Shattering Humanity

The sound of a single gunshot goes off, echoing in the distance from where a cold steel katana blade, covered in a Golden/Pink SeiõrShield, and a red hot katana blade, covered in a bubbling red SeiõrShield, clash and spark within the dark forest.

The illumination from the two SeiõrShields give off more than enough light for the two women to have an appropriate fight.

Shelly’s blade slides down to close her distance for a gut shot, but Isfet’s impractical weapon disengages with Shelly’s weapon and the red molten bar on the other end of the "staff" swings over diagonally.

Shelly successfully ducks to her right, under the attack, finally giving a quick, but powerful punch to Isfet’s ribs before jumping back.

The disengage makes Isfet’s rising slash, whiff. Shelly jumps back in low, twirls and lands an elbow strike to her outclassed opponent’ ribs.

The force of the elbow strike makes Isfet stumble back, but she quickly regains her balance and lunges back in on an incoming Shelly.

Isfet goes for a jab with her blade end, and the sharp hot blade goes through Shelly, making the woman smile...

...but the after image of Shelly disappears and Isfet’s smile gets hidden behind a Gold/Pink SeiõrShield covered sneaker.

Shelly follows through with the kick, making her opponent drop the unconventional weapon, and Isfet goes flying through some trees.

The "Beast of Beasts" looks down at the contraption and stomps down on it, breaking the ineffective weapon in half, while scoffing.

Shelly(thinking): *Well that wasn’t very helpful for her at all. She fought better with a sword, why did she come at me with this stupid shit?*

She looks up to see the glowing red figure of her opponent approaching through the crowd of trees.

A smaller Iceman, heading in the direction of Roronora City, sees the two women in it’s path and charges for Shelly. Which she doesn’t even look at as she unsheathes her single SunSword and decapitates the alien in the same motion.

The quirky style fighter takes the soft katana handle out of her teeth with her other hand and keeps her SunSword unsheathed in her left.

Shelly: "I don’t have time for this and I don’t want to fight you, but if your going to be stubborn, I’ll have to rough you up some more.

Just give up, we’ll walk away from each other and please don’t interfere in my fight with your brother in law, okay?"

Isfet takes both of her advanced Roronora SunSwords out their holsters. With her red hair covering her eyes and only exposing a frown, a single snowflake falls from her face.

Without a word, the still grieving sister dashes back in.

Shelly doesn’t put her katana back in her mouth, instead she uses it to parry, along with her SunSword. She talks condescendingly to the wildly swinging woman, with the same casualness as MamMon DæMon dodging Madame Fryer’s attacks and holding a conversation.

Shelly: "You’re not truly trained in advanced levels of swordplay, are you?

*CLINK*

I don’t know how much research Laban’s done on me...

*CLINK*

...and how much she’s told you...

*CLINK**CLINK*

...but the reason I fight with a toothed grip isn’t just because...

*CLINK*

... it reminds Katsu of a strong insperation to us."

Shelly still coated in her beautiful SoulSeiõrShield, knocks away an incoming attack with her SunSword then does an impressive backflip onto a tall, thick tree branch.

Isfet looks up at the advanced fighter as Shelly sheathes her single SunSword to reheat. Madame Fryer’s empty golden sheath is attached to her other hip as well. Unlike when attached to Laban, the sounds of the fire within the holster, sound calm and crackling. The smell emitting from inside is of a campfire and roasting meat.

Shelly: "When I hold a sword, even in my teeth, for some reason, my body moves on it’s own to deflect any incoming danger with the blades I have equipped. (looks at katana) That’s why I’ve mostly used this katana, for defensive and positioning tactics. While attending the Academy that awarded me this weapon, I realized I like throwing hands more than swinging swords."

She looks at free hand.

Shelly: "That way, I get to feel the effects of truly kicking someone’s ass, with each landing fist.

The same system that trained me, housed me, and helped me get stronger in my own way, now unjustifiably view me and my friends as ’terrorists’."

She looks back at Isfet with a caring and sweet facial expression.

Shelly: "Having the ability to kill isn’t special. Anybody, with any weapon, or the right amount of money, can kill.

Man or woman.

Young or old.

Pick any ethnicity.

What is special, is beating someone’s ass so hard, they realize the error of their ways. Making those past enemies remember ME whenever they think about doing something I have beat their ass for already."

Isfet: "Are you not afraid of those you leave alive, coming back and seeking revenge?

Surely you know humility and jealousy lie dormant within every human being, just like outrage and disparity."

An Iceman comes from the shadows to attack the beautiful Middle Eastern woman, but she looks at the ice creature and takes it out with one swipe.

Her Eyelien looks back up, but Shelly is no longer in the tree she last was seen in.

Shelly: "It’s Shelly, not Shirley."

From behind Isfet, Shelly has a soft smile that somehow matches her unique SeiõrShield.

Isfet gasps as she jumps forward and distances herself from the incredibly illusive, blonde beauty.

Now sweating, Isfet takes a moment to realize that Shelly really is something different and her chances of beating such an actual ’Beast’ alone, are slim to none.

Shelly: "And well yea, duh, because I protected Katsu from bullies, sooner or later, those same kids I had embarrassed would come back in groups for their revenge. I’ve accepted that metronome style of karma, ever since Katsu first praised me and brought purpose back into my life.

But we’re all supposed to get stronger, aren’t we? So if someone gets butthurt from losing to me, if they are training, working harder, and getting stronger, that just means I have to keep training 100 time as hard. That way they’ll never catch up, right?"

Isfet looks at the grass, untouched by SeiõrSnow due to the covering foliage above.

Isfet: "Using her eye ability that was molded from her paranoia, Laban knew the consequences of her actions would eventually catch up to her and she only delayed the inevitable. After you defeated her and left her alive, this past month, I had to watch her put effort into making that sign for the Yin Vessel.

I couldn’t believe, someone who acted like an unshakable Italian and Urban gangster combo, could just change the city’s laws and her moral ways over night. Acting like everyone would forget all the evil she did during her reign prior to being humbled.

If I hadn’t been told about her uncontrollable feelings based on her cursed family lineage, I would’ve assumed she was just kissing the Yin’s ass to save herself, since her powers alone can’t save her from you."

Shelly thinks back to when she beat the Don Laban DaeMon in the caged basketball court, with the butt of her katana and her inaugural Mach 1 SeiõrShield. Gripping her katana’s blade in her teeth instead of the soft grip, and knocking out Laban, and claiming her right to Roronora.

Shelly: "I might be seen by those ’Scandinavian Skanks’ as the reincarnate of the best swordfighting Valkyrie, but I’m my own individual person. I’m living my own individual life, enjoying my times with friends and taking advantage of any opportunities to prove my strength to Katsu in this world. It’s all for the sake of someone other than myself.

...I’m finding my own happiness in my own way."

She quickly thinks back to a moment at the academy.

{Two Years After Leviathan’s Invasion}

Katsu’s Voice: "That was SO COOL, Shelly! When you put that 3rd training sword in your teeth, I couldn’t stop looking at you cuz it was so freakin’ awesome!"

[Katsu’s Academy Dorm Room]

Katsu and Shelly are alone in Katsu’s dorm and in their pajamas.

Katsu (two green eyes) is sitting on his bed watching while Shelly does slow paced pushups with ease. She goes down sloooowly, holds her down position for a couple seconds, locking her elbows tight, and goes back up sloooowly.

Shelly blushes and continues her pre-bedtime workout.

Shelly: "If it wasn’t for you and your shows Katsu, I would never have had thought about using a toothed gripped weapon in the first place, hehe."

Katsu(chuckles): "Haha! All 10 versus you and none of them even came close to hitting you! Are you going to keep training like that?!"

Shelly comes back up slowly. She then stops to take a break, switching to sitting on the floor.

Shelly: "Well, I was thinking, I don’t want to completely copy that style, but instead, add my own flavor to it.

The best of the stories we would watch, were meant to inspire the person who was ’next up’. To ignite that spark within the people willing to step up, and raise the bar that was set, higher. Even if those stories were fictional, the inspiration gained and the lessons taught within those stories weren’t."

She thinks about it, puts a hand on her stomach, takes a deep breath and lifts her feet off the ground, balancing on her coccyx. The fit young woman twists her upper body left and right, with both hands touching a side in unison.

Shelly: "It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle, but after a few swings with the tooth gripped one, my back and abdomen got tired pretty quickly."

Katsu lies back on his bed then puts his feet up, balancing on his upper back and neck, kicking upwards in the air like the random spastic person he is.

Katsu:"...’Your body’s core is also the core to all physical activity’, that’s what my Dad said when you told my parents you wanted to get stronger. To get the full potential out of your body’s strength, just tighten and flex the muscles over your stomach."

Shelly hasn’t broken a single sweat while doing her ’overtime workouts’.

Katsu’s legs fall back to the bed and he looks at the ceiling.

Shelly: "So for now, attacking with it isn’t the best option unless I absolutely have to."

Katsu: "Then how will you retaliate back?"

Shelly stops her twisting workout, crosses her legs and rests, looking at her freshly painted teal nail polished hands.

Shelly: "I was thinking...

Since I’ve been using my fists on our bullies all these years, I could use the blade in my teeth as a defensive tool and that would give me more open chances for a quick two piece combo to their ribs and kidneys.

I could use it to deflect the attacks from others, or to make them change their distance.

That could work, right?"

Katsu: "I appreciate you calling them ’our’ bullies, Shell.

...heh...

You really were awesome today, Shell. The one guy who went to swipe at your legs, got a kick to their wide open jaw, haha!

Just cause your a girl, nobody expects you to be so crazy athletic, tactical, AND strong. But that’s immediately when they lose, before the fight has even started.

They don’t know, you’re always grindin’ to get better than them, haha!"

Shelly blushes and giggles while Katsu laughs out loud, thinking about the people who lost embarrassingly from doubting her.

{Present Day}

From where Shelly and Isfet are, the sound of Esau’s single gunshot can be heard. With a worried expression, Shelly looks in the direction and then back to Isfet, remembering the opponent is only stalling her from the more dangerous enemy.

Shelly: "Look, I gotta go.

I’m warning you, if you get in my way again, I’ll be forced to really hurt you."

Isfet doesn’t say anything but as soon as Shelly makes her way in the direction of her group, the woman quickly appears in the path.

Shelly continues to easily dodge or knock away the incoming hot orange blades while attempting to retreat.

Two Icemen see the battle and proceed to "3rd Party" the conflict.

Unfortunately for those aliens, the "free kills" they thought they had, in their PoV begin to spin around, as the Icemen heads had already been decapitated..They never saw "Mach 1 Shelly" pass by them.

Isfet swings down on the newest afterimage of Shelly, and it disappears. The vengeful little sister is breathing heavily and sweating profusely, while Shelly hasn’t broken a sweat.

The blonde warrior has a look of pity as Isfet comes back at her with a stab of desperation. There is a personal blizzard coming from Isfet’s symbiote.

A downward double slice attempt comes down towards a stone faced Shelly, but the attack from both swords gets deflected upward.

The Valkyrie descendant, holding just her katana, does a jumping roundhouse kick, hitting her enemy’s right hand, making the gripped SunSword fly out her grasp.

The hot orange blade twirls, landing in the ground, and slightly burning the circumference of grass around it.

Isfet(thinking): *It’s always been for you, Edom...*

The disarming technique makes the symbiote eye dependent woman look for her weapon, taking focus off Shelly. Something everyone should know, NOT to do by now, but to the chagrin of her latest victim, it’s too late. Another swift roundhouse kick hits Isfet’s other wrist, successfully disarming her.

Isfet(thinking): *...It has always been for you, even before I killed that man and gained sight with this alien eye.*

Both of Shelly’s feet land and she sighs with disappointment.

Shelly(to herself): "I have to do this, for everyone who is waiting for me to get back and fight that man that hurt Katsu!"

Shelly’s SeiõrShield glows brighter and she disappears out of sight.

Sweat rolls down the temple next to Isfet’s alien eye as it looks around in panic.

Isfet(thinking): *Because of my disability, you were always looking out for me, and when this alien repaired my right eye completely...*r

Fom out of nowhere, an upper cutting fist successfully connects with the woman’s wide open chin, sending her flying upwards.

Isfet(thinking): *...when I finally got the opportunity to see the face of the person who had been the guardian angel, for my entire blurry existence.*

As Isfet opens her IceEye, it sees Shelly has already jumped up to the 20 foot apex the punch had sent her opponent. Underneath her Squad 40 sweatshirt, the strongest fighter, and hardest worker of Takamagahara, tightens her core.

Shelly(thinking): *This is why I continue to train.*

She does a remarkable 1080° spinning aerial kick downward, hitting Isfet right in the stomach.

The unfortunate recipient of just a portion of Shelly’s potential, has the air escape from her mouth, along with spit and blood. Her IceEye spasms in every direction and the woman goes rocketing to the ground.

She hits the ground on her side, making a slight indent to the soil around her. The bubbling, blood red SeiõrShield that surrounded Isfet fades, and she seems to be out cold. Blood slightly dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Shelly lands next to the unconscious woman and doesn’t look at her bittersweet victory.

Icemen can be heard approaching, and they start to appear from the tress in bunches.

Shelly sheathes her katana to her back and raises a foot to finally leave, a weak, shaking, hand grabs her ankle. Now making Shelly feel like the victor of an all bitter victory.

Shelly: "I’m sure you’ve noticed, more and more Icemen are starting to converge for Roronora. I’ve tried to leave you conscious so you could escape from them, but there’s nothing left I can do.

I’m sorry."

While still looking forward, Shelly donkey kicks with her other leg.

There a sound of her sneaker bottom connecting to face, and the hand grabbing her ankle slides to the ground.