Jayr POV - Nasuverse, Moon, SE.RA.PH, Tsukumihara Academy - 2030 AD
Morning comes earlier than I want it to; maybe that's because I didn't sleep as much as I should have, or maybe because my mind decided that rest was optional on the day of an Elimination Battle.
Either way, when I open my eyes, the artificial dawn of the world of SE.RA.PH is already blooming across the ceiling.
Nero is lying beside me on the bed. She stretches like a cat, long and theatrical, then gives me a small, confident smile and says, "Today is the day, my Praetor. The foe awaits, trembling in fear of our radiance."
I sit up and reply, "I'm pretty sure Helena isn't trembling. If anything, she looks like the least scared person on this campus." Making Nero scoff, "That might be the result of whatever has been done to her speaking."
She isn't wrong, but I don't say that out loud. We fall into our familiar routine: shower, breakfast, final adjustments to equipment.
As we eat, we go over the plan again, though by now it's more a ritual than an actual necessity.
I look at my partner and say, "Nero, like the last time, I'll prioritise support and defence early on. Helena's Pokémon are no joke, and she'll likely empower them with her Blessing the moment the fight begins."
Nero raises her chin proudly and replies, "Let her. I shall show them the might of Rome. There has never been a beast, divine or otherwise, that I feared."
I finish my coffee and say, "I'm aware. Just… Don't underestimate her. She is a Champion like me, and for all we know, the Pokémon may simply be the tip of the iceberg."
Nero's expression softens; she understands what I'm trying to say under the surface.
Helena isn't acting on her own will, and that makes her dangerous in very specific ways.
After a brief pause, she says simply in an absolutely confident tone, "We'll win, and we'll survive."
We stand, and without another word, walk toward the door, and leave our Private Room, finding ourselves once more within the hallway of the first floor of the main building.
The next moment, I hear Father Kotomine's voice coming from beside me as he says, "Today is the Elimination Battle. I trust that your preparation went smoothly?"
Just like the last time, hands folded behind his back, his smile perfectly fixed, the timing unnervingly precise.
I calmly look at the eerie figure of Father Kotomine standing right next to the door of the classroom 1-A, the one used as entrace of our Private Room, here to remind the Masters of what is going to happen and give them a few more instructions.
And indeed, Father Kotomine completely ignores everything, not even giving the chance to reply before he continues with his scripted speech, "Come to the first floor when you are ready. You can do something trifling, like stop by the commissary if needed."
Almost the same words, the same cadence, the same eerie composure.
As soon as he finishes, Father Kotomine quickly walks away, heading toward yet another Master, likely to repeat the same speech over and over again until he has informed all the Masters.
I continue to watch Father Kotomine's figure while thinking, 'This is it. The Elimination Battle. Today the number of Masters will halve once more. And again, all the other losers will mercilessly be deleted by the Moon Cell.'
At the same time, I hear Nero's voice in my head as she comments, [I shall never grow accustomed to this man.]
Hearing that, I can't help but smile wryly while replying in an amused tone, [Rejoice in the fact that you didn't meet the real one... As unnerving as the AI version Father Kotomine is, it is still nothing compared to the real Kirei Kotomine.]
Once Father Kotomine's figure is fully gone, I exhale and comment, "Well. That was… Comforting." Making Nero snort in laughter.
After that, we walk across the campus with no real destination, just letting the remaining minutes pass.
The last-minute tension blankets everything like a heavy mist; the Masters who were overconfident days ago now look hollow-eyed.
The invisible Servants stand alert, likely with hands near weapons, ready to defend their partners from any last-minute, desperate threat or trick.
Even the ambient simulated wind feels sharper, colder, building up even more tension, which means that SE.RA.PH is watching, waiting, and judging.
In her Spirit Form, Nero walks beside me, silent at first, then speaks quietly through our bond, [The atmosphere is thick. Like backstage before a great performance.]
I shrug my shoulders and reply, [Yeah, everyone's nerves are shot. After all, for many this may very well be their last battle.]
When the portable terminal clock pings the pre-battle hour, I take a slow breath and say, "It's time."
At this point, we don't waste any more time and head toward the elevator.
Soon, we approach the figure of Father Kotomine, who, in the meantime, finished delivering his scripted speech to all the Masters.
He is standing in front of the entrance to the Coliseum, which, like the last time, is an elevator located on the first floor of the main building of the campus, close to the entrance of the main building and the rows of lockers.
The doors of the elevator that lead to the Coliseum are very easy to spot as they are glowing with simmering purple light and covered by a dozen energy chains, a barrier erected by SE.RA.PH itself can only be opened by using the Primary and Secondary Triggers.
The moment I approach the doors, Father Kotomine begins the exact same speech from the previous Elimination Battle, not altered, not adjusted, not even rephrased, eerily copied word-for-word, "You will now enter the Coliseum and confront the opposing Master. Are you ready? Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. If you are ready, I will open the gate."
While Nero rolls her eyes so hard I worry they'll get stuck, I take a deep breath and pull out the Primary and Secondary Triggers from my pocket, then with firm conviction in my voice, I say, "I'm ready."
The two Triggers immediately start to hover from my open hands before they quickly head toward the chained barrier, merging with it and making it fade away before the doors slide open.
Then Father Kotomine once again repeats the same scripted speech as the last time, "The way to the Coliseum is now open, Irregular Master. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember: It's kill or be killed."
At this point, I do not hesitate and step into the elevator and calmly watch as the doors silently close and the elevator starts its descent.
Then my surroundings change in an instant while Nero comes out of her Spirit Form and appears right beside me.
The next moment, like the last time, the inside of the elevator became much larger than before, basically doubling in size, reaching the size of a regular classroom.
At the same time, I also notice the presence of the blue simmering barrier dividing the area into halves, each half with its own set of doors, just like the last time.
On the other side of the barrier, there are our opponents, Helena Harrison and, more importantly, her Servant.
Helena stands there, still, silent, focused. Her posture is rigid, her expression unreadable, no warmth, no flicker of emotion, not even the tension expected before a battle, just cold emptiness.
And beside her stands her Servant, and as I focus on her, I can't help but blink in surprise for a moment while thinking, 'Well... That's definitely not Enkidu...'
The Servant is a beautiful, flawless, statue-like woman, white as polished marble, her movements subtle and delicate, as if she were trying not to disturb the air around her. She doesn't posture. She simply exists, graceful and unsettlingly calm.
She has fair skin and light blue, wavy hair that cascades around her shoulders, and light blue eyes.
She wears what looks like a minimalist, white swimsuit, including a top with frilly detailing, matching bottoms, and knee-high boots.
Her arms are clad in protective, futuristic-looking gear.
She holds two long weapons, one of which resembles a hammer, while the other reminds me of a chisel. They have a metallic sheen and appear to be part of her arsenal.
Watching the Servant's figure, I blink again while thinking, 'That's Galatea. The statue blessed by Aphrodite herself.'
(Image Here - Galatea)
Relief washes over me, not because Galatea is weak, but because she's much more manageable. Enkidu would have been a nightmare to fight and surely forced us to reveal more than what I am willing to at this point in the competition.
At the same time, I feel Nero's presence flare in my mind, [Praetor. That is certainly not the clay-born one we were expecting.]
I maintain my expression unchanged while replying, [Yeah. That's Galatea. This changes things... Galatea is similar to Enkidu, but her story is one of the Greek myths that involves King Pygmalion...]
At this point, I quickly start to tell Nero everything I know about Galatea's background.
Pygmalion, the king and sculptor of Cyprus, was disillusioned with a real woman and remained single, but at one point he carved an "ideal woman" out of white ivory, basically he is one of the first otakus.
He fell in love with the statue he created and gave it clothes and jewellery, reaching the point that he talked to, hugged, and kissed it like a lover.
He sincerely hoped that the statue would be a living woman.
The goddess Aphrodite, who was watching it or was delivered by a prayer, accepted Pygmalion's wishes and gave life to the statue.
The statue, which became a human being, became Pygmalion's wife and later had a child.
She was unmistakably born from King Pygmalion's love. A love so strong that God will hear the wish is indistinguishable from madness.
It was only natural that Galatea, who was born of the king's too strong love (madness) and spent her life with Pygmalion, would have that love (madness); therefore, Galatea, as a Servant is summoned as a Berserker.
Giving life to a statue called Galatea, it was the goddess Aphrodite who made her human. Where did the "life" given at that time come from? Actually, the basis was Aphrodite herself.
Of course, it is not the body of God, but only a small part of it is separated independently and used as the core of the constituent materials. Still, God is God.
If you look closely at those divine-level eyes, the basis of Galatea's existence is Aphrodite.
Nero listens intently, absorbing the information before commenting, [Hm. A creation made flawless… yet lacking the fire of humanity. Interesting opponent. But why do we keep being matched against Berserks? This is the second in a row!]
Hearing that, I reply, [It is simply a coincidence. More importantly, do not underestimate Galatea. Deep inside, the "life" granted to Galatea came from Aphrodite herself. Despite the fact that it's not the goddess herself but just a fraction that was isolated and separated, and merely was made the core of the composition material, even so, a god is a god. This makes her a Divine Construct.]
While I'm telling Nero that, the elevator hums softly and then begins to descend.
Silence stretches for a moment, but soon I decide to break it by calling out our opponent, "Helena."
Her eyes shift slightly, acknowledging me without truly reacting, while I say quietly, "You don't have to fight like this. You were a caring sister. A protector. A teacher. Someone changed you. Twisted something inside your heart in some way."
However, my attempt at Talk no Jutsu fails as she says in a flat tone, "I am who I have always been. Loyal to my friend and ruthless to our enemies. I will do anything in my power to achieve the objective."
I do not give up and try to press her, "Whose objective? Who taught you that? Who made you forget who you were?"
She blinks slowly, as though confused that I would even ask that, before she plainly says, "My loyalty is natural. She helped me when I needed it. She stayed by my side in my hardest times. She gave my life meaning."
Her words are empty of doubt, completely sincere; she truly feels that from the bottom of her heart, and that's what makes it terrifying.
There's no hesitation, no flicker of recognition, no conflict; whatever has been done to her isn't some simple brainwashing or mental control, it is like she has been completely rewritten.
I'm not the only one coming to that realisation as I hear Nero whisper-thoughts into my mind with a dark tone, [This one… She cannot hear you. Her will is buried beneath foreign hands.]
In response to that, I can only nod and say in a sombre and soft tone, [I know.]
Soon, the elevator stops without a noise, the doors on each side of the elevator silently open, and without saying anything else, Helena and Galatea stoically walk out before Nero and I do the same, finding ourselves in a new setting.
The battlefield spreads before us like an impossible dream.
The seafloor stretches in every direction, wide and shimmering, lit from above by wavering sheets of light that dance across the dunes.
Towers of coral rise like ancient ruins, pitted and cracked as if they have survived a hundred forgotten wars.
Schools of fish-like programs drift in loose clusters, their bodies flickering with code that shifts colour with every subtle move.
The sand shifts underfoot in slow, deliberate waves, as if the ground itself is breathing, waiting, aware of our presence.
Then across the field, Helena steps forward calmly while Galatea takes position beside her, still silent, still unreadable.
Nero steps forward, positioning herself right in front of me while declaring in a haughty tone, "Finally! A stage worthy of my glory."
The next moment, the air thickens as a mechanical chime rings out above us.
[Live or Die by the Sword.]
[What power do you hold in your hands...? Dancing flames, decaying Earth, withered oceans.]
Helena finally speaks, not to me, but to her Pokémon, "It's time to eliminate the obstacle standing in front of us."
At the same time, in a smooth, practised motion, she throws six Pokéballs.
The six Pokéballs burst open together, light spilling across the seafloor arena in a harsh, layered bloom.
When it fades, the battlefield feels crowded, heavy, suffocating; even the water around us seems to recoil as the figures of the Pokémon she has released are finally revealed.
Three of them are the familiar figures of Marowak, Tyranitar, and Garchomp that we have faced before; however, the other three are new Pokèmon that she didn't reveal before today.
I focus first on the less formidable ones: Steelix and Rhyperior.
Steelix is a long, serpentine Pokémon with a silvery-grey body made of rock-like sections, which can possess chips and scrapes from fights and tunnelling.
Three of those sections have long rock spikes coming out of them on either side.
It has a massive head, mainly made up of its large, wide jaw with sets of large square teeth inside and along its bottom jaw is one pair of ridges.
Several small, square lumps cover the underside of its lower jaw. Its eye sockets are slightly deep-set, and the eyes themselves are red. Its head has two long ridges going from the eyes up to the top of its head. The tip of its tail is conical with a blunt tip.
(Image Here - Steelix)
Meanwhile, Rhyperior is a large, brownish-grey Pokémon with two horns: a larger one on its nose, and a smaller one above it.
The larger horn is divided into three sections by two thin slanted rings, making the horn resemble a drill.
Its hide is partially covered by orange, rocky plates on its head, shoulders, arms, waist, and knees, similar to those of the protector used to evolve it from Rhydon.
It has blade-like protrusions on its elbows and has holes in the palms of its hands, which work as cannons or guns.
It has three blunt, grey fingers on each hand, two grey toes on each foot, and a club-like tail.
Its eyes have red irises with what appears be two thick, rectangular rocks above each one, resembling heavy eyebrows.
(Image Here - Rhyperior)
In the end, I focus on the last and, without any doubt, most troublesome Pokèmon in her team, Groudon.
Groudon is a massive 9 meters tall, bipedal, dinosaur-like Pokémon covered in red, segmented plates of thick skin that act as armor, it has a gray underside and large white spikes that run along the sides of its head, body, and tail, it also has four claws on each hand, four dozer-like blades on the end of its large tail, and three claws on each foot with gray markings under its feet.
Groudon is a Ground-type Legendary Pokémon; in fact, it is considered by many one of the strongest Legendary Pokemon barring those that are revered as literal gods.
Groudon's presence alone distorts the air, radiating heat so intense it warps parts of the underwater illusion.
Steelix coils like a living drill of iron, Rhyperior plants its feet, plates clicking as if locking into siege mode, Marowak shifts lightly, grip tight on its bone, eyes sharp, Tyranitar growls low, sand beginning to stir around its frame, Garchomp flicks its tail like a blade, and Groudon, even dormant, it radiates an oppressive heat that distorts the sea's false light.
Nero lets out a delighted breath as she theatrically comments, "A full audience. Praetor, take notes. Rome loves a spectacle."
But then, Helena's cold command cuts through the glow, "Begin."
In an instant, everything moves at once.
Tyranitar roars, and the sandstorm explodes outward, ripping across the underwater field like a desert hurricane. The storm bends the refracted light into jagged streaks.
In response, I gesture sharply while casting a simple spell, "Ice Shield!"
A dome of shimmering frost forms around us, making the sand grains slam against it, hissing, melting on contact, while Nero plants one foot forward, her stance tightening, [Praetor, empower me.]
Already on it. I release a surge of Spiral Cosmo into her, light rippling down her arms and legs, making the air shift around her as if recognising a higher predator. Then, Nero launches forward.
Garchomp meets her mid-charge, sand blasting around its wings as it bursts from the sandstorm.
Nero slips under its first slash, skidding across wet sand, then pivots and drives her heel into its stomach, generating a shockwave so powerful that it snaps the nearby coral pillars in half.
Before she can finish it, Marowak flashes in from the right, bone club glowing with power that resonates with Helena's Earth blessing.
Seeing Marowak swing for Nero's temple, I raise my hand and shout, "Sagitta Magica, Series Glacialis!" Lauching a volley of projectiles of ice magic that erupts behind Nero's shoulder, slamming into Marowak's weapon making frost explode outward, slowing the hit for the half-second Nero needs allowing her blade to arc upward while she yells, "Too slow."
Unable to defend himself, Marowak is sent spinning back through the sandstorm, but Steelix barrels in from below.
The sand beneath Nero cracks open as the giant steel serpent bursts through, jaws wide enough to bite her in half.
Nero plants her feet and shoves both hands upward as Steelix crashes into her palms like a falling meteor.
The impact drives her ankles knee-deep into the sand, making her call out, "Praetor, more!"
In response to her request, I flood her with power, reinforcing muscle, bone, spirit.
At the same time, Steelix's momentum halts while Nero snarls, channels the boost into her centre, and twists.
The entire metallic body whips sideways, slamming into the charging Rhyperior with a thunderous crash.
Helena doesn't falter as she coldly orders, "Garchomp, Dragon Claw. Rhyperior, Rock Wrecker."
Garchomp reappears in a blur, claws outstretched, while Rhyperior raises an arm; the cannon on its palm glowing magma-red.
Seeing that, I press my fingers together and chant, "Rupture." Making a blade of compressed water bursts from a magic circle in front of me, slicing the ground and forcing Garchomp to veer away.
Nero uses that moment to leap upward through the sandstorm's thinning edge.
Tyranitar catches her mid-air, stone-crushing claws slamming down like a falling pillar, making Nero grin while commenting, "Finally, someone with some weight."
She kicks off the creature's arm, flips over its head, and lands behind it in a spray of sand, her sword carves a clean arc across its back making Tyranitar roars in pain as the wound shines gold from the energy burn.
At this point, Rhyperior fires huge boulders that soar toward Nero with astonishing speed.
The boulders hit the ground where she stood, exploding on impact, creating a massive crater that sends the airflow surging upward in a boiling column.
The next moment, Nero, unscratched, emerges from the plume, sprinting through its edge, eyes blazing while calling out, "Praetor!"
Understanding her intentions, I yell, "On it! Mana Burst!" I infuse my Spiral Cosmo energy into her body and instantly expel it, recreating the effect of Artoria Pendragon's famous Mana Burst, further enhancing her capabilities and her offensive and defensive power to insane levels.
A kinetic pulse hits her feet, doubling her momentum as she spins into Rhyperior like a comet hitting it with a powerful kick.
The impact sends cracks radiating across its armour to the point that its orange plates rupture under the force, pieces exploding away.
However, Helena doesn't blink and calmly orders, "Stand firm."
Rhyperior tries, but Nero forces it to kneel with a strike that lands like a guillotine and with yet another one, the giant finally slumps backwards, the light in its eyes flickering out.
Before Nero can turn, Marowak appears again, club raised to shatter her ribs, but I was ready for it and cast, "Ice Shield!" Forming a thin barrier forms between them.
Marowak's strike hits it dead center making the shield shatter, but the second it buys is enough.
Nero ducks below the bone, grabs Marowak by the wrist, and hurls it into Steelix's unsteady body while Garchomp lunges at her, while lauching a flying slash.
Nero smirks and uses her Imperial Privilege before she raises her sword and focuses her strength on Garchomp's attack, then just as they are about to clash, she swings down her sword, aiming right at the weak point of her target's attack while roaring, "Backlash Wave!"
Her swing is so powerful that it generates a strong air current akin to a twister that engulfs the Pokémon's attack in the twister enhacing its power even more, and reversing its flow back on Garchomp with the added power of her attack.
This generates a set of powerful, massive, and turbulent wave-like vortexes that fly toward Garchomp, slicing apart everything on their path with incredible savagery as the sand floor is being cut and destroyed as the vortex continues to travel forward, detonating in the shark-dragon's chest, sending it crashing into a coral mound with enough force to fracture stone.
Seeing that, Tyranitar charges in a fury, and Nero meets it.
The collision sounds like a building imploding with sand geysers outward.
For a moment, they stand locked, two forces pushing, neither yielding until Helena's naturally narrow eyes open a little bit and she calls out, "Earth Blessing. Full output."
Tyranitar's body shimmers with an earthy aura, its muscles swelling, the sandstorm intensifying around it.
A second pulse hits Marowak, Steelix, Garchomp, Rhyperior's fallen body, and even Groudon's dormant form.
Tyranitar's pressure suddenly doubles, Nero slides backwards, feet gouging trenches in the seafloor, making her call out, "Praetor!"
With tacit understanding, I reply, "Reinforcing... Now!" Before I unleash more energy into her, thanks to my literally infinite reservoir of Spiral Cosmo.
Nero's aura flares, heat rippling through the water while her strength spikes hard, and she stops sliding. Then, step by step, she pushes Tyranitar back.
With a fierce shout, she slams a knee into its abdomen, making the behemoth choke and, with one rising slash, sends it crashing back, then another finishes it, dropping it to its knees before it collapses forward.
Steelix tries to capitalise, but Nero turns, blocking Steelix's rushing head with her sword while sand sprays as she digs her heels in.
Without waiting for her request, I channel a final surge of Spiral Cosmo into her, once again replicating the Mana Burst technique, making Nero's arms blaze bright red, almost molten with energy.
She pushes Steelix back, and with another overhead swing, she spikes the serpent straight into the ground like she's slamming a flagpole into the earth. Steelix doesn't get up.
The wounded Garchomp staggers to its feet, snarling, but before it can fully recover thanks to the blessing, Nero appears in front of it, too fast for it to react.
Then, with one kick to the gut, a hit with the flat of her blade to the jaw, and a spinning kick to the chest, she sends Garchomp sliding across the arena until it slams unconscious against a coral tower.
At this point, Marowak charges again, stubborn, loyal, relentless, while Helena lifts her hand, reinforcing it with another pulse of Earth attuned energy.
Nero stops Marowak's final swing with her Aestust Estus, then, as her grip around her sword tightens, she mutters, "I respect your spirit. But now it's time to rest."
She ignites her passion, and with it, her sword envelops the Pokémon in a fiercely hot fire, making Marowak step back and screech in pain before Nero steps in, spins her body to gather momentum, and with an overhead swing, she slams the flat side of her blade onto Marowak's head sending it crashing into the sand while snuffing out the flames. Marowak does not rise from it. He is out.
Only Groudon remains, the legendary Pokémon that up to this very moment still hasn't made a move.
Finally, the massive creature steps forward, each movement stretching the arena's illusory seabed while heat radiates from its skin and cracks appear under its feet.
Nero raises her sword slowly, eyes shining, "Come, titan. Show me why the world fears you."
Then Helena's voice cuts clean through the battle's aftermath as she calls out, "Groudon. Revert to your origin."
The Legendary straightens, then the sea starts to boil around its frame.
Lines of magma glow through its plates, the ground rips apart, the coral dissolves into steam, and the water outside the battlefield and overhead turns crimson. Heat rises in a suffocating wave, bending every inch of space.
Primal Groudon rises, a molten god, its core burning like the planet's heart.