Chapter 68: Calm Before the Storm

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3 Days Later

– Mondia, Skydiath 29, 8034 –

“Neticen – the Primary Citan Fortress World. It is, quite literally, the most heavily fortified and technologically advanced planet in the entirety of CSA, Nimalian, and Black Suns space.”

“…Uh,” Davídrius responded confusedly, “…what does that mean, exactly?”

“It means that, if Siionkagh or Gu’Dan had been as fortified as Neticen, then the Oriciid’kas and Tau’cen Kii systems wouldn’t be nearly as close to complete loss as they are currently,” Nikéyin stated, “Neticen’s planetary shields are several orders of magnitude stronger than Siionkagh and Gu’Dan’s combined, and there are several hundred planetside anti-orbital installations, with an additional hundred anti-ship satellites in orbit. Neticen could fend off nearly five whole CSA fleets without its own fleet support; that’s just how advanced the Citans are. And that’s not even taking into account the planet’s manufacturing capabilities, Neticen and its moons could produce an entire Citan fleet within a month; hell, the Neticen system is one of the only three systems in CSA space with the proper facilities to produce supercapital ships.”

“That’s… impressive,” Kaoné responded slowly.

“It is,” the Commander nodded, “Which makes the fact that the Citans are willing to sacrifice the planet for the sake of stopping Morcii all the more powerful a statement. The CSA is saying that they’re so desperate for a victory against the Nanocreatures that they will literally sacrifice their lifeline. Neticen is their last untouched major military installation – if they lose it, they lose the war. And if the CSA loses, we all lose. They are, effectively, staking the entire galaxy’s fate on this one plan.”

“That’s great an’ all, but I got a question,” Davídrius frowned, “…If Neticen is really as powerful as you’re saying it is, then why haven’t the Nanocreatures attacked it yet?”

“We still don’t know what the Nanocreatures’ plans are,” Nikéyin replied, “Morcii made claims related to these ‘Morikai’ when he first appeared nearly a month ago, but we have no idea what his plans are regarding that goal, or how he would even achieve as much. The only thing we know is that the Nanocreatures, so far, have only attacked Transpace Worlds in a clear attempt to segregate the galaxy – and it’s working. The Siion fleets and our own fleets are stuck fighting the Nanocreatures at Siionleh and Egdonikon with no way of reaching or reinforcing Citan or Dra’kis space, and while the CSA has managed to hold on to the Tau’cen Kii system, the situation has significantly deteriorated since you left and it’s only a matter of days before fleets can no longer safely travel between the Dra’kis World Coalition and the Citan Republic. So, to answer your question, I can only assume that the Nanocreatures would have attacked Neticen eventually anyways – they simply prioritized the Transpace Worlds first.”

“This is great speculation,” Wilkas spoke up impatiently, “but, uh, what’s the actual plan?”

“Watch your tongue, Lieutenant,” the Commander gave the Introtechnic a reproachful glance, “…but the plan is simple. The reason the Citans are using Neticen is because it’s a high-value target that they hope will lure in Morcii, while also having enough defenses to give us time to react to an attack. But if they want to be sure to lure him in, they have to use what he’s actually looking for… which only we have.”

“You mean the Ayas,” Kevérin sighed.

“That’s exactly it,” Nikéyin nodded, “We have five of the Ayas, including the Master Ayas. Morcii has the other four and has made it clear that he wants the rest. The Citans want to use this fact to lure Morcii in by bringing all of our Ayas to Neticen, which would be sure to draw attention.”

“With the distinct risk of losing them all to Morcii,” Kievkenalis pointed out.

“I don’t get it,” Davídrius scowled, “If having all the Ayas in one place would attract Morcii then why hasn’t he attacked us yet? As in the Nimalian Territories?”

“Because we don’t have the Ayas in one place,” Nikéyin refuted, “The three that I hadn’t authorized for combat use are on a daily planetary rotation – none of them are on the same planet as the others, and none of them remain on a single planet for a single day. Presumably, they’re moving enough that they can’t be easily tracked, and that’s why Morcii hasn’t tried to get them yet. The question is whether or not we’re willing to sacrifice this security to go all-in with the CSA on this plan of theirs – and the way I see it, there isn’t any real choice. We have to bet on them.”

“…No choice, huh?” Kevérin sighed again, “I feel like we haven’t had a choice in anything as of late…”

“I should note that my decision is based on my experience alone,” Nikéyin stated, leaning forward in her chair expectantly as she rested her elbows on the briefing room table. “We won’t last nearly as long against the Nanocreatures as the CSA did, and at the current rate of CSA loss there’s no way we’ll be able to whip up any kind of weapon or technological advantage based around the Ayas, so hanging on to them without using them is pointless.” She glanced around at the five present members of Hero Machina carefully as she continued, “However, the five of you have had more experience both with using the Ayas and fighting Morcii than anyone else in this galaxy. I want to hear your opinions and, if you have any, suggestions.”

“…Holy shit, are you counting on us to save the galaxy?” Davídrius stared back at Nikéyin, dumbfounded.

“…I hesitate to use such, er… hyperbolic language,” Nikéyin responded warily, “…but effectively… maybe.”

“Well, I have one thing to say,” Kevérin commented, “And that’s that we can’t allow the Ayas to simply sit around on Neticen by themselves. The only way to keep them safe from Morcii is to keep them occupied by a Chaos State, and based on our experience back on Tau’cen Dii, the First Tier won’t cut it.”

“But can the Ayas be sensed while they’re occupied by the Chaos State?” Kievkenalis questioned, “I admit I’m not all that great at sensing Ayas, but all you can sense from the Chaos State is a massive amount of Chaos Energy. There’s no guarantee that Morcii would be able to tell that the Ayas are on Neticen if someone’s in the Chaos State.”

“So, what, do we just park the Ayas on Neticen until Morcii appears and then have someone use the Chaos State?” Davídrius snorted, “We all know how well that works. Morcii’s too fast; near as I can tell I’ve been the only one to activate the state faster than he can move.”

“Should you be the one to use the State, then?” Kaoné questioned.

“Uh, no offense, Davídrius, but I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kevérin stated, “...Even the Second Tier was too fast and powerful for any non-Chaos State Chaotic to keep up with, but Morcii was matching it, mostly. Whoever uses the Chaos State will inevitably end up fighting Morcii on their own, and because of that I would recommend someone with more offensive power be used to activate the State, to give them even more of an edge.”

“What? I have plenty of offensive power,” Davídrius retorted.

“Yeah, we all know that,” Wilkas snorted.

“Back on topic,” Nikéyin interrupted, turning to the Transfer Captain, “So what, exactly, are you suggesting?”

“…I’m not entirely sure myself,” Kevérin frowned, “but, if you don’t mind, I’d like to bring up the fact that we don’t actually know much at all about the Chaos State. I mean, Arcán’s told us a lot, but we have no idea how much of what he’s said is true or not. The only way to find out would be to see for ourselves.”

“Are you saying that you want to use this opportunity to test the Chaos State?”

“Well… yeah. I mean, if we have all the Ayas in one place, then why not?”

“Testing just sounds like a way for us to get caught with our pants down when Morcii shows up,” Davídrius countered.

“I disagree,” Kevérin shook his head, “This is a chance to figure out what the actual limits of the Chaos State are. If we know those, then we can fight Morcii more effectively – additionally, if we’re actually testing the State then the Ayas will be in and out and in of the Chaos State, so Morcii will, hopefully, be able to sense them – and then there’s a chance that, when he shows up, someone’s already in the Chaos State and ready to fight him.”

“Do you really think it’s safe?” Nikéyin questioned.

“I mean, yeah, there’s definitely some risk involved…” Kevérin frowned, “but isn’t there already tons of risk all over this plan? I say the more we know about the Chaos State before going into battle with Morcii, the better.”

“What about the, uh, ‘corrupting tendencies’ of the Ayas?” Davídrius refuted, “Are we gonna risk using the Dark Ayas with the Chaos State?”

“I think Arcán said once that their influence doesn’t actually apply to the Chaos State?” Kevérin commented, “He said that the State actually heals the Chaotic that uses it, and that it’s an overall boon.”

“…Heals them, huh?...”

“I can check with him one more time before we leave, and try to get as much information out of him as possible,” the Transfer Captain turned back to Nikéyin, “Then we can use that information to test the State.”

The Commander nodded once slowly, as if in thought, before glancing toward the other members of Hero Machina. “Do any of you have anything else to add? Any objections?”

“How will we decide who fights Morcii, or who’s the one to ‘test’ the Chaos State?” Davídrius questioned.

“The Citans might be better to ask, but if you have suggestions, come to me later,” Nikéyin replied, “…The Ayas will be gathered at an off-world site within the next day; come tomorrow at four hours past noon I expect you all to be geared up and ready to go. You have until then to rest or do whatever else you need to do here on Nimalia; don’t do anything stupid, because the mission you all are about to embark on is, quite literally, one of the most important missions a Nimalian Commander has ever given out.” She stood up, prompting the members of Hero Machina to do the same. “Good luck to all of you. Dismissed.”

*             *             *

“So you finally decide to visit me, huh?”

“’Finally’? That, I, uh… I didn’t mean…”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Rebehka shook her head warily before turning back to the double-paned window, on the other side of which sat Kaoné. The window shimmered slightly, the only sign of the energy shielding that covered Rebehka’s entire side. “I don’t blame you at all,” the Cryotechnic continued, “based on what I’ve heard… everyone must be busy.”

“Yeah, but…” Kaoné looked down as she kneaded her fingers uneasily, “I feel bad for just leaving you here…”

“What are you going to do, break me out?” Rebehka replied flippantly, “It’s just military detainment, not prison.”

“That doesn’t sound much better…”

“Look, don’t worry about me, okay? I’m doing just fine. I can’t blame anyone for my situation other than myself, anyways; it is a pretty bad offense to use the ‘Gate without authorization, and even more, to an unclaimed planet…”

“But Davídrius didn’t get in trouble!”

“He at least acknowledged the enforcement officers before charging through the ‘Gate, and even then, I… I wasn’t exactly acting with the technically correct frame of mind, you know? Letting personal feelings get in the way of duty and all that…”

“I know, I know, but… still…”

“Relax, don’t worry about me. What about you? How have things been, lately?”

“Uh…” Kaoné looked down again, “…not good.”

“…How so?...”

“…Only three of the CSA Transpace Worlds haven’t been attacked, and most of the ones that have, have, well… fallen.”

“To the Nanocreatures?”

“Yeah.”

“O…oh…”

“We’re about to… well…” Kaoné glanced up at the security camera staring at her from her side of the glass, “…I’m not sure I can tell you that much.”

“What, about your next mission? …That makes sense, I guess,” Rebehka leaned back and rubbed her temples warily, “No one knows if I’m corrupted, so. Yeah. Understandable.”

The Materiatechnic looked back at the Cryotechnic sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“No no, it’s fine, I understand,” Rebehka waved her off, “So long as you find a way to stop Morcii… so long as you do that, it’ll have been worth it. As long as someone can avenge Siyuakén… it’ll have been worth it.”

“Vengeance?” Kaoné echoed uneasily, “But, she’s… uh, right, yeah. I’ll, uh, I’ll tell Davídrius you said that.”

Rebehka stared at the Materiatechnic as she fidgeted uneasily. “You aren’t telling me something.”

“I, I don’t know if I can–“

“…Siyuakén’s still alive, isn’t she.”

Kaoné paused with her mouth half-open before looking down again.

“…Damn it,” Rebehka sighed, glancing around in frustration, “…I should’ve known. I should’ve known that what Davídrius did wasn’t enough…”

“You… you know that she’s corrupted…?”

“It’s the only answer, isn’t it? If she were still alive, and not corrupted, then you wouldn’t have tried to hide it from me. Hell,” the Cryotechnic smirked forlornly, “She definitely would’ve visited me herself.”

Kaoné forced a smile. “Ye…yeah, you’re right.”

Silence ensued for several moments as Rebehka stared at the ceiling and sighed again. “Siyuakén…”

“…”

“Hey, Kaoné… can you do something for me? Tell everyone else, too.”

“…What?”

“If you run into Siyuakén again… don’t hold back. Kill her as soon as possible.”

“What–?”

“She isn’t Siyuakén anymore,” Rebehka declared, “…I already tried to save her once, and I almost got both Davídrius and myself killed. And now she’s stuck obeying Morcii… it’s terrible. This whole situation is horrible, and if I’d only seen it sooner…” She shook her head. “It’s what she would want. No one wants to be forced to fight their friends… you know?”

“But that’s what you’re telling us to do, isn’t it?”

“It’s not the same. You aren’t just stopping her from killing her friends, you’re also stopping her from being controlled. If we can’t save her… the only way to help her, is to kill her. It’s the only release.”

“…Are you sure?”

“I’ve had several long weeks of isolation and boredom to think about it, so… yes. Unless something’s changed, but if it hasn’t… please, Kaoné. For Siyuakén’s sake.”

“…If… if it’s really what you want…”

“Thanks,” Rebehka smiled, just as a buzzer went off behind her. “…Looks like our time’s up.”

“Yeah,” Kaoné nodded, standing up as two guards entered the room behind Rebehka, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of Morcii for sure!”

“Ha, I won’t,” the Cryotechnic responded, “I’m counting on you, Kaoné. You and all of Hero Machina. Don’t let me down!”

*             *             *

“You return again, Transfer Captain. No doubt in pursuit of new information, despite considering that I have already told you all of my relevant knowledge?”

“You know it,” Kevérin replied as he sat himself in front of Arcán’s console and opened up a variety of logs on his Glasses. “Though part of why I’m here is just to confirm things you’ve already said, or things we’ve found out.”

“You Aldredanoids are as thirsty for knowledge as your ancestors. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised… very well, I shall indulge you once more.”

“Good,” Kevérin nodded pleasantly, “Alright, let’s start with the Ayas. Just how powerful are they?”

“Limitless.”

“C’mon, that’s not true. If each Ayas held limitless power then the First Tier Chaos State would’ve been able to crush Morcii.”

“You misconstrue the power of the Ayas with the power of the Chaos State. The power of each varies greatly based on usage, both in who is using them and how they are being used. If I have judged this galaxy correctly, you have yet to possess the means to understand or even utilize the full power of each Ayas individually, and together they only truly manifest their maximum power potential when used in the higher tier Chaos States.”

“You did say that the final tier could destroy galaxies…”

“And that is merely a potential. In the hands of the right Chaotic, the final tier could do even more… or less.”

“I have a question about Chaos State tiering, actually…” Kevérin paused a moment to read through a couple logs presented by his Glasses, “When Kevken and I talked with you back on the seventeenth, you said that the final tier could destroy galaxies, the eighth could destroy solar systems, and the fourth could destroy planets. Isn’t that a bit of a jump from the eighth to the final, when there’s only one Ayas to add?”

“When that one Ayas is the Master Ayas, no, it is not. I suppose I have not told you this specific fact: the Master Ayas is not treated in the same manner as the other Ayas. To use it with the Chaos State, instead of including it in the Ayas count, append the term ‘Master’ in between ‘Tier’ and the ordinal number. For instance, if you had four Ayas and the Master – as you do – to use them all, you would use the keywords ‘Chaos State: Master Fourth Tier’.”

“How much more powerful than the regular Fourth Tier would that be?”

“As I said before, there is no exact limit on the Ayas or the Chaos State. But were I forced to quantify the value of the Master keyword, I would approximate it as bumping the effective power of the Chaos State up two tiers. Furthermore, no matter the tier it is used at, the Master keyword grants the abilities of unaided flight and vacuum survival.”

“Can the Master Ayas be used to engage the Chaos State without any of the other Ayas?”

“It can, in which case you would use the ordinal term ‘zeroth’.”

“Interesting, interesting…” the Transfer Captain nodded as he quickly took down several notes, “…alright, another question about the Chaos State. Aside from the power boost, what can it actually do?”

“I assume you ask beyond flight and vacuum survival?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Hmm… …there is an instant healing factor upon engaging the State, but I would not count on such a factor to save a life. The State itself also increases the user’s durability such that they can withstand the same level of force they are outputting, and it also increases their speed and reaction times accordingly. Aside from that… there should be no additional factor to the Chaos State.”

“And you think the Chaos State is the key to defeating Morcii?”

“I do.”

“But, about a month ago…” Kevérin glanced through another log, “…you said that you didn’t know how to stop Morcii.”

“I do not. But in lieu of that information, the Chaos State is the only option.”

“Is it, though? Morcii mentioned something about being ‘anchored’ when he first showed up. And if you don’t even know how to defeat Morcii, then will pure force really be enough?”

“Do not underestimate the State’s power. While an alternative method of defeating Morcii may be desirable, the raw power of the Chaos State should be more than enough to end him. No one can survive having every particle of their being destroyed.”

“I guess that answers that, then, huh,” Kevérin nodded absentmindedly, “Hmm… okay. I have one more question, then.”

“Yes?”

“Mystryth explained who the Morikai were, basically a super-advanced race that appeared out of nowhere and practically destroyed both the Drakkars and the Aldredas before disappearing. Except, Morcii said something about freeing them, and you readily accepted that he was working for them. …Is ‘freeing’ them possible? What does that even mean? And what kind of threat do they pose the galaxy?”

“These questions are difficult to answer, in part because of how little I know… and because of the information I have lost. I cannot tell you how Morcii plans to free them, or what he means by that, besides reiterating my advice to not take his claims at face value. However, I can say this: should they return, it will be the end of the galaxy as you know it. There will be no chance to resist, not if you can barely stand up to even the Nanocreatures. The entire galaxy would be conquered within weeks, including all of the non-Transpace Worlds.”

“…I guess that’s just more incentive to stop Morcii, then, huh…”

“Indeed it is.”

“Right,” Kevérin nodded again as he took some final notes, “Well… I believe that’s it for now. Thanks for all the help, Arcán. Now it’s time to put it all to the test…”

“Hmm?”

“The next we speak, we’ll have beaten Morcii.”

“…That sounds like a statement made in unfounded confidence, Aldredanoid.”

“No, I’d say it’s pretty factual,” the Transfer Captain replied as he stood up from the console and turned toward the exit, “’Cause, with the mission we’re about to go on… if we don’t defeat Morcii, well. There won’t be a ‘next we speak’.”

*             *             *

“Oh, Wilkas… you’re here.”

“…Hn,” the Introtechnic grunted, glancing over his shoulder just long enough to identify Kievkenalis before turning his attention back to the valley and Nimaliaka Central below.

The Chaostechnic quietly approached, leaning on the guardrail next to Wilkas atop the roof of the base’s highest tower. “…Pretty amazing, huh?” he observed, slowly taking in the Nimaliakian sights.

“Ha. There’s not even a half-decent river for kilometers,” Wilkas snorted, “Only thing here is mountains. No real forest, either. It’s not Riverana at all.”

“Riverana? You weren’t thinking about your home planet or anything?”

The Introtechnic gave Kievkenalis a level stare before turning away again. “You’re here to talk about Vélunis, aren’t you.”

“What? I– …how did you know?”

“You never ask either of us about our home planet unless you’re trying to start a conversation about the other. Dunno why, either, since that’s a weird topic to segue from.”

“…I guess.”

Silence followed as the two Chaotics looked out over the city valley.

“…When’s the service?”

“Huh? Oh. Uh…” Kievkenalis sighed, “…Not for another week at least, if he even gets one. Everyone’s busy fighting the Nanocreatures, and as much as I hate to say it, Vélunis is just one of many…”

Wilkas pursed his lips in frustration. “One of many to die, sure. But did you see what was left? His brain was literally splattered against the wall. You think anyone deserves that?”

“No, of course not…”

“At least he didn’t end up like, uh… whatsherface. The girl we were fighting.”

“Siyuakén.”

“Yeah, her. At least he got taken out instead of getting corrupted or whatever that is.”

“…I guess you’re right,” Kievkenalis sighed again, leaning his head back to look up at the evening sky, “Though I have to say… out of the three of us, I never imagined he’d die first…”

“When he could summon whatever weapon he wanted out of nowhere? Yeah, you’d think. Why the hell did he even go fight in close-quarters? That was stupid. And so was going down into the crevice. What the hell were you guys thinking?”

“I know, I know, we screwed up,” Kievkenalis furrowed his brow in frustration, “…we thought we had the upper hand. We thought we could stop Morcii, but apparently… we couldn’t.”

“’Apparently’?”

“…Don’t tell me you’re blaming all this on me.”

“No…” Wilkas closed his eyes and sighed irately before looking down at Nimaliaka Central again. “…No. I know it’s not your fault. It’s just… hmph. Morcii needs to pay.”

“Well, that is what we intend to do on Neticen.”

“Yeah, but chances are I won’t be the one who gets to use the Chaos State. I hope I can at least get in a few good shots…”

“Trust me, you aren’t the only one who wants Morcii dead,” Kievkenalis remarked, “…We’ll beat him, one way or another. For Vélunis, for Siyuakén – for everyone. You can count on that.”

*             *             *

Holy fucking shit am I bored.

Christeané stared at the ceiling irately as the morning sun shone through the window in his hospital room. He slowly turned his head toward the clock above the door, grimacing in pain as he caught a glimpse of the time. 8:24… ow, ow, ow… goddamn… he pursed his lips as he returned to staring at the ceiling, as he had done each day for the past month.

At least I can move my body now… he wiggled his fingers slightly, but stopped promptly as pain shot up his arms. Now if only the goddamn pain would go away… gah, I’m going to go fucking insane before I ever recover from this–

The Introtechnic’s thoughts were interrupted as the door to his room slammed open. He looked up in surprise as Davídrius barged in with a surprisingly self-amused smirk on his face.

“Davídrius…?” Christeané questioned warily, “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, but we don’t got time to chat,” the Superspeed Introtechnic replied as he grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up next to the hospital bed, taking a seat on it backwards and leaning forward on the chair’s back. “I’ve got a question for ya.”

“…What?”

Davídrius grinned. “How’d you like to kick some Nanocreature ass?”

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 68 ====================

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Data Entry: {null}

Chapter 67: Retaliation Chaos

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“Hah!”

Wilkas dove forward, smashing his fist into a column of stone that Kaoné had just risen from the ground. The column shattered at its base as it was launched forward at Siyuakén, who quickly ducked to evade and then shot a lightning bolt toward the Superstrength Introtechnic. Wilkas ignored the attack as he barged forward, closing the distance between himself and Siyuakén before throwing his fists out again, missing the corrupted Electrotechnic only because she bent over backwards. She then continued the motion into a full-on flip, channeling a massive electric charge into her feet just as she kicked Wilkas’s chin. He reeled back, momentarily stunned and left open to attack – though Kaoné quickly transmuted steel shields all around him, blocking the lightning attacks that followed. Wilkas then punched the shields, launching some of the plating toward Siyuakén before grabbing the rest and smashing it into a large club that he then began swinging at her. She responded with a massive blast of electricity, giving the steel club a massive charge that she then manipulated to fling the weapon out of Wilkas’s hands. He simply ignored the weapon as it tumbled down the mountain to try and close the gap between himself and Siyuakén again, pulling back his fists for another punch – and then getting distracted as a loud rumbling noise resounded through the valley.

“What was that–?” he questioned, jumping away from Siyuakén.

“The crevice! Look!” Kaoné pointed toward the bottom of the valley, prompting Wilkas to glance down the nearest cliff face. “…Where did that metal covering come from?”

“Aren’t the others down there?” the Introtechnic scowled, “Ah, damn it. Let’s go save them–!?”

The moment he moved to take a step toward the cliff edge, a powerful lightning bolt struck the spot right in front of him. He immediately jumped back and snapped his attention to Siyuakén, who was rushing forward with both of her arms sparkling with electricity.

“Shit–!” he grunted, crossing his arms in front of him to shield against the incoming electric strike. The Electrotechnic thrust her arms forward, impacting Wilkas with a massive burst of energy before jumping away and following up with several more lightning strikes, most of which Kaoné managed to block with more steel shields. “…We’re gonna have to stop her first,” Wilkas muttered, eyeing Siyuakén as he took a moment to stretch his arms and neck.

“Siyuakén…!” Kaoné pleaded, taking a step forward from her position several meters behind the Introtechnic, “We don’t have to fight…!”

“Yeah, we kinda do,” Wilkas countered impatiently, “She won’t leave on her own. Besides, I’m sure the others are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.”

*             *             *

               

“Hngh… gah…”

Davídrius kicked out the stone trapping him against the wall and stumbled forward, coughing, before falling to all fours uncontrollably. Damn… he glared down at his armor, that cave in overloaded my shielding? …Wait a minute–? He glanced up and began inspecting the area around him: a small, dome-shaped area had been seemingly carved into the stone, while all around the base the rock glowed a dim red with heat. The Introtechnic looked to his left as Vélunis began coughing as well – and then he noticed Kevérin and Kievkenalis, both lying on the ground, unmoving.

“Don’t worry, they aren’t dead.”

“What–?” the two conscious Chaotics snapped their attention toward Morcii, who stepped forward casually from the far side of the dome.

“I must admit, I’m impressed,” Morcii commented, his smirk barely illuminated within the dim atmosphere, “Your friends reacted just quickly enough to force a small safe area. Well, it saved you from instant defeat, but all they truly achieved was delaying it.”

“Defeat? Ha,” Davídrius snorted, and then fell into a coughing fit before continuing, “…Like hell we’re defeated. You… you haven’t defeated me until I’m a cold, dead carcass.”

“Really now?” Morcii continued to stare down at the Chaotics, “Why are you still on your knees then, hmm?”

“…Shit,” Vélunis scowled, “…I can’t move my legs.”

“…You…!” Davídrius shot Morcii a menacing glare.

“Enjoy your freedom while it lasts,” Morcii chuckled viciously, “You’ll be mine within minutes.”

“You god damn machine–!?!”

“Pitiful,” the Nanocreature leader shook his head in disappointment, “You’ve served your purpose as my playthings; now it’s time to put you to actual work. Once you fall completely under my control, I can send you back up to the top and feign a loss, and then you’ll return to the ranks of your friends… of course,” he smirked, “You’ll be completely under my control, so I think you understand what will happen next.”

“Sh…shit,” Vélunis muttered, “…at least you don’t have their Ayas, huh?”

“Hmm?” Morcii raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and then glanced toward Kevérin and Kievkenalis. “…Ha. I think you overestimate the Chaos State,” he continued as he finally revealed his hands – with the Ayas Tanivas in one, and the Ayas Mystryth in the other.

“What?!”

“The Chaos State provides a power and durability boost, but I can still knock out such a Chaotic all the same,” the Nanocreature smirked as he began tossing the Ayas to himself, “And once you lose consciousness, you automatically drop out of the Chaos State. Convenient, no?”

“God… god damn it!” Davídrius growled, “I… am not… getting corrupted!”

“Feel free to say that all you want, little Aldredanoid–“

“Chaos State: First Tier!”

Morcii stopped tossing the Ayas to himself as he turned to give Vélunis an empty stare. “…Do you honestly expect me to make that mistake again? I am standing well outside of the Chaos State activation range. You won’t be getting out of this quite so easily.”

“…Eh,” Vélunis smirked spitefully, “Worth a try.”

“…Damn it!” Davídrius snarled, his shoulders quivering with rage, “…I can’t fucking do anything…!”

“Calm down, mate,” Vélunis countered, “Going berserk won’t help us at all.”

“Yeah? And what else is there?!”

“Well, it’s not like I have to move to use my powers.”

“…Oh?” Morcii snorted as several floating laser cannons suddenly surrounded him, “…do you honestly expect this to work?”

“Not much else to… try,” Vélunis countered, his face slowly contorting into a painful frown as his corruption began actively interfering with his speech, “…like hell… I’ll… let you control… me! Overdrive: Limitless Weaponswright!”

“…Wha–?” Morcii’s eyes widened slightly as dozens more cannons appeared around him before they all opened fire at once, unleashing their entire contents into the Nanocreature Leader. Immediately the far end of the stone dome became obscured with a thick dust cloud as the sounds of continuous cannon fire echoed through the air; Davídrius squinted through the dust in an attempt to discern Morcii’s presence, but his attention was torn away as the two Ayas suddenly appeared out of the dust cloud and clambered to the ground a mere meter away.

“The Ayas–?” he muttered in surprise, and then immediately began, “Chaos State­–!?” He was cut off as his mouth clamped shut, forcing him to bite his tongue painfully. …I can’t… I can’t move my mouth?!

“Ahahahaha… ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”

“He’s still–!” Vélunis started, immediately summoning a hundred javelins around his body – and then freezing as Morcii appeared in front of him and smashed his knee into the Chaotic’s face, completely obliterating his skull.

“…!” Davídrius stared wide-eyed as Vélunis’s body slumped to the ground, headless, surrounded by the many polearms that clambered to the floor.

“You Adredanoids never learn without examples, do you?” Morcii sneered, glancing toward the remaining Introtechnic before raising his foot and slamming it through Vélunis’s back, completely destroying both the armor and the underlying corpse. “I trust you understand now, hmm?” the Nanocreature turned back toward Davídrius, not even bothering to remove his foot from the dead body, “Your luck ran out long ago.”

*             *             *

Wilkas whirled around, grasping a thirty-meter stone pillar before flipping it over his head and down on Siyuakén’s position. The Electrotechnic dived out of the way, evading the pillar – but she was caught by the debris as Wilkas followed by smashing his fist into the end of the pillar, shattering it and sending debris flying in every direction. He then lunged forward, grabbing two hammers that Kaoné had fabricated in the air near his head before slamming them down on Siyuakén’s location. She quickly flipped away, firing off a lightning bolt at the Introtechnic as he was swinging with the hammers and unable to dodge. Wilkas immediately released the weapons and moved to ram the corrupted Electrotechnic with his shoulder but she hit him with another powerful bolt of energy before he could, momentarily stunning him as his armor shut down yet again. Siyuakén then moved to strike once more, but was distracted as an invisible force grabbed her right arm and yanked her to the ground. She immediately fired a storm of lightning toward Krydonin, who withstood the brunt of the blast and then moved to continue attacking.

“Wilkas!” Kaoné exclaimed, rushing over to the Introtechnic as he recovered from the blow he had taken, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he replied offhandedly, “C’mon, repair my armor again.”

“I’ve already done that several times,” the Materiatechnic frowned, “I can only do so much; your armor is about to fall apart all on its own.”

“I thought you could fix things just by thinking about them?”

“Well, yeah, but it looks like there’s a limit, and that limit is sometime after fixing something for the twentieth time.”

“Of course,” Wilkas snorted, “…fine. I’ll go without my armor then!”

“What–?” Kaoné started, but was interrupted as the Introtechnic grabbed his chestplate and tore it off his body. He then proceeded to do the same with his limb plating until all that was left was the under-armor skinsuit.

“Wha– you didn’t need to tear it apart!!” the Materiatechnic exclaimed.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Wilkas stretched his arms and neck casually, “If the shielding won’t work then the armor’s just in the way!” He bounded forward before Kaoné could speak another word, bringing his fists down on Siyuakén as she was distracted by Krydonin. He failed to land a direct hit on the Electrotechnic, but still flung her several meters into the air when his fists slammed into the ground with massive force. She quickly responded by sending out two powerful shockwaves, stunning Wilkas and Krydonin long enough for Siyuakén to get back to her feet and begin flinging out lightning bolt after lightning bolt. Kaoné quickly countered each bolt with a diamond shield, raising the blocks of stone to shield Wilkas as he charged forward. The Introtechnic barreled through the shields himself, grabbing one of the diamond blocks and crushing it into a rod as Krydonin telekinetically yanked several of the other blocks into the air and launched them toward Siyuakén. The corrupted Electrotechnic deftly evaded each of the blocks before throwing herself to the side just in time to dodge Wilkas as he smashed his diamond rod into the ground she had been standing on moments prior. She then reached back to the rod, grabbing it as Wilkas began to lift it back up from the ground and sending a massive charge down it, shocking the Introtechnic and forcing him to drop the rod as he stumbled backwards in pain. Immediately Siyuakén lunged forward, her right hand outstretched before her attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere, her head snapping toward the bottom of the valley.

Catching the opening, Wilkas thrust his right fist forward with amazing force. The Electrotechnic turned her attention back to him just in time to see the attack and begin to dodge, but failed to move out of the way completely as he slammed his fist into her left shoulder, cleaving through her body and sending her left arm flying. The force of the blow sent her tumbling away uncontrollably until she was stopped suddenly, jerked upright and into the air, and held in place by Krydonin’s telekinetic fields. Kaoné quickly followed by clamping diamond shackles around Siyuakén’s neck, ankles, and remaining wrist.

“We’ve got this,” Kaoné gestured toward Krydonin, “You can go help the rest of your soldiers!”

“Are you sure?” the Commander glanced toward Siyuakén suspiciously.

“Yeah,” Kaoné nodded, and then turned back to the trapped and dazed Electrotechnic. “…I want to see if I can talk to her.”

“…I hope you know what you’re doing,” Krydonin responded, but eventually turned away. “Very well. Watch yourself, Nimalians.”

Wilkas watched the Commander dash away before turning back to Kaoné. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“She can’t get away, not without breaking those shackles,” the Materiatechnic replied, “…I want… I want to know for sure if this is really Siyuakén.”

“Yeah?” Wilkas crossed his arms impatiently, “How’re you gonna do that?”

Kaoné responded with silence as she stared up at the corrupted Electrotechnic, who returned the stare blankly despite there being a gaping hole where her shoulder should be. “…It’s not bleeding…” Kaoné muttered, eyeing the wound warily before meeting eyes with Siyuakén again. “Siyuakén! Can you hear me?”

The only response was a blank stare.

“Is it really you? Can… can you respond?”

“…”

“…Siyuakén…?”

The Electrotechnic continued to stare at Kaoné for several seconds before finally opening her mouth, drawing the attention of both Kaoné and Wilkas.

“The Siyuakén you knew… is gone.”

“Wha… what–?” Kaoné started, but was interrupted as the shackles trapping Siyuakén turned a metallic gray. The Electrotechnic then let off a massive electric shock before fleeing into the sky, leaving Kaoné and Wilkas to stare after her.

“…Well that worked,” the Introtechnic snorted, “You just had to let her get away, didn’t you?”

He then turned toward the nearest skirmish and charged forward to join in the fight, but Kaoné continuing staring off into the sky uneasily. Siyuakén…

*             *             *

“Your luck ran out long ago.”

“…!” Davídrius finally tore his attention from Vélunis’s body to give the Nanocreature leader a menacing glare. Morcii simply laughed in response, appearing to derive amusement from the Introtechnic’s helpless state.

“And still you try to resist,” he shook his head wearily, “There truly is no understanding you Aldredanoids. Oh well… I can wait.”

Davídrius continued to glare at Morcii even as the Nanocreature leader took a step back and glanced upward before creating a three-meter wide hole in the ceiling. A second later light began shining through, indicating that the hole ran all the way up to the top of the crevice – and a mere couple seconds after that, Siyuakén appeared through the hole, stopping her rapid descent inches from the ground and carefully alighting.

“…You lost your arm,” Morcii observed, scowling, before raising his arm, drawing a silver cloud out of the surrounding rocks. The cloud floated through the air before condensing around Siyuakén’s shoulder and then forming into a new arm. “Be more careful. Letting these annoying pests get the best of you is painfully shameful.”

Siyuakén simply responded with a curt nod as she flexed her new arm, ignoring Davídrius’s gaze as it settled on her.

Siyuakén… damn it, the Introtechnic growled internally, I couldn’t save you… I couldn't do anything for Velunis, and now I can’t even save myself! God damn it…!

“It’s time for us to leave,” Morcii remarked, glancing up at the hole he created, “Seize the Ayas, but leave the Chaotics behind. They have tasks ahead of them down here.”

Siyuakén nodded once before turning toward Davídrius and the two Ayas. She began approaching steadily as Morcii casually turned his attention to the unconscious Kevérin and Kievkenalis.

No! Damn it! Davídrius quivered again, eyeing Siyuakén’s approaching form warily, Fuck! We’re gonna lose the Ayas… and then we’re gonna get used like fucking pawns! Argh, I can’t even move my body anymore! He watched helplessly as the Electrotechnic finally reached him, stooping down to grab the Chaos Ayas. D…damn it! I… I can’t…!

“If… if something goes wrong… can I trust you to just end it?”

What–? Wait… that was…

“If something happens to me, can you… can you stop me?”

Siyuakén… the Introtechnic glanced back up at the corrupted Electrotechnic as she stood up and turned away from him, …right, you trusted this whole damn thing to me, didn’t you? And I fucking failed. Failed… goddamn– fuck that! Fuck getting corrupted! Fuck this losing shit! I’m not gonna stop until I’m fucking god damn dead! “Sec…!”

Siyuakén paused mid-stride, turning to face Davídrius curiously. Morcii noticed immediately and turned his own attention to her. “What is it?”

“cond…!”

“Wait…” Morcii narrowed his eyes, and then lunged forward. “You can’t–!”

“TIER!!”

Instantly the two Ayas disappeared out of Siyuakén’s hands as a silver cloud exploded away from Davídrius. Ignoring both of these factors, Morcii barreled forward and thrust his knee forward in the same manner that had killed Vélunis – only to be stopped mid-strike.

“That attack might’ve worked the first time,” Davídrius smirked as he stopped Morcii’s knee several inches from his face with his hand, “…but you’d be an idiot to expect it to work again!”

“Tch–!” the Nanocreature leader scowled before jumping back several meters. “…You broke the corruption… Ha,” he smirked again, “You still can’t beat me–!”

“Like hell I can’t!” the Introtechnic burst forward, reaching Morcii in the blink of an eye and performing a fierce bicycle kick that launched the Nanocreature through the ceiling. Siyuakén immediately fled through the hole Morcii had created earlier, followed closely by Davídrius as he cleared the entire crevice depth in a single bound, alighting at the lip of the crevice.

“Davídrius?”

“…You’re here,” he turned to the side, addressing Kaoné and Wilkas as they rushed up to the crevice.

“What happened?” Kaoné questioned, “Morcii and Siyuakén just flew out of the crevice–“

“Of course. Look, there’s no time to explain; I’m in the Second Tier Chaos State­, and I need to stop Morcii! Uh, Kevérin and Kievkenalis are down there, in the crevice. You need to rescue them. They’re getting corrupted, but I know how to stop it! We just need to use the Chaos State­!”

“You– wait, what?” Kaoné responded confusedly, “Davídrius, what are you–?”

Before she could finish her question, however, the Introtechnic had already left, leaping high into the sky.

“…What’s up with him?” she muttered to herself warily, “…wait, he said Kevérin and Kievkenalis… what about Vélunis…?”

-          -          -

“…That pesky Berserk tendency. Were it not for that, the corruption would’ve gone smoothly. But of course, it was slowed by the Chaos Energy manifestation of rage. I’m a fool for overlooking that…”

Morcii grumbled to himself as he and Siyuakén ascended through the atmosphere, already several kilometers in the air. The corrupted Electrotechnic followed silently as the Nanocreature leader continued to berate himself over his actions.

“An actual mission failure… so be it. I can always get the other Ayas through brute force; time to put these annoying Aldredanoids down once and for all–?!”

He was interrupted as Davídrius suddenly appeared in the air beside him, having cleared the several kilometers of altitude in a single leap. Morcii had only a fraction of a second to stare at the Introtechnic in wide-eyed rage before Davídrius smashed his foot over the Nanocreature’s head, sending him rocketing back down to the ground below. The Introtechnic immediately summoned the Ayas Bow Mystryth as he began to fall himself, drawing the bowstring back and launching volley after volley of hypersonic Chaos Arrows at the Nanocreature leader below. The moment he finally landed on the ground he took off toward Morcii, dismissing Mystryth and summoning the Ayas Staff Tanivas in its place as he thrust it forward.

“NO!” Morcii boomed, grabbing the end of the staff and stopping Davídrius’s charge. “I will not allow you to defeat me with such a simple attack!”

“No problem. I’ll just have to do somethin’ a little more complicated!” the Introtechnic shot back, letting go of the staff and then roundhouse-kicking it with enough force to rip it out of Morcii’s grip as well as obliterate his entire lower arm. Davídrius immediately lunged forward and head-butted the Nanocreature in the chest, launching him hundreds of meters away before he tumbled to a stop along the ground. Morcii quickly jumped back to his feet and flipped away just as Davídrius launched another kick; the Nanocreature then stopped himself mid-flip and reversed his movement to catch the Introtechnic’s foot, but the moment he got hold Davídrius stomped the ground, ripping his foot out of Morcii’s grip and obliterating his other hand.

“You… foolish Aldredanoids!” Morcii snarled, putting all of his effort into evading Davídrius as he slowly reformed his broken limbs, “What is the meaning behind this pointless resistance?! Even in the face of immediate failure you still refuse to give up!”

“Well of course we ain’t gonna just roll over and surrender,” Davídrius retorted, summoning the Tanivas Staff and whipping it around in addition to his furious kicks to force Morcii back even harder, “Ha! Is this all it takes? A single tier jump in the Chaos State and suddenly you can’t do shit to stop me!”

“You… are… WRONG!” the Nanocreature leader exploded with rage as he slammed his fist into Davídrius’s foot, obliterating his own arm but stopping the incoming kick. He then severed his other arm from his body and transformed it into a dozen laser guns, using all of them to attack the Introtechnic at range and force him to divert some of his energy to defense. “The Second Tier is just as meaningless as the First! Your arrogance is misplaced; your earlier advantage means NOTHING!”

“Ha ha!” Davídrius grinned, easily evading the constant streams of laser fire as he downed each gun systematically with the Mystryth Bow, “You sound pretty damn flustered to me! You sure I’m not actually a threat?”

“You mean nothing to me!” Morcii shot back, diving under Davídrius as he kicked again. The Nanocreature leader whirled around and dealt his own kick to the Introtechnic’s back, sending him flying forward. Morcii quickly reformed his arms before transforming them both into laser cannons and opening fire on Davídrius, obliterating the terrain around him relentlessly. “You could not possibly stop me here! You are no match at all for my limitless power!”

“You’re wrong!” Davídrius countered, bowling through the cannon fire to slam the end of Tanivas into and through Morcii’s stomach, “You definitely have a limit, and it’s a lot closer to ours than you like to pretend it is!” He ripped the staff sideways out of Morcii, destroying the entire left side of the Nanocreature’s body before flipping and bringing his foot down over Morcii’s head, slamming him to the ground. “We can beat you, Morcii! And this fight right here proves that!”

The Nanocreature growled and opened his mouth to respond but received a sudden blow to his side, flinging him several kilometers back and into a cliff side at the end of the valley. Davídrius immediately appeared beside him and made to smash his foot through Morcii’s head, but the Nanocreature ducked just in time to evade the attack – which instead shattered the entire cliff. Morcii immediately slammed his head into the Introtechnic’s crotch, launching him up into the air before dashing off toward a group of Nanocreature soldier units to repair his body. Davídrius quickly whipped out Mystryth and fired an arrow toward Morcii, piercing him through the right kidney and blowing off both of his legs – which promptly reformed into a multitude of flechettes that immediately homed in on the Introtechnic at hypersonic speeds as Morcii’s legless body continued to fly through the air toward the other Nanocreatures. Davídrius scowled but nonetheless deftly picked each and every projectile out of the air in under a second flat before smashing them with Tanivas and then bounding off toward Morcii just as the Nanocreature leader seized direct control of the other units and used their nanomachines to repair himself. He turned around and crossed his arms in front of him just in time to block another kick from Davídrius but was still flung backwards hundreds of meters – he quickly lifted into the air, however, looping around and slamming into the Introtechnic’s back just as he blocked with Tanivas. The blow knocked Davídrius clear across the valley and up the mountainside, but he recovered immediately and leaped back to his feet just in time to counter Morcii’s next punch with a kick, obliterating the Nanocreature’s fist again. Morcii instantly reversed his momentum, drawing away from Davídrius and ascending into the air as he disengaged all of his limbs from his body and transformed them into a variety of weapons before launching and firing them all at Davídrius. The Introtechnic disappeared from his spot the moment the attack began, completely evading all of the weapons before leaping up at Morcii from directly below and vertically impaling the Nanocreature all the way through with Tanivas. Morcii immediately tore himself in half, backing away from the Ayas Weapon and Davídrius before reforming his body again – just in time for Davídrius to smash him back down to the ground with a leap and an over-head flip-kick. The Introtechnic dropped back to the ground and prepared to slam Morcii with another attack before being stunned by a sudden and immensely powerful lightning strike, a strike powerful enough that it crystallized the ground beneath his feet.

“…Ah, you’ve returned,” Morcii muttered wearily, taking advantage of the lull to leap back into the air as Siyuakén slowly descended from the skies above, hovering in the air over Davídrius. “That took long enough…”

The Introtechnic glanced up at Siyuakén and then immediately leaped toward her – only to be struck by another lightning blast, flinging him away.

“What the…” he growled, glaring up at the Electrotechnic – and then scowling when he noticed the Dark Blue Ayas in her hands. “So you’ve got an Ayas too, huh?”

“Two can play at this game,” Morcii retorted, floating over to Siyuakén and taking the Ayas from her before ascending into the sky, “If you wish to use the Ayas against me, so be it. You’ve forced my hand… behold the power of the Ayas in the hands of their true master!”

Davídrius glared up at Morcii as he continued to raise into the air, his speed increasing quickly. The Introtechnic then crouched down before leaping up, meeting Morcii in the air and preparing to slam his foot into him again – only to have his foot was caught instead.

“Don’t make me repeat myself about the effectiveness of repeated attacks.”

“Worth a try,” Davídrius smirked before he was launched back at the ground. He flipped himself around mid-air and caught himself easily and then turned his attention upwards.

“You will regret your actions today, Aldredanoid!” Morcii shouted down at Davídrius as he continued to raise into the sky, “I should have taken you seriously from the start… even if you escape today, the next we meet will be the last!”

“You can bet your ass it will be!” the Introtechnic shot back, summoning Mystryth and firing several arrows at the Nanocreature leader. Most of them hit, but Morcii ignored the blows and returned fire with several laser blasts that Davídrius easily evaded. He glared up at Morcii and then shifted his attention to Siyuakén, shouting, “Hang in there, Siyuakén! It won’t be much longer until the end… I promise!”

The corrupted Electrotechnic responded with an empty stare as she and Morcii continually shrunk away from Davídrius with distance. He stared after them until they disappeared completely, and then began glancing around the battlefield warily. “…The fuck is he up to…?”

*             *             *

“What’s he doing…?”

“Captain!” Krydonin exclaimed, barging onto the bridge of the Genesis, “What’s the situation? Why have we been pulled back?”

“Mission’s over,” Krick responded briefly, not even bothering to face Krydonin as he spoke, instead keeping his attention focused on the bridge displays, “The moment Morcii appeared on the battlefield, the entire area was blanketed in an anti-beaming field. The field moved just a couple minutes ago, so I had everyone beamed up immediately; I’m not risking leaving you stuck with Morcii. One of the Nimalians was still within Morcii’s anti-beaming field though, so they’re still down there… though that’s about to change.”

“What do you mean?”

“Morcii’s ascending into the planet’s upper atmosphere, but not at the same speeds that he uses when he’s traveling somewhere else. He’s up to something, but I don’t know what…”

Krydonin sighed, shaking her head warily. “We were only able to distract Morcii for a single day…?”

“This mission wasn’t only to distract Morcii…” Krick countered, “…what’s that energy build-up?”

The Commander turned toward the bridge displays, quickly finding the display amongst the many that was showing sensor read-outs on Morcii. “…It’s Chaos Energy. That much… he must have an Ayas on him.”

“…Beam up the remaining Nimalian!” Krick barked, just as a light flashed through the bridge window, “Initiate the cloak! Clear the entire region–!”

His command was cut off as Davídrius appeared on the bridge – followed immediately by a second flash of light, this one signaling a massive blast of energy directed at the planet. Within seconds the blast impacted the planet’s surface, replacing the entire valley that had contained the mountain base and battlefield mere moments prior with a fifty-kilometer wide crater.

“…It’s no Drive bomb,” Krick muttered as he observed the damage through one of the ship’s telescopic cameras, “…but the fact that Morcii alone could do that…”

“He had an Ayas, though,” Davídrius countered, quickly leaping up to Krick and Krydonin, “If he doesn’t have anything on him then we can totally beat him. I’m only in the Second Tier Chaos State and I was kicking his ass! …Until he got his hands on that Ayas, at least.”

“You’re sure he wasn’t going easy on you?” Krydonin questioned.

“You don’t fake that kind of disadvantage. I definitely had an advantage over him.”

“And now he knows that we know that we can beat him,” Krick frowned, “I doubt he’ll be going easy on us anymore.”

“…Well…” Davídrius responded wearily, “…what do we do, then?”

“…There’s not much else to it,” Krick muttered, and then shook his head. “…Part of the purpose of this mission was to try and pin down Morcii’s true strength. Now that we have an idea, the CSA can put their final plan to get rid of Morcii into action.”

“What? I wasn’t aware such a plan was in the works,” Krydonin interjected.

“Neither was I, until after I had beamed all of you down to the surface,” Krick replied, “There’s not much to it…” he glanced toward Davídrius, “but we’ll need all the help from the Nimalians we can get.”

“A ‘final showdown’, eh? How the fuck is that gonna work?” Davídrius questioned, “Where is this ‘plan’ gonna take place, anyways, huh?”

“The CSA are going all-in,” Krick replied, “to lure in Morcii, they’re enacting the plan on their last untouched high-value system: the Citan Primary Fortress World, Neticen.”

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 67 ====================

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Data Entry: {null}

Chapter 66: Tenth Hour

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“Davídrius, what’s going on? I thought you said you killed her?”

“I did,” the Introtechnic growled, brandishing his blades as he glared at Siyuakén, who blankly stared back. “…I swear, by all rights she was dead. I fuckin’ sliced through her heart! This doesn’t… she can’t…!”

Kevérin glanced toward Davídrius uneasily before turning back to Morcii and Siyuakén. Based on appearances alone, Siyuakén seemed to be her normal living self – same body shape, same height, same facial definition, nearly every physical trait was the same. Yet the metallic rashes that wreathed her entire body just prior to her fleeing Nimalia had seemingly receded to her left arm and eye alone, and there were no signs of the damage Davídrius claimed to have caused. “…Are you sure?” the Pyrotechnic questioned, “I don’t see anything that’d indicate you… er… killed her.”

“Are you fuckin’ doubtin’ me?” the Introtechnic’s brow furrowed in fury, “I ain’t lyin’ about this, and I know what I fuckin' saw! Just go ask Rebehka before you assume shit! I’m tellin’ you, I killed Siyuakén, and this can’t be her!”

“We did just witness the Nanocreatures’ ability to shapeshift,” Krydonin pointed out, “She’s probably a look-alike; don’t let it get to you. He’s just stalling for time!”

The Commander quickly dived to the left as she flipped the stone under Morcii’s feet, signaling for the other nearby Black Suns Chaotics to engage as well. The Nanocreature leader proved unfazed by the attack, however, and simply crossed his arms as several large metallic beasts quickly formed from the growing masses of Nanocreature bugs and attacked the Black Suns, forcing their attention away.

“Can’t have the show interrupted, now, can we?” he smirked self-amusedly.

“There’s no show. You’re clearly lying!” Davídrius countered stubbornly, “Krydonin was right, this is just a double or somethin’. We should–!”

“No no, don’t be quite so hasty,” Morcii interjected, “You do have a point – she could indeed be a doppelganger. But, I wonder, how could I know your friend well enough to fake this?”

“AAGH!” Siyuakén suddenly clutched her head as she unceremoniously collapsed to her knees, her entire body tensing in pain. “Ah…! Agh… guh…”

“Wha–?!” the entirety of Hero Machina reeled back in surprise, each of them startled by the sudden display of emotion.

“Si… Siyuakén…?” Kaoné ventured warily, slowly extending her arm toward the corrupted Electrotechnic.

“…Wha…what…?” Siyuakén slowly looked up, her eyes widening as she laid eyes on Kaoné. She then jerked her head toward Davídrius – and then Kevérin – and then Kievkenalis – before drawing back, her breath catching in her throat. “N-no, no… get, go, go away! Run! Don’t–! You’ll get corrupted, don’t, go–!”

“Siyuakén! No, wait,” Kevérin responded uneasily, “We can– calm down, we can…”

“You can what?!” she shot back, her previous distress instantly transforming into ire, “Save me? From him? How? You can’t even– you can’t even kill me right, you can’t, you can’t fight Morcii, or me, not now, not–“ she suddenly broke down again, cupping her face in her hands as she stumbled backwards. “Go! Run! Please, don’t… don’t follow me!”

All that followed Siyuakén’s broken outburst was dead silence… silence that was shattered mere moments later by Morcii’s chuckling.

“Perhaps now you are convinced as to her identity?”

“Tch–!” Davídrius scowled and then blasted forward, stopping just in front of Siyuakén’s curled body moments before the sonic boom produced from his takeoff. Faster than anyone could track, he brought his blades down over Siyuakén’s head – and then stopped just short.

“What–?” Kaoné stared at him in surprise, “Davídrius, what…”

“Fuck! Fucking… fuck!” the Introtechnic’s face scrounged up in frustrated fury, “I can’t– fucking shit, I can’t do this again… fuck!”

“How amusingly pathetic,” Morcii sneered, “You can’t even bring yourself to kill her, when you’ve already done so once! And you expect to stop me?”

“…You–!!” Davídrius turned his rage toward Morcii, but before he could act on it Vélunis had dashed up, driving his own blades toward Siyuakén’s head – and then both Introtechnics were suddenly blown away by an intense blast of electrical power.

“I see not all of you are so caught up in your feelings that you forget your pragmatism,” the Nanocreature leader chuckled again, watching the Introtechnics stumble back to their feet as Siyuakén casually returned to hers, all hints of her previous outbreak removed from her now-blank expression. “But your insistence on resistance is absurd. This episode is a testament to your inability to stop me or my forces – to say nothing of your previous attempts at ‘battles’ with me! You still believe you can stop me? You still believe you can save your galaxy? And all you have to show for it is a crudely rudimentary level of knowledge about the Chaos Ayas and a remarkable inability to follow through a simple murder? Astounding! This entire situation is astounding! You claim to be the descendants of the Aldredas, who themselves were barely able to fend off both I and my masters? You should be ashamed, if only you possessed even one iota of the awareness you would need to be so!”

“You sure do talk a lot,” Kievkenalis observed, “And we’ve at least been able to hold our own against you before. You can’t just dismiss us that easily.”

“…Your attempt at bravado is amusing at best, Aldredanoid. We both know that the only reason you live yet is because I allow it. If I truly wished you dead or among my forces, then it would have happened long ago.”

“What?” Davídrius growled, “You’re sayin’ you want us alive? So you can, what, shove your superiority in our faces? Is that it? Need someone to flaunt your ego in front of so you feel validated?”

“Validation? From the likes of you?” Morcii snorted, “The only validation I require is from the Morikai, but I can hardly derive pride from conquering a galaxy in such a pitiful state as yours. And if I were to conquer the whole galaxy, then what would be left for the Morikai? Surely, you understand my dilemma.”

“Oh, sure, definitely,” Vélunis drawled, “Man, I wish all of my dilemnas were about whether or not I should conquer the whole damn galaxy.”

“Enough. I have spent enough time talking,” Morcii turned away, “I’ve had my fun; enjoy yourselves, Aldredanoids, for the next we meet I shan’t be so gracious as to allow you time to respond–“

“Overdrive: Speed Break!!”

Instantly, Davídrius was on Morcii, his blades driven clear through the Nanocreature’s chest. He immediately followed with a fierce flip-kick, slamming his feet into Morcii’s head and smashing him to the ground. The Nanocreature leader quickly responded by extricating himself just in time to catch the Introtechnic’s foot as he followed up with a round-house kick, forcing them to lock eyes momentarily.

“That burst of Chaos Energy…” Morcii muttered, and then smirked. “So you unlocked your Overdrive, all for me? I’m flattered.”

“Not for you,” Davídrius scowled, “This ain’t for you.” He broke out of Morcii’s grasp, shattering the Nanocreature’s hand in the process before dropkicking him across the battlefield. “This is for Siyuakén! And all the other poor fuckers you think you can stomp all over!”

“You never cease to amaze–“ Morcii started, but was interrupted as the Introtechnic appeared nearby and slammed his foot into the Nanocreature’s mouth, obliterating his chin. Recoiling, Morcii quickly reached to grab Davídrius by his throat only to be forced to dive to the side to avoid another kick; the Nanocreature leader immediately followed by leaping into the sky, ceasing his ascent several hundred meters above the battlefield to turn around, transform both of his arms into massive laser cannons, and then get smashed back groundward as Davídrius easily reached his height with a single bound and slammed his foot into the Nanocreature’s back.

“Overdrive: Infinite Lift!” Wilkas shouted, just in time to intercept Morcii with a massive blow and send him careening through the air and into the mountain across the valley. Davídrius and Vélunis both immediately took off down the mountainside, using their Superspeed Introtechnic speed and reflexes to reach the other side of the valley as Kevérin simply flew after them.

“No…!” Kievkenalis frowned, squinting at the other mountain in frustration, “I can’t get over there! How am I supposed to help– uaah?! Wilkas?! What are you doing?!”

“You wanted to get to the other side, right?” the Superstrength Introtechnic replied as he easily hoisted Kievkenalis into the air and turned toward the valley, “Well, here you go–!”

“Wait, what, no– aaaahhhh!!”

“…You can’t be serious,” Kaoné stared in disbelief as the Chaostechnic disappeared into the air. “You really just threw him across the valley.”

“Don't worry about it,” Wilkas waved her off, preparing to leap down the mountainside himself when a massive lightning bolt suddenly struck him from above, once again shutting down his armor. He immediately threw himself to the side to evade another strike before turning toward Siyuakén, who stared back blankly. “…Looks like we’re stuck with this bitch.”

“Wilkas–!”

“Look, I never knew her, aside from the fact that she blacked out Nimaliaka Central and trashed the Gateport,” the Introtechnic clenched his fists repeatedly, stretching his fingers as he stared down the corrupted Nimalian, “All I know is that she’s in the way, and we need to get rid of her.”

“But…” Kaoné frowned, throwing Siyuakén an uneasy glance, “…but, she–“

“No buts!” Wilkas exclaimed, smashing his fists together before slamming his right fist into the ground, launching large rocks into the air that he punched to send them flying toward Siyuakén, “Now c’mon! Watch my back! And fix my armor already!”

*             *             *

“Overdrive: Limitless Weaponswright!”

Immediately Vélunis created a line of railguns in the air before pointing them at Morcii and unleashing a barrage of weaponfire, throwing up immense amounts of rock and debris. Davídrius disappeared into the cloud faster than anyone could track; the instant afterward Morcii was tumbling through the air before catching himself on a rock wall, using it to rocket himself back at the Introtechnic. Davídrius quickly knocked the Nanocreature leader aside with his blades, allowing Kevérin to swoop in and bathe Morcii in flame – flames that the Nanocreature easily swept aside as he leaped into the air, smashing his head into Kevérin’s gut before grabbing his arm and launching him groundward, where he slammed into Kievkenalis just as the Chaostechnic approached and sent both Chaotics tumbling down the mountain.

Vélunis quickly followed by opening fire with the railguns again, blasting Morcii with projectiles in an attempt to shoot him out of the air. The Nanocreature leader took the first volley directly but whipped around and snatched several bullets out of the second volley, launching them back at Vélunis before diving down to the ground to repair himself with a handful of approaching Nanocreature ground units. Davídrius immediately moved to intercept him, managing to kick several of the units down the mountain before they reached Morcii but failing to prevent the Nanocreature leader from completely healing his wounds. Morcii then turned his attention to the Introtechnic, lunging forward to engage in close-quarters combat at a far higher speed than any non-Superspeed Introtechnic could track.

“They’re… too fast…” Kievkenalis muttered, watching the battle in front of him and Kevérin uneasily.

“Even with the Chaos State, we can’t match that,” Kevérin scowled, “Damn it, not again! Can’t the Ayas ever help us at all?!”

The two Chaotics were then forced to duck as Davídrius was sent flying over their heads and tumbling down the mountainside. Morcii vaulted over the two as well, offering them a fleeting glance before spinning around mid-air to counter several javelins Vélunis had launched at Mach speeds. Davídrius quickly took advantage of the opening to dash back up to Morcii’s side and dropkick him down the mountain before taking off and intercepting the Nanocreature leader to bicycle kick him into the air. Vélunis instantly open fired with his railguns again, ripping off Morcii’s left arm and leg as he dashed down the mountain himself, crafting a dozen swords in a ring around himself before launching them upwards at the Nanocreature. Morcii immediately moved to counter the attack, transforming his severed limbs into disembodied hands that he used to catch two of the blades and then deflect the rest. The Nanocreature leader then threw the blades at his opponents – one toward Vélunis and one toward Davídrius – just as he transformed his hands into laser cannons and opened fire. Vélunis dived out of the way, but Davídrius simply tanked the blast with his armor as he leaped into the air and spiked Morcii with his heel, instantly slamming the Nanocreature to the ground. Morcii quickly jumped back to his feet but was suddenly blown sideways as Vélunis rammed into him; Davídrius immediately intercepted Morcii with another kick, launching him across the mountainside where Vélunis jumped in front of him and blasted him with his railguns yet again, following up with a hard kick that knocked Morcii back into the air. Davídrius jumped up after the Nanocreature, swinging his foot down hard to spike him again – only to have his kick stopped as Morcii grabbed him by his heel.

“That attack may have worked the first time,” he snorted, and then yanked his arm down, launching Davídrius toward the ground below, “but you’d be a fool to expect it to work again!”

The Nanocreature leader dived into the ground, barely missing Davídrius as the Introtechnic managed to jump away. Vélunis quickly followed up with another railgun volley, but Morcii simply leaped out of the way before slamming his floating hands into the Formtechnic and then grasping him by his ankles and hoisting him into the air. Davídrius jumped in to try and sever the bonds but was intercepted by Morcii, who had replaced his severed left leg with his right arm – transformed into a left leg – and deftly blocked each of Davídrius’s blows with his feet alone before suddenly growing an arm out of his chest and punching the Introtechnic in the face, sending him reeling back in surprise. Morcii then lifted his right leg into the air and brought it down over Davídrius’s head–

“Chaos SLAM!”

Kievkenalis suddenly rocketed into Morcii, impacting the Nanocreature leader with an explosion of Chaos Energy and knocking him clear down the mountainside and into the crevice below.

“The fuck was that?!” Davídrius exclaimed, recovering from being knocked back himself.

“That… that was a movement type ability,” Kievkenalis muttered, dumbfounded. “I… didn’t know I could do that. I shouldn’t be able to do that…”

“But you tried it anyways?” Kevérin snorted, quickly approaching and alighting next to the Chaostechnic.

“I don’t know, it just popped into my head…”

“Look, I’m glad for you and all, mate, but we’re still in the middle of a fight here,” Vélunis commented as he dropped to the ground after cutting himself free of the Nanocreature binds, “He’s stuck in the crevice, now would be a good time to get the drop on him.”

“You’re right,” Kevérin lifted into the air again, his flame jets melting the rock underfoot, “I’ll sweep the crevice with fire and then we’ll jump in and catch him by surprise!” He blasted away from the mountain before stopping his flame jets and allowing himself to fall toward the crevice as the other three Chaotics quickly jumped down the mountainside themselves. Within seconds, Kevérin found himself just above the lip of the crevice – immediately he re-engaged his flame jets and then filled the entire area with flame, covering the rocks and lighting up the darkness as if hell itself had appeared. He maintained the heat bath for several seconds before snapping the fires out of existence; Kievkenalis quickly followed up with a quick call of “Chaos Assist” before the four Chaotics jumped down into the crevice, Kevérin lighting up their path with his flames.

“Ungh–!” Davídrius grunted upon landfall, “…this crevice is deeper than I thought.”

“Is this a major fault line or something?...” Kievkenalis questioned, staring upward at the thin sliver of light that was the crevice opening. “How is it so deep?”

“And so dark,” Vélunis scowled, crafting a rifle with a flashlight attachment and using it to look around, “…Let’s hurry up and finish off Morcii. I’m already having second thoughts about coming down here.”

“As you should! Though your foresight comes a little too late.”

“What–?!” Kevérin exclaimed as the light above them disappeared with the sound metal hatches slamming shut. The Pyrotechnic immediately bathed the entire area around the Chaotics in flame again, illuminating the dark crevice for meters around – and revealing Morcii’s levitating form.

“To think, that you actually followed me into an underground area…” the Nanocreature leader chuckled amusedly, “Your lack of foresight is appalling.”

“We can still fight you here, easily,” Davídrius shot back, “Hell, easier than up above, even. There’s nowhere for us to go, sure, but there’s nowhere for you to go, either!”

“Nowhere for me to go?” Morcii echoed, and then grinned viciously. “You seem to think that you’re capable of tipping the scales in your favor. Well…” he paused momentarily as a deafening cracking noise reverberated through the crevice, “…you’re wrong.”

“Tch–!” Davídrius scowled and then leaped at the Nanocreature leader, but before he had cleared even half the distance a rock column exploded out of the wall beside him and slammed him into the opposite wall.

“Again, you underestimate the Nanocreatures!” Morcii exclaimed, “You underestimate my abilities, and you underestimate my control! You leave me no choice but to claim you for myself, Quakeborn, even if I must beat the Ayas out of you first!”

“Chaos Deflect!” Kievkenalis called out just in time to knock away a large boulder that almost crushed the Chaotics. He then glanced around at the rock walls as they began to tremble violently, shaking loose smaller rocks and dust that cascaded down to the crevice floor. “Guys, we need to get out of here–!”

“There is no escape, Aldredanoids!” the Nanocreature leader slowly rose higher and higher into the air as more and larger stones began falling to the ground, forcing the Chaotics to direct all of their attention to avoid being crushed, “Lie buried with your hubris, trapped under your foolishness! For now…” he glared down as the rock walls on either side of him completely shattered and caved in, “…you all belong to me!”

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 66 ====================

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