Armageddon (Sess, Effie)

Feb 22, 2019
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#21
Sofie nodded slowly, looking up to the Excellence, a dread forming in her heart again, "The black box, huh? Hmm.. Could you record something? I could always have it as a backup, mama. But wait, what would you say?"

The girl cuddled into Merida's grasp, smiling as she felt soft and warm. Safe.

Her thoughts were interrupted as James strolled over, leaning up with excitement but careful enough to not hurt Merida in her excitement for food. She sat up straight, wiggling where she sat as if getting comfortable again.

"Ah.. two bowls?" Sofie asked, looking to James then Merida and then back to James with a quizzical look.
 

Hitura Rael

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#22
He smiled and held his hands out, palms forward, and wiggled his fingers. "I only have two hands. I'll eat later."

Merida rolled her eyes and focused on eating. "He was worse of a dork when he was a teenager."

James laughed, "Says the one who ran our games! A fair warning, she's... more sarcastic as a young adult."

Merida shrugged, "Got me there." She shook her head and stirred the noodles around in her bowl. "We will record some messages tonight before bed."
 
Feb 22, 2019
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#23
"Just make sure you eat, okay?" Sofie said with a pout, taking the bowl and giving the noodles a stir before beginning to quietly eat. Her eyes shifted ba j and forth to James and Merida as they exchanged quippy blows at each other, trying to stifle her giggles.

"That sounds good, Mama", Sofie replied finally, setting down the empty bowl and turning to stare long and hard at her Excellence with a renewed determination.
 

Hitura Rael

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#24
"I'll eat." He smiled.

Merida soon finished only half of her bowl before passing it off to James.

James grinned and took it. "This is why I don't cook for myself initially. She eats like a little bird most of the time." He ignored the daggers Merida glared at him as he finished her bowl.

Soon, they put the lights in camp out and settled down to sleep. Merida took the first watch, James trading with her half way through the night. Each took the time to record a message into the Excellence's black box. Dawn quickly came though...
 

GEAR

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#25
"This is it?"

"As promised, my malformed friend."

Two figures watched on the outskirts of the arena, the morning wind whipping about their frames. Around them...

Lay nothing but ruin.

Ruina and Pantheon forces alike mingled in the wreckage, spreading out from one of the individuals. Its form was... indistinct, but there was no doubt that such a thing was desirable, nay purposeful, though to what ends, none could say. It stood roughly thirty meters in height, but that was all that could be immediately determined, as its entire form was shrouded in a billowing, thick cover of fog that bled into the surrounding area, flashes of power emanating from within, the only clue as to its identity being a pair of green eyes that peered out.

Were James to behold it, he would immediately understand it to be an application of the Lying Black Sheep... Yet, not even that foul artifact of disruption could so completely mask an entity's presence. Slowly, those two points of light turned to regard its companion, perched a safe distance away on a ruined building, segmented tail swishing gently back and forth below as it toyed with a curved, crimson blade, catching the light on its surface.

This one made no effort to conceal its form - its surface was curved, yet rough and coarse, like a lumpen approximation of a finer form, with two almost insectoid wings, a dark, charred coloration, and a set of gnarled teeth peering out from beneath a single, cerulean eye - the other half of its face lying in ruin. Indeed, the "Zelvoid", if it could be called as such, looked as though it had been given a terrible thrashing - its body was riddled with scars and holes, yet it seemed to feel none of the pain associated with such, idly admiring its reflection in its blade.

Its indistinct partner turned away, as if disgusted, as it regarded the dome.

"Don't look too smug, foul shade. Once I have the Pretender's Sphere..." - The eyes gave a flash, as a tinny, heavily filtered voice delivered its threat -

"Yours will be next."

The other just laughed, the dark Masouki clapping its cracked, clawed hands in amusement at the threat, as the sun crested the horizon on this, the final day of humanity.

"Of course!" Its pilot, a young man's voice crowed;

"I just wanted to witness this revenge of yours first! A fine show, before departing for the depths of Hell!"

If the Unknown had a response, it was muted as it raised a hand in the direction of the dome. With a groan, black flame began to coalesce in the outline of a palm before it, a distant, unearthly wail building as Dimensional Energy was gathered in immense quantities.

"...You are a strange one." It remarked dryly, before the palm was relaxed - and a blast of pure, obliterating force was sent in the direction of the santuary. It lashed the outsides, tearing it asunder, scorching free the outer layer of the already taxed structure, turning buildings to ash, and superheating the air such that cars in the streets melted into burning puddles - and yet... It was capable of so much more.

A warning shot, albeit the most grandiose in human history.
 

Hitura Rael

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#26
James laid back on his perch, watching the sky's gradual transition from black to blue. It was the last day... If Sofie knew what he was planning, she wouldn't go through with it. But it was absolutely necessary. There was no other way, that ship had sailed. He frowned as a presence tickled at his senses. Several, though a few were weak. Damn.

He jumped to his feet and made his way down. "Girls! Time to get up! We got company!" He yelled down to them. He had never thanked the gods for Merida being the lightest sleeper in existence before, but today he would praise that. He made his way down the stairs, reaching the girls as the stadium was slammed with the force. He fought through the ground and walls shaking to get clear of falling debris and to the Genion.

Merida bolted upright when James yelled down. She rubbed her face, then leaned over to shake Sofie awake. "Come on, get up. We gotta move!" She did not hide the urgency in her voice. If the girl were smaller... she'd have just carried her. But alas, fate loved to fuck with her and make everyone stand at least six inches taller.

Once the harassed teenager was awake and moving, Merida grabbed the girl's hand, leaving their camp supplies where they had lain to get to the Genion and Excellence. They would arrive before James. "Get in the Excellence and prepare to move, but do not go until we move. We'll distract them. Stay low, stay out of the fight if you can."

She braced the girl as the force of the attack slammed into the stadium. She watched with worry for James, only looking slightly relieved when he finally emerged from the dust cloud. She gave Sofie one last tight hug. "Stay safe." She kissed her forehead and climbed up into the cockpit of the Genion. James did not stop to tend his daughter. He flashed her a grin and climbed into the cockpit, sealing her parents inside the blue and white machine.

The eyes flared to life moments later with an emerald glow. Genion stood and waited for Sofie to be safely sealed inside the excellence before taking to the sky. It found a perch on top of a stable building, staring at the two assailants. "Wow. You know smoking is bad for your health right?" James addressed the sheep masked machine.

"And who hit you with the ugly tree? It's generally wise to not pick fights with people bigger and older than you. Or were you making out with an alien? That's how you contract chest bursters you know." He taunted the second machine. They needed their full attention
 
Feb 22, 2019
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#27
Sofie faintly heard James' voice, but assumed it was a dream and fell asleep again, curling the covers tighter around her. It had to be a nightmare with how he was screaming, and she really just..

"..Huh?" Sofie was harassed awake by Merida with urgency, and in that moment, Sofie snapped wider awake than any coffee she could have had. In one hand, she grabbed her trinket box, which had her gifts and the recorder and shoved it into her bag quickly; her other hand grabbing a quick little snack, the first thing her hand could find before Merida grabbed her own hand and ran.

Sofie stared at Merida, heart thudding in her throat as the tall Irish girl was given strict instructions and nodded, embracing that final forehead kiss and returned the tight hug. It was only maybe a second, but Sofie paused that moment forever in her mind and imprinted it into her soul; it would last for as long as she lived, heaven willing.

"You too, mamaí.." she whispered as she watched Merida disappear into the Genion and soon James. It was maybe a few seconds of staring at the now closed cockpit before she turned and rushed into the Excellence cockpit, stumbling as the stadium was shaken by the earthquake like strikes she felt. Once safely inside, she strapped herself in and closed the cockpit, pressing buttons and throwing a few levers to activate the Excellence. She grabbed the controls and moved to stay low to the ground, hopefully hidden from sight.

Her trigger finger itched to help her parents, but her will to obey orders out weighed the need and for now, Sofie simply.. waited.
 

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#28
"Ambriel the Over Raiser." Rumbled the smoldering form, its voice a cascading mess of tones and cadences as the Genion emerged,

"We meet at last."

The Zelvoid glanced down - and suddenly took a leap back. Coils of crimson were snaking out from where the machine stood. Around it, the earth melted and hissed, as if it were being broken down by a trillion tiny insects. Somewhere within the indistinct cloud... A hand curled into a fist. Shaking its head, the Zelvoid raised a hand and pointed away from the two - its pilot had no intention of being affected by that particular venom.

"Oh, don't mind me." It chuckled darkly in response to James' taunting, tapping the side of its head knowingly.

"I'm not here for you."

As if on cue, its form shot up - and with a whirl of the wind, transformed into its flight form, rocketing away - no, around James, circling around the battlefield. Meanwhile, the unknown took a step towards the Genion, eyes aglow as it focused. The sheer hatred it was exhuming was almost... palpable, like a blazing pressure forming about the man's person.

"The Twelve... Shall be united as one..."

A blurred fist was raised, trembling with might. There was a glint of green somewhere in there, as the phantom's voiced trembled and slurred, almost as if they were speaking in a trance, half to James, half to themselves.

"But not before I have cleansed your cursed blood from this world..." - the voice suddenly tapered up into an unearthly screech as the form tensed:

"PERISH!"

The form raised an indistinct knee - and slammed it down, sending a wave of blood-red energy tearing through the battlefield, snaking across the ground as it pulverized apart the town - but it was no mere Dimensional Energy, no - the power of the Resentful Scorpion, and its dread poison, filled the surge, ravaging everything in its path like a plague of locusts - and it would do the same, if it were to strike James...
 

Hitura Rael

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#29
"... Who?" James asked with no small amount of confusion to the man? in sheep's cloaking. Who the fuck was Ambriel? "Hey, as long as you don't get involved and stay out of the way you can sit up there and sip tea for all I care." Great, a gnat to circle his head for a while. Well, the only choice was to finish this quick then. He was definitely not going to try to save ugly at all, not with how nutter butter THAT one seemed to be. This was not going to be good.

James tensed as the red energy snaked across the town. Merida flipped the com system to shut off broadcast to the enemies and focus it only to the Excellence. "Sofie, do NOT let that energy touch you. Even if it means you're seen, do NOT touch it."

Dimensional energy coalesced around the Genion, warping it's appearance and armaments. The brilliant green energy settled into the GAI's hand. The Genion Gai made a dismissive flip of the hand, discharging the gathered dimensional energy. The bleeding red energy slowed down to a crawl as it's hue shifted to purple, then came to a complete halt as it shifted to a deep blue. The resulting inert sludge settled into the ground.

Merida let out a slow, tense breath, then switched the com system back to normal.

"Normally, at this point, I would try to talk things out instead of fight. But you seem completely off your rocker and pissed for some reason. So. Let's cut right to the dance, shall we?" The Gai shifted stance, right leg back, left leg forward, left arm outstretched and hand up. The finger's snapped, aiming the explosive well of energy right under the shadowed figure's feet.
 
Feb 22, 2019
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#30
Sofie stayed well hidden way down below, waiting for a cue to spring into action or just.. just so anything. She watched from the distance the Genion and whatever that thing.. was.. spat back and forth. The girl shifted inside her cockpit, uncomfortable and at unease by the red energy that zipped across the skies.

Merida's voice reached to her through the intercom system and Sofie mildly panicked, but didn't let it show on her face as she nodded, gripping the gears a little tighter, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Please be careful.." she muttered to herself, staring up at the Genion and Zelvoid.
 

GEAR

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#31
The nanomachine wave dissipated harmlessly against the Genion's surroundings, now little more than a drab paste, the hatred that had once envenomed its rampage now deadened with sadness. As the Genion snapped its fingers, the indistinct form didn't even try to dodge - it simply stood, and the space about it convulsed - twisting into an earth-shattering explosion, one that blasted apart all of the surrounding buildings, causing them to cave in on themselves.

A bright light was visible within the cloud of dust kicked up by the devastation - no, just light...

Fire.

"This agony...!"

The smoke suddenly cleared, as the unknown came barreling out of it, coming directly for the Genion, ethereal, flickering flames now spewing from its body. Even as it hissed and spat from the damage that had been wrought by James' attack... It showed no sign of slowing, even as its pilots voice grew even more distorted with each passing second, as though it were teetering on the brink of absolute destruction.

"I'LL RETURN IT ONE HUNDRED FOLD!"

As it closed in, its body grew in brightness and density, like a miniature sun-

And then... Detonated.

"PAIN SHOUTER!"

It was like a megaton bomb going off right in front of the Genion's face - a spherical wave of pure, emerald energy that blasted out in all directions, incinerating the surroundings in a blast of pure, raging power, such that it turned the sky itself verdant with fury. Bolts of Dimensional Energy lashed about, tearing power lines, cars, shattering windows and hurling concrete - nothing was spared.

Watching the detonation from a safe distance, the Zelvoid's pilot gave a low whistle.

The power of the Wounded Lion wasn't to be underestimated, he mused. Were it only simpler to wait until the oaf had managed to burn out what little of his life was left... His job would be much easier. Alas, such things weren't in the cards... No, he sought a prize of a different sort. A treasure hidden from all eyes but his own...

The eyes that the Dreaming Twin Fishes granted him.

The Zelvoid transformed back into its humanoid form as it scanned the ground below. Within its cratered head, there was a dim, green glow as it turned back and forth, slowly... Until it settled on a direction, its one, ferocious eye narrowing its camera as it focused on the object of its desire.

It was looking directly at Sofie.
 
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Hitura Rael

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#32
James raised an eyebrow as the shadowed machine remained in place, not bothering to even try to move. That wasn't good.

Fire burned within the dust, dancing brilliant and bright... And it came barreling straight at the Genion.

"Oh shit." Merida muttered behind James. "You're going to dodge that right...?"

The Genion stood fast on it's perch, watching the burning streak draw ever closer.

"James...?" Merida asked with growing panic in her voice.

He blocked her out. He needed to time this just right for it to work. The blinding light drew closer...

The Genion's color shifted, the entire chasis tinted blue. The explosion engulfed the mech, consuming it violently.

"Don't you ever fucking do that again!" Merida shouted at James and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Oww... Don't hit the pilot." James whined as the Genion touched down with only minor damage to the feet. The machine's colors returned to normal, the Boost Up was deactivated. He rubbed the back of his head and watched the smoking debris field where the enemy machine had detonated, trying to pick the machine out of the smoldering carnage so he did not get the drop on them.
 
Feb 22, 2019
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#33
Sofie waited patiently and watched, waited and watched, waiting.. waiting.. Her trigger fingers were beginning to itch as she just felt so.. so useless just sitting and waiting for something to happen. She swept her hands through her hair in mild frustration, knowing being impatient wasn't going to get her anywhere any time fast.

It was then as she told her head back and held back her deep brown hair that she noticed something was staring right at her and her stomach sank to her feet and heart jumped to her throat. She inhaled slowly, counting to 10 and released her tension as she gripped the handles of the cockpit. Sofie would do whatever it took to maintain her cool, stay out of harms way and when she had to go, she would go.

"Hey? Uh? Mom? Dad? They've got visuals on me," she said to her intercom, buckling herself in tighter and snuggling herself in for probably a bumpy ride.

"Alright ugly.. come to mama," she muttered to herself, steeling herself for impact of some kind as she remained still but focused.
 

GEAR

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#34
The Genion's husband-wife duo watched as the cloud of devastation began to settle - and in mere moments, their patience would be rewarded. The top of the cloud burst, as a form somersaulted towards them, the air filled with a slow, rising howl. The roiling mass seemed to grow ever more chaotic and unfocused with every passing second - but, in that instant, as it rocketed through the gloom, James' trained eyes might have caught it raising something - an indistinct arm, over its head.

Twisting unnaturally, the monster swung the outstretched appendage in the direction of the Genion - and a wave of force smashed out - invisible to most, yet not to James', whipping through the air. It was eerily similar to the GAI's own strike - albeit considerably less focused, and more haphazard, but no less dangerous. There were no coherent words from their foe at this time - only more anguished, guttural howling, its pitch and tone as stuttered and uncertain as the cage which held it.

Meanwhile, the Zelvoid narrowed its eyes as it spied the Exellence. Within the cockpit, a pale, pointed face gave a slow, knowing smirk.

6D1DD2C5-DE21-4F3A-84B6-1B28A7D49938.jpeg

"Daughter of Gemini. Traitor of Destiny." Said the man, thoughtfully, an equally pale hand circumnavigating his chin;

"Let us test your resolve! Hunt, Zelvoid!"

With that cry, the Masouki plunged from the skies like a hellish dart, directly in the direction of the Excellence. From within its damaged skull, that same light gleamed - and flashed. Bolts of emerald energy surged forth, pulverizing apart the area around Sophie, trying to snatch at the Excellence's chest armor, keeping it from gaining altitude to meet the foe as they tried to close in on her...
 
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Hitura Rael

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#35
James clenched his jaw, watching the settling dust. His gaze did not stray as he answered Soffie in a tight voice, "In a minute sweety..." The tension in the air felt tight on the skin, smothering with each breath. The waiting was the absolute worst part, forever hanging in the air as an oppresive miasma; A strange phenominon where a lifetime could be lived in the span of mere moments.

The tension shattered and drifted away like dust in a hurricane, leaving only the sting of dread and panic. The shadow cloaked weapon emerged from the haze in a violent display.

Merida's face screwed up in a grimace as the shadowed beast emerged from the smoke. She steadied her voice, a firm and encouraging tone, "Keep steady kiddo- If he bothers you fuck him up like we taught you."

The Genion GAI's chasis flashed blue again, leaving behind a phantom of itself as it jumped over the heat haze like wave of energy. The Genion came down, close to the shadowed mecha. If it was not reacting fast enough, the foot would plant firmly on top of it's head before the Genion bounced off and over, away from the machine. It twisted mid air to face the demon. As it's feet planted on the earth, the Genion braced itself. Three concentric green rings formed in front of the chest, radiating from the building charge of energy. An emerald orb sprang fort, glowing red in the center, trapped for a split second within the rings. "Shift Helheim!" The energies merged into one, jettisoning toward the feral beast.
 
Feb 22, 2019
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#36
"Daughter of what? I'm not a Gemini, I'm a Scorpio you dirt bag," Sofie commented back, scoffing as she gripped her controls, already ready to take flight at a moment's notice.

"It's fine. I was trained for this remember," Sofie replied to Merida, eyeballing their fight briefly before all attention was laser focused on the ugly looking thing coming her way. As she braced herself, she gasped and began to move quickly to avoid the flash of green that shot around her, which caused her to rock back and forth in the cockpit; good thing she was buckled in tight. Moving the controls, the Excellence pulled out it's long rifle, firing multiple shots at the Zelvoid.

"Man! You gotta check that out, looks pretty fecking bad. There a doctor in the house?" Sofie yelled as she danced around the emerald green rays. She gained some altitude in her tactics, green eyes narrowed for higher skies, as she was best higher up and farther away.. but she at least had some melee tactics if it really was necessary.

"Who even are you?" she grumbled, firing off the laser-rifle again, in hopes to ping back the Zelvoid just a touch more; gotta keep that distance!
 

GEAR

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#37
The specter twisted with the Genion, arms blazing to life with verdant energy as it did so, preparing to sink its own claws into its hated foe - but its eagerness proved its undoing, as the Helheim projectile smashed out, boring directly into its chest. For a moment, it simply hung in the air, as if trying in futility to overcome the force now pressing into its being - but the concentrated ball of Dimensional power won out in the end, sending it plunging through the air with an animalistic shriek of hatred. It impacted the ground below - and the sphere detonated, sending up a riproaring explosion.

However, unlike the previous instance... The foe was visible at the bottom of the resulting crater, shuddering as it slowly began to rise to its feet - clearly dazed, yet not quite finished yet.

"Who am I?"

The Zelvoid's pilot gave out a cackle of delight as his machine's hellish form plummeted towards its prey. The machine's willowy, leaf-like wing binders flared as it skimmed across the airwaves, blasts from Sophie's rifle bursting distorted clouds all about it as it frantically ducked through the onslaught. The young girl's training, it seemed, had paid off - as her practiced aim kept the Masouki at bay, unable to effectively close the gap between them any further for fear of sustaining a more direct hit, as the Excellence gained more favorable altitude, rising into the air like a shining star.

"A forgotten soul! The wayward dream of this world, a last gasp as it suffocates from its own hubris!"

Still, they seemed hardly deterred. The Zelvoid's free hand flexed - and then cast itself towards the Excellence, a gloomy magic circle pulsing into life across its surface.

"Fly, familiars!"

With that, the crimson blade was slashed across the circle - four blazing entities emerged in quick succession, each one resembling a burning crow, darting through the air and leaving trails of white particulate behind them. They closed in on the Excellence, quickly breaking and whipping about its frame, slashing at its arms and legs, trying to drag her back down below - or at least afford the Zelvoid the opportunity to close to its preferred range...
 

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#38
"You really don't know when to give up do you?" James frowned at the figure struggling to it's feet in the crater. He had no time to worry about Sofie and the Zelvoid, this was the more dangerous opponent. The girl could handle herself. She had to, if she was to succeed at her mission.

The Genion snapped it's fingers again, aiming the wave of dimensional energy at the shadowed prone figure. As soon as the explosion went off, Genion dove down at the crater. A green glow suffused the Genion's fist, pulled back to deliver a powerful blow. They did not wait for the dust to clear first this time. The Genion's fist jutted forward, just before impact, to deliver one hell of a punch where the torso of the monstrous mech should be.
 
Feb 22, 2019
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#39
"Yeah I thought that was a simple question. Yknow, I say who I am, you say who you are, we go out for a pint and probably just forget whatever is going in and you just feck off and I feck off on my own way. Sounds pretty sweet eh?" Sofie replied, but paused as the Zelvoid pilote cackled and felt a shiver up her back, but her relentless firing didn't let up; it kept the distance comfortably far away.

"Man that sounds rough buddy. Ysure you don't wanna go grab a pint?" said the Irish girl, who was underage anyway so maybe a nice root beer would be good..

"What the feck is that?" she muttered as something zip towards her. Stowing the gun after firing a couple more shots, the Excellence whipped out a saber made from our energy and began to slash at the familiars; firing the Destruction Rifle would waste ammo, as they were too small to aim at precisely. Sofies makn goal was altitude; she needed to get higher and this was costing her to stall.

"Oh feck off you poor excuses for flies!"
 

GEAR

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#40
Click.

As the Genion snapped its fingers, the crater was enveloped in a storm of emerald, a pillar of power that erupted into the morning sky, further savaging the land. Within the crater, however, the foe still remained - rising to its knees even after horrendous damage, a cloud of black smoke around it as it scanned left and right, searching for James.

"Where...?!"

A little too slow, it sensed the Genion's approach far too late to do anything about it.

At long last, the GAI's fist - easily its most devastating weapon - found its desired mark... and the effects were both immediate, and dire. The fist swam through the black cloud, and connected with... something solid. The two machines were motionless for a moment, frozen, staring eye to eye... and then, just like that, the enormous weight of the Quarreling-Twins driven blow struck home.

To say that the enemy vanished would be an understatement - the sheer force of the strike let out an immediate scream of tearing metal, and the unknown was sent slammed into the ground so hard that waves of emerald power lashed out, scything apart the very ground, sending a literal earthquake roaring across the area like a shockwave, causing the mysterious figure to go careening down, down into the dark depths of the earth, explosions roaring across its frame, screaming in pain and anguish...

Until at last, there was nothing but silence.




"Such bravado! Bravo, bravo!"

The Zelvoid's pilot, it seemed for the moment, was incapable of breaking his manic rant even in the face of offers of drinks from attractive young women.

Unfortunate, that.

"Our fate is cut from the same cloth, the same accursed lamentation!"

Sophie's strikes were surprisingly successful at repelling the advances of the Familiars, the icy-blue blade of the Excellence keeping the crow-like apparitions at bay until thy at last dissipated, giving her a moment's rest-

"The final drop of hope that could be wrung out of a world plunged into despair!"

But only that, as she had also given the Zelvoid's pilot the time they so needed. Rocketing in from above, the damaged Masouki's crimson blade flashed as it dove, swinging the weapon out in a lightning-fast chop that burst the clouds as it fell, aiming to sever the Excellence's arm at the elbow with remarkable precision, as if to disarm it - though the Zelvoid seemed not to lack the capacity to attempt a more fatal blow. Perhaps they were simply seeking to drag the fight out, for whatever reason?