Part 4: Ragna: Story 03

What's with that guy?

I look at the masked man again, and my vision goes all...weird.

What's this feeling...?

It's...almost like deja vu, but...weirder...And the fear of the guy just won't go away...Why the hell am I so scared of him?
The Azure Grimoire...? Dammit, shut up!
Much time has passed since we last met, Black Beast.
Time has passed? What the hell are you talking about? I've never seen you before.
Is something amiss? Your voice trembles. What are you afraid of?
Shut the hell up...!
...You have stood your ground, and for that you have earned my respect. Come... I shall end this.
Who the hell do you think you are!? You're not ending anything!



Fool... I shall see you expunged from this world, no matter the cost. I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world, and cleanse it in the fires of destruction.
I am Hakumen. The end has come.




Dammit! This guy's tough!
Have you grown weary of our fight so quickly, Ragna the Bloodedge?



!?
Guh! How dare you interrupt me, Grimalkin!



Wha... He disappeared...? Rachel? No, it couldn't be...Who the hell was that...? Guh...my knees are about to give. Good thing that fight didn't last too much longer.

I hear the sirens begin to go off...

Tch... A little too late, huh? ...The Cauldron is about to awaken.



CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION!
UNIT MURAKUMO No. 13
REPRODUCTION PROGRAM SCHEDULE ENDED
THE v START-UP READY

Done booting already? What a pain in the ass...This isn't good...I'm startin' to feel like I'm gonna hurl just thinking about it...

I grit my teeth. That...thing is getting closer...



Loading, loading, loading, loading...All systems: normal. Activating Murakumo...

She slowly opens her eyes...

Oh! Ragna! *cough* *cough*
...Tch.


Whew... Ah, sorry about that. But it really has been a while. Um... Third time, right?
Third time, stupid...Wait--Is that right?

What is this strange feeling...?

Tehehe... Welcome. ...Did you come to kill me again?
I didn't come to kill you. I came to "destroy" you.



Those are one and the same. You know it hurts so much last time! When you lashed out at me, I thought I was a goner!
Shut up...
But, Ragna... Didn't it feel wonderful?
...
You slashed me...pierced me all over...when I was completely defenseless...
Shut up!
You knew what you were doing that time.
I told you to shut up!
You were smiling...
Ugh!
But today's gonna be different. See? I even have a new body, and I can talk. Ah! But, would you prefer something like last time?




I said shut up! That face! That voice! Don't you dare talk to me like that!
...
I'm here to destroy you! That's all there is to it! There's nothing we need to talk about!
Hehehe...
What...!?
Hahahaha! I knew you were just like me... Yeah... Just like me. Hahaha!
What the hell are you talking about!?
Ragna, you want to destroy things, right? Me... Yourself... This whole world...! You want to destroy it all! Of course... Because you have the power to do that. The Azure Grimoire...The power to fight against all of humanity...You already have the power, so of course, you want to use it.
Ugh...
That's OK, Ragna... We can go at it...until the end of time... Hehehe, You know I'd do anything for you, Ragna.
Because I'm yours, Ragna. I'm the only one who can satisfy you, Ragna...Yeah...I'm the only one.
Bitch!



Come, Ragna... Let me put my arms around you.


Ragna (Kaqn) VS Nu (Reria), courtesy Gamechariot.com, circa 2009. Apologies for the quality.

Instead of explaining what this matchup is like we're going to play a game. Go find a quarter, choose heads or tails, and flip it. Were you wrong? You just lost almost half your health. Now do that two more times and that's pretty much this match. Guess where the sword will be and try to get past it. If you can do it two or three times you win! You didn't win.



Gargh! You bastard!
You can't change anything. Nothing at all.
Damn you, let go of-- Aaahgh! Wha...t...my power...is fading...
Hehehe.



Stop it... I'm...not...`
You bastard! Let go... Let go of my brother!
Jin...is that you...? Stupid...don't...come...run...



In the end...this one was the same as all the others. They will all be the same. Like an endless dance... A puppet show that goes on forever...Today, the light will shine down again to set fire to their demise...Until we meet again...



System operating within normal limits.
Transmitting all data to "Tamagahara".
The system will now proceed to phase #725.



END OF UPDATE

That sure was an ending. I wonder what would have happened if we had done something stupid and needlessly obscure that nobody would have ever thought to do intentionally, like finish every match with a distortion drive. Surely such a POORLY THOUGHT OUT DESIGN DECISION wouldn't lead to a secret ending or something.

Up next: A secret ending or something. Also new Continuum Shift mechanics!