Shattering Humanity-Chapter 442: ’Toy Soldiers’ in a Paradox of Power

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." -John 3:16-18

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Each time Shelly tries to find a moment to grab her floating firey friend her process is impeded by the enemy and immediately has to defend herself.

As well as each time the slicing sword tries to unite herself with Shelly’s direct skin, the Sheriff’s staff blocks her off or temporarily pokes her away.

The still smiling Jesse James, no longer caring about her and Shelly’s actual fight, starts to take direct hit punches, all in the cause of keeping Shelly and Madame Fryer separated.

On one attempt Jesse James manages to grab Shelly’s wrist, then bend backwards under a flaming horizontal slash. Using her grip the chuckling 2nd Generation pulls herself into Shelly and the two tough as all Hell women collide foreheads, neither blinking.

With an opponent grip still around her wrist, Shelly swings her head to try and slash Jesse James across the face. Madame Fryer also comes down with a slash, forcing the pink haired Sheriff to release her grip but now to her chagrin, Madame Fryer’s blade slightly cuts into Shelly’s palm. The Valkyrie descendant quickly closes her eyes.

Her beautiful blues reopen.

After having taken the minor friendly fire in order to make her way into her own breathtaking Yggdrasil, Shelly’s perspective has instantly changed.

No longer in the chaos of reality, the blonde badass is surrounded by a gorgeous ocean that stretches far off the horizon.

Standing in the meditative background, her back against the bark to the skyscraper height trunk below the quintillions of lifetime fast forwarding, color changing leaves to her vibrant tree.

To the mind escaping fighter’s left, the hanging old man with a large spear pierced through the back of his torso, coughs up blood. The silence breaking, grotesque noise from the half expired Norse God draws Shelly’s attention.

Barely showing a sign of life causes the impaled dying God to swing ever so slightly, making the noose quietly moan.

Quickly surprising the blonde however, with a familiar smothering fashion, an enormous chest, barely fitting in a dress of flames, engulfs Shelly’s entire head. Once again, with no practiced defense to the booby trapping technique, all the highly trained fighter can do is frantically flail, waving her arms around in desperation.

Madame Fryer: *sniffle* "I’m so sorry, baby Skalmönd!

It was the only way we could make direct contact and I tried to hold back at the last moment, I swear!"

With a struggling effort, Shelly manages to break free from her "captor" and looks up at the quivering bottom lip to the personified spirit that represents her sentient blade.

She then looks down at her perfectly blue painted manicured nails, and the rest of her undamaged hands.

Shelly: "It’s okay.

You and I were on the same page at least. I wanted you to take the bold risk of mildly cutting me for the opportunity to talk here, where time is distorted."

She appreciatively opens and closes her hand with a relieving chuckle.

Shelly: "To be honest though, I was hoping you would be able to just cut a bit of my hair while I had my eyes closed. That is still technically my body, you know..."

The "large hearted" dark skinned Goddess nervously and embarrassingly rubs the back of her lava dripping head. As reliable and synchronized with her wielder as she is, being a quick, rational thinker is not this myth created being’s strong suit.

Shelly takes a quick breather from her intense battle in the real world and watches a pair of falling red leaves spinning and twirling in a dance together as they eventually drop on top of the calm water surface, side by side. In a moment of revelation, she focuses heavily on the fact one of the fallen leaves sinks much soon than the other.

Madame Fryer: "In your few interactions with combatants mutually acknowledged by Seiõr, I must say, you hold your own impressively, seed of Skalmönd. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

When we first got separated, I was worried..."

She too looks over at her dedicated mythical colleague, Odin. The man in search of infinite knowledge of the cosmos resumes to hang quietly.

Within the peace and quiet, he is simultaneously reading Shelly’s life novel along with everyone else in reality with a consciousness. Absorbing every person’s story, no matter how wholesome or tragic, by deciphering the inscribed runes in the bark which can only be seen from the unique tree’s reflection off the waters below.

Madame Fryer: "...But then, while I was over those waves, after realizing both of your sources of Seiõr were equal, I felt guilty.

Guilty for ever have doubted you and for a moment, partially taking away from your overall sanguinity."

Shelly blushes after receiving praise from her great Valkyrie grandmother’s friend, and then bashfully swipes a few straggling hairs behind her ear.

Shelly: "It’s fine, Madame Fryer.

Honestly, for a moment I started doubting myself too because..."

Sadly thinking about her current situation with Jesse James, the respectful young woman fights back tears.

Shelly: "... Because I realized, we’re both losing right now.

I don’t want to kill my opponent, even though she wants to kill me. If I killed her, then I’m erasing a valuable piece to help fight against those actual monsters threatening humanity."

Madame Fryer quietly listens as the frustrated warrior vents her valiant reasoning as to not wanting to murder.

Shelly: "No matter which one of us ’wins’ this battle, as a species we will lose someone who has already successfully restored order to a large population on the mainland."

As she thinks deeply about all of her friends in Takamagahara, including Princess Kawaii, the opac apparitions of each member appear lined up, floating above the blue water in front of her.

Shelly: "I’m supposed to be the ’Ace of Takamagahara’, the one out of all of us who won’t fall under the weight of the world we live in.

Everyone believes in me as the savior who won’t show distress or blow my composure over violence.

To be the one who never drags others into my own battles, but instead, the vigilante fighting for justice of another’s when nobody else was willing or able to.

I’m supposed to be an example..."

She then thinks focuses on the fading away Princess Kawaii still kidnapped and held hostage. Away from the group who took her in as the glue to their budding new foster family.

Shelly: "We may both have reasons to fight, but why are we even fighting at all?

I tried to keep the peace and even pleaded for a call to friendship until the very last minute, but she said no...why?

We are both strong, gifted people who have loved ones we are willing to die for, and others willing to die for us, yet we aren’t dying to a common enemy together, but against each other...why?

All this amazing, talented energy spent fighting amongst one another. But I can’t help but feel like because of my blood association I’m trapped in a ’Paradox of Power’, with all my friends caught in with me.’

Unable to completely help the heartbroken demi-goddess solve humanity’s most tragically asked questions, Madame Fryer wraps her arms around her shins as she brings her knees up closer. Using her bending leg joints to rest her barely covered chest which consists of half the busty woman’s total body weight.

The contemplating blonde lass then focuses on the "ghost" of her main purpose in life.

The one human who she would choose over any other, a charming, brightly smiling Katsu.

Shelly: "When I willingly took this path for myself, it was for those who gave me a life worth living again.

The thought of other tough challengers wanting to take away what I’ve been trying to protect in the first place out of passed down spite or a fear I’ll threaten their aims of power, it’s... it’s..."

Unable to find the proper adjective to express herself, the frustrated Shelly tries all her might to keep her emotions bottled, but fails. Angrily slamming the back of her head against the rough outer layer to her Yggdrasil. Even with the health and size of the mental tree, the incredible force from her aggravated connection makes a few of the less attached green, yellow, and red leaves to fall off earlier than they would have. Along with a couple closer to dying brown ones.

Shelly: "Katsu has never told me I couldn’t accomplish something, and he’s always known when the right times were to act, or when I should stay away from being instigated into a trap.

I mean yea, majority of the time he allowed me to run wild on the kids who picked on us. Then he would watch me, and only me, while I served justice to those bullies who needed to be given a taste of their own medicine..."

She then recalls the other night when Saku’s Anjell Eye went AWOL and when she was knocked out of the battle. Only to rely on her adopted brother to get the win for them and to keep her ’undefeated’ promise.

Shelly: "When I have to sit back and grit my teeth as others who have already given me a reason to live, then fight for me, I die a bit inside.

When we were kids, fighting is a common part of growing up, but for the most part nobody dies. Just developing, humbled egos and the worst injuries are usually broken bones.

But now that the world is a new experience for us all, everything gets escalated and that especially means fear."

Finally, she reinvisions her entire group, a long with her mother, father, as well as Katsu’s mother and father who sacrificed themselves after having helped raise her.

Shelly: "I can’t live with the guilt any further knowing the people I love and care about have gotten hurt to protect me.

But even with all that, I know the person I’m currently in a fight to the death with also has those things.

That DæMon woman who clearly sold her body away for the power to protect her own people, has a purpose she’s willing to sell her body away for too."

Now using her soft, gigantic bust as a pillow to lay her head upon, Madame Fryer looks at Shelly with an equally warming, soft chuckle.

Madame Fryer: "Your grandmother referred to the group of people you’re describing as, ’Toy Soldiers’."

Shelly: "...’Toy...Soldiers’?"

Madame Fryer(nods): "Mhm!

Like a child puppeteering action figures or dolls, the dramatic story and the conflicts between special individuals like yourself, are the tales of toys. Niche figures meant to be a blanket of entertainment threaded by the hands of a ’God’."

Taking in the supposed openly expressed opinion of her Valkyrie grandma, Shelly pulls herself together and focuses back towards why she wanted to have this mental moment with her battle partner in the first place.

She remembers the fight Katsu, Madame Fryer, and herself had the night before against a more stoic, and less giggly 2nd Generation DæMon Sheriff.

Shelly: "...I don’t know you realized it too. That isn’t the same woman from last night."

Madame Fryer nods, also having detected the obvious personality shift in the enemy.

Shelly: "When the three of us fought her together, she wasn’t as reckless as she is now.

I don’t know if she planned for it this way, or made a deal with whatever entity she allowed to control her vessel, but it’s a blessing that we aren’t fighting on Kami Island.

Those SeiõrShots of hers are causing so much damage. There is a lot more to them than just that original blast on impact.

I think...

I think they are giving off any outrageous amount of heat into the atmosphere afterwards too.

Unless it isn’t just heat, but..."

Being the 2nd most intelligent and the inherently quick thinking fighter that she is, pondering Shelly slides down the trunk of her own mental tree until she is finally sitting on the soft, lush grass covering her tiny island.

The Goddess next to her also takes a soft, cross legged seat. Neither her flaming dress, nor lava dripping hair singe the otherwise burnable nature she touches as she makes herself comfortable while they have a break from war.

After a moment, a planning Shelly seems to release a half defeated sigh.

Shelly: "Even though it’s two of us versus one of her, because that 2nd Generation’s has the ability to fire highly dangerous projectiles, she has the advantage of long range.

Unfortunately, she’s not too bad at close quarters, hand to hand combat either.

If only I knew how to produce something similar, we would have a better chance at catching her by surprise."

As if being able to solve at least one of Shelly’s problems was exactly what the flaming goddess was waiting for, Madame Fryer clasps her hands together near her elated smiling face. Her magma like hair bubbles and the flames of her dress dance brighter in correlation to her display of emotion.

Madame Fryer: "I can!"

Not completely registering the two worded proclamation, Shelly blankly stares at her comrade who has been known for keeping her limitations and critical information disclosed, not out of intended devilry, but rather, due to her charmingly airheaded nature.

Having let the bubbly response sink in, Shelly’s expression comedically turns into a slightly irritated scowl directed at the excited Goddess.

Shelly: "Madame Fryer..."

Madame Fryer: "Hm?"

Pinching and massaging the bridge of her nose, Shelly tries to stay calm with her sword’s spirit while asking.

Shelly: "...Can...can you create SeiõrShots too, and the only reason you haven’t told me yet is because I haven’t specifically asked if you could?"

Madame Fryer viciously nods, making her lava hair drip once more and her bosom jiggle.

Madame Fryer: "Welllll, not those orbs of concentrated Seiõr like her technique, but I can push out walls of flames that she’ll have to completely avoid or one ember will eventually engulfed her in a spreading flame she can’t ever put out. Only to smother out once she’s been fully consumed and turned to ashes! :D"

Unknown to the both of them, the knowledge invested, hanging Old Norse God chuckles from his barely lips, with visible spots of dried blood in the corners.