Chapter XXXVII
Colliding Paths
Adria stared at the warrior in awe. Her eyes matched the color of Gorbat's blade; she was a fearsome woman clad in a mighty merkabah, an indestructible second skin offering unparalleled protection. The most advanced she had ever seen.
It took a moment for the leader of the umbras to process the unfolding events; the swift movements of the gevurah had caught him off guard. He glanced back at his group of courtesans, piecing together the facts—this new development involved the girl.
"Elia," he spat out the name with venom as he presses against her hand.
"Ah, an agile mind. You’re not as stupid as you appear," Zanda retorted without a flicker of fear. She moved Adria to the ground and used her free hand to break her stone handcuffs, pushing her away from the conflict and closer to Corven.
In an effort to end the battle swiftly, the gevurah mustered her strength and launched herself at Gorbat. She punched him with a forceful leap, driving her knee into his stomach. Although he braced himself and managed to catch her leg, the impact was significant.
Zanda bent backward and executed a flip, catching Gorbat's body with an electrical charge and a thin thread of crystaphere. She hurled him away as if launching from a catapult. His sword fell orphan to the side. Landing on her feet, she sprinted toward the extarri as he tried to recover in mid-air before beginning to fall. She leaped, synchronized their velocities, and landed a powerful right fist on his face.
Despite the assault, he laughed, resisting her blow and pushing back against her.
Something weird is going on. Zanda watched as millions of tiny particles escaped from Gorbat’s tattoos, enveloping his body in less than two seconds with a dark merkabah. This was unexpected; he shouldn't have had access to such technology. His amber sword returned to him, and with immense force, he sent the gevurah flying with a clean blow to the edge of the ship, where she broke a rail and vanished from sight.
***
When Adria hit the ground, she felt the stone restraints cracking. She stood up and deliberately fell again, using her strength from within to shatter them. As the sephiroh became visible, the umbras scattered, leaving the scene to avoid the imminent battle. The courtesans, realizing what was happening, reacted with fear and retreated into the yacht. Adria suspected some were affected by psychedelics, given their panic-stricken and awe reactions.
She hurried back to Corven, attempting to shatter his stone sarcophagus, but her current strength was not enough to harm it.
***
Gorbat, indifferent to the others, kept his focus solely on Zanda, mirroring the attention of everyone present. After being flung from the edge, she regained her balance mid-air and returned to the upper deck. The morning sun was rising, marking the third time she had seen it in less than twelve hours.
The leader of the Umbras advanced, positioning himself before her, his amber axe glowing under the protection of his outdated yet robust dark merkabah.
"The Superior Sephirot have decided. Capture him. You are now clear to engage him away from the city. This operation must remain clandestine, known only to those at the Sunken Port. Investigate where are the alters," Samelia’s voice instructed through T.H.I.C., both anxious and excited.
"Copy," Zanda acknowledged, her anger simmering. "From whom did you steal that merkabah?"
He paused, showcasing his suit's capabilities as nanites surged, merging with his sword to form a double-edged blade. "No one, kid. I was imperial, eslavian, and now, dictadurian. But before my time as an extarri, in Malkuth, I was part of the gevurah, just like you, a warrior."
"All I see is a pathetic remnant of a human," she retorted, the truth hitting Zanda like a cold shock—an affront to her sephirot. Resolute, she began, "With the authority and determination vested in me by the Edictum Vitae and the Sephirot, I, Zanda Effenzi, a gevurah of the Fifth Sephirah, declare my duty to capture you for the misuse of morph technology in Sectum and Malkuth with your sentence pending to expansion. You have stolen and exploited alters for unauthorized travel, breaching your exile. Surrender."
"A mere child like you stands no chance. They sent you to be taught a lesson, ignorant!" he scoffed, erupting into laughter.
Understanding his unwillingness to yield, Zanda prepared for the confrontation.
"Gia," she commanded, levitating and drawing Gorbat towards her. The crystasleeve kabbalah detached and transformed into a cuboctahedron before splitting into five segments that latched onto Zanda's merkabah, enhancing her protection in an unprecedented display.
United, they formed a merkabbalah. In her hands, nanites expanded, crafting a double-edged purple quartz ax.
"What is that?" the leader of the umbras questioned, skepticism lacing his voice.
"The end of your party," she declared, a dark red naadi radiating from her, a reflection of her unbridled fury.
****
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With the forces escalating above, Adria struggled to stay beside Corven as three remaining umbras returned, attempting to separate them.
"You're not escaping!" the nearest one shouted.
Before they could reach her, she used her borocane and graviless boots in synchrony to propel herself off the ground and delivered a forceful kick straight to the face of one umbra, knocking him to the ground. She surged forward, extending her crosier to both sides, and landed squarely on the throats of the remaining minions, slamming them to the deck. They gasped for air, losing consciousness landing on the wooden floors.
Down the deck, Adria encountered five more umbras, their expressions a mix of surprise and fear as they gazed skyward. She too glanced towards the fierce battle above, feeling a churn in her stomach at the sight of the gevurah's otherworldly presence. Memories of Malkuth surfaced, leading her to ponder the advancements in biotechnology since her departure. She harbored questions about Gorbat's powers, realizing how he had maintained dominance in Dictaduria—through deceit, evidently. With no time to spare, she formed a plan and hastened back to Corven, unwinding a green wire from her coat to wrap around the stone encasing him, all the while ignoring the chaos around.
****
Zanda reveled in the conflict, joyful. After reviewing a projection by Gia on her T.H.I.C., she executed a swift and effective analysis of Gorbat: identifying his vulnerabilities, monitoring his vital signs, and gathering chemical data. This information helped her devise a strategy. She advanced rapidly, launching herself toward him at full speed.
He anticipated her approach, forming a square shield with his swords just as her double-edged ax made contact. Gorbat resisted her force, his feet grinding against the yacht's surface.
Zanda withdrew slightly then struck again, her weapon aimed fluidly at his left side. Gorbat absorbed the blow, then morphed his shield back into a blade, attempting a counter-strike. She deflected it, creating distance between them.
As Gorbat charged, swords in hand, they clashed, their weapons locked in a test of strength. Zanda lifted from the ground, exerting pressure on him, breaking her axe’s handle in two, and striking at his swords.
Caught off guard, Gorbat managed to hold his stance as Zanda's sonic punches overwhelmed his weapons, causing them to fracture. He drop them and pivoted right, causing Zanda to stumble to the side. She swiftly regained her footing. As Gorbat launched a flurry of strikes with newly formed double hand blades and a new fighting style, Zanda evaded and countered, her double axes breaking through his defenses and landing a powerful blow to his chest, sending him flying across the bay.
As the waters calmed, Gorbat retaliated above the surface, hurling amber blades from his black and silver merkabah. Zanda raised a nano shield from her forearms, blocking the attack. Seizing the moment of distraction, Gorbat surged forward, striking her ribs.
Zanda felt a tingling sensation as her merkabbalah absorbed the impact. She seized Gorbat’s wrist, spun around, and hurled him towards the bay's floor. He managed to regain control mid-flight, landing with a stagger.
The gevurah, now fully aware of his adeptness without a guiding kabbalah, pondered the anomaly of his skills. As Gorbat faced away from the ascending sun, she positioned herself against him. The chaos around intensified; the concubines sought refuge, while the remaining umbras observed the duel intently.
Gorbat's fury reached its peak upon seeing Corven about to be freed by Adria. "Furkanos! They're escaping right before your eyes!" he bellowed.
His followers glanced back just as Adria freed Corven using the heat wire. "Thank you," he gasped, relief in his voice.
"Let's go! Move!" Adria urged, relieved her plan had worked. They stood, sprinting as the remaining umbras unleashed their silver ropes in pursuit.
They dodged the attack, realizing their best escape was a leap from the yacht's stern into the ocean. "Why are you slowing down? They're right on our heels!" Corven shouted.
The five umbras advanced, weapons drawn, the farthest wielding a slingshot aimed at them. "Can you jump?" Adria called out, dodging acid shots that splashed around them.
"It's not a matter of can. If we don't, we're dead!" Corven declared, rushing toward the stern with Adria in tow, both ready to plunge into the unknown.
****
The gevurah laughed at Gorbat as he commanded the umbras to chase after Corven and Adria. "You think I'm going to let you harm them?" Zanda didn't wait for a response, instead releasing five tiny probes from her merkabbalah with a soft "Pop!" The cylinders darted away, too small for Gorbat to notice.
Her T.H.I.C. projected a live feed before her eyes, displaying the trajectory of the probes and enabling her to target the umbras with millimetric precision. In moments, the probes found their marks, and the umbras collapsed, overcome by electric shocks.
"You should stop assuming you're in control, Gorbat," she declared, soaring toward him as the incapacitated umbras hit the ground.
Unyielding, Gorbat glared at her with fury, then shielded himself with an octagonal helmet, far bulkier than her T.H.I.C. As he launched forward with his double swords, Zanda merged her axes back into her armor a moment before collision, spun elegantly, and evaded his amber blades with inhuman speed. She reached the space above him and struck his helmet with her interlocked fists, the force shattered the wood beneath them, sending Gorbat crashing down and breaking a part of his yacht before he vanished from sight.
Seizing the moment, Zanda flew toward Corven and Adria before they could leap into the water.
She halted right before them; Corven stumbled backward in surprise.
"Don't go into the water. It's toxic," she warned.
"Why do you pretend to help us?" Adria halted, one foot on the rail, visibly frustrated.
"Corven possesses vital information; protect him while I deal with Gorbat. I'm here to assist," Zanda explained, her presence radiating with Vis energy, allowing them to see the truth of her naadi.
"I don't need your—" Adria's protest was cut short as wood debris flew into the air; Gorbat re-emerged, more furious than before, his roar splitting the silence.
"Leave…" Zanda's apprehension was evident, her amber eyes shining with determination as she faced the extarri. "Get out of here now!" she urged, focusing her energy on ensuring their safety against the looming threat.
****
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