{Hmmmmgh...what? What?! I’m back?! But how that makes no sense! He died and I ran out of...oh. Wow that is a lot of [Chaos] in the air right now. Residual energy I guess...but how long have I...oh. Oh shit...well at least that guy is probably-}
{Godsdammit! Wait...he’s weakened?! Ok cool, I just need someone to...grab me and...}
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’OH COME THE FUCK ON! CAN A FINISHING MOVE OF MINE JUST KILL SOMEONE OUTRIGHT, FOR ONCE?!,’ Zhen Liu complained to the universe, "Who the fuck is Rocko anyways?"
Slowly crawling towards him like a decrepited zombie that just had it’s lower half chopped off, was what remained of the abomination known as Grub...it wasn’t pretty.
It wasn’t pretty before, what with the rotund body of writhing flesh, the tentacles and the uncanny faces, but all of that was thoroughly obliterated by Zhen Liu’s Ragnarok Shot. All that was left was a surprisingly human looking skeleton covered in burnt flesh...crawling towards him...or maybe Nausicaa, who was still out like a light, but at this point it might be both.
Thankfully, the skeleton(?) was crawling at a very slow pace, so all Zhen Liu had to do was get up and kick this stupid bag of bones in the dome to kill it. Granted, this was predicated on Zhen Liu being able to move.
’Oh fucking shit, why can’t I move anything?!,’ Zhen Liu cursed as he tried and failed to move even a single finger. Apparently the Godoku Gourd Cannon took out way more of him than anticipated, so now he was essentially paralyzed...this seemed to be a running trend with his abilities.
’I’ll probably get over this later, but right now, I need to be able to move! Wait! Maybe the others can...nope, shit.’
Zhen Liu had thought about maybe seeing if the kaijin could do something, but when he tried to use his bond to see if they could, he found that all three of them were in hibernation mode. Evidently, he probably should have realized that if he drained from using the cannon, then the kaijin were doing to be tired from being used as the ammunition.
[Can’t...move...milord.]
[Need an intermission...maestro...]
’Fuck. Am I seriously about to go out like a fucking zombie movie side character?!,’ Zhen Liu rightfully complained as Grub kept crawling closer and closer.
Zhen Liu was just about to give in to good old-fashioned despair, until...
[Hold on, director! We’re coming!]
Through sheer luck or happenstance, the entrance into the chamber had not been caved -in by the rubbel created by Zhen Liu’s attack, giving Razor Maiden and Spring Brawler the chance to participate in this fight, or at least finish it. Seconds after confirming that they were arriving, the two proto-kaijin finally entered the scene.
Razor and Spring leaped from the entryway attacks charged, ready to destroy this abomination and be the heroes of the-.
Only to have their kill stolen by a skeletal zako holding a funky looking saber that had this whole flame motif going on...that felt strangely familiar to Zhen Liu.
[Is...is this what "blue balls" is?]
With their kill officially stolen, Razor Maiden and Spring Brawler kinda...deflated as they fell straight down from mid-jump, like they just remembered gravity existed.
’Wait...I didn’t make that saber...so why is it radiating [Chaos]?,’ Zhen Liu realized as he continued to stare at the surreal situation before him.
The zako was still connected to Zhen Liu, that much he could confirm, but it was being controlled by the funky looking fire saber.
As Zhen Liu focused more and more on the saber, he realized why it felt familiar to him...it was the one that Nausicaa tried to rush into the battlefield for!
Then that would mean...
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"Gah!" THIiSssss feeeelinggg...," |Grub| hissed as he felt cold metal pierce through what was left of his body. He still had enough strength to turn his head a full 180 degrees, so he was able to see that the thing that had pierced him was that damnable saber from all those years ago.
The luster might have faded and the edge might have dulled from the ravages of time, but there was no way in this world or the next would |Grubrick| ever forget that stupid fucking saber.
"roooockoooo...," |Grebrick| hissed as he tilted his head upward.
Staring back at him wasn’t a middle-aged man nor being made of the detestable flames of love, but instead, it was skeletal face that looked almost like a mask. However, despite the form being very very different, |Grederick| would recognize that energy, that spirit in any form.
There’s a saying that love has a tendency to surpass even death, some would say, that implies to hatred as well.
"Hello you old buggy bastard," the skeletal being interrupted in Rocko’s voice, as [Chaos] began to build up in the saber, "consider this moment our third and final bout. Guess it’s true what they say...third time’s the charm. Think about that the next time you try to eat someone’s daughter."
[Chaos Art: Amare Blaze!]
Before anything more could be said, |Frederick| was set ablaze via a surge in energy from Rocko’s saber, engulfing the man in bright red flames.
The fires radiated a strange gentleness despite being so bright. Staring at it made one feel as if...they were staring at love in it’s purest form.
And it was with this final attack, this final act of love, that the monster in Insect Hell was...no more.
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’Uhhh...what the fuck?,’ Zhen Liu asked himself as he witnessed the events before him.
While he wasn’t entirely sure about it, but it felt like he just witnessed some dramatic story about ambition and paternal love that took several generations to finish, and he only saw the tail end of that.
Granted, he wasn’t the only one who thought that.
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=I don’t know...but I think we’re about to find out.=
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The skeletal zako extracted his strange looking saber and proceeded to walk over to Zhen Liu’s seated position. As he did, he repositioned the saber in such a way that he now holding the blade between his fingers, while presenting the hilt towards Zhen Liu.
Zhen Liu was just about to grab the blade with his right hand, but was stopped by the skeletal zako’s gesturing of him to use the left hand.
’Ah, [Chaos] stuff...duh.’
Taking the hint, Zhen Liu grabbed the hilt with his left hand...and was immediately subjected to one hell of an information dump.
’Gah! Why does this stuff always tingle!’