---
The garden. This was the second time Diego was here with Blood. She walked around the garden and plucked a white rose.
"Y'know, I've always been there. Always looking out for you, Diego," Blood admitted.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Diego asked cautiously. He didn't trust her, not in the slightest, and her words still rang in his head: 'Give Me Control'. Blood noticed the unease drawn on his face and smiled innocently.
"You remember when Mom left us after we first met Misa," Blood said and sniffed the rose with bliss. "You remember when her parents got killed in front of you. You remember the rage you had. The urge to kill. The strength that kept you pushing until she was safe... that was me, Diego."
"How's that got anything to do with this situation?" Diego asked coldly, and that seemed to make Blood's smile grow.
"When Misa died, I gave you the power to kill that abomination as well," she said while casually tossing the rose away.
"You didn't answer my question," Diego muttered loudly.
"You remember every time you used your 'Hell Breaker', the power that came with it. The strength you use to fight every day. The power you've come to rely on so badly..." Blood walked up to Diego.
"What's your point?" he growled as she got closer. Blood grinned and flicked Diego's forehead.
"My point is, I've been watching over you this whole time, Diego. I give you your Hell Breaker, and I have the power to take it away if I want." Blood smiled innocently once more, but her words carried a completely different message.
"That's a threat, isn't it?" Diego pointed out with his eyes fixed on Blood. She was his exact height, and their eyes were locked for a long moment before Blood finally took a step back.
"You're correct," Blood said.
"It's not going to work on me," Diego said. "I have my 'Halo Mode' now. I don't need your power anymore."
"Are you sure about that?" Blood said with mock worry. "Because to me, it seems like you still can't control or use it for long."
"I'll learn," Diego said.
"This isn't like learning a soccer trick, Diego. It took you two whole months to learn how to use my power, and it might as well take you a year to master the ones 'that guy' gave you," Blood said, the last part with clear resentment in her voice. "You need my power, and I'll keep giving it to you. All I'm saying is that you have to do something for me in return."
"And what would that be?" Diego sighed.
"I want our body. I want control for just a few minutes. I'll beat Zany and then I'll give it back. No strings attached," Blood negotiated.
"That's too good to be true. There's a catch somewhere," Diego said with distrust etched in his voice.
"You keep forgetting, but I'm you, Diego. If anything goes bad for you, then it goes bad for me too. All I'm trying to do is let us win and that's it. I swear." Blood's words were sincere, and that put Diego in a bit of a dilemma. He found it hard to trust her, but she was still right about them being the same person. With a heavy sigh, Diego nodded. He ran his hands through his red hair, a nervous habit.
"You can have my—" Diego wasn't allowed to finish his sentence. In a violent bolt of speed, Blood grabbed him and pinned him down with raw force. Diego gasped in surprise as he was knocked onto the ground. The peaceful background behind him slowly crumbled. The beautiful summer sky cracked and started bleeding. The roses all turned red, and their vines grew thorns and curled themselves around Diego's limbs, leaving him trapped. Blood sat on top of him. Two large wings grew from her back and her hair turned red, as red as his.
"You really are pathetic," Blood mocked and leaned down towards Diego's face. "You're useless without me, and you know it."
"Shut up," Diego murmured quietly and averted his gaze from her. "This isn't going to happen ever again."
"Time will tell, Diego, but for now, it's my turn to have some fun," Blood laughed maniacally, and that sick sound was the last thing Diego heard before the thorns covered him completely, and in a moment, everything went dark and there was silence... silence Diego oddly found comfort in.
---
The fight between Zany and Diego dragged on for a while, but it seemed like they were soon going to find the winner. Zany floated in the air, her purple hair and eyes glowing ominously as she kept her attention focused on Diego. He was on one knee and bleeding slowly from the chainsaw puncture her mannequin had inflicted on him. He seemed weak and on the verge of passing out from blood loss. One by one, Zany's mannequins began to surround Diego. They all held their chainsaws at him with clear intent to shed more blood.
A lazy grin was plastered on her face as she knew the fight was over. She floated down slowly until she was just a few feet above the ground.
"You're going to die at this rate~" Zany pointed out smugly, but Diego didn't answer. He wasn't moving, but his eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly ajar. For a second, Zany was worried he might be dead, but she still sensed his pulse and other signs of life. The crowd kept their eyes glued, with murmurs of confusion growing louder and louder. Zany gracefully landed on the ground and walked up to the now unresponsive Diego. She tilted her head from side to side as she examined him. She crouched and stared into his eyes. They were hollow. Cold and void. But then she felt it. A sick presence that made her feel pure dread.
Diego lifted up his head and his eyes captured those of Zany. She was frozen cold in fear and panic. Slowly, Diego lifted his arm towards her face. It inched closer and closer, but after what felt like an eternity, Zany finally broke free from the trance and teleported herself a good distance away from him. Diego rose to his feet, but he didn't exactly seem like himself anymore. His hair grew longer by a few inches and now touched his shoulders. His eyes glowed even redder, but they seemed hollow compared to his normal self. He moved with his back arched slightly downward and his eyes roamed as he scanned his surroundings. Diego wasn't in control anymore... It was Blood.
To everyone outside, it seemed like a switch had been flipped in Diego. His wounds seemed to have been completely forgotten, but now he moved like it was his first time walking the earth. His eyes kept moving, slowly, patiently, until they landed on Zany once more. In a bolt of speed, he closed the gap between them and grabbed her neck before she could react. Zany gasped and fought against his grip, but for some reason, his arm wasn't wavering in the slightest.
"First of all, I'd like to thank you," Blood said and tightened his grip on Zany. "Without you, I wouldn't be here right now." Zany's mannequins saw their master's dilemma and rushed to her. Blood looked over his shoulder and saw one of them had already caught up. 'VROOOOOOOM!' A chainsaw was aimed right at the arm Blood used to hold Zany. It cut through his flesh, but Blood's flesh but there was no reaction. Blood sprayed around and some landed on Zany's face. The chainsaw blade cut deeper until it reached the solid bone of his arm, and that's when Blood finally reacted with explosive strength. He slammed his free fist into the mannequin's frame and the force made it crack into pieces.
"Now, where were we?" Blood said and turned his attention back to Zany, but oddly enough, she was grinning despite her predicament. Blood knew something was off instantly and he lightened his grip on her throat even more. "What are you scheming?" he asked, but Zany lifted a finger in response, and that's when Blood finally saw the reason she seemed so unfazed. Above her head was a purple circle with multiple runes and other mystic markings on it. 'VWOOM... BOOOOM!' The magic circle blasted a pure wave of destructive energy at Blood, and the explosion left everything in its path scorched and incinerated. Blood was blown away and landed a good distance away from her.
"I don't know where you got that confidence from, but don't think lightly of me or else you won't live to regret it," Zany yelled petulantly as she rubbed her neck. Her eyes landed on Blood, or as she still saw it, Diego, as he slowly got back to his feet. His body was badly burnt and bleeding, but just like before, he brushed it off like it was nothing.
In the stands, Frost watched as the events unfolded. He knew something was wrong, but for now, he wouldn't try to intervene. At another edge of the stands, Romeo observed the match as the chaos progressed. Diego seemed off, but that didn't bother him. The match would end with Zany winning, and that was the only possible outcome in the little boy's mind.
"Zany Belle. You have tremendous power and physical strength, but your weakness stands out clearly," Blood said calmly. "It wasn't hard to figure out. You're strong, but physical attacks make you as weak as a normal person. That's why you use toys, teleportation, and others to keep distance between you and your enemies. That already gives me the recipe for victory in this match. All I have to do is get close enough and land one hit," Blood came to that conclusion.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything else from you!" Zany whined, but in less than a second, Blood was gone. Zany blinked twice in surprise, but when she opened her eyes again, he was in front of her with his palm spread out. Zany teleported instantly and managed to escape the possibly fatal hit. She was breathing hard, and then she looked back down at Blood, but he seemed different... painfully different.
His body had grown taller by a few inches and his muscles had grown significantly in size. His nails had grown drastically into large sharp claws, and blood slowly seeped out of his eyes. The sight made Zany feel uneasy, and it was clear the crowd felt that same queasy feeling. Blood roared, actually roared. It was a loud, unnerving sound similar to that of a wounded animal.
"Damn it! I thought I had more time!" Blood groaned to himself, but then his feral eyes locked onto Zany and suddenly, it looked like he had lost his sanity. Blood ran right at her like a deranged animal, but Zany teleported out of the way once, then twice, but the third time, she winced and her aura began diminishing. Her magic aura was almost completely gone and she knew she had to end this fight before that happened. Her expression turned from playful to cold in an instant. She didn't know what was going on with Diego, but she planned to use it to her advantage and win no matter what.
Blood roared once again and charged at her, but this time she didn't move out of the way. Instead, she lifted an arm up and a large spear made of her aura appeared above her. She didn't flinch or move as Blood got closer and closer, but instead, she kept her calm until the very last moment. That's when dozens of mannequins appeared from both underground and above. They all held onto Blood in an attempt to slow her down, and that's when Zany struck. "FWOOOM... SCHKKK!" The spear went right through Blood and anchored itself into the ground, effectively immobilising Blood for a short time. Zany wasted no time in lifting both arms into the air. She chanted some words and suddenly, a massive red ball of condensed magic formed above her. Her hair and aura turned blazing red and the ground cracked under the immense pressure of the magic she was producing. Blood roared again and thrashed until the magic spear finally snapped. Blood flung the remaining mannequins away before charging at Zany once more.
"All my power is in this last blast... Be a good boy and don't die, will you~" Zany winked playfully, and that was it... "BWOOOOOM!!!" The explosion was so bright and powerful that everyone present had to shield their eyes from the intensity of it all. When it dimmed, the crowd looked down and waited as the smoke and dust settled. Finally, two silhouettes came into view and the crowd couldn't peel their eyes away.
Zany was on the ground, utterly exhausted, but her eyes looked blank. Standing in front of her was Diego... The real Diego. His body was bloody and burned but it was rather normal. It seemed he had finally gained control of his body. He looked down at Zany and smiled cheekily.
"Thanks for that... I ... needed ... it ..." With that, Diego's vision went dark and he collapsed right into Zany's lap. Diego was finally knocked out.
"AND THE WINNER OF THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEMI-FINALS! FROM HELRYN HIGH IS THE THIRD YEAR, ZANY BELLE!!!" The crowd erupted into applause and cheers after that intense and suspense-filled display. Zany looked down at Diego in her lap and her cheeks turned pink once again. Without a second thought, she teleported away with him. The crowd kept on cheering but some few characters stayed silent. Frost spotted Misa in the stands. She looked worried and Frost moved through the crowd until he got to her.
"You don't have to worry about him. If he's with Zany, then he's in safe hands," Frost comforted and moved towards the exit of the arena. "I have an idea of where they'll be. Follow me if you want," Frost said and gestured vaguely, but Misa didn't waste any time in following.
At another side of the stands, Romeo observed until the very end. A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips at the display Diego had shown. He was going to confront him about what that odd form he had taken was, but for now, he felt oddly proud of his older brother. Romeo left the arena completely and walked through the campus of Helryh High until he came to the gates of a large mansion.
There were guards stationed at the gate and once Romeo got close, they stepped back and allowed him in. The halls of the mansion were quite grand with chandeliers and expensive-looking accessories all over the place. Romeo kept his eyes trained forward. He kept walking through the grand halls until he finally got to a large golden door. He looked at it for a few moments and turned the doorknob. He walked in and was instantly met by Zany. She sat on the ground with her eyes on a large bed where an unconscious Diego lay with numerous bandages wrapped around his body.
"You're a psychopath," Romeo said quietly as he looked down at Diego.
"I'm not," Zany huffed back. "I didn't kill him so that should count for something," Zany said but then she turned to look at Romeo for the first time. "Why do you care anyway? Other than your match, you don't have any more business with him," she pointed out.
Romeo looked at Diego then back at Zany. He smiled like the little kid he was and said cheerfully, "Why wouldn't I? He's my big brother after all."
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END OF CHAPTER 12