Chapter 168: One Bad Apple Part 3 (1/2)
Rubble from the manor was flown around everywhere, reacting against the powers of the Garden. Zinnia and Scarlett zipped between the attacks breaking through the opening on the chase. Iris and Alice were just insight. Smashing the last of the cubes away, Scarlett pushed in ready to take them both down. That was until serval cubes ripped from the walls blasting her back and down to the ground. Zinnia wouldn't let that stop her as she flew forward cutting a cube in half. A lightning strike shot through the manor's clocktower as Zinnia appeared above the two with the lightning blitzing through her body. Jolting her katana forward, Iris stared up at her smirking. As quickly as the electricity flowed through her, it vanished, leaving Zinnia powerless. Her eyes widened as the katana disappeared from her hand, and she began falling. Iris turned to her, shooting a pillar down smashing Zinnia into the ground. ”Useless!”
The two streamers were down for the count with Zinnia trying her best to get back into the action but with no powers to aid her, she gave up quickly. She lay back holding her hand out towards Alice before slamming it into the ground. ”Damn it!”
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Hans stood over the three streamers his vines elevating him. He glared down at them, letting the Garden's powers taunt them. ”You cannot hold a candle to my power. The Garden is mine! You will not take that from me!”
”Blah, blah, blah. Does this guy ever shut up about his birthright? We don't care you, noob.” Emil scoffed holding serval origamis in his hand. ”How about we just defeat you?”
Hans gritted his teeth, holding his hand up as the vines all squirmed into the walls shaking the ruins of the manor. Alton let his hilt ignite with ice as he held it up to Hans. ”Let's do this, boys.” The vines rippled through snapping at them. Gale rushed forward punching the onslaught destroying the vines in front of him. Emil hopped over his back diving forward throwing the small clutches of paper. They all came to life rippling into an ice cream truck, tree trunk and a lamppost. Hans broke each one out of the way as Alton slid underneath him, freezing the ground knocking his balance. The vines caught him, lifting him high up. Holding his arms out, he began creating a ray of seeds, which blasted down like bullets hailing on the streamers. Alton flicked his arm around, making an iceberg to block the shots. Gale stepped out, taking each one head-on, letting it power him up entirely. Pressing his foot against the floor, he vanished in the blink of an eye appearing next to Hans roundhouse, kicking him out of the building. Gale landed crashing through iceberg picking up chunks of ice throwing it at high speed. Hans couldn't react fast enough taking the helm of most of the attack being launched further.
He let out a rageful scream as the Garden's power grew consuming him more as his veins burst purple. He suddenly appeared from the ground behind the three. Roots ripped from the ground smashing everything apart. Emil and Alton were knocked back as Gale continued to take the attack falling to his knee panting. ”Dead… Man's requiem.” Everything around Gale went into a negative colour before returning to normal. Hans stared carefully at Gale, awaiting his next attack. Gale didn't move, but an attack still landed knocking the wind from him, forcing him onto his knees. Gale was still there, or that's what Hans thought on a second look he was shocked to discover it was nothing but an after image comparing how fast Gale must be going. Appearing above Hans, he elbowed him, causing the ground to break apart.
Hans lay on the ground coughing up blood, seeing the three streamers holding him at gunpoint. His hand began shaking as he yelled. ”I will have order!” The three jumped back as Hans' eyes were completely yellow, and the last part of him consumed by the Garden. ”It's an honour to battle against Team Rhapsody, but I think it's time I end this.”
Serval dark replicas appeared with two holding the defeated Goro and Blossom throwing them aside. ”I'm… Sorry, we failed…” Blossom whispered.
Hans held his hand out scoffing. ”While I admire your attempts, you must realise you cannot win. Give it up, and I shall spare your lives out of respect.”
”Always so confident in your abilities to undermine ours how truly foolish. To rely on borrowed powers too much is your downfall, Hawthorne.” Alton stated, staring at Hans with a bold look.
Hans shook his head. ”And your ability to never give up will be yours. Destroy them!” Hans stopped seeing none of the Dark Replicas moving he was confused, to say the least. ”I said to destroy them!”
A shower of snow began lightly covering the courtyard as Alton gave a tut wagging his finger. ”You built an army of clones that you are so reliant on. So much so you fall apart without them. If you cannot defeat me without your army, then I will simply dispose of them.” Hans' eyes widened as one of the replica's helmets fell off, revealing them to be frozen solid. ”You speak so proudly of the Garden powers as if you somehow earned them. That you are worthy of calling yourself a vessel for the Garden. But all I see is a coward too held up on the past to accept the present.”
Hans suddenly felt unable to move his legs frozen solid. ”The Garden powers are mine! You waste your gift on weaklings and pointless endeavours while I stride to change the world. I want to save it from the likes of you! That goal is what makes me better than you and time after time, the Garden will choose me!”
A heavy blizzard picked up consuming the area in a thick layer of snow. Igloos formed protecting Alton's allies as he stared blankly at Hans with a foreboding glare. ”The Garden chose you? Who told you that? My powers are wasted on weaklings and pointless endeavours? Who told you that? You are better than me? Now just who… Told you that?”