“I think this is the part where I’m supposed to get desperate and up the stakes to avenge my fallen comrades.”
The howling winds should have overpowered Gael’s low, monotone voice, but his words pierced through them with ease.
Kiria held her arm out, prompting Annabelle to take position behind the others. “You don’t sound all that concerned.”
Gael shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Eh. They were all chumps anyway. Only took them along because the bad guy needs his henchmen, right?”
“True….” Tyger agreed, before Cain planted a slap on the back of his head.
“You must have something else planned,” Cain said. “You’d be foolish not to.”
Gael nodded. “Oh, I definitely do.”
The winds racing around the ship picked up in speed, rattling the thick iron into mimicry of a thunderstorm. And then, the massive mech made of mishmashed machinery came into view, rising up over the edge of the airship, as though it were being pulled aboard by a fishline of wire-thin green wind.
Gael jabbed his thumb behind him towards the mech. “Pretty neat trick, huh? Even with Virilitas’s shit security, sneaking a real mech on board wasn’t gonna happen. Putting one together out of parts already on the ship, though?” The parts comprising the mech’s chest restructured themselves, until there was a digital screen centered in the body. And that screen displayed, in bright green letters: 10:00. “A breeze.”
Amidst groans from Tyger and Cain, Kiria’s eyebrows shot upward. “Another bomb?!”
“The bomb, actually,” Commander Gael responded. “The ones in the ship are disposable. If they go off, great, if you lot deactivate them, no sweat. I wasn’t going to leave the plan in the hands of those morons. You want something done right, you do it yourself.”
“Gael! There you are!” They all turned back to the hole in the ship wall as Zeo came running outside, hands tightly wrapped around the handles of his blades.
Annabelle smiled. “Zeo!”
“Perfect timing, hero,” Gael said with a lazy wave of the hand. “I was just telling your little friends here about their opponent.”
Stopping in place, Zeo asked, “Opponent?”
Gael snapped his fingers, and powerful green winds blitzed across the deck, swirling and circling at high speeds. Winds sharp enough to dig into the ears like needles. Winds fast enough to rip the paint from the wood below and soon threaten to uproot the planks themselves. Winds strong enough to lift Reina and Annabelle right off of the ground and into the sky.
Tyger slammed his fists together.
METAL!
He caught both girls — one by the wrist and one by the tail — and pulled them back down, his body acting as the anchor.
Reina turned and buried her face into Kiria’s back. “Aaaah! There’s dust in my eyes!”
The winds changed course, concentrating around Gael and Zeo. Shielding his eyes with his arms, Zeo held steady for a few seconds until the winds died down. When he removed his arms, he realized that he was no longer on the same deck; he was on the complete opposite side of the airship, and none of his other friends were there.
It was just him….and Gael.
“Now the hero and the bad guy can have their big final battle, right?” Gael asked.
Zeo’s hands grasped hold of the handles of his swords, drawing them. “Quit playing around!”
“Here’s how this is gonna work,” said Gael, ignoring Zeo’s show of intimidation. “We got ten minutes until that bomb blows this airship to hell and takes Chateau Aurum with it. Your little supporting cast over there can play around with it until then.”
Opening his hands, Gael called forth two spirals of wind, both of which slid into his palms. When the winds died down, a pair of swords manifested in his grip. “But only I can stop that bomb. You kill me, bomb dies. I kill you, everyone else dies. Simple enough, right?”
This guy’s a monster! He’s playing with everyone’s lives like it’s some kind of game!
“Alright then,” Zeo said, preparing the muscles in his legs to pounce. “Let’s get this showdown started!” He blasted across the ship deck, swords flashing in the moonlight.
I have to stop him!
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
As though instilled with a sense of bloodlust upon its resurrection, the makeshift mech’s assault was far more aggressive this time around. The mechanical beast wasted no time stomping and swinging around in order to squish the remaining five members of Class G into puddles of blood.
Were it not for the quick reactions of Reina and Tyger, the mech would likely have been successful at squashing at least one of them; probably two. One-and-a-half at minimum.
Kiria pushed Annabelle into Reina’s arms just as the chameleon girl kicked her foot out, activating her grapple-greave. The grappling hook on the end latched onto the roof of the entryway into the interior of the ship, and the two tiny girls zoomed off at high speed towards it, one screaming in excitement and one in panic.
Tyger, of course, planted himself in the mech’s direct path, using his Metal Install to hold the line and act as a shield while the others could get to safety. He’d stopped the lance before without too much trouble, and didn’t expect different this time around.
Tough break for him.
He was able to catch the lance once again, allowing Kiria and Cain to begin moving out of the fighting zone, but his grip could only hold for a brief moment. The mech let out a roar not unlike that of a giant beast — a dinosaur or some such — just before it put more power into its attack.
Tyger cursed as the sudden force threw him backward. He bounced along the ground, his heavy metal body leaving heavy dents in the floor a few times before he was able to turn the Metal Install off and come to a natural skidding stop.
Reaching around her back, Kiria’s cyber arm magnetized the metal rod into its palm before the inner machinery transformed it into a spear. She turned to Cain for a brief moment. “Hurry inside to safety, and try to contact Meifang if you c-”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cain spat. “You fools need me to beat this thing. A true fighter doesn’t run from a fight.”
She paused, soaking in the sense of deja vu that flashed within her. Tyger had made a similar defiant stance back when they’d first arrived, hadn’t he?
A small smile formed on her lips. “Alright then. Thanks for your help, boys.”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
Gael was fast — much faster than any opponent Zeo had ever dueled before, including his older brother. It was also very apparent that the Mistral commander wasn’t putting much effort into the battle either, and could no doubt rev the engine kick things up a notch.
As Zeo’s right sword clang!’d off the flat of Gael’s, Zeo threw himself around into a rapid circle; a Typhoon technique used to take advantage of the brief window of vulnerability created when an opposing swordsman blocked one’s strike.
His sword should have cut right into Gael’s side, but the blade cut nothing but air. Zeo’s eyes went wide. “What the-?!”
He felt a tingle ride up the back of his neck, compelling him to spin back around. Both swords formed a cross shape, barely managing to deflect Gael’s counter.
“Fancy footwork you got,” Gael said, his lifeless eyes peering into Zeo’s. “You’re actually keeping up with me. Not bad.”
Zeo shoved his opponent off of him, then stepped forward in a flurry of slashes, each coming in from every conceivable angle.
Gael’s wind-borne blades matched each and every one, almost precisely where they needed to; like he’d reverse-engineered Zeo’s fighting style and could produce the perfect counter to each move.
Realizing the futility of his assault, Zeo leaped backward, putting space between himself and his opponent. He waited for Gael to charge in, but the commander remained steady, giving Zeo time to speak. “You know Typhoon style?”
Gael’s eyebrow curved up. “Typhoon style? Is that what you call it?”
No, there’s no way he could know Typhoon style….Master only takes on students with the heart of a hero….
But even if Gael was unfamiliar with the art, he was certainly keeping pace with it, and with ease, too. That’s what frustrated Zeo more than anything.
Master said I was his best pupil….that I have the potential to be the strongest swordsman in the world….
Zeo dashed in, feinting not once, but twice in an effort to create an opening to strike through Gael’s defenses. The Mistral commander fell for neither of them, keeping his eyes focused on Zeo’s the entire time. Their blades clashed six times in the space around them, lighting the area with sparks.
So why am I losing?!
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
“Wow, we’re so high up!” Reina exclaimed, spinning around to take in the new perspective they had. When she turned to the opposite direction, she jumped in place, pointing her finger. “Oh, look! There’s Zeo! And he’s fighting the Mistral guy!”
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“Wh-what?!” Annabelle said, confirming the sight for herself. “Zeo!”
Reina cupped her hands around her mouth. “Kick his butt, Zeo!”
As the mech let out another unnatural, monstrous roar, Reina flicked her arm out, extending the arms of the bow within her bow-bracer. “Alright, you big hunk o’ junk! Get ready to get sniped!”
Noticing Annabelle was still occupied with watching Zeo’s duel, Reina then said, “Hey, Annabelle! Check me out! Look how awesome I am at archery!”
“I-I have to help him!”
Reina tilted her head. “Huh? No, you have to stay up here with me where it’s safe! Kiria said so!”
But when she realized no response had come, and looked back over her shoulder, she realized that Annabelle was gone.
“Annabelle! Where’d you go?” She paused. “Wait, can you turn invisible, too?!”
More silence came. Before she could properly investigate, however, explosives began to erupt from a gun mounted on the mech’s shoulder. Screaming, Reina held up her weapon and pulled at the laser bowstring as frantically as she could, firing energy arrows at the bombs before they could land and cause serious damage.
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
Kiria ducked beneath the lance arm, thrusting her spear into it to try and damage the machinery within. It was a good attempt, and she did manage to poke a hole through the metal, but it didn’t appear to leave much lasting damage.
She released her hold on the spear and dived backward, dodging the other arm as it swiped across the deck at her.
When she was far enough away, she formed a triangle shape over her forehead using her fingers.
SUPERCHARGE!
Holding her cyber hand outward, she activated the now-amplified magnetics within it to recall her spear, pulling it free from the mech’s arm and back into her own palm.
The boys joined her on either side, with Cain more specifically staring at her Cyberizer arm. “Your Supercharge Install affects your arm, even when set into the Mind Slot?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting….”
In between heavy breaths, Tyger asked, “So what’s the plan? Need me to
hold it in place again?”
The mech charged at them, but they had enough space and preparedness to spread out and dodge, then race around in semi circles until they reunited on the opposite side of the deck.
“Probably,” Kiria began, “but we need to figure out how to actually stop it. There’s no pilot that Reina can shoot this time.”
“Not to mention the bomb,” said Cain. “Let’s not be idiots and detonate it in the fight.” He aimed his eyes at Tyger, who flipped him off.
Kiria held her cyber arm up once again, the mechanical fingers curling and uncurling. “The bomb shouldn’t be an issue. I have bomb defusal functions coded into my arm; if I get in close, I can deactivate it.”
She was startled as Cain grabbed hold of her hand and pulled it up close to his eyes. “What?! You can code specific functions into it?! How does that work?! How many do you have?! And how do you activ-?!”
The mech roared as it stomped across the deck towards them, now sporting a gatling gun arm, prompting Kiria to yell, “Cain, now is really not the time!”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
“Clock’s ticking, hero,” Gael said, leaning his head back to avoid the bite of Zeo’s blade. “You got five minutes.”
Another wide-angled slash, another easy block.
Zeo put more power, more aggression, more killing intent behind his swings. He could see Gael having to exert more energy into deflecting the attacks, even if it was only by a tiny bit. Part of him wanted to take pride in that little victory, but with the strict time limit he was on, he couldn’t afford to. He needed something more drastic and decisive.
Use the new Art….
Gael suddenly stepped around Zeo’s slash and threw out a roundhouse kick. Zeo tumbled backward, thrown off of his rhythm. “Don’t tell me you’re all out of tricks already, kid.”
Holding his blades in guard formation, Zeo took a few moments to catch his breath before answering. “Nope….Just….don’t think you can handle them.”
What little was visible of Gael’s face remained emotionless, though there was an ever-so-slight lilt in his voice that hadn’t been there before. “Trash talk’s a good start, at least. A hero always needs to have a good one-liner game.”
Zeo’s right arm twitched, ready to maneuver into the motion necessary for the new technique Zeo had learned from his master, but he hesitated. It was a dangerous Art that his master hadn’t felt he was quite ready to wield properly.
“I’ve no doubt you will perfect this technique and many others,” he’d told him. “Your sword fighting talent is extraordinary, but learning an Art is not simply about executing the physical steps needed to perform it. An Art is an expression of the self, of the unique ULTRA Force frequency within you. Express yourself, or the Art will never be yours.”
Gael suddenly appeared above Zeo’s head without making a single sound. Only the corner of his eye catching his opponent’s shadow as it manifested made Zeo aware of it.
He spun around and blocked the wind blade as best he could, but Gael was able to find an opening, leaning in and landing a thrust across the shoulder.
Grunting in pain, Zeo pushed away from Gael and assessed the wound. It was a clean gash, bleeding noticeably. The harsh winds racing around the battlefield stung the exposed flesh, too, like teeth being dragged along the interior. “Not bad, but I’ve had worse,” he said, turning back to Gael, making a show of looking the man over from toe to head. With a smirk, he nodded in the Mistral commander’s direction. “And I’ve had better, too.”
“There we go,” Gael replied. “Now you’re getting into it.”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
Dozens and dozens of bullet holes exploded into the deck, spread across the snaking trail the gatling gun aimed them towards in pursuit of any of the Class G kids battling the mech head-on.
Dodging the storm of gunfire was difficult in the relatively-tight space they had to work with, and it didn’t help that there wasn’t anything in the area that could be used as cover, other than perhaps racing back to the interior of the ship. Of course, that was not an option, leaving Kiria, Cain, and Tyger to simply run their asses off trying to stay out of the line of fire.
“Tyger, spread out more!” Cain yelled across the deck. “You’re moving too close to us! Keep the mech’s targets as spread out as possible!”
Tyger’s feet skidded to a stop before he spun around and bolted off in another direction, narrowly escaping getting his feet amputated by the rain of fire. “Agh! Sorry!”
With the mech’s focus now centered on Tyger, Kiria took the short frame of time they had to strategize with Cain. “You think he’s too tired to use the Metal Install?”
With a shake of the head, Cain responded, “No. That idiot doesn’t know when to quit. He can keep using it, and even if he couldn’t, he’d do it anyway.”
“I’m going to have him lock the mech down again,” she said. “Reina can freeze it in place as well. I should be able to move in and disable the bomb then.”
METAL!
Tyger managed to activate the Metal Install just in the nick of time, bringing his hands up and catching the lance before it could impale him. Still, the mech accomplished its goal of keeping him locked in place, and it could now fire the gatling gun at him point-blank.
The bullets initially began to ricochet off of his unbreakable skin, but after the first volley, that changed.
Purple waves of light rippled out from the tips of the bullets, coating the projectiles in their glow. As this next wave was launched from the gatling gun, rather than bounce off of Tyger’s body, they phased right through him.
Kiria’s eyes widened. “Forcebullets?! Tyger! Turn off the Install, now!”
From where he was standing, however, Tyger wasn’t able to fully hear her. The strain of his metal hands holding the giant metal lance at bay, the heavy winds rushing in all directions, and the giant machine gun firing at him from a few feet away almost completely buried Kiria’s voice. “What was that?! I can’t h-”
A purple explosion erupted from Tyger’s left arm, accompanied by a geyser of blood. Another burst from the side of his stomach soon followed, and then a third at his thigh.
He stumbled backward as both his Metal Install and his consciousness had been knocked out of him. The mech let out a mechanical roar and charged in for the kill.
ICE!
A volley of five ice arrows intercepted the mech’s path, hitting the deck in between it and its prey. Each arrow exploded in a blast of blue-white light, until a rough wall of jagged panels of ice emerged, stopping the mech in its tracks.
“I’ll get him out of there!” Kiria said, beginning to rush forward. “Cain, you distract the mech!”
Before she could leave, though, Cain’s hand grabbed her shoulder, spinning her towards him. “What the hell was that?”
“Forcebullets; ammunition with an ULTRA Force coating that uses Installs to find your Force Slots and detonate the particles inside.”
“Interesting….”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
Meifang crouched down low, taking hold of the unconscious Mistral soldier’s arm and prying his hands open. A collection of explosive orange forcestones fell from his grasp. “These are a liiiittle too tiny to blow anything up, dude. Maybe just stick with the bombs like your buddies next time, yeah? It’s okay to follow someone else’s lead if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“M-Meifang!”
Turning around, Meifang waved her hand as Annabelle came running up to her. “Hey, what’s up? Annabelle, right? You guys finished with those Mistral guys?”
The elven girl shook her head, pink locks snapping in all directions like chomping snakes. “N-no! Everyone’s outside fighting their leader!”
“Oh, how’s it going? You kids winning?”
The casual tone in the woman’s voice left Annabelle at a momentary loss for words, but she managed to find her train of thought once more. “Zeo’s fighting him all by himself! A-and there’s a bomb that’s going to explode! Can’t you help us?”
“Probably, yeah, but this is your guys’ fight, right?”
“H-huh….?”
With a smile, Meifang continued. “You kids were dead-set on being the heroes who took down Mistral, right? I know you’ve all got a lot riding on this; that’s why I promised not to steal your thunder. But, if it gets too out of hand, then of course I’ll help out.”
Annabelle’s face brightened. “You will?! Then-!”
Zeo should be the hero….
She paused once more, pondering the thought that struck her mind. Would asking Meifang for help show a lack of faith in Zeo and his abilities? And in the others as well? They themselves hadn’t tried to find Meifang, right? Was it because they were confident they could handle it?
My friends can defeat Mistral….!
The elven girl bowed her head. “I-I’m sorry for bothering you, Meifang! But we’ll be okay! Class G will defeat Mistral!”
Meifang grinned, patting Annabelle on the head. “That’s the spirit!”
Annabelle then rushed past Meifang towards the other side of the ship, but not before pausing to look down at the Mistral soldier on the floor.
“Hm? What’s up?” Meifang asked. “Something else you forgot to tell me?”
“N-no, it’s nothing!” And she took off running once again.
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
Blades together, full rotation, diagonal cut, Zeo rehearsed in his mind in preparation for the new Art. Blades together, full rotation, diagonal cut….
It was difficult to concentrate on the steps with Gael’s constant barrage of slashes, but in truth, Zeo didn’t need to go over the physical motions required to perform the Art. He’d already performed the steps of the Art dozens of times before. Rehearsing them in his mind was used moreso as an act of anxious delaying and drumming up the nerves.
The Art in question — the Lightning Cyclone Blade — was a taxing and volatile ability. The lightning required to implement into it was wild and almost impossible to fully control. Stray bolts firing off away from the main slash was an inevitability.
But concern over collateral damage wasn’t one of Zeo’s concerns either; the deck was, thanks to Gael, clear of any innocent bystanders, and because they were out in the open skies on an airship deck, there wasn’t anything in the area that could be irreparably damaged by the lightning.
No, what was truly causing Zeo to hesitate, was what the technique would do to Gael.
The Lightning Cyclone Blade was a lethal technique. Well, really, almost all techniques done with a sword were intended to kill, but this Art especially so. It made one’s swords immaterial, able to bypass the foe’s own blades, as well as any armor on their person, and it could phase through most Install-created defenses, too.
And once that target was hit, their body would be wracked with hot, stinging pain inside and out, scorching their flesh, frying their organs, and melting their bones. It was not a clean, killing cut; it was a torturous execution.
It was an Art his master had told him was reserved for the truly wicked; those who needed to be stopped at all costs, who had cast aside their humanity. “You must express genuine desire to fell your foe,” his master said. “You have a strong judgement of character; use it to guide you in your expression of justice.”
I….have to do it! I can’t stop him without it!
“Three more minutes,” Gael warned, his dull voice drilling through Zeo’s ears. “If you’re holding out for a big flashy finale, you’d better be ready soon.”
Zeo ducked beneath Gael’s swing, pushing off the floor with force, propelling himself a few feet away. He clutched the handles of his swords tight in his fists, lining the blades up one over the other.
Keeping his eyes focused on Gael, he began to channel his ULTRA Force particles through his Heart Slot, preparing to convert them into emerald sparks that would transform the blades of his weapons.
But as he began to rotate his body to wind-up the slash, an image flashed in his mind of Gael screaming in agony as his body melted away.
The green electricity jumped out from Zeo’s body, but it wasn’t properly guided along the edges of his blades. The spark jolted out at an awkward angle, zapping Zeo in his own face.
Gael manifested right in front of him, spinning around into his own slash, carving two long cuts across Zeo’s chest.
With a sigh, the masked man said simply, “Amateur.”