Vs Green Keeper (Patreon)

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The crescent moon is the only light source in this isolated place. The Green Dragon Keeper chose this area for a house specifically to protect them, but now this will backfire.

He is far from everything, including help… And maybe, on his mind, as one of the people at the top of the world, as the Dragon Keeper with one of the most destructive powers, this would be a good thing… Maybe…

His common sense is not wrong. The problem is that what is targeting him is something completely outside the rules of this world, something common sense alone can’t predict or figure out.

Living in isolation can work for Chidori, the Green Keeper, but this arrangement also favors Hector and Suzukiri.

“Took you long enough.” Hector greets Suzukiri, dropping from the branch he was sitting on to become face-to-face with his partner in crime on the ground.

“You don’t hurry a woman when she is changing clothes,” Suzukiri replies blandly.

She went back to change out of her frilly date clothes into some sort of dark stealth suit. She wore a skintight, shiny black suit beneath a short cloak that stopped at the middle of her thighs, but the hood hid her hair while her mask obscured the upper half of her face.

“So… how do I look?” She does a little swirl to him

“...” So far, Hector can’t be 100% sure whether she is seducing him or just teasing him; that is how hard Suzurkiri is to read.

Her little swirl made the robe spin, revealing her round butt tightly enveloped by what can be latex, and when she stops, he can see that the zipper at the front is not all the way up, showing her cleavage.

“Domino Masks are dumb.” If she is messing with him, he is gonna mess with her.

“...” The corner of her lips immediately drops, and he can feel her dead eyes boring holes into him even while she is wearing a mask.

“And if this suit is so tight that you can’t zip it up, wear a size bigger.” he continues.

From below her cloak, her hand slowly appears, holding a knife that glints under the moonlight. “Are you calling me fat?”

Hector’s male instincts warn him, but he ignores it. Again, if she can think she can tease him, Suzukiri is up to a surprise. He already knows that acting shameless is the way to win against this type of attack.

“I am calling you thicc.” He speaks as if it were a matter of fact. “Seriously, woman, have some self-awareness. What is this, latex? There will be two moons in the sky tonight, and only your ass will be the full one. And I bet if you raise your arms too high, this zipper will go down on its own. Did you come here with your BDSM outfit by mistake? I have to say, you actually look like the type to have a sex dungeon. And this mask is not helping with your case- whoa!” He dodges a stab. “At least you didn’t pull out a whip.” He says after taking some distance.

“Pervert…” She mutters to him.

“Look who is talking.”

“Never saw a woman? Try to not pop a boner in your tight Dragon Keeper suit.”

“If I do, I will just use it instead of a Divine Artifact.” He is going shameless all the way

“Hmpf, there is no Toothpick Divine Artifact.” Suzukiri says mercilessly with a smug smirk

“Shut up, you never saw my Excalibur. Or better yet, White Greatsword Bahamut… I will keep it on theme.” Hector cocks his hip.

“And if you show me, I am gonna cut it off to see if your bragging has some truth and try to make it a Divine Artifact.”

“Very hypocritical of your part, but that is what humans are…” 

After bantering for a while, the duo finally got serious.

“Okay, let’s be done with it.” Hector finally spoke, turning to the house they could see only a little of from between the trees.

“He didn’t leave, right?”

“Unless they can teleport… do they?” Hector needs to ask

“No.” As someone from the Yellow Battalion and the First Junior Class Ranger, Suzukiri is privy to more information than most.

“Then it is safe.”

“You know that even if it looks like a normal, cozy home, it must have heavy security, right?” She whispers to him as they approach.

“Of course, that is why we haven’t gotten too close.” Hector whispers back. “I doubt I can enter unnoticed even with my powers.”

“So what are we gonna do?”

“The plan to kill him in his sleep is scrapped, but we still have Plan B.” He says

“You are really a villain.” She can’t hide a smile

“If you are not, then go back to sleep.”

“It was a compliment.” She retorts

“Then thanks. If we are ready, let’s start.” Hector sits on the ground and does something that makes Suzukiri’s eyes widen and almost makes her burst out laughing.

“No way you are doing this.”

“Shut up.” Hector replies with a big smile on his face.

Then he pulls something from his inventory, using his back to hide it from Suzukiri's eyes.

“What is that?” She controls herself enough to ask.

“An EMP device. Pretty potent.” He got this in the Post-Apocalyptic world, and he refuses to believe that a militaristic-oriented hellhole can’t create an EMP that can pierce this world’s technology; it doesn’t matter if around here things are pretty advanced too.

The device is the size of a basketball, shaped like one too, except that one side is flat.

“And this is a bomb.” Hector gets another basketball-sized device, filled with red circles all around the surface. “Hope you are not carrying your phone.”

He doesn’t wait for a response.

First, he sets the EMP device on the ground and presses the flat side; it opens into a small cylindrical tower with blue rings around it, which immediately lights up and vibrates as a humming sound spreads.

Hector is also humming a song as he activates the bomb; the red circles start lighting up one by one, a clear countdown. He then throws it through the window.

He doesn’t even bother looking, confident he is not gonna miss and, at the same time, confident it is not gonna work.

In the meantime, he puts a ski mask over his head, and then the bomb comes back through the same window.

BOOOOM

“I thought he would use that Incantation to eat the explosion.” Hector comments as the bomb explodes between them and the house.

“He must haven’t had the time to transform.”

“Yeah, right… He is coming. Gonna hide?” He asks, knowing it would be advantageous if no one knew a woman was an ally of the guy targeting the Rangers.

Suzukiri Yumeko is still a prime suspect of being a traitor, and anyone would guess she is the woman by his side, even if she hides her face.

“Fufu~, I will be observing from behind the scenes.” She steps back

“Hey, do your part.” He calls her out

“Oh, I will.”

Hector starts ignoring her and walks toward the smoke from the explosion; he can also vaguely see a silhouette emerging from the house.

If they keep walking, they'll meet eventually as the smoke clears.

Hector doesn’t hesitate anymore. “Henshin.” An Activation Phrase is needed to suit up as a Dragon Keeper, but the requirement is pretty loose.

You can say your own name, the name of the Divine Artifact, or even a made-up name like Wrath Hammer, as the Green Keeper does.

Hector doesn’t want to say his own name, so he goes with a quick and easy: “Transform.”

Whoosh 

The wind is finally blown away, and once again, two Dragon Keepers face each other.

“Eh?” But strangely, the Green Keeper's first reaction is confusion. Even after the attempt on his loved ones' lives, Chidori’s anger disperses a little as he is caught off guard.

“What? Never saw a man wearing pink this well?” Hector laughs, proudly putting his hands on his waist as he poses.

Yes, he is using the Divine Artifact Peach Dragon Naga to become the Pink Dragon Keeper.

“Ahm… I… Just surprised.” The Green Keeper replies flatly.

“I hope you are not having any prejudiced thoughts… I would expect better from a hero.” Hector shakes his head, raising his arms in a disappointed manner. “And of course, I am totally pulling off this pink suit.”

Hector could swear his super senses detected Suzukiri’s laugh somewhere, but he ignores it for now.

“Yeah, totally.” The Green Keeper gives him a thumbs up.

“Right? Maybe this is how it should be. Men used to wear colorful clothes in the past, including pink, you know?” Hector starts explaining 

“Eh… not really.” Chidori, the punk guy, is a monochromatic creature.

“Yep, it is because red was the masculine color, but normally reserved for adults, to fully ‘mature’ people. Get it? Red… Mature. So pink was the color for boys growing up, not really mature, not really red… only pink.”

“Oh…”

“And blue was for girls, because it was dainty and all that… the inversion, I think it happened after World War 2. Men started caring little about it after the horrors of war, and women wanted to be pretty, so they took the pink. I think jeans have something to do with it too, because sold pants and only men wear pants.”

“I see, I see… that is all interesting. I should tell that to the Red Ranger; he was pretty against a guy becoming the Pink Dragon Keeper.” Chidori considers

“I don’t know if a history lesson will be enough to change that guy’s mind.” Hector gives him an apologetic smile

“Haha! That is true!”

“Maybe if you add a hit of your hammer on his head to make him get a little amnesia first.” 

“Gahahahah! Believe me, I am tempted every time! HAHAHA!”

“HAHAHAHA!”

The two laugh like they are just doing small talk instead of being enemies that are about to kill each other.

“Ah, man… You are surprisingly friendly.” The Green Keeper comments

“Meh, I have nothing against you personally. I just want your Divine Artifact.” Hector shrugs. “When people with opposing objectives meet, we can only fight, even if we would get along in other circumstances.”

“Oh, there is really no other way? I am really not in the mood for a big fight now.” The Green Keeper says while resting his hammer on his shoulder.

“You can hand over Green Dragon Fafnir, and I will let you live.” Hector extends his hand 

“Damn, straight to the threat… I don’t think that will be possible, man.”

Hector smiles slightly as he pulls his hand back. “See? That is how things are. The world is filled with competition, and when two people want the same thing, they become enemies.”

“You could… not want to steal my hammer?” The Green Keeper suggests.

“That is not possible. I really want it.” Hector replies immediately, “Look, I will not even argue who is right or try to justify myself… Normally, in those cases, the two opposing sides have their own circumstances to face each other, but unlike you Rangers, I don’t care. I will own my villainy and accept the label.”

“...”

“So, for the selfish sake of my own peace of mind in the future, allow me to give you one last chance…” Hector’s voice drops an octave as he talks. “Hand over the Divine Artifact, or I will kill you.”

“...”

“...”

The two face each other seriously now; the light mood is gone, and they stop laughing.

“Haah~ Damn, you even know my name… I really can’t let you go.” Chidori sighs loudly, then removes his hammer from his shoulder.

“Very well… Deep down I wanted you to refuse too.” Hector's stance shifts slightly. “You can be a little better than Red and Yellow, but you still profited from the fucked up system. You did nothing, even with all your knowledge. I don’t think I will lose any minute of sleep by killing you.”

“Me too… I am already used to it, after all.” The Green Keeper replies, tightening his grip. “But not gonna lie, an honest enemy is refreshing. For so long I have been putting on an act, so it is always nice to really find a self-serving villain.”

“I am glad we are on the same page.”

The tension grows geometrically as they finally stop talking. No words are needed from now on, because they could never change the outcome.

They will fight; there is no way around it.

It was something decided before they even met. Hector’s choice of objective in coming to this world, Chidori standing in the way without faltering; the two are destined to clash. 

There is space for only one of them to succeed, and it will be decided now.

“Sukunabikona no Kami.”

“Ame no Tajikarao no Kami.”

The two use an incantation at the same time.

In a second, the Green Keeper grew to the size of a building and swung down his proportionally sized hammer. No, proportionally, the hammer is even bigger now. The Divine Artifact had been a little bigger than his head, but now it was bigger than his giant torso.

BOOOM CRACK RUMBLE

The attack obviously created a huge explosion, accompanied by shockwaves and tremors… but Hector was far from the impact site.

His own incantation is not offensive; the Pink Dragon Keeper is literally the weakest in raw power, but the support abilities work on the user. Ame no Tajikarao no Kami boosts the user’s speed to incredible degrees.

Before the giant hammer even touched the ground, Hector moved around it, climbed the weapon, Chidori’s arm and body, and reached the size of his head.

With his amazing senses, Chidori was able to move his eyes to the side just in time to see the heels of Hector’s feet approaching the giant visor of his helmet.

BAAAM TAAK Rumble

The giant man is forced down, falling to the ground despite his enormous body.

“Speed is power.” Hector comments as gravity pulls him down, his white cape fluttering with the wind of the shockwaves of the two attacks. “And a big body is just a big target to an opponent faster than you.”

The Green Keeper learned that lesson the hard way, and that is how he cancels the incantation and goes back to his normal size.

The fall of the giant Dragon Keeper raised a lot of dust, obscuring him enough to hide his next attack against Hector.

Of course, if the enemy's visibility is compromised, you should always expect them to attack you. That is something Hector understands already.

So his eyes narrow in concentration, muscles tensing as he prepares himself to answer the next move.

Whoosh Crack

And as expected, the attack comes, blowing away all the dust and aiming at Hector’s body.

He noticed that the Green Keeper didn’t say the name of the Incantation (something that helps the thing to be activated more smoothly), but the sound of the attack gave it away.

‘It is Izanami no Mikoto.’ Hector is already moving through the air as the place where he was cracks and deforms.

This incantation of the Green Dragon Fafnir sends cracks through the air that destroy everything in their path, ignoring durability.

Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh

But Hector dodges by dashing in the air in all directions, making sharp turns to weave around the cracks and advance at Chidori.

“And that is how I learned Air Walk. I just need a little buff on my physical stats.” He can treat the air as stepping ground because of the boost his Divine Artifact gives him.

In the future, this experience will help him do it by himself when his physical status reaches the minimum requirement for something like this. He is being “carried” by the Divine Artifact, but he can perfect the technique later.

Hector dashes forward by kicking the air, and when he is close enough to Chidori, he spins on himself vertically and delivers another kick with his right heel.

Boooom

Chidori stops the kick with his Divine Artifact, but his feet are buried in the ground by the impact.

The clash is strong enough that the fight pauses, and Hector finally takes a good look at Chidori, noticing that half of his helmet was destroyed where he kicked it.

‘Oh, exactly like how it happened in Canon. Destiny is guiding my kicks, haha.’ Hector allows himself to feel amused before he gets serious again

Breaking the visor of any Dragon Keeper is a great feat. He was able to do it not because of his own suit, no… the credit goes to his own superior body.

Using Chidori’s body as leverage, Hector jumps back in the air, but not for long. He kicks the air again from an upside-down position, his legs flexing as he crouches down for maximum power.

Swish BOOOOOOOOM

This time the impact is much stronger, raising dust and debris like an explosion. Hector dropped onto the Green Keeper with both feet like a meteor and buried his opponent completely in the ground.

But burying the Green Dragon Keeper is not exactly a good move… His element is earth, after all.

“Uh-oh…” Hector mutters after noticing the guy tanked the attack without even getting dizzy for a bit. He wanted the Green Keeper to lose a little of his tempo, just enough for him to continue with some combo.

Immediately, the earth starts moving, opening like a mouth trying to swallow Hector.

Luckily, the actual Pink Keeper has an ability that can feel the ground like a radar, so Hector quickly noticed the incoming attack before the surface even showed it. So, with his super speed, he jumped back.

The earth keeps churning and rising; Hector keeps jumping back and up into the air. After all, the amount of earth that the Green Keeper can control can change the terrain of a minor city.

The range is so big that it is impossible for Hector to escape to outside the area of control, so he simply lands on a more stable platform that is being raised.

He also knows that the Green Keeper can really go all out with his super-destructive moves… He is fighting on his home.

The Green Dragon Keeper emerges atop a tower of earth that keeps rising, while the ground around them moves like waves on a tumultuous sea.

The two opponents face each other; this time Hector can see a part of Chidori’s face.

“The thing about power tools or artifacts is that they do not only increase the user’s strength… It is a two-way road.” Hector starts speaking while he crouches down, putting his hands forward and his feet all backward, adopting a runner stance, as if he is gonna compete in a 100m race

His thumbs, index, and middle finger flex as his digits sink into the ground, his whole body bulging a little. It looks intimidating even in a pink suit.

“You can ask anyone in a wuxia setting; the opposite is also true. The strength of the vessel is what determines how much power it can bring forth.”

Every Dragon Keeper is a human. It doesn’t matter if people in this universe can go beyond their limits with training or undergo augmentation surgery… no one here can compete with Hector in physical prowess.

So this outsider can bring the power of the Dragon Divine Artifacts to heights never once seen in this world, heights that are probably impossible to reach.

“That is the moment the animation budget skyrockets!!” Hector shouts with a big smile on his face before pouncing.

ZWwwwiin Voosh

He moves so fast that an afterimage is left behind; the air distorts, and rainbow colors appear in his trail.

Hector is moving in a zigzag, kicking the air from all directions; multiple afterimages and a net of his trail cover the whole battlefield.

Not even Chidori can keep up with him. So he does what he can do in this situation… uses AOE (area of effect)attacks.

More of the ground rises to create a protective wall against him, and serpentine constructs of earth move around to attack Hector.

The problem is that he is simply too fast, running through those serpentine constructs like they are not moving and treating them like a path.

“Here come the cubes!” He shouts, having fun, just before kicking a wall, breaking it… only not in cubes.

He emerges on the other side and quickly locks on the Green Keeper location. Hector jumps through the walls around him to attack Chidori.

The Green Keeper swings his enlarged hammer again, sending a crack at Hector, but the one in a pink suit dodges.

The fight becomes some sort of chase… Despite being the tankiest Dragon Keeper, Chidori uses the earth to move away from Hector as the serpentine constructs try to at least pause the new Pink Keeper for a moment.

After all, the Green Keeper is also famous for being a little slow… It is his weakness. His big moves take some time to charge up.

With all his mobility, Hector is a slippery target, and if Chidori commits to a huge swing and leaves himself exposed, what happened when he gigantified himself will repeat… and this time will be worse.

Hector is going into a higher gear now; another kick will probably end the fight.

Boom Boom Crash Thud Boom Bam Boom*

The pink blur that is Hector moves around, kicking the air and the earth, destroying anything that tries to get in the way with powerful kicks, generating explosions as if he has TNT on the tip of his Divine Artifact.

Boom

Hector lands a blow on Chidori, but the Divine Artifact, Fafnir, blocks it. The Green Keeper pushes him away, but Hector uses the air to jump back and return.

TAK BAM THUD BLAM

An exchange happens as Hector throws a combo of rapid-fire kicks, and the Green Keeper does his best to block with the handle of his Divine Artifact. Beautiful spinning kicks that overwhelm Chidori and destroy his balance.

If it goes like that, one will connect, and the battle will become completely on Hector’s side.

That is why Chidori does a big move, so that he can escape this bad situation.

He gigantifies himself, taking a great risk, and immediately goes back to his normal size. A push and a little step back were all he needed to proportionally create a good distance.

“Oh…” Hector mutters in a little surprise. “That is problematic…”

On his end, the Green Keeper already prepares his attack, forming a small ball that he lets go as he pulls the hammer back to hit like a baseball.

“Amatsu Mikaboshi.”

That is the Green Keeper's strongest attack: he creates a ball with the alleged gravitational pull of a planet and “homeruns” it at his enemy. The speed, weight, density, and even the effect on the surroundings make it a terrifying move to face.

And Hector doesn’t even try to dodge.

Instead, he pulls his arm back and, for the first time, using his hands, delivers a punch. Not only that, for the first time he uses an “out-of-context” power, his telekinesis, which he deploys to combat the invisible gravitational force.

BOOOOOM

Fearlessly, he really punches the attack head-on. “Impact Frames! Go!”

The shockwave is the biggest in this fight yet, blowing away the trees, uprooting the ones nearby, and making the rest bend.

“Hahahahaha!” Hector is laughing. His state is horrible after the reveal.

His right arm is gone, along with his shoulder and a few ribs, but he laughs because this is nothing… The Amaterasu Omikami Incantation immediately restores his body amidst a pink light filled with hearts.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Dragon Keepers are so broken!” Now he gets even more reckless and crazier in his assault against the Green Keeper. “Congratulations, you are the first person ever who took a limb from me!” 

Well, it is more or less on purpose, but the point stands. Hector has been through some bad situations, like in the Luther Strode universe, or how he almost died in the vacuum of space.

But losing a limb is a first, even if he wanted to test the incantation.

Hector jumps around aggressively, almost like a wild beast now, destroying all earth constructs while circling the Green Keeper like prey, not caring if he is hit once or twice.

He presses the Green Keeper with a net of chaotic attacks, coming from all directions. Hector was ready to try a new incantation, but the time to play it is over…

It happens while Hector is dashing at Chidori on a straight line; the new Pink Keeper suddenly gives his opponent a mischievous smile and points to the side.

Despite his battle instincts telling him not to look, his heart tells Chidori to follow the line of the finger… and there he saw his family being held hostage by a mysterious woman in dark clothes.

“Like I said… I am a villain.  Ame no Tajikarao no Kami.” It is Hector's warning, and he even said the Incantation out loud, but how could the Green Keeper react? “This one will be on a sad slow motion, for sure…” Zooom

No, he doesn’t dare to react.

Thud Boom

He simply stays in place as the heels of Peach Dragon Naga dig into his torso, a two-foot flying kick straight to the chest, breaking ribs and rupturing organs.

The Green Keeper falls from his advantageous, earth-elevated position, blood spraying from his mouth.

The fight is over; the bad guys won.

……………………………………….

A.N.: Just a reminder that this “Hector” is not nearly as nice as the other “Hector”.

Not only because this power can mess with anyone's head, but also because he never had family or friends, so… Yeah, his morals are still soft and flexible, not consolidated, and he will do bad things just to teach himself, because no one ever did.

Do not be surprised if he is an asshole. Seriously, there are enough warnings.