Ester plunged into the market proper, but it was a ghost of its earlier self. The only sounds that could be heard were the patting of her shoes and the panting of her breath. The smell of smoke getting closer. She turned right before spotting figures in the distance.
She found Saphy, Ezekiel and Kris all crouching behind a stall as they watched Lin Hua standing with her back to them, crouching in a fighter's stance with two fans, pink with accents of gold. Her skirt slightly torn.
"We shouldn't be here…" Ester whispered, glancing from Lin Hua to the group. She grabbed Saphy's arm but she didn't budge. They were all fixed on whatever Lin Hua was facing.
"I'm not going anywhere…" Ezekiel mumbled.
"Huh?!" Ester turned her attention to the boy with a shockingly stern expression. "Why-"
Ezekiel pointed towards the blazing fire in front of Lin Hua, where two silhouettes with crooked heads became more and more visible, one of the figures' right arm non-existent. Ester squinted.
"Isn't that…?"
"The same guy we saw on our way here?" Kris muttered. "I think so."
"...But he looks so different." Ester whispered. "...Why are there two of them?"
The figures were grey and malformed, however the figure with both arms looked even worse, greyer, more animalistic. They watched as the figure without a right arm grew it back in a horrific way. A hand clawing out of the socket of its arm and it snarled in pain.
"Ugh..." Saphy turned her head. "Can a Synchrite do that?" Her voice was shaky to which Ezekiel and Kris shook their heads slowly.
"Not a Synchrite..." Kris noted, "Not a Flo beast either…" He muttered something about how it was similar to a report in Leria.
They watched as it studied its new hand before slowly looking at the woman in front of him. It stuck out its hand and with such speed, the hand contorted and stretched, trying to grab Lin Hua. Faster than the Zero Stars could even process, Lin Hua reacted, countering the strike with one flick of her arm. It tried again with the other hand, but Lin Hua was one step ahead. Already closing the distance between them, dodging its second strike and appearing in front of the thing. All that the Zero Stars could see was a flash of light and Lin Hua's arm raised outwards before the man's head was separated from its body. It staggered to its knees before collapsing. The other one turned too late. Lin Hua had already contorted her body into a swift spin, striking at its neck. She didn't waste any time roundhouse kicking its head a few feet in front of the stall the Zero Stars sought shelter at. It took a few moments before Lin Hua exhaled deeply.
"So cool…" Saphy said in awe. Ester agreed. Is that what a Synchrite was capable of..? Of what even she could do? And she was just a second star, how strong was someone like Markos or even Jacen the Slayer?
"Is it over?" Ester turned to Zeek and Kris who were still quiet, watching with a grimace.
One of the heads let out a gurgled scream as the neck stump bubbled, skin stretching before legs erupted through. They kicked and thrashed, heels scraping against the ground as they fought for stability. Then came arms, bursting through with sickening sounds, fingers clawing at nothing before slamming into the ground. The limbs pushed and strained while the heads widened unnaturally as something forced its way through. A torso emerged inch by inch.
"What the hell…" Ezekiel muttered to himself.
The headless bodies began convulsing and shaking as the neck area swelled and inflated. A skull emerged, grey gooey flesh instantly wrapping it as eyeballs fell into place.
Both sets of bodies staggered to their feet. In mere moments, Lin Hua's enemies had doubled.
They began circling her, each one snarling and growling as they did. One by one, they began taking turns attacking her. She. However, would evade each strike as swiftly as breathing. As far as the Zero Stars could tell, they were nothing to Lin Hua.
"What's her plan?" Saphy whispered. "I mean, she can't keep dodging, right?"
"I'm not sure but I think she's trying to think of a plan." Kris muttered.
"If cutting their heads didn't work…" Saphy replied.
In that moment, one of the monsters, the one that had been the closet, stopped and slowly turned its head towards the sounds of voices.
"Shh!" Ester hissed. Immediately they all dove behind the stall, all except Zeek who was intently watching the battle. Kris had to pull him down. Backs pressed against the stall, their breaths were heavy.
"You guys are crazy." Ester hissed. "We shouldn't even be here," She turned to Saphy who just stared at the ground. "I would have expected this from...him," She gestured frantically at Ezekiel who was still quiet. "But you?"
Saphy was about to say something, but pursed her lips. She was being unreasonably impulsive. Ester sighed.
"...What do we do now?"
"We need to help her." Ezekiel said flatly.
Ester's head snapped between Ezekiel and Kris with a what did he just say? Expression.
"...What do you propose?" Kris replied.
She wanted to rip her hair out. She felt like she was going insane...like she was the unreasonable one. What on earth could they possibly do..? Unless...he meant…?
Ezekiel looked up at the sky, "I'm gonna summon the storm." He decided, facing them with a stern expression. "If slicing doesn't work...maybe vaporising will."
Saphy turned to look at him in bewilderment. "You could barely manage one the last time...How'd you know it'll work this time?"
Kris nodded in agreement.
He made a face before closing his eyes, resting his hands together in a meditation pose.
"Just cover me."
They all stared at each other before Kris slowly peeked over the stall. He immediately shot back down, his face pale.
"...It's still looking this way."
"Yeah, because your head sticks out like a sore thumb," Ezekiel muttered, eyes closed.
Kris peeked again, then ducked. "It's...it's walking toward us."
Thunder growled above them. A single dark cloud was forming in the night sky, swirling and thickening.
"Zeek…" Saphy started.
"Almost...there," He hissed through gritted teeth.
And so was the monster. Growls could be heard and the sound of footsteps were getting closer, their rhythm unnatural. Ester looked under the stall and she saw it just a few meters away, twitching towards them. She flipped back up.
The storm cloud was rumbling, so much so that both Lin Hua and the monsters temporarily looked up in confusion.
"EZEKIEL…!? Ester pressed.
"PLEASE..!" Saphy pleaded.
"COME ON..! Kris urged.
Ezekiel strained and groaned until his bloodshot eyes flew back open, swiping the blood trickling from his nose with his sleeve. He jumped to his feet, turning to point at the monster. It fixed its glowing green eyes back on him. He gave it a cocky, crooked smile, blood still dripping from his nose.
"Thunder."
Immediately a torrent of blue lightning bolted from the thundercloud, striking down and encasing the monster where it stood. Petrified wails could be heard and then the sound of sizzling. Ezekiel swung his arm toward a second one.
"Thunder."
Another strike. This time he staggered legs buckling slightly.
"Thunder!"
A third monster was hit by his lightning. It seized. Blood poured faster from his nose, his blue eyes fully bloodshot. He weakly pointed a finger to the last one, his breath ragged.
"Wait Zeek...You're pushing yourself too much!" Kris pleaded.
"...THUNDER!"
His final bolt struck. Ezekiel stumbled backwards before they all tried to catch him. Because they were all uncoordinated, they ended up piling on each other. He breathed ragged, heavily.
"...You guys… He gasped. "You...guys...suck…" He listened for a moment, unable to move. "...Did that work?"
Ester scrambled out of the pile and peeked around the corner of the stall. The monsters' flesh was charred and singed, twitching. Unable to move, but they didn't fall.
Ester turned back to the others shaking her head.
"They're still alive…"
Kris and Saphy both scrambled over each other to check, paused, then slumped back down just as quickly.
"But they've been damaged, right?" Kris pressed. "They're not moving."
Saphy turned back to Ezekiel who lay as still as a statue.
"...I don't suppose you can generate another thunderbolt?"
Ezekiel just laughed.
"Look up." The storm cloud that was just brewing was already dissipating. Unswirling back and blending into the night sky.
"I can't...move." He said hoarsely.
"Great." Ester muttered to Kris. "Your friend is a lunatic."
But even if they didn't say it aloud, they had a new found respect for the boy, even though he cackled to himself.
In that moment, a crash could be heard on top of the stall. Looking up carefully, they found Lin Hua squatting above them with a wide expression, scanning each face.
"What are you-" She did a double-take on the boy who appeared incapacitated, breathing heavily, eyes closed. "Did the lightning come from him?"
They nodded frantically.
"Who else...could it have been?" He struggled between each breath with a smile. She was quiet for a second before breaking into a silent smirk. "...damn brat."
She stood up, turning back to the monsters who ever so slowly began regaining a greenish colour, to Ezekiel's exhausted form. A slow, heavy sigh escaped her. "...I suppose I should finish this now."
They all looked at her, the same question floating in their minds.
She paused then turned to them and then finally to Ezekiel. "Ezekiel." Her voice was loud and firm. "I commend your bravery, to not only put your life on the line to help your friends, but also your senior...All four of your efforts won't go in vain. I swear it on the Pride of the HoS and as a third year."
She turned back around, closing her eyes for a few moments, raising a closed fan.
"Sing, Utahime." She whispered. At first nothing happened, and then she turned her head to face the Zero Stars.
"You made a good conjure, for a Zero Star." She remarked. "Here's my rebuttal."
The earth began tremoring and shaking and then a cry could be heard. The sky tore open, filling light into the darkness of the Marketplace. A beautiful giant koi fish, as if coming from the heavens itself, appeared into existence. The koi hung in the air, impossibly massive, it bathed in radiant ethereal light. The monsters, despite their inhuman nature, seemed to hesitate.
Lin Hua's fans snapped open in unison, crossed across her body revealing intricate patterns that seemed to shine in the koi's light.
"In one minute," She said, her eyes shining with golden light, her voice carrying unspeakable amounts of confidence. "You'll witness a massacre."