章 5: Cutting Down The Sky Beast In One Slash!

Sparks flew!

"Eh, that beast…?" Hao's lobes twitched at the sinister orchestra playing from the dreadnaught's armaments, trained to reduce him to ashes. Even though his Vibe Sense was humming, it fell short in spying the precise perch of the hovering monstrosity. Instead, he leaned on his superhuman audio faculties, girding himself for the forthcoming deluge of steel. His heartbeat quickened, adrenaline flooding his veins, stirred by the looming peril. Hao had to hustle, but his judgement was shrouded by a fog of doubt. The nagging feeling of being a duck in a shooting gallery nibbled at his self-assurance, yet he swatted away the thought of giving in to desolation.

"Chin up, lad! I've got this," he pep-talked, giving his cheek a crisp slap.

Dash!

With each stride along the drain's ledge, Hao's mind spun like a hamster wheel, trying to craft a strategy. If he could just close the gap with the sky beast, he might be able to hitch a ride using his blade's Night Tamer skill, thereby nullifying the menace. Yet first, he had to brave the bullet blizzard.

Menacingly looking down at his target, the pilot's fingers hovered over a trigger with ominous intent. "Time's up, you bleedin' rogue! Think you can rob the Imperial Storehouse and get away with it? To make matters worse, you've stolen a Blade Edge that could stir up a cataclysmic event. I wouldn't have to push this button and end your life right now if you would just desist from your renegade act."

Crunch!

The pilot's digit bore down on the trigger, signalling the start of an intense downpour of hot lead onto Hao.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

These metal messengers of doom tore the air apart, their power of obliteration displayed in the way they atomized the surrounding concrete. To Hao, each bullet was a grim reaper's calling card, a warning that one clumsy step would spell his downfall.

"This is getting bloody heavy!" Understanding the urgency, Hao honed in on the bullet symphony, using his Vibe Sense to predict their paths. He contorted, pirouetted, and vaulted, his movements a work of art, expertly choreographed and calculated to dodge the lethal downpour.

The bullets drummed down in a ruthless rhythm, yet Hao pushed his limits, narrowly skirting death by a hair's breadth. He strung together a ballet of evasive manoeuvres, every fibre of his being, every ounce of his might, strained to stay a step ahead of the leaden storm. His muscles screamed in protest; their agony was a constant reminder that this couldn't be an eternal dance.

An exasperated snarl escaped him, "Blast it! How am I supposed to find that bloody sword if I can't dodge this bullet bonanza? The way things look, I've only got one trick left up my sleeve. That pilot's got to go."

Fuelled by a resolve to reach the aircraft; termed—sky beast, Hao took a gamble. Spotting a lamppost up ahead, he used his blade as a springboard, the resulting momentum flinging him high into the ether, beyond the bullet's reach. While airborne, Hao readied himself to employ the Night Tamer technique.

"Show's over, mate." His fingers were ready to unleash Vibe Edge from its scabbard.

"Huh, is he pushing up daisies yet?" Shuffling along the drain's rim, Diana picked up on the gunfire's crescendo and sneaked a peek at Hao while her lips were sprouting a devilish grin. The sight of her prey fighting tooth and nail was a treat to her senses. But her revelry was short-lived when Colgate hastily snatched her hand, pulling her clear of an imminent collision with a metal pole.

"Pay attention, Diana!" He admonished, not breaking stride. "Focus on retrieving the sword."

"My bad," She mumbled, her cheeks ablaze. "Thanks, Colgate. I owe you one." Having expressed her gratitude, she shot another look back. "What!" Hao's upward trajectory towards the sky beast twisted her face in irritation. If he managed to board, capturing him later would be akin to scaling a mountain. "Colgate, that bastard's making a dash for the aircraft!" She alerted while slowing down her pace.

"What?" This revelation prompted Colgate to cast a look behind him, particularly above where the aircraft hovered.

Meanwhile, up in the ether, Hao executed his Night Tamer in the nick of time. A solitary swing was all it took for him to vanish in a shroud of dark noise, only to re-emerge on the sky beast, a hair's breadth from the pilot.

"What in blazes!" The pilot was caught unprepared, falling prey to Hao's swift and lethal swordplay.

Swish! Swish!

"Enjoy the dip, old man." Hao cleaved open an exit in the aircraft, sliced through the pilot's seatbelt and then booted him out for a swan dive.

"Ah!" The pilot's shriek echoed as he plunged into the sludge-filled drain. Should he live through the noxious stink, he would need more than just soap to scrub away the grime.

Whirr!

The absence of a pilot sent the sky beast into a downward spiral. "Woah! Steady there," Hao grasped the controls, veering it towards the drain in hopes of spotting the elusive X-Class sword. A wicked smile spread across his face as he looked out the window at the Imperial Hounds below.

"What!"

"Huh!"

Colgate and Diana's pupils dilated in horror as they saw the rogue aircraft careening towards them. Recognising the peril, they leapt clear of the impending crash. Hao, foreseeing the imminent wreck, once again harnessed his Night Tamer, evading the doomed sky beast and reappearing unscathed on terra firma.

Kaboom!

The aircraft smacked into the concrete, exploding into a stunning inferno. The blast flung debris in every direction, and a thick plume of smoke rose from the wreckage, tainting the air with the bitter scent of scorched metal. The heatwave distorted the air, creating an otherworldly mirage.

In the ensuing chaos, Colgate shielded Diana instinctively, bearing the brunt of the explosion. He lay sprawled on the ground, shell-shocked and disoriented, while Diana tried to rouse him. "Colgate, pull yourself together! We can't let him walk away scot-free!" she coaxed, worry etching her visage.

"Wow, that's really blazing. I can feel the hairs on my arm withering under the intense heat." Basking in his fleeting victory, Hao flashed a smirk at the spectacle before him. Not one to waste time, he spun on his heel and resumed his hunt along the drain, scouring the muck-laden floor for the X-Class sword. This mighty weapon held the key to his rise in Crossblades' annals of power and prestige.