* Date: January 23, 2183

* Time: ?:?? PM

* Location: Unknown

''Master Tale. Wake up...''

''...Master, please...''

''...Master Tale. Master!''

Tale's eyes opened to see the distressed avatar of Sarroth on his heads-up display. Then, his mind was barraged with a splitting headache; the Ghost powered through it, and as he did, he remembered. He was still on the Kaynian ship.

''Sarroth, report.''

He asked as he got up and arranged his bearings. He still had his weapons, which was good, but it was then he noticed. He wasn't alone. Beside him were his comrades, frozen in place, their power armor locked.

''When we traversed through the teleporter. We arrived here, and when we did, your power armor shut down immediately. Which activated the full lockdown mode.''

''What about Merci or the other A.I.s?''

''No clue, they haven't responded to my hail either.''

Looking at where he was, it seemed to be a chamber of sorts. The chamber was circular, and red lighting lit up the wall interior. Wherever he was, it wasn't the target's location.

''Sarroth, have you done a scan?''

''I did...''

''...This chamber that we are in. It seems to be an arena.''

''Hmm, anything else?''

"I'm not certain, but I suspect this chamber may be an arena due to the stains on the walls."

An arena, wait, if he was still in the Kaynian super capital and he arrived here via teleporter. Then, that could only mean one thing. They were lured into the teleporter and brought here. Sarroth did mention that there was a Kaynian that saw through the Howling Knights's cloak.

''We were lured...''

''...Sarroth, sword!''

Immediately, the blade spirit complied and shattered her avatar to form her sword form. The realization that they were purposefully lured here via teleporter only means one thing. Tale was about to confront someone. This was planned when the super capital spotted them, and they all fell for it. Whoever it was, the Ghost could only hope it was the target.

'What is the matter, my master?'

Sarroth whispered via telepathy. She couldn't comprehend why her master had abruptly ordered her to manifest her true form. The way he acts, she had only seen him do this when Kaynians were involved.

'You mentioned a Kaynian who saw through the Howling Knight's cloak?'

'Yes, but I don't-'

Then it dawned on her—she had never been so dumbfounded as when she realized what her master was pointing out. A Kaynian knew of their intent and carefully guided them to a teleporter to be brought here.

'That particular Kaynian must have orchestrated this.'

'And if that's the case. This means you will face one of many Kaynians eager for revenge.'

'Affirmative, I assume as much when you said this was an arena of sorts...'

'...If we want to survive this, we must find a way to ensure the others awaken first.'

The returned Ghost pointed out, which the blade spirit agreed, because if they wanted to accomplish what they set out to do. Then, only through teamwork could they do it.

'Sarroth try to-'

Cutting Tale off was the sudden disappearance of his comrade's bodies. A bright light followed suit before West, Nomad, and Bishohop disappeared from his sight.

'What the?'

The Ghost thought as he was now alone in the chamber. Suddenly, at the other end of the chamber. The walls opened, revealing a Kaynian.

'M-Master, I'm sensing great power radiating from that Kaynian.'

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The spirit warned as she felt the large amounts of psionics from the newcomer. Entering the premises, the Kaynian boasted a height of eight feet, and on his right hand was an energy saber. Eyeing the Ghost, the Kaynian stopped a few meters from Tale.

''Demon. My Arc has granted you and your comrades a chance. Face me in combat, and die with honor, and your comrades will be set free.''

Offered the Kaynian, and Tale wasn't so sure about the offer. Kaynians don't do anything other than slaughter the Earth and her people, so why would they offer his team a chance to live even though they were cornered and trapped? Something was up, and Tale was about to uncover it.

''And how do I know you're telling the truth?''

Tale questioned, and the Kaynian merely twitched his optics upon hearing him.

''It matters little to me if you believe me or not. You will die, and so will your species.''

The Kaynian responded as he ignited his energy saber and pointed it at Tale. The Ghost took a stance and held Sarroth tightly. This was a battle that would dictate whether his colleagues would escape or not. It wouldn't matter if the Kaynian were lying or not. In the Ghost's mind, there was only one thought: killing the alien bastard.

''I am Warmaster Kostas of the Arc Dominion. I am the tool for my Arc's vision of cleansing the Galaxy of the Deities work. And you shall be the first to fall to my blade.''

Introduced the Kaynian Warmaster, now known as Kostas to the Ghost. An introduction Tale knew nothing of; the rank of Warmaster was absent from the I.C.E. database. This would be a challenge to the Ghost, knowing that his experience with sword fighting was still a novice at best, even though he has collected knowledge and insight from Sarroth's memories. Not only that but he was still getting used to incorporating magic into his fighting style. Now, faced with an opponent with total control over their psionics, Tale found himself at a disadvantage.

''State your name, Demon, so we may begin.''

Demanded the Warmaster as he patiently waited for Tale to respond with his name and title.

''I am Tale, Hero of Eldrant and Ghost Earth...''

''...Let's do this.''

The Ghost Operative responded, gaining a battle stance from the Warmaster. The two stood a few meters from each other before the two combatants engaged one another. Sarroth's blade met with the Kaynian's energy saber, and sparks of energy burst from their contact. But the Warmaster would deactivate his weapon, allowing Sarroth to pass through before delivering a psionic punch onto Tale's helmet, sending him flying at the right end of the chamber.

''Argh!''

Tale grunted as he stood up and dodged a strike aimed at his chest before punching the Kaynian in the face, stuttering the alien long enough for him to take advantage and strike at the Kaynians chest. The passive energy shield flared as Tale decreased its durability. It didn't take long for the Warmaster to regain his composure and strike at Tale. The Ghost would counter each strike delivered by the Kaynian as Tale weaved through the slashes and strikes headed his way. Kostas unleashed a hail of precision strikes at the Ghost, even with his opponent's dodging and blocking. The Warmaster managed to land two strikes, but two hits wouldn't be enough to put the Hero of Eldrant down for good. The Ghost retaliated by leaping forward with his propulsion system, surprising the Kaynian, and locked his blade with his opponent's energy saber before delivering a mean headbutt.

This stunts the Kaynian, but Tale wasn't done. He dodged a poor swing to his neck from the recovering Warmaster and slashed his chest plate. The energy shield deflected the blade spirit and saved the Kaynian from a minor wound. Immediately, the Warmaster raised his hand at the Ghost and pushed him forcefully with his psionics to the wall of the chamber. Tale grunted as he received a powerful psionic attack from his opponent, but the Kaynian wasn't finished. The power armor of the Ghost started to be crushed by the psionic crushing brought by the Warmaster. The strain was so immense the reactive energy shielding had decreased and began to falter. Seeing this, Sarroth would warn her master as he was being crushed by the Warmaster's immense psionic prowess. Establishing a telepathic magic between herself and her master, the blade spirit hurried to her master's consciousness.

'Master! You must channel your magic to counter this!'

Sarroth suggested, and Tale understood what to do. Focusing on his magic from his body, he inhaled and exhaled before releasing a powerful burst of magic, which canceled the psionic crushing of the Warmaster. The Kaynian was taken back from the sudden release of power from the Ghost Operative.

''Impressive.''

Complemented the Kaynian as his mechanical body began to glow bright red. Seeing this, Tale performed a magic technique that would allow him to fight at light speeds. His power armor regenerated its shielding as his magic began to glow a marble blue around his armor. Combatants moved at inhuman speeds, reaching each other in under a second as their magic and psionics pushed their bodies to the limits. The Warmaster would score a hit first as he swung his energy saber imbued with psionics that launched the Ghost to the other side of the chamber. However, Tale would orient his body to land on his feet. Which immediately transitions to him swinging and blocking the Kaynian's strikes. Moving to the sides, the two continued their fight, damaging each other's energy shielding. The speeds at which they were going were akin to a blur to the human eye, their silhouette unrecognizable as they battled each other with all their might and power. Tale approached his opponent and locked swords before he headbutted the Kaynian, before dashing forward and spinning his body around, allowing him to shatter the Warmaster's energy shielding.

''Argh!''

Grunted the Warmaster as he felt the shattering of his energy shield. Looking at the Ghost, he eyed him with anger. Meanwhile, Tale breathed heavily as this was his first time utilizing magic on his body to boost his physical strength and speed. Never before had he felt something akin to magic eating through his body's metabolism.

''You will die for that.''

The Kaynian threatened as he held out his left hand and summoned another energy saber. A red flicker indicated the Kaynian's energy shielding returned to full strength. With an energy saber in each hand, the Warmaster leaps onto the Ghost, delivering a barrage of slashes. Tale would block the incoming attacks and be forced to be on the back foot. The intense sword fighting continued as two combatants swung at each other with ferocity in their blood. But it was clear that the Ghost was losing ground and eventually would be cornered. Deciding enough was enough, Tale switched his stance, utilized his back propulsion system, and dashed straight into the Kaynian's face while blocking an incoming attack. Catching the angered Kaynian off guard.

The Ghost delivered a magic-imbued punch on the alien's face, which sent him to the middle of the chamber. Afterward, he would thrust on the Kaynian's energy shielding, hoping to shatter it a second time. However, that wasn't the case. The Warmaster would recover and block an incoming attack from Tale before slashing at him, which resulted in his energy shielding shattering. The Kaynian would then grab hold of Tale before headbutting him to the ground. Taking advantage of the situation, the Warmaster would aim his energy sabers at the Ghost's chest to finally kill him, but unbeknownst to the Kaynian, upon delivering his blades to kill off the Ghost, a glowing yellow shield prevented it from happening. This opened the Kaynian for an attack.

'Master quickly! I could only hold him for so long!'

Immediately, Tale manifested his magic and teleported behind the Kaynian with Sarroth on hand. This caused great confusion for the Warmaster, but it wouldn't be long until he realized what had happened. But it was too late; the Ghost, with his weapon at hand, had already appeared behind him and impaled him.

''Ahhhhh!''

The Warmaster shouted in pain as he endured the blade entering his chest and exiting as the Ghost prepared to thrust. But even in immense agony, the Kaynian managed to turn around in time to block the incoming thrust and retaliate. Tale's magic shielding would be subjected to multiple attacks from the injured alien, and with each strike connecting, the Kaynian weakened in strength and speed. As the battle lengthened, Tale held off his adversary long enough for him to charge up his left fist with magic. Throwing a mean left hook, the Warmaster was thrown off balance and sent flying. But the Kaynian wasn't one to be outdone; he would reorient himself and land feet first. Before long, the alien leaped toward his opponent with intent for revenge. With energy sabers firmly in his grasp, the Warmaster approached the Ghost and delivered multiple slashes. However, due to his wound, his attack was slowed down.

Although it wasn't by much, it was still a problem due to Tale's cunning. Dodging and blocking the Kaynian's assault, the Ghost waited for the right moment to retaliate. The opportunity revealed itself when the alien stuttered mid-attack, and the Ghost immediately struck. Sarroth's blade connected with the shoulder armor of the Kaynian. What little's left of the passive energy shielding the Warmaster had was destroyed upon contact. But instead of cleaving through the entire armor and dislocating the alien's right arm. Sarroth was stopped by the shoulder plate, offering enough resistance to halt the blade spirit. But that did not stop the Ghost as he immediately strengthened his grip and powered through the armor plating of the Kaynian. That sliced the right arm of the Warmaster off. A loud thud and a scream happened at the same time as the Kaynian shouted in pain.

''AGRRHHH!''

But Tale was not done as he seized the moment and teleported to the left of the Warmaster. Raising his companion high, Tale delivered another deadly attack, which chopped off the alien's left arm from its socket.

''We're not done yet!''

The Ghost announced as he prepared himself to behead his opponent. Suddenly, a strong presence caught the Ghost as he and his companion felt a magical outburst coming from the upper decks of the Kaynian dreadnought.

''Enough.''

A powerful voice echoed as the Ghost and the Warmaster disappeared from the chamber.

To Be Continued.