Chapter 60 - I’m Sorry, Myrrh

The enemy drones unleashed a relentless barrage of lasers, their bright crimson beams slicing through the clouds in an unyielding attempt to strike Myrrh.

Myrrh soared through the skies, her blade-like wings cutting through the air with a sharp, metallic sheen. With breathtaking agility, she executed acrobatic spins, hairpin turns, and erratic zigzags, each movement leaving streaks of glowing blue contrails that painted a vivid abstract against the backdrop of the sky. The lasers chased her every move, their crackling hum growing dangerously close with each passing second.

Despite her graceful maneuvers, I could see Myrrh struggling. Three laser beams had narrowly grazed her moments earlier, leaving faint scorch marks on the surface of her armor. Her breaths seemed labored, even from this distance, and the urgency in her movements betrayed her mounting fatigue.

Below, Michelle stood firm, her eyes sharp as she cradled the massive beam buster cannon in her arms. She kept her distance, calculating each shot with ruthless precision. With a flick of her finger, the cannon discharged a radiant bolt of energy, its blinding light tearing through the air. The blast narrowly missed its mark, dissipating harmlessly into the vastness of the arena.

Undeterred, Michelle adjusted her stance and fired again, the second blast colliding with the edge of the arena. The impact sent shards of debris spiraling upward and birthed a cloud of thick, gray smoke. The shimmering barrier encasing the arena absorbed the brunt of the explosion, sparing the spectators from the chaos and noise.

“You’re good,” Michelle muttered under her breath, her tone calm but laced with menace. “But long-range combat is my domain.” Her lips curled into a confident smirk as she leveled the cannon once more, its hum signaling another deadly shot.

This time, the beam streaked perilously close to Myrrh, brushing past her with an intensity that rippled the air. The resulting shockwave sent her tumbling, her once-fluid movements faltering. For a moment, my heart leapt as she spiraled downward, on the verge of crashing. But at the last possible second, she flared her sword-like wings, their sharp edges slicing through the air as she regained control and soared back into the skies.

“I can’t get close!” Myrrh’s voice rang out, tinged with frustration and desperation. She twisted and turned, her every move an effort to evade the unyielding lasers of the drones. Her form darted between ascents and descents, a frantic dance against the storm of enemy fire. “Zaft, help!”

Myrrh was under relentless pressure from the swarm of drones, their rapid movements and pinpoint lasers forcing her into a corner. Their sheer numbers created an overwhelming advantage, and it was clear that as long as they remained airborne, we were fighting a losing battle. This was the moment where everything could unravel. We needed a plan—and fast.

“Myrrh, destroy the drones with your Blade Wing! I'll take care of Aurelio!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the chaos.

“Roger!” Myrrh responded without hesitation, her determination evident. She detached two gleaming blades from her Blade Wing, each one glowing faintly as it caught the light, and launched herself toward the nearest drone. “Yaaaaah!”

Her strike was swift and precise. The blade sliced cleanly through the drone’s metallic body, sending it erupting into a shower of sparks and debris. Without pausing, she locked onto her next target and surged forward with unrelenting ferocity.

On the sidelines, Aurelio stiffened. His eyes flicked to the shifting battlefield, and I saw realization dawn on him. He must have pieced together our strategy: eliminate his drones one by one and dismantle his aerial advantage. Wasting no time, Aurelio encoded an order to his drones, commanding them into a tighter, more defensive formation.

“Yaaah!” Myrrh cried again as she closed in on her second target. But just as her blade was about to connect, a laser beam lanced upward from below, a searing line of energy aimed directly at her.

The beam struck her mechanical right leg with brutal precision. The explosion was instantaneous, the force of the blast tearing through the intricate machinery and leaving a smoldering trail of sparks and debris in its wake.

“Gah!” Myrrh gasped, the shock evident in her voice as the force sent her spiraling off course.

For a moment, I feared she wouldn’t recover. But Myrrh’s resilience shone through. With a powerful beat of her remaining Blade Wing, she regained control, stabilizing herself in midair. Her eyes locked onto the nearest drone, and with a determined swipe of her blade, she cleaved it cleanly in two. The drone erupted in a fiery burst, its wreckage raining down like shrapnel.

“Two down!” Myrrh called out, her voice brimming with determination. “Six to go!”

I clenched my fists, my mind racing. Aurelio wasn’t going to let us pick off his drones so easily. He had already devised a counter-strategy—one designed to lure Myrrh into a trap. Each drone she destroyed would leave her more exposed until he could land a decisive blow on her Frame Unit’s head. It was a clever plan, but I had something better.

“Proceed to the next drone!” I shouted as the WEEB System on my left arm pulsed with electric-blue energy, circuits glowing like veins of light. “Jetpack, equip!”

In an instant, a crimson jetpack materialized on Myrrh’s back, merging seamlessly with her Blade Wings. The combined propulsion sent her hurtling forward at double her usual speed, her form cutting through the air like a missile. With a single fluid motion, she raised one of her gleaming blades and sliced through another drone, which exploded into a shower of sparks and shrapnel.

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“Five more!” Myrrh yelled, her confidence shining through. But before she could press her attack, a torrent of laser beams erupted from all directions, forming an inescapable web of deadly light around her. Myrrh froze mid-flight, trapped by the relentless barrage.

“What the—?” she gasped, her voice tinged with alarm.

“This ends now,” Michelle declared from below. Her voice was calm, yet menacing, as she steadied her Beam Buster Cannon, the weapon’s barrel glowing ominously. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger, unleashing a radiant blast that roared toward Myrrh.

My heart pounded as I shouted, “Light Shield, equip!” With a flash of blue light, a glowing cybernetic circle materialized on Myrrh’s left arm, instantly spawning a shimmering shield. The Beam Buster’s blast collided with the barrier, the impact reverberating through the arena. Though the shield held, the force was devastating—it tore Myrrh’s mechanical left arm clean off, leaving sparks and fragments scattering through the air.

But that was the opening we needed. Aurelio’s drones, tightly clustered to guard one another, were momentarily disoriented by the chaos. Myrrh’s eyes locked onto Michelle, her target clear.

Following the residual light trails of the Beam Buster, Myrrh surged forward with unmatched ferocity. Her jetpack blazed, its output cranked to the limit. Flames licked at her Frame Unit as the engines overheated, but she didn’t waver. Just as she reached the breaking point, Myrrh ejected the jetpack mid-flight, the force propelling her at breakneck speed toward Michelle.

“Yaaaaaah!” Myrrh’s battle cry echoed through the air as she descended upon Michelle with a swift, precise slash of her sword. The blade cut cleanly through the Beam Buster Cannon, severing it into two smoking halves. The weapon erupted in a fiery explosion, sending shards of metal and circuitry scattering in all directions.

Michelle staggered backward from the force of the blast, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. “Ghh!” she cried out as she lost her footing and crashed to the ground, her form skidding across the scorched arena floor.

But Myrrh wasn’t about to let up. “I’m not done with you!” she roared, her voice brimming with determination. She twisted midair with a graceful yet ferocious spin, her sword catching the sunlight and glinting like liquid fire. With all her strength, she brought the blade down in a devastating arc, aiming to end the fight in one final blow.

Before the strike could land, Aurelio sprang into action. He abandoned the controls of his drones, his hands now glowing with crimson energy as his WEEB System roared to life. Circuit-like patterns pulsed down his arms, their glow a sinister contrast to the chaos around him.

“Beam Katana X2, equip!” Aurelio bellowed.

In an instant, two katanas materialized in Michelle’s hands, their edges shimmering with vibrant red lasers. As Myrrh’s sword descended, Michelle crossed the dual blades into an X-shaped defensive stance. The clash sent out a brilliant shower of sparks, each one flaring like miniature stars in the heated air.

The force of their collision echoed through the arena as both fighters strained against one another, neither willing to yield. The tension was palpable, their movements a battle of strength and will.

“Ghhh! Just go down already!” Myrrh shouted, her voice trembling with both anger and exhaustion as she pushed harder against the glowing blades.

“I’m amazed,” Michelle said, her cybernetic voice laced with a mocking amusement that only fueled the tension. The faint mechanical undertone carried an unsettling chill. “You’re the first one who’s ever forced me to use my swords.”

Yet Myrrh wasn’t done. With a final, desperate flap of her remaining blade wing, she regained her balance midair. Her determination burned brighter than ever as she twisted her body, her blade poised for a finishing strike. The sunlight caught the edge of her sword, making it glint like a falling star as she aimed directly at Michelle’s metallic head.

“Raaaaah!” Myrrh’s battle cry reverberated through the arena, a sound of pure, unrelenting resolve.

Michelle, however, was far from defenseless. With the fluidity of a seasoned warrior, she raised one of her Beam Katanas, the crimson edge humming with lethal energy. She positioned herself for a counterattack, her weapon angled to sever Myrrh’s metallic head before the strike could land.

Time seemed to slow as the moment of impact drew near. My perception sharpened, every detail etched into my mind like a vivid painting. I could see the faint flicker in Michelle’s stance, the microscopic edge that told me her counter would land first. Her skill, honed through years of combat experience, was undeniable.

A sad smile curved my lips. I whispered the words under my breath, barely audible even to myself. “I’m sorry, Myrrh.”

Suddenly, a surge of raw power coursed through my left hand, its intensity unlike anything I’d felt before. Crimson circuits blazed to life, the energy radiating like a storm. The HUD of my WEEB System shifted, the calm blue interface replaced by a sinister red glow. The words on the screen burned into my vision: [Weapon of Mass Destruction Series].

“Particle Accelerator, activate,” I whispered, my voice steady despite the chaos.

In less than a heartbeat, Myrrh’s Frame Unit was enveloped in a radiant pinkish-crimson glow, the energy pulsing like a heartbeat around her battered form. The arena seemed to hold its breath as Michelle’s Beam Katana closed in on Myrrh’s mechanical head, the edge humming with lethal intent.

But then, the impossible happened. Michelle’s blade sliced through empty air.

“W-What!?” Michelle’s voice wavered, the confidence in her cybernetic tone replaced by confusion.

What she struck wasn’t Myrrh but her afterimage, a fading mirage left behind in the wake of her teleportation. The real Myrrh had reappeared behind her opponent, her frame glowing with residual energy from the Particle Accelerator. Without hesitation, Myrrh raised her blade, its edge gleaming with a deadly finality.

With a single, precise stroke, Myrrh executed the finishing blow. Her sword cleaved cleanly through Michelle’s Frame Unit, severing its head in a smooth arc. The metallic head fell to the ground with a resonant clang, rolling a few feet before coming to a stop.

For a moment, the arena was shrouded in silence. Even the hum of the drones seemed to fade as Michelle’s headless Frame Unit staggered, then dropped to its knees. The lights in her frame flickered before fading completely, leaving her powered-down husk slumped in defeat.

Opposite her, Myrrh’s Frame Unit collapsed to one knee, her body trembling from exhaustion. The glow of the Particle Accelerator had vanished, revealing the extensive damage across her armor. She looked like a warrior who had given everything, standing victorious against impossible odds.

The stillness was finally broken by the voice of emcee Dianca, her excitement echoing through the arena’s speakers. “The winner of this final round is Examinee Number 11! Congratulations to Myrrh Alicent and Zaft Callahan for passing the Licensure Examination Tournament!”

The crowd erupted in a deafening cheer, their applause and shouts reverberating through the arena. Fans waved banners, and confetti cannons launched bursts of shimmering paper into the air. The once-tense battlefield was now filled with the roaring celebration of victory.

Amid the chaos, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at Myrrh’s battered form. She had done it. We had done it.