Scrapper Scuttler stretched his arms out, before turning to look straight at Black Star. His gaze turned to me, and the mercenary's red eye glowed menacingly, as if daring us to make the first move.
I felt a chill go down my spine.
"Alright," he grinned menacingly, his voice crackling through his skull-shaped mask's audio modulator. "Let's get started."
And then, Currant slowly stepped forward, standing protectively between me and Black Star and Scrapper Scuttler. His purple cloak billowed around him, as his purple and black tiger mask's eyes glowed in the night.
"Wait!" Albert called.
"It's fine," he replied calmly, briefly glancing back at us. "Stay back, all of you.
"Focus on the fight ahead. Keep your wits about you," Currant said, his voice steady and commanding. "My techniques work best if I function as the vanguard. If you see an opening in Scrapper's defenses, then you attack. But do not put yourselves in harm's way needlessly. In the event I fall ...continue the battle. Do not fear for me, but fight on."
Black Star, Claw Strawberry, Elysia, Albert, and I watched with wide eyes as the tiger-masked knight took a deep breath. He exhaled, his aura swirling as a surge of wind blew up and ruffled his purple cloak dramatically.
"Heh. You think you can stop me from taking what's mine?" Scrapper Scuttler asked, chuckling raising his arm and aiming the gauntlet at the boy.
Strawberry limped forward with visible panic, her tail and ears standing up straight as her aura flared around her.
"C-Currant!"
Claw Currant stepped forward, now maskless and his aura tightly contained within him. He breathed steadily, calmly. His aura was a calm sea, and as I looked into it, I could tell his mana reserves weren't all that high.
But there was a steely determination in his eyes that spoke volumes. His body was like a sword, and his aura moved through it with a practiced ease. It was a weapon honed and tempered through countless battles. He definitely fit right in with the Bravehearts.
The world around us seemed to still as Currant locked gazes with Scrapper Scuttler.
"It is an older brother's duty to protect his younger sibling," Claw Currant said, closing his eyes.
He took up a loose bladed stance as his dark purple aura condensed around him. His mana was focused on a few points in his body. He breathed in deeply, his aura coalescing around him, before exhaling slowly.
"Howling Fist: Roaring Tempest!"
Scrapper Scuttler fired a salvo of missiles, and they streaked through the sky, trailing smoke. Claw Currant stepped forward, a blast of air rushing from him as he moved.
It took less than half a second, but to me, it was like the whole scene played out in slow motion. The air shimmered around Claw Currant as his body blurred with a torrent of mana.
The moment Currant moved, his body vanished. The sound barrier broke in an instant, and the air cracked as he dashed ahead.
Currant struck with such speed and power that it was like watching a lightning strike, and his fist slammed into Scrapper Scuttler's chest before I even realized it. The force of the punch sent the armored mercenary flying backwards. The missiles flew through empty space, exploding harmlessly.
Scrapper Scuttler crashed down with a resounding boom, skidding and sliding along the pavement before coming to a stop. His armor was visibly undamaged as he regained his balance and steadied himself, but I knew Currant's strike had to have been powerful enough to do some real damage to him. Scrapper Scuttler growled, raising his hand to aim at Claw Currant.
"Heh! You got a few tricks up your sleeve, don'tcha, boy?" he said. "That ain't enough, though! Yer outta your league!"
The mercenary launched himself forward, flying towards Currant with a burst of flame from his boots, but Currant didn't flinch. He calmly shifted his stance, and the next thing I knew, Scrapper Scuttler was crashing into the pavement again.
Currant had used a throw and sent him crashing to the ground with impeccable timing. The impact caused a billow of debris and a loud thud that echoed through the empty streets.
Claw Currant jumped back and relaxed, taking up another stance and bouncing on his toes as his purple aura swirled around him. He cautiously circled the seemingly dazed and disoriented mercenary, as if sizing up his next move.
"His rhythm and timing are incredible," Elysia whispered.
Stella had defeated Currant in one shot in her Eris persona.
She'd hit him with some kind of energy blast and it'd just been over right then and there. Currant wasn't visibly stronger or more powerful than her, but I could see an incredible amount of control in his movements and a focus to his aura that I hadn't seen from Elysia's fighting. His movements were efficient, graceful, and quick, like he'd been performing them his entire life.
Stella was also extremely skilled with martial arts, but Currant's movements were a step beyond what I'd seen of hers.
Claw Currant continued to circle Scrapper Scuttler, his eyes locked on his opponent's every move
"Yer a real tough cookie, aren't ya, boy?" the mercenary said, orienting himself forward and beginning to stand. He dusted off his armor, shaking off the effects of Currant's throw. "But I don't lose. Never have, never will.".
"I'm only getting started," Currant said, raising his fists and clenching them tight. He took a defensive posture, his arms raised and his feet spread apart.
"An interestin' one," Scrapper Scuttler said, shaking his head. "I don't know what kinda tricks you got up your sleeve, boy, but yer
out of your depth. I've faced the best of the best, and trust me, you ain't got what it takes."
Currant remained silent.
"Yer fightin' style... I reckon I can figure ya out. You wait for me to make a move, and then counter with one o' your own, eh? You've got the skills, but yer not gonna take any risks with me, is that right? And your range..."
He raised a finger and pointed it at Currant.
"About seventeen meters. I reckon that's your limit. Yer quick, and I betcha you've been doing this for quite a bit, but not in the real world. Not too shabby fer a rookie, boy. Yer still an amateur, but you ain't bad."
"Enough talking. Come at me," Currant replied.
I felt my heart racing.
"Come on, Currant," Claw Strawberry said, her eyes burning with determination. "Show him what you're made of!"
Scrapper Scuttler laughed.
"You think yer hot shit? Well, how about this? Let's try it my way," the armored mercenary said.
A panel on his back opened, revealing the missile compartments within, and then several of them fired off at Currant in a cloud of smoke. They flew through the air towards him.
Currant's aura flared and he jumped, launching himself into the air and then leaping to the side, avoiding the missiles as they exploded in mid-air. Shrapnel rained down around him as the smoke and dust from the explosion filled the street, but Claw Currant kept moving.
Scrapper Scuttler raised his gauntlets and began firing bursts of crimson and blue energy, peppering the dust clouds and sending shrapnel everywhere. Currant continued to move, jumping from wall to wall as the ground shook beneath him. Several of the energy bursts hit the walls around him, but he continued to evade and leap away.
The mercenary took aim with his wrist gauntlet, which crackled with power as it began to charge.
Currant leaped into the air, and the moment his foot hit the ground, he launched himself at the armored man. His body moved with such fluidity that it was like watching water in motion.
His purple aura swirled around him, crackling with energy and power, his arms raised as he dashed towards the mercenary with his aura blazing like a purple flame.
There was a loud boom as Scrapper Scuttler unleashed his charged blast at Claw Currant.
The blast was powerful, but a split second before it reached Currant, his aura coalesced around him and he vanished from sight. The blast exploded in mid-air, the shrapnel scattered into every direction.
Claw Currant leapt, twisting his body around and flipping in the air as the blast wave sailed beneath his feet and into the nearby buildings. He landed behind Scrapper Scuttler in a roll and immediately sprang to a crouch.
Currant lunged forward, his aura flaring, and threw a punch. Scrapper Scuttler casually turned around, raising his hand to parry the blow.
It was a feint.
Claw Currant's fist stopped inches away from Scrapper Scuttler's armored hand, and in the blink of an eye, his other hand shot out. A surge of purple energy crackled around his fingers as he aimed directly for the mercenary's exposed side.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Scrapper Scuttler's eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to twist his body just enough to deflect Currant's strike partially. The energy dissipated harmlessly into the air, but Currant wasn't done yet.
Before the mercenary could counter, Currant spun on his heel with impeccable precision and delivered a mana-infused roundhouse kick that connected with Scrapper Scuttler's midsection with his shin. The impact reverberated through the armored suit, rattling the mercenary inside.
Scrapper Scuttler was slammed in the chest as Currant unleashed his technique again, his fist striking the mercenary with enough force to send shockwaves rippling through the air.
Currant followed up with another punch and a leg trap, the mercenary staggering back, stumbling as he struggled to recover. The tiger boy's fists and legs moved in a blur, his attacks striking at critical weak spots on the mercenary's suit joints. His blows struck fast and hard, coated with mana, like lightning bolts. Currant was relentless, driving his opponent back with every strike and blow he landed.
I couldn't follow the movements of their limbs with my eyes. Currant was moving so fast that he was a just blur of motion.
Scrapper Scuttler stumbled under the onslaught, his armor clanging loudly with each hit he took. Despite his advanced technology and combat training, he struggled to keep up with Claw Currant's lightning-fast strikes.
But, his reputation and threat rating didn't come from not being able to handle a little adversity. No, Scrapper Scuttler was not going down without a hell of a fight.
"Hah!" Scrapper Scuttler shouted, suddenly diving under a punch and slamming into Claw Currant.
Scrapper Scuttler was huge.
His power armor's height alone made him intimidating enough, standing at about seven or eight feet tall, and he towered over the much smaller Claw Currant. Currant tried to jump back, but Scrapper Scuttler's arms extended with a whir and wrapped around him in the blink of an eye.
"Tryinn' ta sprawl on me won't help you!" Scrapper Scuttler roared, wrapping his massive arms around Claw Currant's waist and lifting him up.
"Gah!" Currant gasped in pain.
"I wrestled Division One and I made mincemeat outta every single one of them! You think you can beat me?" Scrapper Scuttler bellowed, lifting Currant up even higher as his powerful arms held him tightly. "You're the one who's overreaching, kid! You thought you could take on the best? Yer mistaken!"
"Get away from him!" Strawberry shouted, breaking into a run.
"Wait!" Albert reached out for her, his eyes widest I'd ever seen them.
I moved out of instinct to join her, but Albert stepped to put his hand on my shoulder. "Don’t rush in, not until we have a plan. We can't just go in blasting and hope for the best."
"But—"
"Calm down," Albert said, his voice firm yet reassuring. "We have to think carefully, for their sake as well as ours."
I took a deep breath and nodded. We all gathered in a corner, away from the fight.
"We need a plan," I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest. "Scrapper Scuttler's strong, but not invulnerable."
"What's his weak point?" Elysia asked, her eyes filled with concern.
Albert tilted his head. "His power source, most likely in that back compartment he revealed earlier. Fat chance at getting to it, though. I bet he has a million redundant systems protectcing it.
Strawberry exploded forward, her body wrapped in flames as she leapt at Scrapper Scuttler. But she was too slow. The mercenary arched his back in a picture-perfect German Suplex, and Claw Currant hit the ground hard. His head bounced off the pavement with a sickening crack.
Scrapper Scuttler laughed manically, towering over Claw Currant as he straightened his gauntlets. "That's what happens when you mess with the big dogs, kid! You're done!"
Strawberry slammed into Scrapper Scuttler's back with tears visibly streaking from her eyes, but the mercenary's suit absorbed most of the impact.
His helmet flashed red as he seethed at the attack. But, he didn't seem hurt. Instead, he twisted his body and suddenly, Claw Strawberry found herself caught in a half nelson. Scuttler casually picked up the dazed Currant by his cloak with one arm, chuckling as Strawberry slammed him with explosive punch after explosive punch.
The ground shook and cracks began to appear on the pavement as their struggle continued, both of them grunting from the force of their blows.
"Let. Go of him!" Strawberry screamed, her red eyes burning in anger as explosion after explosion bounced off his chest plate from her punches.
Scrapper Scuttler let out a twisted chuckled, his red eyes glowing with power. "Is that an order?" He quipped, flipping the dangling Claw Currant upside down like a ragdoll.
Then, he span around, both of them still locked in his hold, and threw them with all his might. The air around them crackled with energy as their bodies soared through the air. Both Currant and Strawberry's faces contorted in terror as they realized their fate, but Scrapper Scuttler didn't show any mercy as he fired a salvo of missiles at them.
Strawberry screamed in terror as the missile approached, her hair whipping wildly around her face in the wind.
"No!" Black Star shouted.
The explosion was deafening. A pillar of flame shot out of the missile, sending shrapnel flying as the fireball engulfed the area around it.
"Strawberry! Currant" I shouted.
A flash of light. A green blur. The wind roared like a hurricane, and Braveheart Kitsune suddenly appeared in front of me with Strawberry slung over his shoulder and Currant cradled in his arms.
The three were battered and bleeding, their auras flickering weakly. Claw Currant's aura was flickering and fading fast, while Braveheart Kitsune was visibly exhausted but still had plenty of fight in him.
"Hah! You're a real fast one!" Scrapper Scuttler said.
"To save a friend? I'd say that's a worthy trait," Braveheart Kitsune said, his breath coming out in ragged gasps, narrowing his eyes as he turned around.
Kitsune settled Strawberry down gently, her aura still flickering dangerously. Elysia rushed over to her side, her eyes wide with concern. She placed a hand on Claw Currant's forehead, whispering soothing words as she infused her own energy into the injured boy, trying to stabilize his fading aura.
Scrapper Scuttler watched the scene unfold with amusement, his gauntlets casting long shadows across the trembling ground. "You know, I'm really starting to enjoy this," he said, voice thick and distorted through his helmet. "Reckon we’ve got seven or eight minutes ‘fore helps to arrive. But if you'd like, we can end this early and let me put you out of your misery. What do you think, huh?"
"Shit. What are we going to do?" whispered Albert in a trembling voice, eyes darting between the fallen allies and the looming figure of Scrapper Scuttler.
Elysia paused, her eyes locked on Scrapper Scuttler's menacing form. She took a deep breath, her hand still resting gently on Claw Currant's forehead, feeling the steady ebb and flow of his fading life force.
She closed her eyes and focused, channeling all her energy into a single point. My aura sight told me she was conflicted, and I couldn’t tell exactly wat she was thinnking. But then, her eyes shot open and they were on fire with a newfound resolve
I watched as she slowly stood up and took a step forward, then another.
"What... what're you doing?!" Currant hissed, nursing his injuries.
But she didn’t respond, her gaze unwavering as she approached the towering form of Scrapper Scuttler and summoned her crystal swords.
The air crackled with tension, the ground trembling beneath her feet as if sensing the impending confrontation.
"Lux. The move you used when we clashed," she whispered, turning to me.
I blinked.
"I need to know. Do you have any conditions or limitations?" Elysia… no, Stella asked. I didn’t know why, but I felt like this was Stella talking, not Elysia.
"I... I can only do it two or three times, and in short bursts. It's too expensive."
Stella nodded, then turned to face Scrapper Scuttler, her eyes narrowing. She was silent and focused.
"Kitsune. You know Lightning Overdrive. Do you also know Raijin's Odori?" Stella asked, looking over her shoulder at him.
Kitsune's eyes went wide. "H-How do you...? I mean... I don't... It's..."
Elysia’s twin blades glowed.
"You don't need to understand," she said.
Scrapper Scuttler's visor turned to us as his missile pods retracted into his back, and then he chuckled. His gauntleted hands clenched, and his aura swirled around him. The armored suit was massive. It looked like something from an apocalyptic science fiction movie. Its bulk, its weight, its sheer size, made it almost look like an armored vehicle, a war machine.
The mercenary stepped forward, and the street shook beneath his feet.
"Nightingale Eclipse's Shadow Dance was created to help her keep up with her teammates, and as she became one of Star Celeste’s… Arcadia Vox’s closest allies, Star Nightingale developed her techniques further, incorporating them with her’s, Star Monarch’s, and Star Foxtrot’s. Raijin’s original move that was developed after she and Storm Vixen perfected their partnership, a move designed to keep up with her and act as a partner, even without Arcadia Vox. It's said it took them a year to develop. This technique was only ever used in a few fights, but you’d undoubtedly have trained it, wouldn’t you, Kitsune?"
Kitsune looked like he’d seen a ghost. His hands shook as he glanced down at his own, then back up to Elysia. He looked like he wanted to say something, to deny it or confirm it, but in the end, he seemed at a loss for words.
Strawberry squinted at the scene, her eyes narrowed with urgency. "O, come on. What's even going on?" she growled, legs now steadying her for a charge at Scrapper Scuttler.
"I... I can barely remember how to do it," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of chaos that surrounded them.
"Kitsune. Ready your technique, but wait until you see an opening..." Stella whispered, before taking a step forward. "Watch me and follow Lux's lead."
Her aura swelled, the silver and white mingling and mixing with a bright pink that emerged from her core, her power surging out in waves. It was like watching an eclipse.
She took another step.
"Get ready."
And then, raspberry pink lightning charge sparked and crackled in the air, wrapping itself around Elysia.
Elysia raised her blade and took up a fighting stance, her eyes narrowed and her body tensed, like a spring wound tight. The air around her shimmered with heat as her body radiated mana. Elysia was a whirlpool of mana. She looked like she was going to explode with all her pent-up power, her aura a blazing inferno.
The air itself seemed to be charged with electricity, her mana swirling around her.
Stella's eyes were fixed on the armored mercenary, who stood there, unmoving, his arms at his sides.
"Lux. I need you to follow me. Follow your intuition," she said.
"I'll... I'll try," I replied. I wasn't sure how much use I would be against a mercenary like him, but I'd be damned if I didn't try.
Her aura pulsed, and her mana began to swirl around her in a whirlwind of silver, pink, and white light. It was so thick I could practically see it.
"I, Elysia Veritas, solemnly swear to protect this world and all its inhabitants from any and all threats. With the power of light and darkness, etched forever within my soul as a magical girl, I shall stand as a symbol of hope amidst despair, upholding justice and righteousness even in the darkest of times. My heart shall be a beacon of love, light, and compassion for those who have lost their way. I take on this responsibility freely, understanding the gravity of my commitment to keep this world secure."
And then, she transformed. A brilliant flash of light erupted from Elysia's core, engulfing her entire being and transforming her into a breathtaking sight to behold.
A whirlwind of light swirled around her as her hair began to grow out from the back of her head, the long strands growing to reach past her wait, and the color changing to a bright, bubblegum pink, and then the silver and pink light mixed together, creating a vibrant, electric magenta.
She was glowing. Her body was shining with mana and energy. It was like looking into a reflection of a sunbeam that had just been refracted through a prism. Her silver dress shimmered, turning a bright ruffled pink her shoes shifting from heels to a flat shape. Her skin glowed as she stood there in a blinding light, and her eyes became two glowing pools of bright raspberry, the irises and the pupils shining brightly in the dark of night.
She looked beautiful.
"A f-Form change?" Albert whispered.
Her dress was different, with a high neckline and no shoulders. Her sleeves had shortened to just past the elbow, with a black cuff on the wrists and a red ribbon on her back. The front of the dress had shortened to mid-thigh while the back reached her knees, a slit in the back of her skirt, with a white waist cincher. Her gloves were elbow-length and were the same shade of pink, and her shoes had transformed from silver heels into bright pink flats.
I stared at her.
"S-She... she looks a bit like..." Albert started.
"Yeah.... She does," I whispered.
Different colors. Different eyes. A more serious demeanor than the legendary magical girl ever had.
But if it were not for the costume, she was almost a doppelganger of her mother.
The transformation ended with her holding out both hands, and a pair of twin swords formed, each one made of a pink crystalline material with silver edges.
Scrapper Scuttler looked up, staring at her as he clenched his fists. His armor clanked as he shifted uncomfortably.
"Those eyes... I've seen 'em... takes me right back."
And for the first time, Scrapper Scuttler faltered, taking a step back.
Stella's aura pulsed, and her mana surged.
A pink glow emanated from her body. It wasn't her mana. It wasn't an attack. It was a feeling.
She took a step forward and her pink and white aura pulsed and swirled, the white and pink mixing together, forming a whirlwind of mana around her.
"I am Magical Girl Rosaria Celeste! And in the name of love and hope, you will be brought to justice!"