Aven leaned back against the office desk within the building. In front of him, the glass windows the size of a wall revealed to him the city down below in its entirety. This bird's-eye view was perfect for his role in things, and he could ask for no better. His eyes shifted over the battlefield once or twice, hunting for any signs that Masayoshi's team was planning anything big.
It was then that his eyes caught sight of two small dots making their way from the outskirts to the central area. He honed in on his mana sense, using it to more easily track the figures making their way towards the center. He then turned to look at the clock within the room he was in. There were 8 more minutes until the captains were allowed to move. He would have to stay on alert once they were released. It was his job to ensure no obstacles got in the way of Alice's straight path.
"Aven? Are you listening in?" Alice's voice coming in over the communication device made him jump, but he nodded.
"Yeah, I'm listening. What's up?"
"Due south. I want you to keep that in the back of your mind. A storm's brewing. Literally." Aven turned his gaze south, squinted his eyes, and he saw it. Slowly but surely, there was a cyclone of wind building up its power in the center of the ocean.
"Could that be...?"
"I think that's Clyde's doing. Chances are they're keeping it in their back pocket to serve as a trump card, so be careful."
"Got it," Aven replied. "Also, what about those two fighting down there? Is it really okay?"
"I ordered Raiden to lure Touka over into the center. Don't worry, things will be fine. The plan will work. It has to." The communication cut, and Aven turned his focus back to watching over the city, and that's when he noticed it.
The first thing that he had noticed was the fact that the mana-nullifying wave had returned once again, and this time it had knocked out 3 areas. The two adjacent to him and the one opposite him. That meant he had 5 walls down instead of four.
But that wasn't the concerning part. In the air, he could see a figure darting around on a broom. Without a doubt, it was Myra. She was probably heading to the highest point she could to increase the range of her ability to max.
He felt a surge of mana, and then a portal appeared right in front of his window.
SHATTER!
The window shattered, and Myra Kazuichi stepped out and in front of him. Aven stared at her in shock for a second before putting on his best smile. "You know you didn't have to go out of your way to look for me. But I'm flatt-"
He didn't get to finish that sentence because Myra had dashed forward and aimed a punch straight at Aven's abdomen. He barely managed to get up a barrier in time, and the entire room shook from the force of her blow.
"Not even a hello?"
Myra glared up at him. "I'm going to get rid of you quickly. You're not my target."
Aven just smiled, flicking his hand and causing the barrier to move, pushing Myra back all the way to the edge.
"That hurts my heart to hear, you know. Are you sure you don't even want to consider my proposition—"
"Hell no."
Aven sighed. Snapping his finger, he summoned 5 other walls to serve as the faces, and he trapped Myra within a cube. "Come on, think about it. We have all the time in the world." He then brought up a chair and sat in front, watching as Myra tried to break free.
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Nova and Luka broke the crest of the hill, passing through the massive park. They were close to the center; in a few more miles they'd be there, at the flagpole that marked the victory for this challenge.
Going into this, they had known that the center would be a complete mana dead zone. But what they hadn't expected was for the effects of mana nullification to be so strong against the body. Even breathing felt like an arduous, painful task. Their entire body felt heavy, as if the mana flowing inside had been reduced to lead. A constant weight and pressure seemed to be pressing against their body, making every movement feel off.
Internally the two hoped that the lack of mana wouldn't interfere with their task. Their goal was simple: to contest control in the center and try to win it over. Alice predicted that Masayoshi would send in Yuri and Erika to contest the point, so their job was to hold the two of them off. The entirety of Alice's strategy really relied on holding up all of the members of Masayoshi's team for as long as possible, making sure he had as little support as possible. Because he was the captain, he couldn't defend himself from anyone that wasn't another captain attacking him. That was pretty much useless, as this would be a race. So he would have to rely on his teammates to defend him.
They cut through an alleyway between a supermarket and thrift store, bursting out into a massive lot. Just over the massive gate, they could see the sector of the town that opened up to reveal a circular area the size of a baseball field, devoid of any buildings, cars, or structures. In the center, there was a hole.
The compressing feeling that had descended over their bodies was now operating at full force. It now felt like there was a metal weight constantly being pressed against their chest. The two could no longer feel the flow of mana in their bodies. It was like the stream had been frozen solid.
As they climbed over the gate, landing on the other side, they noticed the fact that things seemed to be oddly empty. Assuming the two had made use of Misa's abilities, they should have already been over here, ready for combat.
"We should leave Ayung's bots behind for now. Keep them in the shadows, just in case." Luka said, and Nova nodded.
"There's no way they haven't arrived yet." Luka muttered to himself, taking a few hesitant steps forward, his eyes constantly scanning all around him for any signs.
Nova wanted to activate her mana sense, but that was impossible. It was like missing one of your senses; she felt blind, naked without the ability to check for mana signatures.
Credo's words came back to her. "How you approach a problem changes drastically when you can't just throw up a wall of fire."
She was feeling the meaning behind those words more than ever right now. Her eyes darted around, frantically searching for the ambush she knew was coming. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest, and a sickening feeling of nausea began to come over her. Her mind raced with the possibilities of the different kinds of traps they could have set by now, and that's w-
BOOOOOM!
The bases of the two buildings on opposite sides of the massive central circle were blown out completely. causing a rain of smoke and debris. Two massive, towering skyscrapers came falling down from the sky.
Reacting quickly, Nova and Luka dashed towards the center, making it just as the two buildings crashed down next to them. A massive storm of dust was kicked up, so tall that it blotted out the sun. Absolute darkness descended upon the two, and they were quickly disoriented.
Surrounded by the two buildings on either side, there was no way for them to easily escape the circle. The storm of wind and dust blinded their senses, and they were unable to make left from right or up from down.
In that moment they heard a shout from above, where a portal had opened up and a massive shadow was falling down upon them. Instantly, Nova clenched her fist and tried to activate her ring to summon a weapon, and Luka tried to summon a weapon from his shadow garden; however, they were met with no response.
In a single moment of abject horror, they realized that they could not use mana to get themselves out of this situation. With only seconds to react, Nova raised a hand up and punched the object coming down with enough strength that its trajectory was shifted, forcing it to crash down to the left a few feet away.
Without mana to fortify herself, punching the bare steel hurt like hell, and Nova grabbed her hand in pain.
The truck that she punched landed, and its oil tanker blew up in a fiery explosion, kicking up more dust and causing a dangerous debris of metal shards to rain down that cut the two up.
Seeking cover within a hole in one of the destroyed buildings, Nova and Luka tried to get their bearings. "That was more than just a well-thought-out ambush. Were they planning to kill us?" Luka asked as he checked his body for serious wounds.
"They came prepared, and they're not pulling any punches. That's for sure." Nova commented. Outside, the sound of another truck falling and blowing away a part of the building opposite to them could be heard. "Looks like their plan was never to directly contest the center at all. They're trying to trap us here and then go all in to force us out so they can easily eliminate us. Once they do that, they'd have won control of the center without a fight."
Nova rubbed her head as she realized the true nature behind the plan. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out any way to counter this strategy. "Good thing we kept the robots. They would have all been destroyed in this sudden attack."
Luka poked his head outside. "Hold on, just how is Misa using magic to activate her portals? If she's anywhere near the center, that should be impossible, right?"
Nova's eyes widened as she realized it. Luka was right. If Misa tried to use any magic near the center, it wouldn't work. That was the main reason they had devised an ambush plan using buildings and oil tankers. So just how was she making use of her portals?
Nova peeked her head out and looked up. The dust storm had yet to settle, so it was impossible to make out what was up there. "Hold on. If they're falling from above, that must be where Misa is activating her spell from. Maybe there's a certain height limit for the mana nullification?"
When she threw that thought into the air, the possibilities that raced through her mind were endless. She reached out and activated the communication device, turning it towards the general channel so everybody could hear her.
"Everyone. This is the center team here. We were caught in an ambush near the center, and we think we've figured something out. Masayoshi's team has managed to bypass the mana nullification in the center by positioning themselves high into the air!"
She was met by silence for a few moments before Aven's voice came over. "I can see them from where I'm positioned. They're easily over 10,000 feet in the air."
Ayung's voice was next. "It's possible to bypass it through height, right?" She laughed. "Use the bots. You can stand on their backs. Fight them in the air. I'm almost done working on something that can take them down. Just distract them for long enough."
Finally, Alice spoke. "Go with Ayung's strategy. Take Misa out of the game. She's without a doubt their best support."
"Alright then." As they finished their conversation, Ayung's bots had made their way to the entrance of the building they were held in. There was a whole legion of them.
"Did she really need to make so many?" Luka asked as he stood atop the back of one.
"Something tells me we're going to need it." Nova replied.
She held on tight and tried her very best not to scream as the robots launched themselves into the air, breaking through the clouds of dust, and dodging the raining flame magic that was coming down for them.
Breaking out of the darkness and into the sunlight, far in front of them they saw a dot in the air. Nova shakily stood on her feet as the robot kicked it into its next gear, flying faster and faster. She seriously wondered how Ayung had managed to create so many so quickly. Geniuses were pretty scary.
As soon as they broke through the cloud coverage, that pressing feeling in Nova's chest vanished instantly. The feeling of lead in her body faded away to a burst of strength and energy as she felt the mana flow return to her body.
Allowing herself to smile, she stood tall, using mana to keep her grip on the robot's back. Holding her hand into the air, she allowed the power of the sun to strengthen her. She basked in its light, the bright light causing her brown skin to shine like radiant gold.
"We are so back." She muttered to herself.
Holding her ring high into the air, she clenched her fist, forming a massive bow of flame. She didn't know if her power would work right now, considering the fact that she had no idea whether or not the constellations of the real world would be present within this dimension. Still, the sun was here. And that was all she needed to power herself.
Next to her, Luka was feeling just as rejuvenated, summoning shadows along the backs of the other robots. They were weaker since they were under direct sunlight, but the more distractions, the better.
Above them, both Erika and Yuri jumped down from the broom they were flying on, falling into Misa's portals.
At that moment, the battle in the sky began.
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Hikaru Hina was out of options.
She had thought through everything; she had thought and thought and thought again, but there was nothing. No way for her to get out of this situation. It simply wasn't possible.
Seele was standing in front of her, listening to a communication, all the while sitting on the handle of her spear, which was currently hooked into the ground for leverage. She has got Hikaru on the air and managed to cut her, allowing her to use her ability, Red Phantom. There was no way for Hikaru to break free.
Seele had complete control over the blood in Hikaru's body via the mana she had injected into the tiny cut. The worst part was the more time she spent, the more mana seeped into her body, and the more control she ended up having.
Despite all of the calculations she was running, there was no way for her to break free. There were only 4 minutes left until the captains were allowed to make their move, and Hikaru had yet to complete her live map. As she was listening in to the transmission from her team, she noticed that everyone else seemed to be pushing towards their tasks steadily. She was the only one caught up.
And she had the most important job of all. She gritted her teeth in frustration and tried to struggle once more, but it was futile. She couldn't move.
Seele watched her struggle with a smile on her face. "You know, I have to say you're pretty fortunate. That you ended up running into me instead of Myra. Well, I guess your whole team is fortunate in that case. She's trapped, just like you are. So it's an even trade. One player for one player."
Hikaru didn't feel any less frustrated after hearing Seele's words. Her eyes were still darting around, and her brain was still working on all cylinders.
An opening.
There had to be an opening.
Anywhere.
Seele could see the gears turning from where she sat. "It's futile, I hope you know. If you don't mind, what were you working on that had your brain working like that?"
Just as Hikaru opened her mouth—
CRASH!!!
The front door of the bookstore was taken down by someone crashing straight through it and slamming against a bookshelf. Both Hikaru's and Seele's eyes snapped toward the figure. It was Touka. She pushed herself off of the bookshelf, not even flinching despite the force with which she'd been slammed through the wall. Grabbing another few kunai from her lengthy supply, she turned back to face the entrance.
"Touka? Wha-" Just as Seele began to speak, someone stepped through the doorway, their boots crushing the shattered glass.
It was Raiden. He had a bunch of minor cuts and even a knife embedded in his hand. As he stepped inside, he pulled the knife out of his hand without as much as a small grimace and took stock of the room.
His eyes went from Hikaru to Seele to Touka.
"Must be a new release for so many of you guys to be in here. Did the author of HxH finally drop a new volume?" He asked with a dry tone.
Seele pushed herself off of the scythe, grabbing it and spinning it a few times. "I wish. But this will just have to do. Two of you guys walked right into me. There's no way this doesn't land me MVP, right?" She flashed Raiden a smile.
Touka moved to step in front of Seele. "Out of my way, Lavender. This one's mine."
Seele just laughed. "Are you sure? The way he was tossing you around makes me think you can't handle this on your own. Shouldn't you leave a task like this up to an heir of one of the 10 Grand Magic Families?"
"Ladies, ladies, there's more than enough of me to go around." With that comment, Raiden caught the attention of the two of them, and they readied their weapons. As soon as they prepared to attack, Raiden flashed a glance at Hikaru.
Hikaru, who had regained control over her body, nodded her thanks at Raiden before dashing away.
Seele turned around, preparing to reactivate her technique, but in that moment Raiden was on her, inches from her face.
"Eyes on me." He caught her with a punch to the gut, which sent her crashing through the wall into the pizza parlor next door. He ducked under Touka's high kick before grabbing her leg and tossing her into the same pizza parlor. He turned around and gave Hikaru one last wave.
Hikaru smiled at him before wondering to herself when he gained so much charisma and confidence.
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"I've managed to free Hikaru. I'm currently engaged with Touka and Seele." I relayed the newly developed situation to Alice.
"Good. Keep them occupied as much as possible. Until we can take out Misa, I don't want them to be using her portals to cause a headache." He heard the sound of a satisfied smile come from her. "You know you can actually be pretty useful when you're not lazing around on your ass."
I ignored the comment and instead focused on the battle at hand. A 2 v 1. Already, Touka was giving me a pretty hard time; that was evident in all the cuts on my body. But now I would have to deal with her and Seele.
"Raiden!" Hikaru's voice came over the communication device. "Be careful of Seele. One hit is all she needs to win the battle."
I nodded. The reason Hikaru had even needed to be saved was because she had fallen victim to Seele's 'Red Phantom' ability. That means I now had to deal with a two-on-one fight without sustaining a single blow.
Stepping through the hole in the wall and into the pizza parlor, I activated electrification at 20%. If I needed to, I would increase it, but I seriously hoped that it wouldn't be necessary. As soon as I passed the threshold, I felt a blade coming from my neck.
I ducked under a thrown kunai and slid out of the way of a high kick that shattered a painting on the wall behind me. Flipping over the counter, I dodged another swift swing of Seele's scythe.
As I was in the air, Touka threw another two knives at me, which I blocked by using lightning to bounce them back. As I landed, Seele was on me, vaulting the counter.
Two swings of her scythes rendered the pizza ovens and the entire wall behind the counter an unrecognizable mess.
She pressed forward, and I narrowly blocked and dodged swings of her scythe within the tight space behind the counter.
As soon as she got me up to the wall, I rolled over the table, just barely avoiding her scythe, which came down a split second later.
She used her scythe, which was embedded into the counter, to flip herselfover and launch herself at me. I ducked under it and just barely avoided a vicious combo of blows from Touka.
I blocked her punch, grabbing her arm and pulling her close for a punch.
However, I didn't expect her to lean in with the momentum.
She was so close she was literally on my chest. She then pivoted, raising her flexible legs upwards, and literally flipping upside down as she leg-locked my other arm, squeezing tight and stabbing me with her knife.
Immediately I lost all feeling in that arm, and my sword clattered to the ground.
I spun around just as Seele reapproached, dodging her strikes and trying to shake Touka off.
Just as I was about to be cornered, I amplified my level of electrification. It pierced through Touka's defense, shocking her and getting her to let go. I pushed her towards Seele, who dodged. I then used lightning magic to create an arm to grab my sword. Bringing it back in time, I blocked Seele's slash and forced her back.
A small break in the combat ensued, in which I pulled out the knife Touka had stabbed me with. Still, there was no feeling in my arm.
"It's a form of poison magic." Touka explained as she brought herself to her feet. She smiled, wiping blood off of her lips. "Neutralizes movement of muscles. I got you straight into the bloodstream. And since this poison is created from my mana, I can strengthen it at any time."
I realized the implication of her words a second before I fell to my knees, as I lost feeling in every limb of my body.
"All the times I had stabbed you before were to make sure that each part of you had the poison in their bloodstream. After that, by just strengthening it, your entire body was rendered immobile. Boom." She made an explosion gesture with a smile on her face.
"I realized it while we were fighting before. I can't beat you straight up. Even with Seele here, it'd be close. So I told her my plan beforehand when I realized where you were leading me. Masayoshi's figured out Alice's strategy and moved to counter it. Genius, I think."
The only way I knew to get rid of the effects of this tranquilizer would be to use mana to shock myself awake, but that was impossible; my entire body was numb. I couldn't do anything.
Seele used one of Touka's knives to slash her own wrist, and blood dripped down from her wrist onto the floor. Closing her fist, the blood crystallized and shot out towards me, transforming into chains that would hold me.
And just as I thought it was over, a sudden pressing feeling came over my entire body. My breath hitched as I felt the mana in my body turn to stone. Suddenly the feeling in my limbs returned. I pushed myself to my feet as Touka and Seele were still standing in shock.
It looks like this section of the map had been hit by a mana-nullifying wave. By the grace of God, I had been saved.
As I stood up and prepared for the next phase of this battle, the sound of someone pushing through the door could be heard, and the bell rang.
Everyone turned around to face this new visitor.
Stepping into the Pizza Parlor was none other than Myra Kazuichi. She had a devilish smile on her face, and behind her, she was dragging the unconscious body of Aven.
"Change of plans. Head to the center." Seele and Touka still looked shocked, but they nodded and left.
That left me alone against the bloodhound.
Her smile widened. "I found you."
"Raiden!" At the same time, Alice called out to me. "Change of plans. It looks like the battle is converging in the center. I need you to keep Myra where she is for as long as possible. And keep her away from Aven!"
I turned my gaze back to Myra. She was also listening in to a message. And I got a sinking feeling that Masayoshi was telling her the same exact thing Alice had told me. Her smile only widened.
I swallowed. "Understood."
I unsheathed my blade.
"I guess this is round two then." I said.
Myra smiled, tossing Aven's body to the side. I took note of his position. Getting him awake and safe would be critical for whatever was coming up.
She cracked her knuckles, pulling off her blazer. "Just me and you. No holding back this time."
I wondered how many bones of mine she would break this time.
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DING! DING! DING!
The bell to dismiss the captains rang out loudly. The two captains stood from their seats, taking one last glance at the battlefield in their maps.
It was now that this competition would be decided. The two captains and their strategies had played out in full effect, and now everyone had been gathered in the center for a large confrontation.
Except for two.
As the captains stepped out, carrying their flags.
They issued orders to their own respective pocket aces.