[center][img]https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/t_Vh_bCFIduE0YhNZqUtcFzHf7tICce1Nu1PmLZeTYA/https/media.discordapp.net/attachments/546056855978377216/823258399663194172/dfrgthyujhyrgtef.png[/img] Level 4: 31/40 Location: Next to Shippy Word Count: 1,133 Points Gained: 2 New EXP Balance--- Level 4: 33/40 [/center] They just kept coming. Sakura had the stamina to keep fighting, but she could only be in so many places at once. A destroyer, an Abyssal that looked like Bullet Bill by way of Alien, charged at her, teeth gnashing. The thing illicited a fear response in her that she couldn't repress. When she looked at it, she imagined it biting her throat out. The more she fought, the more these terrible things got under her skin. The threat of life and death was one she didn't have much experience with. For the second time this week she had jumped out of the Atomos and faced death by Abyssal, and Sakura feared she wouldn't be able to take much more. [color=f49ac2][i]"Hooh!"[/i][/color] She kiai'd away as much of her nervousness as possible. The destroyer flew in, looking to bite into her neck. Sakura raced her arms and it seemed like it didn't mind what it wrapped its arms around. But that would prove to be it's mistake. There was a dull thud of blue energy as she blocked the charge. It bounced off her like a wall, and she countered with a jab. Her knuckles spintered rock three times in a row before it looked unsteady and woozy. Sakura wrapped her arms around it, span around and threw it a ludicrous distance away from the battle. It became a little black shape and then splashed. Stunned, it didn't resurface. Two more came in next to each other. She fired off a single cannon shot, taking a chunk out of one and knocking the other side. In a crude bit of proper street fighting, Sakura zoomed up and grabbed them by the jaw. She smacked them together to finish stunning them and then tossed them aside into the drink. She cracked her knuckles, acting tough. [color=f49ac2]"Who wants some more!?" [/color] Sakura taunted. To anyone listening, it was clearly fake, her voice breaking a little. She was getting nervous. [color=f49ac2][i](Maybe if I act brave and cool, I'll feel brave and cool, too?)[/i][/color] A He-Class cruiser, a strange, featureless humanoid halfway merged into a floating rock that ended in mouths, with a cannon for a right arm, came to a stop behind her. The cannon began to glow and it pointed it's way towards her. Bursts of yellow energy came forth. It looked like the Abyssal's cannon arm was falling apart of the seams. [color=f49ac2][i]"Hadoken!"[/i][/color] Sakura shouted, letting loose on of her blue fireballs. Her Hadoken and the yellow bursts of energy met with a burst, but her Hadoken pushed through. Realising this, the He-class dodged to the right. [color=f49ac2]"Hadoken!"[/color] Sakura fired out another ball of blue flame. The He-class dodged- right into it. She'd actually fired it to the right, predicting that it would pre-emptively dodge right again. It was kind of like changing up the fireball timing so Karin would mess up her jump in, but adjusted for this new world of fighting. Plus, this fireball was very fast- the speed of a fastball. Hard to dodge. Nonetheless, the He-class was hit, and it slid back from the explosion that followed. Sakura punished it further with a blast from her cannons. It's gun arm fell apart and it sank beneath the waves. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for them. How different were they from Bella and Rika? Unlike Bella, Sakura was realising that they will never get a chance to be anything other than bloodthirsty monsters. What a cruel fate. A destroyer came zooming up from below the waves. It emerged like a dolphin as she side stepped it. Flying uselessly about twenty feet in the air, Sakura moved underneath it. She caught it and slammed it over her knee. Then she let it drop into the water. [color=f49ac2][i](Is this really any better than just killing them? They'll probably just end up dying anyway. But, then again...I'm not sparing them for their sake, am I? I'm sparing them for mine. But now I'm starting to realise this just might be crueler.)[/i][/color] She looked over her shoulder at the Abyssal she had spared a while ago. It was a He-class, too. And it was just kind of "standing" there, over the water. Not even glancing around. Pacified, but little else. It would probably be discovered by the Armored Corp that was order to follow behind the battlefield. Then, it would be blown to pieces. [color=f49ac2][i](...As long as I don't have to do it.)[/i][/color] Sakura thought. The selfish nature of this made her face red with embarassment. She knew Mister Geralt said doing this would be okay but...she just felt like she was making everything worse for everyone, just for her own sake. Everyone else was destroying these Abyssals without hesitation. Why couldn't she? Was something wrong with her? Thinking of the Witcher, Sakura's eyes glanced up towards the Atomos. He was- yeah, he was riding the giant bird. Sakura would probably laugh about that later. [color=f49ac2]"Don't fall, Mister Geralt!"[/color] She yelled helpfully up at him. Smacking down a few more destroyers of various kinds, Sakura was interrupted by an explosion. A massive series of explosions. That was good? What wasn't good was what happened next. The harbor wall they were trying to detonate opened for them without hesitation. [color=f49ac2]"W-woah. That's a big one."[/color] Sakura said, recoiling from the Harbor Demon's presence even from here. Sakura winced, looking away as she saw another ship girl die. Her palms were sweaty, her hands were shaking. It had been different, when it was just her and Ranger versus the person that would be Bella. This was different. The sheer scale was too much. The Harbor Demon was throwing Abyssals like they were stones into a pond. It's massive cannon pointed towards the Jackdaw, and Sakura gasped in horror. The Street Fighter got closer to Shippy and shouted up. [color=f49ac2]"What are we gonna do!?"[/color] It was so far away, and there were so many Abyssals interposing themselves between them and the Harbor Demon! Not to mention she was blasting everyone with reckless abandon. But maybe..? [color=f49ac2]"Should I go for it?"[/color] Sakura asked. Sakura began to speed up ahead of Shippy, skating quickly along the water. She wasn't going to let that Harbor Demon blow up the Jackdaw. Even worse, once the Jackdaw was sinking, that cannon would turn on Shippy next. Sakura groaned, frustrated and indecisive. She decided to stay near Shippy and defend her as much as possible. [color=f49ac2]"Maybe the Atomos can take her out!?"[/color] She shouted. [color=f49ac2]"I- I don't know!"[/color] A He-class appeared and fired off some rounds. She blocked them, grunting as the energy exploded off her arms. She ducked to the side long enough to get out a couple of Hadokens to knock the Abyssal out.