Chapter 52: Ray Dawn

Ray Dawn worked his way out the debris, emerged covered head to toe in a thin layer of silver metal and took in his surroundings through the armour’s purple tinted visor.

He frowned at Murakami from the concealment of his new mech suit.

‘Even Aquasilver can’t completely tank a blast from Blackflame.’

Faint scorch marks lined the torso of his silver armour.

‘But I’m still alive.’

“And I did it,” he muttered to himself.

The words didn’t give him as much comfort as he thought they would. He remained in a sullen mood, more sullen than he was used to, more sullen than he was comfortable with. His gut nagged at him, something inside him wanted to be felt.

He exhaled audibly, tilted his head to the heavens.

Perhaps Shenko wasn’t just a reliable tool. Perhaps he’d grown fond of him at some point.

‘Like growing accustomed to a small pet.’

“You never cease to amaze me Captain Zappa.”

Ray Dawn sighed and considered the grinning Murakami.

“You should give it up though,” Murakami said jabbing a finger at the sky, toward an incoming carrier exiting stealth.

Ray Dawn raised an eyebrow. “Did you call for back up?”

“No, but—”

“Ah,” Ray Dawn said. “You think the council are the only ones with transport carriers.”

Murakami froze as if realizing there was more to this than some corrupt officer who’d stumbled upon a greater relic.

“Young Master!” M’Khabye’s excited voice sounded in his com-link.

“M’Khabye.”

“If I might say, you wear Aquasilver well. Hehe. Hehe. Hehe.” The shaman broke into a crazed cackle. “To think Blackflame would be within your grasp as well, fate shines on you as always.”

“This is no time to celebrate my old friend.”

“Hehe, apologies young master.”

“Much still has to be done. Drop my troops and leave this place. You lot will execute project New Dawn.”

“Confirm, project New Dawn,” Veiss’ sceptical voice sounded through the group com-link.

“Confirm.”

“Second, today you achieved a great win but we shouldn’t push our luck. It’s imperative we take a step back and reassess the situation.” Laxus, the self-proclaimed voice of reason said.

“Benn won’t just let us be after this...”

‘Not to mention the mess I left at the data guild.’

“…So we need to be swift to make sure things don’t get out of hand any more than they need to. The moment we become the hunted again will be the moment when we fall again and our recent progress will be for naught.”

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“But—”

“It shall be done young master.”

“Also,” Ray Dawn sighed. “Shenko’s dead.”

There was a momentary silence.

“When the time is right,” M’Khabye said. “We shall properly mourn the 2nd heir and celebrate his return to the ancestors where he is to begin his cycle anew. Sad as it is we must never forget the fruition of our ideal fate isn’t without sacrifice.”

Another mournful pause.

“How many of your troops do you need?” Diaby asked, ignorant to the heavy mood.

“All of them.”

“We have a stockpile of over 120 droids on board,” Diaby said as respectfully as he could. Making sure Ray Dawn knew what he was asking.

“I know.”

“Have you gone null?” Laxus snorted. “Your neural load can’t handle such a burden. You’ll mind wipe within seconds of the attempt.”

Ray Dawn frowned. The 1st Master Fate seemed intent on making him regret breaking him out the tomb.

“Diaby do as I say,” Ray Dawn said.

“Yes master.”

Ray Dawn’s gaze remained on the Murakami the whole time he com-linked with his agents.

“We both have astras,” Murakami eventually said. “A fight between us won’t be quickly resolved even with your back-up. Not to mention you just unlocked your astra and are still ignorant to its functions.”

Ray Dawn remained silent. M’Khabye had informed him on everything he needed to know about Aquasilver, it was one of the few astras she’d encountered during her long life.

‘But he doesn’t need to know that.’

“I propose a draw,” Murakami said. “Board you carrier and depart. I won’t stop yo—”

Murakami swallowed whatever words he was about to utter. The distortion of his face expressed his discomfort as he watched the night sky plunge into a deeper darkness. Something was blotting out the moon. One’s first thought should’ve been clouds but Murakami still curiously took a look.

His gaze fell on the army of droids, shooting out the carrier and cloaking the full moon with their numbers. They descended in earnest, propulsion thrusters blasting them toward their master.

Over 120 droids raced to Ray Dawn’s aid.

Murakami couldn’t help but shudder.

Minion style plus an astra even Ray Dawn couldn’t imagine how powerful this combination could be.

“Impossible,” he mumbled. “How can you control so many?”

‘Aquasilver’s helm has brain wave amplifiers. Quite complementary to my skills with the droid controls. Why I moved the clan to Gau City.’

Murakami wasn’t shocked long. He leapt forward, intent on getting to Ray Dawn before the droids landed.

Best way to defeat a minion style was to defeat the controller before they assembled their arsenal.

Ray Dawn leapt back, the superior speed of his new mech suit on full display.

“Fight me!” The Lord Protector hollered.

“I will once my droids settle into formation.”

His new armour was all kinds of powerful but it wasn’t impenetrable and it was bloody work fighting at close range not to mention minion style was his preferred choice of combat.

Play to your advantages his Ma had always preached.

Murakami clenched his teeth, pale skin boiling pink.

“Flame on.”

Translucent flames engulfed the shield. He took a long step, planting his front foot and tossed the black shield.

Blackflame spun toward Ray Dawn and he knew well the scene that followed. He kicked off the ground, leaping into the air, the mech suits thrusters burst and propelled him higher.

“Explosion.”

The eruption enveloped everything within a twenty meter radius of the shield. Despite Ray Dawn’s best efforts, the tail-end of the explosion managed to catch up to him and blasted him higher into the skies.

He tumbled into the air, scorch marks cracked through numerous areas of his silver armour.

The armour was already working to repair itself but it would take time and he couldn’t afford to take another hit.

A droid caught him and stopped his uncontrolled ascent. More droids flashed past, fanned out, landed around the enemy. Some of the droids stopped mid-air and floated above Murakami in an encirclement that covered both land and sky.

Ray Dawn’s propulsion system rebooted and the droid let go of him as he floated mid-air with an eagle eye view of the battlefield. A dozen droids remained around him to prevent any mishaps.

‘Much better,’ Ray Dawn thought and let out a satisfied breath.

He stared at Murakami who’d retrieved his shield at some point. Ray Dawn’s lips curled into a faint smile from the concealment of his helm.

“You should’ve run,” he said.

“Flame on.”

‘It’s too late for that.’

Murakami ignored the droids and angled the starry shield at him.

‘Perhaps the most popular strategy against minion style. To ignore the horde and go straight for the boss.’

“Incinerate!”

A beam of white light burst up but was intercepted when a droid threw itself in front of the condensed flames. The beam ruptured through the droid but another was ready behind it and tanked the beam. Both droids were cremated but what remained of the beam had fizzled out.

He sighed at the desperate attempt. It had annihilated two droids but he had droids to spare.

‘But it’s best to end this quick and go help the others.’

The droids on the ground drew their photon blades and rushed Murakami from all angles. Minion style was that simple at times. Surround and overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers.