Hero Dyes - Blue
Unmasked

Bridget: I was vulnerable. Sure, I wasn’t completely naked but close to it. Not that Yosin would have complained, he already saw me completely nude before. However, the old man was getting a pretty good show. He was about to watch two hot women fight in their underwear. I needed to stay focused on ending this soon. Having said that, I wasn’t big on using magic so the strength of whatever power I’ll have won’t be as strong as Masque’s attacks. Also, I would be killing an innocent soul by removing their mask. What a cruel way to die. I realized my mistake from before. So many families won’t see their loved ones because they threw themselves at Magnus. I won’t admit it, but defeating Magnus like that was cowardly, yet it ensured my safety above all. I can’t use the same tactic here. For one, I don’t know which puppet has what power. Ripping their masks off just to find a magic based power that suits me will slaughter a good amount of them. Whatever mask I pick, I’ll have to use until I’ve exhausted all aspects of its function. Hopefully that will allow me to stay in this fight while saving the most people. Then again, to me, they’re already dead. What would it matter if I slayed a large number of them just to win this battle?

“On the count of three, we begin the Power Struggle.” The Count spoke as she smiled her devilish smile. I didn’t have time to finish formulating a plan as she began counting.

“One… Two… Three!” She sprints to her left and quickly snatched a mask off of the person closest to her. Their body burst into red and purple dust as she placed the mask upon her face. Her skin began to glow and soon it transformed into rocks. She launched several sharp shards towards me from her hands before I could even reach for a mask myself. I rolled out of the way with panic rushing through my entire body. I slid and quickly leaped up to grab a mask myself. The body explodes and covers me in the same dust before disappearing completely. I placed the mask on my face as she attacked me again with the same move.

A burst of fire roars from my chest and swallows the rocks as my body transforms into a fire-demon. A tail sprouted behind me as horns protruded from my forehead. My skin was all black with red and orange lines coursing through it like veins. I couldn’t help but smirk as the Count was displeased by this display. I took this chance to rush towards her as I hurled fire balls to distract her. She began deflecting my attacks with a rock-looking shield she formed. Once I got closer I slid under her legs and sprang into a leap towards her back. I gasped in mid air as she quickly spun around and caught my arm as I threw a punch at her. I was rapidly flung across the ballroom, slamming into many puppets that were just standing around. Once my body stopped rolling on the floor, I tried to get up as quickly as I could, but her speed was too great.

“Haaa!!” She grabbed me by my hair and lifted me completely off of the floor. Before she could produce any form of an attack, I closed my eyes tightly as I felt a buildup of pressure within my body. I roared a loud battle cry and exploded with blazing hot flames that shot out wildly. She was burned by my fiery explosion, and so were other puppets standing too close to me. She yelped for a moment, then growled with rage as she ignored her entire right side being consumed by flames. She didn’t let my little trick stop her as she slammed her foot into my chest and sent me crashing into more puppets that were in the way. I moaned in pain for a moment as this time the wind was knocked out of me.

As soon as I got on my feet she was right in front of me again, attacking with an evil looking grin. I dodged her rock-covered fists as she performed a very fast combo that was hard to keep up with. She managed to switch up her fighting style and land a heavy kick to my face which sent me stumbling away from her. Although she landed a hit, this opened a door for me to attack now that she wasn’t so close. Knowing she would rush me again, I did the same. I ignited my feet and fists with fire as I dodged another striking kick and landed a powerful blow to her stomach. She screamed in pain as I burned her again. My assault didn’t last very long. She caught the other fist I threw at her with her hand, then started to squeeze in order to crush it as she formed the rocks from her arm to do that. I yelled in pain as I felt my bones shattering the more pressure she piled on.

“Get off!!” I screamed as I flung my leg towards her head as hard as I could. She was so focused on crushing my hand that she couldn’t dodge my attack. She released my hand as she swirled through the air from my powerful kick. My mouth dropped in amazement as she fixed herself in mid and landed on his feet, sliding into her fighting stance as she smiled evilly. I winced in pain as I tried to move my hand. I could feel my eyes watering from the throbbing pain in my broken hand. I couldn’t feel it nor move it. She definitely broke it and made it useless. At least I still had one good hand. As I motioned to attack her she quickly rushed to another puppet and ripped off another mask to wear. She pulled the current one off and replaced it as the body dissolved like the others did. Suddenly a stream of water shots out of her hand and races towards me. I leaped out the way but the spray of the attack caught my leg, making me howl in pain as I felt it burning. I rolled and tried to get back up. I winced and grunted as the pain in my leg was surging through my body. Not only was she now using water, but it was extremely hot.

At this point, I had no choice. I needed a new power. I reached for another mask and ripped it off as she continued to shoot out gushes of water at me. I didn’t stop running as I took the mask off the person and grabbed a few extras, then combined them as I switched it out. Hopefully doing this would allow me to enhance the powers by fusing them together.

I freaked out and started to flail a bit as my demon-like look was quickly replaced with bird like features. Feathers coated most of my body and produced a means for me to fly as my arms changed into wings. This was perfect! Now I could keep my distance and figure out a better plan than rushing in head on. I quickly launched myself into the air with a strong jump and soon took off like a rocket. I flew all the way to the ceiling which was very high. She tried shooting her boiling hot water attacks at me but they didn’t even come close to me.

As I surveyed the scene below me I saw the two sages arguing. As I flap my wings to keep myself floating I tried to read their lips and figure out what was bothering them so much. Maybe Yosin was disagreeing with his father’s number one rule. Never fight alongside a hero when they face a tyrant. My mind must have been in panic mode because the swirling of the large orb startled me as I darted my eyes towards it. I watched in amazement as the size was massive. My heart began to race again as I reminded myself that the large swirling orb contained countless souls. This fight was only helping the mass grow. I didn’t realize how true that was until I saw how many puppets were left. Out of the large bunch that first walked in only a few remained. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNovᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Fear swept over me as I noticed two things. One, the amount of puppets left didn’t match up with how many masks were both used already. The second thing threw my entire body into a frenzy as I desperately scanned the scene below me in order to find the Count. She was gone, out of sight, hidden from my view! How could this be? In my moment of rest she must have ripped off so many masks in order to find one that would help her reach me. My eyes widened as I felt something looming behind me. I quickly turned around and screamed as a large smoke-like mass began to smother me.

I coughed and gagged as I felt my arms becoming heavy. I knew I was descending as my wings weren’t moving properly in order to keep me in the air. I couldn’t see as I tried to fly away but it was too late. I felt dizzy as her evil laugh continued to echo all around me. Soon, my body became limp as I plummeted to the floor. I could have sworn I heard Yosin shouting in horror, but my hearing was fading as well. At this point, I knew I was going to die. The fall wouldn’t be enough to end me, but my body would be too broken to fight with. I only had one more card to play, hopefully it would save my life.

I struggled to reach for my face as I felt my doom drawing near. Once I felt the mask on my face I used every ounce of strength I had left. I pulled down as hard as I could, which took off the mask I was currently wearing. Splat!! I hit the ground and became a mushy-blob mass, flattened by gravity. I didn’t feel any pain though. I felt weird, strange for a lack of a better word. I guess I hit the ground so hard it was making it difficult to return to my original form.

“Well… You don’t see that every day.” Yosin’s voice echoed in my ears. Sound was introduced to me in a way.

“Impossible… How are you alive!!” The Count’s voice blared with such aggression. I couldn’t help but laugh which caused my entire putty-like body to giggle and vibrate.

“Simple! I’ll tell you once I figure out… How to… There we go!” I shouted with joy as the logic of this power suddenly came to me. I stretched up and quickly morphed into my normal self. Well, almost. I realized my desire to be more favorable manifested itself through this power. My breasts were twice the size they normally were, as well as my height. I smirked at the power this mask gave me, admiring my body as I could make it as smooth as I wanted it.

“You found the loop-hole, didn’t you?” The Count broke my distraction of myself as I fixed my eyes on her. I smiled with delight as I nodded my head yes.

“While you were splashing your hot water around, I swiped about two or three masks and combined them together. At first I thought I would fusing three powers into one. However, I just now realized that all it does is save me time from grabbing a mask from another person. In a sense, I could keep removing the masks I combined until I run out of them, allowing me to easily switch to a different power whenever I want.”

“Bravo…” My smile dimmed as her voice seemed overly sinister. I guess she didn’t like that I figured out a little trick to this game of hers. She squinted her eyes with disgust as she slowly walked over to another puppet and ripped off its mask. Once she placed that one on her face, her body quickly changed into a female-looking minotaur. She stomped her foot and cracked the floor beneath her.

“Do you think your discovery will keep you from dying? Think again!!” She roared as she charged at me with all her might. I smirked as I simply watched her tantrum speed its way towards me. She lunged at me with great force as she swung a powerful right hook towards me. Her first was about the size of my torso, which was perfect for what was about to happen. Before her attack connected with my body I quickly pulled the mask down which activated the mask behind it. The next thing I heard was bones cracking and her shoulder dislocating. Then came her ear piercing scream of absolute pain. She drew her broken hand back as she stumbled away from me a few feet. She glared with pure hate at the sight of my metallic body. I don’t know what metal this was that transformed my body and made it unbreakable, but I loved it. Not only did it make me invincible, but it also gave me great strength!

Her rage must have overwhelmed her as she charged again and ripped off another mask to switch out her current one. Once she did, a flash of light blinded me for a second as I was suddenly hurled across the room and slid several feet before I could realize what happened. My body surged with electricity for a moment, paralyzing me for a moment before I shook it off. I wasn’t hurt, just stunned. Apparently that was enough time for her to attack once more, resulting in the same thing that happened before. As I soared through the air this time, she appeared above in a blink of an eye. Then, like a bolt of lighting she slammed her feet into my chest which forced me to collide with the floor. The floor gave out underneath me as the power of her attack and the metal coating me caused a crater to puncture the floor as a loud boom echoed throughout the ballroom.

I had one mask left and I needed to use it wisely. Instead of getting up out of the hole in the floor I laid there as if I was paralyzed again. She bought it and appeared in a flash. I quickly pulled the mask down and dodged her attack as I rolled away from her. I quickly stood up as she backed away from the hole that got bigger thanks to her attack. I smiled as she scanned the room to search for me, looked right into my eyes, then kept searching for my whereabouts. I was invisible.

“You see, the real trick about combining the masks I gathered, is knowing which power comes next!” I shouted, making my voice echo and bounce all over the place. I kept moving so my voice wouldn’t be easily heard.

“I’ve been able to figure out which power comes next before I remove the mask I was currently wearing!! This entire time I’ve been planning and calculating how I would use the next power to my advantage!! So! To answer your question!! Yes!! My discovery will not only keep me from death!! But it will also end your life!!” The echoes from my shouting sent her eyes darted every which way. She was paranoid, jumpy, and most importantly off guard. She didn’t know which way I was coming or when I would attack. My shouts weren’t just to distract her, they were also used to hide the sounds of my footsteps as I quickly ran behind her. I jumped on her back and quickly gripped her face as hard as I could.

Within seconds I ripped her mask off while tearing off flesh from her face. She shouted in pain as she tried to swing me off of her. I planted my feet on the ground as I pulled on her head and bent her back towards the ground. I finally slammed her back onto the floor and quickly sat on her chest as my knees pinned her arms to the ground. Then I let loose a series of punches to her face as I yelled a battle cry like no other! Blood gushed from her face with each punch I pounded into her. My shouts of power and dominance drowned out her grunts and gagging as blood was flowing back down her throat the more I made her face bleed. I didn’t stop, I couldn’t stop! I needed to beat her to dust, otherwise she would retaliate with greater force.

In my madness of striking her to death I briefly lost balance. She quickly capitalized on that moment and managed to free her arm and swung her fist at me. I managed to see it coming and maneuvered my body to not only catch her fist, but lock her arm with my body. I dropped to the floor with her arm held tight and snapped it out of place, causing her to scream desperately as I rolled back, then leaped into the air. I slammed my knee down into her chest as blood rushed out of her mouth. I grabbed her other arm and pulled her up as I crushed her airway with a strong punch to her throat. She gagged some more and twitched as my attack paralyzed her long enough for me to quickly get behind her. I wrapped my arms around her neck and gripped her face with my hand as I strained and pulled with every fiber of my being. It didn’t take long to finally hear her neck snap and feel her body become limp. Not believing she was dead, I tugged and yanked several more times to ensure that her death had come. I felt the blood pouring out of her mouth drip onto my arm. I sighed as I slowly let her go. It was like I was holding my breath the entire time as I took long breaths of air. Once her lifeless body hit the floor I slowly stood up and looked at my hands. Even though I was invisible I could see the blood stains on my body. This was how she probably saw me for a moment and tried to fight back. I was covered with so much of her blood that my outline could be seen.

I sighed once more as I slowly and wearily took off the last mask, eliminating the power of invisibility. Suddenly the throbbing of my hand turned as I gripped my wrist and gasped with pain. It would seem that the masks I was wearing temporarily healed my broken hand. Now that I’m not wearing any, my hand returned to its broken state.

“Bridget!!” I heard Yosin’s voice calling to me. I looked towards the sages as their eyes were wide. I guess I impressed them both to the point that they were dumbfounded and speechless. I simply smirked and motioned to wave until Yosin slowly lifted his finger up to point at something behind me. I turned around and stared at the Count’s dead body. It was still there…

“Bridget, get over here! NOW!” Yosin yelled as I turned to face them again. His father was holding him back as his eyes were fixed on something above me. I heard someone snap their fingers which instantly forced my body to face that direction. Floating above the Count was Gil. At least, it looked like Gil. The more I looked the more I could see that this person floating above the woman I just killed was not Gil. My heart started to panic again as I finally realized who this person was, and how much of a fool I really am.

“So, you can kill my favorite creation.” He started off. He then vanished from my sight as I frantically scanned the area before me. Suddenly my eyes widened as I felt cold steel pierce through my body. I couldn’t hear it ripping through my flesh or breaking my bones as it burst out of my chest. Somehow he appeared behind me within a matter of seconds, and drove his sword through my back. My mouth hung open in disbelief as I felt blood rising up my throat and seeping out of my mouth. I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t hear. My body jerked a bit as he pulled the sword out and kicked me to the floor. I couldn’t feel my body rolling on the floor. All I could see was the trail of blood I left behind. My vision blurred to the point that my eyes were forced to close. Death had come for me once more. I always thought three times was the charm. In my case, it was only twice. I overcame the fake Count, only to be fooled and killed by the real one. If only I had Excalibur with me… If only I had Excalibur…

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