit abilities, and you have done just that! Consider yourself among the fortunate! Now either you surrender now, or I will be forced to reduce you to a bloody, nondescript mass on the floor.

''Usagi kept a straight face, clearly glaring forward as she slowly drew her sword. She held her katana, Migoto Hoshi, a name given to her by her captain. It was clear to her that he named it after his sister, which Usagi considered a great honor. She glared toward Shinan with a piercing gaze, and held her sword between her own eyes, her concentration beyond comprehension at that moment. Her Kenbunshoku Haki went to incredible lengths as she concentrated all of her energy at that moment. She would not give up her position, as it was the perfect position for her attack.''

''The pink-haired pirate swordfighter moved her head to the side as a strange matter strand jabbed straight for it, but ended up jabbing into the ground. As it pulled out from the ground, she still moved, but it sliced her cheek with its very tip. Blood poured down over the side of her jaw, but she would not move anymore than she absolutely had to. That was when she bent straight back as another strand swiped for her right in front, slicing the air behind her head, she would have been decapitated by that one.''

Usagi: Itoryuu... Kyousou.... [A pink aura emitted from her as her power began to reach its absolute peak!]

Shinan: Alright, I've had enough!!! [Sent out five spiked strands straight for Usagi, at all angles of attack.]

That was when Usagi jumped straight up, in the perfect spot to avoid all of the strands above her, and straight into the air above the mass of blackness in the middle of the building.

Shinan: DAMNIT! JUST DIE!!!!! [Sent out a gigantic blast of strange matter at Usagi while she was in midair.]

Usagi: ZUICHII RASEN!!!!!! [Jabbed her sword straight forward and all of her energy dissipated and blared forward.]

''All of Usagi's energy blasted downward toward Shinan in her black, blob form. The energy began to spiral and push through the strange matter, causing it to spiral along with it. The spiraling began to go out of control as it shot straight at Shinan. The building around her started to crumble and collapse, and everything began to spiral along with her. She did her best to maintain control, but she was spread so thin that all of her strands began to rip out of the crumbling wall as she, herself began to spin around with the spiraling energy. The strands pulled out of the walls and ground and she started to spin around to the point of disorientation. Behind her, the public pool was also spiraling, and she splashed into the water as it spun around with all of the rocks and debris in it.''

''Usagi hit the ground hard, falling onto her face as blood covered her back. She held her sword tight, and then got back up. She got to the pool, where Shinan was smashed into the bottom of it. She was able to get out of the hole, but crawling along the bottom of it was starting to lose her air. Being a hammer, Shinan could do nothing but hope that she could at least get her head above water. As she slowly began to lose consciousness from lack of oxygen, a hand came down and gasped Shinan by her wrist, and pull her up to the surface.''

''Usagi picked Shinan up above the water, and pulled her onto the floor. Shinan spat out a great deal of water that almost made it to her lungs. She tried her best to sit up against a large piece of debris, and glare at Usagi.''

Shinan: Why... I wouldn't have saved you. In fact, I wouldn't have even thought of saving you.

Usagi: I guess I told you I would make it up to you for ruining your favorite boots. [Found her sword sheathe and slid her sword into it.] Besides... I've killed thousands already. [Turned back toward Shinan, who was still glaring.] I don't want someone like you on my conscience. Ja na...

''As Usagi started to walk away, both of them were taken aback by a sight that very few have ever seen before. Gigantic wings appeared on the back of a glowing, red figure. It was clearly a dragon, and a very large one at that. Tears ran down Usagi's cheeks to accompany all of the blood. The dragon roared.''

Graveyard of a Madman Part 46