Shattering Humanity-Chapter 54: Katsu’s Death
Orange blurs with constant clashes are in front of Silpheed and the rest of Shelly’s Squad as they watch the spectacle of the two amazing fighters perfectly parrying back and forth with their SunSwords and Shelly’s occasional katana strike creating sparks from contact with heated metal.
Nephilim is smiling at the clone of the academy’s strongest fighter, 50% capped power limit, challenging him and actually keeping it entertaining.
Nephilim: "I gotta give it to ya beautiful, even if it’s just a clone (blocks strike)...this makes me so much more excited...(blocks strike)...to go against the real beast...(backflip dodges slash)...when the time comes."
With the hilt of the katana in her mouth Shelly’s clone starts, growling, like an actual feral beast. Every exhale of the Shelly clone there’s a threatening growl like a lioness. They both are flipping and ducking under the others attacks with the occassional re-sheathed free hand punch landing instead.
Katsu Clone: "Woah. Shelly’s clone alone is amazing to watch..."
Saku Clone(jealous): "I could do that too with an extra sword. Who the hell uses 3 swords?! Such a dumb-"
Katsu Clone(cuts him off looking worried): "Saku don’t! The greatest swordman ever used three blades, that swordman might have used all katanas but trust me on this one. If this is just a Shelly clone at a capped 50% of her max power, the real Shelly has his potential."
Saku’s clone looks confused but doesn’t care enough to argue back.
Saku: "Whatever nerd."
Nephilim kicks up snow between him and Shelly, she jumps through the splash of snow but Neph immediately hits Shelly with an uppercut that sends her in the air and makes her jaw release the katana with her string of spit still attached.
eph grabs it and goes for the direct poke stab to her chest. Shelly’s clone twists her torso, her back now to Neph and barely raises her arm enough to catch the blade between her right arm and ribs. He ducks her swing around kick, making Shelly do a 360° spin, a 720° spin all in her uppercut recovery, and then Nephilim kicks Shelly’s clone square in the back with her katana still pinned to her side by her bicep.
The kick sends her flying, fast, and Katsu voluntarily steps in front to catch her. He catches her in a hug and gets blown back from the force but successfully stops HER from flying into a building, but the back of Katsu’s clone still puts damage into the building.
Saku, Itsuka, Daisuki, and Friend run to their comrades but stop in their tracks from the sight they approach.
Katsu Clone: "Shelly. Are you *coughs up blood* ok?"
From where Shelly was kicked, Nephilim sheaths both his swords and turns around unimpressed.
Nephilim: "Silf, get me out of here before she realizes I purposely sent her that way and comes back."
Silpheed: "Eh-zr!"
Silpheed focuses on Nephilim as Neph focuses back on the scene. Katsu with Shelly’s cold steel katana through his chest, more accurately, his heart. The bounty hunter disappears as soon as Shelly realizes it too.
Shelly(in shock): "Ka-Kats..."
Shelly begins to hyperventilate.
Silpheed looks at the freshly grieving girl and then Itsuka, turns around with the scariest and most intimidating look a human has given to another. Feeling danger Silpheed stares at their hand then quickly at the window Nephilim is now in and disappears leaving the clones alone.
Saku Clone: "Damn, not gunna lie, if we didn’t know we were actually clones this would be kinda heavy."
Itsuka’s clone gives him a humbling rib shot that makes him go down.
Saku Clone(in pain): "Ow, you bitch. Ah, I hate you."
Katsu’s Clone is bleeding from the mouth and smiles at the exact copies of his Squad.
Katsu(shallow voice): "Yea...but this...pain...suucks.(coughs blood) It’s....cold....but not a chaotic coldness like I imagined my parents felt from the Icemen.(looks at Shelly) I am cold but....but your warmth...Shelly, is like... a blanket in a....cold room."
Shelly’s clone now has Katsu’s clone in her arms, tears in her eyes. The Itsuka clone unable to watch and the Daisuki clone kneels next to the crying clone and dying clone.
The light from clone Katsu’s eyes begins to fade as Daisuki talks.
Daisuki: "Katsu, I promised you that you wouldn’t have to go through specifically THIS moment and even if it’s just a clone, I still feel like I failed you as a Big Brother, like I failed you all as a Big Brother.Please, forgive me Katsu..."
Katsu’s clone slowly holds up his trembling fist to his mentor, Big Bro, teacher, and friend while his head is in the lap of the clone of the woman he cares for more than anything.
Katsu Clone: "See you back on the other side Big Bro."
The Daisuki clone tearfully connects.From Katsu clones darkening PoV he looks at Shelly’s clone.
He then mouths a last sentence barely making any noise at all.
Katsu: "I love you to Infinity."
The light leaves his eyes.
Shelly’s clone kisses Katsu’s dead clone on the lips for a long time. Daisuki and Itsuka are sympathetic towards her actions but Saku once again, ruins the moment.
Saku: "Oh my God, it’s just a clone, get over it. Jeez, recreate a Romeo and Juliet style-"
Before Saku’s clone can finish the "joke" Shelly’s clone removes the katana from the dead clones heart. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Shelly Clone: "And I’ll love you to the beyond..."
Daisuki Clone: "Wait Shell-"
She plunges the cold blade into her own heart without flinching but as soon as she is about to feel the pain, all 6 clones lose consciousness and fall straight to the ground.
Each clone and the equipment attached to them, even the katana, "explodes" into snow leaving no trace of their existence. Even the blood from Katsu’s clone fades and blends into the alien snow.
When something is created or happens, it was meant to from the beginning of the creation of the energy humans call "time". Even clones.Sylia receives the memories of all the sentient beings she copies. So including her, Saku, Daisuki, and Itsuka they all realized there was another, unintended purpose for those replicas other than throwing Nephilim and Silpheed off their trail.
To those four, it was visual proof, that if the lowest bounty between all of them, Katsu, dies. Then humanity’s possibly strongest weapon without an IceEye, Shelly, dies.
