6. Chapter 6 : Fight and Breakthrough (1/2)

disc: i don't own claymore.

italics are alice's thoughts.

previously: alice just understood that the four demons ermita told the team about are all in the big one they first fought...

chapter 6: fight and

eakthrough.

suddenly, the demon got bigger at incredible speed like a balloon fattened with air, nailing the young women to the spot. and so unexpectedly, his enormous body exploded: purple matter and four figures shooting out quickly like shrapnel from a bomb and now, the warriors ended up facing the four demons ermita had mentioned.

each one was four times smaller than the first which meant they still were slightly taller than the girls, seemingly much faster and above all, had all their limbs and two eyes.

"damn!" 9 grumbled. "it'll all have to be done again!"

"look out! on your right!" alice shouted.

9 lifted her sword just in time to fend off the blow. without alice, she would have been beheaded.

but she had no time to ponder on this thought. two demons were attacking on their left; the fourth monster had just joined the one on 9's right. each girl had two demons to fight and in a flash of pride, 9 thought 'let's see if 47 is better than me!' then plunged into the battle.

the roaring demons and clanging of swords sang a furious melody: drilling and stinging the air under the fierceness of the billowed above the ground; the gravel road was now covered in purple and red bloodstains. 13 and 22, wounded, remained unconscious in a corner of the battlefield while 9 and alice were hardly fighting to save their lives.

alice felt sweat drops along her cheeks, her muscles were burning; she was almost out of

eath. she was at the top of her strength and speed and she could barely follow the demons while she dodged their claws…

stay calm… watch their aura… feel it…

she tried her best to concentrate on the demons' yoki flows, but they were two and she was alone; they were quick and she was tired…

damn it… they're too strong… i can't handle it any longer…

she knew that she had to do that. she had to use it - her yoki aura. but she knew herself, she knew her body, the slightest nerve, the slightest vein, the slightest fiber… she knew that her yoki pool was small and each time she drew it, was a danger, more for her than any other warrior. and she already used it in this battle; even if it was just for a few seconds, just to push away the demon's arm in order to protect 9, she could still feel the yoki stamp on her flesh.

i don't wanna use it… i don't want to awaken…

suddenly a claw narrowly missed her left shoulder – which meant that she was moving dangerously slower than before.

i have to… use it…

slowly she summoned the hideous darkness within her. she sensed it growing up, filling her body with strength and hate. she felt human cells bursting while purple blood invaded her veins…

stop it now.

suddenly, there was a detonation, a blue lightning, and alice loudly cried. 9, who had just chopped a head off, swiveled just in time to see her comrade's sword slashing her foes in two, one after another, in a single move. the next moment, a strong blow to her stomach threw 9 against the flank of the mountain;

eathless, she looked up, trying to raise her sword against the demon which was about to crack her skull.surprised and out of

eath, she reacted too late - she was going to die…

the demon froze. his arm was risen, the point of his claw almost on 9's forehead. but all of a sudden, his body split into two from head to toe, collapsing in a pool of blood.

alice was firmly standing behind him, tightly holding her sword whose tip had cracked the ground with the might of its slash. catching her

eath, she gazed at 9. her irises were colored in a glowing yellow, her skin was slightly darker, and her veins were visibly throbbing on her temples and face; the aura slowly, gradually overcoming the rest of her body. the quality of the yoki summoned by alice made her looking as strong as a single-digit… then the captain had a strange thought: she didn't want to face the awakened form of this claymore, even for the world. and, for once, she didn't care about her rank.

alice's fringe was stuck on her forehead. her long, straight, silky hair was spotted with purple blood and dust, some locks falling over her shoulder onto her chest. her whole body was shivering and all of a sudden, the marks of the released aura disappeared from her body and with a sigh of exhaustion, she fell onto her knees.

9 leant over her. she was impressed by her aura and still couldn't believe that such a weakling could actually be so strong. she was about to say something but alice looked up at her before she could open her mouth:

"i'm fine," she said with a

eath. "join the others… i'm coming…"

9 stood up, too astonished to answer back, and walked towards her two other comrades. they were still alive; 22 was regaining consciousness, and 13, half-conscious, was using her defensive abilities to heal her injuries. 9 reclined her back against the rocky wall - half-way between alice and the other two - and ran her hand through her short spiky hair with a sigh of relief.

she kept looking at alice; the latter flicked her sword to dispel the blood. her large eyes had quickly returned to their silver color; she seemed to use her yoki more reluctantly than any other warrior. now that her aura was lowered again, she seemed as weak as she did the first time they met. 9 was thinking that there was definitely something strange with alice when the latter, slipping her blade back in its sheath, slowly joined her.

"is everything fine?" alice asked.

"yes. 22 is waking and 13 is already patching her up," 9 answered.

"all the better."

she was about to leave when 9 a

uptly asked:

"are you really number 47?"

what's that question for?

"of course i am."

"yet you seem so strong for the lowest-ranked warrior…"

"why would i have lied?"

"i don't know… in order to hide some things from the organization…"

"i don't hide anything at all."