The light outside vanished in an instant, plunging the hangar into a darkness so complete it felt like we’d been swallowed up by a black hole. The beowulves’ howls reverberated through the hangar, their eyes glowing with a sinister blue light that cut through the shadows. They surged forward like a tide of darkness, their trails of flickering Chaos Energy smothering the room with an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere.
But then, Sunflower's incantation grew louder, weaving through the darkness as she stepped forward. The engineer raised her hands, her voice growing louder, filling the space with an incantation that seemed to pull the residual light toward her.
"O ancestors of the land, heed thine daughter’s plea. He Who Governs, Sky Mother, hear my call, Bring forth light, cast out this dark decree, Illuminate our path, embrace us all!" Sunflower's voice echoed as she completed her incantation.
A brilliant light erupted from her hands, forming a glowing green dome over and around the monsters. The beowulves recoiled, their howls turning into growls of frustration. The light illuminated the hangar, revealing the creatures' twisted, monstrous forms and the soldiers' blank, haunted faces.
Sunflower's face twisted in pain as she held the barrier, her body trembling with the effort. Sweat poured down her face, and I could see the strain in her eyes.
"I-I can't hold this forever!" she shouted, her high-pitched voice cracking. "We need to come up with something. Quick!"
The beowulves slammed against the barrier, their claws scraping against the glowing light as the zombified soldiers shrieked and hissed in frustration. We were surrounded, trapped in the darkness, with dozens of monsters between us and our extraction.
Jeff was completely useless, frozen in place with wide eyes and trembling hands. His panicked breaths came in shallow gasps, and he muttered incoherently to himself. The growls of the beowulves, the scraping of claws, and the eerie howls of the zombified soldiers all melded into a chorus of fear and terror that hung thick in the air.
"Captain, we’re surrounded!" Mila shouted, her voice tinged with desperation.
"Everyone! Stay close to Sunflower. The barrier is our only protection right now." Captain Ouyang barked, scanning the hangar for any possible escape routes. He raised a hand to Sunflower’s barrier, channeling a red light into it that strengthened its glow, reinforcing the protective shield.
"Rai-chan, got any ideas?" I asked mentally, trying to stay calm.
"Well, Ikki, we could always start a small bonfire and sing campfire songs," Rai-chan commented dryly.
"I would be completely up for that if we weren't about to get torn apart by shadow monsters!" I replied, my mind racing in panic. "A little help would be nice right about now."
"Well, how about you look around you, genius?! We have a wealth of options right in front of us. I’m fairly confident we can get out of this one with everyone in one piece."
I could almost see a comically miniaturized version of Rai-chan on my shoulder, rolling her eyes at me.
My gaze darted around the hangar, landing on the row of mechs standing at attention. Could I hijack one of those? I quickly checked my HUD. Mana pool: 80 points. Not good.
The beowulves' growls grew louder, their claws pounding against Sunflower's barrier. The light from the runway flickered and waned, the monsters surging forward with eyes burning with malevolence.
Captain Ouyang's eyes darted around the hangar, his mind racing for a solution. He looked back at me, then glanced at the mechs, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
He took a step closer, lowering his voice to a hiss, "Ikazuchi, do you have the ability to commandeer one off those mechs?"
I blinked in confusion, caught off guard by his question.
I stared at him, flatfooted and confused. "What do you mean?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of urgency in his voice. "I am under the impression you are the same Ikazuchi who was sent to St. Antonia’s Academy as the sole student from Earth. That is you, is it not? You must have accessed the drone you are in from the Robotics Club command room. Therefore, the Master’s creation should have established a connection with you."
Captain Ouyang's gaze bore into me, his question hanging in the air like a challenge. I stepped back, feeling a sudden rush of foreboding from the man in front of me.
Did he mean…?
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady.
The captain's gaze met mine, his eyes intense and unwavering. "There will be time for explanations later. Can you or can you not commandeer one of those mechs?"
Panic surged through me. The beowulves were relentless, their claws hammering against the barrier. Jeff was useless, paralyzed with fear. Sunflower's face was pale, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. And Mila?
She was just a regular soldier. Completely out of her depth too.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. "Rai-chan, what do you think? What’s up with this guy?"
Her voice was almost a sigh in my mind. "Suspicious. All that I can surmise from my accessible information is that Doctor Feynman was my purported creator, and she is well-regarded one of the most brilliant minds in magitech research, if not an era-defining talent. Given that the Azlant Confederacy is the home of the international organization known as Sisyphus, it is likely this Captain Ouyang is associated with them. In addition, Ouyang Ren is the commanding officer of the highly renowned Epsilon Company, which frequently field tests Sisyphus’s technology. It is also unusual to appoint an elite Magitech Soldier as its commander, to say the least given the instability associated with Magitech Soldiers. Proceed with caution, Ikki."
Captain Ouyang’s eyes stayed locked on mine, the pressure of the situation weighing down on us. "Can you do it?"
The situation was dire, and we were running out of time. The barrier wouldn't hold forever. I had to make a decision, and fast.
"Yes," I finally replied, feeling a surge of determination. "I can do it. I just need to get close."
Relief washed over his face, but it was fleeting as another surge of rushing soldiers crashed against the barrier, causing Sunflower to stagger under the pressure.
"Good," Captain Ouyang growled, moving to turn around. "Mila! Grab the engineers and go. Cover Ikazuchi. Sunflower, I’m relieving you," Captain Ouyang ordered as he moved next to Sunflower.
Sunflower huffed, looking up to meet Captain Ouyang’s eyes. He nodded, raising his sword, the blade glowing with a fierce red light. A bright red aura surrounded him as he dropped into a fighting stance.
"B-but, sir!" Mila stammered, looking between the swarm of monsters and. "Pardon me for speaking out of line, but what the fuck is even going on?!"
Captain Ouyang's gaze softened momentarily, his eyes meeting Mila's with a silent understanding.
"Ikazuchi here will seize control of one of the mechs and get you all out of here. Just follow him! Go!" he commanded firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Sunflower's face was ashen, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. Her voice trembled as she strained to maintain the barrier, her hands glowing with an intense green light. "I... I can't hold on for much longer," she muttered, her voice cracking.
"Relax, Sunflower," Captain Ouyang ordered firmly. "You're going to drop the barrier on my count of three. When you do, sprint towards the group and don't look back."
Sunflower whimpered, straining as the creatures pounded against the weakening barrier. With a deep breath, she nodded, shutting her eyes.
I pushed aside the doubts and fears creeping into my mind, focusing on the task at hand. The mechs stood imposingly behind us, a short sprint away, their metallic frames gleaming in the dim light of the hangar.
"Come on, let’s go!" I shouted through the drone’s synthesizer, breaking into a run. I briefly caught Mila off to the side, rushing over to Jeff and slapping him across the face.
Rai-chan's voice buzzed in my head, a mix of concern and dry humor. "Don't trip over your own feet, Ikki. Stay focused."
"Three!" Captain Ouyang’s voice rang out as the pressure on the barrier reached its breaking point. Sunflower gritted her teeth, her hands shaking under the strain. The beowulves' snarls grew louder, their claws scraping against the barrier.
"Two!" The red aura around Captain Ouyang intensified, his stance firmly rooted as he prepared to face the onslaught.
Sunflower's voice cracked, "I can't... I can't hold it!"
With a final whimper from Sunflower, the barrier shattered, sending a shockwave rippling through the hangar.
"Get on the move! Now!" Captain Ouyang roared, his voice echoing through the chaos. He stood protectively over Sunflower as he pulled her up, his sword glowing brighter as he faced the horde of monsters.
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He slashed his sword through the air fluidly with one hand, calling out, "Release!"
A flash of red energy surged from his blade in a forward arc, knocking back the advancing monsters and momentarily staggering them.
I looked away from the action, frantically sprinting towards the closest mech. The machine towered above me, its sleek silver exterior reflecting the chaos and desperation of our situation. It was considerably bulkier than the Mk. I model that I’d haphazardly piloted once, with a large mechanism on its back that resembled a sleek tactical backpack. Its shoulder cannons glinted ominously under the flickering lights, a stark reminder of the firepower at my disposal.
I reached out, coming to a dead halt as I made contact with the cold metal surface. The mech hummed to life in response, a faint blue light glowing behind its cockpit. An electric current surged through me — almost as if the machine recognized me, greeting me like an old friend. The mech's systems hummed to life, lights flickering on the control panel inside.
"Ikki, this is... unexpected," Rai-chan's voice buzzed in my head, tinged with surprise.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my focus not wavering from the mech's control panel as the mech knelt down. The cockpit opened smoothly, inviting me inside. I took a deep breath, climbing into the seat. Cables and sensors connected to the drone I piloted, establishing a seamless link. The HUD lit up, displaying diagnostics and readouts in a flurry of information.
"I didn't need to hijack anything. We were given immediate access upon connecting with the Aeolus Mk III unit," Rai-chan replied, her tone puzzled. "It's like the system recognized you."
"Recognized me?" I echoed, glancing at the displays. But there was no time to wonder about this.
Before I could process Rai-chan's comment further, Captain Ouyang's voice boomed through the chaos. "Phoenix Style First Form: Blazing Gale!"
His voice was calm and resonant, like a bell ringing in the still air. The captain’s sword ignited with fierce flames, creating a swirling vortex of fire that roared to life around him. He slashed through the air with a fluid motion, the flames trailing behind each stroke like a comet's tail.
"Fourth Form: Flame Blossom!" he called, his sword slicing through the air with a mesmerizing arc.
The blade moved as if it had a life of its own, tracing intricate patterns of light and fire. The flames blossomed from his strikes, creating a dazzling display of fiery petals that swirled around him, burning the zombified soldiers as they rushed in.
"Go!" he shouted at Sunflower, who was struggling to get back to her feet and join the others.
The monsters were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless as they poured into the hangar with a deafening roar. Sunflower staggered to her feet, her hands still glowing faintly with residual energy. She looked at Captain Ouyang, who stood like a beacon of defiance, before sprinting towards the group rushing toward the mechs.
I focused back on the mech, feeling the cables connecting with the drone, and the sensation was surreal. It was like I had become one with the machine; every movement I made was mirrored by the powerful limbs of the mech. Through the HUD, I noticed the wraith standing at the gate, still unmoving, its glowing blue eyes fixed on our group.
"Ikki, I've enabled the transport compartment," Rai-chan said. "It's designed for search and rescue operations. You can carry multiple people safely."
As Rai-chan's words echoed in my mind, I glanced at the large mechanism on the mech's back through the Mech’s 360 vision display.
"A giant transport backpack on a mech? Really?" I shook my head, trying to shake off the disbelief. But there was no time to wonder about the weirdness of the mech's design as I focused on the immediate task.
"It's actually quite practical," Rai-chan responded, her tone matter-of-fact. "The compartment is blast and shock-resistant, and has a retractable cover for protection. It can carry up to four people safely, or a substantial amount of emergency supplies. It even has a self-sustaining life support system in case the pilot needs to transport survivors in hazardous conditions. Not only that, the chaos core utilized as a power source allows for inertial dampening within the compartment while adding a whole bunch of other nifty features in the Mk III’s arsenal."
"Well, let's hope it does the job," I replied, my hands moving over the control panel to activate the compartment. The back of the mech shifted, revealing a large, reinforced compartment. It opened smoothly, the metallic casing unfolding with pneumatic hisses and clicks.
The compartment revealed a spacious interior with safety harnesses and cushioned passenger seats.
Sunflower, Jeff, and Mila caught up, their faces a mix of fear and determination. "Get in!" I shouted, the mech's speakers amplifying my voice.
Mila looked up at the massive machine, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Do you even know how to pilot this thing?!"
I chuckled, a hint of mischief in my voice as I spoke through the speakers. "I er, may or may not have hotwired an old, abandoned Mark variant on Earth once to drive off a gang of heavily armed human traffickers to save my family. Kind of taught myself the basics back then."
Mila's jaw dropped. "Wait… you're from Earth? And you did what with it?!" Her disbelief was almost comical, her eyes wide as saucers.
Sunflower and Jeff exchanged puzzled glances, but there was no time for explanations.
Mila shook her head, muttering under her breath. "Of course, you're from Earth. Why am I even surprised at this point, kid? Let's just get out of here before those things break through."
Sunflower, Jeff, and Mila quickly climbed into the transport compartment, securing themselves with the safety harnesses. The compartment closed with a series of pneumatic hisses, sealing them inside. I took a deep breath, my fingers moving over the controls with a newfound sense of urgency.
"Alright, Rai-chan, let's find an opening to get us out of here," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos around us.
Rai-chan's voice buzzed in my head, calm and focused. "Ikki, keep an eye on that the wraith-like creature. It definitely isn’t a known Aberrant, and it isn’t in any military databases. I am analyzing it as weak, but its mana signature is unlike anything that the major organizations on Terra has encountered."
"Is that our novel Aberrant, then?" I asked curiously.
Rai-chan replied, "No, unfortunately. The energy signature doesn’t match."
She paused briefly before adding a foreboding line that made my blood run cold. "Wait… could it be? It can’t be. The last Chaos War just blew over…"
The creature shifted slightly, tilting its head toward us as the air around it shimmered with an otherworldly glow. My HUD suddenly lit up, flashing red as a box displayed crucial information about the monster:
Aberrant Identification Name: Judicator Threat Classification: Count Estimated Mana Signature: 75,283 MP units Known Traits and Abilities: Dimensional Control, Chaos Corruption, Horde Leader
Rai-chan's voice buzzed in my head, calm but with an edge of excitement. "Ikki, that wraith-like creature… it’s something new. But based on its behavior and energy signature, I'm going to label it a Judicator."
I blinked, my grip tightening on the controls. "A Judicator? Where did that come from?"
"Well," Rai-chan replied, her tone matter-of-fact, "Look at how it's focusing on the Captain and how it’s posturing. It's like it's testing him. And us, for that matter. It’s… pretty creepy, I’m not going to lie."
The mech's systems came to life, displaying a myriad of diagnostic readouts and tactical information. I glanced once more at the information Rai-chan pulled up - the implication that this thing had several hundred times the mana I did definitely made me feel small and vulnerable, but I couldn't dwell on that.
The HUD glowed soft blue light, casting eerie shadows across the cockpit. My fingers flew over the controls, trying to familiarize myself with the layout. It wasn’t too different from the moldy, dilapidated mech I had been in once, but this model was significantly more ergonomic and well-maintained.
"Captain Ouyang is holding them off, but I don’t know for how long," Rai-chan's voice echoed in my mind, tinged with urgency. "We need to act fast, Ikki."
"Got it," I replied, my voice steady despite the chaos. "Let’s figure out our escape route."
The mech's sensors pinged, displaying the layout of the hangar and the surrounding area. I focused on the wheeled mechanisms built into the mech's legs, designed for high mobility. If we could break through the horde, we might just make it outside.
"Any suggestions?" I asked, my eyes scanning the readouts.
"The Judicator is standing directly between us and the primary hangar exit. We can either try going through the monster, or I can attempt to hack into the base's security system and reroute power to open one of the other doors," Rai-chan suggested, her voice filled with a sense of urgency.
I weighed our options quickly, the situation's urgency pressing down on me. The Judicator seemed to be studying us, its glowing eyes unsettling in their intensity.
"I don’t like it. I’ve already burned through too much mana at this point for the rest of the mission…" I said through gritted teeth.
But Mila and the engineers counted on me to get them out alive. How could I gamble with our lives just to preserve some of my own strength for an enemy I couldn’t even see yet?
The Judicator let out a chilling screech, its form flickering as if testing the air around it.
I made a split-second decision. "Rai-chan, hack into the security system and open that secondary hangar exit. We can't risk going through that thing."
"Roger, Ikki. Enacting Grover’s Algorithm: Protocol Tau 7B," Rai-chan confirmed, a pixelated avatar of her human form appearing on the mech’s screen with a peace sign as she initiated the hack, displaying a progress bar.
The mech's systems whirred to life, the progress bar flashing on the screen as Rai-chan worked her digital magic.
A dizzy spell suddenly rushed over me as my mana levels dipped again. I steadied myself, gripping the controls tightly. The progress bar on the screen inched forward. I watched it with bated breath, every second feeling like an eternity.
I glanced through the mech's 360-degree display, watching the chaos unfold. Captain Ouyang was a whirlwind of fire and steel, his sword slashing through the advancing hordes with relentless precision. But even he was starting to tire, his movements becoming slower, less fluid.
Captain Ouyang's voice rang out as he planted his sword on the ground, separating the horde from my mech with a wall of flame. "I'll hold them off! Go! Get out of here!"
I glanced back, my heart clenching at the sight of him fighting off the horde alone. "Be careful, Captain!" I called out, my voice cracking with worry.
"Come on, come on…" I muttered under my breath, my eyes flicking between the progress bar and the battle.
The Judicator's glowing eyes seemed to bore into me, a chilling reminder of the imminent danger.
Suddenly, a beep echoed through the cockpit. "Done!" Rai-chan announced triumphantly. "The secondary hangar exit is opening now."
A loud creak reverberated through the hangar as a massive door at the far end began to open. A sliver of moonlight pierced the darkness, casting an eerie glow over the chaotic scene. "Everyone, hold on tight!" I shouted, my voice amplified through the mech's speakers.
The Judicator let out a bone-chilling screech, its form flickering as if sensing our escape route. The beowulves snarled, their eyes blazing with fury as they lunged toward us.
"Ikki, we need to move, now!" Rai-chan urged.
"Way ahead of you!" I shouted in a panic. Her avatar frantically tapped on the screen, indicating the direction we needed to head. Without hesitating, I pushed the acceleration controls forward, feeling the mech lurch into motion.
Then I yanked a different set of levers, activating the rollerbooster mechanisms on the mech's legs and back. With a jolt, the mech surged forward, its powerful engines roaring to life. The ground beneath us blurred as we raced toward the open exit, the beowulves hot on our heels.
The mech's sensors beeped wildly as more beowulves and a pair of massive bahkauvs appeared out of a rift, blocking our path. The creatures roared, their forms shrouded in shadow and chaos energy. I tightened my grip on the controls, my mind racing for a plan.
"Ikki, we have to go through them," Rai-chan said, her voice steady despite the chaos. "May I have permission to adjust your time perception? Our synchronization level has incr-"
"My… what now?! Forget it. Just do whatever it takes to get us out of here!" I interrupted, my heart pounding as I braced for what would happen.
Without waiting for her response, I pushed the mech to its limits, hurtling toward the mass of creatures blocking our path. The bahkauvs unleashed beams of bright blue energy, but the world seemed to slow down as I surged forward.
Rai-chan’s voice faded into the background as I felt my limbs yank against the control cables in slow motion, the chaos energy crackling around me like jagged bolts of lightning frozen in time. I could see the individual particles of dust hanging in the air, suspended in a dance of inertia.
The world around me became a blur of colors and shapes as I focused solely on navigating the onslaught. The presence of the ‘rescue backpack’ prevented me from executing the crazy maneuvers I wanted to, but I was able to weave through the beams and beowulves with a hair's breadth to spare.
The chaos energy crackled against the mech's hexagon-shaped mana shields, the glancing impact reverberating through the cockpit. I gritted my teeth against the force, pushing the thruster controls with all my strength.
I pushed the mech to its limits, weaving through the oncoming beowulves with a hair's breadth to spare. The world seemed to blur around me as I dodged and rolled, the mech's rollerbooster shifting my momentum with otherworldly precision. Beams of chaos energy crackled past us, casting shadows across the hangar in flashes of deadly light.
I nearly flinched as a massive bahkauv lunged forward, its claws aimed straight at us. I jerked the controls, the mech dipping low to slide under its massive form, sparks flying as we scraped against the floor. Somehow, I’d managed the maneuver without compromising my passengers or the mech's integrity.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, my focus unwavering as we burst through the chaotic mass of creatures and chaos energy unscathed. The open hangar exit lay just ahead, a beacon of freedom in the darkness, with one more bahkauv standing between us and freedom. All around me, I could see more of the monsters closing in. They’d have us dogpiled in seconds if I didn’t make a split-second decision.
"Rai-chan! I’m tapping the chaos core and going straight to maximum acceleration!" I screamed as I made my decision.
"Ikki, that’s way too risky in a space this tight! It’s insane!" Rai-chan's voice crackled in my head, filled with terror and exhilaration.
"I know, but we have no choice!" I shouted back, my heart pounding in my chest. The secondary hangar door loomed ahead, a sliver of moonlight our only beacon of hope.
The mech roared as I pushed it to maximum acceleration, the ground a blur beneath us. I flinched in surprise as the light and cameras behind me shut off, and Rai-chan's pixelated avatar disappeared from my front display.
Rai-chan's voice cut through the chaos, her words sharp and urgent. "Brace yourself, Ikki! I'm going to reroute power to the shields for a temporary boost. We’re punching through!"
I gripped the controls tighter, my heart racing as I pushed the mech to its absolute limits. The rollerbooster mechanisms whirred, propelling us forward with blinding speed. Every movement had to be perfect, calculated to a split-second.
The mech surged forward, the exit looming ahead. At that moment, everything slowed down. The chaos and danger blurred into a single, heart-pounding second.
"Rai-chan, this is gonna be—"
"Suicide! Insane! Absolutely, positively suicidally insane! I know!" she shouted back.
The mech’s roller boosters whined, every system flashing red as they were strained to their limits.
With a final, heart-stopping jolt, we rocketed towards the opening, everything a blur of light and shadow.
Rai-chan and I screamed simultaneously as I yanked the controls, jumping into the air and sending the mech into a gut-wrenching spin.