Upon hearing Jiraiya's last declaration to kill Devil, Sinister has been forced from his somber state of mind. His plan to die intentionally to avoid killing Jiraiya while also erasing the target on Devil's back has backfired. Devil Wing, fearing the worst for his master, made an attempt to race toward him, however he has been paralyzed by something... or someone.
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Everything was moving in slow motion.
Devil Wing fidgeted and squirmed relentlessly, trying his best to ease himself from the choke-hold, but it proved vain. It was obvious whatever... or whoever for that matter was holding him, was not going to release him any time soon. He did not seem to be in pain, but he was unable to free himself from the spell. It was still unclear what exactly was at hand here...
Sinister had been awoken from the words that left Jiraiya's mouth. "Once I'm through with you, Devil Wing is next to ensure your legacy is at an end." That was the only motivation he needed to back out on his plan.
Sinister's sword lie beside him on the ground to the right. Most of it was covered in sand from the clash moments before. At the same moment Jiraiya commenced the lethal swing, Sinister instinctively reached for his sword. As soon as he had a grasp on it he rolled to his left, barely evading the deadly attack which had scathed a few of his headhairs.
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Gman's face showed that of awe. "I... I can't believe it." he muttered. Fearless had also been awestruck. "How did he do that?" he consciously wondered. Devil Wing was no longer among the two FOG fighters. In his effort to reach his master, he was able to traverse down the cliff, however was halted by a pressure on his neck...
"Wha..." Scarz thought after seeing Sinister evade the attack. "It doesn't matter, Jiraiya can't lose... not now." he assured himself. LAK had once again fallen unconscious, Spidey also slept soundly among his FOG comrades.
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"But how?" Jiraiya asked himself. "I had him. I don't understand, where did he get this speed?" he questioned his conscience. Sinister dusted himself off and shook the sand from his sword hilt. "That was close." he thought.
The two stood apart and looked into the other's eyes... It seemed to last forever, as if each warrior was waiting on the other to make the first move, unsure of the true extent of the situation. "I need to be careful." Jiraiya told himself apprehensively. "He's already here, I've got to do something. There's no time." Sinister thought. They then prepared their separate fighting stances.
"He won't expect me to be aggressive." Jiraiya consciously assumed. He then bolted over toward Sinister in hopes it would catch him off guard. He was not aware of the doom awaiting him... Sinister sheathed his sword and placed his left thumb above the hilt, popping the blade out of the sheath about an inch while he clutched the hilt with his right hand.
Jiraiya had placed his sword above him as he charged forth, using his speed and gravity as the driving force behind the blade. This sort of technique was usually only used when your opponent was stunned, but at times was used as a surprise attack... however haste was needed for it to be successful as a surprise attack, especially against a seasoned fighter.
Sinister had seen through the attack before Jiraiya had a chance... He swung his sword outward at an extreme speed which struck Jiraiya at the rib area, at the right side of his torso... instantly bringing him to an agonizing halt and leaving him feeling radical amounts of pain. Several ribs were certainly broken, however it was not a fatal attack. "Graaaaaaahh!!" Jiraiya cried out in pain just before the shock of the impact caused him to fall unconscious.
As he observed Jiraiya's body to confirm he was out cold, Sinister placed his blade back in its sheath.
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Present
"I remember that. It was the first time I had seen something like that. I couldn't believe it." Fearless said as he placed the last of his equipment in his bag. It was noon now and they had been reminiscing to help ease the tediousness of assembling their supplies. "Yeah, I don't..." Devil Wing reluctantly spoke. "Yeah, you had your hands tied... or rather, had your neck tied haha." Fearless joked. "Yeah yeah, shut up." Devil replied.
The two started off into the same direction Sinister had taken earlier in the morning. "Now, tell me what exactly happened next." Devil told Fearless. "Well..." Fearless started as he delve into his memory.
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Flashback
Sinister stood over Jiraiya, almost as if he was taking pity... but there was respect involved. His gaze was interrupted by a stern voice calling out in the distance. "Sinister! I knew you would be too weak to kill LSJ!" it called out. The voice seemed to come from the direction of a thick dust cloud. Sinister stared into the cloud intently, waiting for the person to reveal themselves. It was Clean.
He emerged from the shroud of the dust holding Devil Wing in his front as hostage and shield. Devil Wing's body hung lifelessly in the air. "Don't worry, he's still alive... for now." Clean explained. Relief came over Sinister.
"But you should be more worried about that Jiraiya on the ground..." said Clean.
