The wasteland didn't just burn; it groaned. Sonic lashes snapped at different points in space in a mere fraction of a second; each was the trace of an impact the eye could not hope to catch. These were no common thunders; they were the bellows of matter being violently displaced, a reminder that these beings operated on a scale where sound itself fell behind, unable to keep pace with them.
In the midst of that chaos of metallic stridency, a star of golden flashes tore through the celestial dome. Silence became absolute for a microsecond, only to be shattered by a dry, monumental crack as Arthur slammed into Neura. The blow didn't just sound; the shockwave turned the air into a solid mace that projected Neura against a mountain, whose collapse echoed like the roar of a dying stone giant.
From the curtain of smoke, the golden-haired youth emerged. The only sound surrounding him was the electric hum of his unique sword, a sharp and constant note that cut through the air.
— Arthur, the others have arrived —said Hiroshi, his voice barely a whisper audible over the crackling flames.
— They are here. My apologies if I was late —Arthur replied, his icy tone contrasting with the roar of the fire.
— Not at all... but he won't die from this.
From the heart of the crumbled mountain, Neura stood up. The screech of his damaged technological armor sounded like nails dragging across glass. As the light in his helmet died out, the silence emanating from his figure was more terrifying than any explosion.
— So that's what he's really like... disgusting —Hiroshi murmured.
— It seems it's Noah and Charlotte's turn —Arthur announced.
(The spear strike).
More than a noise, it was a dissonant vibration. When the spear impacted near Neura, it didn't emit a metallic clash, but a funeral toll that pierced his consciousness. The sound carried with it the memory of a girl: the crackle of a bonfire and the stifled weeping of a world turning to ash. That psychic distortion served as the anchor.
Noah did not waste the second. His giant halberd descended with a telluric roar, a blow so heavy that the sound of the earth splitting into a colossal rift drowned out every other noise for kilometers around.
(Spatial cuts).
An imperceptible whistle, almost ultrasonic, preceded the cuts of Arthur and Hiroshi. Neura's head was severed not by force, but by an atomic friction that barely made a sound as it separated flesh from metal.
But as the head spun through the air, the silence became heavy, pressurized. A single bloodshot eye saw the warriors.
BOOM!
A sonic shockwave exploded from nowhere, a pulse of kinetic energy that turned oxygen into a hammer. The sound was so violent it sent everyone flying, leaving a trail of deafening ringing in their ears.
Arthur, spitting blood, broke the new silence:
— This bastard... even without a head, he can do that.
Charlotte appeared through the smoke, her voice vibrating with the fatigue of power:
— We can only win through the 4th-dimension gate.
— And everyone disappears as forgotten collateral? —Arthur countered.
— That is the price —Hiroshi stated, the wind of devastation ruffling his hair—. We'll have to leave him in a catatonic state. Charlotte, are you sure you can do it?
The girl, whose spear still emitted that melancholy hum, nodded. Her red eyes shone with a tragic light.
— I'm sure. I'll do my best... Kaiyu.
Hiroshi looked at her. The sound of his own heart beating wildly was all he could hear.
— Extreme power for an equivalent exchange... your memories for his defeat. You are very brave, Charlie.