Chapter 103: For the Alliance!
Vivi and Alexander clashed mid-air, each flying around the other as they exchanged attacks. You got better, Alexander noted.
I practiced! she shouted back between strikes. Her whip was sharp and unpredictable, rapping the air with a series of fiery booms. A ring of liquid fire surrounded her, blocking Alexander every time he approached.
So what? You are just a girl, a child. You are useless. Your achievements are due to luck, and your subordinates all doubt you, he berated her. Since he was the one attacking, he had the time to speak. You are a fake leader, an imposter. You are bound to crash eventually, as the world realizes your fake status. You were nothing before, and the apocalypse cannot change that.
Silence! I am not a fool, Alexander. I will not fall for such blatant mental warfare!
But she did. Being aware of what was happening didnt change much. Alexander had struck her most painful chords, and a portion of her attention was snapped away. It was enough for him to gain the upper hand.
She screamed and shot a torrent of flame at him, but he easily dodged out of the way.
Youre weak! he shouted.
No, Vivi replied, smiling. Youre just stupid.
His eyes narrowed, then widened. He didnt look behind him, but he knew. The torrent of fire flew through the air and landed on the arena stands, exploding like a water bomb.
Coincidentally, the moment it landed, the seven bounty hunters happened to move right in front of the explosion. They screamed as the fire burned through their clothes and clung to their backs. Brother Taos staff broke ones chest, and a note slashed anothers throat.
The Sage smiled. Whoops, he said. How lucky. He had messaged Vivi mentally and told her exactly where to aim.
The other bounty hunters recovered, but only four of them were left nowone had fallen during the battleand the opponents remained three, though Tao and Vanderdecken were injured.
Their eyes glimpsed with hesitation. Right then, green energy showered them, filling them with energy. They were brand new men and women. Even the one whose chest had been broken stood up, ready to fight again.
Vanderdecken cursed. Not alright! he shouted, then dropped out of his persona for a moment. Somebody needs to handle the fucking healer!
***
Edgar was floating on a blue cloud and flying back as fast as he could. His sandstorms clung to Gan Salins legs, flaying the skin off them, but the canine didnt seem to care. He had gone so insane that he probably didnt even feel the pain.
Come back here! he shouted, slicing through wind birds like they were nothing. I just wanna talk!
Hell no! Edgar screamed back, rushing to escape. The distance between them was shortening, and his mana was running out fast. Would he last more than the maniac who felt neither pain nor exhaustion? Probably not. He had to do something.
Unfortunately, as he glanced around, nobody seemed about to help him. Dorman and Li Xiang were locked down by Fesh Wui and Shard Presht, Vivi was fighting Alexander, the Flame River was busy with the Ice Peak, the other three were fighting a bunch of greedy assholes, and Jack was trying to punch through three E-Grade robots.
Edgar was alone.
At least, he wasnt doomed to lose. He was strong. If he played his cards right, he would win. Gan Salins legs were already close to crippled.
Green light washed over the canine, restoring the flayed skin and torn muscles. Edgar cursed out loud. Someone get the fucking healer! he screamed, accelerating his retreat. The difficulty of healing rose exponentially when people reached the E-Grade and got Dao-infused bodies, but in the F-Grade, healers were kings!
***
Jack was punching robots. His body was durable, easily shaking off any glancing hits. His new Skill, Ghost Step, was enough to outmaneuver them, and he was smarter, too. His knuckles were hard and his muscles strong, sending the robots flying with every strike.
The problem was that they never stayed down. The most he had achieved was denting them a bit!
Fuck me, he muttered. All he could do was wait for his allies to winhopefully.
Somebody get the damn healer! Edgars voice reached him. Looking down at the sandhe was on the top of the spectator standshe saw Edgar locked in combat with Gan Salin.
Fuck me, Jack muttered again, but this time, it was decisive. They couldnt win like this. The sky went dark and all sounds disappeared. A purple meteor formed around his fist, carrying tremendous powereven he didnt know how much.
The disappearance of colors and sounds was an effect that was usually countered by other Daos. Now that he had a Dao Seed, however, his Dao eclipsed the Dao Roots of everyone present, making the effect persist.
He smashed a robot. It raised a shield to defend, but Jack didnt care. He struck so hard that the explosion rocked everyone else, disturbing their fights, and the robot smashed into the stands behind it hard enough to crack the stone. Jack struck again. After getting strengthened so much, he could now throw a few Meteor Punches in quick succession.
A second Meteor Punch struck the stands where the robot was embedded. The arena exploded under his fist. Chairs and broken wood flew everywhere, and a large crack appeared in the stone as the arena split. He had cracked it open like an eggshell, a thin line exposing the city beyond.
Idly, he wondered if breaking the arena was customary for Integration Tournaments.
The robot was still there, but it was so deeply embedded in stone that it would need some time to extricate itself. That left Jack with only two robots, which wasnt enough to stop him.
He Ghost Stepped multiple times in succession, out-maneuvering and escaping them. He rushed for the elef. Her personal robot flashed before him, but Jack had expected this and unleashed another Meteor Punch without stopping. This one came from below and to the side, smashing into the robots shield and sending it flying away, over the top of the arena. It wasnt hurt, but of course, it couldnt fly; it needed some time to return.
Until then, the healer was exposed. Jack hadnt stopped running, taking a deep cut in his outer thigh for the trouble, but this was more important. The elef didnt hesitate in the slightest. She took out a wooden-looking badge with weird lines on it. Jack recognized the deviceit was the same thing Gan Salin had used to escape him back in Valville.
He prepared a Meteor Punch, but it wouldnt reach in time.
She squeezed it. Light gathered around her.
In that instant, Jack Ghost Stepped mid-strike. His Meteor Punch left a long purple tail as it was dragged alongside him, appearing before the elef in an instant. The explosion happened at the same moment that she teleported away. Jack only managed to see her expression of pain before she disappeared.
He looked around but didnt see her anywhere. However, he did spot her robot landing atop the arena and then jumping away, heading for the town at full speed. Either it was a risky bluff, or the elef wasnt here anymore.
Jack chose to believe the former.
The two robots fell on him again, soon joined by the third, but he returned to conserving energy and watching how the others did. After all, there was no telling when Rufus would emerge from his breakthrough. He had to remain at his best.
***
The Flame River and Ice Peak were clashing furiously, each faction employing their own team tactics. Sadaka led the effort on the Flame Rivers side, and Elena Richter did the same for the Ice Peak. Flames danced and melted ice, which froze again on the spot. Complex geometrical shapes were formed on the stone where the spectator stands used to be, the wood long sheared off.
Eventually, training outdid experience. Elena drove an arm-sized ice spike through Sadakas chest. His eyes grew wide. Then, their light faded, and Sadaka was gone. The surrounding flames destabilized, letting the Ice Peak advance.
***
Li Xiang and Dorman were a fearsome duo. The old man played around the teenagers moves, covering every hole. After Gan Salin had left, this dual battle was slowly tipping in their favor. The only thing keeping the scions in the game had been the elefs healing powers.
Damn! Fesh Wui cried out. We lost our healer! Shard, we must retreat!
He backed away, but Shard Presht was a beat too late to follow. Dorman and Li Xiang fell on him at the same time. He was unable to defend. They tore him to pieces.
***
Vivi clashed repeatedly against Alexander, but she was pushed back. They used to be equals, but he had gotten the lotus of fire and ice. His Dao was slightly more advanced, and that small advantage was enough to secure his victory.
She more felt than saw the flames wavering far under her feet, where her faction fought. They were unstable, which meant they had lost their core. That could only mean one thing.
No! she screamed, launching out her defensive rings of flame as a jet heading directly downward. She had to at least secure her people some time to escape.
Unfortunately, that took away her greatest defense. Alexander flashed inside her guard instantly, striking with his twin swords without leaving her a moment to reorient herself. Her whip was slashed in half, a wing was shorn off. Vivis throat bulged as it prepared to unleash fire, but Alexander had seen this trick before.
He flashed behind her. Nobody will save you this time, he said, then stabbed.
***
Without disturbances, Brother Tao, Vanderdecken, and the Sage tore into the five remaining bounty hunters, who were already trying to retreat. This battle wasnt going their way.
Scatter! one of them said.
They did. Vanderdeckens notes rushed after the one with the crossbow, catching up to her and cutting her to pieces. Brother Tao hunted another, but he was too slow. Suddenly, the running bounty hunter missed a step, his eyes going blank for a moment.
It was the Sages interference.
Brother Taos heavy staff smashed into the fallen mans body and pulverized it. Before he had time to rejoice, the Sages warning out in his mind: Careful!
He barely turned in time. A sharp machete came from behind, shining with the power of an active Skill and aimed at his neck. He dodged it, taking the hit to his left arm. It was lopped clean off.
Brother Tao screamed as his staff took the offending womans head off.
***
Edgar was cornered. Healing energy had stopped streaming into Gan Salin, but he remained insane and resolute, shrugging away all damage. He was bleeding from many places, his clothes were torn, one arm hung limp, and he sported heavy burns, but he remained as wild as ever.
Got you, he said, pouncing at Edgar. DIE!
Gan Salins Dao Roots gave him the power to run through Edgars magical salvos. They also made him stupid. If not, he would have recognized the pattern.
Quintus Convergius! Edgar shouted, siphoning out the final bits of his mana. His staff lay broken at his feet, but the gem at its top still worked. The elements nearby shook as the gem unleashed a white light of pure magic at Gan Salin, who took it right in the chest.
He was catapulted backward, leaving a trail of blood from his mouth. He landed hard against the back wall and stayed down. Edgar chuckled. I beat a scion, he thought. Whos the loser now, mom?
He didnt dare let himself lose consciousness, but he was completely spent. Any random attack could end him. Slowly, he used his last bits of strength to crawl under some nearby debris, hiding himself as best as he could, and only then did he let himself faint.
***
Nobody will save you this time, Alexander said, stabbing at Vivis back. Suddenly, all color disappeared around him. He folded his wings without the slightest hesitation, letting himself fall, and the meteor that exploded above his head sent him flying diagonally towards the stands below, where Dorman and Li Xiang had just killed Shard Presht.
The moment Presht had died, his robot had gone stiff, then turned away and flown towards the town. Gan Salins robot had also retreated beside its unconscious owner, guarding his body. That left Jack with only one robot, which allowed him to interfere in other battles more easily. Alexander and Vivis fight was climaxing just then, and he shot out a meteor at them, trying to stop Alexander. He succeeded, albeit barely.
Alexander fell out of the air towards where Dorman and Li Xiang were pursuing Fesh Wui. The eagler didnt even have time to pull out his escape talisman. He was covered in wounds and only barely surviving by running away at top speed.
Alexanders one wing was broken by the meteor, so he couldnt right himself, but he knew an opportunity when he saw it. As he rotated in mid-air, he launched two successive ice spikes at Dorman, who was too busy hunting Fesh to notice the attack. It came for his head.
Li Xiang jumped in between. He smashed one ice spike aside with his palm but didnt have time to stop the second one. Left without a choice, he took it with his body. The ice spike pierced clean through his belly, nailing him to the stands belowhe had slowed it for an instant, and that was enough for Dorman and Fesh Wuis fight to move a step away.
As the old master was nailed into the stone, Dorman looked at him with wide eyes. Fesh Wui instantly grabbed the opportunity to crush his escape talisman, disappearing, but Dorman didnt care.
No, he muttered, then screamed, NO!
Li Xiang smiled. Be brave, he said, coughing out blood. Strong. Honorable.
And then, without another word, he passed away. His blood oozed from his belly like a fountain and painted the stone red under his feet.
Dorman turned towards Alexander, face warped in rage. Jack beat him to the punch. He appeared next to the falling Alexander like a ghost.
Jack had expected people to die. He had seen many suffer that fate since the Integration, and he had killed people himself. But they had been all been strangers. When Li Xiang passed away, someone who was just an acquaintance, the flood of emotions hit Jack like a solid wall. They frothed up from somewhere deep inside him with intensity he never expected, tinging his vision red and filling his heart with mute despair.
If he felt like this on an acquaintances death, what would happen if someone important to him died? The professors smiling face flashed in his mind, and the fear that overtook him fueled his rage further.
Fuck you, he spat out, readying a full-force Meteor Punch. Alexander wrapped his remaining wing around himself, but there was no way he could take the strike head-on. He braced himself for death.
The attack never arrived.
Careful! the Sages voice rang in Jacks mind, but it was too late. A tremendous power landed on his back, shooting him into the stands so hard that he dug into the stone. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he looked up.
Rufus Emberheart slowly landed across him. His mane was fluttering in the wind, and his face was a begrudging scowl. The aura of a perfect Dao Seed spread outside his body, contesting Jacks, and everyone who looked at them felt like they were looking at two mountains crashing into each other.
Leonine, Level 50
Faction: -
Title: Planetary Torchbearer (10)
Rufus clenched his paws, then said, You owe me a battle, Jack Rust. Stand up.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel