Capítulo 1503: Challenger
While the children were enjoying their first taste of 'another world', another version of Vahn slowly ascended a set of winding stone steps. There were massive red tori gates framing the entire path, giving any who ventured forth a feeling as though they were passing into another dimension.
If you didn't have an invitation, this peculiar path would lead anyone who ventured inward around in an endlessly looping circle. Even if you tried to backtrack, you would never find yourself back at the entrance, giving the sense of descending indefinitely.
Vahn actually found such 'gimmicks' kind of cool, as, if you bounced a ball down the path, it would eventually appear 'behind' you from above. This path was essentially the combination of a powerful illusion and looping multiple spatial points. If you knew the trick behind it, breaking free was actually relatively simple as you needed only find the boundaries of the loop, destroying the Tori responsible for ensnaring you in the first place.
Due to the peculiar laws and restrictions governing Yokai, even their most nefarious traps 'required' the inclusion of a failsafe, a means by which those trapped within could free themselves. They were unable to create truly inescapable traps, and, unless their 'victims' met certain conditions, even killing them was off-limits. Thus, so long as you had a proper understanding of the rules, dealing with the majority of Yokai was relatively simple. Rather, they treated their life as little more than a game, one where they took great pleasure in just messing around and enjoying life to the fullest...
After reaching the top of the path, Vahn found a familiar figure waiting for him at the entrance of an expansive palatial shrine. They were wearing an outfit reminiscent of a Shrine Maiden, but, instead of a full-length hakama, they wore a skirt that wouldn't even extend past their palms. In a way, this was even worse than Circe's original outfit, as, whenever she moved around, anyone with even a decent level of perception would be privy to quite the sight...
As he was already quite used to this, Vahn brought his hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner, his eyes shifting to gold for a brief moment as he commented, "Your skirt is .8 centimeters shorter than the last time I saw you. It seems you haven't given up, eh, Suzuka?"
Rather than show any sense of shame, Suzuka smiled mischievously, her fox-like ears twitching as she brought her finger to her lip and mused, "This little one has no idea what Ten'nō-sama is talking about? We are just a lowly handmaiden...how could we ever harbor any intentions~?"
Towards the end of her words, Suzuka gave a polite bow before taking a few steps back and turning around. This made her skirt appear even shorter, and, if not for her fox-like tail obstructing the view, it would have been possible to see a lot more than just Suzuka's slightly exposed butt cheeks. She seemed to be going all out this time around, as, when she walked, her tail would sway from side-to-side, almost hypnotically.
After dealing with other vulpine women, including Haruhime, Shizune, and Tamamo, Vahn was less affected by their trickery than most. He knew Suzuka was just trying to win his favor in an effort to improve her standing, as, after challenging Tamamo for supremacy, she ended up getting defeated pretty severely. This wasn't because Tamamo was stronger than her, quite the opposite, but due to the 'authority' possessed by the former. The duel had also forbidden the use of killing techniques, so, despite possessing enough skill to even rival Musashi, Suzuka was ultimately suppressed by the three-tailed Tamamo.
Though he couldn't deny it was tempting, as Suzuka was an incredibly beautiful woman, Vahn had a considerable amount of resistance to those who 'only' saw him as a way to increase their standing. If her feelings were more sincere, he probably would have pushed her down long ago. Instead, she still looked down on him quite a bit, believing he would ultimately relent to her charms. This hadn't won her any favors amongst the women in the Inner Sanctum, but, as she quickly realized the danger of opponents like Artoria, Suzuka set her sights on ruling over the Yokai District...
As Vahn was 'absentmindedly' following along, he noticed a very small fluctuation in the surrounding space. Immediately thereafter, a small statuette fell off a display stand, causing Suzuka's ears to perk up as if she were surprised. At the same time, her tail also raised in alert, exposing her relatively small yet perfectly sculpted butt. More noticeable, however, was the pristine, seemingly untouched mound that bisected the two immaculate cheeks, forming a 'perfect line' crested with a chrysanthemum.
Vahn raised his brow slightly at the sight, not simply due to the fact she was exposing herself to him, but because of how she picked up the statuette. Rather than squatting down, she elected to bend at the waist, presenting her exposed bottom and holding the position for several seconds. For a brief moment, she even sneaked a peek at him through her legs before waggling her butt slightly in an effort to entice him further...
Rather than push her down, Vahn had a sudden urge to smack Suzuka's backside. As a result, a light chuckle escaped his lips before he adopted a look similar to an Art Critic, saying, "Exquisite...almost like a pure, shaven, peach..."
While speaking, Vahn had started to approach Suzuka, causing her breath to quicken as she began to tense up in anticipation. Unfortunately, just as she was searching for the words to further entice him, she felt a surge of electricity run through her body, preempted by an impact and the sound of something hard striking flesh.
With her balance disrupted, Suzuka fell forward while exclaiming, "Eeei...!?" in a surprisingly girlish tone. Her hands instinctually moved to protect her butt from further abuse, nearly causing her to fall face-first only the hardwood floor. Fortunately, Vahn spared her this fate, but, rather than thank him, Suzuka had tears building up in her eyes as she shouted, "You brute! Even my father never spanked me before...!"
Hearing Suzuka's outburst, Vahn lightly rolled his eyes before remarking, "I'm not your father. I am your Emperor. Have you forgotten...?"
Though she could still feel her butt pulsing due to the pain, Suzuka's expression immediately shifted from a look of blame to a demure blush as she lowered her eyes and answered, "This little one could never forget her Master's, Ten'nō-sama's, greatness. If...if it pleases Ten'nō-sama, this little one would be happy to receive another punishment..."
Following her statement, Suzuka pulled up her skirt to reveal a red handprint on her left butt cheek. Then, with a heavy blush on her face, she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes in anticipation of her 'punishment'.
Seeing his handprint, Vahn felt a little guilty, so, after releasing a tired sigh, he lined his hand up with the mark, using [Hands of Nirvana] to heal it almost instantaneously. This caused Suzuka to open her eyes in confusion, finding her Master staring directly at her, exasperation visible in his countenance as he said, "Sorry...I got a little out of hand. For now, return to your room or attend to your duties. I know the way."
Finishing healing Suzuka's butt, Vahn let her stand normally as he walked past her without looking back. This left the vulpine woman staring at his back, her golden eyes glimmering thoughtfully even after he vanished around the corner. Then, with a small frown on her face, she rubbed her still tender butt before muttering, "Damnit. So close...!" as she turned away and retreated toward her room with uneven steps...
---
After escaping Suzuka's vulpine temptations, Vahn made his way towards one of the larger rooms at the back of the shrine. Then, after taking a breath to steady himself, he opened the sliding bamboo door to find an increasingly familiar sight waiting for him on the other side...
In the past, Tamamo had been exceptionally clingy, but, after spending time in the Menagerie, she mellowed out quite a bit. When he asked her to serve as a counterbalance for Shuten, she had gladly accepted the responsibility, establishing a sizeable territory for herself in a single evening. Afterward, she spent most of her time cooped up within her shrine, basically living the life of a 'shut-in'. Though she still took her duties very seriously, most matters were resolved by her Shikigami, beings similar in structure to the masked entities that had appeared in the Moon Cell.
With little to do, Tamamo spent most of her time holed up inside her room, either playing games, viewing his memories, or eating various sweets. She even had a Virtual World Terminal installed, so, half the time he visited, Vahn found her sleeping inside the protective capsule with a rather lascivious smile on her face. What made matters even worse was the fact that, by some twist of fate, she wasn't the only one who had given in to such a 'depraved' lifestyle...
Despite having already announced his presence, Vahn was left standing in the doorway with a wry smile on his face as he saw four figures engaged in an intense battle. Other than Tamamo giving a quick, "Ah, one moment!" none of the others even acknowledged his presence. This caused Vahn to release a small sigh as he pulled a plush beanbag-style chair out of his Inventory and plopped down.
While the battle between the four girls was certainly intense, it wasn't as if they were fighting in the real world. Rather, they were playing a game called Street Tournament 5, a fighting game that had been quite popular before The Fall. It had even developed an international following, coinciding in the development of a Championship Series to determine the best players from around the world...
If said 'best players' were to see the current scene, they would have been completely captivated by the sight of four world-class beauties. When their eyes eventually turned to the screen, however, any thoughts of trying to impress the four would fade away, replaced by sheer incredulity. After all, due to the nature of Heroic Spirits, playing the game 'normally' would be impossible. Instead, they were playing a version of the game that ran at 20x normal speed, rebalanced by Ark so that the characters had massive health pools and balanced hitboxes.
In order to withstand the inputs of Heroic Spirits, arcade controllers that qualified as B-Rank Artifacts had been developed. Anything weaker wouldn't be able to 'survive' a heated match, as, when things got tense, controllers were sometimes sent flying. There had even been an incident where Tamamo transformed into a giant fox after suffering defeat one-hundred times in a row, destroying half of her shrine before she was finally pacified. As for her opponent, it was none other than Tomoe Gozen, the Yokai woman who had, in the past, refused to live within the Yokai District.
A stark contrast to her proud and noble self from the past, the current Tomoe was wearing a loose white t-shirt, a partially unzipped black hoodie, and, of all things, black spats. She currently had an expression of intense focus as her hands dexterously manipulated the controls, their trajector nearly invisible to the naked eye. She had lost the countenance of a warrior committed to dying on the field of battle, instead, becoming a person who enjoyed experiencing hundreds of different lives through the characters in video games.
Seeing how much fun Tomoe was having, Vahn didn't really have much to say about her unexpected kinship, not with Tamamo, but the other two girls flanking her...
As had become a bad habit of his, Vahn turned his eyes to the two pert mounds covered in glossy black material. Tomoe wasn't the only one in the room wearing spats, as, to her left, laying on her stomach and creating quite the sight to behold, Altria could be seen absentmindedly eating pocky as her hands danced across her own controller. She had arrived in Avalon merely three weeks after the first conflict with the Heroes Faction, claiming it was 'too troublesome' to help clean up the mess in China.
Vahn had always felt a little guilty about bribing Altria to fight on the side of the Heroes Faction, so, when she began to randomly appear around Avalon, he had gone out to meet her. There, he came across an even more troublesome sight, as, by happenstance, the other Altria had been conducting some kind of field test in the area. As a result, the two near-identical women began fighting it out in the middle of the sea, their attacks sending shockwaves that caused minor damage to a few nearby fishing vessels.
After intervening in the fight, and mediating a very long discussion, Vahn agreed to let the taciturn glutton reside within Avalon. As a result, her counterpart, who now simply went by 'X', also decided she would stay, purported to 'keep watch and make sure Altria didn't do anything wicked'. This had caused Vahn a few headaches around the time, but, with Artoria having already 'dealt' with X prior to the incident, things had been 'relatively' calm.
Now, seated to the right of Tomoe, wearing a blue cap, blue windbreaker, and spats of her own, X could be seen furiously mashing the buttons of her controller. She had an extremely frustrated look on her face, her eyes tearing up slightly, as, on the screen, her character was being caught in what appeared to be an 'infinite combo' by Tomoe's. She was trying to break out of it by button mashing, but, with a look of absolute focus, Tomoe was able to maintain the combo without dropping it for even a moment.
With her character trapped in an inescapable combo, X tossed her controller with enough force to embed it in the ceiling, exclaiming, "This isn't fair at all! How are you able to do so much damage with a handicap!?"
Without a single change in her expression, Tomoe began engaging Tamamo's character while plainly answering, "You fought well. I am simply better at this game than you are."
Hearing Tomoe's response, X mussed her hair in frustration, knocking her cap off and exposing a full head of silky golden locks. Then, with an exasperated sigh, she fell backward, laying on the floor and only just then noticing Vahn seated behind them. Her mental faculties seemed to have shut down completely as her sapphire-blue eyes, still moist from her whining, quickly began to dry out due to her unblinking gaze...
Since the others were still focused on the game, Vahn lifted his hand in a greeting gesture, stating, "Yo." in a casual tone. This seemed to liberate her from the stupor she had found herself in, causing her to instinctually zip up her windbreaker as she adopted an awkward smile and asked, "How long have you been sitting there...?"
As X was still laying on the ground, looking 'up' at him, Vahn couldn't resist the urge to tease her, answering, "Since before you got wrecked by Tomoe's combo. What did I tell you about breaking controllers? You haven't even worked off your debt for the previous seventy...or was it eighty?"
Though the Empire had functionally inexhaustible resources, that didn't mean they could be used and squandered arbitrarily. Rather, most things were created with a specific purpose in mind, and, unless it was something you naturally produced, all materials and requests were handled by Ark. If you were unqualified to work with the materials requested, the would simply be denied to you. As for instances where people destroyed or damaged the goods they were supplied, there were various penalties, mostly resulting in the offender having to pay off their 'debt' by either assisting in research projects or performing manual labor.
Hearing Vahn's words, X's face paled slightly as her eyes began swimming around for some kind of excuse. Then, causing him to deadpan, she adopted an awkward smile before lowly unzipping the upper half of her windbreaker...
Causing X to nearly jump due to her surprise, a cold monotone echoed through the area as Altria, without even turning to look, commented, "Lewd..."
Now in a seated position, X had tears in her eyes as she glared towards Altria and said, "Don't call me lewd! Aren't you the one who behaves like a cat!?"
Due to X's distraction, Altria ended up suffering a swift defeat at the hands of the opportunistic Tomoe. This caused a very small change in her expression, her amber-eyes glimmering slightly as she pushed her controller forward and sat up. Then, seemingly egged on by X's words, she languidly crawled toward Vahn on her hands and knees, stopping just short to raise her hand like a cat's paw and dully intone, "Nyaaa..."
Since their appearances were very similar, albeit with variations to skin, hair, and eye color, X always took critical damage when she saw Altria behaving 'shamelessly'. This was further exacerbated by the fact that Vahn unhesitantly extended his hand, lightly caressing the underside of Altria's neck as he said, "Good kitty~."
With a victorious glimmer in her eyes, Altria made a 'v' sign with her fingers before taking things a step further by crawling forward and laying with her back against Vahn's lap. This wasn't the first time she had done something similar, so, without showing any real surprise, Vahn pulled out a few snacks from his inventory and began feeding her as if it was perfectly natural...
Seeing the shameless duo, X looked like she was on the verge of pulling out her Rhongomyniad and eliminating evil from the Universe. Before she could act, however, Tamamo suddenly shouted, "No! I can still aim for a reversal...!" just as her character was KO'd by Tomoe. This caused her to turn into a living statue for a brief moment, while, at the side, Tomoe just giggled before saying, "It was a good match. As expected of my greatest rival."
Though she was still deflated by her loss, Tamamo's ears perked up in response to Tomoe's comment about being her rival. This caused a small smile to develop across her face, but, rather than challenge the undefeated Oni to another match, she turned towards the sight of her Master coddling another woman. For a brief moment, a flame of envy began to burn in her chest, but, seeing her Master smile back at her, Tamamo's negative feelings melted away in an instant as she mused, "It seems a new challenger has appeared~."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Someone get this woman a drink...!','Bunch of degenerate gamers xD...','Some say Heaven is a place on Earth (UwU)...')
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Capítulo 1504: Stardate 1803.15
From within a circular room lined with sensors and display panels, a handsome man with flowing blonde hair stood somberly atop an elevated command platform. He was attired in a stylish white military dress uniform, complete with accents of gold. Pinned to his breast were more than twenty medals, neatly arranged, and highly polished. He was a veteran of many battlefields, and, though he had only recently become the Captain of his own vessel, a XM-Class Frigate, he was determined to distinguish himself further.
Within the same room as the Captain, known by his peers as Cyrus D. Kennedy, thirteen of his most trusted companions manned various consoles, each assigned an important duty intrinsic to the operation of their craft. Should they fail in their assigned tasks, the operational efficiency of their ship would suffer greatly, causing hiccups within the onboard computer that, in the heat of battle, could cost them greatly.
Like Captain Kennedy, each member of his crew had light hair colors, attractive features, and, most notably, angular ears framing a face set with striking blue eyes. They were each proud members of the Eternal Elfheim Empire, a well-respected affiliate of the Pangalactic Coalition of Unified Sovereign States. They were a proud and noble race who, under normal circumstances, carried themselves with the dignity expected of Officers of the Imperial Navy. This had earned them a considerable amount of respect and adulation from their peers, but, now, as if this pride had been nothing but an illusion, their eyes showed a considerable amount of fear and trepidation.
Though he masked it well, Captain Kennedy also felt uncharacteristically nervous, as, visible on the various monitors lining the room, a total of 173 enemy vessels could be seen. Their own side had a mere sixty-two vessels, and, though these were not insurmountable odds, it was the structure of the enemy ships which inspired fear. They, unlike the sleek and organic designs employed by the Eternal Elfheim Empire, were horrific vessels patchworked together from various conquered civilizations. The methods used in their construction made them appear to be demonic in nature, complete with sharp protrusions, angular frames, and paint jobs that were inspired by various predatory creatures.
The Pangalactic Coalition may be the most powerful and respected collective within the Geoserra Super Cluster, but, when it came to the most universally feared, they weren't even in the top three. These positions belonged to the horrifyingly adaptive Primals, the mysterious and undefeated Nine Devas, and, most notoriously, the scourage of the Universe, the 'Freedom Armada'.
Despite its name, the Freedom Armada was essentially a gathering of vile and wicked Space Pirates, brigands who plundered entire worlds and waged endless wars against other factions. They ignored all existing treaties, extinguishing countless lives, and, worst of all, glassing the surfaces of more than a thousand conquered worlds just to prevent others from settling them. Their actions were what led to the formation of the Pangalactic Coalition itself, but, rather than be cowed, the Freedom Armada had openly declared war mere hours after the treaty had been signed.
Now, after the destruction of three of their frontier planets, the Eternal Elfheim Empire had sent its Flagship, the Yggdrasillia, accompanied by three Super Dreadnaughts, eleven Destroyers, twenty-two Corvette-Class Light Cruisers, five Heavy Frigates, and a complement of twenty support vessels. This was one of the most powerful force the Empire could spare without leaving its 'back' exposed, as, in failed attempts to stop the Freedom Armada's advance, many civilizations had lost their homeworld after sending an intercepting fleet. It only took a handful of ships to glass the surface of a world, so, with the Freedom Amada simply ignoring most rules of engagement, everyone aboard the Spear of Frey could only lament the depravity of their enemy...
While waiting for his orders from the Flagship, Captain Kennedy continued to stare solemnly at the onboard displays. The enemy had already heated their weapons batteries, so, at any given moment, sub-light plasma could be flung from the enemy vessel at more than 200,000km/s. By the time the systems detected the attack, it would already be hitting them, as, from the moment they saw the tell-tale sign of blue light, the plasma would have already reached them.
The only effective means to avoid enemy plasma and laser bombardment was to take advantage of the vast distances between ships, constantly moving around in order to overtax the opposition's targetting computer. Unfortunately, despite this being well known, the Fleet Admiral had ordered their entire armada to maintain formation, protecting the thirteen-kilometer long Yggdrasillia, the ship that was supposed to be protecting them...
If he were in charge, Captain Kennedy would have used the Yggdrasillia as a lure, taking advantage of its ridiculous shields to draw enemy fire as the rest of the fleet split up to pick off enemy vessels. Staying in a formation was basically suicided, as, the moment a lob of plasma hit your shields, it was only a matter of time before it burned through. This was due to the fact that heat had a hard time siphoning away in the vacuum of space, allowing materials to retain their temperature. This was very useful when designing weapons, but, when you were on the receiving end of a plasma attack, you could only lament your misfortune...
As this thought crossed his mind, Captain Kennedy began to see 'illusions' of the enemy firing their main guns. This caused his body to tense up, but, as no impact came, he knew it was just his nerves beginning to get to him. If the Admiral didn't give an order soon, he might not be able to resist the urge to simply defect. It was better to live and fight another day than to die following the plan of a group of imbeciles who were better politicians than commanders...
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Captain Kennedy turned to his First Officer, a young woman with longer than average ears and a neatly arranged bun formed from her golden hair. This was one of the most popular hairstyles for females as of late, and, seeing how it accented her beauty, Captain Kennedy could understand why. Unfortunately, the one time he had asked her out, she wasted little time in quoting the Imperial Code of Justice, specifically referencing the conduct of Senior Officers.
Captain Kennedy wasn't sure why this thought suddenly came to mind, but, as if they were on the same wavelength, the First Officer pushed up her glasses before lightly muttering, "If we both make it through this...I'll take you up on that drink..."
As sound traveled pretty far within the Command Room, several other Officers laughed in response to the woman's, Lieutenant Elissa's, remark. Captain Kennedy was no exception, his tensions relaxing considerably as his laughter joined his subordinates. They were well aware of how grim this situation was, but, as this was the path they had chosen, there was little sense in laying blame. Rather, if they wanted to survive, it would require near-perfect cooperation, their minds and bodies moving like a singular, organic, being...
In the middle of his laughter, Captain Kennedy was alerted by a small ping in the back of his mind, indicating a comm line had been opened. This was something they all heard clearly, cooling the atmosphere on the bridge and returning everyone to a state of focus. Once they had all resumed their positions, Captain Kennedy gave a small nod, stating, "Go ahead and patch them through, First Lieutenant."
Following a curt response from the young man at the comms station, the central display monitor experienced a momentary flicker, transitioning from a view of the battlefield to a proud-looking man with leaf-green hair nearly reaching his lower back. His features even made the members of Captain Kennedy's crew seem average in comparison, especially with his ornate military dress and the crown of golden branches adorning his temples.
With machine-like precision, Captain Kennedy immediately saluted the man's image, earning a very small nod of approval before the man said, "Detailed instructions have already been sent to your onboard computer. You will direct your vessel to the coordinates listed before engaging the enemy fleet. As you are undoubtedly aware, this is not a battle we can hope to win. It brings me shame to admit, but, even if we prayed to the Great Spirit for protection, this would still become our shared grave. However, to protect what we must, there is no path of retreat left. An evacuation order has already been issued, so, in order to ensure the greatest number of survivors, we must fight and hold the enemy here."
As the man spoke, a complex battle simulation began to display within Captain Kennedy's vision. His vessel, like many others, had effectively been assigned to go on a suicide run. They were expected to charge into enemy lines like common foot soldiers, taking out as many ships as possible before their own was ultimately destroyed. To make matters even worse, the battle strategy didn't show the path of the Yggdrasillia, a sure sign that the Flagship would be beating a hasty retreat soon after the fight began.
Clenching his teeth with enough force to cause pain in his molars, Captain Kennedy did his best to maintain a neutral expression as he promptly saluted and answered, "Understood! Eternal Glory to the Elfheim Empire...!"
Without even bothering to salute in turn, the green-haired man gave an almost indiscernible nod before his image flickered out. This left the bridge eerily silent, the only sounds coming from the persistent whirring of distant machinery and the subtle sound of the environmental control system.
Seeing the looks his crew was sending toward him, Captain Kennedy felt like he had somehow failed them. Despite this, he maintained the calmest countenance he could manage, stating, "We have our orders. As unpleasant as they may be, there are people counting on us. The enemy outnumbers our fleet nearly three-to-one. I'm expecting us to take out at least four ships before we get eliminated. It might not matter to those bastards up top, but we still have our pride to uphold."
Though they weren't exactly motivated by their Captain's words, everyone on the bridge gave him a proper salute before manning their posts once again. Then, after a series of deep breaths, the pilot, a young woman with somewhat wild hair, began to slowly propel the ship forward along, joining the suicide charge of more than half their fleet...
Almost immediately after their ship began its advance, the enemy vessels sprung to life, their crude engines releasing hazy blue exhaust into the cold void of space. Their surfaces began to glow with the tell-tale signs of an energy shield, and, from within the vicious maw-like cannons lining the hull of their ships, massive lobs of superheated plasma began tearing through space, promising death and destruction to anything unfortunate enough to be struck.
Fortunately, the weapons systems of the Freedom Armada were several generations behind the average Coalition vessel. Though their plasma projectiles could travel upwards of 200,000km/s, the vast distance between vessels meant it could take several seconds to hit a target. In that time, their position would have changed completely, requiring advanced systems to predict how your enemy would move. This required an incredible amount of processing power, as, while it might be a simple feat to target planets and asteroids, hitting ships traveling anywhere between 10~30% the speed of light was 'exceptionally' difficult...
Seeing superheated plasma pass within the periphery of the monitors, Captain Kennedy felt like he could feel it singing his skin. They had missed by several kilometers, but, all things considered, that was actually a 'very' close first volley. Fortunately, plasma weapons took a long time to charge, so, for a brief moment, their ship was able to pass through the rain-like laser fire, their own weapons now white-hot.
The Spear of Frey was equipped with three primary plasma cannons, seven-hundred laser batteries, and twelve torpedo bays. It also had a total of sixty Interceptors, single-man crafts, and a seventeen Mechs, humanoid vehicles that were generally used for precision strikes on stationary facilities. This was a rare payload for most Frigates, but, as this was his first ship after obtaining his coveted rank, Captain Kennedy had sunk his entire fortune into outfitting it. Now, he somewhat regretted his past decision, but, considering the circumstances, having more firepower was better than having less...
As the targeting algorithm displayed a value over seventy percent, indicating the accuracy of their weapons, Captain Kennedy wasted no time in shouting, "Set a delay of twenty seconds between the firing of each cannon. I want no more than a minute of downtime before we have enough charge to sink one of these despots!"
Following his order, both Weapons Officers answered in acknowledgment as the frontmost cannon released a massive blob of superheated plasma. This caused their own shields to ripple slightly, but, compared to the devastation it could cause, a loss in shield integrity was a small price to pay.
Due to the rapidly shrinking distance, the Spear of Frey was able to land a direct hit on an enemy ship, a crude vessel that looked vaguely like a fish with saw-like teeth. The plasma had cut into the aft section of the ship, enveloping the barrier like sticky molasses. As a result, it phase-shifted from blue to after just six seconds, dealing crippling damage to the rear thrusters. Because of this, it was left virtually helpless when, fourteen seconds later, another blob of plasma tore through it, this time without any obstruction.
Seeing the enemy ship destroyed, Captain Kennedy could feel a rush of adrenaline surge through his veins, forcing a smile to his face. Unfortunately, before he could even commend his Weapons Officer for a job well done, a massive impact jarred everyone within the bridge. A loud hissing sound could be heard as, for a brief moment, all of their systems flickered out. Though they rebooted less than a second later, the lighting in the room had shifted from a gentle blue to a cautionary red as a steady stream of ice-cold vapor began to flow from the damage environmental control system.
Resisting the urge to swear, Captain Kennedy cried out, "Damage report!" in a commanding tone. This was enough to break his crew from their stupor, allowing the Engineering Officer to report, "We took a grazing blow to the port side. Shields are holding at seventy percent but a large amount of electromagnetic radiation managed to seep into our systems. Ninety-two laser batteries have been taken offline and ECS is in critical condition. Repairs are underway, but it will take four hours before everything is back online!"
Hearing the report, Captain Kennedy shook his head, stating, "Belay repairs. We don't have one hour, much less four. Have our men sortie before the launch bays suffer too much damage. Keep firing at the closest enemy ship. Do not let these bastards have the satisfaction of taking us without a fight!"
Following their Captain's orders, everyone aboard the bridge continued to work swiftly, even as the temperature gradually dropped below freezing levels. They knew this was their last hurrah, so, even as their eyelashes began to develop ice crystals, they continued working diligently. As a result, they were able to eliminate a total of five ships, crippling three and destroying two before their own was listing through space without auxiliary power and thrusters. They had effectively become a very fast-moving rock, hurling through space at nearly 40,000km/s...
By all rights, their ship should have been destroyed in the battle, but, as if it refused to go down so easily, the Spear of Frey had even survived a plasma strike that tore away more than twenty percent of their mass. This elicited a light chuckle from Captain Kennedy, who, with what little remained of his strength, began to pin in the self-destruct codes into his command console. He would not let his ship be scuttled and scavenged by the Freedom Armada, so, before they could invade and murder what remained of his crew, he intended to destroy it completely...
Just as his finger was about to reenter the code a second time, confirming the destruction of his pride and joy, Captain Kennedy gave one last look at his crew, new little more than frozen corpses still manning their consoles. They had fought well, and, after this, he intended to meet up with them at the Central Hub to discuss how things had gone. If possible, he would like to team up with them in other games, preferably one without a toxic community like the so-called Freedom Armada...
Shaking his head, Captain Kennedy began to pin in the self-destruct sequence one final time. His finger then hovered over the 'Confirm' option, nearly pressing it when a large flash of golden light suddenly flooded the only functional display. This brought his attention away from the transparent panel that only he could see, his eyes turning round as saucers when he saw the scene playing out before him...
---
Aboard the illustrious Flagship of the Elfheim Empire, the Rank 27 Player, Magnus Alpha Illustri had an expression that could only be described as 'someone who had eaten shit'. His handsome face had been twisted into a sickening scowl, as, blocking his path of retreat, a larger-than-average mech with wings of golden light dominated the center display. It was only 8m tall, an ant in comparison to the 13km long Yggdrasillia, but, as if their positions were reversed, the predominately white mech stood in their line of retreat without moving.
Before he could even curse his fate or shout out any order, Magnus nearly bit the tip of his tongue as a powerful shockwave ran through his ship. Immediately afterward, several more display came to life, each depicting one of five masterfully designed mechs, each equipped with armaments that no other player had been able to acquire. One, designed to look similar to a woman with fox-like ears and three tails, even wielded a staff that, against all rhyme and reason, was able to create massive spears of ice and even larger balls of flame...
Magnus, feeling as though he had smashed his face into a metal plate, regained his balance before shouting, "I don't care if people say they are unbeatable! Sortie all the troops! Fire all the cannons! I swear, if I lose my rank over this, I'm blacklisting you all fr-"
Interrupting Magnus' exclamation, a golden 'ripple' appeared above him, producing an 8m tall Mech with a white base, golden accents, and six angular wings formed from golden light. In its right hand, it wielded a bident formed of pale gold, and, at a glance, everyone who saw this figure would liken it to a God of War. Unfortunately, among high-level players, the existence of this mech was akin to the Harbinger of Death...
As if it was searching for something, the mech looked around the bridge for a brief moment before looking down at Magnus, who, upon seeing the legendary figure, lost feeling in his legs. Then, after remaining silent for several seconds, the mech pointed its bident toward Magnus' throat, surprising everyone by how dexterous the act was. After all, few people could pilot a mech with any finesse, so, seeing someone able to lightly prick a person's neck, despite using a massive weapon, it was a sight to behold.
With a deep voice that caused everyone within the bridge to lose hope, the mech plainly stated, "You are unworthy of your position. Sacrificing your men in order to preserve your own life...you are not fit to rule..."
Hearing the voice rebuke him, Magnus' expression turned even dourer than before. He attempted to rise to his feet in order to face the mech directly, but, the moment this thought crossed his mind, he experienced a sense of incredulity as his perspective began to spin. Then, after a painful impact, his eyes widened for a very brief moment as he saw his own body slouched a few meters away. The last thing he saw before being ejected from the game was the image of the 'Deva of Light' producing a rapidly growing sun from the palm of his hand...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This...is this still EPIC?','One final hurrah...!','Arena Closers have spawned')
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