Chapter 7: Overseas Ruckuses
08:24 AM (Hong Kong Time), Sunday September the 23rd…
"…. Alright. I got a mail saying something was going on in Hong Kong's city center but I see nothing unless it's happening inside of some "Cybernetics" close by…"
"Nyah, hah, hah, hah…"
"What's that?"
"Ya worst nightmare, ya gorilla wannabe~… The reviewer!"
"Huh? Hah! So you're my own "Anti"."
"Surprised, King Kong descendant?"
"Tell that to some random monkey instead… Come at full power!"
"Flee at low power!"
"Hmpf! How funny."
Sigma had been patrolling the Wave Roads above Hong Kong's city center and seemingly looking for something when his "Anti" showed up behind him while laughing: Sigma didn't look amused at the poor attempt to imitate him this guy was displaying.
"Hrah! Destroy Sword!"
"How lame. Sigma Sword!"
Both clashed swords but the imposter's one began to crack around the mid-height portion and it split in two: the imposter gasped in disbelief and looked like he couldn't believe it.
"Anti AA! The damned rascal! "Indestructible sword"…! The fucker's trying to discredit me and get the glory!"
"Heh! Not like that Twilight son of a bitch would ever understand what "team-work" means… He'd rather have them kill each other!"
"Damn this guy!"
"Bite my shiny core~!"
Sigma ran off and the imposter chased him: he entered an advertising Real Wave projector's Cybernetics and the imposter followed him: Sigma then warped by bending the air and creating a shrinking circle which made him invisible: he appeared behind the imposter and rammed into him with the left shoulder: the imposter met the ground and got to his feet to try to hit Sigma with the punches but Sigma used his Sigma Sword to block.
"Ya can copy the looks but not like ya can copy the materials!"
"Wha~t?"
"Heh!"
"Damn ya! Demon Laser!"
The imposter's eyes glowed and shot two parallel lasers which travelled across the ground but bounced off some octagonal shield Sigma had and hit his own exposed core instead.
"What's with that shield?"
"Yer worst nightmare provides it! The reviewer!"
"Wha~t? Damn ya!"
"Mwah, hah, hah. Demon Laser!"
"Che!"
The imposter picked the lower half of the imitation sword and tried using it to block or bounce the lasers but they pierced through it and hit the waist area: the imposter flung the useless sword half at the real Sigma and it bounced off the shield to hit their nose: they growled and extended both hands forward to shoot some tall blue-colored rings the edges of which were frizzling with electricity: Sigma suddenly warped and appeared higher in the air to draw a circle with his Demon Lasers and form a circle of flames around the imposter: the "Anti" Sigma howled and jumped for the real one but he warped and he ended up crashing into the floor.
"Ya need to try harder, Mr. Anderson!" Sigma smugly taunted.
"Wha~t? Grrr! If that piece of super-hero wannabe hadn't sabotaged me, then… I'd already smashed you up a thousand times by now!"
"Oho. Scary, scary~…"
The imposter then made the knuckles glow with energy before starting to punch Sigma's shield: Sigma whistled a tune and began to hover some centimeters over the ground before warping and jumping down while aiming the blade forward: the hit made the imposter recoil and Sigma began to jump in a mad manner as he swung his sword up and down: the multiple blows made the imposter recoil further and didn't see something sparkling in the ground: he stepped over it and an explosion ensued, making him fall face-up on the ground.
"Fuck. Giga Mine!"
"Yessir."
"Damn it all! Eat this! Giga Card! Meteor G Laser!"
"Heh! Grave Joker X!"
Two Grave Jokers formed on the field: Sigma's one hit the floor and made 3 "Giant Buildings" rain down in a random pattern yet they ended up with one on the lower right, another in the middle left and the last in the upmost center: the imposter "Anti" Sigma's one charged up energy and shot a brutal blast of reddish energy but which was greatly dimmed by the Giant Buildings and Sigma's own shield: the "Anti" Sigma growled in exasperation.
"This can't be true!"
"It's true! Twilight sucks!"
"Don't call the daimaou like that!"
"I'll call that jerk in whatever way I want! Eat this! Demon Rings!"
Sigma shot his rings but they spun upon their axis in the air so dodging them was harder for the imposter, who got hit by 3 of them and dodged just 2 of them: they growled.
"This is getting ridiculous."
"Blame the competency!"
"Grrr… Destroy Punch!"
"Weak."
The imposter tried to hit Sigma's shield but failed again: the real Sigma swung upon his axis and hit the imposter with the sword thus making him fall into the ground from the inertia the blow carried with it: Sigma then jumped down atop him and began to hit the head with the sword to cause some echoes to ring out and apparently to dizzy the opponent: Sigma then jumped away while the imposter got to his feet somehow.
"Vulcan Seed X!"
"Heh! Beast Swing X!"
A purple-colored War Rock formed and swung with his claws at the "Anti" Sigma thus leaving some scars on the chest and over the surface of the red core while the Vulcan Seed bounced off the shield.
"Grah! Is there no way to beat you?"
"Maybe. Ya need to use the head, Mr. Smith."
"I told you! I'm stronger than you!"
"Well. Prove it, then."
"Heel Wizard X!"
"Noised Wizard X!"
The Heel Wizard's electrical whip bounced off the shield and did nothing with the Noised Wizard did leave another scar across the upper chest of the "Anti" Sigma.
"Ya wanna blame someone, blame yer useless Boss."
"Wha~t?"
"I told ya: if the guy hadn't stirred in-fighting then…"
"I know! I'd be stronger! I'd be the ULTIMATE!"
"Heh! No way. Sir Omega is the ultimate."
"What! I thought the guy was a just a show-off!"
"Heh! Not done the homework, you have?"
"Che! Demon Stomp!"
The imposter jumped and landed down while stomping with the right foot: the barrier turned red as if to indicate it was reaching its limit and the imposter then punched it to shatter it like glass: Sigma, though, simply picked his sword with both hands and drove it through the imposter: the imposter howled and vanished with a flash.
"Heh! What weak armor."
"Sigma? Do you copy? This is Omega."
"Ah! Sir Omega, sir. I gave my imposter a run for it. Their sword was weak, they had no barrier and their armor was as thin as paper, sir. It'd seem "Anti" Acid Ace tricked them, too, sir." He reported.
"Hum. I see. So Blood should be next and I should be last in two days' time, I guess… Pull back to the HQ…"
"Roger!"
"Ah! And don't mind War Rock's taunts. If you play deaf then the guy will bore out of it and leave you alone." He added.
"Understood, sir!"
Sigma warped back into the Wave Roads and speeded away from the Hong Kong area to use a Warp Point into the Cosmo Wave where he navigated through until he found the Kodama Town Warp Point and headed for Subaru's house.
"Let's tell good ol' Subaru 'bout this… He'll be amused, I daresay!"
He chuckled under his breath as he saw Ox and War Rock starting another fight above the Wave Liner stand…
10:10 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Someone bothered to call me to Dealer's orbital station… And it has to be my own "Anti"…"
"Correct… I'm the ultimate assassin!"
"Tell that to Assassin Shinobi."
"What? I've got competency?"
"Of course. You didn't your homework. So my "Anti" is a mockery of me by having an assassin-like mindset."
"Yeah… I'll reap you lowlife's soul! The great I am invincible!"
Blood Shadow stepped into Dealer's orbital station and began to look around when a voice rang out: Blood Shadow wasn't surprised in the least and he simply began to scan the area.
"Mwah, hah, hah. I'm invisible to anything!"
"I wonder about that. Whoever designed your stealth camouflage didn't bother to tell you the greatest weakness it has."
"What? Damn it! Anti HN! That woman! It had to be a woman!"
"If she looks up to Anaya Maria then it's no wonder she's a trickster as well."
Blood Shadow loaded his double-barreled shotgun and warped to then reappear atop the gigantic screen which had, in the past, displayed Meteor G, but now it displayed empty space: he unloaded his shotgun and there was a yelp followed by a THUD sound and the sound of glass shattering: his imposter became visible and Blood Shadow drew a Sword Fighter X on his left forearm which he used to deliver 6 hits in a row to his opponent before stepping back and dodging a poorly aimed shot.
"IR. You can't hide from IR."
"Shit! That woman!"
"Shut up." Twilight's voice suddenly rang out.
"Huh! Twilight – sama!"
"It's part of my rules. Got any complains? Complain to ME."
"N-no, sir! No complains, sir!"
"Fight."
"R-roger, sir!"
"So. Twilight. About time you showed up."
"Hmpf! About time I reminded these idiots who's in charge."
"Your own petty strategy shoots back at you."
"Hah! Purges are useful to get rid of eyesores and keep the useful idiots on line and under control! It's happened across history!"
"I knew that. So, what can your pawn do?"
"This! Mega Shot!"
"How lame."
The imposter shot an attack from his own shotgun but Blood Shadow merely brought up the default shield to block it up: he then locked on the guy and delivered a hit from an Edogiri Blade X.
"Che! Mad Vulcan X!"
"Vulcan Seed X."
"Hell!"
Blood Shadow ignored the Mad Vulcan X rounds and the Vulcan Seed X rounds hit the imposter in a row: the imposter cursed under his breath and turned invisible again but Blood Shadow merely switched to IR vision and quickly spun around to shoot his already loaded shotgun at close-quarters into the enemy: the blow made the camouflage malfunction and he recoiled from the shooting: the imposter howled as he clutched the wound into his armor.
"Damned bitch!"
"Got a problem with my favorite?" Twilight challenged.
"Huh! N-no, sir!"
"Shut up. Fight. Or be deleted."
"R-roger, sir!"
"Hmpf… I thought as much…"
"Hmpf! The brat wants to play Holmes, huh?" Twilight taunted.
"Who knows, Demon Tribe Chief?"
"Degrading me! How dare you!"
"I dare, you cold-blooded psycho. Trying to destroy Earth with Crimson-loaded missiles… And sacrificing those four for you vain power… You lowlife would be better off dead and buried."
"Che! Kyoudai. The damned mouse!"
"Fight him if you ain't a bully and a coward."
"Coward! Me!"
"Of course. You tried to stage for a war of attrition on the Zenay III expedition but it didn't succeed."
"Che! Silence them, my pawn!"
"Roger! Dancing Blade X!"
"Spade Magnets X."
"Wha!"
Blood Shadow gracefully dodged both sweeps by the Dancing Blade X and then made Spade Magnets hit the opponent twice with his red and blue swords thus momentarily paralyzing them: Blood Shadow loaded his shotgun and warped in front of him.
"Charged shotgun shot."
"Gruah! Damn it! I want to be more powerful!"
"I doubt you'll be able to." Blood Shadow drily muttered.
"Wha~t?"
"You're but a pawn staged for this show. He'll dispose of you sooner or later, as he just said."
"Hmpf! Trying to loophole you lowlife's fate?"
"N-no, my Lord!"
"Fight!"
"Dia Iceburn X!"
"Oh?"
Dia Iceburn popped out and formed two streams of icy and snowy wind which froze the terrain on their wake but Blood Shadow predicted their direction and simply dodged before locking on the opponent and delivering another 6 slashes.
"Grah! Club Strong X!"
"Hum."
Club Strong formed and spawned three small cyclones which rushed towards Blood Shadow: he brought up the shield and blocked them and the Edogiri Blade X his opponent used in a row: Blood Shadow merely moved around and blocked another attack which was the Giza Wheel X the opponent tried using next.
"Is that all?"
"No! Damn it! Giga Card! Ox Tackle!"
"Wide Wave X."
The attack didn't stop Ox Fire's tackling but did hit the opponent and broke the bubble while Blood Shadow formed his default shield to block the tackle.
"Shit! How can this be?"
"It can be because I've got experience. Which you don't."
"Experience? What the hell?"
"Experience is the key to a battle."
"Hmpf! Power is all what matters! Brat!" Twilight shot back.
"Oh yeah? And when your power backfires then what?"
"Che! That was a cheap trick!"
"It wasn't. It was a clever strategy to teach you a lesson. Which you didn't get, from the looks of it."
"T-this KIDDO!"
"Che! I'll defeat you lowlife yet!"
"I don't think so, Mr. Pale Imitator. Cygnus Wing X!"
"Uack! Damn you! Phantom Black X!"
Cygnus Wing spun and hit the opponent once while the opponent had Phantom Black shoot his "Phantom Claw" at Blood Shadow but he just used his shield to block and then grinned.
"All Poison! Poison Storm!"
"Uagra~h!"
Blood Shadow used the Poison combo and the fan hit the opponent several times in a row: he lost balance and collapsed face-down on the ground, apparently defeated.
"Che. Retreat!"
The imposter vanished with a flash and Blood Shadow shrugged his shoulders as he walked outside of the place.
"Really. What a waste of time. Twilight's turned too impatient: well, since it makes work easier for us, then… Meh!"
You'll soon be defeated! Twilight!
17:17 PM (Japan Time)…
"… You bitch!"
"Oh my."
"You tricked me!"
"So what? Daimaou – sama said so."
"Yeah. If you've got complains then go see His Grace. If you've got the GUTS for it."
"Shaddup, you super-hero wannabe!"
"Where's the Robocop wannabe! My sword!"
"Anti" Blood Shadow encountered "Anti" Harp Note and "Anti" Rock Man in a large metallic tunnel which had opened lock doors and a garage on the left side of the tunnel: he began to lash out at "Anti" HN and "Anti" RM challenged him: "Anti" BS growled while "Anti" Sigma ran past them and looking furious.
"You herd of pawns! Whoever tries to play smart doesn't live to tell it: this is the rule of the Demon Tribe!" Twilight's voice echoed through several speakers.
"Huh!" "Anti" BS gasped.
"Found ya!" "Anti" Sigma exclaimed from further in.
"Heck. Thought the guy had died by now…"
"That's a CONFESSION!"
"Hmpf! Let there be struggle and let the best survive!" Twilight scoffed over the speakers.
"If you don't hurry you'll lose your chance to beat the Robocop, too, lil shotgun." "Anti" HN sneered.
"What?"
"He messed with your Folder."
"What in the… All Battle Card values are halved? The Robocop! Oi! Anti Sigma! I've got a score with the fucker as well! Step asides!"
"Like Hell!"
"That fucking bastard…!"
"Anti" BS ran off and "Anti" HN signaled the lock door: it slid down the rails and closed while some locking sounds rang out.
"Alright. We've removed the needless noise."
"Sure thing… Twilight – sama made it clear he expects us two to remain alive and doesn't care how many left by the time the Subspace and company find us here…" "Anti" RM muttered.
"We're too much, even."
"In what sense?"
"Tee, heh, heh. Well. Who knows?"
"Huff. I'm off to submitting those guys' battle data."
"Alright. I'll check on the others… They must be battling fiercely by now, I guess… Survival of the fittest… Or should we say survival of the strongest instead? Tee, heh, heh."
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
"Anti" RM headed off while "Anti" HN stepped into the garage through a side-door and ignored 8 neatly parked hover-engine open-cockpit Jeeps there: she headed into a small work-station and interacted with the console to bring up footage of "Anti" CW and "Anti" Mode having a clash in another identical tunnel.
"Outta the way! The only sky-dancer is the great me~!" "Anti" Mode snapped at his opponent.
"No! I'm the greatest and grandest sky-dancer! Go back to your bankrupt circus, you clown!"
"YOU go back to your incinerated opera house, you old-timer!"
"Old-timer! Me! I'm beautiful!"
"Only in yer empty head!"
"Damn you~! Cygnus Dance!"
"Thousand Kick!"
"Anti" CW spun upon his axis and headed for "Anti" Mode and "Anti" Mode generated an imitation of Rock Man which began to deliver several kicks in a row.
"Tee, heh, heh. Enough. The two rivals…"
Another screen with footage revealed a cylindrical duty-heavy elevator shaft: "Anti" Storm and "Anti" Miles were fighting there in a rather ferocious manner.
"I'll electrocute you yet! You steal me the spotlight!"
"I'll pierce you yet! You steal me the screen-time~!"
"Blame Mr. Author!" She inwardly giggled.
"Zetsumetsu Meteor!"
"Doppel Mirror!"
"Anti" Storm made the meteors rain down while "Anti" Miles placed a mirror in front of the guy which began to lower his HP value: both growled and recovered.
"Break Count Bomb!"
"Wing Blade~!"
"Let's let them like that… Next!"
Another screen popped out and it displayed "Anti" Pedia having a fight with "Anti" OF in one of the garages with "Anti" OF picking the Jeeps and throwing them at "Anti" Pedia, who dodged them.
"You drunkard! Your invertebrate! You barbaric invasion! You Carnival Inca! You iconoclast!" "Anti" Pedia was snapping at the guy.
"Buruo~! You're but a bug! A bug to be squished by ME! Eat Jeep: die and make me a favor, you moron! Here goes nothing: Ox Jeep Tackle of Death!" "Anti" OF exclaimed.
"How original, bull - chan." She giggled.
"Young scamp! Young sassy! Loony! Liquorice!" "Anti" Pedia howled after he got hit by the Jeep.
"Hmpf! The carpet-seller bites?"
"C-carpet… Seller…? ME? Break Saber X!"
"Ugh! Fire Punch!"
"The slaughter season's opened." She giggled again.
She switched screens yet again and this time she spotted the fight between "Anti" AA, "Anti" BS and "Anti" Sigma each fighting each other by now.
"Demon Knuckles!"
"Daba Flame X!"
"Fuck you! Windy Attack X!"
"You rookie sailors! Die already!" "Anti" AA snapped at them.
"You megalomaniac! I'll give you sword! You'll eat it whole with pepper and BBQ sauce included!" "Anti" Sigma growled.
"Yum. Yummy." She laughed at her joke.
"You mercenary! I'll make pieces outta you lowlife yet!"
"You miserable lot!"
"You miserable ectoplasm!"
"You miserable iconoclast!"
"You gunner bib!"
"You peasant!"
"Enough."
She shut down all screens and then brought up another which showed "Anti" RM working in another work-station: she shrugged and began to flip screens: one showed some remains of simplistic brick houses built somewhere in a totally dead patch of rock and they included a round building with a partly collapsed dome: she suddenly spotted two figures stepping inside.
"What? Who were those? It can't be any of the "Anti" SS… Except for "Anti" RM all the others are fighting to death… It wasn't daimaou – sama yet… Ah! Of course. "IQ" – sama and Mr. Secretary… Maybe he's doing a VIP tour for them after having rescued them in secret from the prison they were locked in… Of course, of course…"
She closed that feed too and opened an app: she brought up the virtual keyboard and typed a message.
"Watching yaoi?" She typed.
"Of course not!" "Anti" RM typed back.
"Then ya are watching bondage or BDSM?"
"I'm just reviewing the battle data! Remote log-in into my terminal if ya wanna! I know ya can fish up any records even if I delete them right now: leave me in peace! Or else my neck will lose its worth!"
"Nope. I want ya to sweat."
"Jeez. Go tuna."
"Go meet a smallpox sequel."
"I've had enough. I'm off!"
He cut the chat connection and "Anti" HN simply sighed in an amused tone and shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, well, well. Bad guys will be bad guys."
Tee, heh, heh. Let's pit bad guy VS bad guy next… Tee, heh, heh.
