iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

|| Damn...you telling me I've been a genius all this time? I gotta go tell the crew that Queen Bee ain't nothin.

|| Yeah, when I was a dumb kid, I remember picking Felicia because I loved her 'combos.'

"No need to worry. Let me know if anything comes up, yeah?" And with that, he'd saunter off into the distance. Back on the hunt.

011

Still, the Tyrant expected more sass as a response. And even if that were the case, he'd be content. It would mean that she's pushing on as strong as ever. Instead, he received a warning of concern. Hell must have frozen over, yet he could care less— he only smiled.╰➤

"That's good. Because if what's happening here is what we 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 is happening, then yer gonna need to be at your best." It was a dreadful thought, but certainly not impossible given the history of their world. Eyes of scarlet watched the corpse below start to dissipate like a phantom.╰➤

"𝑾𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆." His tone was almost uncharacteristically eloquent just now, the man sharing his core philosophy with someone he believes might understand, at least, in their own unique way.

"What you explained is not unlike the mantra I live by. Albeit mine is far more boorish than your own, but the core is the same under our respective 𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔." Leaning back upon the stump in which he sat upon, the beast let his gaze fall upon the azure sky above.╰➤

"I see." The Mad Dog paid careful heed to those words, taking in every bit of information with all the focus of a trusted friend. They were perfect strangers, but when it came to someone that Azrael ultimately seeks to 'consume', he'll go far to help them be 'ready.' ╰➤

120

"𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. Most of the time I'm as grizzly as they come. But even I stop from time to time to smell the roses." He'd pause, now holding up the flask to draw attention to it. "And this is one helluva rose, Sobek." Screwing back on the cap, he'd then offer it back to her with a grin.

You holding up okay?" There was a casual air to his inquiry, however, it was clear that there was still some tact left in the monster known as Azrael. He knows full well the significance of the Black Beast and how it ties to her family and history.

000

Glancing back down at the creature, his expression turned sour. "I ain't a fan of fighting hollow prey, but I'll stomp their heads in as I find them. Oh, and hey, Kokonoe...—" ╰➤

100

"But in all honesty, as much as people would probably think otherwise, I ain't out to destroy the world. Would have done so already if that was the case. If I see Ragna, I won't kill him. I might rough him up though... but if I do, I'll drag him to ya." ╰➤

100

Hearing her plead to not kill the Grim Reaper was amusing enough to slap that usual grin back upon rigid canvas. "Did you forget already? I'm back to being an 'official' member of Sector Seven again." he teased, the Mad Dog knowing full well it would probably give her an eye twitch. ╰➤

100

The beast lunged high into the air, and with a twirling twist of his body did he suddenly rocket straight down like a bombshell. The fist aimed directly for her; but in truth, he couldn't care whether it hit or not. The true target here was the train.╰➤

000

"But I gotta say, I'm getting pretty tired of this train." The skeleton conductor heard this, and if sweat could ever form upon bone... ╰➤

100

"Hey now, I'm an 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 fighter. I keep things simple, 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐." He'd say, being utterly pert with his tone. The beast, for all his powers to defy the logic of the world, chooses to keep his fighting style plain. But he can adapt when needed.╰➤

100

"So, the predatory kind, got it." The morality of the implication didn't truly matter, he just assumed it was the ones that hunted humans that are best suited for this hobby of hers. "Oh, that? You can get it in any noteworthy store, really. Just check the top shelf."

000

It acts much the same as any other seithr beast. It's certainly tougher than any other, but it mindlessly attacks even if outmatched."

000

The Mad Dog pondered to himself out in the field, hands comfortably slid into his pockets as he tried to compile any notable detail that could be useful here. "Other than the fact that it possessed similar properties to the Grim Reaper? Nothing, really.— ╰➤

100

While the prospect of fighting something like the Black Beast sounds to be something Azrael would relish; in truth, he had no desire to face a soulless husk. Especially one that would only further devastate the world and limit his space on it. "Hmm..." ╰➤

100

He mused, a small chortle escaping his lips. "But you got yourself a deal. Any Monsters in particular? Or is it just open season out there?"

000

A brow was raised rather high upon his features, the beast clearly taken aback by such an odd 'ingredient.' But with a shrug of his shoulders, he simply partook of another sip before giving a satisfied sigh. "Demon hearts, eh? Well now, consider me a fan." ╰➤

100

"These things ain't normal. Now I wasn't around during the Dark War, but these damn things are matching the description of those lesser monsters born from the 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕." A truly cataclysmic insinuation is being made here, and it wasn't being made lightly. "The hell is going on?"

000

"You're not wrong about me being a magnet for trouble, and seithr beasts are common, yeah. But these..." These looked similar to the draconic heads summoned by Ragna The Bloodedge. They even seemed to share the ability of his Drive- Soul Eater. ╰➤

100

"You act like I don't know you by now, give me some credit." He mused, unable to resist throwing in that jab of humor. But it quickly subsided, his smile returning to a stern and surprisingly serious expression. ╰➤

100

|| I mean, you tried to freeze his Cock Hadoken. You can't be doing that, c'mon.

120

He spoke with no one present, yet he knew Kokonoe was one who had eyes and ears everywhere. And lord did he know that she could project her voice to anyone at any time.

000

Normally, he wouldn't bother with something like this. But this was the tenth one of its kind, a 𝒔𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕. Their numbers have been growing exponentially, ones that take a rather terrifying appearance. "Hell, I think you're going to want to see this..." ╰➤

100

@sector7catgirl.bsky.social "Hey, Kokonoe. I know you're keeping tabs on me, so listen..." The Mad Dog has been traveling— enjoying his newfound freedom. Yet here he stood over a fallen creature, one he felled, of course, yet there was no joy upon his features. ╰➤

100

The train would last for a bit longer, it seemed... Though, probably not too much longer.

000

Much in the vein of a commander giving an order for his men to fire, the beast swung his arm out to summon a fiery sigil that blasted her repurposed spiritual power— now turning it into a mass of his own unnatural aura in projectile form.╰➤

100

Crimson aura flourished about his body like armor, and as her energy closed in, it was suddenly snatched by this oppressive veil of force— consuming her power and stockpiling it into a resource. One he would use this very moment.╰➤

100

Baneful energy surged from her blast, a destructive orb of gloom descending upon him with a force to decimate the train of which he stood upon. Sizable arms were then raised in response, the beast's lips peeling back to reveal sharpened ivories with a maddening smirk. ╰➤

100

To the sky she went, a surge of power wreathed about her arm as she took aim upon the man below. 𝑯𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈. There would be no second clash of wills here, for the beast straightened his posture and welcomed the projectile.╰➤

100

And just as he was beginning to outpace his 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔, she was quick to retreat with a pivot from off of his own strike, her instincts worthy of the highest praise. The Mad Dog wasn't disheartened in the slightest; rather, he had confidence that she was simply on to her next move. ╰➤

100

Heart pounded like a drum of war within his frame, the beast appearing to flail his arms wildly; and yet, each movement was strategically coordinated— a mad warrior with all the timing of a disciplined master. An elbow to her heel, a wrist to reflect her chops, and fists to halt her palms.╰➤

100

Granted, I bring that on myself, but you know what I mean." A lazy rotation of his shoulder is given, the beast still quite lax in his presentation as he worked out the morning aches. "I gotta say, for someone so well dressed, it's odd to find out how often you spend outdoors."

However, that rising animosity towards the realm quickly faded— it was as though it simply needed to remind the dragon that it exists, and it won't be going anywhere. "But I appreciate the hospitality, truly. It's not often that I get the welcome treatment anywhere.— ╰➤

Even with words that show the slightest semblance to provocation are met with a malicious simper, the beast ever proving that his is an existence that celebrates conflict. "I make no promises, Marino. I might be biding my time with 𝒚𝒐𝒖, but there's a whole world out there." ╰➤

The harshness of her words wasn't even registered— what precious little focus he had whilst heavily intoxicated was on what she said after... 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐥 "So it is! Alright, lemme have some..." Tripping over his first step, the now lumbering giant barely caught himself. "Shit...that was close..."

000