Yumi’s head lifted up realizing what she needed. ‘I just o get her to move! There’s another way!’

  Fueled by her new resolve, Yumi rushed over to Fumiko’s side. The moment she saw the vat look in her eyes she k wasn’t going to be easy. ‘I ’t give up. She’s the only ohat do it!’ However, nothing seemed to be getting through to her.

  The troubles Fumiko faced through their time in Atntis didn’t go unnoticed by Yumi. She didn’t know what the inal cause was, but she saw Fumiko being very quiet and distant from the group after Skoupa. It seemed that resg Yave focus to her and the time in the camp gave her some fidenbsp; However, it all shattered with the release of her new power. All of the deaths on her hands, actal or not, was too much to handle. It was going to be hard to break through it.

  ‘You’re being too soft.’

  “e on, Fumiko! We need you!” Yumi tried shaking her a little. Her hands struggled to keep from tensing up. ‘Shut up! I’ll do it my way!’

  ‘You’re out of time.’

  Resisting was all she could do. Ign it did nothing. “I know you’re hurting, Fumiko!”

  ‘You only need a single phrase.’

  ‘I won’t do it!’ Shaking Fumiko a little harder, she tried to get through to her senior. It surprised Yumi a little to see Fumiko so broken. The appearance she gave made her seem like the stro one in the group. She had everything together. She tried to be the glue, the mure that held everyoogether. It was just a fa?ade. ‘Besides you don’t even know it’ll work.’

  ‘Humans are very predictable creatures. Everything I’ve seen of her makes me certain I’m n.’

  ‘You ’t know. We aren’t so simple!’

  ‘On the trary. The excuses are plex, but the reasons are always very simple.’

  “Don’t let it win, Fumiko! You’re strohan this!”

  ’Sweet words aren’t what you need right now. The girl o be motivated. She needs a reason to stand. You know what will make her stand.’

  An explosion of earth shot into the air t above the forest. It was no doubt Seiji. Yumi tilted ba the dire of the fight. The trees made it difficult to see what happeo Chiharu. She struggled in an impossible battle with her only ce of winniing on too much lubsp; Her hand tightened up frustrated. Everything tio get worse. Yumi looked back at Fumiko. A split sed sidered the alternative, but dismissed it immediately.

  ‘Accept reality. You wished for this, you ’t turn away from your wish. This is the reality.’

  ‘Things are getting worse for Chiharu and Seiji. I have the answer, yet…’ Yumi rested her folded legs in the grass, knees pressed to support her leaning forward. She faced Fumiko no longer leaving part of her turned away in fear or uainty. The choice had to be made and itted to pletely. Yumi leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Fumiko…”

  Chapter 225 – The Crawling Fear

  Suddenly, the light came baiko’s eyes. She stood up. The expression on her face was no longer devoid of life. A painful look of guilt, fear and resolve stirred together in Fumiko. She looked down at Yumi. “Where is she?”

  “…in the forest. I need you to burhing as far as you . It’s the only way.”

  Fumiko looked down at her hand. It shook a little, but held fast. “I uand. Where’s my staff?” She gnced over her shoulder at Yori holding on to it for her. He passed it to her, where it suddenly glowed red for a brief moment. “I’ll hahis.” With her deade, she ran off into battle.

  Yumi watched her fade into the distail the trees hid her. Her entire body shook. It was a disgusting feeling, yet she made the choibsp; It was something she had to live with. ‘Who are they?’

  ‘Likely the source of her guilt. The reasos strong, but is actually weak. The hand always strangling her netil she ’t breathe.’

  ‘I just made that grasp tighter…’

  ‘But she’s alive again and will save your friends.’

  ‘Ends justify the means…’

  ‘…always…that’s the world you’re destined for…’

  Yumi turned away, uo waty longer. A massive n of fire rose behind her expanding to bee rger. She caught the uain looks of Simonides and Nerine from the fire she started.

  Everything happened so quickly aly, he didn’t know pletely what to make of it. “What did you tell her?” Curiosity ied him deeply, despite the signs he saw from the troubled Yumi.

  She walked away from it all and past the Atnteans. “Exactly what she o hear. The thing she fears the most. Repeating the same mistake.”

  Neriared a little in fusion at the cryptic words. Yumi put more distaween them. She needed spabsp; ‘What happened between them?’ Like Simonides, she had curiosity, but she had to withhold it. It wasn’t the right time to probe deeper.

  “I see the strategy,” ented Simonides, looking back at the disappearing forest.

  “Sir?” When Neriook a new look at the se she started to uand as well. The fmes had engulfed the entire forest. A massive inferned, stretg aore than a hundred meters of ground. Nothing could escape. “If you ’t find them, attack all points at once.”

  “Yes, it’s simple, but effective.”

  Gray smoke filled yet another shallowly dug trenbsp; It wasn’t anywhere nearly as impressive as the one Saki made using Seiji. It was merely a few timeters of the top of the earth shaved off. Mostly just grass went missing. It didn’t ge the fact Seiji id amongst it. A couple clumps of grass fell on him.

  “Losing again,” Chiharu ented, appearing standing near his head. She stared down at him with a narrow expression. “’t say I’m surprised.”

  He gred over at her. “Don’t have a fight of your own?”

  “It’s been handled. Uhis one.”

  Her tone of voice was more than enough to tick him off. Seiji jumped up to his feet and leveled his finger down at Chiharu. “I didn’t lose, brat! I already beat him!”

  Lifting her eyebrow in doubt, Chiharu examined him quickly. Blood streaks painted his fad arms. Signifit parts of his body looked bruised and torn. The papers on his arm frayed looking ready to fall off in a few pces. “I didn’t think it ossible for you to have incurred even more brain damage.” She leaned around him to see his oppo in the distance.

  The man he fought still stood though looking a little roughed up. She gnced back at him with even more suspis. “You don’t have enough brain cells to see one move ahead, let alone pn your certain victory iure.”

  “Huh?” It actually made Seiji back off a little because he didn’t uand Chiharu. He tried to figure out what she implied with her words. Unfortunately, thinking didn’t get him anything but more trouble. A lost cause for him, Seiji passed on by it. “He’s already beat, he just won’t give up!”

  “So knock him out.”

  “I tried several times, he just gets back up.” Ialk, the Atntean closed the distao attabsp; He wielded massive stone fists five times rger than even him. They hovered o him moving with his motions. Chiharu easily dodged it, but Seiji seemed to hesitate taking the impact directly. It sent him flying again to cough up dirt.

  Chiharu appeared at his side once more staring down. “Why didn’t you dodge? He’s not very fast.”

  Annoyed a little, Seiji knocked his fist into the ground creating a little crater under him. It pushed him back up to his feet. “If you didn’t distract me! I would have!” He charged in ign Chiharu’s ents. The two exged a few blows. Seiji had the clear advantage, knog the man down several times. Like Seiji said before, the soldier stood back up with a little more blood on his face, determio keep fighting. “Stay down already!”

  The stone fists threw pu Seiji. “Like I keep telling you, the only way you beat me is if you kill me.”

  Seiji’s hands shook suddenly. He tried to keep them from being noticed by tensing up. “Stop saying that!” Charging iried to knock the man down, but pletely missed. Everything about his movement was off leaving him pletely open. The ter sent Seiji flying back to Chiharu. “Dammit all!” shouted Seiji, standing back up. He staggered a little trying to get back to his feet.

  Reading his movements, Chiharu tried to figure out what was wrong with him. “This should be an easy fight for you. The guy’s hardly worth our time.” The attack from the Atntean Chiharu stopped the movement of the man’s attack with a single hand. Grass blew over behind her from the sudden halt as the dispced foreeded to travel somewhere. She effortlessly tossed the man away leaving him to tumble a few times before skidding to a halt in the grass.

  “Taking over my fight now?” Seiji stopped in front of Chiharu. He tried to hold his stature over her as a sign of his dition to fight. “I’m not doh this fight!”

  Her eyes narrowed a little, getting a bit of a read on him. “The fight’s already over for you. You’re holding back.”

  Seiji’s hand jumped out grabbing Chiharu’s garb. His hand ed firmly around the loose bit of leather and mail. “What the hell ya say, brat?”

  When she went to grab his wrist to break free, she paused. Her hand held on to his wrist just enough to stay in tabsp; ’He’s shaking. Is he scared?’ Gng over at the Atntean starting to stand, Chiharu grew more questions in her head. ‘Of him? He’s worthless. Why is he like this?’ She looked back at him to try to see in his eyes what scared him so mubsp; It was supposed to be a talent of assassins to be able to read others, i aion. Unfortunately, her skill remained unrefined. “What’s b you?”

  Annoyed, he spped away her hand and dropped his hold. “Nothing.” He walked over with the io tihe fight despite his apparent odds of doing so remained low.

  A few more exges had the Atntean falling over and standing up. Seiji could put him down, but not permaly. Nothing he did ehe fight food. Then Seiji hesitated again and flew away from a well-timed strike.

  Chiharu stepped io him again as he rose. “If he keeps standing you only have one choibsp; He’s already told you how to win.” She looked away at the soldier. “Kill him.”

  Seiji paused for a sed standing up. His body went cold. It sted for a sed then his muscles tensed in response. He forced himself to stand up. The shaking didn’t stop. No trol could bring it to an end. He took a step forward. “Don’t say something so casually! Like it is an easy word.” Seiji started marg towards the man again. “You sound so fortable with it.” An uneasy feeling ed in his stomach.

  She had nothing more to say to him. Chiharu disappeared from his sight. A moment ter, she reappeared behind the Atntean. Two kunai appeared, one in each hand. Their bdes buried into the man’s flesh in his arms. The quick motion made his arms drop to his side useless. His rock fists fell to the ground unmoving as well. In the a, Chiharu ed her arms around his ne a sleeper hold. He passed out quickly and jumped back up, however she remained locked on him. No matter how many times he revived, he couldn’t outst Chiharu’s strength. Eventually, he had to give up.

  A few mier, Chiharu’s work finished. She retrieved her bdes and walked babsp; “It’s over, weakling.” A tone of disgust lined her words.

  Seiji held his head down feeling as if he lost something he didn’t uand. The battle was over, but it felt like something worse only began. He dropped to his knees. It was all out of his trol. Everything unraveled too quickly. ‘…damn…Damn! DAMN!’